David was called out to be the king of Israel, and thus he served God until his death at the age of seventy. He was a man after God's heart and an example to all of us in his love for God even though, like us, he was not perfect.

Because of his friendship with God and faithfulness to God, David could claim God as his Fortress and Deliverer.

The day of terror may come to us sooner than we think. David had such experiences.

The cords of death entangled me; the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me. The cords of the grave coiled around me; the snares of death confronted me. (Psalms 18:4,5—NIV)

What did David do in that hour?

In my distress I called to the LORD; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears. (Psalms 18:6—NIV)

Brother, Sister in the Lord, God never, never changes. Destruction and death have always been the portion of mankind, especially for Jews and Christians. We are as sheep for the slaughter.

Right now in the United States we Christians are in an abnormal situation of peace and prosperity when compared with the record of history.

How long such blessings will continue I cannot say. But I can say that the state of the world, the sins of the American people, including the Christians, and the proclamations of those with the spirit of prophecy, cause us to believe our circumstances may change in the not too distant future.

If spiritual darkness and oppression come knocking on your door, remember that God is the same. He is our mighty Fortress. He always preserves His saints.

If we or our loved ones should die, that is preferable to life on the earth, as Paul said. Then we are in much better place if we have been serving the Lord.

But let me say once more that the casual Christians of our country, of whom there are multitudes, cannot be certain they will be greeted by a smiling Jesus. We have been neglecting our salvation, letting down our guard because of the ease and prosperity of our nation. Unless the Scripture can be changed we are heading toward the terror of the Lord. Death will prove, for us, to be out of the frying pan into the fire.

Why don't both of us, you and I, look once more at the ten acts of preparation we have presented in this booklet. If we will faithfully practice these from this time forth, we will save ourselves, our families, and others in the day of spiritual famine, just as Joseph saved himself, his family, Egypt, and other countries because he had made preparations during the years of abundance.

Today there is an abundance of spiritual grain for all who are willing to set aside their own lives and seek the Lord.

The days of the ugly and gaunt cows, the thin and scorched heads of grain, are on the horizon. Let us make full preparation now while the cows are sleek and fat and the heads of grain are healthy and full. (from Spiritual Survival in the Coming Days)