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- 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.
- Still...Part 1 of 2
Still Revelation 22:11 resounds with a voice unlike any other in Scripture: “He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.” In this solemn pronouncement, Jesus declares the final and irreversible state of all humanity. It is the divine closure of probation, the moment when every soul’s moral trajectory is sealed, never to be altered again. The most striking term in this verse is the word “still”—a simple adverb, yet carrying infinite depth. It is not merely descriptive; it is judicial, prophetic, and eternal. It denotes the permanence of character and the immutability of one’s chosen path once the door of mercy closes. In ordinary speech, “still” conveys continuity. It tells us that what is happening now will persist into the future. Yet in Revelation, this word “still” does more than mark continuity—it fixes continuity eternally. It is not just that the unjust remain unjust for a few more hours, or the righteous remain righteous for another day. Rather, it is that their chosen character becomes unchangeable essence. “Still”, here does not point to a temporary extension of present conduct, but to a forever state of character. When Christ utters it, He is not speaking of possibility but of permanence. This permanence pierces the heart because all through life men and women are accustomed to change. The unjust may repent, the filthy may wash, the the filthy may wash righteous may stumble, the holy may grow weary—but here, all that ceases. Change, which has defined the human story since Eden, is arrested. The final utterance of “still” signals that the fluid stream of time has reached its delta in eternity. No new chapter will be written; the book of character is closed. Throughout history, God has extended mercy, permitting transformation at every stage. Adam could be clothed after his fall. David could cry for forgiveness after adultery. Peter could weep bitterly after denial. Saul of Tarsus could be struck blind and reborn as Paul the apostle. The beauty of grace has always been its elasticity—that sinners may turn and the faithful may grow. Yet “still” marks the end of elasticity. It is the divine freezing of the soul’s moral state. The possibility of exchange—filth for holiness, unrighteousness for righteousness—expires. “Still” is the voice of Christ declaring that mercy has accomplished its work, and each soul has fixed itself in its chosen identity. Notice the balance of opposites in this verse: unjust versus righteous, filthy versus holy. Each pair represents not merely actions but states of being. The unjust are those who persist in injustice; the righteous are those whose lives have been aligned with God’s justice. The filthy are those polluted by sin’s dominion; the holy are those purified through union with Christ. What makes the verse terrifying and beautiful is that both conditions—defiled and purified—are pronounced to continue “still.” Heaven does not force change at the last hour; it ratifies what the soul has freely embraced. In this sense, the word “still” is heaven’s Amen to human choice. It is not arbitrary but reflective: God simply allows each to be stayed in the state they cultivated in time. Spiritually, “still” teaches us that life is not a rehearsal for eternity but the very formation of eternity itself. Every thought entertained, every habit cherished, every loyalty displayed is not lost in the air but becomes part of the permanent record of who we are. “Still” is the future echo of today’s choices. What we are becoming now, we shall “still” be when the voice of Christ declares probation closed. This magnifies the urgency of daily life, for eternity is hidden in every decision. To live as though tomorrow will always offer another chance is to mock the reality that someday the “still” of Revelation will render tomorrow obsolete. the sweetest music For the righteous and the holy, the word “still” becomes the sweetest music. It means their righteousness will never be corrupted again, their holiness never stained. No more fear of falling, no more danger of temptation, no more tears of repentance. Their standing is not provisional but eternal. “Still” for them means they are forever fixed in the likeness of Christ. Their purity will endure through ceaseless eternities, untouched by sin’s shadow. What they once pursued by faith will be theirs by permanent reality. “Still” becomes the guarantee of everlasting security—the sanctification completed, the image of God restored, the union with Christ eternal. eternal shackles Yet for the unjust and the filthy, “still” is a word of infinite sorrow. It signifies that their bondage to sin is not only present but fixed everlastingly. The very chains they refused to break become eternal shackles in the forgottenness of their absence from eternity. They will never repent, never turn, never love righteousness, never desire holiness. “Still” declares that the cessation of their conscience is permanently hardened, their appetite for sin eternally quenched in its finality - their end is destruction. There is no more gospel for them, no more pleading Spirit, no more interceding Christ. Their destiny is locked, and “still” becomes a tombstone over their eternal identity. The judicial brilliance of the word “still” is that it respects human freedom. God