The Stakes Are High
The Scale of the Investment
What we have been reading in Hebrews is a series of instructions, warnings, and encouragement to perform a task that somehow dovetails with what the Father and Christ have been working toward since time existed.
Modern cosmology asserts that the universe is about 13.8 billion years old. The Planck satellite’s measurements of the cosmic microwave background radiation have allowed scientists to determine this age with remarkable precision. From our perspective, this represents an incomprehensible span of time. This is a mammoth project operating on a scale that dwarfs human understanding.
However, here is what we often overlook: How important is this project to God?
When we say the stakes are high, we need to ask: Who has the highest investment? The answer is clear. God the Father and His Son are the ones who have invested the most inspiration, passion, and work into a determination that the Father intends to see through to completion.
What Could Go Wrong?
This raises a tough question: could humanity actually fail? Throughout history, we have repeatedly moved toward self-destruction. Our history is defined by war and conflict. If our weapons of mass destruction do not wipe us out, it will probably be our poor care of the planet that leads to our demise. Behind all this destruction is another key player: Satan, who, behind the scenes, influences us to make all the destructive choices. Allowing Satan to influence us is our downfall. Until we address this issue, our chances of success will remain zero.
Is it possible for God to fail? That is the wrong question. The genuine concern lies within the struggle between Satan and humanity, whether Satan will succeed, and as things currently stand, he likely will. In Chapter 6, “Who Is Israel,” a detailed explanation of Revelation 12 is provided. This chapter is crucial for understanding Satan’s actions and his impact on the world.
God does not want failure to occur. However, Malachi 4:6 warns that if humans ignore His guidance, He is prepared to unleash total destruction on the earth. The Hebrew word herem, translated as “curse” in the King James Version, carries a much stronger meaning than the English suggests. Herem refers to complete, utter destruction, the kind of divine judgment that leaves nothing standing. This is not theoretical language or prophetic hyperbole. This is not without precedent. In a similar situation, when Satan had almost entirely gained control, God imposed that herem, that total destruction, resulting in the annihilation of the human population, leaving Noah and his family as the only survivors.
It is not too far-fetched to say that for God to succeed in this project, we must first succeed in ridding this world of Satan’s influence. This is the decisive battle that will determine our future.
Based on the recurring warnings throughout Hebrews, and more to come in subsequent chapters, the human element is the weakest link of this effort. The Saints bear the responsibility of making one last attempt to outsmart Satan. His tactic is deception. The key to defeating him is not to believe his lies. The Saints have the task of persuading others to recognize and not trust those lies. However, the problem is that Satan has deceived humanity since the beginning. His falsehoods are ingrained into every aspect of life, requiring a drastic change to free ourselves. When you are deceived, you do not know you are deceived.
At the time of the universe’s creation, poetically described in Isaiah as “the heavens being stretched out as a curtain,” all angels rejoiced, except for one. When physical matter first formed, Satan, known as “the sum of all beauty and wisdom” (Isaiah 14, Ezekiel 28), would have understood exactly what was happening: he was to be replaced. Once humans attain eternal life, they are granted authority over all creation, including angels. Satan’s animosity toward humanity predates our existence, with the direct aim of destroying us. Although he is restricted in his ability to physically harm us directly, he continuously assaults us through mental manipulation.
When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? Job 38:7
It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth… that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in: Isa 40:22
The New Testament repeatedly commands the Churches to overcome Satan, the ruler of the present age, and states this plainly. This instruction is almost entirely absent from mainstream Christianity, to the point of denying its implications altogether. Yet the logic of Revelation’s messages to the Churches is unavoidable: if believers are instructed to overcome Satan, then Satan is still active, still operative, still exerting influence over the world and over the Church. Christ’s victory over Satan was real and decisive, but it did not eliminate Satan’s presence from the world. The New Testament gives no room for that assumption. The ongoing corruption, deception, and moral collapse around us confirm the point.
