The first question that needs to be settled is, what is genuine repentance? Secondly, what can a people who are already keeping the commandments of God, including the Sabbath and living blameless lives as far as moral behavior is concerned, possibly repent of?

Faith in God and its fruit of repentance for sin are the natural and automatic result of communion with God. The revelation of the goodness and righteousness of God, obtained alone through an active connection with Him is what leads men to repent (Romans 2:4). Outside of this communion, there is no genuine repentance. The more the soul converses with God, the more it becomes acquainted with Him, the stronger the conviction of sin becomes and the deeper and more intense the repentance.

“The nearer we come to Jesus, and the more clearly we discern the purity of His character, the more clearly shall we see the exceeding sinfulness of sin, and the less shall we feel like exalting ourselves. There will be a continual reaching out of the soul after God, a continual, earnest, heartbreaking confession of sin and humbling of the heart before Him. At every advance step in our Christian experience our repentance will deepen.”1

Of Enoch it is said, that “the closer the connection with God, the deeper was the sense of his own weakness and imperfection.”2

Repentance cannot be artificially manufactured. It is not mechanically contrived; it cannot be generated like other whims of human emotions. It is simply the Holy Ghost striking the chords of the human heart, melting and subduing it under Its strong convicting power. Then genuine repentance occurs. Sorrow for sin and repentance are the human agent’s natural and automatic response to the Spirit’s work of constantly impressing upon the mind the loveliness of the character of God in Christ Jesus. When the believer constantly looks to Jesus and opens his heart to Him as a friend in holy fellowship, all self-righteousness and imagined goodness are stripped away and the nakedness of the soul is laid bare. Then his soul naturally bows down in contrition, humbled and penitent.

“One ray of the glory of God, one gleam of the purity of Christ, penetrating the soul, makes every spot of defilement painfully distinct, and lays bare the deformity and defects of the human character. It makes apparent the unhallowed desires, the infidelity of the heart, the impurity of the lips. The sinner’s acts of disloyalty in making void the law of God, are exposed to his sight, and his spirit is stricken and afflicted under the searching influence of the Spirit of God. He loathes himself as he views the pure, spotless character of Christ.”3

When the prophet Isaiah beheld the glory of God in the temple, he was struck and overwhelmed with a sense of his own moral weakness and imperfection of character. The prophet’s despairing cry was, “Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts” (Isaiah 6:5). Before he had this life-changing personal encounter with God in the sanctuary, he had been moved to rebuke sins of others. With the following stern words, he pointed out the sins of others: “Woe unto the wicked! it shall be ill with him: for the reward of his hands shall be given him.” (Isaiah 3:11). “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight! Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink” (Isaiah 5:20-22).

While the prophet was moved to condemn the prevailing iniquity around him in his zeal for God, he wasn’t necessarily convicted of his own sinfulness at that stage of his spiritual walk. Not until that fateful encounter with God in the temple did the prophet understand something of his own sinfulness of life in stark contrast with the glory of God, so vividly impressed upon his mind and heart. As a result of that unforgettable encounter, “Woe unto you” turned into “Woe unto me . . .”

“Isaiah had denounced the sin of others; but now he sees himself exposed to the same condemnation he had pronounced upon them. He had been satisfied with a cold, lifeless ceremony in his worship of God. He had not known this until the vision was given him of the Lord. How little now appeared his wisdom and talents as he looked upon the sacredness and majesty of the sanctuary. How unworthy he was! How unfitted for sacred service! His view of himself might be expressed in the language of the apostle Paul, ‘O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?’ ”4

God’s remnant church today, while the object of God’s supreme regard, is just as blind to her true spiritual state, as the prophet Isaiah was, before his personal encounter with God in the temple. Her elevated status as depositary of sacred truths and her blameless demeanor have, unfortunately, produced in her the undesirable effect of thinking that she is in a better position than she really is. Her estimation of her own spiritual condition differs widely from that of the Faithful and True Witness, Who says, “Thou knowest not that thou are wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked” (Revelation 3:17). Genuinely unaware of her true state, she confidently exclaims, “I am rich with goods and have need of nothing” (Revelation 3:17). As long as God’s people wallow in this triumphalistic, self-congratulatory attitude, deceived by the magnitude of their assumed goodness, the Holy Ghost cannot convict of sin. There can be no genuine heartbreaking repentance and confession of sin, and no real communion with God unless this pernicious state of mind is put away decisively and abandoned.

