are to take up as soldiers here at the end is the the fight of allowing the Holy Spirit the infilling of the Holy Spirit to represent Christ to those around us in such a way that they will be drawn to make a decision for Christ and ultimately at the end uh... to seal off their decision against Christ as the world is divided into two groups and this process of binding off the two final groups in earth's history is going to be a very difficult time period to stand in and it may seem that a spiritual battle is uh... in some ways easier than a literal battle but the reality reality of it is to be a firm sound christian in this time period of earth's history when the testing process is bringing all decisions to a close is going to require a faith that is equal or beyond the faith of Gideon now another of the symbols in this story is the light that is destined to shine out of the clay pots and brothers and sisters every man's a clay pot but it's only when we allow uh... christ through the holy spirit through the gospel to destroy the clay pot when we allow ourself to be crucified that the glory of God's character can shine out and that's what Gideon is illustrating here when we crucify ourselves upon the cross of Calvary accept justification and receive sanctification the process of sanctification and we keep that as a ongoing experience then God's glory shines out and God's glory is the light desire of ages six hundred and on whomsoever it shall fall it will grind him to powder the people who rejected christ were soon to see their city and nation destroyed their glory would be broken and scattered as dust before the wind and what was it that destroyed the jews it was the rock which had they built upon it would have been their security it was the goodness of God despised the righteousness spurned the mercy slighted men set themselves in opposition to God and all that would have been their salvation was turned to their destruction all that God had ordained unto life they found to be unto death and the jews crucifixion of christ was involved the destruction of jerusalem the blood shed upon calvary was the weight that sank them to ruin for this world and for the world to come so it will be in the final day when judgment shall fall upon the rejecters of God's grace christ the rock of offense will then appear to them as the an avenging mountain the glory of his countenance which to the righteous his life will be to the wicked a consummation