, "The prince of this world cometh, and hath
nothing in Me."(1063) Satan could find nothing in the Son of God that
would enable him to gain the victory. He had kept His Father's
commandments, and there was no sin in Him that Satan could use to his
advantage. This is the condition in which those must be found who shall
stand in the time of trouble.

It is in this life that we are to separate sin from us, through faith in
the atoning blood of Christ. Our precious Saviour invites us to join
ourselves to Him, to unite our weakness to His strength, our ignorance to
His wisdom, our unworthiness to His merits. God's providence is the school
in which we are to learn the meekness and lowliness of Jesus. The Lord is
ever setting before us, not the way we would choose, which seems easier
and pleasanter to us, but the true aims of life. It rests with us to
co-operate with the agencies which Heaven employs in the work of
conforming our characters to the divine model. None can neglect or defer
this work but at the most fearful peril to their souls.

The apostle John in vision heard a loud voice in heaven exclaiming, "Woe
to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down
unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short
time."(1064) Fearful are the scenes which call forth this exclamation from
the heavenly voice. The wrath of Satan increases as his time grows short,
and his work of deceit and destruction will reach its culmination in the
time of trouble.

Fearful sights of a supernatural character will soon be revealed in the
heavens, in token of the power of miracle-working demons. The spirits of
devils will go forth to the kings of the earth and to the whole world, to
fasten them in deception, and urge them on to unite with Satan in his last
struggle against the government of heaven. By these agencies, rulers and
subjects will be alike deceived. Persons will arise pretending to be
Christ Himself, and claiming the title and worship which belong to the
world's Redeemer. They will perform wonderful miracles of healing, and
will profess to have revelations from heaven contradicting the testimony
of the Scriptures.

As the crowning act in the great drama of deception, Satan himself will
personate Christ. The church has long professed to look to the Saviour's
advent as the consummation of her hopes. Now the great deceiver will make
it appear that Christ has come. In different parts of the