19 Greater works than these shall ye do.

For example, changing the course of the Gulf Stream would have an enormous impact on the countries that border it. Speaking of power, it is well for us to remember that Elijah and Elisha are associated also with the removal of tribulation.

And he [Elijah] prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit. (James 5:18)

Then Elisha said, Hear ye the word of the Lord; Thus saith the Lord, Tomorrow about this time shall a measure of fine flour be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria. (II Kings 7:1)

We know from the statistics describing the population growth of the world, as compared with the rate at which people are becoming Christians, that the Gospel of the Kingdom is not affecting human beings to the extent we could wish.

Therefore if we are to obey the Lord Jesus and bring the Good News of the Kingdom of God to every creature, God must furnish us with much more of the Holy Spirit than we possess at this time. God indeed shall furnish such greatly increased power, as we can observe in the eleventh chapter of the Book of Revelation.

The authority and power of the end-time testimony will be great enough to bring every person on earth to the decision whether to serve Christ or Antichrist. This is the only truly important decision any human being makes during his or her lifetime on the earth.

And when they shall have finished their testimony, . . . . (Revelation 11:7)

During the Church Age, the authority and power issued for the giving of the Divine testimony has a specific beginning and a specific point of termination. Antichrist cannot harm the witness until it has been completed.

No person was able to harm the Lord Jesus or kill the Apostle Paul until their testimonies had been completed.

I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. (John 17:4)

I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: (II Timothy 4:7)

Each Christian has a distinct work to perform, a definite contribution to make to the Body of Christ, a specific witness to bear to the heavens and to the earth (for God’s witness always is to the heavens and then to the earth—Deuteronomy 32:1).

It is not a case of our fumbling and stumbling through life, attempting to do what is right; although it is true that we often are perplexed, filled with fighting's because of pressure from the outside and with fears because of uncertainty within ourselves. Rather, the true Christian discipleship consists of keeping ourselves before God in constant prayer and obedience until our part in the Divine testimony has been completed.

No power can harm us during the period of our participation in the Divine testimony. Can we know when our part of the testimony has been completed?—when our personal course has been finished? John 17:4 and II Timothy 4:7(above) suggest that we can.

. . . the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. (Revelation 11:7)

Can Antichrist harm spiritually the Lord Jesus Christ, or one of Christ’s saints when the saint is doing God’s will? No, he cannot.

Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. (Luke 10:19)

What, then, does the Scripture signify when it states that the Beast will make war with the two witnesses and overcome them and kill them?

This statement means the testimony, the Divine witness, will be taken out of the way for a brief period so the heavens and the earth can behold the foulness of lawless man making himself a god, the desolating, wasting abomination of men worshiping a man who is sitting between the wings of the Cherubim of Glory (in the restored Temple in Jerusalem), declaring that he is God Almighty.

For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: (II Thessalonians 2:7,8)

For a brief period, a period carefully regulated and controlled by the Lord Jesus, the end-time, latter-rain anointing of power for witnessing will be lifted. The Divine testimony will be silenced in the centers of civilization.

The saints who carried the testimony, while they may in some instances suffer persecution and physical harm (Daniel 11:35), can never in any manner be injured as to their relationship to the Lord Jesus provided they do not yield to the love of the world, the lusts of their flesh, or their self-love and self-will (Romans 8:35-39).

We may add that there will be spiritual oppression during the reign of Antichrist. Only those saints who have made a complete consecration to the Lord Jesus will be able to survive spiritually. The lukewarm and indifferent will be unable to pray, will be deceived, will serve Antichrist, and then will be punished severely or removed eternally from God’s Presence, because of their lack of consecration and diligence (Revelation 14:9,10).

In order to understand how a saint can suffer physical martyrdom and still not be "harmed" we must learn to view such martyrdoms from the Lord’s viewpoint. The tribulation and suffering that come upon the true saints are only of the fleshly body, only temporary. God is creating an eternal Kingdom of joy and peace for us, and He is perfecting our spirits so we shall be able to fit into the glorious ages to come. The spirits of the righteous are being perfected (Hebrews 12:23).

The Lord is much more concerned with the condition of our spiritual nature than He is with our temporary inconveniences, pains, fears, and perplexities. He understands that they are vexing us now and He delivers us from them when we call upon Him.

But God is beholding our endless joy in the ages to come!

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