God in His eternal goodness and love is shaking many people today with the intention of separating them from their sins and self-will. Sometimes God is successful and the believer is redeemed from the hand of the enemy. In other instances the believer perceives his problems as unnecessary trouble coming from Satan, or from people, and spends his time and strength attempting to avoid the purification which the Lord is attempting to work in his personality.

The false doctrines of our day are preventing the saints from seeing the hand of God in their trials.

We must learn to fear God. The fear of God has departed from the land. It helps us fear God when we behold an individual whom we once knew as a joyous Christian but who now comes to us in the hope we can lift him from the pit into which he has fallen, from the tormenting flames he is experiencing. The believer who does not fear God is a fool. He is ignorant of spiritual realities.

We know that when the Lord Jesus appears the saints will appear with Him. We shall rule with Him over the nations of the earth. But before the Lord appears there will come an hour of testing during which the Christian churches will be purified by fire.

Because thou hast kept [guarded] the word of my patience, I also will keep [guard] thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. (Revelation 3:10)

If we will keep very carefully the word of Christ's patience He will keep us from deception throughout the hour of testing. Guarding the word of Christ's patience means we are walking with Him steadfastly during the long years of cross-carrying obedience when our hopes are deferred, when our intense desires are not gratified.

God leads us through the wilderness and confines us in various prisons of circumstances. If we have been patient, faithful, and obedient, continuing to serve the Lord in humility, accepting the problems and burdens God sees fit to assign to us, the Lord Jesus will keep us from deception during the dark night of Antichrist's authority.

Daniel has much to say to us concerning the warfare that will be waged against the saints before the Kingdom is given to them.

I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom. (Daniel 7:21,22)

First, the saints will be overcome by Antichrist. After that, the saints will be given control of the Kingdom of God. The saints are God's holy ones—those whom He has anointed with His Holy Spirit. We are not speaking here of the race of physical Jews but of the true Israel of God, the true Seed of Abraham.

This is not to say that God does not have a special blessing for the physical nation of Israel in the last days. Indeed He does! He has not forgotten His ancient people and shall bring redemption to them, just as the Prophets have declared.

To be continued.