“I bring My righteousness near, it will not be far off; My salvation will not linger.”

Isaiah 46:12-13

Click for a description of the mark of the beast.
Click for a description of the image of the beast.

“Listen to Me, you stubborn-hearted, who are far from righteousness:” Isaiah 46:12

Who are the stubborn-hearted? They are those who refuse to listen to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but by listening to His word, we have faith and Salvation, “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Romans 10:17 Today, the stubborn-hearted have adopted a different god to listen to, the god that gives them uncanny knowledge and heightened intuition. The god they serve is of the power of darkness coming through the beast that gives them what to say, do, think, and feel. By serving the beast, people have become egocentric in the way they exalt themselves above belief in God. They feel no remorse and no need for the remission of sin through Jesus Christ. They oppose, ridicule, and manipulate the presence of the Holy Spirit as they detest the life of Holiness. Love within the world has gone cold and is filled with anti-social activity, with no empathy for others within their superficial charm.

To be far from righteousness can be understood when considering what Jesus said righteousness is not, “For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:20 The righteousness of the Pharisees was based on external appearances coming from a spiritually dead heart, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.” Matthew 23:27-28

“I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead….Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked— ” Revelations 3:1, Revelations 3:17 Click for a post on the Fifth Church from Revelations 3:1-6. And also click here for a post on the Seventh Church from Revelations 3:14-22.

Jesus Christ says, “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.” Matthew 7:24-27

“I bring My righteousness near, it will not be far off; My salvation will not linger. And I will place salvation in Zion, for Israel My glory.” Isaiah 46:13

When God sent His Son, Jesus, He made His righteousness available to everyone who believes in Him. That righteousness comes from within us through the Spirit, through our heart, mind, and soul, “…even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,” Romans 3:22-24

Righteousness is near to us, as near as what out mouth and heart is to us, “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” Romans 10:8-9 Through the Holy Spirit, Paul is quoting from Deuteronomy 30:14, “But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it.”

The Lord places His Salvation in Zion, and Zion is described as quoted, “But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant.” Hebrews 12:22-24

His Salvation does not linger. Salvation begins the moment we believe God, through Jesus Christ, in the presence of the Holy Spirit. How do we know that we have the Holy Spirit? If we do not speak against Jesus Christ and say that He is Lord then we have the Holy Spirit, “Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit.” 1 Corinthians 12:3

Christ Jesus came to Israel, His own people. In earthly terms, Jesus was an Israelite from the tribe of Judah. He came to His own, but they rejected Him, so now whoever believes in Him are His children, “He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” John 1:11-13

Our lord Jesus says to the Jewish culture, “Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it.” Matthew 21:43

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“….to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets,
‘I will not impose any other burden on you, except to hold on to what you have until I come.’
I am coming soon. 
Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.’”
Revelation 2:24-25, 3:11