The European Union in Prophecy The EU in Prophecy I | Page 494

The European Union in Prophecy
sincerely repented of his great sin, and he appealed to the mercy of God. He would not
be turned from his purpose, but held fast the Angel and urged his petition with
earnest, agonizing cries until he prevailed.
As Satan influenced Esau to march against Jacob, so he will stir up the wicked
to destroy God's people in the time of trouble. And as he accused Jacob, he will urge
his accusations against the people of God. He numbers the world as his subjects; but
the little company who keep the commandments of God are resisting his supremacy.
If he could blot them from the earth, his triumph would be complete. He sees that holy
angels are guarding them, and he infers that their sins have been pardoned; but he
does not know that their cases have been decided in the sanctuary above. He has an
accurate knowledge of the sins which he has tempted them to commit, and he presents
these before God in the most exaggerated light, representing this people to be just as
deserving as himself of exclusion from the favor of God. He declares that the Lord
cannot in justice forgive their sins and yet destroy him and his angels. He claims them
as his prey and demands that they be given into his hands to destroy.
As Satan accuses the people of God on account of their sins, the Lord permits
him to try them to the uttermost. Their confidence in God, their faith and firmness,
will be severely tested. As they review the past, their hopes sink; for in their whole
lives they can see little good. They are fully conscious of their weakness and
unworthiness. Satan endeavours to terrify them with the thought that their cases are
hopeless, that the stain of their defilement will never be washed away. He hopes so to
destroy their faith that they will yield to his temptations and turn from their
allegiance to God.
Though God's people will be surrounded by enemies who are bent upon their
destruction, yet the anguish which they suffer is not a dread of persecution for the
truth's sake; they fear that every sin has not been repented of, and that th