does not compel righteousness or holiness upon the unwilling. Neither does He arbitrarily damn the righteous. Rather, He simply declares that each person “still” is what they chose to be. Divine justice, therefore, is not tyranny but confirmation. It is heaven affirming the direction the soul insisted upon. If the wicked are wicked still, it is because they have loved wickedness still. If the holy are holy still, it is because they have loved holiness still. The pronouncement is not God’s imposition but His recognition of the irreversible fruits of freedom. The most sobering thought is that when this decree is made, heaven is silent toward earth. The intercessory work of Christ ceases; the Spirit no longer pleads with hearts. Angels who once ministered to bring souls to repentance now withdraw. The silence itself is a witness: God has spoken His last word of mercy, and the word is “still.” In this silence, humanity faces eternity with only the character it has prepared. The weight of this silence, when the mediatorial voice has ceased, is too deep to measure. It is the echo of probation closed, the eternal pause in which the universe waits for the unveiling of final destinies. Revelation 22:11 stands as one of the most solemn texts in all of Scripture because of the word “still.” It teaches that every breath we take is shaping what we shall “still” be when the heavens utter this final decree. For some, it will be joy everlasting; for others, ashed in sorrow . Yet the word is not given to terrify but to awaken. It is heaven’s warning that today is the day of salvation, that now is the acceptable time. The “still” of tomorrow is formed in the choices of today. What we cling to now, we shall cling to forever. Thus, the word “still” is not only prophecy but mercy—revealing the gravity of life, the permanence of character, and the urgency of decision. It is God’s final word to humanity: Be what you are, for the final view will only mirror the present self you have chosen. Each state was fixed by choice and revealed by testing. Daniel 12:10 says: “the wicked shall do wickedly.” Here the focus is not merely on a single act of injustice, but on a settled life-pattern of lawlessness. The unjust are those who knowingly refuse God’s standard of justice and persist in rebellion. The Revelation seals this reality word “still” in Revelation seals this reality: those who have lived in injustice will be permitted to continue in it, without restraint, until judgment overtakes them. Daniel highlights their blindness: “none of the wicked shall understand.” This is crucial—the unjust not only do wickedly, they lose the capacity for spiritual discernment. Sin blinds the conscience until truth itself appears foolish. And so, when Revelation 22:11 declares the unjust “still” unjust, it affirms Daniel’s prophecy that wickedness will perpetuate itself without repentance. The unjust remain locked in a cycle of blindness and rebellion, cut off from the wisdom that could have saved them. Daniel 12:10 describes a world where testing refines some, but leaves others hardened: “the wicked shall do wickedly.” To be “filthy” in Revelation 22:11 is more than being unjust in behavior; it is to be morally polluted at the core of one’s being—defiled by sin’s corruption and unwashed by Christ’s blood. The filthy in this sense are those who resist purification, who cling to defilement despite the offer of cleansing. Daniel provides the reason: the wicked, even when tried, do not turn from their ways. The fires of testing that purify the righteous only intensify the filth of the wicked. Trials reveal what is within: the filthy show their refusal to be cleansed. Revelation’s “still” therefore confirms Daniel’s principle—testing does not automatically purify; it divides. Those who resist grace emerge from trial not refined but encrusted more deeply in filth, sealed in their defilement forever. fires of testing Daniel 12:10 continues: “Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried.” Here we see the exact parallel to Revelation’s “righteous.” The righteous are those who have allowed the fires of testing to refine their character. They are not righteous in themselves, but by faith they have embraced Christ’s righteousness, which empowers their obedience. To be “righteous still” means that the refining process has reached its intended result—they are permanently established in a life aligned with God’s justice. Notice how Daniel emphasizes three stages: purified, made white, and tried. Purification cleanses away sin; being made white signifies imputed righteousness; and being tried confirms their faith through testing. Revelation’s “still” locks in this final product of grace. No more danger of compromise, no more wavering— the righteousness they once pursued is now their eternal reality. What was once probationary becomes permanent. Daniel 12:10 distinguishes between the wicked and the wise: “the wise shall understand.” Wisdom here is not intellectual brilliance but spiritual perception granted to the holy. Holiness is deeper than righteousness in outward action—it is inward consecration, the full sanctification of the heart. The holy are not only just in behavior but set apart entirely to God, filled with His presence. Revelation’s decree fixes them in this sacred union: they are holy “still,” forever united with God’s holiness. Daniel shows that this understanding is