For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’” Isaiah 14:13, 14
It is the cosmic conflict between Christ and Satan.
Have you ever wondered:
How could an all-powerful, all-knowing, all-righteous God stand by and permit the humiliating injustices, debilitating diseases, and inhumane atrocities that happen to people every single day?
Did God create all this evil? And if He did, then is He not the kind of God He claims to be?
Did He just start our world and walk away? Or worse, is He a sadist who sits back and watches our suffering for entertainment?
Such questions are at the heart of this war.
The answers to these questions will ultimately determine which side of the war you’re on. This magazine is designed to help you get answers and to make informed decisions from a factual, biblical standpoint. Jesus Christ has revealed the truth to all these crucial and challenging questions.
So, get ready to experience an unparalleled journey that will take you from the origins of this war; through the pages of Bible history, down to our day; and traveling into the near future, to the final outcome of this cosmic conflict. It is our hope and prayer that at this journey’s end, the great mystery of good and evil will finally make sense and the true character of God will be revealed.
No other resource has opened people’s eyes to the great controversy between good and evil quite like Cosmic Conflict has. It answers the deepest and most troubling questions people ask: Why does God allow suffering? Did God create the devil? Where did evil come from? If God is all-powerful, why doesn’t He destroy Satan now?
Will there be a rapture? YES. Will it be a secret? NO!
Rapture means “to be carried away with power,” and it is true that when Jesus comes the living righteous will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:17).
But many have come to believe that this rapture will take place quietly – that faithful Christians all around the world will suddenly disappear and that life here on earth will continue for a seven-year period of tribulation. During this time, they say, many will be converted and have a “second chance” at salvation before Christ’s final coming. Although the secret rapture scenario may appear comforting at first glance, there is absolutely no scriptural support for it. The Bible plainly teaches that when Jesus comes again, every one of our senses will be bombarded with evidence!
God warned that Satan will do such a convincing job that, if it were possible, even the very elect would be deceived. Jesus said to His disciples, “Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.” (Matthew 24:23, 24).
In the near future, Satan will attempt to impersonate Jesus and counterfeit His return to earth. But God’s people need not be deceived. When the disciples asked Jesus for the sign of His coming and the end of the world, the very first thing He told them was to be on guard against impostors. He said, “Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.” (Matthew 24:4, 5).
As with most deceptions, the secret rapture theory is based on a few texts that have been taken out of the context. Two main concepts in Scripture have been used to substantiate a “secret” rapture.
The primary one is that Jesus will come as “a thief in the night.” The secret rapture theory assumes this means that Christ will come secretly to steal away the righteous and carry them quietly to heaven.
Christ’s coming is described as “a thief” several times throughout the New Testament. Let’s look at one of these passages and see if it describes a secret rapture. “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.” (2 Peter 3:10). That doesn’t sound like a secret event, does it?
In describing His return as a thief, Christ did not intend to show that it would be quiet, but that it would be sudden and unexpected – that the wicked would be taken by surprise. He said, “If the good man of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through. Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man will come at an hour when ye think not”. (Luke 12:39, 40). Likewise, Paul told the Christians in Thessalonica, “But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief” (1 Thessalonians 5:4). God does not want His followers to be surprised. He wants us to be watchful and ready.
To further illustrate this truth, Jesus said,”No one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. And then he will plunder his house” (Mark 3:27, NKJV).
Obviously, there are many things in our world that threaten our relationship with God. Sometimes people fall rapidly from grace. At other times, moving away from truth happens in a subtle manner. One constant temptation for some—and among the greatest of dangers—is divided loyalties.
Many Christians have two loves that divide their hearts: love for Jesus, and love for the world and its sinful practices. Trying to satisfy both sides won’t work. Jesus warned, “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other” (Matthew 6:24). We must choose one side.
God’s Word says, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (1 John 2:15). It is impossible to love the things that we know are wrong and still give our hearts to Jesus.
Still, too many people want to see how closely they can follow the world and still be considered Christians. They want the benefits of Christianity, but they also desire to conform to the world; they want to fit in and participate in its pleasures. People in this situation aren’t being honest with themselves or with God. They are attempting to walk a narrow thread that doesn’t exist.
In contrast, God tells us that we should “not be conformed to this world, but be transformed” (Romans 12:2). He wants us to be changed and conformed to the image of Christ, not the world. The Bible says, “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren” (Romans 8:29). The Lord wants us to become like Jesus so we can be trusted in heaven.
