Still...Part 2 of 2

Human Cruelty

Now let’s look at the providential reality of Revelation 22:11. The scattering

of God’s covenant people into lands where they would be despised,

enslaved, and regarded as less than human is one of the deepest mysteries

of divine providence. It is not explained simply by human malice, though

human cruelty has filled its pages with horror. Rather, it is explained by the

sovereign hand of God, who in judgment, discipline, and hidden mercy

allowed His people to be sown into foreign soil so that His ultimate purposes

could ripen in the last days.

When Israel rejected the covenant through disobedience, God’s word in

Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28 foretold their dispersion among the

nations. The curse was not random but measured, for He determined not

only the scattering but also the land of their exile. In the transatlantic passage

and the bitter history that followed, God’s people found themselves in the

very heart of a civilization that would exalt freedom in word only yet deny it

the darkest soil

in practice to them. In this contradiction—where men who claimed to be

Christian could reduce others to chattel—the testimony of heaven was

preserved. For only in the darkest soil can the seed of God’s truth shine so

sharply. By being made “less than human” in the eyes of men, His people

bore witness to the dignity heaven placed upon them, a dignity no chain or

law could erase.

This mystery of placement was not accidental but prophetic. Just as Egypt

revealed both oppression and deliverance, so the land of hatred became

both the crucible of suffering and the stage for God’s vindication. The very

hatred poured out upon them became a furnace of refinement, stripping

away false glory and worldly identity until what remained was the

incorruptible testimony of divine election. Their suffering was not

purposeless—it was a mirror of Christ, who was “despised and rejected of

men,” yet in His rejection bore the world’s redemption.

This brings us to the solemn word of Revelation 22:11. In this final decree,

final decree

God announces that humanity’s moral direction will reach its completion

without reversal. The unjust and filthy will be sealed in their rebellion; the

righteous and holy will be sealed in their consecration. The scattering of

God’s people into lands of hatred prefigures this division. For in their

degradation, the nations revealed what was already within their hearts—a

hatred that could not see the image of God in their fellow man. In the same

way, the last generation will reveal its true character when confronted with

the witness of God’s sealed remnant.

Thus the hatred against God’s people was not only a judgment upon them

but also a revelation of the nations. By placing His people where they would

be most despised, God exposed the depths of human corruption and

prepared a stage upon which righteousness would stand in sharp contrast to

iniquity. The suffering of the scattered was therefore prophetic, pointing to

that hour when humanity would be polarized forever. In their abasement, the

pride of the nations was unmasked; in their endurance, the righteousness of

God was preserved.

When Revelation 22:11 is fulfilled, it will be seen that God’s purpose in the

scattering was to bring all things to a head. The nations that hated will be

revealed as unjust and filthy still; the remnant that endured will be revealed

as righteous and holy still. Nothing will remain hidden, for God’s design in

history has always been to bring truth to its final unveiling.

Therefore, the mystery of being despised as “less than human” is not the

negation of God’s covenant but its confirmation. For in the land of hatred, His

people bore the weight of prophetic identity until the hour when God Himself

would declare the irreversible verdict. Their journey from chains to

consecration embodies the very movement of history itself—from scattering

to sealing, from judgment to glory.

the cornerstone

The story of God’s scattered people does not end with oppression. What

begins as abasement culminates in exaltation, for God allows the cruelty of

men only to magnify the glory of His redemption. The land of hatred, where

His people were treated as less than human, becomes the very soil out of

which His final testimony grows. This is the divine irony: the stone which the

builders rejected becomes the cornerstone, and the people whom nations

scorned become the vessels of His end-time witness.

The great reversal is a theme woven throughout Scripture. Joseph was sold

as a slave but became ruler in Egypt. Israel groaned under Pharaoh’s

taskmasters but walked out as a nation with God’s presence. Christ Himself

was crucified in weakness but raised in glory to sit at the right hand of God.

Each of these is a pattern pointing to the final generation. The scattering of

the covenant people into lands of hatred fits this same design. For what

appeared to be their destruction was, in fact, the setting of a stage upon

which God would reveal the surpassing greatness of His power.

