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Dimensions of Truth God always has a purpose. Nothing in God's economy is arbitrary. The Sabbath has purpose. The sanctuary has purpose. Death has purpose within redemption. Prophecy has purpose. Even the manner in which God speaks has purpose. God does not need truth for Himself. He is truth. Truth is not something external that God consults or conforms to. It is the perfect expression of His own being. Our Lord declared, "I am the way, the truth, and the life". Truth is therefore not merely a set of accurate propositions; it is the self-expression of God's eternal character. Because God cannot deny Himself, everything He thinks, wills, speaks, and does is true. So, "what purpose does truth have for God?" The answer cannot be that truth benefits God in the way it benefits us. It is the means by which He freely reveals Himself and accomplishes His will. The answer recognizes that truth does not exist outside of God as though He were accountable to some higher standard. Neither does God employ truth merely as an instrument available among many alternatives. God is Truth. Truth is the perfect expression of His own eternal nature. It is the radiance of His holiness, the faithfulness of His character, the reliability of His promises, the righteousness of His judgments, and the purity of His love. Therefore, truth serves no purpose for God in the sense of supplying something He lacks, for the infinite God lacks nothing. Rather, truth serves God's purpose toward His creation. Through truth He reveals Himself to beings who could never have discovered Him by their own wisdom. Through truth He establishes moral order, exposes deception, convicts of sin, invites repentance, nurtures faith, forms holy character, and restores the broken fellowship between the Creator and His creatures. Divine truth is therefore the chosen medium through which God communicates His own life to the universe. It is the light by which angels understand His government, the standard by which righteousness is distinguished from evil, the testimony by which every accusation against His character is answered, and the instrument through which redemption reaches its appointed completion. Truth does not exist for God's benefit. It exists because God, in infinite love, has purposed to make Himself known. The Bible contains statements that are universally expressed while expecting the reader to interpret them within the larger revelation of Scripture. The truth itself is not incomplete or deceptive; rather, its intended scope is discovered by comparing Scripture with Scripture. In other words, the exception is often supplied elsewhere by divine revelation. This is one of the reasons Isaiah declares, "precept upon precept; line upon line", and why Paul instructs Timothy to "rightly divide the word of truth". Truth is one because God is one. There are not competing truths in heaven, nor are there contradictory realities existing within the divine mind. God is called the God of truth because every word that proceeds from Him perfectly corresponds with reality. Yet the revelation of that truth is not always presented in exhaustive form within a single sentence. Scripture often speaks with deliberate breadth, inviting the thoughtful reader into deeper meditation. A statement may be perfectly true while intentionally withholding distinctions that are supplied elsewhere in the inspired record. The omission is not error. It is invitation. It is not contradiction. It is divine pedagogy. One might call this an exceptive truth. By this expression we do not mean a truth containing falsehood, nor a truth requiring correction, but a truth whose intended application becomes complete only when considered in harmony with the entirety of revelation. The statement stands exactly as written, yet the Spirit expects the diligent student to discover the circumstances under which the statement operates and those exceptional situations that God Himself has revealed. Thus the exception does not weaken the truth. Rather, it defines its proper boundaries. This manner of speaking appears throughout Scripture because God did not intend His Word merely to transfer information. He intended it to transform minds. If every statement were accompanied by every conceivable qualification, the Bible would become an encyclopedia instead of a living testimony. Instead, God has composed His Word in such a way that humility, meditation, comparison, prayer, and dependence upon the Holy Spirit become essential parts of understanding. The student who desires only surface reading will often remain upon the surface. The one who hungers after righteousness is led progressively into greater depths. Consider Paul's declaration, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God". The statement is universally expressed. Left entirely alone, one might conclude that every intelligent being without exception has committed sin. Yet the whole testimony of Scripture immediately supplies necessary context. Christ "did no sin". He "knew no sin". He was "holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners”. Therefore the universal language of Romans cannot be understood as including Christ. The exception is not hidden because the statement is defective. The exception is revealed because Christ Himself stands outside the fallen race while entering fully into its humanity. The universality concerns mankind as descended from Adam, not the sinless Son who became the second Adam. The same principle appears elsewhere. Scripture declares that "it is appointed unto men once to die". Yet Enoch did not experience death. Elijah did not experience death. Those living saints translated at the return of Christ will likewise never taste death. There are those who crucified Jesus who have died, will arise to see His coming, and again suffer death by the brightness of his coming, then caused to rise again following the thousand year period in heaven where the redeemed will understand by books why some do not enter the kingdom. Then for the third time these whose names were stricken from the book of life will again meet the final death. The general declaration remains true as the ordinary experience of fallen humanity, while the revealed exceptions magnify God's sovereign authority over His own creation. The exception does not overthrow the rule. It demonstrates the freedom of the Lawgiver. Likewise, "God cannot lie". This is not merely a statement about inability but about divine nature. God's character makes falsehood impossible. Yet Scripture records occasions where God sends strong delusion upon those who reject truth, permitting deception to accomplish judicial purposes among those who have first chosen darkness. God Himself remains incapable of falsehood even while exercising sovereign judgment upon those who despise truth. Once again, the larger revelation defines the application. The statement "God cannot change" deserves careful reflection. Scripture indeed declares, "I am the Lord, I change not". James likewise speaks of the Father "with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning". These affirmations describe God's immutable character, His holiness, His righteousness, His purposes, and His covenant faithfulness. They do not deny that God acts differently toward changing circumstances, nor do they deny the mystery of the incarnation. John begins his Gospel by declaring that "the Word was God" and that "the Word was made flesh." At first glance one might conclude that becoming flesh represents a change within God Himself. Yet the deeper testimony of Scripture reveals something more profound. The divine nature did not cease to be divine. The eternal Son did not surrender deity in becoming man. Rather, humanity was assumed into personal union with the eternal Word. The incarnation was not the alteration of God's divine essence into another substance but the addition of true humanity to the eternal Person of the Son. God remained what He eternally is while taking upon Himself what He had not previously possessed. Thus immutability and incarnation are not enemies but harmonious mysteries. Similarly, the bible says that "the love of money is the root of all evil." Here again the thoughtful reader must ask what Scripture means. Wealth itself cannot be condemned, for Abraham was rich, Job was rich, David possessed great treasure, Solomon received wealth from God, and Scripture plainly teaches that it is God who gives men power to get wealth - Deuteronomy 8:18. Neither can every affection associated with money be sinful. The faithful steward loves God's blessings with gratitude, manages resources wisely, and expresses devotion through generous giving, tithes, offerings, hospitality, and care for the poor. The bible does not condemn money but disordered affection. The phrase identifies covetous devotion to wealth, not thankful appreciation of God's provision. The love condemned is that which enthrones riches above God. It is an affection that converts means into master. Therefore the statement remains entirely true while requiring the larger witness of Scripture to identify precisely what kind of love is under condemnation. This interpretive pattern may be observed repeatedly. Jesus declared, "Call no man your father upon the earth." Yet Scripture repeatedly refers to Abraham as "our father." Paul even speaks of himself as a spiritual father to those whom he begot through the gospel. Christ's words are therefore directed not against ordinary language but against investing human authority with the place belonging exclusively to the heavenly Father. Again, Christ says, "Judge not." Yet in another place He commands, "Judge righteous judgment." The prohibition concerns hypocritical, self-righteous condemnation, not the exercise of spiritual discernment. Indeed, the same chapter that begins with "Judge not" later commands believers to identify false prophets by their fruits. One cannot obey the latter without exercising the discernment implied in righteous judgment. Even John's statement that "God is love" illustrates the necessity of comprehensive reading. Love does not exclude justice, wrath against sin, holiness, or judgment. Rather, every attribute of God exists in perfect harmony with every other attribute. His love is holy love. His justice is loving justice. His wrath is righteous wrath. To isolate one declaration from the rest of Scripture is to distort rather than understand. Perhaps this reveals an important distinction between absolute truth and applied truth. Absolute truth belongs to God's eternal reality. Applied truth concerns the circumstances under which that reality is manifested within creation. The absolute truth never changes. The application requires wisdom. "Thou shalt not kill" is absolutely true as a prohibition against murder. Yet God also commands Israel in particular historical judgments to wage war. The moral principle remains unchanged while its covenantal administration differs according to God's sovereign purposes. Thus one truth may possess several legitimate applications without surrendering its unity. This also teaches an important lesson concerning language itself. Human speech naturally employs universals. We say, "Everyone knows," "No one believes," or "All people seek happiness", without intending philosophical absolutes. Scripture likewise employs ordinary forms of expression while expecting readers to recognize literary context, covenantal setting, audience, and theological purpose. Inspiration sanctifies human language without abolishing its ordinary features. There is another reason God may have chosen this method. Truth discovered through reverent searching becomes more firmly established within the soul than truth merely received without effort. God could have written a Bible that anticipated every possible misunderstanding, but He instead gave a revelation requiring communion with Himself. Every apparent tension becomes an invitation to seek wisdom. Every difficult passage encourages comparison with another passage. Every question becomes an opportunity for spiritual growth. In this way the Bible not only communicates truth but cultivates the very character necessary to receive truth. The Lord never intended His people to become collectors of isolated verses. He intended them to become students of divine harmony being in rhythm with the Word. Every doctrine must agree with every other doctrine because every doctrine proceeds from the same Author. Whenever two passages appear to conflict, faith assumes that the contradiction lies within human understanding rather than within God's revelation. Patient study eventually uncovers the larger unity. This principle reaches its highest expression in Christ Himself. Jesus is both Lion and Lamb, Judge and Advocate, Son of David and Lord of David, Root and Offspring of David, fully God and fully man, dead and yet alive forevermore. None of these truths can be understood by isolation. Each finds its meaning within the whole counsel of God. Christ Himself is the living demonstration that divine truth often transcends the limits of human categories without ever violating reason. Then, understanding what is called "exceptive truth" is better understood as comprehensive truth awaiting completion through the whole testimony of Scripture. The exception is never an amendment to God's Word. It is another portion of God's Word illuminating the first. Revelation explains revelation. Scripture interprets Scripture. The Holy Spirit never intended isolated texts to function independently of the canon He inspired. Thus the Bible teaches us not merely to believe what God says but to learn how God speaks. His words are simple enough for the child to receive and profound enough for the wisest saint to ponder for a lifetime. Universal declarations awaken inquiry. Exceptional cases refine understanding. Together they train the mind to think as disciples rather than merely as readers.Truth remains truth in every age because God Himself is Truth. Yet truth possesses dimensions of scope, purpose, covenant, audience, and application that reward diligent searching. The apparent exception does not diminish the authority of the rule. It reveals the wisdom of the Author. As each passage is joined to every other passage, the student discovers that the Bible is not a collection of independent sayings but a perfectly ordered revelation whose harmony grows more magnificent the more carefully it is explored. What first appears to be an exception often proves to be another ray of the same divine light, until the whole counsel of God shines together with a beauty that no single verse could have displayed by itself. Scripture uses theological and philosophical distinctions that help explain how truth functions without implying that truth itself is divided. Truth remains singular because God is singular, yet truth can be viewed according to the way it is expressed or applied. Truth is one in its source but manifold in its manifestation. There are not many truths, but one Truth expressed according to God's infinite wisdom. Absolute truth reveals His immutability. It teaches that there is a fixed center to reality because God Himself never changes. Every created thing may fluctuate, kingdoms rise and fall, stars burn out, civilizations disappear, yet the character of God remains the immovable foundation upon which every other truth rests. Revealed truth reminds us of our dependence. Humanity's greatest discoveries have never reached heaven's greatest secrets. The incarnation, redemption, resurrection, the sanctuary, the New Jerusalem—none were the products of philosophical genius. They were gifts. Revelation is itself an act of grace, demonstrating that God desires not merely to be known but to make Himself known. Progressive truth beautifully displays the patience of God. He educates humanity as a wise father educates a child—not overwhelming the learner with everything at once but revealing truth according to spiritual capacity. The unfolding of Scripture is therefore not evidence of changing truth but of divine pedagogy. God's classroom reaches from the Determinate Counsel, stretching to Eden, expanding to the New Earth. Covenantal truth reveals God's faithfulness amid changing administrations. One covenant gives promise, another fulfillment; one employs symbols, another reality; yet behind every covenant stands the same Redeemer accomplishing the same eternal purpose. The methods vary because history advances, but the heart of God never does. Representative truth unveils one of the grand principles governing Scripture: God frequently works through heads, mediators, and representatives. Adam stood for humanity in ruin. Christ stands for humanity in redemption. Israel stood before the nations. The high priest stood before God for the people. Representation reaches its highest expression in Christ, whose righteousness becomes the believer's righteousness through union with Him. I found myself seeing them less as categories and more as windows into the mind of God. If truth originates in an infinite God, then it should not surprise us that His truth possesses dimensions that reward a lifetime of study. Each of these is, in my judgment, worthy of thoughtful development. Experiential truth teaches that there are realities which cannot be fully known merely because they have been accurately defined. They must be lived before they are completely understood. A child may define trust, but only the believer who has walked through the valley while leaning wholly upon God knows trust in its deeper reality. David understood forgiveness before Bathsheba because he had read the Law, but after his repentance he knew forgiveness as one rescued from the depths of his own failure. Job believed in God's sovereignty before his affliction, but after the whirlwind he confessed, "I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee." The doctrine had not changed; the man had. Experiential truth demonstrates that God's purpose is not merely to inform the intellect but to conform the soul. The truths we suffer often become the truths we understand most deeply. Heaven itself will not teach us new doctrines about redemption; it will forever deepen our experience of the redemption we already know. Comprehensive truth reminds us that no passage of Scripture was intended to exist in isolation. Every verse belongs to a greater harmony, every doctrine to a larger symphony. A single instrument may play a beautiful melody, yet only the orchestra reveals the composer's full intention. So it is with Scripture. One text may establish a principle, another define its scope, another reveal its purpose, and still another display its fulfillment. To build doctrine upon isolated statements is much like attempting to understand an entire cathedral by examining one stone. Comprehensive truth insists that every portion of Scripture must ultimately agree because every portion proceeds from one divine Author. The student therefore becomes not merely a collector of verses but a seeker of harmony. The beauty of biblical theology is discovered not only in individual truths but in the magnificent manner in which those truths converge into one unified revelation of Christ. Exceptive truth, perhaps one of the most fascinating characteristics of biblical literature, reveals God's remarkable method of teaching through purposeful universality. Scripture frequently speaks in language that appears absolute while expecting the attentive reader to discover divinely revealed exceptions elsewhere in the sacred record. "All have sinned" immediately raises the question of Christ's sinlessness. "No man hath seen God at any time" invites reflection upon Moses, Isaiah, Jacob, and the incarnate Son. "Judge not" requires reconciliation with Christ's command to "judge righteous judgment." These are not contradictions awaiting correction but invitations awaiting discovery. God intentionally composes many of His declarations with a breadth that compels the diligent student to search further. The exception does not diminish the authority of the principle; it illuminates its intended application. In this way Scripture trains the believer to compare spiritual things with spiritual, to resist superficial conclusions, and to delight in the unity of divine revelation. Exceptive truth is therefore not simply about exceptions; it is about the discipline of reverent reasoning. Judicial truth reveals that God's courtroom does not always resemble man's courtroom. Human judgment observes outward conduct; divine judgment penetrates motive, intent, faith, and covenant relationship. When God declares the believer righteous, He is not pretending that sin never existed. Rather, He is announcing a legal standing grounded entirely in the righteousness of Christ. Justification is therefore a judicial declaration before it becomes a visible transformation. Likewise, Christ bore our condemnation not because He became morally guilty but because He willingly accepted our legal liability. Judicial truth teaches that heaven possesses its own vocabulary of justice, mercy, imputation, inheritance, adoption, and reconciliation. Understanding these legal realities protects the believer from confusing God's verdict with human appearance. Before the sanctified life is fully visible upon earth, the justified life has already been declared in heaven. Prophetic truth occupies a unique place because it speaks of future realities with the certainty of accomplished history. God is not predicting possibilities but revealing certainties grounded in His sovereign purpose. Prophecy therefore often describes tomorrow as though it had already occurred. The birth of Christ, the rise and fall of kingdoms, the crucifixion, the resurrection, the outpouring of the Spirit, the judgment, and the New Jerusalem were all spoken long before they became historical realities. This manner of speaking reminds us that time limits humanity but not God. What remains future to us already stands complete before His eternal understanding. Prophetic truth therefore strengthens faith by allowing believers to see history through the eyes of divine certainty rather than human uncertainty. Conditional truth reminds us that many of God's declarations are relational rather than mechanical. Throughout Scripture, promises and warnings frequently assume a moral response. Blessings are attached to obedience, judgments to rebellion, restoration to repentance. The punishment of the scattering duration of seven times was based upon our obedience or disobedience regarding the covenant. Nineveh stands as a powerful illustration. Jonah proclaimed impending destruction, yet repentance delayed judgment. The prophecy had not failed; its very announcement accomplished the purpose for which God sent it. Conditional truth therefore reveals the remarkable interaction between divine sovereignty and human responsibility. God remains absolutely sovereign, yet He dignifies humanity by calling for genuine response. His warnings are acts of mercy, His promises invitations to faithfulness. Conditional truth demonstrates that God's ultimate desire is not condemnation but redemption. Typological truth displays the astonishing unity of God's redemptive design. Historical persons, events, institutions, and ceremonies become living shadows cast by greater realities yet to come. The Passover lamb points beyond itself to Christ. The wilderness sanctuary anticipates the heavenly sanctuary. The high priest foreshadows our great High Priest. Jonah's three days become a sign of Christ's burial. Even Israel's journey from Egypt becomes a pattern of redemption itself. These historical realities are not fictional illustrations imposed by later readers; they are divinely designed patterns woven into history by the Author of history. Typology teaches that God writes not only with words but with events. History itself becomes a language through which redemption is proclaimed. Parabolic truth demonstrates that narrative often penetrates the heart more effectively than abstract proposition. Our Lord could have delivered systematic lectures on forgiveness, humility, grace, repentance, stewardship, and judgment. Instead, He spoke of fathers embracing prodigal sons, shepherds searching for lost sheep, laborers in vineyards, foolish virgins, hidden treasure, and pearls of great price. The hearer remembered the story long after forgetting the outline. More importantly, the parable required moral participation. The listener inevitably asked, "Which character am I?" In this way truth ceased to be merely observed and became personally encountered. The parable does not merely convey information; it quietly invites self-examination. Paradoxical truth reveals perhaps more clearly than any other category the immeasurable distance between divine wisdom and human expectation. God's kingdom repeatedly overturns the assumptions of fallen reason. The greatest becomes the servant. The poor become rich. The mourner rejoices. The meek inherit the earth. One loses life in order to find it. The cross becomes the throne of victory. Death becomes the doorway to immortality. Weakness becomes the stage upon which divine strength is most perfectly displayed. These are not contradictions but harmonies that lie beyond the horizon of natural thinking. Paradoxical truth humbles human wisdom while magnifying the wisdom of God. It reminds us that eternity cannot always be measured by earthly logic. Then we arrive at what has especially captured my own attention—telic truth. The word telic comes from the Greek word telos, meaning "end," "goal," "purpose," or "intended completion". If my thoughts move in rhythm with the word, this may become one of the most illuminating lenses through which to read Scripture. Telic truth asks a question that we too seldom ask. Not merely, "What is this truth?" But, "Toward what end is God directing this truth?" God never reveals truth merely to satisfy curiosity. Every revelation moves toward transformation. Every command moves toward holiness. Every promise moves toward faith. Every judgment moves toward justice. Every prophecy moves toward fulfillment. Every doctrine moves ultimately toward Christ, "for of him, and through him, and to him, are all things." The Scriptures themselves seem saturated with divine purpose. The Law was given that sin might become exceedingly sinful. The sacrifices were instituted to prepare the world for the Lamb of God. Israel was chosen that all nations might ultimately be blessed. The wilderness was not merely a place of wandering but a school of dependence. The exile was not merely punishment but purification. The incarnation was not simply God dwelling among men but God reconciling the world unto Himself. Even suffering, Paul declares, works patience; patience, experience; experience, hope. Every divine act possesses an intended destination. Seen this way, the Bible is not merely a collection of truths. It is a movement of truths. Each truth is going somewhere. Each doctrine is accomplishing something. Each revelation advances God's eternal purpose. Even the difficult passages begin to shine differently when viewed through this lens. Why does God sometimes speak universally while leaving us to discover the exception? Because the purpose is not simply that we possess information but that we become diligent students. Why does Christ teach in parables? Because His purpose is not only to reveal truth but to expose the condition of the hearer's heart. Why are there prophecies? Not merely that we know the future, but that when they come to pass our confidence in God's faithfulness may be strengthened. Why does God permit long seasons of waiting? Because waiting forms a people capable of trusting Him beyond sight. This, to me, is the beauty of telic truth. It reminds us that God is never merely speaking; He is always accomplishing. His Word is never static. As Isaiah declares, it "shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please." Divine truth is inherently purposeful because the God who speaks it is purposeful. Indeed, one might even say that telic truth is the current flowing beneath every other expression of truth. Absolute truth tells us what is eternally real. Revealed truth tells us what God has made known. Progressive truth tells us how He unfolds it. Comprehensive truth tells us how it harmonizes. Exceptive truth teaches us how He trains our minds. Paradoxical truth stretches our understanding. But telic truth asks the question that gathers them all: "To what glorious end is God leading His people through this truth?" I cannot help but think that this reflects something of the divine mind itself. God is "the Alpha and Omega," not merely because He begins and ends history, but because every word He speaks already contains within it the end for which He spoke it. His truth is never aimless. It always carries within itself the seed of God's intended completion. And perhaps that is why Scripture is unlike every other book: when God speaks, His words do not merely describe reality—they participate in bringing His redemptive purposes to their appointed end. That, I believe, is one of the deepest wonders of divine truth. Comprehensive truth and exceptive truth should occupy the center of this writing because they explain so many interpretive difficulties that trouble careful Bible students. Here I would ask for time to show that God often states a truth in universal language while expecting the diligent reader to discover its intended scope through the harmony of Scripture. This is not imprecision but divine craftsmanship. The Bible is written to cultivate spiritual reasoning. Exceptive truth may not merely be another category. It may actually be one of God's principal teaching methods. Think about it. "All have sinned". "God cannot change". "No man hath seen God at any time". "The love of money is the root of all evil". "Judge not." "Call no man your father". "Whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all." Each statement initially appears absolute. Each invites further investigation. Each finds its proper meaning only through the harmony of Scripture. The Bible repeatedly teaches by what we might call purposeful universality. God intentionally states principles broadly because broad statements provoke deeper study. The exception is not hidden to deceive; it is reserved to reward diligence. Let’s conclude by drawing these classifications back into a single image. Imagine standing before a magnificent stained-glass window in a cathedral. Every individual pane possesses its own color, shape, and angle. Some are deep blue. Others crimson. Others golden. Viewed separately they appear different. Yet when sunlight passes through them all, they produce one unified picture. Truth is like that. Absolute truth. Progressive truth. Representative truth. Prophetic truth. Experiential truth. Comprehensive truth. Exceptive truth. Each is not a different truth but a different window through which the one Light shines. The Light never changes. Only the angle from which finite minds behold it changes. Truth does not become many because it is viewed in many ways. It remains one because its source is One. How does God present truth in Scripture. Comprehensive truth and exceptive truth are not attempts to invent new doctrine; both are an attempt to describe a recurring pattern in the way divine revelation teaches. That makes it a worthwhile line of inquiry, provided it is always anchored in the principle that Scripture interprets Scripture and that no proposed category is permitted to override the plain teaching of the biblical text. This is what gives truth both originality and theological stability. We gain from inquiring not “what does God teach”? Yes, that is essential. But we ask the question behind that: “by what methods does God communicate truth”? There is much to be gained from that line of inquiry. Truth seems to have a kind of architecture. Individual verses are like stones. Doctrines are like walls. The various classifications we discussed are like the structural systems that hold the building together. But Christ is the Temple itself. Every truth is ultimately Christological. If a classification does not eventually lead us to Christ, it has become merely academic. Our Lord Himself said, "They are they which testify of me". Whether we are studying prophecy, law, covenant, typology, paradox, or purpose, every line of revelation converges upon Him. That causes me to wonder whether telic truth is not simply about God's purpose in individual doctrines but about the purpose of all truth. What is the telos of truth itself? Scripture answers that question. The telos of truth is not knowledge. The telos of truth is not correct doctrine. The telos of truth is not even wisdom. The telos of truth is union with God. Knowledge that does not produce fellowship has missed its destination. The telos of truth therefore transforms the very purpose of biblical study. Scripture was never given merely to increase the volume of human knowledge, nor to furnish the believer with a superior vocabulary of doctrine, nor to provide material for theological debate. Divine revelation has always possessed an appointed end established within the wisdom of God Himself. Every command seeks obedience. Every promise seeks faith. Every warning seeks repentance. Every prophecy seeks watchfulness. Every doctrine seeks understanding that matures into holiness. Every revelation of Christ seeks conformity to His likeness. Thus the objective of scriptural study is never exhausted when the mind has mastered the text; it reaches its God- appointed completion only when the text, through the ministry of the Holy Spirit, has mastered the life of the reader. The true student therefore approaches Scripture not merely asking, "What does this passage mean?" but with the deeper and more sanctifying question, "For what divine purpose has God spoken these words, and what transformation does He intend to accomplish within me through them?" In this light, Bible study ceases to be the accumulation of sacred information and becomes participation in God's ongoing work of redemption. The written Word steadily accomplishes the very end for which it was breathed by God, shaping the conscience, refining the judgment, enlarging the affections, strengthening faith, purifying hope, and conforming the believer ever more completely to the image of Christ. Herein lies the telos of truth: that every page of Holy Scripture should become an instrument through which the God of truth fashions a people who not only understand His Word but increasingly embody it, until knowledge blossoms into wisdom, wisdom matures into faithful obedience, and faithful obedience reaches its glorious completion in everlasting communion with the One who is Himself the Truth. I believe this thought reaches beyond the subject of telic truth and touches the very philosophy of Bible study itself. It echoes the pattern seen throughout Scripture: God's Word is never merely informative—it is performative. It not only reveals His will; it accomplishes His will in those who receive it by faith. That is why the Scriptures do not simply ask to be read or even understood. They ask to be lived, for their divinely appointed end is fulfilled most perfectly when the life of the believer becomes a living testimony to the truth that has taken root within the heart. As we continue maturing in the truth, I know there is one final classification transformative truth still waiting to be explored—transformative truth. Unlike the others, it would not describe how truth is presented but what truth invariably does when it is received. In many ways, it may serve as the natural culmination of every category we've discussed, because the final evidence that truth has reached its telos is a life that has been transformed by it. We have journeyed from the structure of truth to the purpose of truth. Because truth answers not merely what truth is, but why God gives it. Truth concerns the nature of reality; telic truth concerns the purpose of that reality within the counsel of God. Truth reveals what is real. Truth discloses the nature of reality. Truth defines reality as God sees it. Truth reveals things as they actually are. Truth establishes what is genuine. Truth unveils reality without distortion. Truth identifies what genuinely exists. Truth declares what is objectively so. Truth reveals the actual state of things. Truth reveals what is; telic truth reveals why it is given. Truth establishes what God has declared; telic truth reveals the divine end toward which that revelation is directed and unveils the divine purpose embedded within that reality. God's revelation is never merely descriptive—it is purposeful. In other words, Scriptural truth not only tells us what is, but also why God has made it known. Remember this – these categories of truth must always remain the servants of Scripture, never its masters. In other words, when we speak of comprehensive truth, exceptive truth, telic truth, or any of the others, let us know that these are descriptive tools—observations about recurring patterns in Scripture—not independent doctrines that govern Scripture. The Bible itself remains the authority. The categories simply help us appreciate the wisdom with which the Holy Spirit inspired it. "For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face...". Perhaps that verse could quietly serve as the backdrop to the entire writing. Every classification we have discussed is really an acknowledgment that finite minds perceive the infinite God only in part. God accommodates Himself to human language, history, symbols, prophecy, paradox, experience, and purpose so that we may progressively grow into a fuller apprehension of His truth. Yet even after all our careful distinctions, we remain students awaiting the day when faith gives way to sight. This is deeply humbling. The more we understand the structure of divine truth, the more we realize that the ultimate goal is not mastery over Scripture, but submission to the God who breathed it. Truth exists because love desires to be known. If God had been merely omnipotent, He could have ruled without revealing Himself. If He had been merely sovereign, He could have commanded without explanation. If He had been merely just, He could have judged without invitation. But because "God is love," He does something extraordinary: He makes Himself known. Love does not remain hidden. Love communicates. Love discloses itself. Love seeks fellowship. Love invites trust rather than coercion. In that sense, truth is the language of divine love. That thought, to me, reaches all the way back to the opening of the Bible. God did not create humanity because He needed companionship. Neither did He reveal Himself because He needed recognition. He did both because love, by its very nature, delights in self-giving. Divine truth is one of the highest expressions of that self-giving. Through it, God opens His own heart to His creatures so that they might know Him, trust Him, and freely enter into communion with Him. If that is correct, then perhaps the deepest telos of truth is not simply that people know about God. It is that, through truth, they come to know God Himself. I think that harmonizes beautifully with our Lord's prayer in John 17:3: "And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent". Notice that Jesus does not define eternal life primarily as endless existence. He defines it as knowing the Father and the Son. That, perhaps more than any other passage, reveals the ultimate purpose of divine truth. It is not information—it is communion. There is a progression we are to acknowledge… Truth reveals reality. Comprehensive truth reveals the harmony of reality. Exceptive truth refines our understanding of reality. Progressive truth unfolds reality. Prophetic truth anticipates reality. Experiential truth internalizes reality. Judicial truth declares our standing within reality. Typological truth foreshadows reality. Paradoxical truth stretches our perception of reality. Telic truth reveals the divine purpose behind reality. But there is something beyond all of them. Perfect truth. Not another category. The consummation of every category. Perfect truth is not simply flawless information. It is reality seen exactly as God sees it, without limitation, distortion, sin, ignorance, symbolism, or faith. It is truth no longer mediated through prophecy, type, parable, experience, or even Scripture itself, but perceived in the unveiled presence of God. That is why Paul writes: "For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face...". Notice what Paul is saying. Everything we have discussed—every classification—is necessary because we still "see through a glass." Comprehensive truth. Exceptive truth. Typological truth. Parabolic truth. They are all gracious accommodations to finite minds living in a fallen world. But one day...There will be no more prophecy because its fulfillment will stand before us. No more types because the Substance will be fully present. No more parables because we shall converse face to face with the Master. No more progressive revelation because revelation will have reached its completion. No more faith because faith shall become sight. No more hope because hope shall be realized. Truth will remain. Only its mediating forms will disappear. That thought is breathtaking. It means every form of truth we study today is preparing us for one great moment: Perfect communion with Perfect Truth. Then another verse comes alive: "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is". There it is. The telos. Not merely of truth. But of revelation itself. We shall see Him as He is. No shadows. No symbols. No exceptions requiring harmonization. No prophecies awaiting fulfillment. No partial understanding. Only the unveiled glory of God. The final cadence of the writing…this thought: Every form by which God presently teaches truth belongs to the present age. Every purpose for which God teaches truth belongs to eternity. And when eternity dawns, truth will not cease. It will finally be enjoyed in its fullest expression—not as pages to be studied, but as the living presence of the Father and the Son. That, to me, is what makes our study so beautiful. It begins by asking how God teaches truth, but if carried to its proper end, it concludes by reminding us that the highest destiny of every truth God has ever spoken is to bring His redeemed into everlasting fellowship with Himself. Can we simply call that...totally perfect truth. There remains one final contemplation. Throughout this study we have spoken of absolute truth, revealed truth, progressive truth, covenantal truth, representative truth, experiential truth, comprehensive truth, exceptive truth, judicial truth, prophetic truth, conditional truth, typological truth, parabolic truth, paradoxical truth, and telic truth. Yet none of these constitutes the final destination of divine revelation. Each belongs to God's gracious accommodation of finite minds dwelling within time, history, and the present limitations of human understanding. They are not competing forms of truth but varied expressions of the one eternal Truth, wisely communicated according to God's infinite purpose. They are the pathways by which the Holy Spirit patiently leads the believer toward an ever fuller knowledge of God. Beyond them all stands what may fittingly be called Totally Perfect Truth. This is not another category to be added alongside the others, but the glorious consummation toward which they all quietly point. Totally Perfect Truth shall dawn when every shadow has yielded to substance, every prophecy has reached fulfillment, every type has found its reality, every parable has accomplished its instruction, every apparent tension has been perfectly reconciled, and every partial understanding has given way to unobstructed vision. Then faith shall become sight, hope shall become possession, and the redeemed shall know even as they are known. Truth will no longer be perceived through the limitations of fallen humanity, but in the unveiled presence of Him who is Himself the Truth. In that eternal day the Scriptures will not have failed; they will have succeeded beyond all measure. Every page, every promise, every commandment, every prophecy, every warning, every invitation, every testimony concerning Christ will have accomplished its appointed end. The written Word will have faithfully brought the redeemed into everlasting fellowship with the Living Word. There, in the unveiled glory of God, the long pilgrimage of learning will reach its joyful completion. The architecture of divine truth will stand fully revealed, not merely as a magnificent system of perfect revelation, but as the living expression of the infinite wisdom, holiness, and love of its eternal Author. This is the blessed hope toward which every honest study of Scripture quietly leads. It is the soul's final inheritance: to behold the Father and the Son without veil, without shadow, without interruption, and to dwell forever in the everlasting light of Totally Perfect Truth. We started with a hermeneutical question: How does God communicate truth? We have ended with an eschatological answer: God communicates truth until His people no longer need mediated revelation because they are forever with Him. That is a remarkable progression. The writing begins in the study. It ends before the throne. And I cannot think of a more fitting destination because the pursuit of truth is itself an act of worship when the purpose is to know God more faithfully. Truth finds its perfect expression in God Himself. And there will be central truths that God’s faithful must know that all other truths will eventually gather around. Who is worthy of absolute worship? Every conflict in Scripture ultimately returns to worship. Not merely whether God exists. Not merely whether Christ came. But who possesses the right to command conscience. The serpent questioned God's authority. Nebuchadnezzar demanded worship. The prophets confronted false worship. Christ refused Satan's offer of the kingdoms of the world. Revelation closes with worship separating humanity into two companies. Under severe interrogation, I suspect the faithful will not merely be asked theological questions. They will be pressed to decide whose authority governs their conscience. "Who has the right to tell you how to live?" "Who determines morality?" "Who owns your allegiance?" Every lesser issue—Sabbath, commandments, civil obedience, religious liberty—flows from that greater question. The faithful answer is not first, "I keep the Sabbath." It is, "The Creator alone possesses absolute authority over my conscience". Everything else follows from that confession. the second truth The second truth becomes even more searching. What is truth when every visible circumstance contradicts it? This may become the greatest internal battle. Can truth remain truth while appearing to lose? When Elijah stood alone…When Jeremiah was imprisoned...When Daniel entered the lions' den...When Christ hung upon the cross... Truth appeared defeated. Yet truth never ceased being truth. The last generation may have to answer whether truth is determined by evidence visible to human eyes or by the revealed Word of God. Extreme interrogation may sound something like this: "Your God has abandoned you." "Your people are dying." "History has disproved you." "Your beliefs divide society." "If truth were really true, none of this would be happening." That is not merely an attack upon doctrine. It is an attack upon confidence in God's character. The faithful must answer: Truth is not measured by success, popularity, survival, or public acceptance. Truth remains truth because God cannot deny Himself. the third truth The third truth, I believe, reaches the deepest level. Who are you? This may become the most difficult question of all. Not merely, "What church do you attend?" But, "To whom do you belong?" Throughout Scripture identity is continually assaulted. Israel forgot who they were. The prodigal forgot who he was. Peter forgot who he was. The remnant are described by their relationship with God. If identity is surrendered, conviction soon follows. The faithful will need to know with settled certainty: "I belong to Christ." "I have been purchased." "My life is no longer my own." "My citizenship is heavenly." "My future has already been decided by God's grace." A person uncertain of identity can seldom endure prolonged suffering. One who knows to whom he belongs becomes astonishingly steadfast. If these are indeed the three greatest truths to be faced, then I believe the corresponding three truths for which God's people must be willing to surrender everything become almost self-evident. First, God alone is worthy of absolute worship. No government. No movement. No ideology. No institution. No human being. The Creator alone. Second, God's revealed truth does not change because the world rejects it. Truth does not evolve with public opinion. Truth does not become false because it is outlawed. Truth does not weaken because the majority laughs. Truth does not require human approval to remain true. Truth answers what truth is because its source is God Himself. If God is immutable, then truth possesses an immutability derived from Him. Third, the life of faith is worth more than physical life itself. This has been the heartbeat of Beyond the Fear of Death. Death is no longer the greatest loss. Unfaithfulness is. When that conviction becomes absolute, fear loses its dominion. One may tremble. One may suffer. One may grieve. But one no longer bargains with conscience. When Scripture describes the sealing of God's people, it never portrays them merely as possessing more information than others. Rather, truth has become so united with their character that separating them from truth would require separating them from themselves. Truth is no longer simply what they believe. Truth is what they have become through the sanctifying work of God. Perhaps that is why interrogation in the last days, however it unfolds, need not focus on hundreds of doctrines. Once a person's worship, confidence in God's Word, and covenant identity have been tested, nearly every other conviction is revealed as well. A soul anchored in those realities will not surrender the Sabbath, because worship has already been settled. It will not abandon God's commandments, because the authority of the Lawgiver has already been acknowledged. It will not deny Christ to preserve earthly life, because its truest life is already hidden with Him. The endurance of the last-day believer will rest not merely on knowing many truths, but on knowing the One who is true. Every doctrine derives its life from Him, and every faithful witness draws strength from communion with Him. When that relationship is settled, the soul possesses a steadfastness that no interrogation can manufacture and no persecution can erase. I believe that is the quiet strength shining through the lives of the saints described in Scripture—a people whose confidence rests not in themselves, but in the God whose truth is, as we say, Totally Perfect Truth. Every divine test recorded in Scripture seems to examine one of three faculties that God has given humanity: the mind — what do you know to be true? The heart — whom do you love above all else? The will — what will you choose when obedience costs you everything? Truth first enlightens the mind. Love then claims the heart. Faithfulness finally governs the will. When those three are united, a person becomes remarkably difficult to move. Such a believer may not know every prophecy or answer every objection, but he knows his God, loves his God, and has already settled in his heart to obey his God. That kind of person possesses an inward stability that no outward pressure can overturn. Perhaps this is why the Scriptures place such emphasis on the heart. The intellect can be challenged. Emotions can fluctuate. Circumstances can become terrifying. But a heart wholly yielded to God becomes the place where truth is no longer merely understood—it is cherished. A person who knows God's character learns to trust Him. A person who trusts Him learns to embrace His truth. A person who embraces His truth no longer fears the loss of this life. We have not been writing isolated papers; we have been tracing a single path—from knowing God to standing for God. We keep returning to the Person behind every truth. When truth is seen as the expression of God's own character rather than as an abstract collection of propositions, every doctrine finds its proper place, and every act of obedience becomes an act of love. Truth does not ask to be improved by us; it asks to be received. Once received, it asks to be lived. Once lived, it becomes a witness. And a faithful witness, by the grace of God, becomes a light that no darkness can overcome. ⛰ Go Deeper This reflection is part of a larger Bible-based study on faith and transformation. 👉 Read more at OnlineBibleCourse.com

