16.) Understanding Armageddon

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From the time Lucifer and his angels rebelled against God, His law, His throne, and His government, all of heaven has been in a state of war. The whole Bible is the story of this war, and the ultimate conclusion by which God will bring about peace and harmony in the universe once more. God has always had a plan by which to meet the challenge should any of His created beings defect and cause a revolt against His kingdom.

"And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven.
The great dragon was hurled down -- that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.

"Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: 'Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony." Rev. 12:7-11.

"God had a knowledge of the events of the future, even before the creation of the world. He did not make His purpose to fit circumstances, but He allowed matters to develop and work out. He did not work to bring about a certain condition of things, but He knew that such a condition would exist. The plan that should be carried out upon the defection of any of the intelligences of heaven -- this is the secret, the mystery which has been hid from ages. And an offering was prepared in the eternal purpose to do the very work which God has done for fallen humanity." 6 BC 1082.

God is never taken by surprise, either by events in the universe, or by the events in your life and mine. He knows of our problems, and He has a plan to solve them, if we will be willing to cooperate with Him. This requires a personal, intimate love relationship with Jesus and a willingness to follow His plan for us day by day, moment by moment as He guides us through His Holy Spirit and His written word. We can choose to follow His plan, or to rebel against Him, or even simply to neglect to have a personal relationship with Jesus by which He can guide us.
Therefore, it is essential that we know His voice and respond to His slightest whisper. Jesus is our example for such a relationship.

Below is a collection of quotations from the writings of Ellen White which give valuable insights to help us establish and maintain the same relationship with Jesus that He had with His heavenly Father.

"The Father's presence encircled Christ, and nothing befell Him but that which infinite love permitted for the blessing of the world. Here was His source of comfort, and it is for us." MB 71.

"With the same faculties that man may obtain He withstood the temptations of Satan as man must withstand them." 1SM 252.

"He exercised in His own behalf no power that is not freely offered to us. As man, He met temptation and overcame in the strength given Him from God." DA 24.

"He was wholly dependent upon God, and in the secret place of prayer He sought divine strength that He might go forth braced for duty and trial....

"As a man He supplicated the throne of God till His humanity was charged with a heavenly current that should connect humanity with divinity. Through continual communion He received life from God, that He might impart life to the world. His experience is to be ours." DA 363.

"Christ was continually receiving from the Father that He might communicate to us In the
early hours of the new day the Lord awakened Him from His slumbers, and His soul and His lips were anointed with grace that He might impart to others. His words were given Him fresh from the heavenly courts, words that He might speak in season to the weary and oppressed." COL 139.

"Daily He received a fresh baptism of the Holy Spirit." Ibid.

"Jesus revealed no qualities and exercised no powers, that man may not have through faith in Him. His perfect humanity is that which all His followers may possess, if they will be in subjection to God as He was." DA 664.

"Christ in His life on earth made no plans for Himself. He accepted God's plans for Him, and day by day the Father unfolded His plans. So, should we depend upon God, that our lives may be the simple outworking of His will. As we commit our ways to Him, He will direct our steps....

"Let God plan for you. As a little child, trust to the guidance of Him who will 'keep the feet of His saints.' 1 Sam. 2:9. God never leads His children otherwise than they would choose to be led, if they could see the end from the beginning and discern the glory of the purpose which they are fulfilling as co-workers with Him." MH 479.

"There is no power in you apart from Christ, but it is your privilege to have Christ abiding in your heart by faith, and He can overcome sin in you, when you cooperate with His efforts." OHC 76.

"To Jesus, who emptied Himself for the salvation of lost humanity, the Holy Spirit was given without measure. So, it will be given to every follower of Christ when the whole heart is surrendered to His indwelling." MB 21.

"Now, while our great High Priest is making the atonement for us, we should seek to become perfect in Christ. Not even by a thought could our Saviour be brought to yield to the power of temptation. Satan finds in human hearts some point where he can gain a foothold; some sinful desire is cherished, by means of which his temptations assert their power. But Christ declared of Himself, 'The prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me.' Satan could find nothing in the Son of God that would enable him to gain the victory. He had kept His Father's

commandments, and there was no sin in Him that Satan could use to his advantage. This is the condition in which those must be found who shall stand in the time of trouble.