What Christ did accomplish was the foundation that makes overcoming possible. His atoning sacrifice did not remove Satan from the battlefield; it equipped the Saints to defeat him. “By His blood” is not a slogan; it is the mechanism by which those who “serve the living God” are sanctified, set apart for resisting and overcoming the adversary in the same manner Christ did.
The core tool offered to the Saints is truth. Although it may appear superficial to those accustomed to abstract concepts, truth remains the only strong defense against deception. Scripture describes a world engulfed in a fog, a system structured around delusion, misdirection, false confidence, and counterfeit religion. Without truth, no one can navigate it. Truth functions as a map: it clarifies the terrain, exposes the traps, reveals the destination, and makes movement possible. Without such a map, “overcoming” is an empty word. With it, the command becomes actionable.
To ignore this framework, as most of Christianity does, is to ignore the very structure of the New Testament’s message to the Churches. Overcoming Satan is central; it is the main task. Christ’s sacrifice does not render that task unnecessary; it makes it possible.
11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. Rev 12:11
21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. Rev 3:21
12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, Heb 4:12
“The sense is, that the truth of God is all-penetrating and searching”. Barnes’ Notes
31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; 32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. John 8:31
The Deliberate Test
Satan was placed in the Garden of Eden. He did not slip past God unnoticed or end up there by accident. He was positioned there specifically, deliberately, with full divine knowledge and intent.
This was not an oversight. It was a test, and it had to be a test. The choice had to be presented because forced obedience proves nothing. God does not want automatons programmed to comply. He wants beings who choose freely to trust Him, who willingly submit to His authority rather than rebel as Satan did.
From beginning to end in the biblical narrative, humanity still faces the same decision: follow Satan or follow God. Even Christ, as a man, confronted this identical challenge. His success is recorded as defeating Satan simply by refusing to engage with his offers, ignoring the tempter completely.
This pattern repeats throughout history. Noah was a preacher of righteousness. The people of his generation had a choice: heed the warning or ignore it. They chose to ignore him. The result was total destruction, herem, leaving only Noah’s family. The mark of the beast will be another turning point, another moment when humanity must choose: trust God or trust the system Satan has built.
Only when man chooses to follow God willingly, refusing to rebel as Satan did, can God give man the future He intends. The Garden was the first chance. Therefore, the choice was deliberately presented.
Satan functions as nothing more than a con man. But what a persuasive one! He panders to every whim, knows every weakness we possess, and can pry open the slightest crack that offers an opportunity. We must prove capable of withstanding him.
Satan was once regarded as the most magnificent of beings. His growing arrogance led him to rebel against God in a failed attempt at a coup. His unmatched ability in deception managed to maneuver a full third of the angels into following his rebellion. God is ensuring that course of events never happens again. The risk is too catastrophic to accept.
The Pivotal Test
This is the foundation beneath all the warnings and admonitions we have been examining. Do not give in to Satan. Trust, have faith in God. This represents the pivotal part of the entire process.
The Saints must first demonstrate unwavering trust in God. Their challenge is then to persuade millions of people, enough to represent humanity so that God can declare: “I now believe that humanity has justified eternal existence.”
The basis of this decision is the demonstration, with observable evidence, that humanity can be trusted to make the right decision going forward forevermore.
What is man, that thou art mindful of him? Psalm 8:4
The question carries more weight than we typically grasp. The universe itself, and far more than the physical universe, is “groaning, waiting” for the outcome, as Paul describes in Romans 8:22.
Back To Square One: A Last Chance
Christ’s death offered us another chance. While some say “the slate is wiped clean,” will that solve every issue? Is a thief no longer a thief when he stops stealing? Not necessarily. It is just a break from the job. A thief ceases to be a thief when he begins giving, when he changes direction and walks the opposite way.
What happens next will determine the future permanently. Who will walk the other way?
Christ’s sacrifice does not remove the test; it resets the conditions, allowing the test to be fair and open to everyone. Using Adam and Eve as an analogy, they were completely innocent before Satan disturbed the peace. They were tested, but only after being informed of the consequences. “You are free to do as you please, with one exception: do not choose for yourself what is right and wrong.”