walking for purpose Walking with God implies, that the prevailing power of the enmity of a man's heart be taken away, and also that we are actually reconciled to God the Father, in and through the all-sufficient righteousness and atonement of his dear Son. Can two walk together, except they be agreed? Jesus is one, and we are one in him. Jesus is our peace, as well as our peace-maker. When we are justified by faith in Christ, then, but not till then, we have peace with God; and consequently cannot be said till then to walk with him, walking with a person being a sign and token that we are friends to that person, or it may be that we have been at variance, yet that now we are reconciled and desire to become friends again. This is the great errand that true believers are sent out upon. To us is committed the ministry of reconciliation; as ambassadors for God, we are to beseech each other, in Christ's stead, to be reconciled unto God, and when we comply with the gracious invitation, and are actually by faith brought into a state of reconciliation with God, then, and not till then, may we be said so much as to begin to walk with God. Walking with God implies a settled abiding communion and fellowship with our brothers and sisters, or what in scripture is called, `The Holy Ghost dwelling in us'. And this is what is meant in the words -‘And Enoch walked with God', that is, he kept up and maintained a holy, settled, habitual, altogether uninterrupted communion and fellowship with God, in and through Christ Jesus. Walking with God consists especially in the fixed habitual bent of the will for God, in an habitual dependence upon his power and promise, in an habitual voluntary dedication of our all to his glory, in an habitual eyeing of his precept in all we do, and in an habitual complacence in his pleasure in all we suffer. Walking with God implies our making advances in the divine life. Walking, in the very first idea of the word, supposes a progressive motion. A person that walks, though he moves slowly, yet he goes forward, and does not stay in one place; and so, it is with us who walk with God. When a soul is born of God, to all intents and purposes he is a child of God; and though he should live to the age of Methuselah, yet he would then be only a child of God after all. Hence it is, that we find the people of God charged with exhorting others to let their progress be made known to all men. For the new creature increases in spiritual stature; and though a person can but be a new creature, yet there are some that are more conformed to the divine image than others, and will afterward be admitted to a greater degree of sanctity. Believers keep up and maintain their walk with God by reading of his holy word. Search the scriptures, for whatsoever was written aforetime was written for our learning and our admonition. If we but once get above our bibles, and cease making the written word of God our sole rule, both as to faith, and to practice, we shall soon lie open to all manner of delusion, and be in great danger of tsunami wreckage of faith and a good conscience. Believers keep up and maintain our walk with God by secret prayer, prevailing secret prayer. The spirit of grace is always accompanied with the spirit of supplication. It is the very breath of the new creature, the fan of the divine life, whereby the spark of holy fire, kindled in the soul by God, is not only kept in, but raised into a flame. There should be no day begun without our being in our closet making use of secret prayer. It is one of the most noble parts of the believers' spiritual armor. Praying always, with all manner of supplication. Not that our Lord would have us always upon our knees, or in our closets, to the neglect of our other relative duties. But he means, that our souls should be kept in a praying frame, so that we might be able to say, could these walls speak, they would tell you what sweet communion I have had with my God here. Prayer! It brings and keeps God and us together. Be much in secret, set prayer. And when we are about the common business of life, be much in ejaculatory prayer, and send, from time to time, short letters posthaste to heaven upon the wings of faith. They will reach the very heart of God, and return to us again with spiritual blessings. Holy and frequent meditation is another means of keeping up a believer's walk with God. Meditation to the soul, is the same as digestion to the body. We read of Isaac's going out into the fields to meditate in the evening; or, as it is, to pray. For meditation is a kind of silent prayer, whereby the soul is frequently, as it were carried out of itself to God, thereby to commune with the Father and by a kind of immediate intuition always to behold the face of our heavenly Father. None but those joyful souls that have been accustomed to this divine service, can tell what a blessed advocate of the divine life meditation is. Especially that work of works, that wonder of wonders, that mystery of godliness, God manifest in the flesh, so that we are obliged to speak and tell of the loving-kindness of the Lord to our soul. We keep up our walk with God, by watching and noting his providential dealings with us. Every thought of the cross has a call in it, and every particular dispensation of divine providence has some particular end to answer in us to whom God sends it. Every interstitial event is founded with intent and consequential happenings to bring us to God. If we…us…walk with God, we must from time to time hear what the Lord has to say concerning us in the voice of his providence. Abraham's servant, when he went to fetch a wife for his master Isaac, eyed, and watched the providence of God, and by that means found out the person that was designed for his master's wife. A little hint from providence is enough for faith to feed upon. In order to walk closely with God, his children must not only watch the motions of God's providence without them, but the motions also of his blessed Spirit in their hearts. As many as are the sons of God, are led by the Spirit of God, and give up themselves to be guided by the Holy Ghost. It is no doubt in this sense that we are to be converted, and become like little children. And though it is the quintessence of enthusiasm, to pretend to be guided by the Spirit without the written word; yet it is every believer's duty to be guided by the Spirit in conjunction with the written word of God. Watch the motions of God's Spirit in our souls, and always try the impressions that we may feel, by the unerring rule of God's most holy word. We, that would maintain a holy walk with God, must walk with him in ordinances as well as providences: in all God's ordinances, as well as commandments, blameless. We look upon these as our bread, and as our highest privileges. We will know the sanctuary truths and be as waters issuing out from the south of the house. We will associate and keep company with those that do walk with him. Our delight is in them that do excel in virtue. The excellent ones of the earth will keep up their vigor and first love, by continuing in fellowship one with another. See to it, that we do not forsake the assembling of ourselves together. As iron sharpeneth iron, so doth the countenance of a man his friend. If we therefore make a just observation of our own times, we believe we shall find, that as the power of God prevails, group bible studies will prevail proportionably. So necessary is it for those that would walk with God, and keep up the life of conviction, to meet together as we have opportunity, in order to provoke one another to love and good works. Now we offer motives to excite all to come and walk with God. Listen, walking with God is a very honorable thing. This generally is a prevailing motive to persons of all ranks, to stir them up to any important undertaking. We pray that God’s honor has due weight and influence with all in respect to the matter now before us. That all would think it a very high honor to be admitted into our earthly prince's private council, to be trusted with his secrets, and to have his ear at all times and at all seasons – just to express ourselves. Besides his being advanced above all; yea, moreover, we await the invitation to the King of kings, the Lord of lords. And afterwards, this question – what is done unto the man whom the king delighteth to honor? We hear the answer, “let the royal apparel be brought to these who are they”. This then, it seems, to be honor to those that walk with God! The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him: and says the blessed Jesus…call I you no longer servants, but friends. It is a pleasing thing, to walk with God. Wisdom's ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths peace. A life spent in communion with God, is the pleasantest life in the world. Is it not better to have enjoyed more solid pleasure in one moment's communion with my God, than you could have enjoyed in the ways of sin for thousands of years? Do we heed the appeal to all of us that fear and walk with God, for the truth of this? Has not one day in the Lord's courts been better to us? In keeping God's commandments, have we not found a present, and very great reward? Has not his word been sweeter to us than the honey or the honeycomb? Think on our wrestling with our God? Meditating in the fields. Has not the Holy Ghost frequently shed the divine love abroad in our hearts abundantly, and filled us with joy unspeakable, even joy that is full of glory? We answer all these questions in the affirmative, and freely acknowledge the yoke of Christ to be easy, and his burden light. Now, what need we then any further motive to excite us to walk with God? Now let’s talk. Some may say how can these things be? For, if walking with God is such an honorable and pleasant thing, why is it that the name of the people of His way is called out as dividers, and most everywhere spoken against? How come it to pass that we will be frequently afflicted, tempted, destitute, and tormented? Is this the honor, this the pleasure, that we speak of? Hear the answer: yes! Hold on a minute; pause. We are a different people everywhere spoken against. But by whom? Even by the enemies of the Most High God. And do we think it is disgrace to be spoken evil of by them? Have we not so learned Christ. We, who are His, will be persecuted, and have all manner of evil spoken against us falsely. He counsels us to rejoice and be exceeding glad, for it is the privilege of our discipleship. He himself was thus treated. And can there be a greater honor put upon a creature, than to be conformed to the ever-blessed Son of God? And further, it is equally true that the people of this way are frequently afflicted, tempted, destitute, and tormented. But what of all this? Does this destroy the pleasure of walking with God? Hear the answer – no! For those that walk with God are enabled, through Christ strengthening them, to joy even in tribulation, and to rejoice when they fall into divers temptations. And this, the appeal to the experience of all true and close walkers with God, whether or not their suffering times have not frequently been their sweetest times, and that they enjoyed most of God when most cast out and despised by men? This we find to be the case of Christ's last day posse, when threatened by the world, and commanded to preach no more in the name of Jesus; we rejoice that we are accounted worthy to suffer for the sake of Jesus. Therefore these objections, instead of destroying, do only enforce the motives before urged, to excite us to walk with God. But supposing the objections were just, and walkers with God were as despicable and unhappy as the world represents us to be. If we are weighed in the balance of the sanctuary, truth will over-weigh all objections. That there is a heaven at the end of this walk is truth. The way is narrow, but it is not long is truth: the gate is strait, yet it opens into everlasting life wide enough to receive all who desire entry. Enoch found it so. He walked with God on earth, and God took him. He by-passed the common death of man. We may expect to be taken away as he was or rather after death, be among the souls of those who have walked with God to return to God; and at the morning of this resurrection, so shall we ever be forever with the Lord; filled with all the fullness of God. We shall sit on thrones; we shall judge angels. We shall be enabled to sustain an exceeding and eternal weight of glory, even that glory which Jesus Christ enjoyed with the Father before the world began. The very thought of it is enough to make us desire to leap our seventy years and to make us break out into the earnest language, “My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?” In our talk as we walk, we ponder the sense of this, when under a more than ordinary irradiation and influx of divine life and love by the Holy Spirit, causes some persons, hopefully us, even for a time to lose the power of our humanly senses. A less sight than this made Sheba's queen astonished; and a still lesser sight than that, even made Jacob faint, and for a while, as it were, die away. Daniel, that Daniel, when admitted to a distant view of this excellent glory that we now see, fell down at the feet of that delegated angel as one dead. And if a distant view of this glory be so excellent to one such as Daniel, what must the actual possession of it be for us? And if we, the first fruits are so glorious, how infinitely must the harvest exceed in glory whom God purposes us to bring to perfection be? And now, what more indeed can we say to excite any, even those that are yet strangers to Christ, to come and walk with God. If they love honor, pleasure, and a crown of glory, come. Come, put on the Lord Jesus. Come, and walk with God. We speak to all that are believers as well as to those that are openly non- believers. We need not tell them, that walking with God is not only honorable, but pleasant and profitable also; for they will know it by a joyful experience, and will find it more and more so every day. Walk with us as we walk with Christ. Only give us a chance to stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance, and to beseech you by the mercies of God in Christ Jesus, to take heed to yourselves, and walk closer with your God than you have in days past: for the nearer you walk with God, the more you will enjoy of him whose presence is life, and be the better prepared for being placed at his right hand, where are pleasures for evermore. We plead that you do not follow Jesus far off! Don’t be so formal, so dead and stupid in your attendance on ways! Do not forsake the assembling of yourselves together, or be so indifferent about the things of God. Remember what Jesus says of the church of Laodicea. Think of the love of Jesus, and let that love constrain us to keep near unto him; and though we die for him, we do not deny him, we do not keep at a distance from him in any way. In our walk our hearts are made full, and oh, that it were more full day by day as we know that we are empty without Jesus; we could almost say it is too big to speak, and yet too big to be silent, for we are commanded to give a word to all. In a very particular manner, we have the honor of being styled stewards of the mysteries of God. Enoch in all probability was a social person, and a flaming teacher of truth. How did Enoch teach! How did Enoch walk with God, though he lived in a wicked and adulterous generation! Let us then follow him, as he followed Jesus Christ. In a few days our walk will be over. The Judge is before the door: he that cometh will come, and will not tarry: his reward is with him. And we shall all, if we are zealous for the Lord of hosts, be as the stars in the firmament, in the kingdom of our heavenly Father, for ever and ever to all eternity. Amen, and Amen. 📖 Applying the Study For ongoing spiritual encouragement and prophetical insights, visit Higher Learning.

dark counsel Let’s begin with the Source of Divine Providence. The continuous activity of God sustaining, governing, and directing all things to His divine purposes. The concept of providence highlights God's omnipotence, omniscient nature, and His active role in the world. The Bible says God creates evil, not the evil of sin, not moral evil, God is not the author of that, but the evil of punishment. The very different events that befall the children of men - disaster, calamity, and hardship. The wise God has the ordering and disposing of all our comforts, and all our crosses, in this world. God asserts His sovereignty over all things, including the "bad times" and “suffering” that come to pass. Let’s understand Job 38:2. Darkening the counsels of God's wisdom with fool heartedness is a great affront and provocation to God. Satan uses this to confound and to perplex mankind with the order of God's decrees, and the designs, and reasons, and methods, of his operations of providence and grace. Dark counsel aligns with the general biblical understanding of Satan's primary strategy, which is to sow confusion, distort the truth, and deceive humanity. So, providentially, why this being? The question of why God, who is all-knowing, created Lucifer full of wisdom while foreseeing the path of rebellion he would take, treads upon sacred ground that has stirred deep reflection for centuries. At the heart of the matter lies the tension between divine omniscience and creaturely freedom. If God knew from the beginning that the covering cherub would corrupt his perfection and bring suffering into the created order, why would He allow such a being to come into existence at all? To seek an answer is to explore the mystery of love, freedom, and divine purpose in the face of evil. One of the most consistent responses through theological thought has been the defense of freedom. Love, to be genuine, cannot be compelled, and moral goodness requires the real possibility of its opposite. God, desiring love that is authentic, created beings with the capacity to choose. Knowing what Lucifer would freely choose does not mean God caused that choice; foreknowledge does not erase moral responsibility. In this light, Lucifer’s rebellion was not the unfolding of a divine script but the tragic misuse of a gift—freedom—that was necessary if love was to be more than programming. Yet freedom alone does not explain why God would still allow evil knowing the sorrow it would unleash. Here another perspective is often given: that God permits evil for a greater good. Trials, conflict, and even rebellion provide the stage upon which God’s justice, mercy, and faithfulness are displayed. Virtues such as courage, perseverance, and self-sacrificing love shine brightest against the darkness of opposition. In this sense, the fall of Lucifer, though grievous, becomes part of a larger redemptive story in which God’s glory is revealed not in shielding creation from every possibility of evil, but in overcoming evil with good and securing the universe against its recurrence forever. Theologians also stress that God is not the author of evil, for evil is not a substance He created but a privation of good—a turning away from God. The covering cherub was fashioned in perfection, but in choosing pride he diminished that perfection. God created the being and the capacities that made love and wisdom possible, but the corruption of those capacities belonged to Lucifer alone. Thus God’s holiness remains unstained even while He allows the tragic unfolding of freedom’s misuse. Schools of thought attempt to describe how God’s sovereignty and creaturely will coexist. We may emphasize divine decree, holding that God’s eternal plan includes even the fall, though creatures act with real responsibility—a mystery finite minds cannot untangle fully. We may also suggest that God possesses the power to know how free creatures would act in any possible circumstance, and thus chose to create the world in which His purposes would be fulfilled even through the rebellion of some. These approaches, while diverse, share a common insistence that God’s knowledge and sovereignty do not absolve creatures of their responsibility nor make Him the author of sin. In the end, humility tempers all speculation. Scripture acknowledges the reality of evil, affirms the goodness and justice of God, and calls His people to trust in His ultimate purposes. The fall of Lucifer, while a profound mystery, is framed by the greater certainty of God’s triumph in Christ, who has defeated the powers of darkness and promises to bring creation into a final state where rebellion can never arise again. To walk upon this sacred ground is to admit that the “why” may never be fully resolved for finite minds, but faith clings to the conviction that God’s wisdom is perfect, His love unchanging, and His victory complete. Satan’s recruitment methods combine deception, exploitation of desires, emotional manipulation, misrepresentation of God, incremental temptation, division, false security, and distraction. He adapts his approach to each person’s weaknesses and the cultural context. Satan’s recruitment to sin is subtle, strategic, and deeply personal, targeting human weaknesses and exploiting desires, pride, and emotions. He distorts truth, misrepresents God’s commands, and makes evil appear attractive or harmless, often using gradual steps rather than immediate temptation. He manipulates circumstances, relationships, and cultural influences to distract, divide, and mislead, while fostering a false sense of security or entitlement that lulls people into compromise. Ultimately, his methods aim to separate humanity from God by enticing rebellion, promoting rationalization, and dulling spiritual sensitivity, making vigilance, discernment, and submission to God essential for resisting his schemes. Satan’s ever pursuit of sin is motivated by his hatred of God. His hatred is not merely an emotion; it is a spiritual weapon forged in rebellion against the God of love. At its darkest core stands Satan, the adversary, whose very existence since his fall has been driven by hatred. Where God is love, Satan is hatred embodied. His rebellion in heaven was not fueled by ignorance but by willful malice toward the truth. He despised the humility of the Son of God, loathed the order of divine law, and hated the eternal harmony that made heaven beautiful. His pride became the soil, but hatred became the fuel of his existence. From that moment on, Satan’s every scheme has been rooted in animosity toward God, His character, and His creation. His war is not neutral; it is consumed with hatred against the image of God wherever it is seen. This hatred manifests in Satan’s relentless desire to degrade humanity. Scripture calls him “a murderer from the beginning” because his lies were aimed at bringing death to the human race. He could not strike God directly, so he struck the children made in God’s image. His hatred is not passive but active - seeking to poison minds, divide communities, and corrupt nations. The devil’s wrath is not satisfied until he has turned brother against brother, neighbor against neighbor, and entire peoples against one another. His great aim is to reproduce in humanity the very hatred that burns within his own spirit, ensuring that societies reflect his rebellion rather than God’s kingdom of peace. When viewed in this light, the national hatred rising in America is not merely political division, cultural tension, or economic stress - it is the visible outworking of Satan’s ancient motivation. The same adversary who hated heaven’s unity now seeks to tear apart earthly nations through suspicion, bigotry, and enmity. Hatred in America is being mainstreamed, normalized, and weaponized. Political leaders and media voices thrive on stirring animosity; entire platforms are built on demonizing the “other side.” What should be healthy debate has devolved into deep disdain. The seeds of Satan’s hatred are bearing fruit in mass shootings, racially motivated violence, suppression of historical truths, and the increasing celebration of cruelty as strength. The “mind of the Dragon,” as Scripture unfolds it, is not merely hostility toward God but a systematic drive to counterfeit His authority, to manipulate truth, and to enslave humanity in structures that advance rebellion against heaven. Revelation 12 shows the Dragon as a persecutor, a deceiver, and a manipulator of kingdoms. His ancient method is to use earthly systems as vessels through which his will is enacted, disguising spiritual rebellion under the cloak of human government and societal order. When this mind overlays the political landscape today, what emerges is a disturbing alignment of intent and action that mirrors the Dragon’s age-old strategies. There is the deliberate war on truth. The Dragon’s thinking is built on deception, for he cannot create, only corrupt. In today’s political discourse, lies are elevated into tools of governance. Words are weaponized, facts are twisted, and the people are trained to doubt even the most obvious realities. This is not random—it reflects the Dragon’s original craft in Eden: “Has God really said?” Just as he sought to destabilize faith by sowing doubt, political leaders now destabilize societies by blurring truth, manipulating narratives, and teaching populations to live by slogans rather than substance. There is the normalization of division. The Dragon’s mind thrives on enmity— between heaven and earth, between truth and lie, between brother and brother. Political systems today reflect this by magnifying cultural and racial hostilities, stirring suspicions, and creating adversarial camps where reconciliation could have been sought. Rather than being peacemakers, many in power profit from polarization, because a divided people are easier to control. The Dragon delights in this because it mocks God’s vision of one new humanity reconciled in Christ, replacing it with endless strife. The Dragon’s lust for control manifests through laws and policies designed not to uplift but to restrict, not to bless but to subjugate. Surveillance, censorship, economic manipulation, and the erosion of freedoms all testify to this mind at work. What is framed as “protection” or “order” often conceals the deeper motive of tightening grip over the populace, teaching people to surrender liberty for the promise of safety. This, too, echoes the Dragon’s nature, for he has always preferred domination to voluntary worship. There is the political exploitation of religion itself. Revelation 13 shows the Dragon giving power to the Beast, shaping a counterfeit union of political strength and religious deception. Today, we see sacred language borrowed by leaders to sanctify corruption, to excuse violence, and to baptize nationalism in the name of God. The Dragon’s mind is clearest here: he desires worship, and when he cannot gain it openly, he corrupts the very structures of faith until people believe they serve God while bowing to falsehood. In sum, the mind of the Dragon, overlaid upon the present political order, reveals a system bent on deception, division, domination, and counterfeit devotion. These intentions and actions are not isolated missteps but the outworking of an ancient rebellion expressed through modern power. To discern this is to see that our struggle is not with flesh and blood, but with the spiritual intelligence that inspires the fall of nations and the captivity of souls. Nowhere is this more evident than in the deliberate cultivation of racial and social hatred. For centuries, America’s history has been scarred by slavery, segregation, and systemic oppression—chains forged by the adversary to perpetuate hatred against those made in God’s image. Today, that same hatred is being rekindled, sometimes cloaked in nationalism, sometimes in religious rhetoric, but always rooted in the same demonic impulse: to divide and destroy. Efforts to erase the history of Black Americans, to vilify immigrants, or to frame compassion as weakness are not random policies— they echo Satan’s strategy of hatred. They serve his purpose of convincing people that their enemies are their neighbors rather than the spiritual powers of darkness. The hatred saturating America is also fueled by fear, which is itself a form of unbelief in God’s sovereignty. Fear of losing power, fear of demographic change, fear of cultural shifts—all become tinder for the fires of hatred. Satan whispers to hearts that self-preservation requires despising others, that survival means crushing the weak, that greatness comes only through enmity. In reality, these are lies designed to enslave nations to the same hatred that drives him. As long as hatred dominates the national conversation, America remains vulnerable to collapse not just politically, but morally and spiritually. Let’s map the prophetic mind of the Dragon directly onto the political actions and climate we see today. The Dragon’s first weapon is the lie. Today, political leaders often deliberately distort reality through disinformation campaigns, conspiracy narratives, and carefully engineered media manipulation. Instead of upholding truth as sacred, leaders reduce it to a tool for consolidating power. When entire populations begin to doubt what they see with their own eyes, they become pliable to whatever narrative is fed to them. This is the same deception by which the Dragon led angels astray in heaven and by which he seduced Eve in Eden—an assault not on facts alone, but on the very capacity of the human soul to discern truth. The Dragon was a murderer from the beginning, sowing hatred between God and man and then between man and man. In our political present, we see governments and parties nurturing division along racial, cultural, and ideological lines. Policies are shaped not to heal but to widen the gaps: immigration is framed to pit citizen against foreigner, urban against rural, Black against White, left against right. Such division strengthens political control by weakening unity among the governed. The Dragon’s fingerprints are evident—he fears any solidarity rooted in truth, because it reflects the kingdom of God. The Dragon seeks to enslave, never to free. In politics today this takes the form of surveillance systems, the restriction of speech, and the manipulation of the economy to keep the masses in dependence. Instead of justice and equity, laws are tilted to serve the elite while ordinary citizens are burdened with debt, inflation, and shrinking opportunity. This mirrors the Dragon’s own counterfeit throne: he rules by fear, coercion, and punishment, never by love. What governments call “security” is often a mask for control, ensuring compliance and silencing dissent. The most chilling aspect of the Dragon’s overlay is when religion itself is recruited into politics. Leaders invoke God’s name while passing unjust laws, or equate national identity with divine chosenness, baptizing their ambitions in sacred language. This makes people believe they are defending faith when, in fact, they are entrenching idolatry. Revelation 13 warns of this fusion—where political power is clothed in religious robes so that worship is redirected from the Creator to the creature. In our time, this is seen when political movements exalt themselves as God’s chosen instrument while denying His justice, mercy, and truth. The Dragon’s mind is not an abstract force but a recognizable overlay upon modern politics: deception weaponized in information, division engineered into society, domination cloaked as security, and counterfeit devotion wrapped in religious rhetoric. These are not coincidental patterns but prophetic fulfillments, revealing how the Dragon’s ancient rebellion is being replayed on the stage of nations, preparing the world for the ultimate confrontation between truth and falsehood. Yet the gospel offers a piercing contrast. While Satan is motivated by hatred, God is motivated by love. While the enemy seeks to destroy through division, Christ came to reconcile through His blood. In a nation divided, the call of the believers must not be to mirror the hatred of the culture but to expose its true source. The growing storm of national hatred is not simply a political battle; it is evidence that Satan’s fury is intensifying as history approaches its climax. Believers must discern that the venom of hatred is not human in origin—it is spiritual, and it must be resisted with spiritual weapons. America’s healing will not come through legislation, nor through elections, but through repentance from the spirit of hatred and a turning back to the God of love. Only then can the nation escape being a mirror of Satan’s hatred and instead reflect the unity of Christ’s kingdom. Hatred is the adversary’s signature; love is heaven’s answer. The future of the nation depends on which of these forces the people will allow to rule their hearts. The crucifixion of Jesus stands as the ultimate expression of how hatred of the truth leads to violence. Christ embodied the fullness of God’s love, and His words exposed hypocrisy, falsehood, and pride. But instead of receiving Him, the leaders of His day were consumed with hostility. Their rejection was not simply intellectual disagreement—it was the fruit of Satan’s hatred working through human hearts. They could not bear the purity of truth shining against their corruption, and so they sought to silence it by crucifying the Truth Himself. In the last days, this same hatred will rise again. Scripture declares that “the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus”. The final generation of God’s people will reflect the obedience and faith of Christ in such a way that the world cannot ignore them. Their fidelity will be a living rebuke to a culture that has embraced lawlessness, compromise, and deception. As in the time of Jesus, truth will be viewed as dangerous, intolerant, and divisive. Satan’s hatred is not passive; it demands persecution. It is deliberate and calculated, designed to turn creation against its Maker. The last-day elect will be accused of causing social unrest, blamed for economic collapse, and despised for standing apart from the prevailing spirit of the age. Laws will be crafted that outwardly appear to promote unity and peace, but in reality they will compel conformity to false worship. When God’s people refuse, they will become the targets of the same hatred that nailed Christ to the cross. The world’s hostility will be stirred to a fever pitch, just as it was in Jerusalem when the crowd cried out, “Crucify Him!” This coming storm is not simply the result of human anger—it is Satan’s own enmity against God, channeled through societies that have rejected the truth. His goal is to blot out the witness of those who reflect Christ’s character. Yet, just as the cross became the triumph of redemption, so the final persecution will reveal the glory of God’s people. Their steadfastness under hatred will testify that love is stronger than death, truth more enduring than lies, and God’s kingdom unconquerable by Satan’s rage. The crucifixion of Christ was not only the climax of Satan’s hatred in the first century—it was also the pattern of how that hatred will reach its full expression in the last days. The Bible reveals a prophetic sequence by which the adversary, through deception and rage, will lead the world to repeat the same crime against God’s people that was once committed against His Son. From false unity flows legislation. As the faithful refuse compliance, Satan will inflame public opinion against them. In Christ’s day, false witnesses and manipulated crowds demanded His crucifixion. In the last days, the dragon will stir the world into believing that God’s people are the cause of calamity. They will be portrayed as extremists, obstacles to unity, enemies of progress, and even threats to the survival of civilization. Revelation declares that a death decree will eventually be issued against those who will not worship the beast or its image. The hatred that crucified Christ will again cry out, “It is better that they die than the nation perish.” Racial truths, past injustices, and the biblical standards of righteousness are often suppressed because they expose sin. Just as the leaders of Christ’s day could not endure His words, many in this generation bristle at the witness of God’s commandments. The result is not neutrality but hostility: the more truth shines, the more hatred grows against those who uphold it. From this rejection arises a false unity. America, fractured by social, political, and economic crises, longs for healing. Leaders and movements promise national restoration, but their vision of unity is built on compromise rather than righteousness. Calls to “return to God” often mask agendas rooted in nationalism, exclusion, or dominion rather than true obedience to Christ. This mirrors Revelation’s picture of the world marveling after the beast: a deceptive unity forged in crisis, promoted as the only path to survival. It is Satan’s hatred of God’s authority disguised as patriotism and religion. False unity quickly produces laws of conformity. Already, debates about religious freedom, national security, and public morality are paving the way for legislation that will privilege outward conformity over individual conscience. As this minority refuses to yield, the spirit of accusation will intensify. America’s media environment already thrives on blame, portraying certain groups as obstacles to progress. In times of heightened crisis—whether economic collapse, climate disasters, or social unrest—God’s faithful will be scapegoated. Laws that began as moral guidance will harden into coercion, and ultimately into a death decree, fulfilling Revelation. At last comes the final persecution. America, once the champion of religious liberty, will become the chief enforcer of Satan’s hatred. But the prophetic sequence does not end with persecution. It ends with deliverance. Michael will stand up, Christ will return, and the faithful remnant will be vindicated. Truth cannot be crucified forever. Sin is no small trespass, no harmless indulgence of the flesh, no fleeting thought soon forgotten. It is a kingdom of rot, an empire of decay, and the throne of hell itself. To imagine sin is to imagine the blackest abyss, where every light is swallowed, where every virtue is mocked, and where truth is not merely denied but desecrated. If Satan were to write its charter, and the Devil to publish its constitution, it would be inscribed with the blood of innocence, sealed with chains of eternal despair, and read aloud by the spirits of corruption to an assembly of willing slaves—men and women who mistake chains for ornaments, and death for liberty. At its core, sin is treason against the Most High. It is not weakness—it is willful rebellion. It is not error—it is deliberate perversion. It whispers first as a choice, then it hardens as a habit, until finally it rules as a tyrant. What begins as a small surrender soon grows into an empire of bondage. In the secret councils of darkness, sin is applauded as wisdom, while those who bow to its scepter are crowned as fools. Satan and his cohorts laugh, for they know that every compromise is another strand in the net, another nail in the coffin of the soul. The worst of sin is not merely what it does to the body, but what it does to the spirit. It strips man of his dignity until he becomes less than beast, driven by appetite and enslaved to lust. It takes what God called holy and tramples it into the mud of shame. It makes leaders drunk with the wine of corruption so that their judgment is blinded, their conscience seared, and their mouths filled with lies. And still they boast as if they sit upon thrones, when in truth they are prisoners shackled in the dungeons of their own greed and arrogance. Look closely at the world today and you will see the handwriting of sin etched upon every structure of power. It wears the mask of politics but breathes the venom of tyranny. It cloaks itself in education but teaches the doctrines of decay. It disguises itself in entertainment but baptizes a generation in filth. It even dares to stand in pulpits, speaking of love while crucifying truth, promising freedom while chaining souls in darkness. This is the art of Satan—the masterpiece of the Devil—an orchestra of rebellion conducted by sin itself, with nations and rulers as its choir. And what of those who follow blindly? They march behind their leaders as cattle to the slaughter. They repeat slogans without thought, embrace lies without question, and delight in rebellion as though it were progress. They laugh at purity, scorn humility, and curse righteousness. Their souls are numbed by constant compromise, their hearts hardened by endless indulgence. They cannot see that the pit they are digging is their own grave, nor hear that the applause of their peers is but the funeral hymn of their damnation. The worst of sin is not the act itself, but the end to which it leads. It begins in pleasure, but it ends in torment. It promises liberty, but it delivers chains. It speaks of life, but it drags its slaves into death. It is a banquet where poison is served on silver plates, where the wine is mixed with blood, and where the final course is despair eternal. And the hosts of this banquet—Satan, the Devil, and all who love the lie—raise their cups in mockery as humanity drinks itself into ruin. Hear then, O leaders of this present darkness, and all who follow in your train: you sit in counsel with demons, you legislate rebellion against God, you trade justice for gain, and you pave the streets of nations with the stones of perdition. Your hands are red with the blood of innocence, your tongues drip venom, and your souls are already tasting the smoke of eternal fire. You believe you rule, but you are ruled. You imagine yourselves masters, but you are slaves. You walk proudly in daylight, but your destiny is the midnight of everlasting death. The tragic bewilderment of our time is that lies, so blatant in their distortion, are embraced by multitudes as though they were truth. This is no new phenomenon, but rather the ancient craft of Satan, who from the beginning secured his power by persuading willing minds to question and then reject the Word of God. His dark counsel thrives wherever truth is despised, for deception requires not merely a deceiver but also a people content to be deceived. In America today, the highest offices of government—executive, legislative, and judicial—have become stages upon which falsehood parades as wisdom, and power cloaks itself in corruption while mocking the very citizens it is meant to serve. That nearly half the nation can believe and defend such obvious distortions reveals not merely political blindness but a deeper spiritual malady: a people who love the soothing flattery of lies more than the piercing demands of truth. This is the satanic method laid bare— confuse the conscience, harden the heart, and exalt men who mirror the rebellion of Lucifer himself. The leaders, emboldened by the willingness of the people to ignore reality, make a mockery of justice and truth, turning the ignorance of the masses into the currency of their power. Thus, the theater of deception continues, and Satan laughs, for he knows that a nation which cannot discern truth from lies has already surrendered to the dominion of darkness. The willing ignorance of America is not an accident of history but the fulfillment of a prophetic pattern. When a people reject truth, they are given over to strong delusion. The lies that dominate the highest levels of government today are not isolated acts of political corruption but the outworking of Satan’s kingdom upon earth, preparing hearts for the final deception. The prophetic sequence begins with the normalization of lies, where the conscience is dulled and moral clarity is replaced by partisan loyalty. Next comes the exaltation of personalities who mirror Lucifer’s arrogance, turning leaders into idols while the people bow to their image. This is followed by the degradation of justice, where laws are twisted and courts are manipulated to enshrine falsehood, echoing the prophecy of Daniel that truth would be “cast down to the ground”. From this state of spiritual blindness, the nation moves into a deeper stage of coercion, where those who resist the prevailing lies are branded as enemies, marginalized, and ultimately persecuted. America, in her willing ignorance, becomes a prophetic stage upon which Satan rehearses his final masterpiece of deception—uniting political, judicial, and religious powers to mock God’s truth and enforce the worship of error. The final stage of this sequence is the persecution of the faithful, those who refuse to bow to the lies. As in ages past, truth becomes treason, and loyalty to Christ is counted as rebellion against the state. Thus, the mockery of today’s leaders is but a shadow of the greater mockery to come, when the world’s willing ignorance will culminate in a universal test of worship. The progression of deception in America unfolds with a steady and subtle drift, where lies have become normalized in the public sphere. Political speech, once expected to reflect at least some measure of integrity, is now measured by its power to persuade rather than its fidelity to truth. Citizens, weary of discernment, accept slogans and soundbites as substitutes for substance, and the line between truth and propaganda vanishes. This is the first stage of Satan’s counsel: to dull the conscience until lies no longer sting, leaving a people incapable of distinguishing light from darkness. From this dulling of conscience arises the exaltation of personalities whose arrogance mirrors the pride of Lucifer. Leaders are no longer measured by righteousness or justice but by their ability to enthrall crowds with boldness, spectacle, and defiance. The minds of today’s leaders in America reveal a continuous and relentless alignment with deception, ambition, and pride, serving a dark counsel that seeks to blind the masses and suppress truth. Their hearts are hardened, their words carefully crafted to manipulate perception, and their policies designed to fracture communities, silence dissent, and exploit fear. These leaders often prioritize personal gain, political survival, and the advancement of agendas that destabilize society, rather than serving justice, righteousness, and the common good. Their thinking is frequently marked by deception, doublespeak, and an embrace of lies that manipulate public perception, eroding trust and undermining the very principles of