So how do you get there? Is it a “rapture” that zaps you into instant holiness and snatches you up to heaven? Nope. You get there through a process called “sanctification.” “Pursue after peace with all men, and after the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord.” (Heb 12:14) The word “sanctify” means to make holy, to purify. Yes I know. We are judged as righteous the instant we are first saved, as Jesus takes our sins on Himself and gives us His righteousness. But that is not sanctification. Sanctification is the process, guided by the Holy Spirit, in which the new believer goes through his or her life and “cleans out the junk” which is offensive to a holy God, replacing it with things that are pleasing to God.

This not only involves changing our deepest heart motivations and desires, it also involves “good works,” deeds of service to the King and to His precious ones. (Matt 25:37-40) And here is where it gets a bit sticky. Scripture makes it quite clear that we Believers will be judged or rewarded based on those “good works” or lack thereof. Nobody wants to hear that, which is why I wrote a whole chapter on it in my book. Let me give you a sneak preview of what’s in that chapter.

 The means God uses to “encourage” us toward sanctification is – you guessed it – discipline, persecution, tribulation. The whole twelfth chapter of Hebrews is on the subject: “…whom the Lord loves He disciplines, and scourges every son whom He receives… He disciplines us for our good, that we may share His holiness… to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness… the removing of those things which can be shaken in order that those things which cannot be shaken may remain… for our God is a consuming fire.”

The result is a holy fear of God, which is a fear to do evil, a fear to offend His holiness, resulting in good works to be rewarded at the “Bema Seat” judgment rather than evil works to be punished. This fear is not freight. We are not to be afraid of Him. He loves us, and such perfect love casts out fear! (1 Jn 4:18) But we certainly should fear to do those things He hates! This whole sanctification process is learning to love what He loves and hate what He hates, thus becoming like Him in our deepest motivations and desires. That enables us to actually do the things that Jesus did, and even greater things. (Jn 14:12) And that demonstrates our love for Him, as He said, “If you love Me, you will keep [do, obey, guard, treasure] My commandments.” (Jn 14:15) That is what the Feast of Trumpets and the Day of Atonement portray. And you cannot get to the Feast of Tabernacles without them.

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