Revelation 22:11 reflects this very turning point. The decree that fixes

destinies forever is not arbitrary—it reveals the outcome of the long struggle

of history. Those who hardened themselves in hatred, justifying injustice and

refusing repentance, are sealed in their filthiness. But those who endured

suffering, clung to the promises, and were refined through tears are sealed

in holiness. The very contrast that was sharpened in the land of exile

becomes eternally ratified by God’s word.

Here the beauty of the reversal shines most brightly: the people once

dehumanized will stand as the most human, for they reflect perfectly the

image of Christ. They who were denied identity by men are given the very

name of God in their foreheads. They who were shut out of earthly citizenship

are welcomed as citizens of the New Jerusalem. They who were forced into

silence by chains and oppression will sing the new song that no other

company can learn. Their rejection prepared them for consecration, and their

humiliation became the womb of holiness.

This reversal also serves as God’s answer to the great controversy. Satan

sought to erase the dignity of God’s image-bearers by reducing them to

property, declaring that they were unfit for divine election. Yet God allowed

this history to unfold so that, at the end, He could vindicate His covenant

people as the very ones chosen to reflect His glory most perfectly. The

despised ones become the final evidence that grace is stronger than hatred,

that truth is stronger than lies, and that love is stronger than the chains of

history.

In this light, the scattering was not abandonment but positioning. God placed

His people in the center of the world’s stage, where the contradiction of

freedom and slavery, Christianity and cruelty, humanity and dehumanization

could be seen most clearly. When the great reversal is revealed, the nations

will recognize that those whom they counted as nothing were the hidden

jewels of heaven, prepared for the crown of eternal life.

Thus the prophetic arc bends toward vindication. The hatred of men

sharpened the contrast; the decree of Revelation 22:11 seals the result. The

ones who endured contempt will shine with glory; the ones who perpetuated

contempt will be left in darkness. In this final unveiling, all of history’s

questions will be answered, and the God who scattered will be seen as the

God who gathers, who turns sorrow into song and ashes into crowns.

ashes to crowns

The scattering of God’s people into the land of hatred was not simply a

judgmental punishment; it was a school of refinement. In chains, on

plantations, under laws that denied their humanity, the scattered remnant

learned to cry out to God in ways the prosperous never could. Stripped of

worldly honor, they clung to the eternal. Denied dignity by man, they found it

in the presence of their Maker. Suffering became their tutor, pressing upon

them the reality that this world held no lasting city, but that a kingdom not

built with hands awaited the faithful.

This process matured them into the very righteousness and holiness

described in Revelation 22:11. Holiness is not forged in ease but in fire. The

endurance of unjust suffering without retaliation, the preservation of faith

while surrounded by hatred, the refusal to let bitterness consume the soul—

these are the marks of a people refined like gold. Their chains became the

crucible in which their faith was purified, their tears the baptism that

consecrated them for God’s final purpose. In this way, the despised became

prepared to be sealed as righteous and holy still, embodying the mystery of

godliness in its highest expression.

Indigenous peoples

But the same history that refined the oppressed also exposed and

condemned the oppressor. America’s treatment of its Indigenous peoples

and enslaved Africans became a monumental revelation of its moral failure.

By stripping Native nations of their land, erasing their cultures, and treating

their lives as expendable, the nation revealed its willingness to sacrifice

righteousness for greed. By reducing Black people to chattel, justifying

slavery with distorted scripture, and institutionalizing racial hatred even after

chains were broken, the nation displayed the spirit of filthiness that

Revelation declares will one day be sealed forever.

This dual history cannot be separated. For while the oppressed were forced

into humility and dependence upon God, the oppressor was hardened in

pride, greed, and cruelty. The very systems that dehumanized others also

dehumanized the perpetrators, robbing them of conscience until they could

no longer discern right from wrong. By refusing to repent, by clinging to

privilege at the expense of justice, multitudes sealed themselves in the very

condition Revelation 22:11 describes: unjust still, filthy still.

Herein lies the paradox of divine purpose: the same history that became the

refining fire of the righteous also became the condemning evidence of the

unjust. America’s record toward Indigenous and Black peoples stands as a

prophetic witness. It shows how far humanity will go when blinded by the

love of power, and how deep grace can reach when sustaining those crushed

beneath that power. The contrast is eternal. In the end, the righteous and

holy will shine all the brighter for having endured hatred, while the unjust and

filthy will stand condemned for having inflicted it.