honesty and integrity that hold a nation together. Lies are repeated until they are accepted as reality, and justice, mercy, and righteousness are dismissed as inconvenient obstacles. This ongoing moral compromise suggests a mind shaped not by wisdom or truth, but by pride, ambition, and a subtle allegiance to dark influences that thrive in human weakness. This pattern is not merely political—it is spiritual, prophetic, and systemic, echoing the counsel of the dragon, whose influence moves through human agents to prepare society for widespread delusion, moral decay, and spiritual captivity. This relentless manipulation reflects a mindset that is fundamentally opposed to truth, justice, and the welfare of the people. The leaders’ ambition and selfexaltation create a culture where corruption becomes normalized. It is a continuous evil because it does not pause for moral reflection; it thrives in the cycles of greed, ambition, and the willing subversion of conscience, creating a leadership culture where evil becomes normalized, pervasive, and self-sustaining. It is prophetic in its consequences, preparing the nation for deception on a scale Scripture foretold. The people, having abandoned truth, now crave strength, and they project their hopes upon figures who embody rebellion. In this way, idolatry is reborn in modern dress: men and women, clothed with political power, become the images before which a deceived nation bows. With idolatry established, justice itself becomes perverted. Courts bend their judgments not to law but to ideology, and legislation reflects the ambitions of those in power rather than the moral fabric of truth. Daniel foresaw this when he declared that truth would be cast down to the ground, and so it is today as corruption becomes systematized. Judicial decisions mock righteousness, and laws are weaponized against the very people they were meant to protect. The nation that once prided itself on liberty now demonstrates the hollow shell of freedom, its substance devoured by deception. Inevitably, this progression advances toward coercion. When lies dominate, those who refuse to yield to them become enemies of the state. Already, voices of dissent are maligned, censored, and treated as dangerous threats. The unwillingness to conform to prevailing narratives brands the faithful as divisive, intolerant, or even subversive. This stage signals the growing alliance of political and social forces that seek not only to marginalize truth but to silence it altogether. The prophetic climax draws near when religious institutions, once guardians of truth, lend their voice to the lie. America’s spiritual sphere, corrupted by the same willingness to believe falsehood, will soon unite with political power to enforce a counterfeit worship. Revelation describes this unholy alliance in which the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet conspire to deceive the world, and America, once a symbol of liberty, becomes the very ground upon which this deception flourishes. In the end, persecution rises as the inevitable fruit. Those who stand fast in the Word of God will be ridiculed, restricted, and rejected by a nation that has traded its soul for lies. Truth will be branded as treason, and loyalty to Christ will be despised as rebellion against the state. This is Satan’s masterpiece: a nation intoxicated with deception, mocking its own ignorance while hunting those who bear the seal of truth. Yet even here prophecy assures that a remnant will endure, sealed in divine intimacy, whose unshakable witness will pierce the darkness and declare before all creation that God’s Word cannot be silenced. This is sin—not the toy of children, not the mistake of the weak, but the chosen weapon of hell. It is a power that consumes, a plague that devours, a poison that cannot be cured by man. It is the song of Satan and the anthem of the Devil, sung to a world that dances toward destruction. Its end is the lake of fire, and its crown is eternal loss. Let the reader understand: to embrace sin is to embrace death, to cherish it is to cherish torment, and to follow it is to follow Satan himself. There is no beauty in it, no light within it, no promise worth keeping. It is the kingdom of despair masquerading as freedom. Its wages are certain. Its end is sure. We live in a nation that is drunk on its own corruption. Dark, piercing and solemn days are being convened. Let the court of eternity be called to order. Let the Judge of all the earth sit in majesty, and let the accuser of the brethren stand silent, for his case is already condemned. And let the nations hear, particularly the people of America, for the indictment against you has been written in fire and sealed in the blood of those you have despised. You have been weighed in the balances and found wanting. You were given abundance, but you hoarded greed. You were given truth, but you smothered it with lies. You were given freedom, but you twisted it into a license for violence and vanity. You raised the torch of liberty, but you extinguished it with the smoke of oppression. Your flag waves high, but it is stained with the tears of the enslaved, the imprisoned, the forgotten, and the rejected. What is this “justice” you claim? It is a mockery in the eyes of heaven. You detain the innocent while the guilty walk free. You cage men and women for profit, feeding an economy of bondage while calling it law and order. You silence voices that cry for equity, branding them as enemies, mocking them as “woke,” as if awareness were sin and blindness virtue. You heap scorn on the very ones who pierce the veil of deception, preferring the comfort of ignorance to the pain of truth. And what of your economy, O proud nation? You strut as though your riches are eternal, but your vaults are hollow. The weight of your debt crushes the necks of your children before they draw their first breath. Your leaders play the harlot with wealth, dancing with bankers and kings, while the common man is bled dry. The crash is written in your ledgers, the famine inscribed in your markets. You will know what it means when silver and gold cannot save you, when bread is rationed, when your idols of commerce collapse into dust. But there is a deeper wound—a wound that bleeds still, though you refuse to see it. O America, you have warred against the Black man and the Black woman whom God has preserved as witnesses in your midst. You kidnapped their fathers, chained their mothers, and trafficked their children. You built your empire on their backs, yet you erase their history from your books and despise their identity with venom. You shoot their sons in the streets and cage their daughters in prisons, then dare to call yourself righteous. The cry of their blood ascends to heaven like Abel’s, and the Lord of Hosts has heard it. This is the indictment: you malign the poor, you glorify the wicked, you demonize the watchmen, you despise the truth. You laugh at prophecy, but you fulfill it with your rebellion. You think yourselves wise, but the wisdom you follow is the counsel of demons. You say, “Who can stand against us?” but the Almighty has already arisen. You boast in your armies, but the chariots of heaven outnumber your hosts. You trust in your nuclear fire, but the breath of God can extinguish it in a moment. Sin has made its throne in your courts, its pulpit in your churches, its platform in your schools, its anthem in your songs, and its scepter in your government. Your leaders are not shepherds but wolves; your people are not free but bound. And yet you love your chains. You paint them gold and call them liberty, but the rust of judgment already corrodes them. Therefore the word of the Lord comes: Repent, for the hour is late. Repent, for the plagues draw near. Repent, for the time of trouble hastens upon you like a storm at midnight. Do not say, “We are America, the light of the nations.” Your light is darkness, and your lamp is almost extinguished. The only fire that remains is the one that will burn in judgment. You leaders who scheme in hidden chambers, you builders of oppression, you merchants of death—you will face the Judge whose eyes are flames of fire. And you who follow blindly, laughing at truth, mocking righteousness, despising the very warnings sent to save you—you will stand as well. For the courtroom of heaven is not deceived by slogans, and the scales of eternity are not rigged by bribes. This is the rebuke: the kingdom of sin you have built is collapsing. The Devil whom you serve as master will leave you as prey. And unless you turn— unless you humble yourselves before the Christ you have rejected—you will drink the cup of wrath to its dregs. America and its leaders have made ready themselves for the gavel of heaven to strike, the sentence declared, and the solemn voice of God echoing against the arrogance of a guilty nation. The court of the Eternal has spoken. The Judge of all creation has risen from His throne. The witnesses are gathered, the record is opened, and the charges have been read. The time for defense is past. The hour for excuses is gone. The verdict is pronounced. America, you are guilty. Guilty of bloodshed that cries from the ground. Guilty of oppression masked as law. Guilty of mocking righteousness while enthroning rebellion. Guilty of chaining the children of Jacob and despising their awakening. Guilty of scorning the truth while courting the lie. Guilty of calling evil good, and good evil. You have taken the inheritance of freedom and sold it for profit. You have taken the torch of liberty and turned it into a weapon of empire. You have turned prisons into markets, children into commodities, and truth into propaganda. You have profaned the sanctuary of justice, polluted the sanctuary of worship, and corrupted the sanctuary of knowledge. The gavel falls: your wealth will rot, your power will collapse, your idols will be shattered. You will taste the famine of your own making, the terror of your own policies, and the darkness of your own rebellion. The very systems you exalt will turn against you, the very leaders you trust will betray you, the very armies you boast in will crumble. You have unknowingly, under the persuasion of the Devil, waged war against the Black remnant whom the Lord has preserved as witnesses of His covenant. You enslaved them, but they endure. You silenced them, but they still speak. You tried to erase their identity, but the Lord restores it. Their cry is recorded in the book of heaven, and their vindication is written in fire. To war against them is to war against the God who called them, who chose them, who elected them, who purposed them, and your war is lost before it begins. Hear the sentence: Your kingdom is divided and given to judgment. Your pride will be broken. Your towers will fall. Your markets will shake. Your people will mourn. Those who mocked the warnings will gnash their teeth in despair. Those who trusted in sin will find themselves abandoned by the very master they served. Satan will laugh at your ruin, for he used you as his throne and discarded you as dung. The books are opened, the evidence is full. The merchants who grew fat on your excess will wail when their markets crumble. You who sold souls for profit will gnaw your tongues in despair. Cities will shake with violence. Families will be torn by division. Leaders will war against one another, and the people will be scattered in confusion. The shield of your armies will fail, for no weapon forged by man can withstand the decree of the Almighty. The cries of the despised will echo in your ears. The sentence is no longer words—it is reality. America is falling as though lightning has struck the heart of its commerce. Screens once flashing with numbers went dark; trading floors that once roared with activity fall silent. Merchants are standing in the streets, promised tariffs are making the clutched papers worth less than dust. A man with pockets of gold will not buy bread, and a mother with silver in her hand will not feed her child. Cities will convulse in violence. The secrets of darkness spill forth. Hidden rooms burst open. Papers sealed in shadows are spread in the light. Contracts signed in secret reveal their venom. The machinery of prisons groan beneath the weight of its exposure. Egypt fell under the plagues…this nation is now staggering toward its fall. The wave of chaos is sized as a tsunami. Yet even now the mercy of the Judge lingers at the edge of the sentence. The Son who bore the cross still offers His blood. The Spirit still whispers, “Come out from among them, if you choose repentance to be among My people.” For though the nation is guilty, the individual may yet repent. Though the empire collapses, the soul may still be saved. The gavel has struck, but the door of mercy has not yet closed. Let all who hear this verdict tremble. Let the leaders who scheme in darkness know they have been exposed before the eyes of Him who sees all. Let the followers who march blindly after lies awaken before the fire consumes them. Let the proud nation bow low before the King of kings, for His kingdom is coming, and it will not be stopped. This is not the whisper of men, it is the voice of the Almighty. God does not err. There is no appeal. There is no delay. America, the sentence has been spoken, the vision declared, the hour hastens. Learn of prophesy. Your economic collapse is already written. The famine of your fields is sure. Do you not see the smoke rising? God’s call is not to the nation…this nation is condemned. Once more the call is to the souls scattered who yet have ears to hear, hearts that tremble. The divine decree is heard. The court is adjourned. The verdict stands. The sentence is sure. Repent, or perish. It is the dark counsel of Satan who from the beginning has sought to twist truth into lies and lure creation into ruin. The adversary’s work is not merely to tempt individuals but to organize rebellion against God’s character, accusing the Almighty of tyranny while enslaving humanity in sin. It is this destructive counsel, this deliberate spreading of deception, that ignites the holy wrath of God. The wrath of God does not spring forth in a vacuum. The bleak shadows of death brings forth this overwhelming response of love. For every chain of bondage Satan forges, God’s love burns hotter in zeal to break it; for every lie Satan sows, God’s wrath rises to defend the truth. Thus, the wrath of God is not arbitrary violence but the necessary uprising of divine love against the counsel of darkness, a love that refuses to allow Satan’s rebellion to define the destiny of God’s creation. At the heart of God’s nature lies love - absolute, holy, eternal love. Scripture declares that “God is love”, meaning every action He takes flows from this essence. Yet within this same divine heart burns wrath against sin, a reality some find difficult to reconcile. How can a God of love also pour out judgments of fire and brimstone, and finally bring an end to all rebellion? The key is not to see His wrath as a contradiction to His love, but as the very outworking of its strength. God’s wrath is not fueled by hatred of His creation, but by a love so pure that it cannot coexist with the cancer of sin that corrupts, enslaves, and destroys the souls He cherishes. It erases the reflection of God in His creation. Sin, by its very nature, is parasitic. It distorts truth, bends goodness, and perverts the reflection of God within His image-bearers. If tolerated eternally, sin would unravel the harmony of heaven and perpetuate cycles of suffering without end. Therefore, divine wrath arises not because God loses control, but because He refuses to let His creation be forever marred by rebellion. His judgments are the strength of His love acting to defend life, truth, and holiness. Just as a parent’s protective instinct may flare against anything that threatens their child, God’s wrath is love rising up against the threat of sin. To permit sin to reign would be to deny love its fullest expression. And to tolerate sin forever would not be mercy but cruelty. And love is unwilling to let evil have the final word. Throughout Scripture, we see this principle revealed. At the flood, God’s grief at human corruption was matched by His decisive judgment to cleanse the earth. At Calvary, the wrath of God against sin was poured out not on humanity but upon His own Son, who became sin for us. Here the mystery of divine love and wrath converged most powerfully. God’s hatred of sin was revealed in the suffering of Christ, while His love for sinners was revealed in the offer of salvation through that very suffering. The cross shows that God’s wrath is not a contradiction to His love, but its fierce and unyielding defender. In the final judgment, this truth will again be unveiled. Revelation speaks of the “wine of the wrath of God” poured full strength upon those who cling to sin. Yet even here, the motivation is love—for only by eradicating sin can God usher in an eternal kingdom where righteousness dwells. The destruction of the wicked is not arbitrary cruelty, but the necessary act of love that refuses to allow rebellion to linger forever. God’s wrath against sin is the cleansing fire that secures the promise of everlasting peace for those who accept His grace. Thus, to understand divine wrath rightly is to see it as the strength of divine love in motion. Love that is weak compromises with evil; love that is holy confronts it, judges it, and eradicates it. God’s wrath is not a rival to His love but its sharpest edge—the fiery zeal of a God who treasures His creation too much to leave it captive to death. In the end, the same love that sent Christ to the cross will power the final destruction of sin, ensuring that “affliction shall not rise up the second time”. What powers wrath is not rage, but love so steadfast and strong that it will settle for nothing less than eternal freedom, holiness, and life for His redeemed. In the last days, this union of love and wrath will reach its most visible expression. Scripture reveals that Satan’s dark counsel will mature into a global deception, uniting nations, economies, and religions against the truth of God. His lies will not only twist morality but will challenge the very identity of God’s people, accusing them as traitors to society because they stand loyal to the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. In this crisis, the strength of divine love will again be revealed as God seals His people with His Spirit, fortifying them against deception. This sealing is not merely protection from wrath but the mark of intimacy, proof that their hearts are wholly aligned with the One they serve. Yet, as Satan presses the world into false worship, God’s wrath will be poured out—not against His faithful, but against the rebellion that seeks to destroy them. Just as Pharaoh’s stubbornness in Egypt drew forth the plagues that magnified God’s name and liberated His people, so the final generation will see the plagues of Revelation fall as the outworking of divine love refusing to surrender creation to Satan’s dominion. The prophetic sequence shows love and wrath moving together in perfect harmony. God’s people, sealed in His love, are preserved through the storm of judgment, while the systems of deception collapse under the weight of divine wrath. The cross will find its final echo: what Christ endured for the salvation of the faithful becomes the judgment of those who choose Satan’s counsel over God’s mercy. In the end, the wrath of God is not destruction for its own sake but the burning away of lies, injustice, and rebellion so that the universe may be forever free. And when the smoke of Babylon’s fall clears, what will remain is the unshakable kingdom of love, secured by a wrath that was always the strength of love in action. In the final days of earth’s history, the mystery of God’s love and wrath will reach its climactic revelation. Satan’s dark counsel will not remain hidden but will rise to dominate the world stage, uniting political powers, religious authorities, and economic systems in a false union of strength. Scripture portrays this alliance as Babylon, a counterfeit order built upon deception and enforced conformity. Through lies, fear, and coercion, Satan will press the inhabitants of the earth to worship the beast and its image, substituting the commandments of God for the traditions of men. Those who refuse to bow will be maligned as enemies of progress, haters of unity, and obstacles to peace. Thus the final conflict will not be over politics alone but over worship—whether the Creator or the deceiver is worthy of allegiance. The prophetic unveiling of Revelation 13 shows the Dragon giving his power, throne, and authority to the Beast. This transfer illustrates how spiritual rebellion is enacted through political systems. The Dragon himself does not rule openly, but cloaks his intent behind earthly governments, shaping their policies, rhetoric, and structures to mirror his own mind. When this lens is applied to the modern political order, the progression of the Beast and its Image comes into sharper focus, revealing the ominous direction in which today’s societies are moving. The first mark of the Dragon’s overlay is deception. Revelation describes the Beast as one that speaks great and blasphemous things, a tongue trained to manipulate perception. In our present day, deception is no longer a shadowy tactic—it has become the very currency of political life. Narratives are carefully crafted to distort truth, confuse the masses, and sow suspicion toward any voice that speaks plainly. This is not an accident but the deliberate weaponization of words. Just as the Dragon’s voice in Eden was designed to cast doubt upon God’s word, so today’s political discourse seeks to blur reality until the people can no longer discern what is true. This deception prepares the way for the Beast’s dominance, for a people untethered from truth can be easily bound by lies. The second manifestation is division. The Dragon has always thrived on enmity, and the Beast carries this forward by creating societal fractures. Revelation shows the world divided between those who worship the Beast and those who keep the commandments of God. Today we see division magnified through politics that pit neighbor against neighbor, race against race, and ideology against ideology. Leaders exploit cultural wounds not to heal them but to secure their own positions. This engineered polarization makes reconciliation seem impossible and allows oppressive policies to proceed unchecked. By keeping the people fractured, the system ensures that unity exists only around loyalty to the Beast, not around the truth of God. The third mark is domination. Revelation 13 depicts a Beast that exercises authority over every tribe, tongue, and nation, demanding universal submission. In today’s political trajectory, domination is pursued through surveillance technologies, censorship, and economic coercion. Freedoms once assumed to be inalienable are quietly eroded in the name of security. Inflation, scarcity, and controlled markets create dependence, teaching populations to trade liberty for stability. This reflects the Dragon’s own counterfeit kingship—he rules by coercion and fear, not by love and trust. The political systems of our age are steadily shaping themselves into this mold, laying the groundwork for global obedience under the guise of necessity. There is counterfeit devotion. Revelation warns of an Image to the Beast, a union of political and religious power where worship is demanded under threat of exclusion or death. The Dragon desires worship, and when he cannot receive it directly, he secures it through corrupted structures of religion intertwined with the state. Today, we see the beginnings of this counterfeit devotion in the way politics is draped in sacred language. Leaders invoke God to sanctify their agendas, equating nationalism with divine calling, and framing loyalty to the state as loyalty to heaven. Religious fervor is redirected toward political idols, and the people are deceived into believing they serve God while bowing to the Dragon’s counterfeit throne. This is the most subtle and dangerous of his tactics, for it perverts genuine faith into an instrument of rebellion. Revelation 13 does not stop with the rise of the Beast but presses further, describing the formation of an Image to the Beast. This Image is not merely a shadow of past tyranny but a replica of its spirit—an embodiment of the Dragon’s mind within a new context. The prophecy indicates that America, represented by the beast with lamb-like horns that speaks as a dragon, will be the chief architect of this Image. It is the paradox of a nation born in the language of liberty yet transformed into an instrument of coercion that reveals how subtle the Dragon’s overlay has become. The groundwork for the Image is already visible in the present political climate. At its heart, the Image to the Beast is the union of political authority with religious sanction, whereby state power enforces spiritual loyalty. Today we see the stirrings of this union in the way religion is used as a political tool. Sacred language is borrowed to frame partisan agendas, and entire movements rally under banners that fuse patriotism with divine chosenness. This fusion does not uplift the commandments of God but instead enshrines cultural identity, nationalism, or ideology as sacred. The Dragon’s counterfeit devotion advances precisely through this merging of the holy with the profane.As division continues to deepen within the nation, the appeal of enforced unity grows stronger. The Image of the Beast will rise not first through open persecution but through the promise of healing societal fractures. Leaders will argue that moral and religious uniformity is necessary to restore order. In times of crisis—economic collapse, social unrest, or external threat—the call will be made to return to “God” as a nation. Yet this return will not be to the living God of Scripture, but to a politicized god shaped by human agendas. The Dragon’s deception will be to make this appear righteous, while in truth it will be rebellion cloaked in piety. Domination will soon follow. Revelation 13 foretells that those who refuse to worship the Image will be excluded from economic participation and, eventually, condemned. Already the tools of domination are in place. Digital currencies, surveillance systems, and globalized economic networks make it possible to control buying and selling with precision. What Scripture once revealed as prophecy is now feasible as policy. The logic of “security” and “stability” will make such control appear necessary, but beneath it lies the Dragon’s intention to compel worship. What begins as regulation for the sake of order will become enforcement of loyalty to the Image. The climax of the Image will be counterfeit worship codified into law. In America, this will likely manifest in the exaltation of certain religious observances under civil mandate, with penalties for dissent. The language will be that of patriotism and morality, but the essence will be coercion of conscience. Here the Dragon’s mind is most clearly seen, for he has ever desired worship compelled by force rather than freely given in love. When a nation that once championed liberty of conscience turns to enforce worship, the Image of the Beast will have fully taken shape. Thus, the progression is clear: deception prepares the people to doubt truth, division primes them to accept enforced unity, domination supplies the tools of control, and counterfeit devotion provides the spiritual justification. America’s political system is moving steadily along this path, even while cloaking itself in the language of freedom. The prophecy of Revelation 13 is not distant but unfolding, revealing that the final confrontation between the Dragon’s Image and the Lamb’s faithful remnant is drawing near. In this light, the overlay of the Dragon’s mind upon the political order is unmistakable. Deception clouds truth, division fractures society, domination strips liberty, and counterfeit devotion corrupts worship. These are not isolated trends but a prophetic sequence leading directly into the fulfillment of Revelation 13. What is unfolding before our eyes is the preparation of the world for the final conflict, where allegiance to truth and allegiance to the Beast will stand in stark opposition. The political stage is being set not merely for human struggles over power, but for the climactic demonstration of the Dragon’s rebellion against God. To discern this is to recognize that the battle is spiritual at its core, and that the true safeguard lies not in political structures, but in the sealing power of God’s Spirit upon His faithful remnant. In this critical hour, God’s love will act to seal His people with His Spirit. The sealing marks not merely ownership but intimate preservation. It is the engraving of God’s character upon the hearts of the faithful, a testimony that they have been brought into perfect harmony with His law of love. This seal will enable them to stand unmoved while the winds of deception sweep the earth. It will also distinguish them from those who bear the mark of the beast, the sign of submission to Satan’s counterfeit order. Love will hold them fast in loyalty, even when stripped of worldly security and threatened with persecution. In them, the universe will see the triumph of divine love over the power of sin, for they will embody the faithfulness of Jesus in the most hostile environment the world has ever known. But as the sealed stand firm, God’s wrath will be unveiled against the systems that have sought to crush them. The seven last plagues described in Revelation are not random calamities but targeted judgments, each exposing the impotence of the idols and powers to which humanity has clung. Waters turn to blood, the sun scorches, darkness falls on the throne of the beast—signs that creation itself testifies against rebellion. Just as the plagues in Egypt unveiled the futility of Pharaoh’s gods and vindicated Israel’s deliverance, so these judgments will show that Babylon’s promises are empty, and that only the God of heaven reigns. The wrath poured out is the action of love defending its people and breaking the chains of deception that have bound the nations. As the plagues intensify, Satan’s counsel will be unmasked as nothing more than hatred of truth and hatred of life. The kings of the earth, once drunk with Babylon’s charms, will lament her fall as judgment consumes her in “one hour.” The cry, “Come out of her, my people,” will be vindicated, for God’s faithful will have heeded His call to separation and sealing. The wrath poured out on Babylon is not vindictive rage but the final cleansing act of love, ensuring that sin, deception, and oppression can never again rise to plague the universe. When the dust settles, the great controversy will close where it began—at the throne of God’s character. The accuser will be silenced, not only by force but by evidence: the sealed remnant will stand as eternal proof that love was strong enough to keep, and wrath was strong enough to cleanse. The cross of Christ will shine as the foundation of this triumph, for the same love that once bore wrath to save sinners will have at last eradicated sin to save creation. In that day, the song of Moses and the Lamb will be sung—not merely as a remembrance of deliverance from Egypt, but as the anthem of final deliverance from the counsel of Satan and the dominion of death. Thus the story ends where it began: God is love. His wrath was never the shadow of His nature but the strength of His love in action, defending, purifying, and restoring. Through the sealing, the plagues, and the final judgment, the universe will behold that divine wrath is love’s last work to secure eternal peace. The question is not whether wrath will come, but whether you will meet it as an enemy or be kept by love as a friend. Affliction will not rise a second time, because love, through wrath, has conquered forever. 📖 Applying the Study For ongoing spiritual encouragement and prophetical insights, visit Higher Learning.

Last Day Witnesses From the opening of Scripture to its closing visions, God has been moving history toward a climactic moment when His character will be fully vindicated through a prepared people. The controversy that began in heaven with Lucifer’s rebellion will conclude on earth in the testimony of men and women who, though frail in themselves, will be made immovable by the indwelling Christ. These will be the living witnesses at the end of the age—the 144,000—who will not taste death but will pass through the most fearful crisis in human history and stand unshaken in loyalty to God. The book of Revelation unveils their identity in prophetic symbols. In Revelation they stand with the Lamb on Mount Zion, bearing the Father’s name in their foreheads—a sign of intellectual and spiritual seal. They “follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth,” reflecting His character in obedience and purity. They are described as “firstfruits unto God and the Lamb,” which points to their role as a living offering, the first completed harvest of redeemed humanity. This prophetic description links directly to the eternal controversy: Satan charged that God’s law was impossible to keep, that love could not be freely chosen in the face of trial, and that even the most exalted created beings would eventually turn from the Creator. The last generation exists for one primary reason—to answer these charges not merely in word, but in life. Their existence, sealed and sanctified in Christ, proclaims to the universe: God is true, His law is just, and His love is sufficient to hold a people steadfast even under maximum assault. To endure the concentrated fury of Satan’s final assault, these people must reach unprecedented heights of spiritual life. Yet it is important to say: their greatness is not in self-attainment but in the depth of their surrender. They live Galatians 2:20— “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me.” The mind of Christ becomes theirs. Every thought is brought into captivity to His obedience. Their wills are not merely aligned but fused with the divine will, so that obedience flows as naturally as breathing. This state is not an exaltation of human ability but the ultimate revelation of what God can do with humanity fully yielded to Him. As Christ Himself testified, “The prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me”. So too with His last people—Satan will probe every weakness, but because they are hid with Christ in God, there will be nothing left in them to answer the temptations. The time of trouble described in Daniel 12 and Matthew 24 is not simply a season of external hardship but the furnace in which the final witness is tested and revealed. These believers will face the enmity of governments, the hatred of nations, and the deceptive power of a church-state confederacy that will enforce worship contrary to God’s law. Revelation 13 outlines the coercive power of the beast system, but Revelation 14 shows the endurance of the saints who “keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.” Their endurance is not stoic survival but Christlike steadfastness. Just as Jesus stood silent before His accusers, entrusting Himself to the Father, so will they – I Peter 2:23. Just as Jesus prayed in Gethsemane, “Not my will, but thine, be done,” so their lives become a continual echo of that surrender. Their victory is not escape from suffering but faithfulness through it. To be Christ-minded in the final conflict means more than imitating His actions—it means sharing His very disposition. Philippians 2:5–8 describes His humility, obedience, and self-emptying. This “mind of Christ” must reign in them so completely that self is utterly dethroned. They live for one purpose: to reveal God’s love. Where the first Adam fell under temptation, these—united to the last Adam— will stand. Where Israel faltered in the wilderness, these will endure in the wilderness of the last days. Where the disciples slept in the hour of Christ’s agony, these will keep watch in prayer, sustained by hidden manna. Their lives become a prophetic reenactment of Christ’s own path, bearing witness that the same Spirit which upheld Him can uphold them. The existence of a people who pass through the final tribulation without seeing death carries vast cosmic implications. It completes the testimony of Scripture. Hebrews 11 lists the heroes of faith who obtained a good report but “received not the promise”. The final generation, in union with them, enters into perfection. They represent the closing argument in God’s case before the universe. Their triumph exposes the lie at the heart of Satan’s rebellion. He claimed that under pressure, loyalty to God would fail. But these living saints, sustained by nothing but faith, prove otherwise. Their sealed obedience under duress declares to the cosmos: God’s government is unshakable, His covenant is faithful, His Spirit is sufficient. Their translation without death, mirrors and magnifies Enoch’s testimony. As Enoch walked with God and was taken, so the last witnesses walk in unbroken fellowship until mortality is swallowed up by immortality at Christ’s return. Ultimately, the final generation exists for God, not for themselves. Their lives are the climactic doxology of creation, the final note in the great song of redemption. Through them, the prayer of Christ in John 17 reaches its visible fulfillment: a people perfected in oneness, so that the world may know the Father sent the Son.Their witness is not to their strength but to God’s character. By enduring the fiercest hatred of men and demons while responding only with steadfast loyalty and love, they display the true nature of the God who is love. And when the heavens open and the Lamb descends in glory, they will look up without fear, for they have been living foretastes of His kingdom. The last generation is not a mystical elite but a prophetic necessity. They are the final vindication of God’s character, a living testimony that His love can hold human beings faithful even under the total assault of hell. Their heights of spiritual life are nothing less than the fullness of Christ’s mind dwelling in them, their endurance is the endurance of Jesus Himself, and their victory is the cosmic proof that the kingdom of God cannot be shaken. Through them, the universe will see the end for which creation began: a people united with their Creator in everlasting covenant, unafraid of death because death itself has been swallowed up in victory. From the beginning, God’s purpose has been to display His character through humanity. In Eden, Adam and Eve were to reflect His image as rulers and priests of the earth. But sin shattered that reflection. Ever since, God has been restoring His likeness through covenant, through Israel, through Christ, and finally, through a last-day people who will vindicate His character before the watching universe. These saints will pass through the most severe trials, endure the wrath of men and demons, and yet emerge pure, standing in the presence of God without mediator. Their nature is one of Christ- mindedness to its fullest measure. The mystery of godliness reaches its consummation in them. This is not mere external obedience but an inward transformation of such depth that their very impulses are aligned with Christ. They stand as living witnesses that God’s law is just, His grace sufficient, and His Spirit powerful enough to produce holiness in fallen humanity. To endure the trials ahead, these saints must live at spiritual heights unparalleled in history. Such qualities reveal not self-made perfection but the triumph of grace over sin in its most complete form. The trials of the last days will eclipse all that came before. Wicked men will persecute them, Satan will hurl his fiercest temptations, and nature itself will convulse under divine judgments. Yet in all this, their minds are fixed on Christ. Like Stephen, who beheld the glory of Jesus while being stoned, they will see beyond the rage of men to the interceding Christ who once stood as Advocate and now reigns as Sovereign. Their Christ-mindedness is revealed in their endurance of hatred. They meet the venom of evil men not with retaliation but with patience, as Jesus bore the cross. Their resistance to Satan is steadfast as they conquer not by argument or power but by clinging to the Word, as Jesus resisted in the wilderness. Their unwavering faith in darkness is their spiritual certainty that they belong to God. When Christ ceases His priestly mediation, they will stand in the full storm of wrath without visible support. Their faith will rest on God’s character alone. These endure to the end because their lives are a living relationship of being seen by the One who loves them. They are untouchable by deception. They have reached a point of immovability— temptation has no more lure, and fear has no more grip. They know that this relationship comes at a cost: the renunciation of every earthly idol, the death of self-will, the willingness to be despised by the world. Their spiritual height is not a sudden elevation at the crisis but the fruit of daily surrender, growing brighter unto the perfect day. Just as Jacob wrestled with God and would not let go until the blessing came, so these chosen ones wrestle in prayer, clinging to divine mercy though every outward sign suggests abandonment. Their anguish is not over hidden sin but over whether they have fully reflected God’s character. Their vindication lies in the fact that, despite the silence of heaven, they cling to faith. This is the highest revelation of Christ-mindedness: to believe without sight, to trust without feeling, to endure without answer. God has ordained that a living remnant will greet Christ at His return. Why? Because their existence testifies that His grace is sufficient not only to redeem from sin but to preserve amid the full assault of evil. Death cannot claim them, for they are already dead to self and alive to God. In them, mortality is swallowed by victory even before glorification. They become living trophies of God’s faithfulness, proving that Satan’s accusations are groundless. The last-day witnesses stand not merely for themselves but for the whole controversy. Through them, the universe sees that God is true, His law is just, and His covenant stands unbroken. Their lives witness the power of divine love. The last generation is the apex of God’s redemptive purpose: a people who have gone through the fiercest fires and come forth without the smell of smoke. Their Christ-mindedness is total; their spiritual life is unshakable; their faith is refined to purest gold. They endure the wrath of men, the malice of demons, and the silence of heaven, yet remain steadfast because Christ Himself is their life. These are they who make visible not just the vindication of God’s character, but the likeness of the Godhead. Their lives embody the culmination of all prophetic streams that came before. The faith of Abel, who offered a better sacrifice. The perseverance of Noah, who endured ridicule yet prepared an ark by faith. The obedience ofAbraham, who left all for a promise unseen. The wrestling of Jacob, whose name was changed to Israel when he prevailed with God. The steadfastness of Daniel, who would rather face lions than compromise. The courage of the martyrs, who loved not their lives unto death. All of these prophetic lives converge in the last-day witnesses. They are not greater than their forebears in themselves; rather, they are the final expression of God’s covenant faithfulness, compressed into one climactic generation. Revelation identifies them as the remnant who are morally and spiritually of the same nature as Christ. Revelation sums them up with three prophetic attributes: patience, commandment-keeping, and faith of Jesus. These are not abstractions but living realities forged under the most intense trial the world has ever seen. At the prophetic level, their Christ-mindedness is nothing less than the embodiment of the everlasting gospel. The last-day people are the vindicating proof that God’s image can be restored in humanity—even under the fiercest pressure of Satan’s rage. Prophetically, this final generation stand out with unveiled glory, because their purification has reached completion. They are distinguished from the wicked not by circumstance—they both suffer trial—but by spiritual perception. Revelation’s vision of their sealing marks them as untouchable by judgment. The seal in their foreheads is prophetic shorthand for minds fully aligned with God’s law and Spirit. Their intercessory struggle clings to God amid apparent rejection, their names are confirmed as Israel— overcomers. Indignation passes during the outpouring of divine wrath. Without these the faithful should not be made perfect, and so they become the hinge between history and eternity, completing the testimony of faith. When all the prophetic threads are woven together, a single fabric emerges: the last-day people are the living proof that God is just, His law can be kept through grace, and His covenant promises reach their climax in humanity before the end. Daniel shows them purified and wise. Revelation shows them sealed, undefiled, and faithful. The Prophets show them struggling, preserved, and vindicated. Jesus shows them enduring, unified, and faithful in prayer. The Apostles show them as the final generation, completing the testimony of faith. In them, the mystery of iniquity is uprooted, the mystery of God is finished. From Eden to Patmos, the Bible presents a progressive revelation of God’s purpose to restore His image in humanity. The final chapter of this purpose is written in a people whose existence is not incidental; it is prophetic, the fruit of all prior promises and covenants converging in one climactic generation. The book of Daniel offers one of the earliest apocalyptic portraits of the end- time saints. When Michael—Christ in His mediatorial role—“stands up,” probation closes. Intercession ends. The earth plunges into an unprecedented crisis. Yet amid this, a people are delivered. They are “written in the book,” sealed in their identity as God’s own. They are the final witnesses. The time of trouble becomes their crucible, their final purification. Unlike the wicked, who grow darker in rebellion, the wise discern God’s purposes even in anguish. Daniel thus frames the prophetic identity of the final generation: purified, wise, radiant, delivered. John’s Revelation expands Daniel’s outline into a living portrait. In one verse, endurance, obedience, and faith encapsulate their prophetic character. The words of Christ Himself bring the prophetic portrait into sharper relief. “He that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.” The final saints embody this endurance amid deception, persecution, and global collapse. “Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things…and to stand before the Son of man.” Christ links vigilance and prayer to readiness for His appearing. The last generation fulfills this word, standing unshaken before the Judge. “When the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?” The remnant provide the answer: faith not extinguished by delay or opposition, but living and unyielding. Jesus prays that His people be one, even as He and the Father are one, “that the world may know that thou hast sent me.” This prayer finds its fullest fulfillment in the last generation, whose unity in truth testifies to the world and to the universe that the Son was indeed sent by the Father. They are the response to Christ’s own intercession. The apostles add their testimony to the prophetic chorus. “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” The last saints embody this mystery in fullness. Christ is not merely with them but in them, revealed in thought, word, and deed. Paul speaks of those “alive and remain” at Christ’s coming. Finally, prophecy unveils the outcome of their existence. Their victory rests on Christ’s blood, their testimony, and self-surrender. Their character fully harmonized with God’s holiness. Their vindication blossoms into eternal fellowship: “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men.” They are wise. They are obedient. They are preserved. They are enduring. They are overcomers. They are the testimony. They are not extraordinary by nature but by grace—ordinary humanity filled with extraordinary Christ. In them, prophecy finds its last word, and the universe beholds the eternal answer to the great controversy. Their preparation for the finale requires intimacy with God so deep that it is sealed from human sight—the mystery hidden in the seven thunders. Theirs is the indwelling presence of Christ enabling them to endure the final conflict. They have cleared consciences – blameless, no guile. Hidden manna was their sustenance preserving them. Their prayers are not passive. Christ taught the intercession in their Gethsemane experience. They are alive in the resurrected Christ having been crucified by bearing their Cross within. They stand righteously in union with Christ as his bride. They unveiled the character of God – His name written in their foreheads. The prophetic pillars and the thunders are not two different testimonies but one symphony. The pillars describe their communal destiny; the thunders reveal their secret intimacy. Together, they declare that the saints who never see death are the living temple of prophecy and intimacy, the final word of God’s covenant, the eternal vindication of His name. 📖 Applying the Study For ongoing spiritual encouragement and prophetical insights, visit Higher Learning.