KEY BIBLE TEXTS “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” Romans 12:2
What would you do if your financial advisor revealed a failure proof plan for financial security? How would you react if you were told that all of your needs would be provided for the rest of your life? What would you say if someone told you that you can be a part of an economy that will never have a deficit? As far-fetched as that may sound such an economy does exist.
In an economically unstable world God has revealed in His Word a financial plan that will never fail. He has given us principles, that if wisely applied, will bring us financial success. It will also help us avoid the pitfalls of unwise spending, ill-advised investing, and give us insight on how to prepare for a secure retirement.
God’s financial plan goes a step further. It helps us to realize that God is the rightful owner of everything in heaven and in the earth. Following God’s plan also changes our attitude about money and gives us wisdom to know how to help our neighbors and those in need.
When we follow God’s system of giving we will also become cheerful givers. Our financial plans and successes are in the hands of our loving heavenly Father. As you study this outline you will discover that God has a banking system and an economy that helps us to live a balanced life in this world. You will also discover that God’s Plan for Financial Security also comes with a retirement plan that’s out of this world.
GOD’S RIGHT TO OWNERSHIP Genesis 1:1 – God created the heavens and the earth. Job 41:11 – God doesn’t pay anyone, everything belongs to Him. Psalms 8:3 – The heavens, are the works of God’s fingers. Psalms 19:1 – The heavens declare God’s glory. Psalms 24:1 – The earth and all that it contains belong to God. Psalms 50:10 – Every beast and the cattle on a thousand hills belongs to God. Psalms 50:12 – The world in all of its fullness belongs to God. Psalms 102:25 – God created the foundation of the world and the heavens. Haggai 2:8 – The silver and the gold belongs to the Lord. Deuteronomy 8:18 – God gives us power to get wealth. Ecclesiastes 5:19 – Wealth, riches, and power are gifts from God. 1 Timothy 6:7 – We brought nothing into the world and we carry nothing out. Acts 17:24 – God is the Lord of Creation, He made everything. Acts 17:28 – We need God to live and to move and to have hope. Hebrews 1:10 – God laid the foundation of the earth and created the heavens.
OUR STEWARDSHIP TO GOD Genesis 14:20 – Abraham gave a tithe of his possessions to honor God. Leviticus 27:32 – A Tithe is equal to One-Tenth of our possessions Deuteronomy 14:22 – We are called to tithe on our increase each year. Proverbs 3:9 – We honor the Lord with the first of all our profits. Malachi 3:8 – We are not to rob God in our tithes and in our offerings. Malachi 3:9 – We bring a curse on ourselves when we fail to be faithful. Malachi 3:10 – God will blesses us when we worship through giving. Malachi 3:11 – God will not allow the enemy to destroy our plans.
GOD’S PROMISED BLESSINGS Psalms 1:3 – Those that are faithful to God will experience prosperity. Proverbs 11:24, 25 – Those that are generous in giving will be generously blessed. Matthew 6:33 – God will provide when we seek Him first. Luke 6:38 – The same measure that we give, will be measured to us 2 Corinthians 9:7 – Don’t give grudgingly, God loves a cheerful giver. Philippians 4:19 – God will supply all of our needs according to His riches.
EXAMPLES OF STEWARDSHIP IN THE BIBLE Deuteronomy 8:11-18 – Remember that without God there are no blessings. Luke 12:15 – Do not be covetous, life is not abundant possessions. Luke 12:16-20 – When we hoard our blessings we leave them behind. Luke 12:21 – Store your treasures in heaven by faithfully giving to God. Proverbs 22:7 – Avoid being in debt, the borrow is a servant of the lender. 1 Timothy 5:18 – The laborer is worthy of his hire don’t expect things for free. 1 Corinthians 9:13 – Those that minister are to be supported by those for whom they labor.
No circumstance of birth or nationality, no condition of life, can turn away His love from the children of men.
It’s no fairy tale! One day, you can be free from all the hurt, hunger, loneliness, crime, and chaos infecting the world today. Doesn’t that sound wonderful? But it’s not going to be some charismatic world leader who is going to deliver you—no, your deliverer is far superior! Jesus is coming soon, but there are a lot of misconceptions regarding how He’s coming back. So take a few minutes to understand what the Bible really says about the second coming so you won’t be left behind!