"It is in this life that we are to separate sin from us, through faith in the atoning blood of Christ. Our precious Savior invites us to join ourselves to Him, to unite our weakness to His strength, our ignorance to His wisdom, our unworthiness to His merits. God's providence is the school in which we are to learn the meekness and lowliness of Jesus. The Lord is ever setting before us, not the way we would choose, which seems easier and pleasanter to us, but the true aims of life. It rests with us to cooperate with the agencies which heaven employs in the work of conforming our characters to the divine model. None can neglect or defer this work but at the most fearful peril to their souls." GC 623.

Fortunately, we are not alone in this battle for cleansing and holiness of character. All of heaven is on our side.

"Oh, that we could all realize the nearness of heaven to earth! When the earthborn children know it not, they have angels of light as their companions. A silent witness guards every soul that lives, seeking to draw that soul to Christ. As long as there is hope, until men resist the Holy Spirit to their eternal ruin, they are guarded by heavenly intelligences." 6 T 366, 7.

"Heavenly beings are appointed to answer the prayers of those who are working unselfishly for the interests of the cause of God. The very highest angels in the heavenly courts are appointed to work out the prayers which ascend to God for the advancement of the cause of God. Each angel has his particular post of duty, which he is not permitted to leave for any other place. If he should leave, the powers of darkness would gain an advantage." 4 BC 1173.

"It is important to believe God's word and act upon it promptly while His angels are waiting to work for us.... God's servants should be... ready to move as fast as His providence opens the way. Any delay on their part gives time for Satan to work to defeat them." PP 423.

"He who constantly depends upon God, through simple trust and prayerful confidence, will be surrounded by the angels of heaven." IHP 16.

"When unconsciously we are in danger of exerting a wrong influence, the angels will be by our side prompting us to a better course, choosing our words for us, and influencing our actions.
Thus, our influence may be a silent, unconscious, but mighty power in drawing others to Christ and the heavenly world." COL 342.

"All who engage in ministry are God's helping hand. They are coworkers with the angels; rather, they are the human agencies through whom the angels accomplish their mission. Angels speak through their voices and work by their hands. And the human workers, cooperating with heavenly agencies, have the benefit of their education and experience. As a means of education, what university course can equal this?" Ed 271.

"It is impossible to give any idea of the experience of the people of God who shall be alive upon the earth when past woes and celestial glory will be blended. They will walk in the light proceeding from the throne of God. By means of the angels there will be constant communication between earth and heaven." 9T 16.

"Christ is ever sending messages to those who listen for His voice." MLT 15.

"From the Holy of Holies, there goes on the grand work of instruction. The angels of God are communicating to men. Christ officiates in the sanctuary. We do not follow him into the sanctuary as we should. Christ and angels work in the hearts of the children of men. The church above, united with the church below, is warring the good warfare upon the earth, in harmony with Christ's cleansing of the sanctuary in heaven.

"God's people are now to have their eyes fixed upon the heavenly sanctuary, where... our great High Priest... Is interceding for His people." Maranatha 249.

"The Lord will teach us our duty just as willingly as He will teach someone else. If we come to Him in faith, He will speak His mysteries to us personally. Our hearts will often burn within us as One draws near to commune with us as He did with Enoch." DA 668.

"Ministering angels are waiting about the throne to instantly obey the mandate of Jesus Christ to answer every prayer offered in earnest, living faith." 2 SM 377.

"No sooner is the name of Jesus mentioned... than the angels of God draw near." CM 112.

"If the soul is trusting and working obediently, the mind is susceptible to divine impressions, and the light of God shines in, enlightening the understanding. What privileges we have in Christ Jesus!" 7 BC 959.

Through these quotations we can see that all of heaven is involved in the great controversy between good and evil, and every provision has been made to provide a way of escape from the temptations of the evil one and the lusts of the flesh and spirit which are inherent in the carnal nature of man. In order to understand better this battle in which we are all involved, let us go back to where it began in the courts of heaven, and specifically in the heart of Lucifer.

