- Perilous Times Will Come – First Edition
- Solid Preparation for an Uncertain Future-Part One
- Solid Preparations for an Uncertain Future-Part Two
- No Accidents in God’s Plan
- The Elijah Option
- On Becoming Children
- Government Amateur Hour
- How to Adapt to the Unthinkable
- Survival Preparations According to Scripture
- I Like the Depression
- Fasting as a Means to Spiritual Power
- Omnous Warnings
- Does Preparing for Perilous Times Demonstrate a Lack of Faith?
- Who Is That Woman and Why is She Screaming?
- Never Quit!
- Be Advised, and Be Wise!
- The Most Critical Element in Prayer
- Watchman, What of the Night?
- The Hour is Upon Us!
- Delivered from What?
- Open Doors for Overcomers
- What Difference Can One Person Make?
- Are You Ready for Legalized Persecution?
- Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth-Part One
- Thanksgiving in Perilous Times
- Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth-Part Two
- Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth-Part Three
- Christ Reigns in the Midst of His Enemies
- Biblical Standards and Divine Institutions
- Spiritual Warfare in Heavenly Places
- Beware of the Billionaire Preppers
- We Serve a God Who Hears
- Updated: Run with the Horsemen—Part 1
- Run with the Horsemen—Part 2
- Run with the Horsemen—Part 3
- Coronavirus in Perspective
- Coronavirus Update
- Dark Days and Difficult Times
- Post 2020 Election Blues?
- The LORD of Hosts Rides on the Storm
- “MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN”
- Out of the Shadow of Death into the Light of Life
- Faith is the Victory
- Tremble Before God/Triumph in Disaster
- The Battle for Middle Earth
- Are You Ready to Go Down?
- Two Little Hobbits
Perilous Times Primer # 43
January 5, 2022
Faith is the Victory
“By this I know that You are well pleased with me,
Because my enemy does not triumph over me.”
Psalm 41:11
“But the people who know their God shall be strong, and carryout great exploits.
And those of the people who understand shall instruct many; yet for many days they shall fall
by sword and flame, by captivity and plundering. Now when they fall, they shall be aided with
a little help, but many shall join with them by intrigue. And some of those of understanding
shall fall, to refine them, purify them, and make them white, until the time of the end;
because it is still for the appointed time.”
Daniel 11:32b–35
>>Click here for a printable version<<
A Time of Refining
It has been nearly a year since my last post (#42) of the Perilous Times Primer. Two responses to the last post were very revealing as to how Christians are responding to the present time of historical crisis. One came from overseas, where a pastor chose to follow the combined lessons of all the PTP posts, and by doing so escaped from tyranny and found a new field of ministry. His decisions came at great cost, as many of his congregation were unwilling to follow his leadership. However, in place of what was lost he found, something of greater value—freedom!
Another response, which came from several directions, took exception to my declaration that a coup had occurred, and that America was now under an illegitimate administration. They were aghast that I had embraced a “conspiracy theory.” Evidence continues to confirm my position, and will ultimately become impossible to ignore. I use these examples to illustrate the fact that there is a refining going on around the world of the people of God. While some are seeking and finding the truth, others are being lulled into sleep by their corrupt and compromised politicians and media. Many are entering into a greater knowledge of God and His plan, while others are being blinded and hardened to the truth.
The Battle is the Lord’s
Many Christians do not yet realize that we are not only in a battle for truth and freedom in America, but we are actually experiencing WWIII. This war is being waged on the American people and the population of the entire world. When I spoke of the American Alamo in my last post, I could not have realized how relevant this would be regarding the entire world.
A world-wide effort is on to enslave and control the population of this earth. This effort is only paralleled by two events I can think of in all of human history: the days before the flood, and the building of the tower of Babel. I find this fascinating in that both events are referenced in Scripture to end-time events.
“But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.”
Matthew 24:37
“Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons,
a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird!”