1. Can we be positive Jesus will return a second time?
“Christ … will appear a second time” (Hebrews 9:28). “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again” (John 14:3).
Answer: Yes! In Matthew 26:64, Jesus testified that He would come back to this earth again. Since the Scriptures cannot be broken (John 10:35), this is proof positive. It is Christ’s own personal guarantee. Besides, Jesus fulfilled the prophecies of His first coming—so we can be absolutely certain that He will fulfill the prophecies concerning His second coming too!
2. In what manner will Jesus return the second time?
“When He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said,
‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven’ ” (Acts 1:9–11).
Answer: The Scriptures promise that Jesus will return to this earth in the same manner that He left—in a visible, literal, bodily, personal manner. Matthew 24:30 says, “They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.” He will come in the clouds literally, as a personal being with a body of flesh and bones (Luke 24:36–43, 50, 51). His coming will be visible; Scripture is clear on these facts!
3. Will the second coming of Christ be visible to everyone or only to a select group?
“Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him” (Revelation 1:7). “As the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be” (Matthew 24:27). “The Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first” (1 Thessalonians 4:16).
Answer: Every man, woman, and child living in the world when Jesus returns will see Him at His second coming. The staggering brightness of His appearance will stretch from horizon to horizon, and the atmosphere will be charged with brilliant glory like lightning. No one will be able to hide from it. This will be a loud, dramatic event in which even the dead are raised.
Jesus makes it very clear that several things can trap and destroy Christians. He even told a story to illustrate His warning: “It is like a man going to a far country, who left his house and gave authority to his servants, and to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch. Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming—in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning—lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping” (Mark 13:34–36).
Let’s consider the traps in Luke 21:34 along with Jesus’ warning in Mark. The first item is “carousing.” The original word comes from two Greek words, one for “head” and the other for “to sway or toss about.” The idea is that we can become so busy in life, so intoxicated with our adrenaline-driven schedules, that we lose our ability to think clearly. This rat race of constant running keeps us from spending daily time with Jesus.
GOD IS LOVE
Drunkenness, of course, speaks of the result of drinking alcoholic beverages, but it can refer to any addiction. People who have numbed their minds through pornography, illicit sex, romance novels, gambling, alcohol, drugs, movies, food, or evil companions are clinging to dependencies that keep them from Bible study, prayer, and Christian fellowship. They live in an unreal world trying to fill a void in their life that only Jesus can truly fill. Even the everyday cares of this life can so consume us that we don’t put first things first.
Finally, Mark 13 warns us that we can be spiritually asleep. It might be the biggest problem today. When a person is asleep, he doesn’t really know he is asleep. Taking our relationship with Jesus for granted can make sleepwalkers of those who, unless miraculously wakened, will sleep past the moment of truth.
KEY BIBLE TEXTS And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. Luke 21:34
True confession is always of a specific character… but all confession should be definite and to the point, acknowledging the very sins of which you are guilty. Steps to Christ, p. 38
God is the fountain of life; and when one chooses the service of sin, he separates from God, and thus cuts himself off from life. He is “alienated from the life of God.” Christ says, “All they that hate Me love death.” God gives them existence for a time that they may develop their character and reveal their principles. This accomplished, they receive the results of their own choice. By a life of rebellion, Satan and all who unite with him place themselves so out of harmony with God that His very presence is to them a consuming fire. The glory of Him who is love will destroy them. ( The Desire of Ages )
Because of the pride and ambition of the human race, God has chosen to perform His mighty works by the most simple and humble means….
His care for the works of His creation is unwearied and incessant. When men and women go forth to their daily toil, as when they engage in prayer; when they lie down at night, and when they rise in the morning; when the rich feast in their palaces, when the poor gather their children about the scanty board, all are tenderly watched by their heavenly Father….
With humble prayer and trusting faith, we would seek counsel from God…. Then all our acts would be governed by discretion, our energies would be rightly directed.
No question, one of the keys in learning to forgive is to understand what we have been forgiven in Christ. We have all sinned, not just against other people but against God as well.
Every sin is, indeed, a sin against our Lord and Maker; and yet, in Jesus, we can claim total forgiveness for all those sins, not because we deserve it—we don’t—but only because of God’s grace toward us.
Jesus didn’t wait for us to ask for forgiveness first.