Christ’s sacrifice has allowed us to take a step back and have another chance to demonstrate whether we have learned to choose correctly when faced with the fundamental choice between trusting God and following the deceiver.
If the right decision is made, Satan will be restrained and his influence entirely removed from the earth during the Millennium and New Covenant period. That is why it will be so harmonious. “Entering the rest” is not solely a reward for success but also a demonstration, a proof of concept. It illustrates what human civilization could have been and will be when it adheres to God’s guidelines, free of satanic influence. A thousand years of experiencing life as God originally designed. No deception. No lies whispered into gullible ears, no manipulation of human weaknesses. People live according to the law of God, which becomes second nature through a direct relationship with their Creator. As a result, the planet is restored to pristine conditions, a return to the Garden of Eden, without satan present. This will solve the question of evil and tragedy. The experience of human life will be restored to a ‘pristine condition’.
The Almost Impossible Task
This context explains why the Saints’ mission is so significant and why it seems hopeless to accomplish.
Passages in the bible talk about the end time mark of the beast. Those who accept that mark will have rejected God. Many others are described as being in captivity, including those who refused the mark or showed a willingness to trust in God in other ways. They will be protected by being placed outside the beast’s reach; their ‘captivity’ serves as a way to position them where they can be safeguarded.
There are several passages that show a “tenth” of the Israelite nations are involved and will return from captivity in the end time.
But yet in it shall be a tenth, and it shall return, and shall be eaten: as a teil tree, and as an oak, whose substance is in them, when they cast their leaves: so the holy seed shall be the substance thereof. Isa 6:13
For thus saith the Lord GOD; The city that went out by a thousand shall leave an hundred, and that which went forth by an hundred shall leave ten, to the house of Israel. Amos 5:3
If we consider the Israelite nations as the modern Christian nations (see Chapter 6: Who Is Israel?), a quick estimate is that sixty million would return to the “promised land.” The enormous challenge lies in transforming the “hearts” of so many individuals, not merely superficial belief but true, deep conviction and dependence on God. This is essential to withstand the end times. Without divine intervention on their behalf, survival is impossible.
There are conditions: they must keep the commandments of God. Notice that these Israelite nations, these peoples, are Christian. They keep the testimony of Christ. There are two groups described. Both groups are in captivity, but one is in captivity beyond the reach of the Beast. We can determine their location. During the last three and a half years, only two rival powers have been left in the world. Europe is the Beast power. At war with the Beast are the “mighty men of the East,” the combined nations of the Far East, led by China. Confirmation of being captives in Asia is the reference to “gods of stone and wood.” By process of elimination, this can only describe Asia. It cannot be the Arab nations; they worship one God. It cannot be Russia; they have essentially a Christian heritage with one God. Only Asia fits that description, as Europe and the Middle East have religions with only one god.
28 And there ye shall serve gods, the work of men’s hands, wood and stone,which neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell. 29 But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul. 30 When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, evenin the latter days,if thou turn to the LORD thy God,and shalt be obedient unto his voice; 31 (For the LORD thy God is a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee,nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them. Deut 4:28 (This is one of the earliest Old Testament prophecies of the end time with particular reference to the New Covenant.)
36 The LORD shall bring thee, and thy king which thou shalt set over thee, unto a nation which neither thou nor thy fathers have known; and there shalt thou serve other gods, wood and stone. Deut 28:36
The Saints’ Extended Reach: The Entire World
The captivity in Asia unexpectedly has a positive side: their captors are visibly influenced by the example set by these captives, and they come to understand who the real God is. Indirectly, the Saints have reached far into outlying regions of the earth.
And thou shalt become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword, among all nations whither the LORD shall lead thee. Deuteronomy 28:37
It is reasonable to conclude that the captives in Asia comprise the larger group. The Beast, Satan inspired, is determined to decimate them. They are supernaturally protected, which enrages the Beast, who then gives a more determined effort to eradicate those still surviving within his own territory of Europe. The Two Witnesses appear during the last three and a half years to represent God, ensuring protection for all captives. Without their presence and power, the Beast would wipe all those who refuse the mark off the map.