a gift the wicked cannot access. Only the wise—the holy ones—see through the confusion of the last days. They discern God’s purposes in trial, and their insight deepens their consecration. Revelation’s “still” assures that this holiness will never fade, never be compromised again. It is the eternal sealing of those who have chosen to walk in wisdom and intimacy with God. Together, Daniel 12:10 and Revelation 22:11 present a prophetic mirror: the unjust of Revelation are the wicked who do wickedly in Daniel; the filthy of Revelation are the wicked who resist purification in Daniel; the righteous of made white Revelation are those who in Daniel are purified, made white, and tried; the holy of Revelation are the wise who understand in Daniel. The “still” of Revelation is the divine confirmation of the process Daniel foresaw: trials would divide humanity into only two camps—the wise purified, and the wicked hardened. By the end, no middle ground remains. Revelation then seals these conditions eternally, ensuring that what Daniel described as a process becomes the unalterable destiny of every soul. The tie between Daniel 12:10 and Revelation 22:11 reveals that the end-time division of humanity is not arbitrary but the culmination of a process long in motion. Trials, purification, and testing expose the true condition of each heart. The wicked grow more wicked; the righteous become righteous through cleansing; the holy discern God’s will with wisdom. Revelation’s word “still” declares the final and eternal state of these categories. The door door of probation closes of probation closes, and every life’s trajectory reaches its permanent destination. Together, Daniel and Revelation tell us that now—before the “still” is spoken—is the time to choose whether we will be among the wicked who understand nothing, or the wise who are purified, righteous, and holy forever. In Revelation 22:11, Jesus declares two enduring conditions of the saved: “He that is righteous, let him be righteous still; and he that is holy, let him be holy still.” These are not synonyms, but complementary realities. Righteousness relates to God’s justice manifested in human life, while holiness signifies full consecration—separation unto God’s own being. This twofold identity of the redeemed finds its most vivid reflection in the two groups of Revelation: the great multitude and the 144,000. Together, they embody the fruit of grace in time and its permanence in eternity. In Revelation John beholds “a great multitude”. Their description perfectly parallels the “righteous” of Revelation 22:11. Their righteousness is not inherent but received: they are washed, not self-cleansed; they are clothed, not self- garbed. Their character has been transformed through faith in the blood of the Lamb. They are righteous because they trusted God’s justice revealed at Calvary, and because they surrendered to the purifying work of Christ in their trials. Daniel 12:10 foretold this when he said: “Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried.” The great multitude fulfill this word. They are the purified ones, made white through Christ, their faith tested in tribulation. Their righteousness is the evidence of God’s saving power across every age and nation, a testimony that grace is stronger than sin, no matter where one is born or how one suffers. Thus, the great multitude stand as the “righteous still.” Their character development is the victory of faith under trial, the robe of Christ imputed and imparted, and the enduring witness that the blood of the Lamb cleanses to the uttermost. By contrast, Revelation 14 describes the 144,000 with words that go beyond righteousness to the essence of holiness: “These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb. And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God.” Here is holiness—complete consecration, union, and transparency before God. To be holy is not merely to be just in conduct but to be wholly God’s in being. The 144,000 embody this reality. They are not just washed; they are sealed. They are not only righteous in deeds; they are without fault in essence. They the Lamb follow the Lamb with unbroken intimacy. Daniel 12:10 again foreshadows this: “the wise shall understand.” The 144,000 are those wise ones. Their holiness grants them spiritual discernment in the most deceptive hour of history. They spiritually embody the understanding of every word given Jesus by His Father. They see through the fog of Antichrist, for their eyes are fixed on the Lamb. Their holiness is not only separation from sin but incorporation into the very mind of Christ. They stand as firstfruits, showing what God can do in human clay fully embued with and fully surrendered to His Spirit. Thus, they are the “holy still.” Their character development is the consummation of sanctification, the restoration of Eden’s lost image, and the witness that humanity can be united with divinity without mixture or compromise. It would be a misstep to set in opposition the great multitude and the 144,000 with each other, as if one is lesser. Rather, they reveal two dimensions of the redeemed community. The great multitude displays the universal scope of salvation—men and women from every age, nation, and circumstance who by faith receive Christ’s righteousness. The 144,000 display the ultimate depth of salvation—the sealing of a last-day remnant whose holiness