The Scribes and the Pharisees during the time of Jesus prided themselves of their own manufactured self-righteousness. John the Baptist’s call to “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:2), made no impression upon them. The call to repent to them was distasteful. Blinded by feelings of heightened spiritual superiority by virtue of their affinity with Abraham and their multitudinous works-oriented reforms, their rigid formalism, they felt no need of a Savior, no need to humble themselves and confess their sins, and certainly no need for repentance. Jesus described these self-deceived professors of religion of His time as “. . . whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness” (Matthew 23:27). These had confused external conformity to rules and regulations with the righteousness that springs naturally from within the heart. They knew nothing of the meekness and lowliness of heart that is obtained only in the school of Christ, learned only through constant communion with Him.

The call found in the message to the church of Laodicea, “Be zealous therefore and repent” (Revelation 3:19), unpopular as it stands, is nevertheless for every member of the church today to take very seriously. We are living in the period of Laodicea. This call to repent is therefore present duty. Failing to heed this call will result in being categorically spewed out of Christ’s mouth, an act of utter rejection. Self-abasement, self-renunciation, and self-surrender such as that which the prophet Isaiah experienced in the temple while beholding the glory of God, will be seen in the lives of those who have heeded the call to repent. None but those who, by faith, encounter God in the sanctuary as Isaiah did, will have the privilege of knowing something of the goodness of God which will lead them to repentance (Romans 2:4).

“The vision given to Isaiah represents the condition of God’s people in the last days. They are privileged to see by faith the work that is going forward in the heavenly sanctuary. ‘And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament.’ As they look by faith into the holy of holies, and see the work of Christ in the heavenly sanctuary, they perceive that they are a people of unclean lips,—a people whose lips have often spoken vanity, and whose talents have not been sanctified and employed to the glory of God. Well may they despair as they contrast their own weakness and unworthiness with the purity and loveliness of the glorious character of Christ. But if they, like Isaiah, will receive the impression the Lord designs shall be made upon the heart, if they will humble their souls before God, there is hope for them. The bow of promise is above the throne, and the work done for Isaiah will be performed in them. God will respond to the petitions coming from the contrite heart.”5

Isaiah’s vision of God in the temple is a type of the experience of the people of God in the last days. By faith, they will have the privilege of following Jesus in the holy of holies. As they commune with Him and contemplate His closing work in the sanctuary, they will be led to understand something of His great love in blotting out their sins forever from memory and from the books of record; they will discern more clearly the extent of the impurity of their hearts and deformity of their characters in marked contrast with the purity of Christ’s. As a result, their repentance will deepen immensely. They will sigh and cry and weep between the porch and the altar; they will afflict their souls and plead earnestly for purity of heart.

“All need to become more intelligent in regard to the work of the atonement, which is going on in the sanctuary above. When this grand truth is seen and understood, those who hold it will work in harmony with Christ to prepare a people to stand in the great day of God, and their efforts will be successful. By study, contemplation, and prayer God’s people will be elevated above common, earthly thoughts and feelings, and will be brought into harmony with Christ and His great work of cleansing the sanctuary above from the sins of the people. Their faith will go with Him into the sanctuary, and the worshipers on earth will be carefully reviewing their lives and comparing their characters with the great standard of righteousness. They will see their own defects.”6

The penitent believer really has no idea of the extent of the sinfulness of his life. He is unable to perceive with his mind the enormity of the guilt of his transgressions and sins. Therefore, on any given day, his repentance is never deep enough. He doesn’t know what to repent of! He does not realize that he is a lot more indebted to the law of God than what he repents of and confesses every day. The books of record in the sanctuary contain a lot more sins than what is typically repented of and confessed on a daily basis.

“Every man’s work passes in review before God and is registered for faithfulness or unfaithfulness. Opposite each name in the books of heaven is entered with terrible exactness every wrong word, every selfish act, every unfulfilled duty, and every secret sin, with every artful dissembling. Heaven-sent warnings or reproofs neglected, wasted moments, unimproved opportunities, the influence exerted for good or for evil, with its far-reaching results, all are chronicled by the recording angel.”7

Even sins not yet actually committed are recorded in the books of heaven, testifying against men in the judgment.

