The Blessed Appointment Unto Them That Mourn in Zion (Part 2 of 4)

THE DAY HAS DAWNED

"The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified."

No doubt the blessed appointments mentioned in Isaiah 61 (v1-3) sound good to the ears. But when would such things be accessible to the children of God? And of who does the prophet speak? Of himself or another? Jesus answered these questions when He “returned with power” from His temptation in the wilderness. He came to Nazareth and “as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath Day, and stood up for to read” (Lk 4:16). And after He read these words of the prophet before the people, He declared truth that changed everything: “This day is this Scripture fulfilled in your ears” (Lk 4:21). He is the appointed One and now is the day in which these blessed things has dawned. We are living in the dew of it’s morning. Behold, NOW is the acceptable time. Behold, NOW is the day of salvation. 

We Have Heard the Joyful Sound. The day has dawned. The gospel is now, and from the time of Jesus, being preached with clarity and power to save. The meek, who refuse to be abrasive and to sheathe their strength for the wellbeing of others are having glad tidings preached to them. The brokenhearted are being bound up and strengthened. Captives are being set free and prisoners are being shown the way of escape. And this is just the beginning!

Sin has been judged. The devil is destroyed. Grace now reigns unto eternal life. The Holy Spirit is dwelling in and governing the people of God. Jesus is seated at the right hand of the His Father. Believers have passed out of death into life. They have been seated with Christ in heavenly places; hid with Him in God. Oh, but this is just the beginning!

Present, And Future. The kingdom of God is an everlasting kingdom and the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory is an eternal salvation. Like Caleb and Joshua we are now partaking of the first fruits of the Promised Land and they are better than all the fruits of our land. This isn’t just poetic imagery, this is the apostles’ doctrine. The letter to the Hebrews speaks of those who have been illuminated and tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost. It speaks of those who have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the world to come (Heb 6:4-6). In other words, they have tasted the firstfruits of their future inheritance. They have a portion now of what they will have in fullness then. This is the way the kingdom functions. God is making men fit for receiving all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. Salvation provides a way for us to partake of these things now and for ever and ever world without end. 

Think about this: Just like God had to take away our sins before we could be a habitation of God in the Spirit, so He will remove all things that offend in order to make us fit for even more blessing. There is coming a day when that which is hidden will be made known. There is coming a day when the glory of God shall be revealed. Then the Son of God shall be manifested. Then the saints shall shine like lights. Then the earth and its works shall be burned up. Then all things that offend God will be dispelled from His presence and from those who remain in His presence. Then we shall know as we have been fully known. Then God will deal out retribution. And then we shall be comforted. All the good things God has appointed for His people shall be enhanced, enlarged and overflowing and, praise God, we will be able to receive it. This day of salvation and the time of comfort has dawned, brethren. Hold fast, for, high noon is coming soon.

The Day of Vengeance. We are living in the acceptable year. This is a year when God is pleased and those who come to Him by Christ are accepted by Him. It is a time when He may be found. Yet there is coming a day of vengeance. Both the acceptable year and the day of vengeance are announced in the gospel and both are beneficial to the people of God. In fact, how you think about the day of vengeance is an indication of your participation in the acceptable year of the Lord. If you are participating in the year of acceptance then you can look forward to the day of vengeance when God will destroy all things that oppose you. However, if you are neglecting so great a salvation then the day of vengeance is a terrifying thing because in it God will actually destroy you - for you are the one in opposition with the purpose of God.

But here is a blessed thought: The YEAR of Acceptance…the DAY of vengeance. It is as though for us the day of vengeance is brief while the acceptance of God is forever. There are things that “only last for the night” and there are better things that “come in the morning.” The day of acceptance is like the morning that comes after the night of weeping and it is a morning that never ends. There will never again be the darkness of night once that morning comes.