This is the mystery of God’s judgment—that through suffering and injustice,

the final division of humanity is revealed. And when the decree of Revelation

22:11 is spoken, it will confirm forever what history has already made plain:

the oppressed who clung to God are righteous still, and the oppressors who

refused repentance are filthy still. The scattering and the hatred were the

furnace in which this eternal testimony was forged.

America was a beacon of promise

Let us lift the veil on the present. In the final hour of earth’s history, America

stands as both a beacon of promise and a monument of hypocrisy. Its

leaders drape themselves in the garments of liberty, democracy, and faith,

yet beneath these robes lies a spirit steeped in wickedness. The same nation

that once justified the chains of slavery and the dispossession of Indigenous

peoples now justifies oppression through polished rhetoric and policies

cloaked in respectability. What is presented as “security,” “progress,” or

“freedom” often masks the spirit of control, greed, and deception. The

tragedy is not only that such leaders exist, but that multitudes cling to their

every word as though it were truth itself.

This is why spiritual discernment has never been more necessary. Only

those who have been refined in the school of suffering, who have learned to

hear the voice of the Spirit above the noise of propaganda, can perceive the

evil power at work behind the throne. The outward show of patriotism and

religion conceals a darker reality: leadership animated by the dragon’s

breath, guiding a nation ever deeper into rebellion against God. Without

discernment, many are blind to this power; with discernment, the righteous

see that the stage is being set for the final conflict between the kingdom of

Christ and the kingdom of antichrist.

And here the words of the apostle Paul find their dreadful fulfillment: “For this

cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:

that they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure

in unrighteousness”. Because the heart of the nation has so long resisted

repentance—because it has exalted its leaders’ lies above the plain truth of

God—divine justice allows delusion to take root. Men and women who once

had the capacity to discern right from wrong are swept away by the torrent

of deception. They believe lies about race, lies about justice, lies about God

Himself, until their very consciences are seared.

Thus, in America’s present condition, Revelation 22:11 becomes increasingly

visible. Those who drink deeply of these lies are hardened—unjust still, filthy

still. Their leaders speak, and they follow blindly, their trust misplaced in

human power rather than the living God. But those who are righteous, who

have endured hatred and oppression yet held to truth, perceive the deception

for what it is. They are not seduced by the outward show of power. Instead,

they cling to Christ, whose word alone cuts through the fog of delusion. They

are righteous still, holy still.

Christ's word alone cuts through the fog of delusion

This is the great unveiling of the end. Leadership that appears noble is

exposed as wicked; a nation that claims liberty is revealed as enslaved to

lies. Yet out of this environment of deception, God’s remnant shines with

greater clarity. Their discernment, born of suffering and sharpened by the

Spirit, testifies that God’s truth stands unmoved while the world falls under

delusion. America’s treatment of the oppressed revealed the heart of its

injustice; America’s leaders in the last days reveal the fullness of its filthiness.

And through both, God prepares His final witness: a people so refined in

holiness that no lie can deceive them, a people sealed forever in His truth.

There is a reason for your hearing truths repeated…truths enlarged.

Repetition and enlargement of God's truth build faith and wisdom by

embedding and deepening divine principles within a believer's heart and

mind. Repetition reinforces the foundational truths of scripture, while

enlargement expands upon them, revealing greater depth and complexity.

This process transforms spiritual understanding from superficial knowledge

into a confident and deeply rooted trust in God. Major themes are

highlighted. Spiritual challenges build spiritual minds and reinforce memory.

Understanding is expanded. It moves knowledge from the head to the

heart: enlargement helps spiritual truths move beyond mere intellectual

assent to become a transformative, internal reality. It broadens a believer's

understanding of God's character and plan while increasing spiritual capacity

to receive more from God. Your foundation is principled, and your

understanding is structured to give you wisdom. Repetition here is not vain.

It is deliberate to create enduring minds and spirits to focus on God’s truth.

Before continuing study II Peter 1:12 and 13.

Engaging with God's truth in a deeper way strengthens theological

convictions and equips believers to discern the greater light of truth. This is

the difference between having a shallow faith and a robust faith that can

withstand life's trials.

