An Introduction to the New Covenant, pp. 173-176

A couple of truths come into play here. One, the death that is the wages of sin must be progressive. Paul experienced the wages of sin, but this does not necessitate he felt its full sting. The same applies to Adam and Eve and even Isaiah for that matter. They tasted sin's sting as well, but they must not have tasted it to its bitter fullness. In these cases, it must follow that while they saw good to some extent, they did not see it in its unveiled form. When Jesus approached Adam and Eve, already there must have been a veil. Imagine! God had to withhold from our human parents a full picture of how much He loves them.
This idea of a progressive nature to the bearing of the wages of sin is consistent with the biblical birth pang object lesson. Every chastening experience includes being burdened with the wages of sin. Every one of them is a taking up of the cross and a following of the Master and His cross.
A second thing that comes into play is how the very same things that cause the lost to be destroyed are borne by the saved. Those people in Isaiah 1 who forsake the Lord are destroyed because they bear shame, but the Christian does so as well. Some people respond as did Judas. Others respond as did Peter. The critical difference has to be faith (character). More than this, what is borne by the saved at this time could not be borne by the faithful at any other point in time. To use the cave dweller analogy, a person still in need of squinting his eyes has been enlightened, but he is not yet ready to bear full exposure to the light. So it is that the Day declares something no other day could.
If sinful flesh has the effect on the sealed remnant as was earlier described, the following would seem to be the case. When God unveils His love before them and subsequently before the lost, one group would not appear to feel any less evil than the other. The sealed remnant is righteous to be sure, but how sinful do they feel? They feel as sinful as the evil that is exposed to them by the two ingredients that bring about this whole process at this time. One, God's unveiling and two, the corresponding disclosure of the evil impulses that reside in the very flesh all of humankind is encumbered with.
And what of the lost during this time? How can they feel any more sinful? Do they see any more than does God's remnant? With both groups laden with sinful flesh, it would seem that each has a full picture. But, there is a difference. The lost are fully as evil as they appear to themselves to be. They are unrighteous. Their minds are one with their flesh.
What then is the difference? There would seem to be only one crucial difference. One group is altogether righteous and the other group altogether unrighteous.
With these observations in mind, consider the following:
Matthew 7:24-27
24"Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: 25and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. 26But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: 27and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall."
This object lesson has an apocalyptic (last days) application. The remnant when sealed is the house fully built on the rock. Finally, Christ has a temple that is fully built. The lost at the end of time are the house built on the sand. Because each house is fully built, one can be said to be fully righteous, the other fully unrighteous.
Besides the fully built condition of the two houses, two other factors are significant. One, the houses are submitted to the exact same thing. The wind and water that beat on one house are the same wind and water that beat on the other. Second is the response of each house to what they are submitted. One stands while the other falls.
This object lesson, then, is an illustration of the great controversy. Remember, Christ said that sin produces death. For the redeemed, the death caused by sin is one from which there is a resurrection, as sin is let go of. For the lost, sin is retained and resurrection by faith is not possible. Remaining in sin is here shown to not be a viable lifestyle. Satan said that life can be had in sin. It is a viable lifestyle, so he says.
The dynamics around revelation of holiness and response indicate something that may seem subtle, but is actually foundational and critical. It is this. Death (as often used in Scripture) and condemnation are not the same thing. Both houses die. That is, both houses experience the death that is a consequence of divine unveiling. Condemnation is not the experience of this death. Condemnation is the inability to experience resurrection by faith from this death. To cite the cave dweller analogy, both dwellers experience pain when the light comes, but each responds differently.
If you cling to self, refusing to yield your will to God, you are choosing death. To sin, wherever found, God is a consuming fire. If you choose sin, and refuse to separate from it, the presence of God, which consumes sin, must consume you.
When God finally has a people able to bear the full revelation of His incredible love, He can afford to rain down on both houses. He can finally let the Day declare all by fire (1 Corinthians 3:9-13). In other words, He can shower this entire planet with His presence. The result for both houses has similarities. Each feels to be totally evil. Each is burdened with intense levels of guilt, shame, embarrassment, fear, and any other painful emotion that is a natural part of feeling to be that horrible sinner. One house stands because it believes in who God really is – love. Being able to retain this belief is tied to character because enlightenment is an attribute of righteousness. Indeed, knowing God is life eternal (John 17:3).