The Final Choice

Start with a question You have reached the end of the study. The theology is settled. The biblical evidence has been weighed. The traditions of men have been dismantled. But knowledge alone will not save you. The demons have perfect theology, and they are lost. The only question that remains is this: Who is living inside of you?

The Two Foundations Jesus gave the ultimate summary of the final crisis in Matthew 7:

The rain, the floods, and the winds represent the final crisis—the ultimate enforcement of the Mark of the Beast. What is the difference between the two builders? Both heard the words. Both built a house. The difference is the foundation.

The sand is the foundation of human tradition, philosophical creeds, and metaphorical sonship. It is the foundation of a "third person" proxy, a triune mystery, and a righteousness that is merely a legal fiction. When the final storms of deception hit, the sand will wash away. You cannot stand in the final crisis on the traditions of your fathers.

The Rock is the literal Father and the literal Son. It is the foundation of the true Godhead. It is the reality of the indwelling Christ. When the storms hit, the house built on the Rock will stand, because the Rock is living inside of it.

The Ultimate Weapon How will the 144,000 stand when the whole world is deceived? How will they refuse the Mark of the Beast when it means the loss of their jobs, their freedom, and their lives?

They will not stand because they memorized the arguments against the Trinity. They will not stand because they can perfectly explain the Hebrew word Elohim. They will stand because they possess the ultimate weapon against the spirit of antichrist: The literal, personal indwelling of Jesus Christ.

As The Indwelling Hope makes clear, the final generation will not overcome by mere intellectual assent to doctrine. They will overcome because the very life of Christ is flowing through their veins by the Holy Spirit. "And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony." (Revelation 12:11)

Their testimony is not a theological treatise. Their testimony is a living Person. They can say, with Paul, "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me" (Galatians 2:20). When the beast demands their allegiance, the Christ within them will not bow.

The Final Invitation The Bible ends with a plea. It is not a threat; it is an invitation from the very heart of God. "And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely." (Revelation 22:17)

Who is saying "Come"? The Bride is the New Jerusalem, the redeemed. But who is the Spirit? If the Holy Spirit is a "third person" standing in heaven, then this is just one more being asking you to come. But if the Holy Spirit is the very life, mind, and presence of Jesus Christ and the Father, then this invitation takes on a breathtaking, intimate reality.

It is the Spirit of the Son, pleading with you to open the door. It is the same Jesus who said, "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me" (Revelation 3:20).

The Spirit is not a proxy sent to convince you to accept a distant Savior. The Spirit is the Savior, reaching into your heart, begging you to let Him in, to let Him form His character in you, to let Him be your righteousness and your strength for the final hour.

The Ultimate Question You have studied the Word. You have tested the spirits. You have seen the danger of the spirit of antichrist, which denies the literal Father and the literal Son. You have seen the glory of the true Godhead, where the Father is the Source, the Son is the begotten Word, and the Spirit is their indwelling presence.

Now, as The Way of a Fool demands, you must turn the mirror on yourself. Do not look at your neighbor. Do not look at your denomination. Do not look at the world. Look into your own heart.

When you pray, are you talking to a distant God, or are you speaking to the Father who lives inside you? When you face temptation, are you trying to fight it in your own strength, or are you yielding to the quickening Spirit of Christ within you? When the pressure comes, will your foundation hold, because it is built on the Rock of a living, indwelling Savior?

The study is over. The real work begins now.

Fall to your knees. Ask the question the disciples asked in the Upper Room. Ask the question that will determine your eternal destiny.

"Lord, is it I?"