swerer of their prayers? Surely not the God of the
Scriptures, who cannot deny himself, and whose word cannot be made to
pass away! Revelation sets forth but one other being who is capable of
these undertakings; and it not; only assigns to this being a great and
sufficient motive for all such activity, but clearly predicts that he
will thus "oppose" and "exalt himself" in this very day and age.

Much of the secondary truth is the present inheritance of the child of
God: yet, if there is a choice to be made, the deepest wisdom will
perceive that all the combined secondary values that Satan can offer are
but for a fleeting time; and are not worthy to be compared with the
eternal riches of grace in Christ Jesus.

Chapter XI.

The Believer's Present Position.

Since the Bible contains God's message to the people of the ages, it
must be rightly divided if the body of truth concerning any particular
age or people is to be clearly understood. There are, undoubtedly, many
things in common in the various ages, and, because of that fact, the
superficial use of the Scriptures has been to treat the entire book as a
direct message to all people of all time. This method, as has been
stated, has resulted in great confusion as to the Divine program.

When that portion of Scripture which directly applies to the present age
has been discovered, that, too, must be divided; for the present time is
a period of mixture among the people of the earth--the saints of God
tenting among the citizens of the Satanic system, and having nothing in
common with them beyond the ordinary things of this earth life.

Again, that particular body of truth which applies to the child of God
in this age may be divided, and a portion be called "Positional Truth"
in that it unfolds the believer's present relation to the Godhead, the
heavenlies, and the present world; while another may be known as "Life
Truth" in that it is a particular statement of his present
responsibility in conduct and service, and also includes the provisions
of God whereby he may fully accomplish the whole will of God. A partial
study of Life Truth is reserved for the next and last chapter; while
this chapter is to be devoted to the believer's present position and
separation from the world.

The importance of Positional Truth is suggested by the fact that, in the
context of Scripture, it precedes the statement of Life Truth; forming
the basis of its appeal. As an illustration