Forgiveness, like love, begins with a choice rather than a feeling. We can make the choice to forgive, even if our emotions may not agree with this decision. God knows that in our own strength this choice is impossible, but “with God all things are possible”
No question, forgiveness isn’t always easy. The pain and the damage done to us can be devastating, leaving us hurt, crippled, and broken. Healing will come, if we allow it, but holding on to bitterness and anger and resentment will make healing much harder, if possible at all.
The Cross is the best example of what it cost God Himself to forgive us. If the Lord can go through that for us, even though He knew that so many would, nevertheless, reject Him, then we certainly can learn to forgive as well.
Nothing can justify an unforgiving spirit. He who is unmerciful toward others shows that he himself is not a partaker of God’s pardoning grace. In God’s forgiveness the heart of the erring one is drawn close to the great heart of Infinite Love. The tide of divine compassion flows into the sinner’s soul, and from him to the souls of others. The tenderness and mercy that Christ has revealed in His own precious life will be seen in those who become sharers of His grace.”
God does not propose to remove every objection which the carnal heart may bring against His truth. To those who refuse the precious rays of light which would illuminate the darkness, the mysteries of God’s word remain such forever. From them the truth is hidden. They walk blindly, and know not the ruin before them. Desire of Ages, p. 588
Volume 5 of the Conflict of the Ages series carries the story of the controversy between God and Satan to its ultimate and glorious conclusion. Beginning with the destruction of Jerusalem and continuing through the persecutions of Christians in the Roman Empire, the apostasy of the Dark Ages, the shining light of the Reformation, and the worldwide religious awakening of the nineteenth century, this volume traces the conflict into the future, to the Second Coming of Jesus and the glories of the earth made new. As the end draws ever closer, the vital issue of loyalty to God will become decisive. In this concluding volume, the author powerfully points out the principles involved in the impending conflict and how each person can stand firmly for God and His truth.
When the leader of those “angels which kept not their first estate” (Jude 6) fell from his holy and exalted place in heaven, he precipitated upon the universe of God an awful controversy. From the very nature of the case, there must be eternal antagonism between righteousness and sin. Between purity and pollution there can be no coalition; nor could the supreme author of all things, the God in whom inheres every perfection, maintain any other than an attitude of uncompromising hostility to sin and all its fruits, to the author of rebellion and all his followers.
Another conclusion is apparent: God, as the foe of all evil, and at the same time omnipotent, could not, consistently with His own nature, suffer rebellion to enter within his realms, and abide forever. The intruder must be cast out; the disturber of the peace must be destroyed. There can be no question as to the issue of this controversy between a holy Creator and the rebellious creature.
That sin might make a full revelation of its nature and results to the intelligences of all worlds, this controversy was not arrested in its inception. When sin is finally destroyed, it will have given sufficient evidence to satisfy every mind that it deserves the infliction; and all will joyfully acquiesce in its merited doom. Happily we have no evidence that, outside the apostate angels, any other world than our own has fallen under the influence of this sinful revolt.
But this is enough to make it a matter of absorbing interest to us; for Satan and his angels being cast out of heaven, this world has become the sole theater of the struggle between right and wrong. All men have become involved therein.
Between them and salvation there lies the problem of recovery from sin, the attainment to a condition of reconciliation and acceptance with God. What theme is therefore entitled to be regarded with more absorbing interest than this great controversy—the stages through which it has passed, its present development, and the outlook for the future. How and under what circumstances will the controversy end? And have we any evidence that the long-wished-for termination is drawing near? To the consideration of these great themes the following pages are devoted; and we have the clearest assurance that the author possesses peculiar qualifications for such a work.
From her childhood she has been noted for her reverence and love for the Word of God, and her piety and devotion to His service. Unbounded faith in the promises of the Holy Scriptures has been both an inducement and a means to enable her to live near to the Saviour.
The blessing of the Holy Spirit has been vouchsafed to her in large measure. And as one of the offices of this Spirit was declared to be to show unto the followers of Christ “things to come” (John 16:13), working through that prescribed channel which, as one of the endowments of the church, is described as the gift of prophecy (1 Corinthians 12:9, 10; 14:1), so we believe she has been empowered by a divine illumination to speak of some past events which have thus been brought to her attention, with greater minuteness than is set forth in any existing records, and to read the future with more than human foresight.
Those who know what it is to hold communion with our Heavenly Father, will, we think, as they read these pages, feel constrained to believe that the writer has drawn from the heavenly fountain, and received help from that throne of grace where Christ sitteth as our merciful High Priest, and whence He is ever ready to send forth assistance to the many sons whom He is bringing unto glory. Hebrews 2:10. Aside from the great volume of inspiration—the Bible—no other book presents a more wonderful and intensely interesting history of the present dispensation, to the complete restitution of all things, than the volume here offered to the public.