God's wrath of love Let’s be utmost in the reality of truth as is the baseness of man. We were made from the dust of the earth. Let truth be brought from there. Biblically there was no ethnicity in humanity. There was humanness. No sign was needed as the reflection was of the image of God. Then there was Cain. A mark was needed to declare something adverse to God. A mark that would indicate displeasure to God. A mark that was indicative of Esau’s relation to God’s way as was the mark of Cain. That mark was whiteness! Don’t get personal…retain reasonableness as a working attitude to come to truth. Whiteness divides. Separation is the goal of whiteness, and completely antithetical to the Gospel. From Genesis to Revelation, we see God reconciling all facets of the relational ecosystem that is creation to each other and to the Divine in Christ. Jesus summed up all scripture saying, “Love God and love your neighbor as yourself.” Love and segregation are incompatible; as are love and black-body racism. The scandal of Jesus’ words is that love is always located in the real. Love is particular. It is needful of the other; it’s relational and proximate; never ideological, or theological, or even religious. May each of us move through this study circumspectly for there will be some pain to endure. Let us pray for the presence of the Comforter that we not accept the lowliness of personal reasoning verses the height of spiritual vision. My emerging sense is that we cannot separate love of self from love of neighbor or from love of God. These three loves are interpenetrating, interanimating, inseparable… perichoretic, maybe? That means referring to the relationship of the three persons of the triune God - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit to one another. If you were to really love your neighbor, you would be loving God and yourself. If you were to really love God, you would be loving yourself and your neighbor. Moreover, if you were truly able to love yourself, you would already be loving God and loving your neighbor, so… “who is your neighbor? We will learn how we all flow in Christ as purposed. We will learn some of the essence of differences that will serve as a shockwave to the human senses. Pray for strength to endure. So much more needs to be said than will be said here; even more needs to be done and undone. Jesus Christ necessitates a way of holistically loving God by loving our neighbor as ourself while together discovering how to reconfigure life spiritually. Humanly speaking, it may seem impossible. “But with God…” Our intenseness…what must we do to inherit eternal life. We may want to interrogate our motives as well as our supposed privileges before we start to follow Christ. Here is a statement that must be applied generally, yet can be personally applicable. All Israel will be saved, but not all are of Israel. Not all Black or White people are of Israel. I tell you the truth, it will be impossible for a Black or White person to enter the Kingdom of Heaven based upon color. Take pause…the proof will be found in the tasting of the fruit as the amount of evil done in the name of race is staggering and beyond calculation. Yet with God all things are possible…even the salvation of compliant slaves and unremitting masters. Let nothing undercut your faith. The cross means there never can be a claim to the superiority of any people group. Salvation finds no basis in color or race and God’s love and wrath is not measured with any human quality. The most highest and commonest factor for God is that we were each…all created by Him. How we understand God’s wrath is foundational to how we perceive the atonement, the end of sin and sinners, Jesus’ intercession, and the other teachings of truth. If God is anger be kindled toward sin and sinners, ready to penalize sinners, and if in His holy antagonism against sin, He must be reconciled, then the atonement necessarily involves appeasement of His anger. If on the other hand, we are the ones who are hostile, angry, and fearful of God, and God is wholly love itself, then atonement is about God winning back our love and trust. And in the latter scenario, then, what is the nature of God’s wrath of love? God’s love for us is strong as death. Christ’s love broke through death itself. Think that our love is to be like so. Making us dead to everything else except God. Even parts between soul and body as the spirit sours with devout affection upwards though it be clothed in flesh. Was the atonement sufficient for all? Available to all, on the condition of faith? If the atonement is definite, is it intended by God to be effective for the elect? Consider this in light of the truth of election. Election granted, the question may be framed in this way: when God sent His Son to die, did He think of the effect of the cross with respect to His elect differently from the way He thought of the effect of the cross with respect to all others? The definiteness of the atonement turns on God's intent in Christ's work on the cross. For God so loved the world…yet all Israel shall be saved. I John 2:2,15-29 We are to let nothing lessen the truth, alter our vision of God, nor distort the purpose of God. God has a peculiar and effective love toward His election. Thus definite atonement is exonerated. God, with perfect knowledge of the elect, saw Christ's death with respect to the election differently from the way He saw Christ's death with respect to everyone else. We are never to introduce disjunctions where God Himself has not introduced them. The atonement is sufficient for all, yet effective for the election. God loves the world. But His election are not to love the world. That would be to remain under God’s wrath. God's love for the world is commendable because it manifests itself in awesome self-sacrifice; our love for the world is repulsive when it lusts for evil participation. God's love for the world is praiseworthy because it brings the transforming gospel to it; our love for the world is ugly because we seek to be conformed to the world. God's love for the world issues in certain individuals being called out from the world and into the family of Christ's followers; our love for the world is sickening where we wish to be absorbed into the world. But clearly the elect are to love the world in the sense that we are to go into every part of it and bring the glorious truth of the gospel to every creature. In this sense we imitate the wholly praiseworthy love of God for the world. Concerning the stage of America. Let’s hear how the testimony worded concern for our understanding of knowledge. People of Other Cultures Those close to Christ are lifted above color or caste—He who is closely connected with Christ is lifted above the prejudice of color or caste. His faith takes hold of eternal realities. The divine Author of truth is to be up lifted. Our hearts are to be filled with the faith that works by love and purifies the soul. The work of the good Samaritan is the example that we are to follow.— Testimonies for the Church 9:209. PaM 93.1 When the Holy Spirit moves, all prejudice will be melted away and we will approach God as one brotherhood—When the Holy Spirit moves upon human minds, all petty complaints and accusations between man and his fellow man will be put away. The bright beams of the Sun of Righteousness will shine into the chambers of the mind and heart. In our worship of God there will be no distinction between rich and poor, white and black. All prejudice will be melted away. When we approach God, it will be as one brotherhood. We are pilgrims and strangers, bound for a better country, even a heavenly. There all pride, all accusation, all self- deception, will forever have an end. Every mask will be laid aside, and we shall “see Him as He is.” There our songs will catch the inspiring theme, and praise and thanksgiving will go up to God.—The Review and Herald, October 24, 1899. PaM 93.2 Societal distinctions should become contemptible—The cross of Calvary should make the distinctions of society fade away and become contemptible. If the Lord is so gracious as to accept sinners from the white race, and forgive their sins, holding out to them the assurance of the higher life, the hope of a place in the redeemed family when he comes in the clouds of heaven, and the righteous dead rise from their grave to meet Him, will he not accept sinners from the black race, and will He not forgive their sins? Does He not hold out to them the same hope that He holds out to the white race? Will He not, if they believe on Him, receive them as His sons and daughters? Will He not raise them from ignorance and degradation by the working out of His plan? Does He not, through the instrumentality of the more favored white race, who claim to be children of the same Father, wish to uplift and ennoble them?—Manuscript 70, 1902. (Quoted in Spalding and Magan Collection, 220, 221.) PaM 93.3 Racial separation is not permanent—Walls of separation have been built up between the whites and the blacks. These walls of prejudice will tumble down of themselves, as did the walls of Jericho, when Christians obey the Word of God, which enjoins on them supreme love to their Maker and impartial love to their neighbors.... Let every church whose members claim to believe the truth for this time, look at this neglected, downtrodden race, that as a result of slavery have been deprived of the privilege of thinking and acting for themselves.—The Review and Herald, December 17, 1895. PaM 93.4 We dare not ignore existing racial prejudice—I am burdened, heavily burdened, for the work among the colored people. The gospel is to be presented to the downtrodden Negro race. But great caution will have to be shown in the efforts put forth for the uplifting of this people. Among the white people in many places there exists a strong prejudice against the Negro race. We may desire to ignore this prejudice, but we cannot do it. If we were to act as if this prejudice did not exist we could not get the light before the white people. We must meet the situation as it is and deal with it wisely and intelligently.—Testimonies for the Church 9:204. PaM 94.1 The work must not be hindered through prejudice caused by national customs—There must be a firm determination on the part of our laborers to break with the established customs of the people whenever it is essential to the advancement of the work of God. The work might be much farther advanced in Europe if some of those who have embraced the truth were not so wedded to the habits and customs of nationalities. They plead that the efforts of our ministers must be made to conform to these customs and prejudices, or nothing will be accomplished. This has had a binding influence upon the work from its commencement. The effort that has been made to conform to English customs, to eat and drink English, to dress and sleep English, has circumscribed the work, and it is now years behind what it might have been. The effort to keep bound about by French customs and ideas has hindered the work in France. My heart aches as I hear our brethren say, Such an one does not understand how to labor for these nationalities. Does not God know what the people need? and will He not direct His servants? Is not the truth one? Are not the teachings of the Bible one? Let God give His messengers the word to speak, and His blessing will not fail to attend their labors.—The Review and Herald, December 8, 1885. PaM 94.2 We must not build up separate interests between different nationalities—I felt urged by the Spirit of God throughout the meetings to impress upon all the importance of cultivating love and unity. I tried to present the danger of building up separate interests between different nationalities.—The Review and Herald, November 3, As a forenote to the knowledge that is intended to further our faith in the word and purposes of God please consider receiving this plate of offering in its fullness. It will be your choice to break away momentarily to verify what is written here…but please read Revelation 22:18 and 19, that your consideration may be founded in the guidance of the Holy Spirit. This forenote is not intended to preempt any purposes of God for He alone determines all things. There was and may still be effective a “theophobia” introduced into the world by a people not chosen. Ironically, the intention of this introduction was for instilling the fear of God’s wrath into a people called. Now if you are on the path where both lamp and light are valued, you may do the “google” thing and research “The Commonwealth Bible” compiled in 1807. If you are one of the few who study to show themselves approved of God you will note the very specific peculiarities of the entirety of the texts. Why are chapters 4 and 5 removed from Genesis? And why is the book of Obadiah taken away? And The Revelation? Curious for thought or reasoned for wisdom… Too many will have this thought…I know God is love and He gives me choice. So if I choose to deny Him why would He not allow me in heaven? Conscious and hardened resistance to the truth leads man away from humility and repentance, and without repentance, there can be no forgiveness. That is why “the sin” cannot be forgiven since one who does not acknowledge his sin does not seek to have it forgiven. That is why Lucifer fell! Jesus makes clear that denying Him is a serious problem. Confess Him before men, He will confess you before his Father. Deny Him… The relationship with God is affected. Turning the love that belongs to Him alone and pointing it inward toward ourselves is the ultimate consequence of sin, this rejection of God and rebellion against Him, is death. Oh, I will ask now that we pause and read the entirety of Psalms 107. We shall be altogether astonished at the superiority of the bible. The bible to us is quite infinitely wiser than every source brought forth by man, on this matter, as on others, it is so much more straight forward, and yet so much more deep; so much more rational also, and so much more true: agreeing so much more with the facts which we see happen round us: agreeing so much more with our own reason, experience, inward conscience, about what is just and unjust. God will punish sin. To reason with God is to discover that the truth of punishment is not to torment but to reform. But then the thought would come - why, after all, should God, if He be just and merciful, punish my sin by pain and misery? How can it profit God, how can it please God, to give me pain? Because it satisfies His justice? How can it do that? It would not satisfy mine. God has no passioned pleasure in the death of man. God rathers that man turn from wickedness and live. The thought would come into the mind of a wise and serious man is that because God loves me, He desires that I may be a partaker of His holiness. As soon as that blessed thought rises in any man's mind, by the inspiration of God's Holy Spirit, all the world would begin to look bright and clear and full of hope. This earth, with all its sorrows and sufferings, is the blessed purpose of God to show forth His love for the deliverance of His people. God goes on to those who have brought themselves into poverty and shame, who sit bound in misery. This is man’s falling. We have brought it on ourselves by rebelling against the word of the Lord, and lightly regarding the counsel of the Most Highest. But God does not hate us. God is not going to leave us to the net which we have spread for our own feet. When we cry unto the Lord in our troubles, He hears us in our distress. God Himself, by strange and unexpected ways, will deliver us from our darkness of ignorance and sin, and from the danger and misery which we have brought upon ourselves. Then He goes on to those who have injured their health by their own foolishness, till their soul abhors all manner of reckoning with the word of God, and they are even hard at death's door. Neither does God hate them. They, too, are in God's school-house. And when they cry to the Lord in their trouble, He will deliver them, too, out of their distress, and send His word, and heal them, and save them from destruction. Then He goes on to men who are exposed to danger, and terror, and death in their lawful calling; and his instance is the seamen, the airmen, those in foreign lands, those who go on to the sea in ships, move in the skies, and occupy their business in desert places who do the services for homebound. The storms come up, they know not when or how: but they are not the sport of a blind chance; they are not the victims of the wrath of God. The wild sea, turbulent winds, dry grounds too, are His school-house. And wonder with those who have been blessed to wander in the heights of the second heaven, to view by sight purposed to give eyes to their faith as they look upon the circle of the earth from ships in the space of darkness where they are to see the works of the Lord, and His wonders in the depth of understanding; and so, by strange dangers and strange deliverances, learn, as many of us have seen times of learning, needing a courage and endurance, a faith, a resignation, which puts those in comfortable places to shame. Then He goes on to even a deeper matter -- to those terrible changes in nature, so common today, in which whole territories, by earthquake, flood, or drought, are rendered worthless and barren. They too, he says, are God's lessons, though sharp ones enough. 'He turneth rivers into a wilderness, and the water-springs into dry ground; a fruitful land into barrenness, for the wickedness of them that dwell therein. Again, He turneth the wilderness into a standing water, and dry ground into water-springs. And there He maketh the hungry to dwell, that they may prepare a city for habitation; and sow the fields, and plant vineyards, which may yield fruits of increase.' Lastly, He goes on to political changes, which bring a whole nation low, into oppression and misery. 'They are minished and brought low through oppression, affliction and sorrow. He poureth contempt upon princes, and causeth them to wander in the wilderness, where there is no way. Yet setteth he the poor on high from affliction, and maketh him families like a flock. The righteous shall see it, and rejoice: and all iniquity shall stop her mouth. Whoso is wise, and will observe these things, even they shall understand the loving- kindness of the Lord.' And so, in all the changes of this mortal life, he sees no real chance, no real change, but the orderly education of a just and loving Father, whose mercy endureth for ever; who chastens men as a father chastens his children, for their profit, that they may be partakers of his holiness, in which alone is life and joy, health and wealth. Surely, here is the gospel, good news; news so good, that it turns what seems to the superstitious the worst of news, into the very best. For it seems at first sight the worst of news that tells us, that our original sin, in every person born into this world, deserves God's wrath and damnation. And so, it would be the worst of news, if God were merely a judge, inflicting so much pain and misery for so much sin, without any bidding to mend us and save us. But if we remember only the blessed message of this psalm; if we will remember that God is our Father; that God is educating us; that God hath neither parts nor passions; and that, therefore, God's wrath is not different or contrary to His love, but that God's wrath is His love in another shape, punishing men just because He loves men; -- then the word always will bring us the very best of news. We shall see that it is the best thing that can possibly befall us, that our sin deserves God's wrath and damnation, and that it would have been the worst thing which could possibly have befallen us, if our sin had not deserved God's wrath and damnation. For if our sin had not deserved God's anger, then He would not have been angry with it; and then He would have left it alone, instead of condemning it, and dooming it to everlasting destruction as He has done purposefully; and then, if our sin had been left alone, we should have been left alone to sin and sin on, growing continually more wicked, till our sin became the ruin which untold numbers will see. But now God hates our sin, and loves us; and therefore He desires above all things to deliver us from sin, and burn our sin up in the heat of His truth. This unquenchable fire of truth is not a passive act. If we be not spiritually assertive then we ourselves may be burned up therein. For if our sins live, we shall surely die: but if our sins die, then, and then only, shall we live. Do these words seem strange to some of you? I doubt not that they will: but if they do, that will be only a fresh proof to me, that the word of God is inspired by the Holy Ghost. Yes, nothing shows me how wide, how deep, how wise, how heavenly the bible is, as to see how far average persons are behind the bible in their way of thinking; how the salvation which it offers is too free for them, the love which it proclaims too wide for them, the God whom it reveals too good for them: so that they shrink from taking the word and trusting the author, in the fulness that is therein; and are perpetually falling back on heathen notions -- the very old heathen notions from which this psalm delivers us -- concerning what God's anger means, and what God's punishment means; because they are afraid of taking the words of scripture literally and fully spiritual, and believing honestly the blessed truth, that God is Love. They try to make God's ways as their ways, and God's thoughts as their thoughts. But do not you do so. Receive the word in its fulness. Believe that it tells you infinitely more of God's character and dealings, than you can ever tell yourselves; that God's ways are not as your ways, nor God's thoughts as your thoughts, even at their best: but that God's ways are always wider and deeper than yours, were you the most learned of men; God's thoughts are always more loving and just than yours, were you the most holy of men, and that when you have learned all that you can learn, or that any man can learn, out of the bible, there will be still left behind treasures beside, which you have not yet found out. For the riches of Christ are unsearchable; like the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God, whose only-begotten son, and perfect likeness, he is; and the man who reads the scripture with a single eye, and an humble heart, will see that the more he finds in the word, the more he has yet to find; and that if he studied it to all eternity, he would have fresh and fresh cause for ever to cry - oh give thanks to the Lord! Both God’s love and God’s wrath are proclaimed in the truth of the word. The truth does not lie in one or the other, not does the truth lie between them, with each moderating the other. Both are proclaimed absolutely by God. We find God’s love and God’s wrath in the teachings of Christ. Matthew 5:22, 29,30;10:28; 11:23 Luke 12:5; 10:15 Matt 18:8,9; 23:15, 23 Mark 9:43-49 We should fear God as judge and trust him as Father. God is both just and loving: God judges those who turn from him, and he cares for those who turn to him. The better revelation is that where God is Judge, He is also Savior. We must be most attentive to the word and not drift away. Because God is holy, and he so loves us that he sends his holy Son to die in our place and take the punishment, judgement and wrath as our substitute; to sanctify and make holy his people. He makes a holy covenant with us, and indwells us by his Holy Spirit. This is astonishing and essential! If we are in Christ we are holy in him—with his holiness. If we are not in Christ, we are not holy. If we are in Christ, we are with God. If we are not in Christ, we are without God. The Father and Son are both wrathful toward sin, and both loving toward sinners. The fact that we were reconciled through Christ’s death must not be understood as if his Son reconciled us to him that he might now begin to love those whom he had hated. Rather, we have already been reconciled to him who loves us, with whom we were purposed electionally. Father, Son, and Spirit are one God with an undivided nature. They share the same holy wrath and same gracious love. There is a day of shocking depiction that is about to happen. A day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone. Too many people are passing judgment on God’s character. Grace and mercy, forgiveness and salvation, wrath and vengeance, are not understood to be personal attributes or dispositions in the character of God. Wrath may well be ordained and controlled by God, but is clearly no part of him…so they think. Divine wrath is righteous antagonism toward all that is unholy. It is the revulsion of God's character to that which is a violation of God's will. Indeed, some know of divine wrath as a function of divine love. For God's wrath is his love for holiness and truth and justice. It is because God passionately loves purity and peace and perfection that his anger is kindled toward anything and anyone who defiles them. Would a God who took as much pleasure in evil as He did in good be a good God? Would a God who did not know of the adversity of evil in His world be morally perfect? Surely not. But it is precisely this determined response to evil, which is a necessary part of moral perfection, that the bible has in view when it speaks of God's wrath. Think about this for just a moment. If you and I do not deserve to suffer divine wrath for our sins, we empty God’s forgiveness of its meaning. If there is no such thing as judgment, God ought to overlook our sin. Forgiveness is real and meaningful only when we believe that our sin has put us into a situation where we deserve to have God inflict upon us the most serious consequences for our unbelief and immoral behavior. When a situation demands that God should take action against sinful people in judgment and instead he takes action for them, the word grace actually means something. But if there is no such thing as the judgment of God’s wrath for sin and unbelief, grace loses all meaning and significance. With spiritual reasoning considering the Creator of the universe and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, if our knowledge does not include a healthy confession that he is holy and righteous and will pour out wrath and judgment on those who persist in their rejection of him, it is unbiblical and unrealistic knowledge. In fact, it is an unloving understanding. For if we communicate to non-believers that they should repent and believe the gospel, but if they don’t, “aw, don’t worry about it, God will figure out a way to embrace you in spite of your unbelief,” we are treating that person with contempt. We are leaving them vulnerable to eternal damnation with the false hope of a God who is too loving ever to consign anyone to hell. The love of God provides escape from the wrath of God by sacrificing the Son of God to vindicate the glory of God in forgiving sinners. That's the gospel truth. But for those who spurn the provision of God’s love in Christ there is only a fearful expectation of the wrath of the judgment of God. We have no apology for God’s wrath. We are not embarrassed by God’s wrath. If the God of the bible is unmoved by and indifferent toward racism and perversion and rape and dishonesty, he’s not worthy of anyone’s praise. Righteous anger against sin is absolutely essential to God being God. Judgment against human wickedness and wrath poured out on unrepentant rebels is part of what it means to be holy. God’s faithful chosen will not ignore or tip-toe around what the word says on this matter in order not to offend people. The God of the Bible, the only true God, is indescribably patient and kind and compassionate and loving and gracious and merciful. God is holy and righteous and just. The wrath and righteous anger of God is filled with descriptions of God’s compassion and longsuffering and mercy and tender- hearted ways. We thank God for his wrath. Else the unrepentant might never be called to account for their deeds and never face the judgment that reconciles God’s creation to His purposed eternal plan. We must always praise and glorify God for his amazing grace that has made it possible for us to be spared this wrath. His wrath has been poured out on Jesus and altogether satisfied for those who put their trust in him as Lord and Savior. We are among the perpetrators of evil and abuse and wickedness in the earth, but if we look to God’s mercy for us in the death of Jesus we will find forgiveness. God’s wrath wasn’t set aside or ignored when it comes to the sins of world. It was revealed from heaven. It was fully and finally and forever poured out on his Son, who endured for us what we otherwise would have suffered. That’s love abounding. That’s the true love of the Lord. It is not the absence of His judgment or wrath. It is the many opportunities He gives us to choose Him—to choose eternity in heaven. The love and wrath of God can be reasoned with this thought…God gives His wrath by weight, but His mercy without measure. God is so God that His love is the incomparable conjunction of love and wrath. It sounds the truth of o’death, where is thy sting? It is the wonder of the mystery of the commingling of the Father's love and wrath in His dealings with the Son on the cross. Never can be visioned the wrath of love as is God’s until you see Jesus losing the infinite love of the Father out of His infinite love for us. It will melt your hardness. But for those of us who are of the faith of Jesus, we are not disheartened. We have this strong focus on the simultaneity of the manifestation of the Father's eternal love and divine wrath directed to the Son when He hung on the cross. The Father loved the Son with infinite and immutable love because he did not cease to be the only begotten Son, and the infinite love necessarily flowed out from the very relationship that he essentially and immutably sustained to God his Father. We must distinguish between the two kinds of love that the Father has for the Son. The first is that immutable, infinite love that flows out from the Father to the Son because of the intrinsic relationship that they sustain to one another. The second is the love of complacency that flowed out with increasing intensity to the Son because of His fulfillment of the Father's commission. This second kind of love that the Father had for the Son is captured in the words of Christ; therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. From this, we must conclude that the Father loved the Son incarnate the most, precisely at the moment when he was voluntarily laying down His life in connection with the command of His Father in the counsels of eternity. Every detail of the suffering endured by the Son constrained the love and delight of God the Father because it was all endured by the Son in obedience to the Father's will and - in the performance of the Father's will - the Son committed no sin. This is that which is the incomparable conjunction at the cross - an unheard of conjunction: infinite love and divine wrath. The Son becomes the object of the commingling of the love of the Father and the unmitigated wrath of the Father. The essence of sin's curse and judgment, is the wrath of God. So, if Jesus bore sin and if he bore our curse and if he was made sin, then the vicarious fearing of the wrath of God belongs to the very essence of his atoning accomplishment. Here we see that the doctrine of propitiation is of the very essence of the truth of the Worded Gospel of truth. The truth is that it is just because the Son was the object of this immutable, infinite, and unique love that he could at the same time be the subject of the wrath of God... It was only because the Son was the object of the Father's unique and immutable love that He could be thus abandoned. No other would be equal to it. Those who will be lost in perdition will be abandoned eternally, but not one of them will be able to of have occasion to say, "My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?" The abandonment of Christ on Calvary's tree was abandonment in pursuance of the commission given him by the Father in the Determinate Counsel of purpose by election, and it was abandonment with the unparalleled effect of ending that abandonment. And because it was abandonment with this result, it was abandonment with inimitable agony and reality. The determinate purpose of the Father's love was the explanation for the spectacle of the Son's death. But the love that the Father bore to the Son did not diminish the severity of the ordeal that creates this spectacle - the ordeal of the cross and the abandonment vicariously born. The Father's love for those for whom the Son bears His wrath is set against the background of this wondrous conjunction of the Father's love and wrath directed to the Son. The Father loved His people with such invincible love and purpose that he executed the full toll, the full stroke, of our condemnation upon His own Son. That is the Father's love! This revelation of the reality of the Determinate Counsel’s reasoning should cause us amazement…the amazement of believing this adoring wonder. When we come to understand that the Father loved the Son the most while making the Son the object of His full and unfettered wrath - as He stood in our place as our substitutionary sacrifice - our hard hearts are smelted by the refiner. It is the "incomparable conjunction" of the Father's love and wrath directed to the Son that enables believers to grasp something of the greatness of the love that the Father has for us. The wrath of God is His displeasure against sin and evil. It is God’s just and righteous response of judgment against sin, apostasy, unfairness, and injustice both within and without the community of God’s people. In the end, God is just and the justifier of those who have faith. Of what is the significance of divine wrath? This is the time in which the existence of sin is often denied. This is rendered by the exclusion of the truth of God to accommodate people in their spiritual deception. The real tragedy is that nearly all have lost much of the knowledge of God, against whom we have sinned. Most do not even feel that they have much to repent of, because they’re not always sure about just how much they have offended God with their sins. They want grace without the cross, forgiveness without repentance. Herein justifies God’s anger…without anger, even we would watch abuse and fail to understand the seriousness of what was happening. Divine wrath is when divine love becomes angry. For divine love doesn’t dismiss sin, but deals with it in judgment. It must be remembered that God’s purpose in executing judgment is redemptive. While in judgment sin is punished, in His holy love judgment seeks to eradicate sin and establish holiness. God’s wrath is holiness’ response to sin. Holiness is repulsed at sin and must deal with it. Judgment is God’s holiness in opposition to sin. God’s love redeems in the midst of judgment to establish his holiness. Divine wrath is anchored in holy-love. His love is so great He at the cross dealt with sin in his Son. At the cross we see judgment upon sin and the redemptive love of God from sin. The judgment of God is an aspect of His love. God’s judgment and love are not opposed to one another, for there can exist no true love without judgment on sin. God is not passive in the face of sin, but is actively opposed to evil. God’s wrath against sin arises out of His nature of holy-love. Found in the character of God is the expression of wrath. Man was placed in a perfect environment, walked in harmony with his holy and loving Creator. By his own choice, man deviated from God’s moral order and sin entered the world. All creation was thrown out of balance. When that balance was violated the fall of man and a fallen creation resulted, and it threw our existence on earth out of kilter with God in its highest effect and the resounding collision within every aspect of our relations with nature, especially with the varieties of cultures that resulted in the perverted, distorted, and aberrant behavior among those whom are to be considered human. The widespread effect of the fallenness of humanity, results in the expression of God’s “wrath” being manifest against “fallenness.” How is God’s wrath expressed in love? Wrath as cause and effect of violating of God’s holiness and moral order was met with mercy and forgiveness. Wrath in the character and nature of God who actively opposes sin was wrapped in the flesh of Christ. Wrath in Christ’s great work on the cross offered redemption to all. And wrath as the consuming outpouring of God’s judgment upon unrepentant sin and sinners will see His chosen saved. It is the insight of a deeper sense of the solemn holiness of the love of God that meets us to understand that God’s wrath is a right and necessary reaction to evil. It reveals to us that right and wrong objectively exists, and points us to the consequences of our actions and need of repentance. God brings about situations through circumstances in order to bring men to repentance. In this is God’s act of love to persuade men to repent of their sin which separates them from the His grace and mercy. God can and does use situations in order to bring wayward sinners unto Himself and bring about purposes which are beyond our finite minds to grasp. God’s wrath is a present reality. It is the steadfast opposition against all sin. In that is His extending love in restoring holiness and order to a fallen world. We are to study God’s judgments as a foretaste of events more horrific to come as revealed. The judgments should arouse and alert our hearts to look for the remedy of sin in Christ Jesus. On the cross we see both God’s love and God’s wrath. On the cross our sin was dealt with, and grace is extended to all who will come and kneel before the finished work of Christ and receive God’s redemptive provision. It is at the cross we grasp the horror of our sin and holiness’ judgment against sin, but in worshipful thanksgiving we see demonstrated the vastness of God’s loving grace in His provision for our sin. The many, due to lack of reasoning, will find it difficult to reconcile God’s divine wrath and divine love. But we affirm the doctrine of God’s wrath, for if we do not, we strip God’s love of its biblical balance and power. When sin and divine wrath are taken seriously, highlighted is the enormous cost God’s love paid to secure our redemption. Understanding and acknowledging these contrasting solutions of divine love and wrath results in our exclaiming, what a Savior!” God’s love is so deeply woven into the fabric of truth, that if human love toward God and for one another were our response the bible story would be completed. Whereas God’s love is comprehensive, that which we can muster up is but a sketch. God is not a God of human emotions or human actions. God’s perspective views the perfectness of all things accountable to Him for being. God is righteous, not irrational. Weigh His patience with us to come to Him. Measure His foremost mercy in sustaining us. Notice how He prefers to chastise rather than punish. Unrighteousness has consequences. And though it is the love of God that is the power of His sovereignty, He is so loving that He permits our sin to judge us. The bible speaks of the wrath of God in high-intensity language. The bible includes some of the most violent expressions of God's wrath found in all literature. When biblical evidence is ignored people will tumble into fresh errors that touch the very holiness of God. Love is a perfection of God. Wrath is a function of God’s perfect love. Divine wrath is the right and righteous response of God to sin. Put positively, wrath, in perfect harmony with all of God’s divine attributes, is God's holy action of retribution towards those whose actions deserve reckoning. Love is always…it is God. Wrath results from sin…it will cease. Where God in His holiness confronts His image-bearers in their rebellion, there must be wrath. Otherwise, God is not the jealous God He claims to be, and His holiness is impugned. The price of diluting God's wrath is diminishing God's holiness. We must never lessen any truth of God. God has nothing but hate for sin, but this cannot be said with respect to how God sees the sinner as he stands. Though we be of all who have sinned, God hatest the workers of iniquity. For this the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor the sinners in the congregation of the righteous. Please do not be caught up in cliches – cleanliness is next to godliness…God loves the sinner but hates the sin. Those are false faces. The wrath of God rests on both the sin and the sinner. Romans 1:18-23; 1:24-32; 2:5 John 3:36 God’s wrath is an entirely reasonable and willed response to offenses against His holiness. At the same time His love wells up amidst His perfections and is not generated by the loveliness of the loved. Thus, there is nothing impossible about wrath and love being directed toward the same individual or people at once. God in His perfections must be wrathful against His rebel image-bearers, for they have offended Him; God in His perfections must be loving toward His rebel image-bearers, for He is that kind of God. Both the fulness of God’s love and the fulness of God’s wrath will come to a resounding climax as at the cross in the last day. God loved us so much that He sent His Son. Perfectly mirroring His Father's words and deeds, the Son stood over against us in wrath displaying vividly when sinners will call for rocks to fall and hide them "from the wrath of the Lamb," and yet He was obedient to His Father's commission, offering Himself on the cross. He did this out of love both for His Father, whom He obeys, and for us, whom He redeems. Thus, God is necessarily both the subject and the object of propitiation. He provides the propitiating sacrifice, He is the subject, and He Himself is propitiated, He is the object. That is the glory of the Cross. Love and justice, goodness and holiness, grace and wrath are not opposites. They are complementary. Ultimately, they are interdependent. Love without justice is mere sentimentalism. Justice without love is sheer vindictiveness. In God, however, steadfast love and faithfulness meet; righteousness and peace kiss each other. Love seeks justice for those loved. Justice protects, avenges, and vindicates those loved. The cross of Christ is the perfect expression of both the love of God who saves unworthy sinners and the justice of God who requires that a just price for salvation be paid. There is a perfect harmony between the attributes of God. He is spirit, undivided, triunely singular, uncompounded. He is One, without body, parts, or passions. However man refers to God’s attributes they are but the Divine Essence of God…inseparable. Reasoning the essential unity of the divine attributes, what we can say about the relationship between what we perceive to be the softer and harsher expressions of His character, between love and wrath, between mercy and justice is this – God is love! Now reason this – God is love, yet more than love. Why? Because the equation cannot be reversed. So we can see God’s wrath of love. The God who is love is also “faithful” and “just”. Though God is infinitely benevolent, infinite benevolence is not all of God. God’s love is a just love, and His justice is a loving justice. We must not allow one attribute to overwhelm and nullify the rest. God is as severely just as if He had no love, and yet as intensely loving as if He had no justice. God’s love is not and cannot be blind and indulgent. God’s expression of love is more revealing of His inclination, or the direction of His nature, more a manifestation of His preference, than is the expression of His wrath. What we say of God’s attributes should always be expressed with humility. However much we have voiced, there is always more to be said. The finite cannot know the infinite comprehensively or exhaustively. Yet we can know God truthfully, and we can speak where the bible speaks, as it reveals a God who is both love and just, the monument to which we have at Calvary. We consider the whole weight of scripture. God has a strange act, yet He will in no way clear the guilty. 📖 Applying the Study For ongoing spiritual encouragement and prophetical insights, visit Higher Learning.

