The light of the new Jerusalem is the Glory of God. It is the light of righteousness. It is the light of holiness unto the Lord.

The saved nations of the earth will walk in the light of the holy city. This means they will be guided by the moral example of the city although there probably will be an actual light as well. Much of Revelation 21,22 is this way: an actual city is described but its parts portray spiritual realities.

Jesus Christ is the only true light of the world.

Jesus said those who follow Him are the light of the world. This is because He is in us.

According to the Hebrew Prophets, in the last days God's Glory will shine from Jerusalem and the nations will learn to behave righteously and to praise God.

God's purpose in creating a church, a nation of people called out from the world, is that He might reveal His righteous, holy Nature to mankind. God loves the Gentile nations He has created. He does not want them destroying themselves because they do not understand His ways and so He has created the Church as an example of what the nations are to do.

Now we can see the consummate wisdom of Satan. Sometimes he persecutes the Church, attempting to destroy it with the sword, fire, and guns. But torturing and murdering the believers invariably results in stronger Christians and Satan understands this well. The torture and murder of Christians is only a sideline of Satan, an activity to ventilate his eternal rage at God and Christ.

Satan's master plan is to destroy the light, the testimony of the elect, for it is only this light that can guide and inspire the nations, converting them and making them acceptable to God.

Jesus said people would see our righteous behavior, our good works, and glorify God. Again, Peter taught that our godly behavior would cause the Gentiles to glorify God when God visits the earth.

Satan destroyed the testimony of the Jews, the first segment of the Church, by urging them to fasten on minute interpretations of the Law and to neglect justice, mercy, and faith. The nations need to see justice, mercy, and faith in God's people not a straining over whether we should push the elevator button on the Sabbath.

Satan destroyed the testimony of the Catholic Church by urging the priests to emphasize indulgences, self-punishment, and repeating the Lord's Prayer while handling beads. None of this behavior will lead the Gentile nations into righteous behavior and the worship of God.

Satan has destroyed the testimony of the Evangelical churches by suggesting we are "saved" by adopting a belief system and that righteous behavior, the only light of the world, is not essential to the plan of redemption. Get the Gentiles off to Heaven. Never mind bringing forth righteousness and worship in the sight of the nations.

Let Satan have the nations while unrighteous, disobedient Gentiles are eating popcorn in the balconies of Heaven, watching the Jews without the Holy Spirit attempt to preach the Gospel of a kingdom they cannot enter because they cannot be born again without the Holy Spirit. I know it sounds crazy but this is what is preached today and people actually believe it. They believe it because it makes them feel comfortable, not because anything like it is found in the Scriptures.

A masterpiece of satanic wisdom, don't you think?

To be continued.