The scattering of God’s covenant people into lands where they would be

despised, enslaved, and counted as less than human is one of the most

painful yet purposeful mysteries of divine providence. Human cruelty wrote

the chapters, but divine sovereignty permitted the story. God allowed His

people to be carried into the heart of nations that would strip them of dignity,

for in that very soil of hatred His plan for the last generation was planted.

Their abasement was not their end, but their preparation.

When Israel rejected the covenant, their judgment was measured: God

transatlantic passage

Himself determined both the dispersal and the lands of exile. In the

transatlantic passage and the bitter centuries that followed, His people

endured the paradox of being planted in a land that proclaimed liberty yet

denied it most cruelly to them. In this contradiction—freedom for some,

bondage for others—the testimony of heaven was preserved. In this place of

the darkest deception God’s truth shines in piercing contrast.

Being brought to this land the scattered generationally bore witness to the

indelible dignity that heaven had placed upon them. No lash, no law, no lie

could erase the fact that they were chosen. Their humiliation became their

refining fire. Holiness was forged not in ease but in affliction.

In today’s America, this contrast grows sharper still. This is the strong

delusion foretold in Scripture. Because the people have so long resisted

repentance, God allows deception to overtake them. Lies are no longer

perceived as lies; they are embraced as truth. Falsehoods issuing from the

mouths of corrupt leaders are believed as gospel. Consciences grow dull,

and the love of power blinds the heart to justice and mercy. In this condition,

multitudes are sealed—unjust still, filthy still—because they prefer the

comfort of deception over the cost of truth.

Now let us reason with the other “still” in the cosmic trial. The still of America’s

enduring hatred is to expose how the same permanence is manifest, though

in a darker form. The still of America’s nature is the refusal to repent of a sin

woven into its fabric from the beginning—the hatred of God’s chosen and the

contempt for His image in oppressed peoples. Despite centuries of

bloodshed, struggle, reform, and appeals for justice, the still of hatred

endures. It mutates in form, but not in essence. The spirit that once justified

slavery still justifies oppression. The voice that once cried for segregation

still whispers for exclusion. The arrogance that once denied humanity still

mocks truth and dignity. This is the unrelenting still that testifies to the

prophecy of strong delusion: America is still settling into her historical sins,

confirming her character before the Judge of all the earth while still clinging

to the hidden venom of hatred. The still of hatred that has never been

repented of. The two stills—one sealing holiness, the other sealing enmity—

move side by side toward their appointed end. One is the fragrance of Christ

unto life; the other, the stench of rebellion unto death.

The solemn word “still” is the word that settles it. From the first Indigenous

murder to the first lash laid on enslaved backs to the last unarmed child

gunned down in Minneapolis, America has shown that her deep wound is not

healed. The outward forms of progress shift, but the inward poison remains.

Hatred is still here. Racism is still whispered into policy, hidden in systems,

preached from pulpits of nationalism, and justified under banners of freedom.

It mutates, disguises, reforms—but it does not die. It is still.

This still of America’s nature stands as a fearful counterpoint to Revelation’s

promise. Where holiness matures in God’s people, cruelty matures in the

oppressor. Just as the saints grow into the image of Christ, so too the wicked

ripen into the likeness of the adversary. Both are reaching fullness, each

under the influence of a master—one Spirit of life, one spirit of death.

The tragedy is that America as a nation persists in believing the lie. The

deception is strong because the desire for truth is weak. And so God allows

delusion to prevail, that those who love not the truth might be judged. The

hatred that was once excused as ignorance is now willful, stubborn, and

unyielding. It is still. Therefore, the two stills—the holy and the hateful—stand

as witnesses in the last generation. The righteous are still faithful though

despised; the wicked are still cruel though warned.

The sobering truth is this—America’s refusal to release its sin is not just a

blemish on her history but a prophecy of her destiny. The land of freedom

will be revealed as the land of strong delusion. The still of Revelation is the

dividing line of eternity. And the still of America’s hatred proves how close

that line is.

The closing decree of Revelation 22:11 is more than a verdict; it is the final

verdict

crystallization of character. America’s history bears witness to this strange

providence. By absorbing hatred without returning it, the people of God are

conformed to Christ’s likeness. By being despised, they are driven deeper

into the secret refuge of divine intimacy. Thus, the still of hatred is permitted,

for it sharpens the still of holiness. The wicked are blind to this mystery. They

believe their cruelty crushes the righteous, when in truth it sanctifies them.