to the law and the testimony The testimony is the self revelation of God. It represents God’s heart desire, which is also God’s requirement - or we may say, God’s standard. His standard reveals Himself, showing us what a God He is. When this testimony comes to man, it becomes law. On God’s side, it is testimony, but on the human side, it is law. The Lord Jesus comes to bear witness to the Father; the Holy Spirit comes to bear witness to Christ; we are to maintain the testimony of Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit. The witnessing of Christ is none other than telling people who God is in Christ and what Christ is. It behooves us not to sin against this testimony. God’s people are to speak from the place of their purpose. It is in this light that we speak as God calls us to come up hither and He will show us what we are to say. The purpose must be in the power and the knowledge of God. The words spoken are to be in accord with our calling. We speak the truth of God’s word by faith. Faith is not about feeling comfortable, it is speaking God’s word authentically. What it commands, what it asks, what it directs. Not just the soothing and the pleasant and the peaceful, but also the warning, the revealing, the specific...diminishing not a word. The only truth to be spoken is God’s truth. That’s why it’s so important to always search the scriptures and ask God to continually give us wisdom according to His will. And it helps to learn through conversations with believers in our search for understanding. When we speak, we are to provide a comprehensive vision to the reality of God. Our words are to offer suggesting answers to the questions that arise in the course of examination as others enquire for detailed evidence of the things of heaven. Our speaking is to call forth an investigation into every expression of God allowing those who hear to search for the explanation of the nature of the connection between the heavenly and the earthly realities. Our speaking is not just the utterance of words. It is the approaching of the Holy Spirit advancing the desires of God that our vocal performance is far deeper than the natural. Our spirit within us, begotten by the Holy Ghost, discerns and communes with Him, and receives from Him answers of peace. It is a spiritual business from beginning to end. When we speak to the law its’ aim and object end is not with man, but to reach to God Himself. In order to such testimony, the work of the Holy Ghost Himself is needed. The testimony is the solemn declaration as by a witness under oath. We are to be the firsthand, outward sign of authentication of the truth of God. If testimony were of the lips alone, we should only need breath in our nostrils to speak. If testimony were of desires alone, many excellent desires are easily felt, even by natural men. But when it is the spiritual desire and thes piritual fellowship of the human spirit with the Spirit of God, then the Holy Ghost Himself must be present all through it, to help infirmity, and give life and power, or else true testimony will never be presented, but the thing offered to God will wear the name and have the form, but the inner life of the truth of testimony will be far from it. The interposition of the Lord Jesus Christ is essential to the light that brightens the law and the testimony. Through this crucified and risen person the veil is entirely taken away and we are shut in with the living God. To the law and to the testimony, without the Savior, our words are an insult to Deity. Our speaking is to be intended and offered as an acceptable sacrifice to God. We are purposed to take these words and handle them as God shall give us ability. Our text speaks of a throne - the throne of grace. According to the law and the testimony we are reminded that our Father is infinitely greater than ourselves. In our speaking we remember that the mercy seat is the throne. In our speaking we are claiming the promises of God. It is God’s word in our mouths. God’s law and testimony are not dated. They are forever present. Without the living guidance of His Word, we can’t move an inch in the direction of God. It is the light of the law and the testimony whereby we can understand and fulfil all God’s divine purposes. The word is carried from God to us to others. And it comes with God’s own creative power. When we speak the truth of the law and the words of the testimony they contain all the power needed for its own fulfilment. It is God speaking, and it is done! God’s word does not exist independently from God. It is alive and incorruptible. It can never be destroyed or defeated because it possesses all the qualities of God Himself. Our recourse must be always to speak directly in every case. We must make good use of our bible. We are counseled as to what is required of us according to the law and the testimony. We must make this our standard, conform to it, take advice from it, make our appeals to it, and in everything be overruled and determined by it. If there be any of the word of God not concurred with, evinces that there is no light in the one who speaks. They do not understand themselves. To reject, to not accept any of the divine revelation through reasoning is followed by a spiritual darkness. When we speak the law, the testimony, we receive the very life of God as He plants the seed of His Word inside us. Everything in His plan and purpose for our life comes within our reach. The light, that is by the law and the testimony, is that creative life spoken by God when He said let there be...today, by exactly the same power, God keeps on sustaining all things, and accomplishing His eternal will of salvation in His people who speak accordingly. When understanding the law and the testimony we understand God purposing His will. The Word declares it - speaking out the Father’s purpose. The Spirit performs the Father’s will by working out every detail of His plan. It is futile for people to attempt to resist God, for He always fulfils His will. This is the awesome experience of God’s people. Letting the word work in us by giving it access to the deepest parts of our being. This means allowing God to search our heart and to expose those things which displease Him. It is an awesome experience. We accept with all humbling of self the infallible authority of the word of God. This renders an ever-increasing effectiveness of our faith. The light emitted from the law and the testimony will fulfil His word to us. All His promises will be given us. He will accomplish His good-and-perfect will in our life. The goodness of the law and the testimony gives abundance to our spirit as it moves us beyond the thoughts and inclinations, ideas and opinions of the world. We are grounded in the endurance of the truth by faith. It is with the law and the testimony whereby all devices and attacks of the enemy will be thwarted. Every word of the law from God, every word of the testimony of God which we truly receive in our spirit begins to reveal itself in our thoughts, our deeds and our words as the light that is the life to those who receive and confess Christ. Speaking the law and the testimony means that our minds, our hearts, our mouths, our spirits are in full agreement with God’s word. This is the working of the conviction of our faith. By this faith, we enter deeply into the marvelous presence of God. The Holy Spirit – God’s covenant gift for all believers – both grants us access to God and begins to inspire us so that God’s words become our words, His law our law, His testimony our purposed reality. Our speaking to the law and the testimony furthers our faith declarations in the utterances of our amens in the spirit-inspired agreement to the truth of God’s word; our hallelujahs in the highest form of spirit directed joy; and our maranathas in the witness we share with the Spirit to the hope of Jesus’ return. That which is gifted to us swells up in the praise, the hope, the confidence in God. Our obedient actions to the law, our declarations of faith to the testimony fulfills the related needs in our life to justify the calling of God purposefully as His election. We are so made able to offer scriptural truth to impregnate the spirit of others with the seed of His word. This is the light that is life. If the spirit does not agree with the word of God, it is a dark spirit, unbalanced with the truth. A dark spirit presents chaos and destruction from the inside. Such depravity is God-dishonoring, Christ-denying, man- exalting doctrines. It is exempt from the understandings associated with the heavenly realms. It is what actually happened when Adam fell in the Garden of Eden as recorded in Genesis. Adam, being wrong at the fall, was wrong of all. The law of God was iniquitously disclaimed. And so we thank God for the law and the testimony that gives light. This truth provides the exception for all to be saved through the representative act of the last Adam – the Lord Jesus Christ. Through one came transgression. Through one came justification. We are exhorted to keep God’s testimonies in the same way as we are required to keep His word, precepts, law, statutes and commandments. It may sound a little strange to our ears when we say we must keep God’s testimonies. But we find in the bible that His testimonies are of the same nature as are His word, precepts, law, statutes and commandments. The two tables of stone on which His law was inscribed are called the two tables of the testimony. The testimony bears witness to the kind of God we have as over against the sort of life we humans live. When it is placed in our heart, such a testimony convicts us of our unrighteousness, our falling short of the divine standard. But while it remains in the Lord’s hand, it reveals what a God He is. Testimony, therefore, is the self-revelation of God. It is God’s speaking concerning Himself. It is not our giving testimony. We must profess assertively that this testimony is a spiritual reality, that which is ultimately reality. Whoever fails to touch the ultimate reality does not touch the testimony. Strictly speaking, no one can bear witness for God save Jesus Christ, since from eternity to eternity the divine testimony is given by God Himself. God, His Son, and the Spirit alone can tell us what He is. But in the law, in the testimony we bear witness to our Jesus...whom is the Light. To testify for God requires of man that we touch God Himself so as to be able to speak the words which God asks us to say. Man can speak only after God is known, seen and revealed to us. Only when we have touched this ultimate reality are we able to speak the testimony. And so, we know why we are given by God the revelation of Jesus Christ. Thank God that our witness does not rely upon man’s word or doctrine or teaching, because it is Christ himself who has come forth to show us God. A testimony may become a doctrine, but a doctrine can never become a testimony. When testimony is given, commandment may come upon us to obey; yet this commandment is not the testimony. For this testimony is, but more than a matter of experience. It is touching the Lord Himself. Manward, yes testimony is indeed experience; nonetheless, the term experience is far too inadequate when discussing testimony. Because testimony is a matter of touching the Lord, He alone can testify for himself. Since there is none greater than God, He is the only One who can bear witness for Himself. Read Psalms 119. Testimony is of such immensity that it is not easily comprehended by our mind, because it is God Himself speaking, and by which He reveals Himself and also His demand. Whoever touches this divine testimony has in reality touched God Himself. To the law and to the testimony...Hear this intense truth... whatever touches the character or the way of God touches His testimony. God will have His absolute character manifested. And that which misrepresents His character sins against His testimony. Whenever God’s testimony is involved, He will not overlook the full event; the motive, the thought, the words, the deed, the situation, the consequences. Whatever defames or falsely represents Him, He will immediately deal with it, since it affects His character, His position, even His very self. When we speak according to the law and the testimony, we are speaking more than simply receiving the resurrection life; it also speaks of the working of the cross in men’s lives. The cross is a great subtraction, in that the old creation must all be taken away. How can the testimony of God be maintained if the rod fails to bud, if the rock is struck twice with wrath and the old creation does not fade away? And so, we may say that God opens just one door by which we may enter in. All who do not come in through that door must die. We must preserve the law and the testimony. God does not want Himself misunderstood. Our faith must be so Christ-like that our belief in God is to be such that we know He is the “I Am” to be sanctified in the eyes of all Israel. We must not complicate God since to sanctify God denotes to set Him apart, to display the characteristics of God. Moses’ loss of control over his temper this one time affected God Himself. God’s displeasure with Moses was as though the Lord were saying, “in your action you have drawn Me into your disobedience; you have not sanctified Me and honored Me with My rightful place.” While His servant was angered God was at the very same time still working. He caused the water to come forth from the Rock. Moses spoke not to the law and the testimony. His action confused the people about the situation. Moses had definitely dragged God into this awful mess, with the result that the Israelites might have thought that the Lord was a God who, like Moses, lost control of His temper. God was therefore complicated by Moses. Whatever we do that involves the power of God is to conclude to the people that God is God. We are to do nothing against His character, His testimony. The consequences of this are far too serious to be overlooked. Moses was not allowed to enter Canaan. Oh, do let us learn a lesson before the Lord. There are many things which we must let God work out. Those who do not know Him deeply enough often try to help Him. Were we to spend a little time considering the end of those people in the past, shown for our admonition, we would notice a great principle, which is, that we cannot afford to sin against the testimony of the Lord. Whenever anyone does a thing which sins against God’s character, God’s authority, God’s way, God’s plan or God’s testimony, he will be chastened by God. For He is never careless about His testimony. He will ever and always vindicate Himself as the holy, mighty and living One. Because of this, may we tremble with fear before Him and never attempt anything frivolously. We must ponder over the fact that when God chastens us to vindicate Himself, Satan can no longer accuse? In chastisement God shows the enemy that He, who is our Father, our God, has no part in the matter, thus preserving His holiness. For this reason, our first reaction under chastisement should not be asking for relief but asking for help to sanctify God. Each time we come under chastisement of this nature, we may tell brothers and sisters that this is due to our offending God in a certain matter. Our word may sound simple, but our doing this will uphold the fact that the Lord has had no part in the matter. Why cry? Because the discipline is too severe? Because there is hardship? These are not for crying. We ought to see that God’s chastisement, as severe and hard as it may be, is His vindication of Himself. Since His name is upon us, He can easily be complicated by us. And hence He has to extricate Himself from any adverse involvement which our actions may bring about. During the time of such chastisement let us bow our heads and worship God, saying: I will gladly accept such discipline; I will gladly stand on such ground. The more we submit ourselves under God’s disciplinary hand the more He is vindicated, and therefore the quicker discipline of this kind will pass away. This is as the prophecy of our gathering is purposed. Leviticus 26:40, 41 The import of the law and the testimony spoken in the word that gives light is part of the Lord’s way, the learning of which will enable Him to be glorified in our doings. May the blood cover our words, for they touch upon a most serious theme. The testimony of Jesus Christ concerning himself together with the word, “Henceforth ye shall see the Son of man sitting at the right hand of power and coming on the clouds of heaven.” Why did they not accept this testimony given by the Lord Jesus? What was their secret thought? They had no intention of reasoning whether or not He was truly the Son of God because they considered His confession of being the Son of God to be one of guilt. Their aim was not at proving a fact according to the word, it was instead one of finding an excuse for condemning. Hence immediately after the Lord Jesus acknowledged himself to be the Son of God, they judged His word as blasphemy and condemned Him. This showed they had no intention of finding out whether this Man was truly the Son of God; their sole concern was to kill Him on the ground of whatever He said which could be used against Him. They knew not the law, neither the testimony of God. They were children in the blindness of the darkened minds. The Lord Jesus was condemned because of this testimony. He was sentenced to death not because of what He was but because of what He testified as to himself. According to the opinion of the council, truth should not be attested to. They tried every means to overthrow this testimony, and finally they resorted to human power to put the Lord Jesus to death. We are to give an excellent testimony to the truth when our person and service are called into question. Ours is an uncommon path if we are to be seated at the right hand of Power. All who follow Him must pay attention to His testimony. Who Jesus is – this is the foundation of the testimony. The first aspect of the testimony of Jesus Christ is concerned with His Person. He is the central theme of the bible. He is the mystery of godliness. Christ has done things which exceed any power of man and that are impossible to him. He is God, therefore He acts like God. However, Christ does all things for man. He joins himself to man by becoming flesh. He becomes one of us, therefore He can be our Representative. His life, His work, His death, burial, resurrection and ascension, and His present position and work in heaven are all representative in nature. And hence the testimony of Jesus Christ includes His relationship with man in whatever He represents both now and before. This is the light of men. That we know his relationship to God’s eternal purpose. From Genesis to Revelation, today, the testimony of Jesus Christ is deposited in a vessel which is called the election, the body of Christ. And it is deposited in the following fashion: first, this testimony is the sum of all the revealed truth; and second, this testimony is the power of the truth as incorporated in the true people of God. For this testimony of Jesus Christ as set down in the servant of God is the same truth which the Holy Spirit has wrought out in Jesus Christ. It is therefore not a kind of objective truth for the mind to comprehend but is that truth becoming our life, our nature and our experience through the working of the Holy Spirit in us. And thus the testimony is deposited in that vessel which is the election. The Holy Spirit reveals and incorporates this testimony in the people of God, which is the body of Christ. And we who have believed in Jesus are members of this body. The Lord Jesus is our Representative at the right hand of God. There He represents us in all which God may require of us, be it moral or spiritual perfection. We are perfect and complete in Christ before God. God has already found a perfect man in the manhood of Jesus Christ. He has reckoned the Lord’s perfection to be ours, He has put the Lord’s perfection into our accounts. He has no more need to find a perfect man, because He has already obtained that Man. It is now the work of the Holy Spirit to impart that Man’s perfection to us. Through our faith and obedience the Holy Spirit is able to impart Christ to us. And thus Christ becomes a part of us. This requires the work of the Holy Spirit’s revelation and incorporation. Not an ideal, nor a theory, neither a creed. We will perceive the difference if we have really seen. We therefore insist on the need for the Holy Spirit’s revelation and incorporation by the law and the testimony. Concerning what the Lord Jesus has done on the cross, it too needs the revelation of the Holy Spirit to make it our portion. We must see that the Lord Jesus not only died for us but also died as us. Has the Spirit of God given us such revelation that we know that when Christ died we too died, that when He was buried we too were buried, that when He was resurrected we reappeared in Him? On resurrection ground the judgment is over, and there is no more condemnation. This is the law...this is the testimony...this is that light that we speak! The law and the testimony are of a supernatural element. God actually superintended the production of the Book. Its unity is the unity of a Divine plan and its harmony the harmony of a Supreme Intelligence. In speaking the truth of the whole law and testimony and in arranging the precepts by reason, we can understand how Moses' grand anthem of creation glided into Isaiah's oratory of the Messiah; that by and by sinks into Jeremiah's plaintive wail, which swells into Ezekiel's awesome chorus, and changes into Daniel's rapturous harmony; and closes with John's full choir of saints and angels. One presiding mind planned the whole of the law and of the testimony. And this Mind purposed the workmen and the work that would see that there was agreement with what went before, and what should come after as the carrying out of the grand plan. Everything in agreement with everything else, because the whole word was formed in the thought of God. Herein is the law and the testimony expressed. The whole bible is the history of the kingdom of God. Israel represents that kingdom. All centers about the Hebrew nationality. With our origin and progress as a peculiar people of God being the main historical portion. Prophecy, which is history anticipated, takes up the broken thread, and gives us the outline of our day when the true Israel shall take its place among the nations to speak the law and the testimony in the time of the final warning to issue forth to the world. In this warning is increased light; the decline of spiritual life; the unity between the beast, its image, and the world; a civilization that is wholly worldly; parallel development of good and evil; apostasy on the part of God's people; and the concluding judgment. To the law and to the testimony, when we speak this word it is so elastic and flexible as to contract itself to the narrowness of ignorance, and yet expand itself to the dimensions of knowledge. None will have excuse for lack of understanding. The word of God has select terms which hold hidden truths that shall disclose the inner meaning to accommodate reality, that would be the best solution to give understanding to the most difficult problem. Who was Jeremiah's teacher in astronomy?...the law and the testimony. Not one of the books of the bible could be lost without maiming the body of truth herein contained. Every word fills a place. None can be omitted. Every word is the most complete exhibition of the providence of God. It teaches a divine hand behind human affairs; unbiased freedom of resolution and action as consistent with God's overruling sovereignty; and all things working together to produce grand results. The word exhibits God's providence and is meant to teach us of the power that, though unseen, moves and controls all things. The word is full of illustrations of grace. The sinner has run away from God and robbed Him besides. The law allows him no right of asylum, but grace concedes him the privilege of appeal. Let us hear the context of the law and the testimony. Daniel fits into the Revelation as bone fits socket. Leviticus explains, and is explained by, the epistle to the Hebrews. The Psalms express the highest morality and spirituality of the Old Testament; they link the Mosaic code with the divine ethics of the gospels and the epistles. The passover foreshadows the Lord's supper, and the Lord's supper interprets and fulfills the passover. Even the little book of Jonah makes more complete the sublime gospel according to John; and Ruth and Esther prophetically hint the Acts of the Apostle. When we come to the last chapters of Revelation, we find ourself mysteriously touching the first chapters of Genesis; and as we survey the whole track of our thought, we find we have been following the perimeter of a golden ring; the extremities actually bend around, touching, and blending. We read in the first of Genesis of the first creation; in the last of the Revelation, of the new creation, the new heaven and the new earth; there, of the river that watered the garden; here, of the pure river of the water of life; there, of the Tree of Life in the first Eden; here, of the Tree of Life which is in the midst of the Paradise of God; there, of the God who came down to walk with and talk with man; here, we read that the Tabernacle of God is with men; there, we read of the curse that came by sin, here, we read: "And there shall be no more curse." To the law and to the testimony, if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. The life of God is in His word. It is a seed hiding the vitality of God. Is it a sword? Yes, but a sword that omnisciently discerns and omnipotently pierces the human heart. Hold it reverently; for we have the living word in our life. We speak to the Word, and it will answer us. We hear the heart of God. The creatures of darkness will assault this Word, and vainly seek to put out its eternal light. We are to hold forth as the Word of Life and the Light of God, in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation. Love and law are closely connected. Love is the fulfillment of the law. Love is about acting in a way that is consistent with the commandments of the law. The word counsels God’s people in our diligence in obeying the commandments..."love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind" and to "love your neighbor as yourself". This kind of love, called agape love, is self-sacrificing, deliberate, and active, and it's directed toward everyone, including enemies. It's not based on emotions, but rather an act of the will, and it's about promoting the best interests of others and working to bring them good. Love includes justice, and biblical love never falls short of what justice requires. Because God is love, love is over law. We do immeasurably more because we love. That moves the motive for obedience from “doing” to “being”. Love is a choice in a relationship. The real strength of love is compatibility and communication. The word of God says, “speak the truth in love”. To the law and to the testimony we share difficult truths with others in a loving way. The word says we are to love in deed and truth. Take seriously all truth. It is the light that illumines the law and the testimony. The great testimony to the world is God’s love...for He so loved the world and while we were still sinners, His Son died for us. Faith in God's love is central to our faith. It’s a confidence that goes beyond our circumstances. Why we speak the law and the testimony? So that others who doubt and have questions can experience true, God-designed love and come to faith. Studying God's word can help people understand this connection and how to live it. And then the testimony of the love of God begins to reveal itself in a most specific way. They learn of an everlasting love that draws them with lovingkindness. God is never deterred by circumstances or the confrontation by His enemy and ours, from seeking the lost, and bringing all believers into a deep relationship, and knowledge of His love. How could it be otherwise, since the believer’s highest good is Christ Himself? To know and experience this love of God, though we are limited in our capacity to fully grasp and understand it, is God’s greatest testimonial expression in drawing us to Himself. How then do we know that He loves us? To the law and the testimony He works to draw us to Himself, working through circumstances to create a thirst, and hunger, that can only be met by Presence. The thirst and hunger that He gives is the demonstration of love with its first and foremost objective being to save the soul. This is why Christ’s life is that light spoken in the law, in the testimony. The magnitude of this love is as deep as Christ’s desire and resolve to bring us into fellowship with Himself that we may have salvation. It is by this love that we proclaim the testimony. It is the very word of God. The grace and truth of the law. The manifestation of God in the flesh. The show of love at the cross. Redemption, freedom, justification, atonement. It is the confidence that God performs the work for us while transforming us by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. There is no reliance upon self in proclaiming the law and the testimony. It is a power that comes from God. That we are not to stumble or fall, God binds up the testimony and seals the law among His faithful people that we not lose our attachment to it. We are speakers for God. The ministry of intercession shows that our Savior is constantly performing for us. He has given us his word and we are sanctified through the truth of that word. The repetition of the testimony and the law in Isaiah suggests an aspect of God’s revelation. The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. God's testimonies instruct us what to believe, and His law instructs us how to behave. God secures His word in the hearts of His people, and God now calls us to attend to that authoritative standard for doing the law and faithfully expressing the testimony of God’s holy justice and free grace. Those who abandon the authority of the scriptures condemn themselves to wander in darkness. The law and the testimony are not an unknown thing. It may not be well understood. Every human being in the world, every child in our family, every person that we work with, everybody in our neighborhood has an inborn knowledge of God, according to Romans, and an inborn knowledge of the moral law of God. This means, among other things — the implications are many — that when we are speaking to the law and to the testimony to people about faith and about why we live the way we live and what God expects of us, we are not starting from scratch with people. There are profound things already in their hearts that God may make use of to help them see what we are saying. There comes a time when we understand the principles of our creation and who we are. Suddenly these things are illuminated to us and the cords of our hearts do vibrate. This is the time when testimony enters into our very souls and we know beyond a question of a doubt that God is our father - that He lives, that He is a reality, that we are literally His children. Those who will strive to do God’s will and keep His commandments will receive personal revelation as to the divinity of the Lord’s work in bearing testimony of the Father. The law of God has fallen on hard times. More accurately, it has fallen on hard hearts. Misunderstanding about what the law does is the cause. Not knowing God is not understanding the permanence of His law. The testimony speaks to the source of God’s law, the uniqueness of God’s law, the goodness of God’s law. It is the light of the law and the testimony that is not only showing the truth of life, but it is also the light that is searching for the fugitive sinner. This law, this testimony exposes sin and its uncomfortable results. But this light most surely cast a powerful radiance upon the place of refuge where the guilty conscience can be cleared. That place is Jesus Christ. When the light of the law casts its glare upon Christ, all it sees there is His perfection, perfection freely and fully given to sinners who trust in Him. The law of God, the works of which are written upon the hearts of men, functions to restrain iniquity and order life. This is how the Holy Spirit operates in “common grace”. We are to help others to gain that testimony which is most vital in their preparation to know truth as it is in the word of God. The word of God is enough for both what is done in the law and what is believed in the Testimony. It provides a standard for judging any teaching or claim, stating that if someone doesn't speak in accordance with the Word of God, it's because they lack light. From where to you get your wisdom? Go to the scripture. 📖 Applying the Study For ongoing spiritual encouragement and prophetical insights, visit Higher Learning.

