We have seen that Jesus can save us to the uttermost or as the great Evangelist Ron Halverson said, “He saves us from the guttermost to the uttermost.”
The first “P” of salvation relates to being saved from the Penalty of sin.. Jesus saves us from the Penalty of sin (death). Then He saves us from the Power of the sin and we walk with a new mind in Christ overcoming sin in our life . The 3rd and 4th “P” is Jesus will one day save us from the Presence of sin and the Propensity to sin. He does this when he comes in the clouds the 2nd time. When this happens sin will be no more. I like the way this author describes it:
“The death of Christ upon the cross made sure the destruction of him who has the power of death, who was the originator of sin. When Satan is destroyed, there will be none to tempt to evil; the atonement will never need to be repeated, and there will be no danger of another rebellion in the universe of God. That which alone can effectually restrain from sin in this world of darkness will prevent sin in heaven.”
EGW-Signs of the Times, December 30, 1889
It is the meaning of the cross that will be forever remembered by the redeemed and the unfallen angels that will prevent sin from raising its ugly head again.
Sin and its consequences are destroyed when the Lord makes the earth new:
“And death and hell (grave) were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.”
Revelation 20:4
This second death is complete and utter destruction. Not only is death and the grave a thing of the past, but also so is Satan and his fallen angels who started sin in the first place.
And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire
Revelation 20:10
He is reduced to ashes:
“You defiled your sanctuaries By the multitude of your iniquities, By the iniquity of your trading; Therefore I brought fire from your midst; It devoured you, And I turned you to ashes upon the earth In the sight of all who saw you.
Ezekiel 28:18
Then those who have rejected the offer of eternal life through Jesus will sadly be destroyed as well.
And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
Revelation 20:15
They too are reduced to ashes:
For behold, the day is coming,
Burning like an oven,
And all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble.
And the day which is coming shall burn them up,”
Says the Lord of hosts,
That will leave them neither root nor branch…
You shall trample the wicked,
For they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet
On the day that I do this,”
Says the Lord of hosts.
Malachi 4:1, 3
Sin and its Presence will never be again.
Sin and sinners are forever destroyed by what God calls His “strange act.” It is strange because God is a Creator and takes no pleasure in the death (destruction) in the death of the sinner. It is against his nature that He must wipe his creation off the face of the earth and create a new earth.
For the Lord shall rise up as in mount Perazim, he shall be wroth as in the valley of Gibeon, that he may do his work, his strange work; and bring to pass his act, his strange act.
Isaiah 28:21 KJ
In the next verse, we are told what is his “strange work” and “strange act”
“Now therefore, do not be mockers,
Lest your bonds be made strong;
For I have heard from the Lord God of hosts,
A destruction determined even upon the whole earth.”
Isaiah 28:22 NKJ
Say to them: ‘As I live,’ says the Lord God, ‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways!
Isaiah 33:11
It is the enemy who is the author of death. it is not God’s will that any should perish, but that all live. The whole Bible is God’s appeal for man to turn from His sin and find life in Him.
The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
2 Peter 3:9
The context of this statement is in regards to those who scoff at the idea of Christ’s return. as shown in the previous verses:
... knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation
2 Peter 3: 3-4
Peter opens our eyes to several things in these few verses:
1.) The mindset of the world is that all things have continued the same day in and day out. The sun rises and it sets. Nothing has changed since Jesus left this earth.
2.) God is “long-suffering” with us. He is patient. Why? Because when Jesus returns, it is the end of those who failed to respond to his call to repentance. What awaits them? They will perish when Jesus returns. It doesn’t say they will live in hell….they will perish.
Perish is used in the most famous verse of all. John 3:16
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
John 3:16
Notice the contrast of destinies of the saved and the lost. If it is true that the saved have everlasting life, it is true as the opposite that the lost will perish…they do not have everlasting life.
Some would have us believe that the wages of sin is not death (perish) but living in hell. (For more on the teaching of hell, see Lord Tell Me about Hell-Part 1)
All through the Bible, the theme of destruction trumps any twisted interpretation of scripture to make it sound like God will torture the sinner throughout the dim lights of eternity.
Those who have the attitude of mocking the second coming of Christ as described in 2 Peter are not only caught off guard when He comes, but they are destroyed:
For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape.
1 Thessalonians 5:3
The fate of this first earth is destruction as are those who choose sin and rebellion against God:
But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.
2 Peter 3:10
There are some who would have us believe that the 2nd coming of Christ is secret…it is quite like a thief. But, when He comes, it is like a thief in this sense. A thief is one who surprises the owners of the home. They are not prepared for the thief.
Ask anyone who has come home to find their belongings gone and they will tell you of the shock of surprise.
We are told that the followers of Christ are prepared and the Second Coming is not like a thief to them. They are not surprised. They have seen the signs and know that Jesus’ promises are coming to past. As they are looking for him, they are preparing their hearts and minds to embrace Him. The others are more interested in their day to day activities.
But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober.