Every slander teaches the saint the language of silence before the Lamb.

Every act of injustice teaches them to lean more heavily on unseen promises.

Every threat exposes the hatred that still dwells in the nation, while

confirming that the righteous are still unmoved. In this way, the furnace of

hatred becomes the forge of eternal righteousness. And so the two stills

advance together: the wicked still hate, because their hearts love the lie. The

righteous still endure, because their hearts love the truth.

At the end, America’s unrepented hatred matures into open hostility against

God’s people, sealing her under delusion and judgment.

The word still in Revelation 22:11 is not merely the closing of human

probation; it is the conclusion of the great controversy itself. It signifies the

moment when the universe beholds two peoples, fully matured, their

characters set in stone—one in righteousness, the other in rebellion. No

middle ground remains. No mask can cover what has ripened within.

America’s enduring hatred, unrepented and unhealed, is not an accident of

history but a testimony of prophecy. It is the soil in which the adversary’s

seed has grown unchecked. Where open slavery ended, systemic

oppression worsened. Where strange fruit hanged from trees, veiled hostility

is the rope of underlying prejudice and animosity – rooted terrorism. What

was once codified segregation has become cultural exclusion. And yet,

beneath every disguise, the same venom still flows. This persistence is not

only evidence of human stubbornness—it is the mystery of iniquity reaching

maturity.

God, in His wisdom, allows this hatred to remain until it is fully ripe, for the

same reason He allowed Egypt’s cruelty, Babylon’s arrogance, and Rome’s

violence. Evil must be revealed in its naked form so that the universe may

see its true character. The hatred that is still alive in America becomes the

stage upon which the final scenes of the controversy unfold.

anvil of hostility

But here lies the paradox of God’s design: the still of hatred becomes the

very catalyst for the still of holiness. The saints do not mature in times of

ease, but in the furnace of contradiction. Their patience, their purity, their

discernment, and their unshakable faith are hammered out against the anvil

of hostility. Without an enemy’s hatred, the elect could not display the depth

of God’s love. Without the world’s rejection, they could not embody the

fullness of Christ’s cross. The unrighteous are still hardened by hatred; the

righteous are still softened into love.

Thus, the two stills reveal the climax of the controversy: Satan’s kingdom

reaches its apex in delusion, hatred, and violence. God’s kingdom reaches

its perfection in faith, endurance, and holy love. The still of hatred and the

still of holiness together declare the eternal answer: love has triumphed over

hate, truth has outlasted lies, and the Lamb has conquered through the very

cross that the world despised.

In this way, the persistence of America’s hatred does not overthrow God’s

plan—it fulfills it. The universe sees with perfect clarity: sin matures into

death, but holiness matures into life. O world, the decree is spoken. Choose

your still, for the hour is late. And then comes the voice from the throne—

final, irreversible, and eternal: “It is done”

.

Prophecy compels us to look deeper. The still of righteousness does not

emerge in a vacuum, nor does the still of wickedness. Each is matured under

pressure, ripened through conflict, revealed in contrast. In America

especially, the hatred that has persisted is a dark testimony of this truth.

Despite centuries of light, appeals, and opportunity, the nation is still steeped

in unrepented hatred. This persistence is not accidental—it is prophetic. It

shows the ripening of the mystery of iniquity, preparing the stage for final

judgment.

The maturing of holiness can be traced through the seven thunders—the

hidden dimensions of divine intimacy is given only to those having the mind

of Christ. Each thunder unveils a stage of transformation by which the

righteous are prepared to stand “holy still” when the decree is spoken. And

in each stage, the opposition of hatred serves as the backdrop against which

holiness shines.

The journey begins with the indwelling of Christ within the believer. Hatred

still surrounds, but the saint learns that the true temple is not in human

approval but in the heart where Christ abides. America may still scorn their

identity, still deny their worth, still mark them as “less,” but in this pressure

they discover the unshakable presence of Emmanuel. They are becoming

holy still because Christ is dwelling still.

