Job’s misfortune is a great example of what Satan is doing right now to those who put their trust in God. Job was a man whose faith in God was so complete that God Himself had this testimony about him, “There is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil” (Job 1:8). ^[1] The audience of God’s testimony was Satan, who replied that Job was only faithful because God had placed a hedge about him and all that pertained to him (Job 1:10). David, in the 5th Psalm, likened this hedge unto a shield of favor which encompassed the righteous (Ps 5:12). Therefore, Satan has launched a Direct Attack on Our Shield of Favor, just like he did to Job.

Today, Satan desires to sift the children of God just like he sifted Job and another believer, Peter (Luke 22:31). However, he must first overcome the shield of favor God has around the righteous, faithful ones. Thus, the current conditions of the world are indeed a Direct Attack on Our Shield of Favor.

Let’s begin by defining the righteous. Habakkuk indicates, “The just shall live by faith” (Habakkuk 2:4). Another word for ‘just’ is ‘righteous,’ and these are they that, according to Habakkuk, live by faith. Paul quotes Habakkuk when describing those who live by faith are made righteous, whether Jew or Gentile (Rom 1:16-17). Elsewhere, Paul teaches that no one is justified by the law. Instead, he once again notes that the just shall live by faith (Gal 3:11). Faith is what made Job and the rest of the Hall of Faithful ones justified (righteous) before God (Heb 11). We who are alive and remain are justified by this same faith, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God” (Eph 2:8). Therefore, it is possible for sinful man to become the righteousness of God through faith in Christ Jesus (Rom 3:22).

Now let us define a faithful one. Perhaps the best place to look is in the text already presented. In Job 1:8, God said Job was: Unique on the earth; he was perfect and upright; and he feareth God and escheweth (turns away from) evil. This is exactly what the Christian becomes when Christ is accepted as Savior and Lord. Immediately after one realizes they are justified by faith in Christ, the now resident Holy Spirit begins the work of sanctification, which causes the believer to act just like Job and many other great examples in the Bible.

It should not surprise us that our mortal enemy, who walks about seeking whom he may devour (1 Pet 5:8), desires to sift us like he did Job and Peter. Peter, when tested failed miserably; he even denied Christ three times. However, he had a special advocate in Jesus, who prayed that Peter’s faith would not fail and that he would even strengthen his brothers when he returned (Luke 22:31-32). Thankfully, Jesus now sits at the right hand of the Father as an advocate who intercedes for you and me (Heb 4:15; Col 3:1; Rom 8:34).

Now we turn to the crux of this discussion. What can we discern from what happened to Job? Satan was correct about God placing a hedge around Job and all that pertained to him. Just like we are hedged about with favor because we, like Job, love good and abhor and shun evil. Therefore, he must first have the hedge removed by God as it was in the case of Job, or he must do the undoable and remove the hedge himself. This task is actually impossible since God is God. Knowing this, what is his alternative? Ah, here it is: he must attack all of the things by which God brings us favor. If you think about it, this makes perfect sense. After all, if you cannot bring harm directly on the favored, just harm the shield of favor itself.

Looking back over the last several decades alone provides plenty of affirmation to this theory. First, the enemy goes after God’s Word in schools (1962). Next, he goes after prayer in schools (1963). Before long, without God as the central influence in society, he goes after the unborn, our greatest possible blessing (1973). Since then, many other events have transpired which have done harm to the shield of favor God has placed around his faithful ones. Incredibly, the last two years have been perhaps the greatest assault yet as the entire globe has come under the sway of the power elites who desire to reset all that we know to something else, which they label the “new normal.” ^[2]

We must not miss the great irony involved here. The scriptural term “the just shall live by faith” is more than a platitude. Indeed, this statement is the way of life for the faithful, no matter the circumstance. In fact, if we take a look at the faithful of the past, hardship only made them more faithful. Job, for instance, was told by his wife to curse God and die (Job 2:9). He then dialogued with his so-called friends at great length, while they provided worthless counsel intended to cause Job to repent (Job 2-37). Through it all, Job professed his innocence before God and maintained his faithfulness. He even said, “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him” (Job 13:15).

This is quite a promise made by Job. He is essentially saying he will trust God no matter what transpires in his life, even death. He also tells his counselors that he will continue living in the manner in which he has always lived. Remember, God called Job perfect and upright, which means Job was essentially attacked by Satan because he was living a righteous life, and God knew he would not falter. This leads our discussion to another promise which is crucial to understanding why our shield of favor is under attack.