while we are gone The concept of a final desolation of the earth during the thousand-year period described in Scripture presents a sweeping and sobering vision of the end of human civilization as it is presently known. Drawing primarily from Revelation, alongside the prophetic imagery found in Jeremiah and Isaiah, this period, often called the Millennium in certain theological interpretations, is portrayed not as a flourishing earthly kingdom populated by humanity, but rather as a silent, emptied world in which the consequences of human rebellion have reached their full and devastating conclusion. When examined carefully, these passages suggest a total collapse that affects every dimension of existence: technological, environmental, social, political, and spiritual. The binding of Satan, as described in Revelation, marks the beginning of this period. An angel descends, lays hold upon the adversary, and confines him to the bottomless pit so that he may deceive the nations no more until the thousand years are fulfilled. This detail is significant not only for its spiritual implication, but also for what it reveals about the condition of the nations themselves. If there are no nations left to deceive, then the systems, structures, and populations that once defined global civilization have already been brought to ruin. This aligns closely with the language of Isaiah, which declares that the earth is utterly emptied and utterly spoiled, and that the Lord has spoken this word. The destruction is not partial, nor is it symbolic of mere political upheaval; it is comprehensive and physical, touching the entire globe. In considering the technological achievements of humanity, such as space exploration, the implications are profound. Humanity’s ventures beyond the earth, once seen as the pinnacle of scientific advancement and ambition, would come to a complete halt. Satellites would drift aimlessly in orbit, no longer maintained or guided by ground control systems. Space stations, once inhabited by astronauts conducting research and observation, would become silent relics, eventually succumbing to decay or orbital collapse. Rockets, launch facilities, and research centers would stand abandoned, their purpose rendered meaningless in a world devoid of human life. The ambition to explore the cosmos, rooted in curiosity and dominion, would be extinguished in the stillness of a desolate earth. Military organizations, which have historically been among the most structured and resource-intensive institutions of human society, would likewise cease to exist. Armies, navies, and air forces depend upon command structures, communication networks, and logistical support, all of which require human participation. In the absence of humanity, weapons systems would fall silent. Tanks would rust in place, aircraft would remain grounded or crash without maintenance, and naval fleets would drift or sink. The immense infrastructure dedicated to defense and warfare would become useless, overtaken by time and the elements. The prophetic description of the earth being without form and void suggests not only a lack of population, but also a dismantling of the organized systems that once governed human conflict. Modes of travel would also be profoundly affected. Automobiles, once symbols of personal freedom and mobility, would be left scattered across highways and streets. Without maintenance, fuel, or operators, they would gradually deteriorate. Roads would crack and become overgrown, bridges would weaken and collapse, and the intricate networks of transportation that connected cities and nations would dissolve. Air travel would cease entirely, with airports abandoned and aircraft left to decay. Rail systems, dependent on precise coordination and energy supply, would grind to a halt, their tracks eventually reclaimed by the earth. Sea and ocean mobility would follow a similar fate; ships would drift without crews, ports would fall into disrepair, and the vast systems of global trade conducted across maritime routes would vanish. Housing and urban environments would undergo a dramatic transformation. Cities, once vibrant centers of human activity, would become empty shells. Skyscrapers, homes, and public buildings would stand as silent monuments to a vanished population. Without maintenance, structural integrity would weaken over time. Weather and natural forces would gradually reclaim these spaces. Jeremiah’s vision of cities being broken down at the presence of the Lord and by his fierce anger underscores the extent of this destruction. It is not merely abandonment, but an active dismantling brought about by divine judgment and natural decay. ** Under the level of devastation described in biblical passages, widespread, healthy vegetation reclaiming cities in the usual sense is not possible in any stable or recognizable way throughout the period. If the conditions outlined in Revelation sixteen, Isaiah twenty-four, and Jeremiah four are taken together, the environment is not merely abandoned but profoundly altered. Water systems are corrupted, extreme heat scorches the earth, and later the physical structure of the land is violently disrupted. Seasons are destabilized, and light itself is at times diminished or distorted. Under such circumstances, the basic requirements for plant life—reliable water, moderate temperatures, stable soil, and predictable cycles of light— are severely compromised. In the immediate aftermath of these events, most existing plant life would certainly perish. Crops would fail first, followed by more resilient vegetation. Forests could be burned, uprooted, or unable to regenerate due to erratic climate conditions. The imagery in Jeremiah of a land that is “without form and void” and devoid of birds strongly suggests ecological collapse, not gradual overgrowth. There would be no coordinated ecosystems, no forests reclaiming cities in a balanced sense, and no agricultural cycles tied to seasons. So, the more precise way to describe it is this: the earth would not be actively “reclaimed” by thriving plant life as we often imagine in post human scenarios. Instead, it would exist in a largely barren, unstable state, with zero biological survival. There would be nothing to restore order or beauty within this broken environment. This aligns closely with the tone of the prophetic descriptions. The emphasis is not on nature healing and flourishing in humanity’s absence, but on a world brought low, stripped of its productivity, and left in a condition that reflects judgment rather than renewal. Second Peter is one of the strongest passages describing the intensity of the final judgment: the day of the Lord comes suddenly, the heavens pass away with great noise, and the elements melt with fervent heat, leaving the earth and its works exposed or burned up. It emphasizes total dissolution of the present order rather than partial damage. When you place that alongside Revelation, where Satan is bound, and the desolation imagery in Jeremiah, it does support the idea of a world emptied of normal life. The only “life forms” present would be Satan and his angels. The texts clearly describe the removal of human society and the collapse of the systems that sustain life as we know it. Jeremiah’s language—no man, no birds, fruitful places turned wilderness—strongly points toward ecological devastation. Second Peter intensifies that by describing a kind of elemental unmaking. Taken at face value, that leans toward total extinction of earthly life. However, Scripture distinguishes between physical life and spiritual beings. Satan and his angels are not dependent on the earth’s environment in the way humans, animals, or plants are. Revelation shows Satan bound in the abyss, not roaming freely across the earth interacting with a physical environment in the normal sense. That detail matters. It suggests confinement and restriction, active observation of a ruined biosphere. So, the idea that Satan and his angels would be left to “walk the earth” contemplating the devastation is directly stated. Satan is restrained from deceiving, effectively cut off from influence over nations because there are none functioning. His condition is one of limitation and isolation, no longer dominion over a silent planet. Reflection of rebellion in the absence of anything left to corrupt lines up thematically with the passage. The thousand-year binding is understood as an imposed inactivity. With no nations to deceive and no systems to manipulate, the consequences of rebellion are fully exposed. There is nothing left to distort or control. In that sense, the desolation itself becomes a testimony. The trajectory of the descriptions points toward a world that is functionally lifeless. The earth is a stage of ruin. The passages support a condition where human life and organized ecosystems are gone, Satan is bound and unable to act, and the earth stands in a state of profound desolation. The notion of Satan and his angels existing as the only conscious beings connected to that scene fits within a theological interpretation, but the key emphasis of the text is not their observation of the ruin—it is their restraint and the finality of the judgment that produced it. Second Peter uses language that is deliberately forceful: the heavens pass away with a great noise, the elements melt with fervent heat, and the earth and its works are burned up or laid bare. To understand what is being described, it helps to slow down and consider what is meant by “elements,” what kind of “burning” is in view, and how this fits with the broader prophetic picture developing. The word translated as “elements” points to the most basic components of the created order. In the ancient world, that included what we would call the fundamental building blocks of the physical universe—earth, air, fire, and water—but the intent goes deeper than a simple list of materials. It conveys the idea of the underlying structure of the world itself. In modern terms, one might think of the very fabric of matter: the substances, forces, and bonds that hold everything together. So when the passage speaks of the elements melting, it is not describing a surface fire that consumes objects while leaving the planet intact; it is pointing toward a dissolution at the most basic level of the physical order. The phrase “melt with fervent heat” reinforces this. Melting implies that solid, stable forms lose their structure. What was fixed becomes fluid, what was dependable becomes unstable. If applied on a global scale, this suggests a breakdown of the earth’s integrity: rocks, metals, and the crust itself losing cohesion. The idea is not merely that cities burn, but that the ground beneath them is fundamentally altered. Mountains, which are often used in Scripture as symbols of permanence, would not withstand such conditions. This connects closely with other prophetic descriptions where mountains are leveled, islands disappear, and the surface of the earth is violently reshaped. The statement that “the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up” extends the scope beyond natural structures to everything humanity has built. Every work—cities, machines, monuments, infrastructure—would be consumed. But the wording suggests more than destruction by flames; it implies exposure and removal. We might consider the rendering as “laid bare,” which carries the sense that nothing remains hidden or preserved. The accumulated achievements of humanity, whether technological, cultural, or economic, are stripped away entirely. When we place this alongside the earlier discussion of the seven last plagues, the progression becomes clearer. The plagues dismantle life systems—health, water, climate, political order—while this final burning addresses the physical framework itself. It is as though the judgment moves from the surface of human experience down into the very structure of creation. What was already uninhabitable becomes, at least for a time, fundamentally unfit to sustain life at all. This has important implications for the condition of the earth during the thousand-year period referenced. If the elements themselves have been affected to this degree, then the earth is not simply abandoned; it is altered at its core. The instability would explain why no organized life—human, animal, or plant—could function in any normal way. Even the cycles that depend on stable physical conditions, such as weather patterns and seasons, would be describing the collapse of the physical order that makes environment possible. In scientific language, life, weather, seasons, and the periodic table all depend on stable physical laws: matter, energy, time, and predictable interactions between elements. Once God removes all known elements, we are not just talking about removing substances—we are seeing the removal of the entire chemistry of existence. Without elements, there is no hydrogen or oxygen for water, no carbon for organic life, no nitrogen for atmosphere, and no iron or silicon for planetary structure. At that point, we are no longer describing a planet with conditions—we are describing the absence of the building blocks of physical reality as we understand it. Similarly, weather and seasons are not independent phenomena. They are expressions of atmospheric chemistry, solar energy, axial tilt, and planetary rotation. If those underlying systems are removed or rendered nonfunctional, then weather does not “fail” in the usual sense—it ceases to be a meaningful concept because there is no atmosphere to behave dynamically, and no stable system in which change can occur. So the most accurate way to phrase what we are describing is something like this: It is a condition in which the physical framework of creation has been fully dismantled, leaving no stable matter, no active atmospheric system, no cyclical time-based processes such as seasons, and no chemical basis for life or interaction. In such a state, the earth is not simply lifeless; it is functionally unstructured, lacking the necessary components for nature itself to operate as a system. Another way to express it, more succinctly, would be: A world in which matter has lost its organized form, natural laws no longer produce observable cycles, and the conditions required for life, weather, and planetary processes have ceased to function. One important clarification, though: this kind of description moves beyond what physical science or even most interpretive readings of II Peter strictly require. The passage uses dramatic, cosmic language, explicitly defining the annihilation of all elements and the elimination of physical law itself. So what we are constructing here is a maximal conceptual extension of the imagery— useful as a theological picture. The earth would exist, but not as a balanced, life-supporting system. At the same time, it is worth noting that the passage in II Peter continues beyond destruction to renewal. It speaks of looking for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. That context matters, because it shows that the melting and burning are not an end in themselves. They serve as a clearing away of the present corrupted order in preparation for something entirely reconstituted. The language of dissolution is therefore paired with the idea of re-creation. So, when taken seriously, the imagery of elements melting and the earth being burned up points to a comprehensive unmaking. It is not only limited to visible destruction but reaches into the fundamental nature of the physical world. Everything that once provided stability—matter, structure, environment, and human achievement—is undone. What remains is not a functioning ecosystem or civilization, but a world reduced to a state that reflects the full consequence of judgment, awaiting whatever form of restoration follows. If II Peter is taken in the strongest literal sense—where the present physical order is fundamentally dissolved, the “elements” lose stability, and the earth and its works are fully burned up or exposed—then the question of what life could exist becomes very narrow. Under ordinary natural conditions, life depends on stability: consistent chemistry, usable water, breathable atmosphere, and predictable energy from the sun. If those baseline structures are significantly disrupted, then complex life forms—humans, animals, and plants—would not be able to persist in any way. Even microorganisms, which are far more resilient than larger organisms, will chemically and environmentally be rendered non- existent under such conditions. So if the passage is understood as describing a collapse of the normal created order rather than simply widespread surface destruction, then natural life would be reduced to one of two possibilities: First, no independent biological life at all. That is the most direct implication if “elements melting” is taken to mean a breakdown of the physical systems that support organized matter. In that scenario, even microbial ecosystems would fail because the conditions that allow structured chemistry would no longer hold in a stable way. The earth would exist in a state of judgment and transition rather than ongoing biological activity. Second, the limited survival of life is isolated or divinely sustained. Scripture does not describe mechanisms, but it does repeatedly affirm that the life of angels ultimately depend on divine preservation. If anything were to persist, it would not be because the environment naturally supports it, but because it is specifically upheld. That would not resemble ecosystems or biological continuity as we understand them; it would be exceptional and constrained. What is important in the biblical framing is that the emphasis is not on what life can biologically endure, but on the theological point: the present order is not permanent. II Peter uses cosmic language to strip away the assumption that matter, stability, and natural law are ultimate. Everything that appears fixed is portrayed as temporary and subject to dissolution. This also means that the passage is not primarily trying to map out a detailed scientific state of survivable life during that period. Its focus is on judgment and replacement—what exists is not the continuation of creation in altered form, but the removal of the present order in preparation for a renewed one. So, in strict terms aligned with our reading: apart from direct divine preservation, there is no clear basis in the text for stable, self-sustaining life continuing under those conditions. Any remaining life would be exceptional rather than systemic, and the dominant picture is one of cessation of normal biological existence rather than adaptation to it. The earth is left desolate and undone, stripped of all order that once upheld creation, stripped of the ordered substance that once sustained it. All that once held creation together has been undone, so that matter itself no longer serves as a stable foundation. There is no living thing to mark the passage of time, no breath of life to witness the passing of moments, and no movement of nature to signal change or renewal. There is no life to mark its passing, no voice of nature, and no witness of movement or breath. The heavens yield no weather, for the systems of air and water have ceased their appointed course. The seasons no longer turn, for time itself no longer speaks through growth or decay. There is no spring to awaken, no summer to increase, no autumn to wither, and no winter to still. The appointed order of times and seasons has fallen silent, and the earth no longer moves through its appointed course. There is no atmosphere to gather wind or form cloud or bring rain. The skies do not shift or stir, for the cycles that once governed them have ceased. There is no storm, no calm, no warmth, no cold—only an unchanging absence where motion once existed. All that once composed the substance of the world has fallen away from stability, so that the elements no longer hold their form. What remains is not a living earth in ruin, but a creation emptied of its structure, silent in its vast absence, awaiting the appointed renewal beyond judgment. What remains is not a living world in ruin, but a world that has been emptied of the very principles that once allowed it to exist as a functioning creation. The environmental impact of this period would be both destructive and restorative in different respects. Isaiah’s description of the earth being turned upside down and emptied suggests catastrophic events that disrupt ecosystems on a global scale. Fresh waters of lakes and rivers could become polluted or altered due to the collapse of infrastructure and possible preceding judgments. Dams will fail, flooding regions, while other areas could experience drought. Without human management, agricultural systems would collapse, leading to widespread elimination of vegetation patterns. Nature, in its totality, would become resistant to reasserting itself. All conditions are of chaos rather than harmony. Animal life would also be deeply affected. Domesticated animals, dependent on human care, would face extinction or drastic population decline. Wild animals might initially expand into areas once occupied by humans, but the broader environmental upheaval could lead to instability in food chains and habitats. Sea dwelling creatures would not be immune; if the prophetic judgments include the pollution or destruction of oceans, as suggested elsewhere in Revelation, marine ecosystems will suffer massive die-offs. The balance of life, both on land and in water, would be disrupted in ways that reflect the overall desolation described in Scripture. The atmosphere itself will undergo significant transformation, as implied by the prophetic language of cosmic disturbance found throughout biblical texts. Darkened skies, altered climate patterns, and the lingering effects of divine judgments will render the environment hostile. This would further reinforce the uninhabitable nature of the earth during this period. The absence of human activity would eliminate pollution from industry and transportation, yet the preceding destruction might leave long-lasting scars on the planet’s systems. Spiritually, this period represents a profound pause in the narrative of human redemption. With Satan bound and humanity absent, the usual dynamics of temptation, repentance, and faith are suspended. Religious groups, institutions, and practices would no longer exist in their earthly form. Churches, temples, and places of worship stand empty in patience for their destruction. Their purpose fulfilled or rendered obsolete in light of the completed phase of divine judgment. The awareness of God’s sovereignty would be absolute, yet not mediated through human experience during this time on earth. On a global scale, nations as political entities would cease to function. Borders, governments, and economies would disappear along with their populations. The distinctions that once defined humanity—cultural, linguistic, and national—would no longer have any practical meaning. The prophetic vision of the earth being utterly emptied emphasizes the universality of this condition; no region or people group is exempt excepting God’s election. The world, once characterized by diversity and activity, becomes a unified landscape of silence and ruin. The thousand-year period described in these biblical passages presents a comprehensive picture of desolation that touches every aspect of existence. From the heights of technological achievement to the depths of natural ecosystems, nothing remains unaffected. Human civilization, in all its complexity and ambition, is brought to a complete cessation. The earth itself becomes a testimony to the consequences of sin and the certainty of divine judgment. Yet within this stark portrayal lies an implicit promise: that this period is not the conclusion, but a prelude to a final restoration and renewal that follows in the unfolding of the biblical narrative. The concept of a final desolation of the earth during the thousand-year period described in Scripture presents a sweeping and sobering vision of the end of human civilization as it is presently known. Drawing primarily from Revelation chapter twenty, verses one through three, alongside the prophetic imagery found in Jeremiah chapter four and Isaiah chapter twenty-four, this period, often called the Millennium in certain theological interpretations, is portrayed not as a flourishing earthly kingdom populated by humanity, but rather as a silent, emptied world in which the consequences of human rebellion have reached their full and devastating conclusion. When examined carefully, these passages suggest a total collapse that affects every dimension of existence: technological, environmental, social, political, and spiritual, extending even to the ordered rhythms of time that govern the seasons of the earth. The binding of Satan, as described in Revelation, marks the beginning of this period. An angel descends, lays hold upon the adversary, and confines him so that he may deceive the nations no more until the thousand years are fulfilled. This detail reveals not only a spiritual restraint, but also implies the absence of active nations and peoples. Isaiah’s declaration that the earth is utterly emptied and utterly spoiled reinforces the idea that the systems sustaining human life have ceased. In such a condition, the regular cycles that humanity depends upon, including the predictable sequence of seasons, would no longer serve their former purpose. The earth continues to exist, but its ordered productivity and its role as a habitation for humanity are fundamentally altered. Considering the technological achievements of humanity, such as space exploration, the implications remain profound. Satellites, space stations, and exploratory probes would persist only as remnants of a former age, no longer maintained or directed. Without human oversight, their orbits would eventually decay or drift. The same principle extends to earthly systems. Military organizations would dissolve, and all modes of travel—automobile, air, rail, and sea—would come to a standstill. The infrastructure that once depended upon seasonal patterns for scheduling, agriculture, and commerce would become irrelevant. The seasons, once closely tied to planting, harvesting, and travel conditions, would be diminished entirely in their capacity, their significance profoundly undone. Housing and cities would reflect this abandonment. Structures built with careful consideration of seasonal weather patterns—insulation for winter, ventilation for summer, drainage for rains—would await their demise. Over time, exposure to the elements would accelerate their decay. Jeremiah’s vision of a land without man and cities broken down suggests not only immediate destruction, but also ongoing deterioration under the influence of natural cycles that continue without restraint or maintenance. The seasons themselves, however, may not remain stable or familiar. The prophetic language found in Isaiah, describing the earth being turned upside down and its inhabitants scattered, suggests a disruption that could extend to the very mechanisms governing climate and seasonal change. If the earth experiences axial disturbance, atmospheric alteration, or divine judgment affecting the sun, moon, and stars—as is described in various prophetic passages—then the regularity of spring, summer, autumn, and winter could be thrown into disarray. Seasonal transitions might become extreme, irregular, or even indistinguishable. Periods of prolonged darkness or light, unseasonal temperatures, and unpredictable weather patterns could dominate the landscape, contributing to the overall desolation. These things will occur before the end. The environmental consequences of such disruption would be immense. Fresh waters of lakes and rivers, already affected by the collapse of human systems, would further suffer from lack of precipitation and temperature shifts. Earth’s upheaval will create floods without warning, followed by extended droughts. The absence of stable seasons would prevent the normal regeneration of ecosystems. Forests fail to cycle through growth and dormancy, and plant life perishes in unstable conditions. Animal life is forced to face extinction. Many species depend on seasonal cues for migration, reproduction, and survival. Birds that rely on changing daylight to guide migration would become disoriented. Mammals that hibernate based on temperature cycles fail to enter or emerge from hibernation at appropriate times. Marine life, influenced by ocean temperatures and seasonal currents, would also be affected, leading to widespread collapse of aquatic ecosystems. The disruption of seasons would therefore compound the already severe impact of a humanless world. Atmospheric conditions would likely reflect this instability. Without the moderating influence of stable seasonal cycles, weather systems could become more volatile. Storms might increase in intensity or frequency, while other regions experience prolonged stagnation. The skies themselves, as described in prophetic imagery, could appear darkened or altered, reinforcing the sense of a world removed from its former order. The interplay between sunlight, temperature, and atmospheric circulation—key drivers of seasons—would no longer operate in a life-sustaining manner. Spiritually, religious observance would vanish. The earth would persist in a state where time continues, but history, as shaped by human action, is ended. In conclusion, the inclusion of the seasons within this prophetic vision deepens the understanding of the totality of desolation described in Scripture. Not only are human systems brought to an end, but even the natural rhythms that once sustained life are either rendered meaningless or fundamentally disrupted. The cycle of seasons, once a symbol of continuity and renewal, becomes either a silent repetition without purpose or a broken pattern reflecting the upheaval of the earth itself. This reinforces the overarching message of these passages: that the final judgment encompasses all aspects of existence, leaving the earth in a condition that awaits eventual restoration beyond this thousand-year period. When the seven last plagues described in Revelation chapter sixteen are considered alongside the already desolate condition drawn from Revelation twenty, Jeremiah four, and Isaiah twenty-four, the picture does not merely intensify—it becomes absolute in its completeness. These plagues represent the final outpouring of divine wrath prior to the condition described, and they function as the direct cause of that global collapse. In other words, the desolation is not an isolated state; it is the outcome of a sequence of judgments that systematically dismantle every remaining support of life and civilization. The first plague, grievous sores upon those aligned against God, signals the breakdown of human health on a massive scale. This is not simply disease as we understand it, but a targeted affliction that resists remedy. Modern medicine, already rendered ineffective by the collapse of infrastructure, would offer no relief. Hospitals, research facilities, and pharmaceutical systems would be overwhelmed or abandoned entirely. The suffering would contribute to widespread death, accelerating the depopulation that leads into the empty earth described in earlier passages. The second and third plagues strike the seas, rivers, and fountains of waters, turning them to blood. This imagery, whether understood literally or as a symbol of total contamination, points to the complete destruction of the planet’s water systems. Oceans, which sustain vast ecosystems and regulate climate, would become inhospitable to life. Marine creatures would perish in unimaginable numbers. Rivers and freshwater sources, essential for drinking, agriculture, and sanitation, would no longer support life. This alone would bring human civilization to the brink of extinction. The environmental consequences would extend far beyond humanity, collapsing entire biological networks and leaving the earth in a state that aligns with Jeremiah’s vision of no birds and no fruitful place remaining. The fourth plague, in which the sun scorches humanity with intense heat, suggests a dramatic alteration of the atmosphere and the earth’s relationship to solar radiation. The delicate balance that governs temperature and seasons would be shattered. Instead of the predictable cycle of warming and cooling, there would be extreme, destructive heat. Crops would fail instantly, ecosystems would burn or wither, and any remaining human populations would face unbearable conditions. This would further destabilize what little remained of seasonal order, reinforcing the idea that the natural rhythms of the earth are no longer functioning in a life-sustaining way. The fifth plague brings darkness upon the seat of the beast, a darkness so profound that it causes anguish. This is not ordinary night, but a suffocating absence of light that disrupts both physical and psychological stability. Energy systems, already failing, would collapse completely in such conditions. Solar power would cease, and even basic visibility would be lost. The alternation between day and night, a fundamental aspect of timekeeping and seasonal experience, would be thrown into confusion. The world would oscillate between extremes—scorching heat and oppressive darkness— without the moderating patterns that once defined the seasons. The sixth plague, involving the drying up of a great river and the gathering of the nations to a final conflict, marks the ultimate collapse of organized human resistance. Water scarcity would reach its peak, and whatever remains of political or military structures would converge in a final confrontation. This moment effectively ends human governance altogether. The great systems of nations, alliances, and wars dissolve into a final act of defiance that is swiftly overcome. The seventh plague culminates in a cataclysm of unparalleled magnitude: a great voice declares completion, followed by earthquakes, lightning, and the fall of cities. Islands flee, mountains are leveled, and massive hail falls upon the earth. This is the point at which the physical structure of the planet itself is violently reshaped. Urban centers are obliterated, geological features are altered, and the surface of the earth is left broken and unstable. This directly corresponds with the language of Isaiah and Jeremiah, where the earth is described as empty, broken down, and without form in a functional sense. When these seven plagues are viewed collectively, their consequence is total. They dismantle human health, destroy water systems, destabilize the atmosphere, disrupt light and darkness, eliminate political order, and physically restructure the earth. By the time the thousand-year period begins, there is nothing left to sustain human life. The seasons, already destabilized by earlier judgments, would no longer operate in any recognizable or beneficial pattern. Environmental systems would be in ruin, and the earth would exist in a state of chaotic stillness. Spiritually, the plagues serve as the final demonstration of divine justice. They expose the complete inability of humanity to sustain itself apart from divine order. The silence that follows—the bound adversary, the empty nations, the desolate land—is not merely absence, but consequence. Every system that once supported life has been removed or destroyed, leaving the earth as a stark witness to the end of human rebellion and the certainty of judgment. In this way, the seven last plagues do not simply add to the devastation; they complete it. They are the direct pathway to the condition of total desolation described in the prophetic texts, ensuring that when the thousand years begin, the earth is exactly as depicted: empty, broken, and awaiting whatever comes next in the unfolding of the divine plan. 📖 Applying the Study For ongoing spiritual encouragement and prophetical insights, visit Higher Learning.

soon coming God has given us the Revelation warning. God's good purposes will be accomplished in as many lives as possible, may his warnings be heard, and may the grace of Jesus Christ bring salvation to the lost. God's total and complete knowledge of all future events; His ability to make these events come to pass; his love which drives him to warn us of them; and His peculiar people to whom He has made these events known are to be shared with the wise. May the Holy Spirit give us understanding and faith. This country’s true history is being revealed. Every aspect of turmoil that is happening is the consequence of failing to acknowledge God’s law and the ill-gotten gain accumulated through the evils done against God’s people. This country has sinned. God will not allow this place to persist in its pursuit of sin. He would be letting pain and suffering persist upon His people and the world. A holy and loving God can't and won't do this! We are in the very last day of this Babylon. The word of God tells us that this land shall be a land of immigrants and people of mingled racial descent. Think on how such was purposed by God ever before the first pair was created. God has begun the gathering of His temple people between the seas in His glorious holy mountain, His church; yet this place shall come to its end, and none shall help this nation with coasts on both oceans. Its destruction has begun from within. Its extensive seaports are failing, its wealth is no longer owned but borrowed, its government is no longer regarded in admiration. America’s military might is no longer invincible. Its self-policing is mired in hate for those considered lesser people. Her skies are no longer fortified. Its daily journals evade and malign truth. America’s forged birth certificate as a Christian nation has been uncovered as she has become a nation of religious confusion being led astray by political and religious leaders who have turned to cannibalism while promoting the occult. These liars have brought apostasy in every form conceivable. Its courts and educational institutions are filled with demonic spirits and are reprobative in all their considerations. But God’s love placed a people here to carry forth a most severe warning... Americans curse God and use his name in vain by the tens of millions everyday and rarely does anyone get worked up about it, but if someone doesn't stand during the pledge of allegiance or burns an American flag, people will come unglued. God’s word designated America as the dragon nation. God purposed Christopher Columbus to falsely claim America as an unoccupied and barren wilderness and he directed the Pilgrims to settle the new land. These were the first European types to travel here following the excursions of the people known as Vikings. There was the First National ready here who were first isolated in Asia before migrating from the disbursement of people through the Bering land bridge. But while America was still a youth, the occult invaded the land. As the seventeenth century drew to a close in this country, so enfeebled had the affluent christianity of the Puritans become, that the manifestations of Satan's power - occultism, witchcraft, demons at mischief - were coming out into the open. Witches began hanging out shingles, as it were, letting it quietly be known that they could cure warts and straighten toes and mix love potions, all white magic; the black magic - the hexing, the cursing, the spellbinding would come later. And the gullible, the unwary, the hopeless turned to this source of power, and more and more people began to come to so-called “knowing ones” for advice and counsel. This paganism is today a fast growing religion in America. A false god can be anything that you put faith in other than God. It can also be anything that keeps you from serving and obeying God. In America people have gods of wealth; millions of Americans have put their trust in wealth rather than in God. These people have movie star gods, sports star gods, golf gods, football gods, basketball gods, baseball gods, soccer gods, etc. Most of the nation is too busy with sports, entertainment or other worldly pleasures to worship the God of heaven. Americans don't trust in God, his dietary laws and his healing herbs for health; they trust in man-made drugs. By and large, Americans have made a god of their government, when they are stricken with disaster or misfortune, it is the government to whom most turn and in whom most put their trust, not in the God of heaven. They trust in their wickedness and knowledge. Today’s leaders within the world church are directed to not be so strict. To not be so narrow minded, to recommend that there are other truths in religion that lead to salvation. To be more open- minded – suggesting that perhaps your interpretation of scripture is wrong. They change their positions as to what is right according to the biblical way of living. People are in an “anything goes” mindset when it comes to faith, morals, values, and lifestyle. Americans are creating unique, highly customized worldviews based on feelings, experiences, and opportunities. Most people say that the objective of life is feeling good about yourself; that all faiths are of equal value; that entry into God’s eternal presence is determined by one’s personal means of choice; and that there are no absolutes to guide or grow them morally. America has never been “one nation under God.” This country has ridiculed the truth of God’s Word and called it pluralism. This country worships false gods and called it multiculturalism. This country has neglected to discipline its children and called it the building of self-esteem. It has polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression. It has institutionalized perjury and deception in government and called it politically correct. The United States is a nation of knowledge, of higher education, of technology, and of science. It is the world's leader in scientific discovery, innovation, and invention. It leads the world in computer technology, manufacturing technology, construction technology, space and aeronautical technology, engineering, medicine, pharmaceuticals, etc. And she trusts more in her science and technology than most do in God and His word. They've taken creationism out of school and teach evolution instead. They hide and eliminate true history to deceive its citizens. They trust more in man's drugs than in Gods power to heal. They trust in their construction technology to protect them from the storm rather than obeying God and trusting Him to protect. They’ve built the most technologically advanced military in the world. They have aircraft carriers, nuclear subs, stealth jet bombers, nuclear missiles, cruise missiles, smart bombs, spy satellites, global communication, tanks, armored personnel carriers and body armor. They don't need God to protect them because they have the most advanced technology in the world. They have made science their God. The God of heaven says that Babylon's technology won't save her: “Though Babylon should mount up to heaven, and though she should fortify the height of her strength, yet from me shall spoilers come unto her, saith the LORD.” Hasn't the America fortified her strengths in the heavens with its space, missile, satellite, and aircraft technology? God says that this won't make a difference when He brings his judgment upon America. In the church in America today there is every sin imaginable. As a nation, America has rejected God's commandments, both his moral and religious laws: over 95 percent have rejected His Sabbath; 87 percent have rejected the Ten Commandments; and 85 percent of Americans have rejected all moral absolutes. When one considers these statistics, it is amazing that 85 percent of Americans consider themselves Christian in contradiction to the fact that they have rejected God's law. Fornication, adultery, divorce, abortion, homosexuality and false doctrine are rampant in the church in America. Much of the church has embraced New Age occultism, they have rejected salvation by faith and many church leaders are declaring that Jesus Christ is only one of many paths to salvation. Church leaders are leading many astray today. The great multitude of sin in the church is largely a result of pastors who have failed to preach the truth, and/or have polluted and compromised the truth and/or who have lived a life of sin and debauchery as an example to their congregations. There is a famine of hearing God's pure uncompromised word in America. Many church leaders have also failed in the following areas: many in America are extortionists; many are engaged in adultery; a growing number are homosexuals; and we've got church leaders engaging in sexual abuse of children. Church leaders are compromising and corrupting the truth; they're declaring the commandments of God have been done away with; and they're teaching salvation by works. It is church leaders who are bringing the occult into the church; many are declaring that all religions are equally true and some are even declaring that they are gods and teaching their congregations to do the same. The history of this country’s besiegement of the rights of God's people, is a clear model of what America, the Babylon, will do to the people of God. Many government documents and court rulings have already identified truth believers as the enemy and government detention centers have already been set up. These detention centers aren't conspiracy theories or speculation, they're documented facts. The only speculation is the purpose for which they will eventually be used. God's word clearly reveals that these detention centers will be used for the incarceration of his people who do not accept the mark of the beast. The treasures in the temple were all carefully crafted according to God's design. They each represented certain truths from God's word and for his plan of redemption and plan of salvation. When these treasures were taken away and the ceremonies came to a halt, Gods truths were carried away with them. This is symbolic of the carrying away of the truth from God's church in America. There have been several attacks on biblical doctrine in public schools in America. First evolution began to be taught; then prayer was removed in 1962; the following year the Bible was removed; in 1968 a law requiring creationism as an alternate theory to evolution was declared unconstitutional and in 1980 the Supreme Court said the Ten Commandments had to be removed from the classroom. And now that the entire truth of history is being biblically and rationally unfolded the elimination of these courses is being government sponsored. When these truths were carried away from schools, they were carried away from society and in turn they no longer exist in a great many places of worship in America. The establishment of the one-world government, will also be responsible for the establishment of the one-world religion; both of these makeup the New World Order. The mark of the beast and the image of the beast will come about as a result of the one world state religion in the New World Order. Prophecy speaks to a particular of importance; it says that Babylon would be as when “God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.” Sodom and Gomorrah was burned by fire and brimstone but Babylon was never burned at all. The city of Babylon was taken in tact. Since this prophecy is not about ancient Babylon, it is obvious this prophecy is meant for the end-time Babylon - America. Babylon was filled with immigrants who would suddenly fight against her before her destruction. There are currently as many as 20 million aliens in America. The Immigration and Naturalization Service estimated that in 2003 there were 78,000 aliens from countries of ‘special concern’ due to the war on terrorism. Others have used the government's own statistics to show that the figure is actually closer to 150,000 undocumented immigrants from the Middle East. An estimated 115,000 immigrants are from China and 55,000 from Korea. Legal immigration between 1981 and 2002 amounted to over 18.5 million. Among these were over 1 million from former eastern bloc countries; 981,500 from the Middle East; 551,800 from Korea; and 931,100 from China. Prophecy has more truth...almost all of the continental United States is located south of 48º latitude and almost all of the former Soviet Union is located north of 48º latitude. This places Russia north of the US. The significance of this is that Jeremiah and Daniel prophesied that Babylon's destruction would come from the north. Prophecy says that along with this nation from the north will come an assembly of great nations from the coasts. China, North Korea, and Iran are coastal nations, and they are each hostile towards the US. The bible prophecy of Revelation says that Babylon’s destruction comes in one hour. The only possible way that the great nation of America could be destroyed in one hour is with nuclear missiles. Russia, China and North Korea have nuclear missiles and Iran is working on acquiring them. There is a sound of war in the land...great destruction! They are assimilating themselves into extinction. Watchfulness, not dispiritedness fostered by the mistaken notion that Christ's return must be far off in the future, must characterize the true believers constant posture. Observing the signs has a positive significance for life in the present. They serve as a reminder of God's call to watchfulness, holy living, and service to Christ. the signs of the end do not belong necessarily to the category of the extraordinary or spectacular. The exhortations to be watchful, given by Jesus and the apostles, presuppose that the signs will be a part of the ordinary course of history and therefore that discernment is necessary. Such discernment is also required, of course, in the case of the extraordinary; counterfeit "signs and wonders". One sign is the proclamation of the everlasting gospel to all nations. Another, divine judgments in nature. And another, increasing opposition to God. The most important sign – the carrying forth of the three angels’ message with particular and intense focus on the first angel’s message. It gives to our present age its primary purpose and significance. The period between Christ's two advents is preeminently the messenger age, the time when God graciously calls all people to choose to be saved, a time foretold by the prophets. Disruptions in nature are reminders of the fact that the present fallen world is under God's curse, but not yet His wrath. They are signals emphasizing the need for all sinners to repent. However, the people of God are urged to regard these signs as "birth pangs" of a time like nothing ever known and to take comfort in the fact that God promises to protect and preserve them in the midst of this suffering. The opposition of the world to the word of God is expected to increase in various persecutorial methods against God’s people prior to the end. We are called to endure in faith until the end. The bible predicts heightened persecution against God's people such as has not been since the beginning of the world. Consider the effect of truth on the end times. Learning the truth will challenge the misplaced feelings of peace, comfort, and security that most people have. But knowing the truth, living the truth, will cost everything in the last day. Everything will be fulfilled, everything will happen, what the prophets of God has announced...nothing will be cut off from their words. As we contemplate the time we’re in, our study of prophecy produces peace and hope in the heart of every believer. And remember, no prophecy of scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. God’s people must study the entire panorama of prophecy. Prophecy tells us that the intense pains of a dying world, cannot be avoided. This country is reverting to its founding roots...proposing legal edicts to mass murder human rights, to place in bondage preferred cultural and faith observant individuals. The court’s attitude is folding back to historical eras. Unwilling to hear and accept challenges pertaining to the status of certain groups. It has abdicated its duty to justice. Emerging tactics today are weakening the moral interests based on decisions of the political, educational, legal, and civil institutions. It can be concluded that these decisions together have served to entrench the interests of political incumbents and economic elites at the expense of isolated peoples living here, especially the multitude of immigrants of color, voluntarily here or forced to be here. There are two court sessions in play – the U.S. Supreme Court and the Supreme Being’s Court. The soundness of the Supreme Being’s Court differentiates truth from political, sociological, philosophical, and the “merely personal” preconceived opinions not based on reason or actual experience. The critical need for reform by this country has passed. Most of earth’s inhabitants parrot the world’s perspective, which is based on a humanistic philosophy that stands in direct conflict with God’s will as revealed in His Word. According to His Word, these have already fallen away and do not have the light. When the Supreme Court of the United States declared same- sex marriage to be a constitutional right, it was a slap in the face to the laws of God and man. It was a direct frontal assault on both religious freedom and the Constitution of the United States, undercutting the very foundations on which they claimed to stand. Every people will suffer under the very tyranny of the usurped authority of man. Some will suffer for righteousness sake while obeying God...others, choosing to obey man rather than God, will suffer the penalty of unrepentant sin. These lack the sound foundation of biblical truth. This nation is being cast into an abyss not to arise from. The overreach of the world’s governments have put every earthly country in great jeopardy, and in recent years it has divided the people of the world into factions instead of uniting them. Too much of the world looks like Sodom and Gomorrah. A growing chorus of nations are preparing seriously for war, and this is a very real probability to happen tomorrow. The Lord gave us His written Word so we could see the world, mankind, and ourselves as He does. To see as He does is to see the truth. As the Lord said through Isaiah the prophet, those who do not speak according to His Word do not have the light in them. We are in the time to expect that those who will be standing on the truth and wholly following the Lord will be paired down to a very small number. Some are waking up to the profound differences between what the scriptures actually say and what they have been told they say, often even by their own compromising pastors. This is the purpose of the first angel’s message. Regardless of how small a number the faithful become, their faithfulness will ultimately turn the tide. There will be a gospel sounded with a loud voice. As the divisions in this country become more clear and pronounced than ever, a great unity will grow in the small and persecuted company of the faithful. It is always worth it to stand on our convictions without compromise. We will also find out that those we did not think we had any common ground with will stand in Christ together with us. We will obey Him regardless of the consequences. Every soul to ever walk the earth are all similarly tried...by faith. The soon coming of the end will see many of our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ risk their lives every day to worship and obey Him. Now is the world’s people time to be tested. The hedge of this country is being removed. Its sowing is ready for reaping. We must not put limits on how long we will stand or what cost we will pay to stand for God and His truth. We do not just stand for truth because it is the truth, but because truth is what our God is. God’s truth will win, but for His own reasons. We know that the Lord often allows setbacks to test His people. Truth will win over all deception and lies, but we all may not get to see that in our lifetime; however, our life can help lead to this victory if we live by the truth. We stand because it is the right thing to do. The churches are dividing today. And its not upon theological questions. The sharp divide is because of political differences. And this marks the end of man’s government. The liberty of man is not safe in the hands of any church. The whole world is at an inflection point. Shattered peace in Europe has impacted stability everywhere, and reckless nuclear threats endanger the global non- proliferation regime. Autocrats are working overtime to undermine democracy and export a model of governance marked by repression at home and coercion abroad. A nation’s power springs from its people. And every people, in every land is divided. This is the first of the division spoken of by Jesus. Jesus gives some details as to how this division will look. He begins with a family in which, perhaps, two of the three children come to belief and are born spiritually. Maybe it is the mother and a child that believe. They may be able to hide their conversion for a while but soon a change in behavior will be seen by the other three and it will be determined by various means that they are believers. That will result in pressure from the three to encourage the two to denounce their faith and return to the religion of the family. Jesus details the division further by saying, “They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.” This division can produce conflict that is severe enough to result in beatings and even in martyrdom. This persecution against believers is clearly not limited to family members but may involve neighbors or others who hear of someone becoming a believer. These may become so incensed over this spread of faithfulness that they in mob action act to remove the enemy from their midst. In many cases the government acts resulting in imprisonment and possible torture and in some cases death. Just as Jesus was hated and hung on a cross to die, so will his followers be persecuted in most areas of the world. The most bitterest division ever is nurtured in the dragon nation of America. Divisiveness based on politics, religion, ethnicity, group identity, gender preference, financial status, ignorance, education, and history. The truth to remedy all division...who is on the Lord’s side. For a time, God’s people were hedged here in the west, free of open persecution and not having to suffer the way our brothers and sisters do in other areas of the world. This was a place of God’s interest and blessing because of the message to be brought forth by His scattered Israel. This began with the loud cry of 1844. And our social experiences and purposes were prophesied in tables. America’s acts of aggression against other nations in its determination to retain and expand slavery and in pursuit of its “manifest destiny” to govern the continent from sea to sea showed it to be heaven-daring, soul-destroying, slave-holding, and a neighbor-murdering country. The gathering prophesy told of the woe to come upon this country. The United States was lamb-like only in its pretensions and surface appearance. This nation was founded not as a democracy but as a slavocracy. It was, it is, and will be the hypocrisy of independence. There is no mention of slavery in the final Declaration of Independence. When it came time to draft the Constitution, the framers carefully constructed a document that preserved and protected slavery without ever using the word. And this is the country that makes the case for freedom to the world? They did not want to explicitly enshrine their hypocrisy, so they sought to hide it. Their Constitution contains 84 clauses. Six deal directly with the enslaved and their enslavement, and five more hold implications for slavery. The words are dark and ambiguous; such as no plain man of common sense would have used, and are evidently chosen to conceal the long range plot to bring forth the 2025 Project. This is the sin that is America. Fifty-nine percent of Americans say they want to just start over. Corrupt practices are commonplace in this country. Americans prefer today a divided government. So called democracy in the US has become alienated and degenerated, and it has increasingly deviated from the essence of democracy and its original design. Problems like money politics, identity politics, disputing between political parties, political polarization, social division, racial tension and wealth gap have become more acute. All this has led to the failed functioning of democracy in the US. This world leading nation is gravely ill and so rooted in endemic racism that God purposed one who possesses power to manifest evil in the world through influencing people and commanding demons. This ideology, is reinforced not just by laws but by racist science and literature, maintained that “other” people are lesser in being. This is the belief that allows designated Americans to live with their betrayal. How wonderful are the purposes of God. It was the bondage in Egypt that brought forth a nation chosen by God and it is the continual bondage in this Egyptian styled land from which the peculiar people of God will be made Israel. Faithful believers who commit themselves to following God’s laws could expect trouble, persecution, and even death for those who resist religious laws as well as civil statutes. Its churches coercive tendencies are all upheld by the laws of the land. They are oppressive when possessed of civil power. Look at its Declaration of Independence and its Constitution; and then look at its institution of slavery, the darkest and most condemning sin upon this abyss of a nation, and its laws of continual bondage, look at the religious intolerance, the corruption and oppression existing throughout this land. But will our faith grow strong eror weaker as a result? Are we willing to suffer and possibly die for our faith? When we face persecution would we be willing to risk our life to keep the bibles we have? Do you think you would grow spiritually, or do you think you would instead deny your faith? The soon coming is the end. Nothing has changed concerning the true nature of this country and the warnings found in Revelation still remain pertinent. It is still vital to live out an unwavering allegiance to God, realizing that this will bring disfavor and even negative sanctions as we follow scriptural injunctions to be inclusive in our love. Faithfulness to the call to be a true “son” of God, one who reflects His image by modeling his inclusive love, sometimes means breaking with social conventions and even national laws. It means not being caught up in the nationalistic impulse which encourage others to put the welfare of America above the well-being of the rest of the world. It does mean denying America’s claims to be pure, innocent, and “Christian,” while telling the truth about the underside of America’s practices: its willingness to oppress religious groups and races that it sees as a threat to its goals, to deny equal rights and respect to minority groups, to pursue wealth at the expense of the poor and vulnerable both at home and abroad, deport undocumented immigrants back to certain death in their countries of origin, as well as many other sins. We must still recognize that the nation’s vaunted Christianity and Republicanism will not restrain its punitive response to defiance of its policies. The vast majority of American churches at the denominational level, both Roman Catholic and Protestant, are still joining hands in an effort to force their systems of belief on the nation through the changing of laws. They preach that the financial setbacks, natural disasters, and various tragic events America has recently suffered are God sent as punishments for departing from bible law. They teach that the heavy hand of God’s discipline will not be removed until the laws of the nation are consistent with God’s laws, as they perceive them to be, and enforced. America is beginning to experience its demise. It is too far gone to be redeemed by mercy. There’s a reason God gave us the first three verses in the Revelation. That we might discover in our investigations of Revelation 13 and 14 the true perspective of American realities. We must commit to living out our calling as messengers of God’s love recognizing that our purpose is that of proclaiming His truth. The overwhelming signs of the last part of story include the weakness of democratic values among key elite groups and the general public; severe economic setbacks, which will intensify social conflict and enhance the popularity of remedies that could be imposed only by authoritarian governments; social and political polarization, often produced by leftist governments seeking the rapid introduction of major social and economic reforms; the determination of conservative middle-class and upper-class groups to exclude mainstream and leftist movements and lower-class groups from political power; the breakdown of law and order resulting from terrorism or insurgency: intervention or conquest by a nondemocratic foreign power: triggering the collapse or overthrow of democratic systems in this and other countries. The world is witness to a global economic collapse, the dangerous increase of Iran’s nuclear power capabilities, Israel’s facade as God’s people and revealing their moral and spiritual corruption, China’s quest for world dominance, the skyrocketing rate of suicide, the rising threat of socialism, the anarchy spilling into the streets, the attack on this nation’s capital, and the mounting death toll due to the coronavirus. God’s true people will be comforted in the prophetic scriptures, which confirm that God is still on His throne and will reign in power and glory. The prophetic scriptures shout from every book in the bible. We may be sojourners in this strange land, surrounded by foreign faces, hearing unfamiliar voices, witnessing hordes of people worshiping pagan gods. We have a choice to either focus on dire circumstances or stand with the God of our fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and His Word. God wants us to understand why He does what He does. There is a vast difference between knowing about God and actually knowing who God is. When we personally know God and have a close relationship with Him, we can better understand what He does and why He does it. God’s people must anoint their eyes. They must have the mind of Christ knowing when and how, if at all, to answer accusers. America knows about God, but a vast number has no comprehension of God’s character. The Supreme Being of the bible is a God of majesty, wisdom, truth, love, and grace, and He is jealous over His children. He is also a God of judgment and wrath, and He does not change. Nothing can alter the character of God. He will judge sin, He will finish His work. What He planned in eternity, He will carry out in time. God’s people must anoint their eyes. 📖 Applying the Study For ongoing spiritual encouragement and prophetical insights, visit Higher Learning.

