Today the president of the United States has installed and supports programs that many Christian people regard as sinful and abominable. The use of aborted fetuses for medical research is one such abomination. Yet he and his wife attend a Christian church. He meets regularly with a fundamentalist Christian pastor for counseling. Do the ministers who are speaking to him reason of righteousness, self-control, and judgment to come until he trembles?

And as he [Paul] reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled, and answered, Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee. (Acts 24:25)

No doubt the Christian ministers believe they are serving the Lord just by associating with the ungodly. The author does not think they are correct in this.

And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth. (Revelation 11:10)

The Philistines mocked the blind Samson. So will the people of the nations mock the powerless Christians of the last days, just as in our time they mock the television evangelists who beg for money and who do not live a righteous, holy life. The testimony of God in America has been largely overcome by fleshly lusts, the love of money, and ambition and self-seeking.

There will be a season during which the wicked of the earth will rejoice because the Christian prophets have been silenced. Herod and Pilate became friends when the testimony of the Lord Jesus was silenced.

And the same day Pilate and Herod were made friends together: for before they were at enmity between themselves. (Luke 23:12)

How the wicked rejoice when the Christian testimony is overcome!

But notice:

And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them. (Revelation 11:11)

At the end of the second half of the seventieth week, God's witnesses of every age will stand on their feet. This is the first resurrection of the dead. The wicked of the earth will see them and scream in terror. The light of God will emanate from them as a blinding radiance. They are immortal, invulnerable, irresistible, eternal. These are God's elect, His sons, the royal priesthood who will govern the nations of the earth forever.

And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them. (Revelation 11:12)

After a time of fellowship they will be called up to meet their Lord. The peoples of the earth always have been and still are their enemies. Now the tables have been turned and their enemies no longer can harm them.

Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you; And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day. (II Thessalonians 1:6-10)

We understand, therefore, that one of the purposes of the latter-rain revival is that the Gospel of the Kingdom of God be preached to every nation for a witness. After the witness has been completely borne, the most powerful moral darkness the world has ever known will settle on the cities of the earth. This will mark the end of the preaching of the Gospel as we have known it.

To be continued.