In a word, Yes - if we have a faith that enters within the veil. The message of the third angel declares that the patience of the saints is to be demonstrated in those who keep the commandments of God and have the faith of Jesus. If we have faith that lays hold of the merits of Christ's life as the complete solution for our great need of righteousness, we have both the faith of Jesus and the latter rain of the third angel.

And what is more, our sins are blotted out. Christ's robe of righteousness does not cover our sins, it purges them making us new creatures. In Him all things are become new.

In the type sins were confessed during the daily service and then they were removed, blotted out, during the Day of Atonement, the day we have been living in since 1844. Some Adventists have put off the blotting out of sin to the time of the latter rain based on Acts 3:19 where Peter said "Repent that your sins may be blotted out when the times of refreshing shall come." But Peter did not in any way mean to discourage new believers from trusting in the power of Christ to blot out our sins today and cleanse us from all unrighteousness now. Our faith can reach forward to that event today and grasp the latter rain which is, Christ Our Righteousness, just as the faith of the patriarchs reached forward to both the cross and to the ministry of Christ within the veil. Our full and complete pardon and restoration promised during the latter rain, the blotting out of sin, is available to everyone who claims the blotting out of sin by faith today and meets the conditions - full surrender of the heart and life to Christ.

Do I have an historical and/or scriptural leg to stand on for claiming this? In 1888, a central feature of the message of Jones and Waggoner was that the Lord imputed righteousness to the true believer and viewed him as though he had never sinned. While it is true that our sins are not blotted out in human time until the sanctuary is cleansed at the latter rain, the little sanctuary of our minds and souls can be, indeed must be cleansed fully today. And they are in fact cleansed by the blood of Christ for all who truly believe.

Sins that have been confessed and blotted out from the books of record are still recorded in our memories but their power is broken and we are fully liberated from them. When our hearts condemn us for past wrongs that have been confessed and forsaken we are to remember that God is greater than our hearts.

"Whatsoever we ask, we receive of Him" including and especially the blotting out of our sins. Like David we can and must plead with God to create in us a clean heart and blot out our sin. Do any of us need that cleansing less than David? If we were to have the same sense of need that he felt, we would obtain the proportionate blessing.

But one of the best pieces of scriptural evidence that heaven is longing to impute and impart to us the full robe of Christ's righteousness is Zechariah 3 which ties the Day of Atonement, the blotting out of sin and the latter rain all neatly together. I recommend a close, prayerful study of this powerful chapter because those who receive this scripture along with the message of Revelation 18 on faith regardless of the personal cost will be transformed in character and empowered to give the loud cry of the fourth angel.

Jesus told this story: "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself: 'God, I thank You that I am not like other men -- extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.' And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!' I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." Luke 18:9-14

But I perceive that the ambition of many is be a Pharisee, to one day approach God and say: "Behold how lily white I've made myself! I AM just like You."

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James, the publican is like Joshua the High Priest in Zechariah 3, clothed in filthy garments but aware of his wretchedness. Christ tells us in Revelation 3 that our main problem is that we are wretched but don't know it. Lord help us all so that we feel our need of your righteousness and help us to receive it on faith. Clothe us in your righteousness like you did Joshua. We believe. Help thou our unbelief.

NO ONE will ever be perfect, nor will anyone of the last generation be able to approach God on the last day and say, "Behold how lily white I've made myself! I AM just like You."

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Therefore, be perfect like our Heavenly Father - kind, loving, patient, faithful, compassionate, etc. This applies to born-again believers the instant they experience rebirth in God's appointed way. The thief on the cross and the aged apostle John are no different in this regard. Being perfect like God, however, and maturing daily are two different realities - like the difference between candle light and sun light. The difference between the two forms of light is depth and degree of light (not darkness). People who experience rebirth in God's appointed way do not become less and less sinful over time. Instead, they become more and more mature in the fruits of the Spirit - from faith to faith, from grace to grace, from glory to glory (just like Jesus maturing from childhood to manhood). Perfecting holiness, not unperfecting sinfulness.