demonstrates the full recovery of what was lost in Eden. Together they show that salvation is both breadth and height. It gathers a multitude no man can number - righteousness across humanity - and it produces a remnant no one can imitate - holiness in sealed intimacy. In waving palm branches eternity, both groups will stand side by side: the righteous multitude waving palm branches, and the holy 144,000 singing the song no other can learn. There is a profound alignment that God presents to His people in the bible. Hebrews 11 closes its gallery of faith with two verses that lift the veil on God’s ultimate plan. Here we see two groups: the faithful of the past who died in hope, and the final generation who will receive the promise in fullness. When united with Revelation’s vision of the great multitude and the 144,000, these verses form a prophetic symmetry that reveals the purpose of God according to Romans 9:11: “that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth.” The great multitude of Revelation 7 parallels the faithful witnesses described in Hebrews 11:39. Both groups are countless in scope, drawn from every nation, era, and circumstance. They endured trials, tribulations, and hardships, yet through faith “obtained a good report.” The faithful of Hebrews 11 “received not the promise” because they died before the consummation of God’s plan. Likewise, the great multitude stands as the full harvest of redeemed humanity who by faith trusted the promise, though they did not live to see the end of the story. Thus, the great multitude embodies Hebrews 11:39: they are the vast company who believed in God’s promise, lived by faith, were purified in trial, and entered eternity through the Lamb’s righteousness. Their character development is righteousness fulfilled in diversity — the testimony that God has always had a people who trusted Him, whether in ancient Israel, under persecution, or in the countless tribulations of history. If the great multitude corresponds to Hebrews 11:39, then the 144,000 correspond to Hebrews 11:40. The 144,000 are the final generation, the very elect remnant who live to see Christ’s return without tasting death. They do not merely “obtain a good report” — they enter into the “better thing” provided at the close of history: the sealing of holiness, the finishing of the mystery of God, and the vindication of divine purpose in the great controversy. Their role is to bring the journey of the faithful to its appointed climax. All previous generations cannot be perfected apart from the 144,000, because the purpose of God demands a final witness — a people who stand in holiness without an intercessor, proving the sufficiency of grace under the most extreme test. In them, the testimony of faith begun in Abel and carried through every age reaches its consummation. The words in Romans 9:11 explain why this twofold witness exists: “that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth.” The great multitude represents God’s elect across time, chosen by grace, not works, to live by faith in promise though they died before 144,000 fulfillment. The 144,000 represent God’s very elect at the end of time, chosen not by merit but by divine calling, to demonstrate the perfection of God’s purpose in a living witness. Together, these groups prove that election is not favoritism but function. God calls one group to believe without seeing, and another group to finish what has been promised. The multitude reveal the breadth of salvation, the 144,000 reveal the height of consecration — both existing so that the purpose of God may stand unshaken through eternity. The great multitude and the 144,000 are in covenantal harmony. The multitude testifies that faith has always triumphed, even without receiving the final promise. The 144,000 testify that the final promise has come, and the faith of all ages is perfected in them. In union, they answer the cry that God’s purpose in election is eternal, rooted not in human effort, but in divine sovereignty. God is vindicated as just and merciful, having preserved a people in every age, and raised up a remnant at the end to seal His victory. The elect endured in righteousness by faith yet died in hope. The very elect are those who live to see perfection come, completing the testimony of faith. Both are God’s purpose. Together, these two groups form the eternal answer to sin, showing that God’s promise never fails: whether through death or through life, His people will stand, righteous still, holy still, to the glory of His eternal purpose. breadth and height
- All These Things...Pt 2 of 2
Now is the tossing on the waves of a troublsome world Christ is all our hopes for time and time to come. Hope is reasonable only as it is scriptural. For it is by scripture that we have a good look forward. A look that Jesus Christ is coming very soon, coming for all His people, to gather together all His family, that we may be for ever with Him. We can bear hard things without murmuring. We know the time is short. Now is the schooling, then the eternal knowing. Now is the tossing on the waves of a troublesome world, then the quiet harbor. Now is the scattering, then the gathering. Now is the time of sowing, then the harvest. Now is the working, then the wages. Now is the cross, then the crown. I have no power to discern the complete purpose of God. But how deep is that little expression “God is love”. Christ will open the mines connected to that sacred truth. And Christ will open the minds connected to that sacred truth. Take heed that we do not make a Christ of our faith. It is not to be sacrificed; it is not to suffer death. Our faith is the eternalness of God. The beginning from everlasting. Scripture challenges our faith by the assertion that everything, without exception, is of God. What is not of the power of God? All things are of God. God is responsible! Let’s put reason and thought to it so we can see amazing implications. God is responsible for everything. He is responsible for the good and the bad. Whatever happens, know God is behind it. If there is calamity in a city, will calamity in a city not the Lord have done it? He orchestrated it because. God pays punctilious attention to every of even the smallest of things. There is nothing random with God. Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? Who would limit Him, perhaps seeing Him as a one-dimensional God. Life is at God’s discretion. We must understand the supremacy of God. His election relinquishes the control of their thoughts and their words to God. The wicked desires to kill us, but God constrains them. Why are all things of God purposed in faith? Accordingly, we will not be judged by our actions and inactions. We will be judged by our thoughts, which is where we reign supreme. But it is God who allows us to carry out or not to carry out the thought. God is the God of the heart, and He knows it is our thoughts that determine who we are. This is how our belief depends not on natural human investigation but on God’s own words and promises, the faith once delivered to us. This is the acclaim bursting forth in the hearts of all who have come into contact with the living Christ and have been freed from sin. It is extremely satisfying when we can express ourselves completely and forcefully, especially when we are uttering a deep conviction or are putting into words a strong feeling of love for all these things that Christ is doing in our lives. Upon reflection, we can appreciate that when God the Father speaks eternally from His own depths, His “Word” is perfect, complete, and utterly expressive of Himself, for His Word is Jesus Christ, the Son who became man. We all should approach every passage in God’s word with a real sense of expectancy. That the world might see us, his people, is in accordance with the eternal purpose which God carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord. Christ is the mystery of truths to be embraced in loving contemplation. And God is the manifold wisdom of every cause which can never be resolved by investigation but is to be savored and reverenced. All these things are hidden from the natural mind. But are revealed to the spiritual mind in terms of faith. There is a higher meaning to mystery accessible to those who know and are higher meaning to mystery initiated into the mystery and come to grasp some dimension of it; it is the deeper reality of things. Mystery finds its principal role in the concept of revelation. Built on the pillars of the covenant, God’s self-revelation makes the history of salvation available to us, a history in which the God of Israel with reason bestows the revelation of mystery. He not only reveals the mystery of His will, but He communicates to men and women the mystery of His personal triune life. In the Incarnation of the Son, God comes in person to communicate Himself to humans. The Incarnate Son is the perfect revealer of the Father and the mystery of the Father’s love for the world, which is followed by the pouring out and sustaining gift of the Holy Spirit. In the logic of revelation, there is no need for conjecture regarding what the divinity keeps hidden because God takes the initiative to make Himself known to His election. In biblical revelation, mystery no longer represents the realm wherein God hides Himself but instead represents the rich sphere in which He communicates and directs Himself toward us. Mystery ceases to be a certain withholding of knowledge and instead becomes a certain offering of knowledge. As in the Old Testament, the secret, or the mystery, refers to the revelation of the “last things.” This revelation presents the relationship between God and human beings finding its completion in the New Testament, wherein the economy of salvation, is that part of divine revelation that deals with God’s creation and management of the world, particularly His purpose of salvation accomplished through the elect, whose economy of revelation is dominated by the event of the Incarnation of What Jesus tells us in darkness... the Son of God. Mystery, then, does not deal with a knowledge reserved for the elect few. On the contrary, it refers to a message destined to be conveyed freely to all people through the teaching of the word. What Jesus tells us in darkness, that speak we in light: and what we hear in the ear, that preach we upon the housetops. We direct truth to all people, without exception. It is the offering of the personal life of God Himself. We are at the final moment, and we are to know all these things by faith. Please reason spiritually with this next set of words. Our faith, as it is of Christ, needs to understand itself as dwelling in the realm of mystery, of that which exceeds and overwhelms any language and concepts with which we seek to understand it. We must never think that