“And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.” (Daniel 11:32)
This was Daniel’s prophecy about the last battles recorded in the Old Testament. There is a difference between two groups of people. Those who do wickedly and those who know their God. Those who do wickedly are deceived and fall prey to flatteries and are captured. Those who know their God are strong and do exploits.
The same is true today. Those who do wickedly do not have the Holy Spirit. They cannot access the wisdom of ages. They are left to their own devices which are man-made, man-initiated, temporal, of this world and destined for destruction. The wisdom of this world depends on things in the world. And the things of this world are temporal, set for destruction. It’s limited and conjectured on the unstable and uncertainty. It cannot and will not stand the test of time. “While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.” (2Corinthians 4:18) There is a great condemnation destined to them. “Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” (2Thessalonians 2:9-12)
But those that do know their God are strong and do exploits because their resources are not of this world. They are eternal. They are not based on anything here on earth. They are God-established and God initiated. They are based on the God eternal. Everything from God shall stand. It’s not of this world, but from God, the Eternal and Everlasting God. He is our hope. And we will not be disappointed.
We know from history that the godly went through terrible tribulation. But the Lord miraculously saved a remnant. Paul wrote to the Philippians: “According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” (Philippians 1:20-21) While we admire and study diligently Paul’s words, we quite are not ready to follow him into that kind of devotion. That is the simple truth. We love our lives too much. And yet we believe that our lives are hid in Christ. That is the eternal Truth.
Will we get to that point like Paul who disregarded his life here on earth for the eternal life with the Lord? The answer is yes. All of us will be at that point. The Lord is sure to bring us to that point, according to His Will and Purposes. It is far from our thinking and imagination, but if needed, the Lord will bring us to that point. “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations, Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” (James 1:2-4) Whatever is lacking in us, God will perfect for that time of testing. There is the temptation to take the easy way out. To take the short cut. To cheat and lie because it’s more convenient or to give up. But if we persevere and allow the Lord to do His perfect work in us, we will gain what the Lord has for us for the time it’s needed.
“The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:” (2Peter 2:9) Just as He delivered Noah and Lot from this presumptuous and evil world, He will deliver His people from the trials, adversities and afflictions that come against us. We don’t have to bow down to the criteria of the ungodly and the culture of this world. God’s way is superior. It’s better.
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