“God’s law reaches the feelings and motives, as well as the outward acts. It reveals the secrets of the heart, flashing light upon things before buried in darkness. God knows every thought, every purpose, every plan, every motive. The books of heaven record the sins that would have been committed had there been opportunity. God will bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing.”8

Ideally speaking, the more one’s sinfulness is exposed and brought to light, the deeper will be the work of repentance. Unfortunately, one’s understanding of his sinfulness of life can be grossly distorted and even blurred as a result of constructive reforms introduced in the life at conversion. The introduction of positive modifications in the diet, the dress, the disposition and the deportment often lead many to think (erroneously) that they have become more and more righteous and therefore, less and less sinful. This is self-deception at its very best; it is the very essence of the Laodicean gridlock which says, “I am increased with goods and have need of nothing.” Needless to say that it is a lot easier to fall into this trap than many people realize. It is in fact, the condition of many people in the church, although it may not be discerned and acknowledged. This explains why of Laodicea, Jesus exclaimed, “Thou knowest not. . . .” Everything told, this attitude is deplorable and very much affects the degree of repentance felt.

God will have a people in the last days who will be closely connected to His Son in the context of His final ministration in the holy of holies. These will be led to grasp fully the extent of the sinfulness of their lives, even to the point of despair. They will clearly discern it in contrast with the matchless charms of Christ. They will then be led by the Holy Ghost to ditch the Laodicean mindset so prevalent in the churches these days and go through a spiritual catharsis characterized by deep soul-searching and deep repentance. This experience will be similar to what Isaiah went through, except it will be much more intense and much more sustained. This experience, termed “afflicting the soul” (Leviticus 16:29; 23:27-32) is what prepares the remnant church for the final atonement and cleansing.

“Zechariah’s vision of Joshua and the Angel applies with peculiar force to the experience of God’s people in the closing scenes of the great day of atonement. . . . “

“As Joshua pleaded before the Angel, so the remnant church, with brokenness of heart and unfaltering faith, will plead for pardon and deliverance through Jesus, their Advocate. They are fully conscious of the sinfulness of their lives, they see their weakness and unworthiness; and they are ready to despair.”9

A work of deep self-examination and repentance is called for at this time. (Joel 2:13.) The usual adherence to cold, spiritless, formalistic rites and ceremonies in the church will not be sufficient to make this happen. Neither will the customary preaching of lifeless, theoretical sermons nor the offering up of anemic, mechanical prayers in the church and in the home bring this experience about. Only a practical religion characterized by an incessant seeking after God in daily, hourly communion and becoming assimilated with Him, will avail.

Since we are now living during the antitypical day of atonement, it is not business as usual in the church. Soul affliction is Christ’s marching orders to the remnant church. Jesus is about to make His final atonement; He is about to give the command, “Take away the filthy garments and . . . I will clothe thee with change of raiment” (Zechariah 3:1–5). Soon, in line with His closing ministration in the heavenly sanctuary as High Priest, Jesus will cleanse His people from all iniquity and sin by conferring upon them His perfect righteousness. Those who have been in the habit of lamenting their spiritual declension and mourning over their poverty of soul, will receive it, while those who have been careless and indifferent will be cut off from among His people.

Will you be one of those blessed ones who will receive the benefit of His final atonement and be part of the 144,000? Will your name be retained in the Lamb’s book of life? Will you be cleansed completely and permanently of all unrighteousness and be fitted to dwell in the society of sinless angels? May the Lord count us all worthy. Be zealous therefore and repent.

“As the people of God afflict their souls before Him, pleading for purity of heart, the command is given, ‘Take away the filthy garments,’ and the encouraging words are spoken, ‘Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment’ (Zechariah 3:4). The spotless robe of Christ’s righteousness is placed upon the tried, tempted, faithful children of God. The despised remnant are clothed in glorious apparel, nevermore to be defiled by the corruptions of the world. Their names are retained in the Lamb’s book of life, enrolled among the faithful of all ages. They have resisted the wiles of the deceiver; they have not been turned from their loyalty by the dragon’s roar. Now they are eternally secure from the tempter’s devices. Their sins are transferred to the originator of sin. A ‘fair miter’ is set upon their heads.”10