And as the closing scenes of this world’s history are of the most thrilling and momentous nature, these are more particularly dwelt upon in this work. The reader, as he follows the narrative, beginning with a sketch of our Lord’s great prophecy in Matthew 24, will find himself entering into new sympathy with the church in her warfare and her sufferings, as she passes on to her promised redemption; and the soul of every believer will kindle at the vivid description of the final triumph of the people of God, the destruction of Satan and all his followers, the total and eternal extirpation of evil from the universe, and the renovation of the earth as the everlasting inheritance of the saints, when this great controversy is concluded. While the subjects here presented involve the loftiest imagery, and most wonderful depth, even as the apostle declares, “the deep things of God,” which the Spirit alone is capable of searching into (1 Cor. 2:10), yet they are treated in language chaste, simple, and easy to be understood. And we rejoice to know that the reading of this work leads to greater confidence in, and love for, the Holy Scriptures, to greater sympathy with Christ, in His marvelous work for the redemption of men, and to greater reverence for the God of all grace, in Whom are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
Numerous editions of this work having already been exhausted, we feel a peculiar gratification in sending forth this edition, enlarged and improved, and adapted to circulate in various tongues. The illustrations will add to the interest and value of the work. May it still prove a blessing to all who read, and redound to the glory of the Most High.
At the close of the thousand years, Christ again returns to the earth. He is accompanied by the host of the redeemed, and attended by a retinue of angels. As he descends in terrific majesty, he bids the wicked dead arise to receive their doom. They come forth, a mighty host, numberless as the sands of the sea. What a contrast to those who were raised at the first resurrection! The righteous were clothed with immortal youth and beauty. The wicked bear the traces of disease and death …
But when the wrath of God comes upon the persecutors who are found enforcing the sign or mark of the beast, then they will realize the importance of the Sabbath,—the seal of the living God. They who turn away from that which the Lord spoke when his voice shook the earth, will confess their fatal error when his voice shall shake the heavens and the earth.
The serpent does not tempt from a tree today, he chains you to your work, your phone and thoughts for self then steals your Time for the Lord.
The law of love being the foundation of the government of God, the happiness of all created beings depended upon their perfect accord with its great principles of righteousness. God desires from all His creatures the service of love homage that springs from an intelligent appreciation of His character. He takes no pleasure in a forced allegiance, and to all He grants freedom of will, that they may render Him voluntary service. ( Darkness Before Dawn )
Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Psalm 139:23, 24. OFC 177.1
Few realize that it is a duty to exercise control over the thoughts and imaginations. It is difficult to keep the undisciplined mind fixed upon profitable subjects. But if the thoughts are not properly employed, religion cannot flourish in the soul. The mind must be preoccupied with sacred and eternal things, or it will cherish trifling and superficial thoughts. Both the intellectual and the moral powers must be disciplined, and they will … improve by exercise. OFC 177.2
In order to understand this matter aright, we must remember that our hearts are naturally depraved, and we are unable of ourselves to pursue a right course. It is only by the grace of God, combined with the most earnest effort on our part, that we can gain the victory. The intellect, as well as the heart, must be consecrated to the service of God. He has claims upon all there is of us. OFC 177.3
Few believe that humanity has sunk so low as it has or that it is so thoroughly bad, so desperately opposed to God, as it is…. When the mind is not under the direct influence of the Spirit of God, Satan can mold it as he chooses. All the rational powers which he controls he will carnalize. He is directly opposed to God in his tastes, views, preferences, likes and dislikes, choice of things and pursuits; there is no relish for what God loves or approves, but a delight in those things which He despises…. OFC 177.4
If Christ is abiding in the heart, He will be in all our thoughts. Our deepest thoughts will be of Him, His love, His purity. He will fill all the chambers of the mind. Our affections will center about Jesus. All our hopes and expectations will be associated with Him. To live the life we now live by faith in the Son of God, looking forward to and loving His appearing, will be the soul’s highest joy. He will be the crown of our rejoicing. OFC 177.5
Those who have trained the mind to delight in spiritual exercises are the ones who can be translated and not be overwhelmed with the purity and transcendent glory of heaven.14In Heavenly Places, 163.