God promised the believer that He would never leave us nor forsake us (Heb 13:5). This promise was made to all who believe the Son of God died for their sins (blood atonement), was raised again (the first fruits of resurrection), and ascended to heaven where He prepares a place for us, the bride. ^[3] The reason this promise is crucial is this: God, in the form of the Holy Spirit, now resides in the heart of every believer (John 14:16). Therefore, Satan would have to literally overcome God in order to overcome the believer. Since Satan cannot accomplish this, he is simply attacking all of the things which God has declared as favor for the believer.

You might ask why so many believers have been persecuted and even slain since the inception of the church. After all, if God indwells men, how can anyone or anything overcome them? The simple answer is that God never promised us that we would not suffer persecution or even death. In fact, He said the opposite would be the lot of the faithful:

Matthew 5:10 “Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Matthew 5:11-12 “Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.”

2 Timothy 3:12 “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.”

Incredibly, when God’s Word is correctly understood, persecution is actually a sign that the persecuted are the godly ones who desire God more than the things of this earth. Therefore, like Job, these believers are willing to die for their faith. This would seem to argue against the narrative of this discussion that Satan cannot destroy the shield of favor that encompasses each and every believer. On the contrary, this actually fortifies the argument. You see, Satan cannot diminish the shield of favor one iota, for he can only affect the earthly blessings associated with it, never the eternal. One need only look at how those who overcome Satan do so to see this:

Revelation 12:11 “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.”

This mindset is exactly what we see in the narrative of Job, in which a type and shadow may be discerned. God informed Satan that he could touch all that pertained to Job, but he could not kill him. Since we now live in the dispensation of grace, the only life Satan can destroy is the one we live in the flesh. He cannot harm the new creature in Christ who, at physical death, is immediately in the presence of Christ:

2 Corinthians 5:6-8 “Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.”

This ‘knowing’ is truly our shield of favor. For the believer is comforted by the fact that no matter what the enemy has in store, regardless of the intensity of the assault on our shield of favor, trust in Christ provides assurance of eternal favor in the presence of the Lord:

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”

Might I suggest one additional point to consider? Perhaps, God is allowing this attack because He is about to send His Son Jesus for the bride and, in His great mercy, He is trying to prepare the bride for departure while simultaneously creating an environment that encourages the lost to accept (through faith) His free gift of grace which results in salvation. Think about this for a second; each group mentioned here is currently living on earth, and God is trying to make sure they are not looking to physical circumstances as their saving grace.

One could speculate that, because Satan rejected God after believing his own lie that he would exalt his throne above the stars of God and be like the most High (Is 14:13-14), he can no longer see that the desire for the eternal favor of God is more important than the temporal. ^[4] After all, when he sought to cause Job to curse God to His face, he went after the things that pertain to the flesh. However, Job, though greatly affected by the tragedy, never lost sight of the most important thing: God is God, and the faithful will serve Him through thick and thin.

Perhaps the greatest irony of all is that Satan is attacking the things which cause one to desire to continue to inhabit the earth without realizing he is attacking the very things God is trying to get people to let go of in the first place, for this earth is not our home. ^[5] The author of Hebrews made this clear in his testimony about faithful Abraham, who believed that even though we sojourn here on earth for a season, we are to be looking for a city whose builder and maker is God.

Hebrews 11:8-10 “By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.”

As outlined in the previous articles, soon God will initiate the Day of the Lord, which begins with the rapture. During this time period, His great vengeance will be poured out upon the ungodly. ^[6] Because this will happen very soon, God is warning His children to turn from the message of the false prophets, who are calling for an uprising intended to right the wrongs of the world, and instead turn their attention toward the soon coming King, Jesus. Thus, making room for His vengeance. ^[7]

Conclusion

The great psalmist, David, said, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all” (Ps 34:19). This statement is profound in that knowing the Lord will deliver the righteous out of every affliction is the true shield of favor which encompasses those who believe and follow the Lord’s commandments.

From Job, to the patriarchs, to the early church leaders, all the way to you and me, God has made it clear that if He is for us, who can be against us (Rom 8:31). If this is the case, we can rest assured that He has our ‘eternal’ best interests in mind and He is working all things to our good (Rom 8:28).

With all of this in mind, let us be like the Apostle Paul, who, after receiving word that God would not remove his thorn, said this:

2 Corinthians 12:9b-10 “Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.”

Website: In His Commission

[1] “Unless otherwise noted, all biblical passages referenced are in the King James Version.”

[2] For greater understanding, see the article, “The Ultimate Mandate: The Mark of the Beast.”

[3] For greater understanding, see the article, “The Five W’s of the Rapture.”

[4] For greater understanding, see the article, “The Greatest Lie Ever Told: The Origin of all Lies.”

[5] For greater understanding, see the article, “Thy Will Be Done: The Epicenter of Right and Wrong.”

[6] For greater understanding, see the article, “Watch – Warn – and Win Souls.”

[7] For greater understanding, see the article, “Vengeance Cometh – Make Room.”

A special message for my brokenhearted brothers and sisters is within the text of this article. You are not alone.

Also, there is a special message at the end of this article for those who might happen to read this and do not have Jesus in their life.

I have a much-beloved friend who is, unfortunately, unsaved. In spite of my witness to him over several years, the Spirit has not been able to convict him sufficiently to bring about even the faintest sign of repentance (at least that I can see).

I expect we all know someone under similar circumstances, and I am equally sure it is a source of heartbreak when the reality of their precarious and dangerous position rises to the surface.

I say rises to the surface because I believe that the Lord, in His compassion for his people, causes us to set that sadness aside for a time so we can function like “normal” and conduct everyday activities: something He knows that we all must be able to do.

But it comes back under the right circumstances. It is a burden we must bear and willingly do for the Lord to whom we owe so much that we cannot repay. This, coupled with caring for people’s eternal destiny, whether they be friends, relatives or strangers, always causes us to “try again.”

In this case, I thought I would share a part of the story of my witness to my friend in case it could prove helpful to any of my brothers and sisters who might read this.

As a little background, we have been friends since 1969 when I met him after he had returned from Vietnam. The following year, I would begin my journey as an unsaved 19-year-old who ended up in similar circumstances in Vietnam as well as other places in Southeast Asia.

My friend was a true friend, and he wrote to me faithfully during my time there. He knew just how important that communication was. My point being that our friendship has endured even to this day and has not diminished in spite of the Lord bringing me to the foot of the cross a few decades ago. Having said all this, we live in different states, and occasionally we meet at a location in between and have some “ketchup” time and lunch together.

During one of these visits, we were having a conversation, and he brought up the Rapture of the church (quite unexpectedly, I might add). Apparently, he had been giving some thought to some of what we had discussed during previous visits. He apparently had done some additional research on the internet. As risky as that can be, at least he had felt compelled to acquire more understanding.

He indicated that this “Rapture” might not happen for a hundred years. As with most people who take this view, there is a sense that they are trying to manufacture an excuse for ignoring the possibility that it could indeed happen at any moment. In his case, I believe he understands the concept of the Rapture even though he does not and cannot grasp God’s purpose in its execution.

This can be a challenging conversation to have with an unbelieving person, as you cannot be certain what they are actually thinking unless they are candid enough to tell you. I had taken the time to explain the Gospel to him numerous times over the ensuing years, and I had explained the Rapture and its purpose to him before as well. Because he does not have the indwelling Holy Spirit in his unsaved state, it requires very careful consideration of that fact when engaging in this kind of discussion.

I am always cognizant of the message of 1 Corinthians 1:18 when having these discussions, so I was not discouraged by some of his comments.

“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”

However, we must not shrink away from having them when they arise because we cannot know what the Holy Spirit will be able to do with any individual at any time.

Since we have been friends for so many years, I shared this thought with him by way of trying to get him to consider things in their proper context and with an appropriate sense of urgency. I felt that the Spirit was urging me to be completely bold and candid with him, so I did just that.

“Do you see the traffic out there on the main drag?” I asked. He nodded. “When you leave here today, you could pull out into traffic and get T-boned by a semi-trailer truck, and instantly, your life on earth would be over. Your eternity starts right then! No hundred years, no second chances, no debate. There would not even be any chance to reconsider Jesus. No forgiveness. Done. Instead: Hell. Eternal separation from any trace of God, His Grace, Light, Hope. Some people have been known to flippantly say that they will ‘party with their friends in Hell.’ No, they will not. Eternal darkness and despair is what God’s Word says.”