"How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! You said in your heart, 'I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly [the congregation, KJV], on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.'" Isa. 14:12-14.

As Lucifer beheld the glory of God and saw the adoration that was given to Him, his heart coveted that adoration and he longed to receive it himself. He began to think that he was as wise, as powerful, and as beautiful and glorious as God himself, and he wanted to receive what belongs to God alone. He wanted to ascend above the position that God had given him; he wanted to "sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain." In other words, he coveted the highest position possible in the universe; he wanted to be recognized as having gifts and beauty, intelligence and power above everyone else, even God.

Through his lies and specious reasoning, he was able to deceive a third of the angels into following him in rebellion. And then he tempted Eve by the same lie that had captured his own heart and the hearts of his followers.

"And the serpent said unto the woman, ye shall not surely die: for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked." Gen. 3:4-7, KJV.

Because of his own fall from holiness, Satan knew the points which would lead Eve into doubt of God's character and His commands, and thus be susceptible to his own subtle reasonings and insinuations against God.

"Unmindful of the angels' caution, she soon found herself gazing, with mingled curiosity and admiration, upon the forbidden tree. The fruit was very beautiful, and she questioned with herself why God had withheld it from them. Now was the tempter's opportunity. As if he were able to discern the workings of her mind, he addressed her: 'Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?' Eve was surprised and startled as she thus seemed to hear the echo of her thoughts. But the serpent continued, in a musical voice, with subtle praise of her surpassing loveliness; and his words were not displeasing. Instead of fleeing from the spot, she lingered wonderingly to hear a serpent speak....

"'And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die; for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.'

"By partaking of this tree, he declared, they would attain to a more exalted sphere of existence, and enter a broader field of knowledge. He himself had eaten of the forbidden tree, and as a result had acquired the power of speech. And he insinuated that the Lord jealously desired to withhold it from them, lest they should be exalted to equality with Himself. It was because of its wonderful properties, imparting wisdom and power, that He had prohibited them from tasting or even touching it. The tempter intimated that the divine warning was not to be actually fulfilled; it was designed merely to intimidate them. How could it be possible for them to die? Had they not eaten of the tree of life? God had been seeking to prevent them from reaching a nobler development, and finding greater happiness." PP 54.

How cleverly did the serpent manipulate the mind of Eve to cause her to doubt the true character of God! God has always been transparent about Himself, His laws, His purposes, and His character. He has revealed Himself as far as we are able to comprehend. Furthermore, He promises that the true seeker for truth will be learning more and more about His majesty, wisdom, power and love throughout eternity. And the more we know of Him, the more we will love and adore Him, and grow more and more like Him in character. This is the privilege that was given to Adam and Eve when they were created. And this is the wonderful privilege that will be given to those who are redeemed from the earth.

What has been the purpose of the great controversy between Christ and Satan that has extended for six thousand years? It is to visibly refute the claims of Satan that his way is best for all created beings, and to display before the universe the awful results of sin and rebellion. No other way would have completely convinced the intelligent beings in heaven and upon other planets of the enormity of sin that even caused Jesus, the Son of God, the Creator at the right hand of the Father, to come down to this dark earth to die as a ransom for the sins of the human race.

But the war is not yet over. There is a final battle to be fought. It is called the battle of Armageddon. In order to better understand this battle, we need to understand its purpose. The word "Armageddon" is found in only one place in Scripture, and is a part of the 6th plague, which immediately precedes the coming of Jesus:

"The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the East. Then I saw three evil spirits that looked like frogs; and they came out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet. They are spirits of demons performing miraculous signs, and they go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them for the battle on the great day of God Almighty.

"'Behold, I come like a thief! Blessed is he who stays awake and keeps his clothes with him, so that he may not go naked and be shamefully exposed.' Then they gathered the kings together to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.

"The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and out of the temple came a loud voice from the throne, saying, 'It is done!'" Rev. 16:12-17.