37 And thou shalt become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword, among all nations whither the LORD shall lead thee. Deut 28:37
All these millions who reached the Millennium showcase the Saints’ remarkable determination, the huge scale and challenges they faced, and their incredible level of success.
First, they must convince this substantial number of people to reject Satan in the most extreme tests imaginable. Refusing the mark of the beast will be the test for many; others will face equally difficult circumstances. No mark means no food. No mark means no shelter. No mark, no survival by conventional means.
What else is required? In the Old Testament, God constantly calls on Israel to return to what He told them to do initially. They kept pursuing their own ideas.
Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you. Deut 4:2
But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God,and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you,that it may be well with you. But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear, but walked in the counsels and in the imagination of their evil heart, and went backward, and not forward. Jer 7:23
Has Christianity fared any better? This is what Christ says:
22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. Matt 7:22
And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? Luke 6:46 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 1 John 2:4
This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. Matt 15:8
Millions Are Turned To God: Despite The Beast
This is where the Saints’ danger becomes genuinely perilous. They are somewhat caught in the middle, not only directly opposing the Beast by encouraging defiance of his system, but facing pressure from those who believe they followed God that their faith was misguided, that their way of following Christ was wrong. The good news is that as soon as people turn back to God and obey His commands, the pressure will ease. God will shield and care for those who seek Him.
They persuade people to take risks that seem to lead to economic and physical self-destruction, motivated solely by faith. It is essential to present the reality of God convincingly. Christ had to remind His followers, “Believe the works, they are of the Father.” The reality of God will be unmistakably shown, leaving no room for doubt. The end-time Saints have an “open door which no one can shut.” In modern terms, they will be able to provide miraculous proof of the existence of God.
They encourage total trust in divine provision, even when all visible signs of support seem to be absent. The pattern of Moses and his people departing from Egypt into the desert without water and food, how will they survive? It was not easy, but the reality is they received a fresh supply of food six days a week, and water came out of rocks. And their clothes and shoes never wore out.
Those who respond, who refuse the mark despite the consequences, are eventually taken on “eagles’ wings” to a place of safety during the final three and a half years. But getting them to that point of commitment, when doing so means facing persecution from the entire economic and political system, requires the Saints to demonstrate to them such complete trust in God that others will risk everything based on that witness.
This is why “harden not your hearts” carries such weight. The task is not just difficult; it is grueling. It requires the Saints to uphold unwavering trust, taking one step at a time, embracing each day as it comes, turning back the tide of ungodly thinking that currently envelops the world. Can a relative handful of people turn the world upside down? Christ said, “With God, all things are possible.”
If the Saints fail to act, if they let slip what they have heard, if they harden their hearts when faced with this unthinkable task, if they cannot overcome Satan sufficiently to convince enough people to reject the mark and change their ways, the entire project stalls.
So many years have been leading up to this moment. The Father and Son have dedicated all their effort to this resolution. The universe waits for the outcome. And the weak link, the only variable that could cause failure, is whether the Saints will trust God enough to do the impossible thing He is calling them to accomplish.
The stakes are not just high for us. They are highest for God, who has risked everything on the possibility that humanity can be transformed from rebellion to trustworthiness, from Satan’s kingdom to eternal government under God.
This is why the warnings in Hebrews are so acute. That is why “today if you hear his voice” carries such weight. That is why we must not let slip what we are hearing. In Malachi, it says they spoke one to another, and in Hebrews, it says not to neglect meeting together, talking to each other. Both refer to the end time.
16 Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name. 17 And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him. 18 Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not. Malachi 3:16
24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: 25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. Heb 10:24
The project that began before time itself relies on a relatively small group of people refusing to harden their hearts and completing the mission they have been given, despite the cost.
For God to succeed, the Saints must succeed. As John 17 says, the Saints are all one with Christ and the Father. A very positive word by Christ at the time said, “Father, I have lost none that You gave Me.”