covenant faith Please allow me to peak your inquiry into what we read, and may I begin with this, hoping that you feel no shock or disdain in this day and age of political correctness…God made a racial choice in His forming man and He made a divine choice concerning the exclusivity of God’s covenant with His people. God shows His people their own particularity that they may affirm God. God began with man being created with the privilege of bearing His image, not His color, for no amount of intelligence can determine what, are even if, God has color seeing as how God is a Spirit. The mention of physical differential appears with Isaac and Rebekah’s sons. All were to share their mental and spiritual faculties with God. This is why we must understand the covenant that we may better understand the word of God. God created man that confirms that God is God. And life is to confirm His righteousness. It is for a certainty that Adam and Eve were ethnically generic and in God’s wisdom and in God’s time He would do that which serves His purposes for the creation that gives Him pleasure. If we only knew what God has in store for us. I pray that our consciences are clear with God not allowing any human prejudices to depreciate the power to love as Jesus loves. But our conversation around the covenant of God must be inclusionary of all diversity resulting from the ministry of Jesus Christ who died for all. Do not allow shades to move us away from the ultimate mission assigned. Not all will conform to the will of God to receive of the benefit. It is in our faith in God’s covenant promises that all injustice is repaired. Jesus’ presence is power and we pray that our descriptor is that we are one with him. God’s covenant does not make us like a new Adam…it is designed to make us like the last Adam, transformed by the word of God. What is that like…the new covenant finds its fulfillment in Jesus Christ who is the true seed of Abraham, the true Son of God. The new covenant promise of forgiveness of sins is fulfilled in Jesus himself, and thus he pours out his Spirit on his people so that they are enabled to do God’s will. God’s covenant addresses the two greatest measures of life in our day; SIN and racial conflict. God in His unsurpassed and infinite wisdom resolves both measures in the divine purpose we learn from the twin births of Esau and Jacob. In God’s wisdom His people find great courage and comfort. God’s wisdom knows ALL things and He foreknew ALL things before there was ever anything. The covenant sharpens our definition of God’s wisdom and shows its relevance in our lives today. Everything must be considered in the wisdom of God. God could have created a “tree of wisdom” instead of the ”tree of the knowledge of good and evil”. We learn tree of good and evil from God’s word that wisdom is not “knowing good and evil, wisdom is knowing good from evil”. It is disobedience that causes us to know evil. And what was evil became good in their eyes. Then, after experiencing through disobedience what was thought good became evil. Nakedness was good until disobedience. Walking with God was good until disobedience and hiding from Him was sought. They were tempted to be like God, knowing good and evil. Their sin became like Satan’s…trying to be like God. Sinning can never by any way make man like God. The tree was created because God wanted Adam and Eve to be wise concerning what is good and aware of what is evil. Creation was to be the lesson book for God’s people. Wisdom is a “tree of life”. God’s covenant, when obeyed, gives life. God’s wisdom is revealed through His covenant of faith with Israel. God promised Abraham that in him, in his seed, all the nations of the earth would be blessed. It seems this would have taken place through the entire world, but history makes it clear the world will not be subject to God and will persistently resist and rebel against God. It was not through the plural seed of Abraham that God brought about the blessing of the world, but through the seed singular of Abraham - Jesus Christ. This is why we are in awe of the covenant of God. God brings about what He has promised in ways we could never imagine or even believe if we were told in advance. God’s wisdom is seen in His dealings with Israel as demonstrated in two manner of people. God’s wisdom is realized in Christ. God’s purpose was a mystery. Christ’s first coming resolved the mystery of the seed. And God’s eternal purpose is to reveal His wisdom to the celestial beings as well as to His people on earth. God is still accomplishing His purpose, which will culminate in the establishing His covenant in His people and the second coming of His Son. When this purpose and program is completed, the full scope of God’s wisdom will have been revealed, and this wisdom will be revealed as so great it will provide the fuel for the praise of God throughout all eternity. God promised to bring salvation and blessing not only to the chosen people but also to the Gentiles who believe. He promised a Savior who was a man, the seed of Eve and of Abraham and of David, but also One who was the divine Son of God. It is this lengthy mystery that will assure that sin will never again come to be. It is the privilege of the covenant that effectuates the marvel of the wisdom of God in saving us. Before God begins this talk with us let us place our hearts and souls where we know we are now in God's perfect timing. It is His timing that grows our faith as we are obliged to wait and trust in God and His timing makes certain that He, and He alone, gets the glory and praise for pulling us through the time that we may be fashioned without sin. Psalms 31:15 God’s covenant was very explicit in stating the promise to Abraham that God would have a visible people made forever perfect through sanctification and is made able to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus. And the bible sanctions this promise. Hebrews 10:14-19 Revelation 7:3, 4 These are not the total number of Abraham’s descendants, but are a very elect group from among that number who will in the latter times have a special mission to fulfil. Revelation 12:17 Revelation 14:1, 4, 5 Let’s move to the light that the shadows be not seen. This “better” covenant… Isaiah 42:1, 6, 7 The “new covenant” is not just a promise waiting to be fulfilled but a person who embodies its fulfillment. God’s covenant word is the Word made flesh. Thus, from Adam through Noah, from Abraham through Moses, and from David to Christ, to his elect, God’s people are being defined, united, and shaped through an ever renewing and developing covenant bond. God’s covenant promises have been unveiling since He clothed Adam and Eve. Genesis 3:21 Notwithstanding their sin, God cares. These coats of skin had a significancy. The beasts whose skins they were must be slain, slain before their eyes, to show them what sin cost, to show them what death is. It was as though they were slain for sacrifice, to typify the great sacrifice, which, in the latter end of the world, should be offered once for all. Their admonition for having committed sin: the first thing that died was a sacrifice, or Christ in a figure, who is therefore said to be the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. The sacrifice did no wrong, but clothed the sinner. They put on the Lord Jesus. The New Covenant comes into focus whenever the Lamb and his blood are mentioned in the bible, and it speaks to a new relationship with God. According to Revelation, God will be faithful in fulfilling His promises to Israel. God’s word offers priority of clear texts over private interpretation and priority of spiritual illumination over obscure conjecture. Why say this…let’s reason brothers and sisters…we accept the truth that the 144000 are of Israel as biblically stated. Now read in Galatians… Galatians 3:26-29 The descendants of Abraham; Ishmael, Isaac, Keturah’s offspring and their bearing, Esau’s descendants, Jacob and all his bearing, and where there was faith in Christ that proceeded Abraham – Adam, Abel, Noah, and the other faithfuls, these are that innumerable great multitude. Everyone represented by Jesus, the ideal king and Israelite, is considered part of true Israel and therefore shares in the blessings promised to Abraham. Yet not all of Abraham’s physical seed belonged to his spiritual seed. Some became the synagogue of Satan. Revelation 7:9 spiritual seed The identification is evident…count the stars. Revelation 2:9; 3:9 Jeremiah 31:31-34 Hear the complete fulfillment of the new covenant. For none to need being taught implies that such a condition as this can only exist after the binding of Satan. Does the new covenant bind to Revelation? The new covenant is stated prophetically as the ongoing relationship between true believers and God that will be in full fruition in the end of days. The connection between the blood of Christ and the new covenant is the power of that mediation that Jesus is finishing in the heavenly sanctuary. There will be the occasion when Jesus finds no fault with them. Daniel 9:27 This new covenant is designed to break the curse of sin from that first brought through Adam…for the judgment proceedings will be complete before Christ returns…it is purposed to return us to the image of God. This spiritual Israel is based on the faith of the patriarch Abraham even before he was circumcised who was ministered by the Melchizedek priesthood, which is understood to be the type of the believers’ faith in Jesus Christ. As there is no precedence to Melchizedek, there is no precedence to Christ, and neither will there be precedence to God’s final living people. They are people of the promise. These have salvific knowledge of the word and have no need to be taught of the ways of the Lord, they lack need for exhortation regarding reconciliation with God. These will show there to be no abrogation of the law. These will evidence by emphatic declaration of the immutability of the covenant. These are now reckoning with sin. These show the new covenant to be present reality. Abraham, Sarah, Ishmael, Isaac, Rebekah, Esau, Jacob…these players and their characters are all in place in God’s plan. And as it is the covenant of God that establishes His people, the question is where are we? Let’s look at the covenant particulars with Abraham and with Jacob. Genesis 12:1-3 Genesis 28:13-15 There is not only the land promise and the promise of numerous descendants, but also the promise that God will be with Jacob wherever he goes. This is God’s presence that is the final fruit of the covenant relationship. This is God’s presence with the scattered of Judah. Because God has undertaken to be our God, He will do that for us which will answer the compass and vast extent of our engagement as He orders and disposes what is best fitted for our deliverance. Whether God lengthens or shortens, embitters or sweetens, as He pleases, our confidence must be according to the counsel of His determination, His will. The highly controverted discourse of Esau and Jacob was prophetic in its consequential revealing of the purpose of God’s covenant. Throughout the bible, God relates to His people through His covenant. It is through this covenant relationship, which serves as the foundation for God's promise to bring redemption to His people, that we can understand the advancement of His kingdom. As passions of violence have been released upon God’s scattered people, against humanity, our most powerful response must be to counter with a passionate revolution of purpose, with greater passion and drive than that which the wicked wages against us. The covenant, if believed in, and adhered to, will purpose us with the will of God, as is the truth of God, through the spiritual faith that is of Christ. Spiritual faith involves the recognition of a belief that there is something greater than ourselves, something more to being human than mere sensory experience, and that the greater whole of which we are part is divine in nature…and the opening of the heart is an essential aspect of true spiritual faith. And so, our brothers, sisters, and friends to the east, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon will be brought into the covenanted faith in Jesus Christ. In this covenant faith is found forgiveness, God making us perfect in Jesus, God’s will done in us, our inward journey, our unique and distinct purpose, our reward. God’s covenant is not brought forth to coerce or manipulate, but to be freely received with the faith of reason. And this faith is centered in love for God, so it strives to act as God wills and is, therefore, manifested in more than just words but also in our respondent actions. And because the enemy of all righteousness accuses us, the function of our faith must be related to the covenant of God. The covenant discussed is our commitment of believing God's promises, trusting in His faithfulness, and relying on God's character and faithfulness to act. All the while accepting, receiving, and resting upon Christ alone for justification, sanctification, and eternal life. The purpose of this covenant is to authenticate our change in character and conduct based on the person of Jesus and his work of atonement accomplished through his death on the cross and his work in the most holy. What does this display to every observer? That our works alone do not have any value for obtaining a positive final judgment, but that a positive final judgment depends on faith alone in what Christ will conclude according to the origin of things in God. Think on the incredible implications of this question… Luke 18:8 What responsibilities do God’s covenant people have to the nations of the world? Faith gone from earth! If not for God’s covenant promises…for it is the covenant of God that moves us from human faith to the faith of Jesus Christ. What precisely is this human faith to the faith of Jesus? Human faith is that demonstrated in the courtyard. It is our expression of belief that leads to imputed righteousness. But all to often this belief falters and we must again return to the courtyard to again confess that which we have not totally forsaken. But the faith of Jesus is just that, as his righteousness is imparted unto us and our spirit is commended unto God, our faith is now in what God can and will do for us; heal us, answers to our prayer, we receive of His blessings, deliverance in a trial, guidance in a difficult decision, and, most importantly, receiving salvation. Obedience to the law of God is purposed in the covenant and yet covenant faith reaches beyond the law. The purpose of the law has never been to forgive sin or bring justification, no law could do this. This is what the covenant blood of Christ is for, and it is why mankind needs a Savior. The two-fold purpose of the law is to point out sin that we might know the wrong and then to point us to Jesus Christ that we might do the right. Establish this thought in your mind; it is covenantal carelessness that brought forth hatred between the two manner of people, a very unusual birth, a birth that was so different that Isaac favored the oddity, and God determined this would bring forth some very ungodly actions, and where we are embarrassed to think of these people as our spiritual ancestors. Although the texts about Jacob and Esau are ostensibly speaking about individuals, each brother represents an ethnic group. Let’s better reason with God concerning the 2520. Leviticus 26:40 The iniquity of our fathers??? How are we accountable? Isaac must have trembled violently with great force as reality dawned upon him. As covenant head and father, he gave the blessing, so full and rich, to someone not his firstborn son, Esau. The deed is done; the word had been spoken, and that oral contact was now legally binding by covenant. No turning back now. Isaac tells Esau concerning Jacob, his brother - “I blessed him…and indeed he will be blessed.” This is God’s reality. How the truth is handled establishes our standing with God. Proverbs 19:21 The enormity of our faithlessness in the covenant promises of God is reflected in this pathetic scene. Reason with the word of God. Hebrews 12:16, 17 We are to reject all ungodliness…all ungodliness…all ungodliness! Esau and his descendants would prove to be the prime example of this. He sold his birthright, despising it, rejecting his high calling, privilege, but also his important responsibility. Yet he wanted the material prosperity. In other words, he wanted all the benefits of God’s kingdom but none of the serious effort. Does this sound familiar in our day as well? Esau had forfeited his claims to the blessing, but he retained a strong sense of entitlement. Here is where covenantal faith will always place us in the presence of God. Please hear this; Esau could have enjoyed God’s blessing if he had submitted to God’s will. Jacob has the great patriarchal blessing. If Esau had submitted to Jacob, thanked the Lord for His guiding hand, and lived in obedience to God’s will from then on, he could have enjoyed the Lord’s goodness in the ascendancy of Jacob. In God allowing Isaac to bestow a blessing upon Esau, Isaac uses many phrases from his earlier blessing to Jacob, but now they have a slightly different nuance. The land of Edom would not be as fertile as Canaan would be. The Edomites would be forced to submit to the Israelites, but they would fight back, often revolting against Israel and living in the utmost hatred toward the Israelites. This “blessing” indicates that the Edomites, Esau’s children, would not be a weak nation, but in the end, they would always be a restless nation. What began in the conflict of Esau and Jacob continues…bitterness, disappointment powered by hatred can grow roots that sink into the soul. Weeds are easy to uproot when they first appear, but if weeds are neglected and are allowed to grow, the roots sink deeper into the soil, and weeds become more difficult to spiritual weeds become difficult to uproot uproot. The same is true with the roots of hatred. Genesis 27:41 Esau hates Jacob. Notice that Esau does not identify Jacob as “my enemy”, but he calls him “my brother.” We clearly hear an echo of the Cain and Abel story and even an echo of Ishmael and Isaac’s conflict. In Genesis chapter 4, we read that two brothers are divided by God’s righteous favor as well as unrighteous jealousy and hatred against the other. Cain killed righteous Abel in cold blood. Esau prepares to do the same to Jacob, the man whom God loves in His covenant. God loves Jacob, not on the basis of Jacob’s actions, but on God’s own sovereign choice, His own mercy. With covenant faith must come the reasoning with what God reveals. God had shown to both Isaac and Rebekah the early rising of the faithlessness of Esau. Genesis 26:34, 35 And even yet did Esau show contempt for the rites of the covenant. Genesis 28:6-9 Esau’s descending character has left his people so “spiritually stunted” that the fostered hatred exists in ways yesterday and today that show direct conflict with God’s truths. Jesus descended from Jacob. Who sought to kill him? Is Herod descended from Esau’s lineage? Obadiah 10 Esau himself never knew that his descendants would claim to be the superior race over all humanity, and in the name of white supremacy would commit such inhumane atrocities. The book of Obadiah explains in detail the fate of Edom, and how he will eventually pay for his sins, pride and atrocities against humanity but especially against his brother Jacob, the chosen one, to whom he is a servant. Numbers 24:14-24 Amalek was the leader among Esau’s princes. This is talking about the Byzantine Empire. It controlled the Mediterranean Sea. Chittim is plural. God is trying to point to all of the Islands on the Mediterranean Sea and their coastlines. God is describing the Byzantine Empire, the ancient name for Cyprus. Lamentations 4:21, 22 THE LAND OF UZ is Armenia. Genesis 32:3; 36:8, 9, 21 Esau is the ancestor of the Edomites who live on Mount Seir, southwest of Judah. Ezekiel 35:15 Present day Esau, which is Edom, which is Idumea. Genesis 14:6: 36:21 Now let’s follow the word and see what we resolve… God has declared this about His name. Psalms 138:2 How very careful then should we be to give diligent heed to His written word. It is, therefore, of the utmost importance that we become acquainted with the genealogy of the Gentiles, who are Esau, or Edom. What does God declare? Obadiah 9, 18 God confirms this… Genesis 36:9, 12 Numbers 24:20 Amalek was son of Eliphaz, and grandson to Edom or Esau. If these words of God be true we cannot, and should not, spare any pains, however great, in order to ascertain who Esau, or Edom, is. The Spirit of God identifies Edom with Babylon. Psalms 137:7, 8 We will see this verse again. It means to make bare or destroy the Temple. Chaldea, or Babylon, was re-established by Assyria. Isaiah 23:13 Ezekiel 12:13 Ezra 5:12 The Assyrian empire embraced the country on both sides of the Tigris. Babel, was founded by Nimrod. Genesis 10:9, 10 The Assyrians descended from the Caucasus, conquered and destroyed Jerusalem. II Kings 17:1-6; 18:9-11 The bible tells us that Babylon conquered Assyria and Medo-Persia conquered Babylon and Greece conquered Medo-Persia. And plucking from Greece history identifies a “little horn” becoming the Roman Empire. Could Rome be “Mystery Babylon” Mother of Harlots? Revelation 17:3-6 Luke 3:1 From the east Rome, peopled all the west; first Italy, France, Germany, England and America. Christianity became the established religion, under Constantine; hence Babylon, Edom, Rome, and Christianity are synonymous. Remember, the Edomites sided with the Babylonians. Psalms 137:1, 7-9 Because of these bearings Esau is historically typed as the ancestor of Rome. Thus, we can begin to reason with the “new covenant”. We can see how this relevancy makes the most powerful nation in the world (Rome) into one that fears, or at least respects, the God of Israel. Moreover, the “real” battle in this world is one between Rome and Judah, i.e., between Esau and Jacob. Oh how wonderful is the covenant power of God to reverse the hatred of Esau for Jacob to reconciliation and the final gathering unto God by us in the last day. So, when the Babylonians were to destroy the temple, it was Esau/Edom who took advantage of that fall, establishing the Roman Empire, and chased away the remnant of Israel, who fled to West Africa in which was the end of them being a nation. The Edomites, the Roman elite then converted the Ottoman Turks, their fellow Edomites to Judaism, replacing the vast black Hebrews with imposter Jews who hated Jesus. We are aware that the Southern Tribes of Israel were in Africa in 1747 AD and the historical maps prove the Tribe of Judah and Benjamin were in Africa. I believe the word of God presents a case of mistaken identity today among those who say they are Jews but are the Synagogue of Satan. Are Jacob’s descendants not living in the United States of America today? Is there a difference between African Hamites and Black Israelites? Why are there historical maps, which prove the Transatlantic Slave Trade was responsible for the scattering of the Southern Tribes of Israel? It is in the covenant that God gives us the genesis of the revelation. This is the continual covenantal truth of the faith of expectation. It is understood as “confident expectation.” It is looking to the future with confidence because God is a faithful provider of all that we need. There is motivational power in one's expectations when the word of God shows itself to be all truth. God isolates faith, which means “trust,” or “confidence,” as the single most important element of relationship with Him. How does covenant faith show Jesus in us…trust is best evidenced by the life of Jesus Christ, who did all he did by way of his unflagging trust in his heavenly Father. Ephesians 4:22, 31, 32 Restorative justice, through sacred reconciliation on the part of Jacob in his wrestling with God is our admonition in the last day…are we people of the covenant by faith whereby our birthright comes directly from our God? God chooses His people because He can…He is God…and God showcases His sovereignty, His power, His love in fulfilling His promises how He so determines. The full enfolding of the covenant will not be done in this natural temporal domain, yet we are the people in this time, this place, and this situation where God’s will can truly be accomplished...in earth as it is in heaven. We must “faith the truth”. God’s truth supersedes worldly facts. And faith-full actions can change the world. The time is nearing where God’s people will have the courage to know the hopelessness of circumstances and yet remain expectant that God will provide a way. Christ knew he was to die on the cross and hope did not present his coming forth, yet he expected his Father’s acceptance that had been given him. SOP - Amid the awful darkness, apparently forsaken of God, Christ had drained the last dregs in the cup of human woe. In those dreadful hours He had relied upon the evidence of His Father’s acceptance heretofore given Him. He was acquainted with the character of His Father; He understood His justice, His mercy, and His great love. By faith He rested in Him whom it had ever been His joy to obey. And as in submission He committed Himself to God, the sense of the loss of His Father’s favor was withdrawn. By faith, Christ was victor. {DA 756.3} This covenant perspective thrills our hearts because we realize that we have been caught up into Christ’s grand, ages-long project. It gives us a sense of identity—we know our roots. It brings us a sense of stability. Faith, is not a power in itself, nor of merit to us; it requires an object, someone or something to trust in. Faith points us to God who is the object of our faith, but to trust Him we must know something about Him, that is, His character and His promises. It is in God’s covenant that we find the transcript of His character as written in the law and it is in our obedience to His commandments that we find the sureness of His promises. And Jesus Christ is the all of God’s promises. That is why we must have the faith of Jesus; he knows the way, he is the way. God’s words prove that He has every resource necessary to do all that He promises. The new covenant 11fingered in the heart, in the mind, is struck by flint; faith with no compromise, love with no compromise, obedience with no compromise. God’s covenant signifies that Christ will never have to do it again. we know our roots 📖 Applying the Study For ongoing spiritual encouragement and prophetical insights, visit Higher Learning.

Know Thyself God wants us to know Him. God has placed a desire in our hearts to know him. We are uniquely made to give the Holy Spirit sanction to search our heart. Knowing God is a profound privilege. And the only way we can know ourselves is to know God’s Son. God wants us to be secure in His love and in ourselves. And it is by the Holy Spirit that we have a deep sense of self before the Father. The Holy Spirit uses the scriptures to be our spiritual telescope with which we can look deeply into ourselves. The scripture is a series of narratives disclosing the relationships between God and His people. It is for us to discern what the implications are for us, and then to listen to what is for us and how we should respond. The scriptures were not only written to us, but they were also certainly written for us. We are to know what the Father has given us to do as did Jesus. We are individuals, uniquely important to God and His purposes for the world. Consider God’s creative work in us up to the present. We are to know who we are in our true self. And we are to know the living God. God has made us as whole people in His image. That image includes physical, spiritual, emotional, intellectual and social dimensions. We are to become holy in character, become like Christ. Everything is valuable for the purpose it serves. Nothing is valuable by itself, except the one content of everything which we call the Omnipresence of the Lord. And we cost God everything. That is the only thing that is important by valuables itself. All the other things are valuable for the purpose they serve and any purpose is valuable only when it serves the purpose of God-awakening in us. The value to God of his people knowing themselves is that it allows for a deeper relationship with Him, as understanding one's own strengths, weaknesses, and motivations enables a more authentic approach to faith, leading to greater humility, repentance, and personal growth, ultimately reflecting a closer connection to God's love and grace; essentially, "knowing yourself" is seen as a key step towards "knowing God”. Herein is the reasoning to recognizing the potential for self-deception as it highlights the need to seek God's wisdom in understanding ourselves. It is how we are to examine ourselves, to know whether we be in the faith; able to prove our own selves as not just us how that Jesus Christ is in us. We say self must die. Self-dying is not a final act. It is coming to self-knowledge. Understanding our own awareness, thoughts, beliefs, assessments, our merits, and behaviors as they are to reveal Christ working in us. It's about discovering ourselves in God. Our identity should never be based on a hope or a guess. God gave us His Word, the bible, so we can know Him and know who He is making us to be in Him. God’s word should fulfill our consciences so as to associate self-discovery, self-expression, and self-actualization. There is purpose to God wanting His people to know who they are. Having self-awareness gives us the power to influence outcomes by our choices; helps us become better decision-makers and gives us more self-confidence. We can communicate with clarity and intention, which allows us to understand things from multiple perspectives. It frees us from assumptions and biases and makes truth the only thing spoken in love, helping us make spiritual sense of our experiences. We earnestly study to understand ourselves within a larger context of just being. This involves practices like meditation, mindfulness, connecting with nature, and examining our significance to discern our deeper purpose and connection to something beyond ourself, allowing us to live more faithfully and with greater meaning as we give full attention to every present moment without judgment. Reliance upon our spiritual senses; the conscience, which is an inherent sense of right and wrong; intuition, a sense of God’s revelation, knowledge, and wisdom; and communion, a sense of God’s presence, orients us to that higher purpose or significance, that connection, that “something” that gives us a higher perception of reality. Our expressions are honest and sincere while reflecting kindness and compassion, essentially conveying important information while maintaining a caring and respectful attitude towards others, signifying a genuine connection built on both uprightness and empathy. As we come to know ourselves, we transcend the material realm and human comprehension. Knowing thyself is life-giving; it is a source of consciousness; it has intention and purpose; it connects us to all beings, it is connects us to all beings an aspect of our deepest essence. Knowing ourselves involve constituting ourselves as a spiritual subject. Seeing ourself as being a soul having a spiritual nature, and nurturing our soul - to consider that the dimension of reality that is often called “spiritual” is the most important part of who we are. This is God’s grace allowing us to construct ourselves when self dies. We come to Christ with an eternal mind, nurturing our spirituality in a specific way - as someone who is engaged in self-transformation, discovering or attaining our essence as being more than mortal flesh, and living in, interacting with, and aligning ourselves to a heavenly bearing that extends deeper and beyond the immediate materiality of the world as it appears to the humanly senses. We have access to full meaning truth. The key idea here to knowing ourselves is that spirituality is a search for truth, and that this search involves a process of transformation of oneself. Spirituality is an access to truth that comes through self-transformation rather than through the accumulation of knowledge. We move away from ordinary life. We have a quest toward truth and its ultimate meaning. Our life now involves knowing the spiritual sense of our whole self. Knowing our intention through trust in God. He knows we are to live our lives daily. He sent His son to die for us that we might live for him, allowing God to use us and our uniqueness - to do His work. We have a better perspective on who we are and how God continued humanity in us for His purposes. T o know thyself is to know that we do not measure up to the qualifications for God’s love. That we don’t measure up to being perfect. But to know thyself does mean that we are the recipients of His grace and mercy! That mercy, that grace, is at work as we run through the filter of God’s word to bring us filter of God's word to God in the righteous perfectness of Jesus Christ. To know thyself grants us sight of how God and His word are our framework and foundation for worth and worthiness in the plan of God. Know thyself is written in every scripture. The omnipresence of God teaches us that He is not ashamed of being present in His created beings. It is this quality that makes Him God, and it is the absence of this quality that makes us human beings. We are made in His image, we are expected to imitate God and fill up the gap. We are to behave in the terms He behaves, so that we may not be ashamed of the testimony of Jesus. To do this, we go through a process of knowing what is 'I am', and what is not 'I am'. That is the difference between the 'self' and the 'non-self'. So, we start with ourselves hearing the admonition of the ancients warning us…"know thyself." Know thyself means, 'know God'. We should know ourselves as in God, existing in God, coming from God and going into God. This is Jesus calling for us to be “one”. To know thyself is to know that our creation is an opportunity, not a privilege. We are to make the best use of time, of life. Let us transcend to the height time of use to understand God’s reason for us to know ourselves. Jesus came in the fulness of humanity and the fulness of divinity. He came to be that example for man that we may be restored to the image and likeness deemed to us at creation. We are to understand both humanity and divinity in regard to our purposes. The word of God counseling us to know thyself is considered important because it allows us to understand our strengths, weaknesses, and motivations, which in turn enables us to better align our lives with God's will, make informed decisions, and grow spiritually by addressing areas where we need to change or develop further; essentially, by understanding who we are at our core, we can better serve God and live a life that reflects His image. He who does not know himself does not know God either. And he who does not know God does not know the truth and the nature of things in general… He who does not know himself continually sins against God and continually moves farther away from Him. Self-knowledge is one of our foremost duties. We were made a being of lofty rank and has been destined to become like God, in Whose image we were determined, and a participant in divine goodness and blessedness. But in order to become a divine likeness, good and blessed, and to commune with God, we must first of all know ourself. Without self-knowledge we go astray in our thoughts, we are dominated by diverse passions, tyrannized by violent desires, troubled about many and vain things, and lead a disorderly, distracted life, erring in all things, wandering on the way, staggering at every step; and we stumble, fall, and are crushed. We drink every day potions of sorrow and bitterness, fill our hearts with grief, and live an unbearable life. We must learn to be concerned about things eternal. There is in us the power of self-knowledge – being a spiritual and morally free being, having free will and the power of knowing. But in order to acquire perfect knowledge of ourselves, we must first will, and then move toward self-inquiry and make ourselves an object of study. Without willing, none of the things that ought to be done can be done. The faculty of the will, strengthened by the faculty of reason, and that of free choice and self-control, overcomes all obstacles and succeeds in everything: ‘I will’, becomes, ‘I can’, in us, that acts with knowledge and freedom. We ought to will, to know ourself, to know God, and to understand the nature of things as they are in themselves, and thus become an image and likeness of God. With us being well advised comes wisdom. In knowing thyself we our neighbor know our duties toward ourself, toward God, and toward our neighbor, and that piety, justice, truth and knowledge should be for us the touchstone on which we test all our acts that have reference to God, to ourself, and to our neighbor… We are never to be puffed up, never to be filled with pride, but first of all we are to know our shortcomings and our faults, always comparing ourself with the ideal prototype, Jesus, in the likeness of which we ought to develop ourself, inasmuch as we see how much we fall short of his example. Let’s behold Jesus… What consequence might we see in him? What mystery might we learn of concerning ourselves? This mystery may be difficult for us to comprehend. Right at the outset I lodge a warning - we will consider written revelations that may disorient our mind. They are revelations of God. If it’s a revelation and we don’t understand it, we mustn’t argue with it, it’s a revelation. Do not become disturbed by the realities of God’s word that we cannot comprehend. Pray the Holy Spirit. The mystery is of the incarnation, God manifest in Christ, His only begotten Son. This is a subject that we need to study and yet it is beyond our understanding to comprehend. Yet, we can fathom this mystery through the subduing of the heart to the Holy Spirit. Christ could have done nothing during His earthly ministry in saving fallen man if the divine had not been blended with the human. The limited capacity of man cannot define this wonderful mystery - the blending of the two natures, the divine and the human. How can we enter into this mystery? Because of Christ we are privileged to be a partaker of the divine nature, and in this way we can to some degree enter into the mystery. We need to study Christ’s life as given in God’s word. Christ died for us, and he is the way that we die to self. Reason this statement to see what is meant - truth is so large, so far- reaching, so deep, so broad, that self is lost sight of. To know thyself, we are to contemplate Jesus Christ. He is the representative specimen that came to know himself just as we are to come to know ourselves. It is a solemn reality that Christ came to fight the battles as man, in man’s behalf. His temptation the Pattern and victory tell us that humanity must copy the Pattern; we must become a partaker of the divine nature. Close study must be brought forth that no confusion concerning our partaking is allowed to enter our reasoning with God. Jesus was tried in all points like as we are. Being tried is being enticed. It is a deep and strong desire, but being not conceived neither is sin. This was the experience of Jesus. Was Jesus a man? He was tempted as every man is. This pure wonderful God coming down into human flesh as a babe, as a youth, through to thirty years of age suffering as every man. Temptation is the phase of everyone’s experience. This, the human nature of Christ must endure being actually tempted all through his life. He was, in terrible reality, tempted as we are, and because He successfully resisted temptation under every form, He gave us the perfect example, and through the ample provision Christ has made, we may become partakers of the divine nature. In Christ is how we can know ourself. He was placed on probation, with liberty to yield to Satan’s temptations and work at cross-purposes with God. If this were not so, if it had not been possible for Him to fall, He could not have been tempted in all points as the human family is tempted. For a period of time Christ was on probation. He took humanity on Himself, to stand the test and trial which the first Adam failed to endure. Had He failed in His test and trial, He would have been disobedient to the voice of God, and the world would have been lost. Unless there is a possibility of yielding, temptation is no temptation. Temptation is resisted when man is powerfully influenced to do a wrong action and, knowing that he can do it, resists, by faith, with a firm hold upon divine power. This was the ordeal through which Christ passed. He could not have been tempted in all points as man is tempted, had there been no possibility of His failing. He was a free agent, placed on probation, as was Adam, but not like Adam, and as is every man so too unlike Adam save in the affect and effect of sin. Adam and Eve received their old sin nature by an act of negative volition. We receive our old sin nature by an act of physical birth, the first birth. In His closing hours, while hanging upon the cross, He physical birth experienced to the fullest extent what man must experience when striving against sin. This is the revelation of the mystery by which we may be able to strive against sin and conquer as did Jesus. By looking to Jesus, we can know ourselves in him, and experience that divine nature. This is how we are to comprehend the significance of the word to be like Christ… “to know thyself”. Sin must be made hatefully painful to us. Jesus is that great and good truth to say the image of God is within us. The substance of our soul is the essence of that infinite and eternal Spirit from whence all life, all power, and all things proceed. Because of this truth, the most terrifying words we can hear are “ye of little faith”. We do not believe in an imaginary or man-made God. Because all things are possible with Him, we can know ourselves as did His Son…we can partake of the human and the divine. It is our faith in God that with Him all things are possible that we can, through and by that belief, control ourself to such an extent that we bring ourself to a literal realization of that which we desire…to be like Jesus. To know ourselves is to know that we were born spiritually dead. When man partook of the forbidden tree, his negative volition led to his acquiring a sin forbidden tree nature. So, the original man was created. Everyone else is perpetuated. This is a very important distinction in knowing thyself. Volition is the power of choosing, the power of determining. But we have that gifted of Christ – we have the Holy Spirit. And the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. And by Him we are instructed having the mind of Christ. The human spirit with the Word, the Holy Spirit teaches the human spirit. ‘‘The Spirit beareth witness with our spirit.’’ When the Holy Spirit puts the Word into the human spirit, this is when we are hearing and listening to the teaching of the Word. Then we have something on which to use our free will beside what we have in the soul. The thinking in the soul is human viewpoint. But the Word of God is divine viewpoint by which we come to know ourselves by the consciousness of God. Because we were ignorant of self we sinned. But because of this spiritual experience in knowing ourselves we can stop sinning…by volition…by choice. We can now have the thought pattern of grace. Jesus Christ had compassion because He was God in His Deity, which is an extension of His love. In His humanity He had compassion, because He had not a sin nature. He was minus of any mental attitude towards sin and therefore He had the capacity for love. His compassion was an expression of the capacity to love. He was born of the Spirit. Knowing thyself is knowing how to open to God that we may be born of the Spirit. Jesus knew who he was to the extent that rather be made a king, which was contrary to the mind of our Lord Jesus, he departed. Herein he has left us a testimony of sober judgment according to the measure of faith given us. To know ourselves reveals the magnitude of God's presence in our lives as He examines the depth of our hearts. We are to be defined by the word of God. Our self-concept, also called self-construction, our self-identity, our self- perspective or self-structure is an assembling of principles about ourselves. We must know these things that we not deceive ourselves. We are known of God. And by His purpose we are brought to the knowledge of self. We are thus recovered out of the ignorance and bondage under which we before lay. By owing to ourselves this account we are more under the greater obligation to know that all purposes assigned us by God begins with Him. We know Him, because we are known of Him. This is how we come to know ourselves. The knowledge of self will never lead us to the knowledge of God, whereas the knowledge of God will reveal to us what it is that we are to learn about ourselves. We begin to recognize our divine selves being awakened to the truths revealed by God. We no longer define ourselves in terms of our limited human nature as a desecration of the image of God within us. We must learn to identify ourselves with that which is real in the eternal part. We contemplate the part of us made in the image and likeness of God, and claim our born again right. For, as we know thyself as His elect-child, we become empowered by all we have inside. So, we make it our purpose to know ourself. For, within us is hidden the treasure of treasures…the likeness of God. Through this realization, we can confidently and boldly declare with certainty that “I in Christ, and Christ in the Father, are one!” I in Christ 📖 Applying the Study For ongoing spiritual encouragement and prophetical insights, visit Higher Learning.