The picture of Joshua the High Priest and the Angel in Zechariah 3 is a picture of the Day of Atonement ministry of Christ (see for example, the last verse) that has been taking place since 1844. The purpose of the Day was to illustrate the final cleansing of the sanctuary and of spiritual Israel at the end of the age. So we have to ask, what does that day teach about the final cleansing of heavenly sanctuary and the work of Christ as our high priest? Doesn't it teach complete atonement, complete cleansing, complete liberation from sin.

Zechariah 3 graphically shows what the yearly cleansing accomplished. Joshua is a type of God's people at the end. That's confirmed in Revelation 11 where a mirror scene is shown in which God measures and cleanses the temple. Anciently, in order to benefit from the service and not be cut off from the congregation the Hebrews were to afflict their souls and repent of their sins. If they did then, like Joshua, the promise was to them and is to us today that those who do will be transformed in character, covered in the robe of Christ's righteousness.

Boasting is excluded. We have a work to do to labor to enter His rest, but the rest, the liberty is from God. Christ is the alpha and omega of our faith; He is our Righteousness. We have no righteousness of our own. As Jeremiah says, "This is the name whereby He shall be called: THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS." This is the only place in scripture that the name of Christ is all in capital letters. The Lord wants us to take note. This is the latter rain, Christ our Righteousness. Genuine repentance always results in victory in Christ so that the life of the Spirit animates us - Christ our Righteousness.

Congratulations Mike on making the 22,222nd post here. That's a lot of posts!

Yes, that's a lot of posts - maybe too many. I took a break for a few years. Just recently returned. But the real question is - do you agree with the post above? Not many people do. Most people who believe in "human perfection" believe it happens gradually over the course of a lifetime of sinning less and less until they eventually cease sinning.

The reason I started this thread is that recently I've come to see better what Zechariah 3 and THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS is about. I agree with you in these two points 1) If we are born again and abiding in Christ, whether we are day old believers or veterans, we are clothed in His robe and we cannot sin. I John 3:9. We are perfect in the sight of God because He sees only the righteousness of His Son in us. 2) Sanctification is maturing in character and faith.

Where I think we likely differ is regarding sins of ignorance. I take passages like Ezekiel 45:20, Leviticus 4, and Numbers 15:24-29 to mean that people who are born again still commit sins they are not aware of. For example, they may not be convicted that they should not use caffeine, that the command to be good stewards of their health extends to everything in their diet. There are many truly converted people who still drink caffeinated beverages. But during the final atonement God's people will gladly sacrifice all for Christ including their appetites.

In the Mosaic service sins of ignorance were atoned for during the daily service. Notice this however: In Ezekiel's temple sins of ignorance are specifically purged at the yearly service. Ez 45:20. So sins of ignorance are also fully purged. According to Acts 3:19, this final blotting out occurs at the Latter Rain.

To clarify that last statement about the blotting out of sin at the latter rain, the purging of all sins, known and unknown, on the Day of Atonement is a type of the latter rain. All of those who know and understand the ministry of Christ in the Most Holy Place, His Day of Atonement ministry and who enter by faith with Him within the veil and come boldly to the throne of grace are being purged and are receiving the latter rain. It's not possible to separate the latter rain from the purging, the final blotting out of our sin by Christ. They are two sides of the same coin, Christ Our Righteousness.

Charity, thank you for the reply. The SOP speaks of thoroughly preparing baptismal candidates for baptism and church membership making sure they understand "all things whatsoever" Jesus commands and requires of newborn believers including lifestyle choices like diet and dress. This is God's "appointed" way - a process of conversion that leads to rebirth, newborn believers who are living in harmony with everything Jesus commands. His appointed process leaves no one in the dark, no character defect or lifestyle choice of which they are ignorant and to be gradually discovered over the course of a lifetime of sinning and missing the mark. Yes, there are people who choose to follow Jesus and join a church without having experienced conversion and rebirth in God's appointed way.