The Hour of Temptation

The Bible mentions the hour of temptation that would come upon the whole world. Could it be that we are in that hour on the Lord’s time clock? Surely the temptations in our society are greater than any in the history of our people. We are surrounded by unashamed sin and rebellion against God’s Commandments. If this is the hour of temptation, surely we are approaching the dawn, and the end of the night of spiritual darkness.

Many of us in the Israel Truth movement believe that the messages to the churches in the second and third chapters of the book of Revelation refer to seven church ages for the Israelite church.

The period of the great revivals in North America and Britain were in the Philadelphian church period. That church period would include the nineteenth century and a few years into the twentieth century. The Lord had great praise for the Philadelphian church and promised them, “Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.” Revelation 3:10. As I understand it, those people would be spared the hour of temptation because they would be gone before it occurred. Many of us have said our grandparents would not have believed our nations could sink to the level of sin we find ourselves in, and they were fortunate to be spared the evil that has taken over everywhere. How much further can we go into depravity before the final judgment falls?

If a thousand years of our time is a day on the Lord’s clock (2 Peter 3:8), then the hour of temptation would be about 42 years. If that is so, we must be well into it. The Lord allows people to bring forth the wickedness that is in their hearts completely before judgement falls. They have no shame or guilt, and their hearts are hardened because of continual sin. God allowed the people of the Holy Land to continue in sin in the time of Abraham, but He had a future judgement prepared for them. “And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance. And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age. But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.” Genesis 15:13-16. God is not mocked; he does not let sin continue forever. He has a time reserved for judging the sins of the world. Sin has to come to fullness, and then God will act.

We wonder how much more sin our nations can take. In Canada, a judge in Ontario overturned the law against prostitution. In British Columbia, a judge overturned the law against assisted suicides. For many years now people across the nation have been killing unborn babies. Homo sexual acts are no longer recognized as sin. However, I believe the most widespread sin is the abandonment of marriage. Millions of people are living as though they were husband and wife without being married. Marriage was instituted in the Garden of Eden when God presented Eve to Adam in a ceremony of Holy Matrimony. “Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.” Hebrews 13:4. The old English word “whoremongers” in the Bible means fornicators. If two people are “living together” without being married, they have to do two things. Firstly, both of them have to repent of their sin before God and ask God for forgiveness. Secondly, they have to get married. If the destruction of marriage continues in our nations, God’s judgement will fall on us.

The sins in our nations keep increasing. God is testing people to see who will remain faithful to Him, and then He will make those people rulers in his Kingdom. The promise to people in the Laodicean church age (our generation) is: “To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.” Revelation 3:21.