The Lord Jesus will descend from Heaven and the light of God will shine from the saints as the lightning that comes out of the east and shines to the west.

The first half of the week will be a period of unprecedented revival—the latter rain spoken of by Joel, Hosea, Zechariah, and James.

The second half of the week will be the time of Antichrist, of the hour of temptation, and of the great tribulation. The Lord will return "immediately" after the great tribulation.

Now we come to the subject of this booklet—the overcoming of the saints.

And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. (Revelation 11:7)

And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. (Revelation 13:7)

It is difficult for us to grasp how the saints can be overcome when the Lord Jesus has all power, or why God would permit the Antichrist to overcome the saints.

As we study this topic we will notice that God redeems His people by blessing and also by much tribulation.

God marches by day. During the day we follow the cloud of blessing. "Day unto day uttereth speech." We hear and speak many words during the "day" of blessing.

God marches also by night. During the night we follow the pillar of fire. We trust in the judgments written in the Scriptures when we cannot see the Lord or understand what God is doing. "Night unto night sheweth knowledge." We gain the knowledge of the Lord during our nighttime experiences.

Both the march by day and the march by night bring us closer to the land of promise, which is the rest of God. The rest of God is a position we attain after much labor and struggle. It is the position in which all worldliness, lust, and self-will have been driven from us and we are abiding in untroubled rest in the very center of God's Presence and will.

Because we will be given so much power during the latter-rain revival it will be difficult for us, during the second half of the week, to accept the fact that God has withdrawn the power and we no longer are walking in victorious faith. Rather, we are being forced to flee for our lives.

The reader may have had just such an experience. He or she has been wonderfully used by the Lord and now has seemingly been set aside. God doesn't seem to hear anymore. There is much affliction at the hands of the enemy.

Perhaps our booklet will bring an explanation so that hope and trust in God may be restored.

It requires both blessing and suffering to make us in God's image, and perfectly obedient to Him. A field of wheat must receive the latter (harvest) rain, and then the burning sun of tribulation, if a good harvest is to be reaped.

To be continued.