Highway of holiness

Isaiah 35:5

Would we live a holy life so that we would be maybe in the last generation to be caught up in the air to our Holy One, or there is more to this? I believe after reading all these scriptures that we have more than one reason to agree with this. First of all this is the only reason we have been called. Our call in to Holiness. To a sinless state of perfection? “NO” but to Holiness “YES”. Did you know these too are not one and the same thing? Sinless perfection is awaiting us at the other side of heaven, but Holiness is to remain put when we are suddenly placed on the Highway of Holiness. Staying put means once saved through grace by faith in Jesus Christ, we need to allow the Spirit of the Lord to refine us in our character as He sees fit through many tribulations and trials. This is what Peter finally grasped and wrote in regards the fiery trials that were meant to come his way so that the goal of his faith, which was the salvation of His soul would take place.

Here prophet Isaiah is pointing out to the cleansing that the UN regenerate could not walk through it, but this road would not be theirs to cross over. Just like the parting of the Red Sea where the Egyptians were consumed by its awesomeness.

Here the prophet foresees a remnant chosen by the election of grace that would not only be justified through faith, but would willingly go through a very serious cleansing. He likens this work of sanctification through grace like a road or a highway that the unclean cannot walk on it, since they are not able to endure the cost necessary to be paid for being on this road. Meaning they would not even understand its meaning. Yet in the verse below he says this road is not for the unclean, but yet if one is a fool he shall not go astray on walking on this road. What an amazing allegory painted here in this picture for this work of sanctification.

The prophet also says “No lion shall be there nor shall any ravenous beast go up on it; it shall not be found there, but the redeemed shall walk there.” An amazing picture of justification through grace in sanctification of the Spirit. In these words the prophet is proclaiming what many of us in the New Covenant are yet to fully understand through grace.

Here Prophet Isaiah is pointing out to the work of the holiness that is to one day take place in the hearts of men through the Holy Spirit. He speaks of the futuristic cleansing that would come both to Zion or the Jewish remnant and the spiritual cleansing of Church. The true elect of the Lord or the future bride consisting of the Jews and the gentiles. The Prophet mentions that even one could be called a fool in the eyes of this world, but God’s election of grace would make him to be able to stand in this cleansing and that nothing could make him stumble if he is willing. In this prophetic utterance the prophet Isaiah also declares that no demon in hell would be able to walk on this road of sanctification through grace to hinder this great work of God.

That is why in the few beginning verses of Isaiah’s chapter 35 he utters awesome words of comfort to God’s own remnant elect for this supernatural act of God.

This Highway of Holiness the prophet said would make the wilderness and the wasteland glad for them, and the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose; it shall blossom abundantly and rejoice even with joy and singing. I believe in this wonderful work of grace the wilderness of this life will turn into a blossoming place of all kinds of spiritual and physical abundance.

The former places of barrenness now in this transforming work of sanctification would begin to give spiritual blessedness.

I believe in this the prophet Isaiah saw the marvelous transformation that a changed life could bring to a barren and wasted place in life. Here I believe the meaning of life on earth begins to blossom and all this through grace and by the baptism of fire. A similar truth also is spoken by prophet Malachi in chapter 3 of his prophetic book.

Prophet Malachi too saw this sudden arrival of the Lord to his temple for cleansing.

Here too prophet Malachi is saying that a sudden visitation of God in His temple would be for the purposes of the cleansing of His temple. He says in chapter 3 verses 1 that “Behold I send my messenger and he will prepare the way before Me, and the Lord, whom you seek will suddenly come to His temple. Even the Messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold He is coming says the Lord of Hosts. But who can endure the day of His coming? And what can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiners’ soap, and He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer to the Lord an offering in righteousness.” An amazing prophecy of the sanctification of grace through faith in Christ among those who are called in all generation from all nations. He also gives us the reason why we need to walk on this road and that was to bring our God and our Lord

Sacrifices of righteousness. Also as we read further in the same passage in verses 13 through18 that the prophet is speaking on behalf of the Lord against those who would complain of their refinement and their service to the Lord which was the main reason for their sanctification. He says you have spoken harshly against Me in saying that we walk as mourners and are under the purifying fires of the Lord, yet He honors the proud and those who would not walk uprightly. Here the prophet speaks of the Lord’s anger against those who would murmur when God is allowing restorative fires hit their lives for sanctification. Here The Lord says it is I who is refining you and that for your own good. To bring to me offerings of righteousness and not your own works of the flesh defiled by human reasoning. Here the Lord even speaks of the same thing that Isaiah spoke in regards to the Highway of Holiness designed for us.

In this the Lord speaks of an election through grace that must follow the fires of purifications. A divine reality of the Spirit that remains unavoidable. The Lord is saying to His people that He is attentive to His peoples groaning and complaining when all He is doing is that He has them on the Highway of holiness. He is saying now that you are declared clean through the justification of faith in Christ, you must not complain about its cost to you. Yes the unclean cannot stand on this difficult yet rewarding path, but we too who are being saved through fires should not be complaining of this grace working in us.

Because soon a book of remembrance would be recorded about those who feared the Lord in allowing Him to be the refiners fire in them without grumbling. Here the prophet Malachi says there would be a distinction given between the true servants and the hypocritical pretenders. It is in this cleansing work that the true identity of the saints is discovered.

It is there that the Lord of Hosts will make a final distinction between the ones who would be spared as His own who serve Him. The prophet says Here it is in this that among the servants of the Lord the righteous and the wicked would become evident. It is here where the ones who fear the Lord and meditate on His name would become His own. Meditate on His name means they understand God being a refiner’s fire and would humbly submit to His purification by the Holy Spirit. They know that a day is coming burning like an oven that is aimed to burn all the proud and the wicked who would avoid His refinement now. This is exactly what the Lord Jesus spoke to Peter concerning washing his feet. Jesus said to him “Peter you are clean & washed through your faith in Me, but never the less I need to wash your feet.” Meaning you need to allow Me to refine you in the fires of purification by the Holy Spirit through the word, otherwise you could have a place among those who would stand to serve me in rightousness

Would we live a holy life since we are in the last generation to be caught up in the air to our Holy One, or there is more to this? I believe after reading all these scriptures that we have more than one reason to agree with being on the highway. First of all this is the only reason we have been called. Our call is unto Holiness. To a sinless state of perfection? “NO” but to Holiness “YES”. Did you know these too are not one and the same thing? Sinless perfection is awaiting us at the other side of heaven, but Holiness is to remain put when we are suddenly placed on the Highway of Holiness. Staying put means once saved through grace by faith in Jesus Christ, we need to allow the Spirit of the Lord to refine us in our character as He sees fit through many tribulations and trials. This is what Peter finally grasped and wrote in regards to the fiery trials that were meant to come his way so that the goal of his faith, which was the salvation of His soul would be accomplished in him, to the same goal that the author of Hebrews admonish us also.