1 Thessalonians 5: 4-6
The element of surprise feeling life is peaceful and things continue as they always have…sunrise….sunset, but Jesus returns and “takes them all away.”
For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be
Matthew 24: 38-39
Luke says the same as Matthew about those caught by surprise but uses clearer language when he comes to the part about the flood taking away those in Noah’s day and what it means.
They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.
Luke 17:27
By comparing these two inspired writers, there is no doubt that those who are more interested in this life on earth and put their souls into everyday living without God are destroyed when Jesus returns.
Some teach and refer to Matthew without comparing to Luke to make this say that the “taking” is the rapture, but that is to go against the plain teaching of scripture.
As one compares scripture with scripture, the fate of this earth without Jesus is destruction. When he comes, it is compared to a flaming fire.
when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power
2 Thessalonians 1: 7-9
Notice that the fate of the lost is destruction. In fact, even the Anti-Christ is destroyed at the brightness of His coming:
And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming.
And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
2 Thessalonians 2: 8-10
God will save us from destruction. It is His desire to give us eternal life and to separate us from anything related to sin. This is why both sin and sinner must be destroyed. To believe that God has reserved this earth or a place of the universe where the reminder of sin exists is to go against not only plain scripture but also a correct understanding of the character and nature of our great Creator.
_________________________________________________________
Jesus will rescue us from the Presence of sin (the 3rd P of salvation) when He comes to take us where he is:
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.
John 14:3
When Jesus returns he takes us to where he is now at this very moment. Where is he?
But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God,
Hebrews 10:12
Now this is the main point of the things we are saying: We have such a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens,
Hebrews 8:1
Jesus has not only made it possible for us to live forever but also to enjoy the gift of life by seeing and doing things we never imagined.
Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.
2 Corinthians 2:9
Jesus takes us to a beautiful city in a different place in the universe where God the Father is located. When we are rescued from this planet of sin, all heaven is emptied. This includes the angels, God the Father, and of course Jesus.
“When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.
Matthew 25:31
…. He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.
Matthew 8:28
(For more on the 2nd coming of Christ, See
The place that Jesus has prepared for us is called the New Jerusalem in Revelation chapter 9. Here is a small section of its description:
….the great city, the holy[Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal. Also she had a great and high wall with twelve gates, and twelve angels at the gates, and names written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on the south, and three gates on the west.
Revelation 9:10-13
This great gated city has a tree and a river that runs through it.
In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
Revelation 22:2
Hard for us to image the beauty of this city. Did you notice that the tree of life is in the city and it has the special task of “healing the nations?” This same tree was in the garden of Eden at the beginning and it is there at the end. Perhaps as all the nations eat from the tree of life again, all differences are resolved and it perpetuates eternal life literally.
But, this new Jerusalem in heaven stays there for only 1,000 years before God moves it to our little planet.
Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”
Revelation 21: 2-4
(For more on the 1,000 years, see Part 4-Second Coming-1,000 Years?)
Finally, this meek inherit the earth when the New Jerusalem sits down on the New earth:
“For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth;
And the former shall not be remembered or come to mind.
But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create;
For behold, I create Jerusalem as a rejoicing,
And her people a joy.
I will rejoice in Jerusalem,
And joy in My people;
The voice of weeping shall no longer be heard in her,
Nor the voice of crying.
Isaiah 65: 17-19
This passage sounds a lot like Revelation 21:2-4 doesn’t it?
We will be busy on the new earth as described by Isaiah:
They shall build houses and inhabit them;
They shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit….And My elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands.
Isaiah 65: 21-22 (partial)
_____________________________________________________________
The Lord is “preparing us a place” by his ministry not his carpentry work. It is not about the mansions, it is about preparing us (you and me) that we might be able to be there. It is a work of completely changing our hearts through the ministry of Jesus as our High Priest. Our experience with sin, death, salvation, resurrection and glorification will assure that sin never occurs again in God’s kingdom.
Indeed Jesus is able to save us to the uttermost. We have seen that He saves us from the Penalty of Sin (death), the Power of sin (rebirth), the Presence of sin (Second coming), and finally the Propensity to sin (sin is eradicated).
The great controversy is ended. Sin and sinners are no more. The entire universe is clean. One pulse of harmony and gladness beats through the vast creation. From Him who created all, flow life and light and gladness, throughout the realms of illimitable space. From the minutest atom to the greatest world, all things, animate and inanimate, in their unshadowed beauty and perfect joy, declare that God is love.
Great Controversy, p.678
Dear reader, if you have felt the pull and convicting power of the Holy Spirit to consider letting Jesus come into your heart, your mind, your way of thinking; I encourage you to yield to His pull. Now is the time to repent of your sins and ask Jesus to give you eternal life. He is faithful and just to forgive you and cleanse you. Then walk in the power of the new life you have in Christ. Don’t neglect the daily opportunity to read His word and grow. Then one day, He will come and deliver us all from the presence of sin and never will we experience any tears or crying again.
His work in us will then be complete. We are saved to the uttermost by our Great Creator-Jesus