This morning the ‘still, small voice’ of the Holy Spirit spoke to me concerning how we will overcome our spiritual adversaries in the coming Great Tribulation. He said, “blameless and harmless,” reminding me of Philippians 2:15.
“Do all things without murmurings and questionings: that ye may become blameless and harmless, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom ye are seen as lights in the world, holding forth the word of life; that I may have whereof to glory in the day of Christ, that I did not run in vain neither labor in vain. Yea, and if I am offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy, and rejoice with you all: and in the same manner do ye also joy, and rejoice with me.” (Philippians 2:14-18 ASV)
As you can see, the apostle Paul associates being ‘blameless and harmless’ with the “day of Christ,” which is coming soon. He also associates it with being offered-up as a sacrifice, which I’ll discuss below.
Blameless and Harmless
Blameless
Why must we be blameless?
Our battle is not against flesh and blood, but it’s against spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. (Ephesians 6:12)
Therefore, our enemy is not evil people. It’s not the government, or liberals, the deep state, or the Chinese, etc.
Our enemy is the Devil, that ancient serpent, “The Accuser” and the evil spirits (principalities and powers) who follow him. According to Revelation 12:10b, The Accuser is even now accusing us continually before God in heaven.
But, when we are blameless, The Accuser and his evil followers will have nothing to accuse us of, and therefore they’ll have no right to remain in heaven. The blamelessness of YHWH’s witnesses (martus, martyrs) will cause our enemies to ‘lose their place‘ in heaven. Michael and his angels will then cast them out of heaven and down onto the earth.
So, there are two reasons why our blamelessness is important to complete God’s plan of salvation:
- Blamelessness testifies to our successful transformation from sinner to saint. It glorifies God because of His successful work of forgiveness and grace in our life. As long as we abide in carnality and sin, the Holy Spirit’s transformational work of sanctification isn’t complete.
- Our sacrificial offering (Psalm 110:3) must be pure, without blemish or defect.
(I realize these topics may will generate more questions, but the answers are well beyond the scope of this short article. For the background theology behind what I hinted at here, read the free PDF booklet, The Overcomers’ Treasure Map.)
Is it Possible to be Blameless?
Some will ask “Is it possible for us to be blameless?” Many religious people say ‘nobody is perfect,’ and ‘everybody sins every day.’ But these sayings aren’t true. They’re the enemy’s lies.
Instead, concerning the possibility of attaining perfection, the apostle Paul had the attitude we should have:
“I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to Him in His death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize of God’s heavenly calling in Christ Jesus. All of us who are mature should embrace this point of view.” (Philippians 3:10-15 BSB)
Be Perfect; Press On to Take Hold; Strain Toward What’s Ahead…
God’s plan of salvation makes it possible for us to attain perfection and sinlessness. It’s not only possible, but YHWH expects us to press into blamelessness, as these verses prove:
Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly await the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will sustain you to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 1:7-8 BSB)
You are witnesses, and so is God, of how holy, righteous, and blameless our conduct was among you who believed. (1 Thessalonians 2:10 BSB)
…so that He may establish your hearts in blamelessness and holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints. (1 Thessalonians 3:13 BSB)
…in keeping with God’s promise, we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, as you anticipate these things, make every effort to be found at peace—spotless and blameless in His sight. (2 Peter 3:13-14 BSB)
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms. For He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless in His presence. (Ephesians 1:3-4 BSB)
Harmless
Speaking of Jesus, our High Priest in heaven, the Book of Hebrews states:
For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens. (Hebrews 7:26 NKJV)
Harmless: Without Any Desire to Hurt or Harm
‘Harmless’ in Hebrews 7:26 comes from the Greek word akakos. As you can see below, Akakos means someone who is innocent, without any desire to hurt or harm.
Harmlessness Isn’t Weakness
As He was dying for our sins Jesus prayed,
“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34)
During His earthly ministry Jesus exemplified harmlessness. But that doesn’t mean He was weak in any way… The same Jesus who gently welcomed the children frequently scolded His disciples. The same Jesus who touched the leper and healed him whipped the moneychangers as He overturned their tables in the temple.
Being harmless doesn’t mean we’re always happy, smiling and positive. It means our intentions are always pure toward another person’s benefit. It means we only want other peoples’ welfare, regardless of how they hurt or wrong us.
Being harmless is how we fulfill these commands:
I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. (Matthew 5:44)
If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. (Proverbs 25:21)
Bless those who persecute you. Pray for those who mistreat you. (Luke 6:28)
Make sure that no one repays evil for evil. Always pursue what is good for one another and for all people. (1 Thessalonians 5:15)
Overcomers are Blameless and Harmless
The 144,000 Overcomers
“The end-time harvest of the earth, for which God has been patiently waiting since the First Eon, is a holy people who overcome sin through His Spirit living within them. According to Revelation 14.4, the firstfruits of the coming end-time harvest will be 144,000 morally flawless disciples of the Lamb, with 12,000 from each of the 12 tribes of Israel. They’ll completely fulfill all the requirements of God’s law by growing daily into the fulness of the stature of Christ.” (The Overcomers’ Treasure Map, pg 93)
The 144,000 are blameless and harmless. They’re overcomers, who overcome Satan, the world system, and their own carnal desires. The apostle John saw them on the heavenly Mount Zion with the Lamb–their resurrected Messiah. About the 144,000 John wrote,
“They follow the Lamb wherever He goes. They have been redeemed from among men as firstfruits to God and to the Lamb. And no lie was found in their mouths; they are blameless.” (Revelation 14:4-5 BSB)
Conclusion
We’re living in the end of the age. The fulfillment of end-time prophecies is imminent, including:
- The Great Tribulation
- The manifestation of the sons of God
- The end of the Serpent’s reign over the earth
- The destruction of all nations (Daniel 2:44)
- The first resurrection of saints
- God’s final harvest of souls
- The Messianic kingdom for 1000 years
- The final judgement of all mankind
How can you be on the right side of these end-time events? Be blameless and harmless, and follow the Lamb wherever He goes.