In order to understand better the character and purpose of the battle of Armageddon, notice the meaning of the word from Strong's Concordance:

#717 Gr. - Of Hebrew origin [2022 and 4023]; Armageddon (or Har-Megiddon), a symbolic name:--Armageddon.

#2022 Heb. - har; a short form of 2042; a mountain or range of hills (sometimes used figuratively) --hill (country), mount (-ain), × promotion.

#2042 - harar; from an unused root meaning to loom up; a mountain:-- hill, mount (-ain). #4023 - megiddo'; from 1413; rendezvous; a place in Palestine:-- Megiddo, Megiddon.
#1413 - gadad; a prime root [compare 1464]; to crowd; also to gash (as if by pressing into):-- assemble (selves by troops), gather (selves together, self in troops), cut selves.

#1464 - guwd; a prime root [akin to 1413]; to crowd upon, i.e. attack: --invade, overcome.

This examination of the meaning of the word, Armageddon, has made it quite clear that this is the final battle between the forces of Satan and the forces of Jesus Christ just before Jesus comes back to earth to take His triumphant people to their true home in the heavenly city -- the New Jerusalem, where Satan lost his place beside the throne and was cast down to the earth. He has never ceased to try to win his way back to the holy mountain. But only God's people who have gained the victory over the beast and his image will be welcomed through the gates of the city and take Satan's place and the places of the angels who fell because of their rebellion against God. Notice again the description of the battle when Satan attacked God's throne and was cast out of heaven:

"How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! You said in your heart, 'I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of the assembly, on the upmost heights of the sacred mountain. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.'" Isa. 14:12-14.

The battle for the mountain has always been centered in Satan's desire to ascend above all the created beings and above God himself, to be worshipped, adored, and obeyed as the rightful heir to the kingdom and the one who has the plan of government that is best for the good of all that God has made. This is why God has allowed him sufficient time and liberty to display the results of his reasonings before the universe.

But the time will come when the final battle will have been won by the forces of light against the forces of darkness. Before that time comes, there are some very important things that must be accomplished in order for Jesus to have His people in a place of safety where they can be protected when the winds of strife are unleashed upon the world.

"Four mighty angels hold back the powers of this earth till the servants of God are sealed in their foreheads. The nations of the world are eager for conflict; but they are held in check by the angels. When this restraining power is removed, there will come a time of trouble and anguish. Deadly instruments of warfare will be invented… All who have not the spirit of truth will be united under the leadership of satanic agencies. But they are to be kept under control until the battle of Armageddon. Angels are belting the world, refusing Satan's claims to supremacy, keeping the armies of Satan at bay till the sealing of God's people shall be accomplished… The Lord is a refuge for all who put their trust in Him. He bids them hide in Him for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast. He is soon to come out of His place to punish the world for its iniquity." 7 BC 967.

"In the last scenes of this earth's history, war will rage. The powers of evil will not give up the conflict without a struggle. But Providence has a part to act in the battle of Armageddon. The captain of the Lord's host will stand at the head of the angels of heaven to direct the battle." Maranatha 297.

"Everything in the world is in an unsettled state. The nations are angry and great preparation for war are being made. Nation is plotting against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. The great day of God is hasting greatly. But although the nations are mustering their forces for war and bloodshed, the command to the angels is still in force, that they hold the four winds until the servants of God are sealed in their foreheads." 7 BC 968.


"Just before we entered it [the time of trouble] we all received the seal of the living God. Then I saw the four angels cease to hold the four winds. And I saw famine, pestilence, and sword, nation rose against nation, and the whole world was in confusion." 7 BC 968.

"Only a moment of time, as it were, yet remains. But while already nation is rising against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, there is not now a general engagement. As yet the four winds are held until the servants of God shall be sealed in their foreheads. Then the powers of earth will marshall their forces for the last great battle." 6 T 14.

"Angels are now restraining the winds of strife, that they may not blow until the world shall be warned of its coming doom; but a storm is gathering, ready to burst upon the earth; and when God shall bid His angels loose the winds, there will be such a scene of strife as no pen can picture." Ed. 179, 80.