just because God knows His election by purpose and we have reasoned with Him to come to this understanding, that we are saved in that reasoning, in that understanding. We are saved by faith. Our faith is in every thing that God purposes. This includes seeing the death of our children, the sufferings of the world, and knowing by faith that if these young ones suffer not death at this time they might loose heaven in growing to hate their oppressors in later years. We may ought to eliminate our desires in order to observe the mysteries. We may ought to have desires in order to observe the manifestations of God’s purposes. There is this great barrier in the repairing of the breach. It is the lacking in wisdom because of the abandonment of reason. It is reasoning all these things that explodes our understandings beyond our apprehension and comprehension, not only because our knowledge has certain irremovable limits, but because in it we come upon a something inherently ‘wholly other’, whose kind and character are incommensurable with our own, and before which we therefore recoil in a wonder that strikes us chill and numb. This Wholly Other in mystery is the unknown, but through forgiveness this 'unknown' becomes known, is disclosed, as 'The Holy One'. God is the Highest Being that is the key to the meaning of the whole of being. And His highest task may be known in His purpose according to election. Let us not be overly concerned with the “what” for we know what the “what” is in His purpose. We are to consider the “how”. For the “how” of it is based on our accord with Christ. This accord requires and determines that and how the faith enters into the deity of Christ. The faith of Jesus makes the whole of being transparent to our human understanding. This faith in conjunction with the principle of sufficient reason. Please, please, think on this; the result, following from the intention, is the mystery in relation to the whole of being, including, of course, the Highest Being. And so, where everything that presents itself in the light of coherence, God can, for representational thinking in the exalted and holy mysteriousness of His distance bring us into His election by purpose. Let us not be arrogant in our thinking. May we fall on our knees in awe before our Most High and Holy God. What gives reason to all these things is that God is that which is our faith. For if the revealed God is not simultaneously the hidden God, the life of faith is itself threatened. If our faith is, then we shall never want to define God. For we cannot worship what we can comprehend. This is that mystery which remains concealed even in its unconcealment. We walk by faith, not by sight, that faith may be converted into sight by the power of reason. Reasoning narrows the gap between human knowledge and divine knowledge. When any neglect the counsel to come to reason with God they deceive themselves to be the sites of absolute knowing, to be the possessors and embodiment Israel-Palestine Conflict of absolute truth. This is the attitude displayed in the Israel-Palestine conflict. That their project becomes the end which justifies virtually any means results in violence, both literally and rhetorically. Faith lessens human zeal for violence for there is no confusing ourselves with God. The truth of faith enables those who have attained it to perceive the possibility of a revelation, a higher view of scripture, in a way which is not open to those who have never ventured beyond the frontiers of the realm of human intellect. Any who fail to reason, puts God in a box and hearing is finished. The God who is a Spirit and truth can never fit into our concept without remainder. Our concepts are not adequate to God. If, on the other hand, we understand that God and God’s works of purpose always overflow our understanding of them, we just may remain open to ever new and renewed hearing of the Voice that comes to us in revelation. How do you understand your faith? The answer is always to avoid that which is not of God in the strictest sense. Studying with others who resists reasoning is like studying the bible as divinely revealed misinformation about God. The purpose of “misinformation” is to cause to fall short. God is unknowable. Yet that does not excuse our conscience to forget what truth we do know. It is in all these things that faith must reign. In this concept faith is giving all I know of myself to all I know of God. It involves my whole person suggesting that as a believer I am not transparent to myself, and that God is not the only mystery in this relation. I benefit from the understanding that I do not fully understand myself, and that just as only God knows who God is, so only God knows who I am. God’s reasoning is a great service to those for whom thought is faith which seeks understanding. To God we say, “help me, help me, help me” and “thank you, thank you, thank you”. thank you God! .
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A Word for His Servants Only, Parallel Darkness- Part 5 Price $0 Duration 7 Minutes < Back About the Course A Word for His Servants Only, Parallel Darkness - Part 5 Revelation 17 [ 15 ] And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues. A Word for His Servants Only, Parallel Darkness - Part 5 .pdf Download PDF • 91KB Your Instructor White Stone Learn more and more about Jesus
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