The release of the creation will not come about as God pours out glory from the clouds. Rather the release will come at the hands of the sons of God. Man permitted sin to enter the earth and produce corruption and death. Through Jesus Christ, man will be able to drive sin, corruption, and death from the earth and fill all nature with the Holy Spirit.

This is the meaning of the following:

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." (Revelation 21:3,4—NIV)

The dwelling of God is the Church, the Body and Bride of Christ. When the Church comes down from Heaven to rest on a high mountain of the new earth the Presence of God will be here. Then through the Church God will wipe every tear from the eyes of the people of the saved nations, bringing death, mourning, crying, and pain to an end.

It is as simple as this.

The problem is that of removing sin from the Church and bringing Christ to maturity in the Church. For until sin has been removed from the Church, and Christ has been brought to maturity in the Church and is dwelling in the Church, it is not possible for God in the Church to release the nations and the physical creation into the liberty of the children of God.

In the days of the Apostles the Spirit of revelation and power was present on the earth, not in the atmosphere but in the Apostles. We know from the Epistles that the members of the churches were as carnal as we are today. Nevertheless the truth of the Kingdom of God was preached. The groundwork was laid well.

When the Apostles died the Spirit of revelation and power was withdrawn. Then began the long struggle by God's people to regain for themselves that which had been present in the Apostles.

Today much of the original revelation has been restored. Now it is time for the conflict of the ages to begin—God against Satan; the Holy Spirit against the False Prophet; Christ against Antichrist.

The main problem of the last days will not be worldliness or physical lust, although these will be very present. The main problem will be self-will. Man will be exalted. Man will be in control. Man will look for "the god within him." This is Antichrist.

Opposed to this will be the godly remnant who will suffer the crucifixion of their deepest self that Christ may be formed in them. Although they will be despised by the world and most of that which terms itself "Christian," those in whom Christ is formed will prevail in the end.

To be continued.