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The Christian life is a covenant-confirmation process resulting in sin being consumed.
Grace teaches → obedience develops → failure may occur → discipline may follow → restoration results → covenant is confirmed.
Dan 9:27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
Grace first teaches the believer obedience and faithfulness to God’s covenant.
Some believers remain responsive to grace, confessing their sins and continuing in covenant obedience.
This is the Millennium period as seen in Revelation 20, when the Devil is bound (Proverbs 16:7).
This is referred to in Col 3:1 and Rev 20:5 as the First Resurection. It is the Obedient Christian life while on earth.
Pr 16:7 ¶ When a man’s ways please the LORD, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.
This is what happens during the first half of Daniel’s 70th week.
When a believer sins during this half of the representative week they recognize and confess the behavior as being sinful and are forgiven 1 Jn 1:9.
Other believers enter a period of willful covenant violation (the delusion of willful sin without confession, 2 Thess 2:11) Heb 10:26.
During this time God’s presence is concealed from the believer (Eze 39:23-29) so their sin becomes highlighted so to speak as Job became aware of His pride and the repented Leviathan is king of the proud.
This judgment period after the mid-point in Daniel’s 70th week is the second half of the week.
Their fight to come back to obedience is called Armageddon.
During this time of Armageddon they are brought into contact with covenantally obedient believers and the testimony of the faithful plays a part in their becoming obedient again Luke 21:13 and Ezekiel 39:3.
This is a time when they are disarmed and their weapons of wickedness become ineffective 2 Thess 2:8.
The revealing and consuming process is illustrated in 2 Thess 2.
This requires God’s corrective discipline to bring them back into the bond of the covenant.
Eze 20:37 And I will cause you to pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant:
This is known as the Day of the Lord or the discipline of the three-woe process of Revelation.
Zep 1:12 And it shall come to pass at that time, that I will search Jerusalem with candles, and punish the men that are settled on their lees: that say in their heart, The LORD will not do good, neither will he do evil.
A process of judgment based on willfully sinful behavior, intended to guide the believer back to obedience, as referenced in 1 Corinthians 11:32.
2 Peter 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
Thus, God remains faithful to complete His covenant-confirmation work in His people.
As in Job, some believers have hidden sin which they are not even aware of, such as self-righteousness or pride (Job 32:1, 41:34).
Through the judgment process, God begins by hiding His face, making the errant believer realize their situation (Eze 39:24-29), and then removes the wickedness from within them.
“We shall not all sleep” indicates that not all believers enter a prolonged state of covenant failure.
Some remain covenantally responsive to grace, while others require divine chastening before restoration.
1Co 15:51 ¶ Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
God gives grace to the humble, but God resists teaching the proud to deny ungodliness.
Some grow through grace’s guidance without prolonged discipline, while others learn through God’s discipline.
Jer 29:13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.