This was said with love but with firmness as well. I further told him that even if he got really upset with me and never spoke to me again in this life, if it resulted in his eventual repentance and salvation, it would be worth the temporary heartache as we would be together with the Lord forever.

Eternal life, not eternal death. Eternity is a long time.

Lest I should become too discouraged, I have learned to take a realistic view of the results, or lack of them, that can occur when witnessing. So, while my friend is still unsaved, he is no worse off, and we are still friends. The Holy Spirit is still in control. I continue to pray and put my trust in Him. After all, He is the one who saves, and I, as much as I want to see the miracle of a repentant soul, am just the servant planting the seed.

I am quite well aware that some who read this narrative might view me as being too abrupt or too coarse. Maybe not gentle enough.

Most people who know me know that I don’t like to dance around the truth. In this case, I was prepared to accept the consequences of my candor as it was just too important to be timid. Dancing around the truth because of fear, I have found, never has good consequences. Never.

It is not the time to wave a sign that says “Stop in for free coffee and donuts” at people who are racing toward an eternity separated from Jesus. Eternity is a very, very long time. Try and imagine it. It is mind-numbing.

And now to the crux of this article.

I believe that time is very rapidly closing out on the Age of Grace, and all indications are that the convergence of prophetic indicators is so close that they cannot be ignored. A simple and practical view of this, to my way of thinking, is that the execution of the Rapture will happen at the time appointed by God the Father according to His Perfect Foreknowledge. When that moment arrives, I will be startled at its suddenness, but I WILL NOT be surprised!

My heart breaks for my friend as I see the blank look and sense his complete lack of understanding of the consequences of his sin, but I will keep trying whenever the Spirit opens the door of opportunity. If the day comes when that door is never to be opened again by the Perfect Will of the Holy Spirit, I will cling to the promise of Jesus in Revelation 21:3-6:

“And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.’ And He who sits on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new.’ And He said, ‘Write, for these words are faithful and true.’ Then He said to me, ‘It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.'” (Emphasis added by me)

It is that Trust in God that keeps me from being incapacitated by sadness and heartache. He and He alone is Sovereign, and as much as I desire all people to be saved, He desires it even more than I can imagine. After all, it was He who stretched out His hands to be nailed to a cross for the sake of all who will repent and believe.

“And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world” (1 John 2:2).

Important: Lest anyone misunderstand, I am not saying everyone will be saved. God’s Word makes it clear that only those who repent and receive Jesus as Lord and Savior will be saved; however, all will have that opportunity.

You are free to draw your own conclusions.

In the meantime, my brothers and sisters: Pray without ceasing for those who are lost, and never give in to a presumption of the outcome. Instead:

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6).

For anyone who may read this article and has not trusted in Jesus Christ and therefore has no hope or peace in your life:

You can have hope. You can have the peace that Jesus has promised to all who have made Him their Lord and Savior. The peace that passes understanding. It requires that you come before God on His terms.

And what are His terms according to His Word?

• Genuine repentance (turning to God instead of continuing to reject or ignore Him).
• Confession of sins (that you are a sinner and acknowledge that to God).
• That you understand that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23).
• To acknowledge to God that you are unable to pay that debt.
• Belief that Jesus Christ paid your death sentence for you on the cross.
• To believe that Jesus is the Way, the only Way, that God has established by which humans may be saved from the consequences of their sin and rebellion.

God has made it absolutely clear that there is no one who comes before Him, under His terms, that will be refused.

• No one: no race, no color, no country of origin, regardless of any previous belief system: no one.
• No matter what your past sins have been, God can and WILL forgive you because He says He will.
• Salvation is available to everyone without any exceptions.

If you put all your trust for salvation in Jesus, and Him only, you can follow that prayer up by simply saying, “Thank you, Father God, for hearing my prayer and saving me,” because we can trust Him to keep His Word. He always has. He always will.

“Truly, Truly, I say to you that he who hears My words and believes the One who sent Me has eternal life and will not be condemned. He has crossed from death to life” (John 5:24).

There are no answers and there is no hope in the world by governments, organizations, politics, or politicians. There are only lies and deception. But you can have the Truth and the peace you seek.

The answers are in the Word of God—The Bible. If you ask God with all your heart, He will hear you.

“And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13).

Pro Salvator Vigilans

To contact me: canoeman96@gmail.com