Isn't God good to hold back the winds of strife a little longer to give His people time to prepare? But the time is soon to come when the preparation time will be over, and Jesus will take off His mediatorial robes, and put on His robes of vengeance. This is when the battle of Armageddon will begin. The focus of this battle is not aimed at human beings. It is the final battle between Christ and Satan for the supremacy. It comes after the people of God are safely hidden under the shadow of His wings in the most holy place. Their sins have been forgiven and blotted out, and their lives are in complete harmony with Jesus. But those who have chosen the kingdom of darkness and are in agreement with his position and lies will be punished and destroyed along with the leader they have chosen.

"A storm is coming, relentless in its fury. Are we prepared to meet it?... The perils of the last days are soon to come upon us. Already they have come. We need now the sword of the Lord to cut to the very soul and marrow of fleshly lusts, appetites, and passions… The thoughts must be centered upon God. Now is the time to put forth earnest effort to overcome the natural tendencies of the carnal heart.

"Our effort, our self-denial, our perseverance, must be proportionate to the infinite value of the object of which we are in pursuit. Only by overcoming as Christ overcame shall we win the crown of life." 8 T 315.

The question that is now before us is, How do we overcome as Christ overcame? Jesus must become such an intimate friend that we can hear His voice speaking to our hearts at all times of the day and night. He must be our Guide and our constant Companion. We must be surrendered in every area of our lives to the workings of the Holy Spirit. The main object of our lives should be to know Jesus and be guided by Him. It cannot be, "some of the world and some of Jesus." Jesus will not accept a divided heart, for He is not then the Lord of our lives. He cannot cohabitate with His enemy, the devil. If we try to ride the fence and have what we think is the best of both worlds, we will lose both worlds. We cannot be sealed until everything in our lives is in harmony with Jesus. We can then face the foe with our whole armor on and win the victory over the beast and his image at the end of time. With Jesus at the helm of our lives, we will have everything we need, for He always provides for His own.

Before the first inception of sin in Lucifer's heart in heaven, he held the highest position possible for created beings on the sacred mountain of God. Those who are triumphant over the lies of the devil and prevail against the temptations of sin, will take Satan's place on the sacred mountain in heaven. But first we must be spiritually on the sacred mountain of God through an intimate connection with Him here.

"Great is the Lord, and most worthy of praise, in the city of our God, his holy mountain. It is beautiful in its loftiness, the joy of the whole earth. Like the utmost height of Zaphon is Mount Zion, the city of the Great King. God is in her citadels; he has shown himself to be her fortress." Ps. 48:1-3.

"Send forth your light and your truth, let them guide me; let them bring me to your holy mountain, to the place where you dwell." Ps. 43:3.

"Within your temple, O God, we meditate on your unfailing love. Like your name, O God, your praise reaches to the ends of the earth; your right hand is filled with righteousness. Mount Zion rejoices, the villages of Judah are glad because of your judgments. Walk about Zion, go around her, count her towers, consider well her ramparts, view her citadels that you may tell of them to the next generation. For this God is our God forever and ever; he will be our guide even to the end." Ps. 48:9-14.

"Exalt the Lord our God and worship at his holy mountain, for the Lord our God is holy." Ps. 99:9.

The holy mountain of God has always been the focus of attention and worship for God's true people. But there will be a special time before Jesus comes that the sanctuary will be understood and exalted more than at any other time in the history of the world. That will be the time of the end just before Jesus comes.

"In the last days the mountain of the Lord's temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and all nations will stream to it… Come, O house of Jacob, let us walk in the light of the Lord." Isa. 2:2, 3, 5.

One very important reason why God wants the sanctuary to be understood and experienced by the final generation who will live to see Jesus come is that it is the hiding place during the time of trouble in which God's people will be safe. Although they will not be there physically, they will be there in spirit. They will have come into complete agreement with God on every point, and their minds will have been sealed and filled with the Holy Spirit so that the angels of God will have full permission to protect them during the time of trouble when the final battle between Christ and Satan takes place. Without this vital connection between earth and heaven, no one would be able to stand. Since sin is disagreement with God, every shred of the sin problem must be removed in order for God to protect His people when He goes out of the sanctuary to punish the people of earth for their sins and rebellion.