Revelation 18:2
Both of these passages refer to events in the latter half of the seven-year Tribulation Period. We now see the entire world moving in lock-step toward the tyranny of the Tribulation. The fact that almost all nations are implementing the same freedom-destroying measures makes it clear to anyone possessing a modicum of common sense that they are being led by their demonically possessed puppet-masters. They have engaged in a battle they cannot, at this point, win. They do not know that Jesus Christ controls history!
The Sovereign Restrainer
However, as David declared in Psalm 41:11 above, they are unable to prevail. Using all the force of governmental, military, and media control, they cannot attain their goals. In fact, the more tyrannical the powers-that-be become, the more people are waking up, and the greater the opposition against them. Though the corrupt media outlets refuse to report it, hundreds of thousands of people around the world are standing up and speaking up as never before. This is creating a panic among the elites, as they resort to ever more draconian measures and tyrannical mandates, which only serve to enlist more and more in the ranks of those standing up for freedom. This is happening because of the unseen but irresistible working of the Holy Spirit.
“And now you know what is restraining, that he [the antichrist] may be revealed
in his own time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work,
but He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way.”
2 Thessalonians 2:6–7
The Holy Spirit restrains through the Spirit-filled and active members of the Body of Christ. This does not mean that we who believe will escape persecution and hardship. The reference above from Daniel 11:32b–35 (go back and read it) illustrates how God will use these end times to accomplish four great objectives leading up to the Rapture of the Church that will also exist prior to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ to this world.
First, there will be a sifting of believers between those who know the Lord and understand what He is doing in our time, and those who choose to remain asleep (Eph. 5:14; 1 Thess. 5:6–8). Second, God will use the hardship of our time to refine and purify those who are awake, so that they might play a vital role in God’s plan for this generation. Third, this role is to instruct others, so as to edify believers and to win the lost to Christ. And finally, it is to identify those chosen by God for glorious martyrdom, and to bring them into glory by this means.
As an observation that the above effects are precisely what is happening, I have never in my life seen so much Scripture posted online, nor read so many posts by people from every corner of the world who have declared that the events of the past two years, and the sudden proliferation of Scripture being posted, have led them out of unbelief—and even hardened atheism—to the awareness that we are in a great, universal, spiritual struggle, and to faith in Jesus Christ as their only hope.
The Church Militant and Triumphant
Throughout Church history, the above title has been used to speak of the Church in its spiritual warfare on Earth and its final victory in Heaven. But to borrow from David’s conviction in Psalm 41:11, as long as the Church is militant, it is triumphant! The tragedy in our generation is that we have far too many believers who have made a peace treaty with the world. They are far more influenced by CNN et al. than they are by the living and powerful Word of God.
The good news is that multitudes of Christians around the world have been galvanized into action by the overflowing evil and blatant tyranny of our time. These awakened Christian warriors have stepped into the gap, each in their own way, to not only withstand, but to advance relentlessly on the forces of our ancient enemy, the devil. Mothers and fathers are standing up to corrupt and evil school boards, and winning. Members of our military are standing up to corrupt, evil, and compromised officials, and saying, “enough is enough,” and they are winning. States with patriotic and, in many cases, Christian governors are standing up to a corrupt and demonic federal government, and winning. Workers are standing up to tyrannical and unconstitutional mandates, and they are winning. Dedicated pastors and churches are standing up against corrupt governmental lockdown mandates and winning.
Now you may say, “But all of them are paying a price and nothing is changing.” That is precisely the point. They are winning simply by being willing to pay the price, while the comfort-seeking Christian will never know victory, because they are afraid of temporary defeat.
“And they overcame him [the devil] by the blood of the Lamb and
by the word of their testimony, and they loved not their lives to the death.”
Revelation 12:11
I strongly encourage you to read the two following articles, to gain insight into where we are in this current phase of the spiritual war raging around us. Then, I challenge you to find a place on the line that is vacant, claim it, and “stand firm.”
https://imprimis.hillsdale.edu/the-way-out/
https://theamericanreport.org/2021/12/19/his-excellency-archbishop-carlo-maria-vigano-message-to-the-american-people/
“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God,
and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.”
2 Corinthians 13:14
Eagerly looking for that “blessed hope” (Titus 2:13; Rev. 22:20),
Gene