We are people of God. We are according to the faith of God’s elect. We are a people who have fully embraced God's revelation of Himself and His will for His people in Christ Jesus. We are the people purposed for the plan of salvation. We are the people who have the knowledge of the truth. We are the people that desire all to become God's vessels of grace and mercy for everyone and anyone who calls on the name of the Lord. We are God’s people, and this is not a hard truth to comprehend. Why? Because we believe that God is, and always has been. That He condescended from the fullness of His spiritualness to step all the way down to humanity to show us Himself in the form that He created us. He came in His Son’s generation, who was always with Him in eternity, that we may be a chosen generation, peculiarly called from the sureness of the darkness of death to the certainty of the light of life. Now please understand the depth of this identification as we consider something of even greater height – you ready? It was even before the Son of God was sent for us that God the Father had, according to His foreknowledge, His pre-arrangement, His predestination, that namely us, would love Him, whom he foreknew, and what would follow is our being found to be fit to be conformed to the likeness of His Son. God termed us the “elect”. That's a very controversial subject. What goes into that elect is a faith, a wisdom, such a knowledge of the word of God that problems within the people in whom the love of God is not yet, or may never be perfected, results in divisiveness. God does not think like man. God is finite in no meaning of the word. God is necessary, and our God is the first cause in all things. But He is not all things. He cannot be sin. He cannot be evil. He cannot be absent. And God is not bound. And this is why we who are people of God have free choice to come to know the pursuit of reason with God and to come to the truth of understanding that which appears controversial to the human mind. This shows there is coextensive in the will of God - His order to determine who's elect and His omniscient knowledge of our free choice, they run together. This is that great power given us at creation. There's not one more powerful in the way God does things over the other. God's sovereignty does not outreach our free choice as it affects us. But eternity exists within God, and that means that God can look into the eternities future, the times past, and the thoughts and motives of the heart as present with Him. We experience present consequences based upon past decisions, choices, but have no sight into the next moment...except by faith. That is why we are chosen...our faith. Faith is that given by God to allow us to glimpse in part into what He already knows. We are held responsible for our choices. God knows what choices everyone will make. Our choice of accepting the Lord or rejecting the Lord, that is determining our eternal destination. God has always projected Himself before all men that He exists. As we know in reasoning with the word, God has always shared that He is there. And if man would reach out and pursue that light, God will give more light until eventually it accumulates to that gospel that brings that person to the knowledge and understanding of his or her lost condition and his or her need for Christ. It's not a case of if we see God or not, the bible tells us all man sees God, but the bible also tells us it's man's choice to accept or to reject Him. We are responsible for our decision to accept or reject the Lord. But at the same time, God has in His foreknowledge accepted us according to the choice, obviously that we've made to accept or reject Him too. So as a people we either choose God or we suppress the truth and walk away from Him. Choosing God makes us others. We must be always mindful of ourselves of who He's called us to be in Him. We can begin to see our point of recognition in events when God called a man to leave his own country, his very kindred, his father’s house to include a man chosen to lead a people into a wilderness. We are to be the “on earth” living example of what a people are like when they follow God’s way. And now we know there is that people beyond the elect; there is the election. The election is not a people of nationality. We are a people of nature having commonality in Jesus Christ – set apart for his services - under one head agreeing in the same manners and customs and governed by the same laws. We are a holy nation because we are consecrated and devoted to God reborn and sanctified by His holy spirit...peculiar. We are inspirationally different. We are a people that should be separate, not because we are self- righteous or think we deserve eternal life, but because following God’s teachings causes us to be different from those who do not follow them. If this is our faith, our greatest separation must be from the sinful conduct of the world. God does have a people favored. We embrace every word of God and we have a singular faith that is objective and is exclusively based on Jesus. Because of Christ, we have the living hope that every promise of God will come to pass and so we live with eager anticipation and confident expectation of the fulfillment of every word of God. We abide in undeserved grace sufficient for every occasion. And we who know something of God’s grace as believers, appropriately seek to “see” God’s grace at work in others. This does not mean that we compromise with sin, but it does mean we reflect the character of Christ in dealing with those we witness to by sharing the truth. God is composing His people to convey the truth that the new heaven and the new earth will include all peoples, tongues, kindreds, nations – diversities of one mind. This challenges us to take seriously our own practices, programs, prejudices, and preferences. We are a people who come to all with justness and grace. We build relationships for heaven. We come to know our sisters and brothers now who will be in the family of God. God’s people are dependent. We continually trust God with every part of our lives. We acknowledge that He has all the power, and we trust Him to work according to His will. This is the revelation of our faith no matter our circumstances. And it is by our circumstances that our faith increases. We thrive in the creation of God. Creation gives us the example that can be followed by those who believe in Jesus because His people can trust in the Creator and Sustainer of all things. We thrive spiritually because we are following His command to keep the Sabbath holy in obedience to Him. Once we were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy. Because we have this mercy, we have this distinctiveness from Christ as a family related by blood. Read these texts; Ephesians 3:14, 15; Hebrews 2:17; Colossians 1:20; Colossians 1:2; and Ephesians 2:13. The people of God are truly blood kith and kin. We share the same Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth receives its name. We share the same elder brother, Christ, whose blood shed on the cross has reconciled us to the heavenly Father. And we share a union with our spiritual others, brothers and sisters in Christ, who are reconciled to each other by the same blood of the cross. We are the peopled family that forms the centerpiece of God’s work in creation. We are that fruit multiplied. From the beginning God formulated His agenda in terms of a family. We are the people serving as the purpose of God’s intent that our faith would be indeed the perfection and completion of the former. We are to be the substance of that grace of faith that the faithful hoped for, and the evidence of the eye of the mind that the reality of those things that cannot be discerned by the eye of the body are the firm assent of the soul to the divine revelation, as set to its seal that God is true. Under the sovereign decree of an all-wise God, the family is the vehicle by which His triune likeness will be disseminated to the entire universe made new. We are the family of God in Christ. Divine image is not a speculation. We see perfectly in Christ the image and the glory of God. It is by this example of Christ whereby we divinely understand the must need death of self. From the unspeakable riches of equality with God to the most impoverished death in antiquity, from heights unsearchable to depths unimaginable, from one polar extreme to another, this is the measure of the self-emptying death of Christ. It is history’s most perfect expression of sacrificial love. It is also the clearest revelation of what it means to manifest the image of God. In Jesus we see the likeness of the heavenly Father. On the cross we behold a picture of what God is like, and hence of what families created in his image are meant to be like. It is a picture of infinite love. God the Son emptied himself, to humble himself, to take on the form of a slave, and to submit to a slave’s death. This portrait is harmonical with what we know of Christ and God. The Godhead is other- oriented. Each Person is plurality-in-unity. As the people of God, bearing His image, we must be found capable of this kind of love. Prepared to lay out ourselves with all possible concern for another to convert them from the error of their way to save a soul from death. We are others who strive for the salvation of the whole man. Though our sins may be still, they will be pardoned, our service of conversion will prevent a multitude of sins not just in the others to whom we are sent, but many also may be prevented in others that they may have an influence upon. We are a people who examine ourselves. Our concern for sinners must be stronger than our condemnation of sin. God abominates sin. It represents a personal affront. It diminishes his glory in the world and effaces the radiance of men and women created in his image. But God is love. He elects out of the multitude a chosen people to give glory to His image. Noah, Abraham, but God has a last time people called to fidelity to His covenant and the manifestation of His character throughout the world. Still to come, the ultimate unveiling of God’s Israel. From time immemorial it was God’s intention to carve out a new family whose hearts would be purged of the defect of sin and filled with the law of love, an impulse empowered by the indwelling Spirit of God himself. Creation eagerly awaits the emergence of this family! Isaiah prophesied of this Israel as the servant of the Lord. Isaiah 42:6; 49:6 We are to be the arrival of the indwelling presence of God signaled by the prophets, the glory of God’s image inscribed on human hearts, the displacement of sin by the internal law of love. Christ, whose own self- emptying death on the cross represented the expression of divine love, now comes to reside in us. It is absolutely essential to acknowledge that the indwelling love of Christ is bestowed within a plurality of human hearts. This is not to suggest that Christ does not indwell hearts individually. He most certainly does, but not hearts isolated from other hearts. Ultimately, it is a family of hearts that Christ comes to indwell. By vanquishing our sin in these two respects - paying sin’s penalty and purging sin’s power - Christ fits us for the family of God. Costly to him and priceless to us is our induction into the body of Christ. Because of Jesus Christ, single human beings, individuals can be saved from the wrath of God and assured seats in a heavenly eternity. While this reality is not to be diminished in any way but rather prized with full-throated praise, we do not view God’s work through the individualistic lens of our day. The Godhead is spiritual unity. And by one spirit are we all baptized into one body. And above all, within the people of God purposed by election in and by Christ, the larger dimensions of God’s plans for creation receive breathtaking definition. God is wholly other. Completely different than all other things. The essential of all holiness. We must relate to him by his self-revelation in the person of Christ Jesus, and through the bible. The angels cry holy, holy, holy. In Christ there is none other. How do we identify with none other name? God elected Abraham, Isaac, Jacob. When an individual is elected, it means his descendants are also elected. The God of this people of Israel chose our fathers, and exalted the people when they dwelt as strangers in the land of Egypt, and with a high arm brought he them out of it. God has declared His as “mine elect”. This is very important to understand the “others” of God. In the same sense, God has chosen Jesus Christ, His elect, the seed of Abraham, so that the people who have relation with Him, who belong to Him, also become the elect or chosen “people of God”. Jesus Christ being God’s chosen one has fulfilled God’s choice of Abraham. Jesus is the fulfillment of the true Israel. But we must remember this truth – they are not all Israel, which are of Israel. Though God can call a person, if that person is not faithful to God his or her calling can be abrogated. The purpose of God’s calling is for service, not for salvation. The one called has a choice. The calling and election must be made sure. In Christ unity transcends all other human unity and it binds God’s people together. The people of God are those chosen by him to fulfill his purpose, and this sense of being called and chosen brings a strong sense of solidarity to us. We cannot be defined apart from Christ who is the source of our life. The term “people of God” makes a definite claim that faithful believers all, regardless are the true Israel of God. There is a biblical theme of the people of God concerning the continuity that God’s people will be made up of all mankind. God gives exceptional attention to His people throughout biblical history. Israel was to demonstrate unswerving, exclusive loyalty to the Lord. Second, Israel was to remember that she had been chosen for a special relationship without any merit of her own. Third, Israel, as the people of God, was to remember her past life of slavery and use this to promote a proper worship of God. Fourth, Israel was not to repeat the social oppression that she experienced in Egypt, but rather establish a familial cooperative spirit based upon justice and righteousness. We learn how the fracturing of Israel into two peoples was not just a rejection of God but an opportunity for the world to begin to impose error to bring about disregard for the truth of God. During the period of Israel’s decline we are introduced to an important dimension in our understanding of the people of God. The people of God are not simply those of physical Israel; or even the majority of Israel. The true or real people of God are the few, the “remnant”, the children of Israel who live for God in faithfulness to his covenant. Remnant thought attributes to God His involvement in the world, acknowledging His transcendence and immanence, bringing together the themes of judgment and salvation. At its heart, however, lay the conviction that even when Israel or Judah were at their worst, there was always a small group of faithful believers who held on to true religion. The people as a whole might have failed spectacularly, but there were still some who could provide a bridge to forgiveness and restoration. It was these people, the true people of God, the “others” as it were, in whom God would work his resolution for the end of history and the vindication of God’s justice. The faithful ones are described as “the people that know their God”. At this last time, another element is added to the dimension of the people of God. God’s people in our day would not only be from among the elect, we will be the remnant of the elect. God’s people would be a new people unlike any generation called to purpose. God’s plan for Israel would not rest alone in the humanity of the faithful remnant, but in God’s action to inaugurate a new people whose ascent is unto God. We will be purified, illumined, and perfected in the likeness of Christ. Spiritual senses will mirror the divine image of the heavenly Jerusalem. Flooded with all these intellectual lights, our mind turns into a house of God that is inhabited by the divine Wisdom. Our mind, then, becomes a son, a daughter, a bride, and a friend of God. It becomes a coheir of Christ. It also becomes a temple of the Holy Spirit, which is founded on faith, raised through hope, and dedicated to God through holiness of mind and body. It is the most sincere love of Christ that brings this about, a love which is poured forth in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who is given to us. Now God can be contemplated, not only outside ourselves and inside ourselves, but also above ourselves: outside ourselves through his vestiges; inside ourselves through his image; and above ourselves by means of the light that is positioned above our mind. This is the light of the eternal truth itself, since our mind itself is shaped immediately by truth itself. “He Who Is” is our unity. And we will be in the last time constantly under the gaze of this purest Being who is supremely One. Our God will be most present. The fracture and division within relational units is this world’s most besetting darkness. A striking unity pervades the family of God. We are others not of the world but called to shine radiantly, transforming the surroundings as beacons of light. Our oneness with others is to develop a common bond in Christ in a faith relationship. The last time people of God are considered as the remnant people of God. These profess exceptional allegiance to God and His kingdom, even in the face of the dragon’s beast and its image’s deception and oppression. The “people of God” are not ethnically defined: they come from “every nation, tribe, people and language.” The people are elected “in Christ” to be a holy “people of God.” We are called for the service of God in order to proclaim the wonderful deeds of the Lord and to herald the dire warnings for the soon coming of Christ. We are a mixed society comprising the called of God. Thus, faith in Christ and sincerity to biblical truth are the hallmarks of the “people of God.” God’s election of the chosen is based upon his grace, the election of grace, because they respond to the gospel call in obedient faith that is absolutely necessary. As the people of God, we are others and we need to live lives that are separate from sin. We must not forget to remain a separate and distinct people of God. We must not have fellowship with the sinful practices of the world around us. We must come out and away from sin and live holy lives in the fear of God. Let us continue to preach and teach against sin and worldliness and encourage our families to live pure and holy lives. Now let us come to the point of why we are others. There is an agenda that God has for His last time people. Why is it that we have not ceased to sin? Why hasn’t our message been effectual when it comes to being God’s witnesses in the world? Have we chosen our own agenda, rather than following God’s? We think that what God wants is more people in the church, and that his goal is to build up the church with ever greater numbers in the last day. Could it be that we are not understanding the communal calling and the communal task. Is God’s goal about numbers or at most is that a by-product of God’s work in the world? It is important to have a strong and vibrant church for the assembling of those who want truth, but if we set out to achieve that with numbers, then we will not reach that goal, for that is not the goal that God has set before us. Remember the scripture - for it is written, rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband. Let us understand the present case in reading II Timothy 3. The strength of delusion will approach the very elect. Few will find the strait gate. Many who tasted the good word and been enlightened will fall away. The election purposed by God will stand. What then is the goal of God’s people? T o be the people of faith who display the love of God in the life for the world to see. And the LORD said unto Gideon, the people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me. Now therefore go to, proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whosoever is fearful and afraid, let him return and depart early from mount Gilead. And there returned of the people twenty and two thousand; and there remained ten thousand. And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people are yet too many; bring them down unto the water, and I will try them for thee there: and it shall be, that of whom I say unto thee, This shall go with thee, the same shall go with thee; and of whomsoever I say unto thee, This shall not go with thee, the same shall not go. So he brought down the people unto the water: and the LORD said unto Gideon, Every one that lappeth of the water with his tongue, as a dog lappeth, him shalt thou set by himself; likewise every one that boweth down upon his knees to drink. And the number of them that lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, were three hundred men: but all the rest of the people bowed down upon their knees to drink water. And the LORD said unto Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand: and let all the other people go every man unto his place. Acknowledging God’s sovereign rule in our lives and obeying him in everything that we do will not show in numbers. The whole of our faith is in Christ. There are to be 144000 who are the revelation of God, showing in relationship of love and obedience, truth and faith, the full stature of Jesus. These will show the individual commitment through the communal tasks of God’s people rooted to Christ to be members of his body. As others than the world we will reveal that God is not distant and impersonal; we reveal a God who is relational. Relational in that God calls us His sons, His daughters, His friends. We are others as individuals, but never alone. We are different and diverse people who have various gifts from God. We eschew superficial, hypocritical, harsh, unforgiving, and self-righteous judgment. Through the guidance of the Holy Spirit we discernably speak the truth in love while prayerfully and gently confronting erring brothers or sisters in Christ. God’s people hold a special bond with each other and whose relationships are filled with temperateness and regard. God created us with a need for community and a desire for connection. God is gathering a people who walk beside each other in life, helping to strengthen and encourage one another. As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another. We counsel one another even as somethings are hard sayings. Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe with compassion, kindness, humbleness, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of us have a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgives us. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds us all together in perfect unity. We can have this experience of friendship because of Jesus. Love in the last time will not be comfortable. But it is the primary way we show others that we belong to Jesus Christ. We must keep focus on the revelation of Jesus Christ. This uncertain world is descending into chaos. Many will lose their witness. No sacrifice of truth is to be made. Conflict will bring pain to close relationships. Our comfort comes not in explaining God’s purposes but in trusting them. We have this consolation – the final judgment is near. 📖 Applying the Study For ongoing spiritual encouragement and prophetical insights, visit Higher Learning.

one purpose God is eternal...in existence, in purpose. Three entitied Persons, having clearly three unique identities acting in an inclusive way as one having the very same objective of conceptual reality. The three persons are distinct in their personal relationships with each other, but they are the same in substance, equal in power and glory, and have all that makes God who he is. The word "person" is used to describe the three persons because it's one of the only ways to describe this concept in language, but it doesn't mean that the persons are human beings. Instead, each person has intellect, emotion, and volition, and had a unique role in creation and salvation. God presents Himself to His people as one God. The people of God know Him and believe in Him as one God with one Name. We are a baptized people in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Such a truth shows us that within God Himself there is both a unity between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, one name and a distinct three persons. The wonder of this mystery: the Father is not the Son and not the Holy Spirit. The Son is not the Father and not the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is not the Father and is not the Son. The Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit is God. No priority is due to one, no neglect is due to either. God cannot be divided. God, who is spirit, determined to physically come to earth in the form of humanity to put mankind in the right relation with Him. This done because of sin. The presentation of Jesus as Son of God, complemented by the promise of the Holy Spirit, gave rise to the singular purpose for redeeming mankind from our fallen condition that we may be partakers of the plan of salvation. We see not the plurality, but the harmoniousness of purpose in the counsel, in the creation, in the plans of both redemption and salvation. We hear “in the beginning God” and “let us make” regarding the expression in a singularity of deliberation, in fact referring only to One God. In all our discussions, the bible is to be the authority. It shows us that the central theme of all that is determined providentially in the council of peace is Jesus Christ the God-man. He is the fullness of divinity and humanity of the same substance, having the one essence with the Father and being consubstantial with the Holy Spirit. The Council decreed that Jesus, the Word, and Son of God, has been eternally ‘begotten’ from the Father to be worshipped and together glorified. He was incarnate, made flesh, of the specific Mary and became human. Herein is the mystery of godliness. In Jesus Christ there are two energies and two wills corresponding to his two natures. The purpose of this conciliar teaching protects the doctrine of the fullness and completeness of both Jesus’ humanity and Divinity. The God of the bible is a God of purpose. And not just general purposes but specific ones. And His purposes extend from eternity past to eternity future, encompassing not only the ultimate destiny of His creation, but our personal lives. In Christ the purpose for His creation is fulfilled. God Himself assures us of this: “I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose’. But God is so much more than simple purpose. He is sovereign in His call to Abraham as a gentile to become the father of His people. And establishing us as descendants by faith as His Israel. And delivering us into the propheticness of His story to bring to a people the perfection of being by faith as is His Son. The story ends with the consummation, according to His purpose, which He set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth, and once all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all. This is God’s ultimate purpose - to bring about a new heaven and new earth. God’s grand purpose for the world to come, then, is in the process of coming into being in the present through the redeeming and restoring work of the gospel of Jesus Christ. In Christ, and by the transformative power of the Holy Spirit, God is at work preparing a people to populate His new world. His purpose is to conform them to the image of Christ. This means that God’s purpose for each one of us is to be transformed in our character, such that we more fully reflect the character of our God and increasingly live a life of love and faith. This involves every area of our personal and moral life to include our family and others. God has a determinate character. He has purpose and performs particular events. He does one thing and not another. God's sovereignty and purpose, particularly in light of events that seem unequal, random, or unjust. It stems from the observation that God acts in specific ways in certain situations but not in others, such as healing some people while others suffer, or saving some individuals but not all. Therefore, the various actions we perceive God taking are not separate or distinct acts in God Himself, but different manifestations of His one, simple, perfect nature. A human might act wisely in one moment and mercifully in another. In God, however, wisdom and mercy are not separate attributes; they are one and the same as His very being. His essence is identical in all His attributes. God does not have goodness…He is goodness. He doesn’t have existence…He is existence. All He does from creation to salvation is one single, eternal divine act. Light is a single source, yet as it fractures it results in many colors distinct one from another. From God’s oneness we see such things as justice, wrath, mercy. God wants us to discover His will. The assurance that in Christ we are in the center of God’s purposes brings lasting stability to our experience. This is why we study the word...God’s will is made known to us. The word shows how God’s will is shaped by His ultimate purpose for us. We are to give every word careful thought with patience and a right attitude to God. The word of God gives us fundamental principles to guide us in every situation. God is good. Such a like purpose exists between God the Father and God the Son that their declarations of divinity and humanity are the same. The Father said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM. The Son said before Abraham was, I am. They both refer to their eternality and existence. According to this truth and this Word of God, we believe in one only God, who is one single essence, in which are three Persons, really, truly, and eternally distinct, according to their incommunicable properties; namely, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost...these Persons thus distinguished are not divided nor intermixed; for the Father had not assumed the flesh, but had the Holy Spirit as Melchisedec, and the Son only. The Father had never been without His Son, or without His Holy Spirit. For they are all three co-eternal and co-essential. There is neither first nor last; for they are all three one, in truth, in power, in goodness, in mercy, and in love. We hear of the same purpose in the Father and the Son expressed in such an intimacy of relationship in the very words of Jesus...all things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. God presented Himself in Jesus as the Son of God. It is a mystery. The truth that God does not change is to be understood on a spiritual founding. God is speaking to His covenant. God was pleased to renew His covenant with man in such a way as that His unity might be believed in, after a new manner, through the Son and the Spirit, in order that God might now be known openly, in His proper names and Persons, who in ancient times was not plainly understood, though declared through the Son and the Spirit. Does the mystery of God’s omnipresence indicate change? Omnipresence is an attribute belonging to God alone, traditionally described as his quality of being present in all places everywhere at all times any time, with the implication that he is not bound by time or space, galaxies or dimensions. God is boundless, infinite. And by His word He attributes all to Jesus. And he has fitted and arranged all things by his wisdom, while he contains all things, but he himself can be contained by no one: he is the former, he is the builder, he is the creator, he is the Lord of all; and there is no one besides him or above him. That both God’s omnipresence and transcendence are depicted in his incarnation through Christ. While God revealed himself to us through Christ, he did not lose anything of his Divinity. As we now worship Him ‘in the Spirit and in truth’ anywhere we want to worship Him makes God ‘more omnipresent’ in the Holy Spirit and in the truth of Jesus. God can be the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit and even the angel of God. Read Genesis 31:11-13. How so wonderful is the mystery of the purpose of God the Father and God the Son. He can hang on the cross as God the Son and cry out to God the Father, ‘Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani’, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Read Genesis 1:1, Isaiah 40, verse 28 and Colossians chapter 1, verses 16 and 17. A purposeful creator? The ways in which God shows His oneness of purpose and compassion with humankind. The one purpose - to glorify God. The Father: determined creation, redemption, and consummation, and is supreme in authority. The Son: responsible for creation, the mediator, and the Father's image. The Holy Spirit: brings the works of God to completion, and is the bond of love between the Father and Son. God is a purposeful being...everything He does is for a purpose. History itself has a purpose...and God is working things out for that purpose. This is one of the most encouraging things about the doctrine of God’s sovereignty...seemingly random events are not random at all; everything is being worked out according to God’s eternal purpose. Therefore, God’s purpose in all of this is in some way defined and accomplished by election. God has a purpose, and that purpose is a sure and certain one. God’s purpose rules over the entire process of salvation. God’s purpose stands over His foreknowledge of people, His predestination of the people He foreknew to be conformed to the image of His Son...His calling of us by the gospel, His justification of us by faith, His future glorification of us. Again, the purpose of God the Father and Jesus is one...the bible says God has saved us and called us to a holy life - not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time. The purpose is now being revealed. We see that God’s purpose is totally centered in the person of Christ...grace given us IN CHRIST; Christ was and is the center of God’s purpose. We see an absolute harmony between purpose and grace...God’s purpose is a gracious purpose, or a purpose to give us grace in Christ. God’s call to us in Christ Jesus is part of this purpose. God’s purpose is so big, it even includes predestination! Our predestination itself was done for this purpose. God’s purpose is a “free and sovereign” purpose, in which He does everything after the counsel of His own will...it is not governed by anything outside of Himself. Unconditional election makes God’s purpose stand. Unconditional election ALONE makes God’s purpose stand. In salvation God desires His own glory above all things. In salvation, God also desires that all His elect most certainly be saved, that none of them be lost. Only election can accomplish these purposes, which are really one purpose ultimately. God’s glory is most clearly displayed in one way: that all of the elect might be fully and finally saved, that not one of us would be lost, and that we would stand and proclaim forever that we are saved for the praise of HIS GLORY . The decisive influence of all that happens in the world is God’s. He works all things after the counsel of His own will. He alone has the freedom of ultimate self-determination. In a word, God, looking on all ages, from the creation to the consummation, as a moment, and seeing at once whatever is in the hearts of all the children of men, knows everyone that does or does not believe, in every age and nation. Yet what God knows, whether faith or unbelief, is in nowise caused by His knowledge. Men are as free in believing or not believing as if God did not know it at all. Let’s pause in this truth concerning the one and same purpose of God and of Christ. Please reason this statement in the truth of the reality of the measure of faith given us by God. But before penning the statement I ask that you read and hear the following truths... Romans 3:22 Galatians 2:16 Galatians 3:22 Revelation 14:12 Now see by what it is that God’s people live... Galatians 2:20 Not our faith, but that which is of Jesus Christ, God Himself. God’s electing purpose will stand because our election was based on nothing outside of God Himself. It is not based on foreseen works, neither is it based on foreseen faith, nor anything God foresees in us at all. Rather, it is based totally on Himself. Election accomplishes this purpose of God because it thwarts all human boasting. Justification is conditional on faith, but election is not. Our faith in Christ is a condition for justification. But our faith is not a condition for election...God wasn’t looking in us at all when He chose us…He was looking in Himself. The “call” dear friends is that powerful call by which God creates what He calls. Do not imagine any sinner is beyond the pale of God’s unconditional election...unconditional election was designed to amaze and awe the world at who is included!! So God in Christ sees His people as we will be when Jesus comes. God sees us whole, sees us as we will be in His love eternally, sees us through the mediating eyes of Jesus. God sees us in Himself. God sees us through the eyes of love made flesh in Jesus Christ. This one same purpose with God and Jesus intends for us to be like Christ. Truly faithful people are precious in God's sight; we are His peculiar treasure; His delight is in us, above any people. We are His vineyard. And this makes God's people truly honorable; for we are really what we are in God's eye. By faith in Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit, as we trust in Jesus, we are part of His holy, chosen people. The object of our faith is God and His promises. Each of us is born for purpose, but it is God’s purpose. Remembering that it is not our faith, but the faith credited to us as righteousness. And by whose righteousness is why faith is the way God has chosen for us to get right with him. And God chose faith as the way to justification because faith accords with grace and grace is the free and sovereign work of God that makes the promise certain. God means to justify us by faith because it gives us strong assurance. God's free and sovereign grace is what guarantees the promise of salvation and makes it sure. And faith is the one condition of the heart that accords with grace in justification. Faith says yes to grace and is glad that God will save us that way and rests in that wonderful work of grace. So the purpose is expressed in the faith of Jesus as the way that we get right with God - the way to be justified - he wanted to base the whole thing on his almighty, all-glorious grace, so that our boasting would be excluded and his glory would be exalted and our salvation would be certain. Our pride is put down. God's glory is lifted up. And salvation is made sure. Therefore, rejoice that our justification is by grace through faith. Brothers, sisters, justification is not a process. It is a verdict. It is a singular act of counting us righteous and acceptable to God on the basis of the righteousness of another, namely and specifically, Jesus Christ. It is this kind of faith that God designs by His grace that will persevere. All subsequent faith dear friends is like an oak tree contained in the acorn. God, in the act of justification, which is imparted to us in our first believing, has respect to perseverance, as being virtually contained in that first act of faith; and persevering in faith is looked upon as being as it were a property of that first act of faith. God has respect to our continuance in faith, and He is glorified by that, as though it already were by divine establishment. God's purpose is to conform us to the image of Jesus, or to become like Jesus. The word states that God has predestined us to be conformed to the image of His Son, and that Christlikeness is God's eternal purpose. It means that full and steadfast justification is given to us through one simple act of faith; and assurance of eternal life is possible from that very beginning. And the work of Christ in whom we have our righteousness is a complete and perfect work. It does not get better with time. And we are united to Christ at once, through our first faith, not progressively. So, we ask reasonably...what is meant by from faith to faith? It means that God declares us to be righteous in His eyes because of our faith, from beginning to end living in a way that generates more faith in God and His promises. In the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed. Righteousness is thus a complete and total work of God. It is a right standing before God that has nothing to do with human accomplishment or worth. It is received by faith. There is nothing we can do to deserve or earn it. From the faith of God, who makes the offer of salvation, to the faith of Jesus, by whom we receive it. Salvation comes from God’s faithfulness to our faith. That salvation is accomplished through God’s faithfulness, which comes first, and our faith in response to that as a progressive, growing development of faith from one degree of faith to another akin to the ever-increasing glory of transformation. From day one of our journey of faith until the very last day, we, the righteous, must live by faith. We must trust God “from start to finish” and rely on His mighty power - the power of the gospel - to change our lives and the lives of those we encounter. Purpose!! We receive a faith that answers to the revelation of God in Jesus Christ. That is also faithfulness to the call of God. God’s own faithfulness is in view with our justification which progresses into our faith. The faith of God is prior to all. It is the fundamental faithfulness that undergirds the covenant and creation itself and is paired with God’s steadfast love. The revelation of God’s righteousness is not just personal but cosmic. The word equates God’s righteousness with His salvation, which will act for the whole world. This all points toward Christ. We see this beautiful progression from God’s faith to Jesus’ faith, which leads to our faith and confidence in their faithful work. The mediating faith of Jesus stands between the faith of God and the responding faith of man, reinforcing the centrality of Jesus Christ in God’s saving and reconciling work of love. Jesus is not only the “author and finisher” of our faith but also the author and finisher of faith itself. The faithfulness of Jesus Christ reveals, on one hand, God’s faithfulness toward man. On the other hand, he as representative man reveals the faithful response of humanity toward God. And here is where our faith is born: in Him! We see the far-reaching of the one purpose - it is by faith from first to last, because faith is a word that binds God and man together through Christ in covenant relationship. In light of this, our own efforts and works are truly of no avail at all, for if we are not “of faith,” we are apart from God and Christ. But when we are “of faith,” then we are united in them and participate with them in the faith that defines them, and us. This is how and why God looks within Himself... because before there was our faith, there was His faith, the faith of God that was embodied in our Lord, Jesus Christ. It is their faith, the faithfulness of the Father and Son, that we are to think about most these days. For their faith is what makes our faith possible. This is the message of the everlasting gospel. God Himself will make sure of our perseverance in faith - not perfection in faith, but perseverance, persistence. How can we know this? Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. That last clause is crucial. It says that those whom God has justified, he most certainly will glorify. It's as good as done. That is, he will certainly bring us into everlasting life and glory with himself in the end. Now if that is true - if God will certainly and eternally save those who have been justified - and if our justification comes through faith which perseveres, then God will see to it that we certainly persevere in faith. This is a very precious truth: that God Himself is committed to keeping his people and not letting them forsake him utterly. We may stray for a season. But he will bring us back. Clouds may gather and faith may falter, but those who are justified will not stumble so as to fall utterly. We will persevere in faith. Our hope for glorification is not in our own willpower to believe. It is in God's faithfulness that he who began a good work in us will complete it unto the day of Christ. 📖 Applying the Study For ongoing spiritual encouragement and prophetical insights, visit Higher Learning.