How will God's people reach this condition of sinlessness and perfect agreement and harmony with God before probation closes? It is by participating with Jesus in the closing work in the most holy place as He cleanses His people from all sin, and makes the final atonement for all who are cooperating with Him consciously, daily, and even moment by moment, and thus He can blot out the record of their sins, both in their minds and also in the books of heaven. By this cleansing process, God's people will be brought into the hiding place [see Psalms 91] that God is referring to in Isaiah 26:20-27:6:

"[Come, KJV], my people, enter your rooms, and shut the doors behind you; hide yourselves for a little while, until his wrath has passed by. See, the Lord is coming out of his dwelling to punish the people of the earth for their sins. The earth will disclose the blood shed upon her; she will conceal her slain no longer.

"In that day, the Lord will punish with his sword, his fierce, great and powerful sword, Leviathan the gliding serpent, Leviathan the coiling serpent; he will slay the monster of the sea. In that day, 'Sing about a fruitful vineyard: I, the Lord, watch over it; I water it continually. I guard it day and night so that no one may harm it; let them come to me for refuge; let them make peace with me, yes, let them make peace with me.' In days to come Jacob will take root, Israel will bud and blossom and fill all the world with fruit."

Notice that the purpose of this final battle is to destroy Satan, the serpent, and his earthly kingdom. Then God will bring His faithful ones out of the ark of safety where they have been protected by Him, and just as Noah and his family were taken from the ark after the destruction of the wicked, so will God's people fill all the world with the fruit of holiness and righteousness. In this text God is looking forward to the new earth which will be created after the destruction of Satan and his angels and all of the wicked in the lake of fire at the end of the thousand years.

"When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth -- Gog and Magog -- to gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand on the seashore. They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God's people, the city he loves. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire." Rev. 20:7-9, 15.

Isn't it amazing that even after the thousand years of imprisonment upon the broken earth, Satan has not changed in his heart; and when his followers are raised to life, they join him in the last battle for the mountain, and they go forward to attempt to take the Holy City, where God is enthroned and His people are safe at last from the power of the devil to harass and tempt them. This final battle is necessary for the universe to see that nothing can change a sinful heart once it has completely turned away from the living God and His principles.

Satan knows this, and he is making every effort in these last moments of history to deceive the people of God into thinking that the work of transformation of heart is limited while we are on this earth, and that the full restoration into complete purity and sinlessness will not happen until Jesus comes and removes the carnal nature itself. If this were true, Satan would claim before the universe that God was unfair to him and his angels when, after they were cast out of heaven, they pleaded to be taken back on any level, and be restored to the favor of God. God knew that this would be impossible for them at that point, for their hearts had been fully set in them to do evil, and the inner core of their being had been destroyed beyond any hope of recovery. So, it is with the wicked at the last end of time. They have chosen to resist the call of the Holy Spirit to come to repentance and receive restoration in every area of their lives, and at last the Spirit of God will find no entrance through which He can influence them.

This is why God must have a cleansed remnant at the end of time to show that the sin problem can be completely removed from any person who will cooperate fully with Jesus in the cleansing process of God's people which takes place at the end of His ministry in the heavenly sanctuary.

Will you choose to be among those who hold nothing back from Jesus when He comes to your heart and asks to come in and establish His throne there? Will you allow Him to cleanse you of all dross, deceptions and sympathy with Satan? if you do, you will be rewarded for all eternity by having the right to dwell forever in the city of God on the holy mountain, both in the New Jerusalem in heaven and also in the new earth when it descends to become the capital of the universe.

"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. He who was seated on the throne said, 'I am making everything new!'" Rev. 21:1-5.

"Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind… I will rejoice over Jerusalem and take delight in my people; the sound of weeping and crying will be heard in it no more… For as the days of a tree, so will be the days of my people; my chosen ones will long enjoy the works of their hands Before they call, I will answer; while they are still speaking, I will hear… They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, says the Lord." Isa. 65:17-25.

By Carol Zarska