As hatred condemns and the world accuses, the Spirit writes God’s law upon

their minds and hearts. Every lie spoken against them—every “you are

nothing,” every denial of justice—meets the inner witness of forgiveness and

cleansing. Though the world still accuses, the blood of Christ still speaks

better things. In this collision, they become a people who no longer live under

shame, but under divine acquittal. Their conscience is clean, their identity

secure, their holiness sealed deeper.

eat the Word

Here the remnant are sustained by bread the world cannot see. Hatred

denies them access, strips them of earthly security, and mocks their need.

Yet in their wilderness, God feeds them with hidden manna. America’s hatred

may still deprive, still oppress, still withhold, but the saints eat the bread of

heaven. Their survival no longer depends on the world’s systems, but on

Christ Himself. This hidden sustenance matures their faith to stand

independent of earthly provision, holy still in famine and rejection.

Hatred provokes retaliation, yet the remnant are drawn into the ministry of

intercession. They learn to pray for their persecutors, to carry the sorrows of

the oppressed, to plead for mercy even on those who hate them. The wicked

are still hardened, still cruel, but the saints are still compassionate, still

burdened with Christ’s priestly heart. This thunder lifts them into heavenly

places where their prayers mingle with Christ’s own, shaping them into His

likeness.

Hatred crucifies, but here the remnant embrace the mystery of the cross

within. They accept not merely the cross of Christ for them, but the cross of

Christ in them. As America still despises, still mocks, still oppresses, they

learn the deeper truth: to die with Christ is to live with Him. Their lives are no

longer their own, and even in death, they are still faithful. Thus the cross

becomes the seal of unshakable holiness.

bride awaiting her Groom

The remnant are not only purified but betrothed. Hatred seeks to isolate, to

make them despised and forsaken, yet it drives them into bridal intimacy with

the Lamb. The more the world still rejects them, the more Christ claims them

as His beloved. They are adorned with the beauty of holiness, entering into

covenantal union that hatred cannot sever. In this union, they become holy

still—faithful as a bride awaiting her Groom.

At last, the remnant stand with the Lamb on Mount Zion, having the Father’s

name written on their foreheads. Hatred is still burning in the world, but they

bear the seal of divine identity that cannot be erased. America may still deny

their heritage, still obscure their history, still despise their existence, but

heaven has revealed their true name. They are sons and daughters of the

Most High, sealed for eternity. Here the contrast of the two stills reaches its

perfection: the wicked are still hardened, and the righteous are still holy.

When the decree of Revelation 22:11 is spoken, the seven thunders will have

completed their work. The remnant will have passed through the furnace of

hatred, refined into vessels of eternal holiness. At the same time, the world

will have ripened in rebellion, clinging to hatred as its final testimony.

The still of wickedness will prove that sin matures only into death. The still of

holiness will prove that God’s love is stronger than the grave. Together, these

two stills form the eternal answer to the great controversy. The universe will

see with perfect clarity: hatred cannot destroy holiness; instead, it forges it.

Lies cannot silence truth; they only reveal its power. Cruelty cannot erase

love; it becomes the backdrop against which love shines brightest.

Thus, the two stills meet at the end of the age—the one sealing rebellion, the

other sealing holiness. And in this final collision, the mystery of God is

finished, and the Lamb is vindicated forever.

We speak the final testimony as we stand as witnesses before heaven and

earth.

“O world, you are still hardened. Your hatred has endured every call

to repentance, and it is still burning. You clothed it in laws, you baptized it in

nationalism, you whispered it in policies, and you sang it in hymns of pride—

but it was hatred still. You chose lies over truth, cruelty over mercy, self over

God. Your end has come. But we are still here. Hated, yet faithful. Despised,

yet beloved. Rejected, yet sealed. Through your fires, we found His presence

dwelling within. Through your lies, we heard His blood cleansing our

conscience. Through your deprivation, we ate the hidden manna. Through

your hostility, we prayed as intercessors. Through your cruelty, we bore His

cross. Through your rejection, we entered bridal union. And now, through

your denial of who we are, the Father has revealed our true name. Nothing

you did could turn us. Nothing you withheld could starve us. Nothing you

accused could shame us. Nothing you inflicted could silence us. We know

whose we are, and we will not be moved. We are in the end of the

controversy: your still condemned you; our still vindicates our God. The

universe beholds the answer—love triumphant, truth unbroken, Christ is all

in all.