James
Testing of Faith
The Epistle of James is designed to help the Jew determine who is the true believer. It is written to the whole nation of Israel not just the remnant.
There will be three groups of people:
- The rich - the Scribes and Pharisees (those who follow the Antichrist)
- The poor - the remnant
- Those in-between (these need to decide with whom they will associate) - the nation as a whole.
The temptation the remnant will face will be of a particular kind, it will not be the things that we think of when we think of being tempted today with such things as sex, drugs and alcohol, etc. The remnant believers will face the temptation to be drawn back to the apostate doctrine, back to the traditions of their fathers, the old way of worship. This is a temptation because the old is done with in God's eyes and the new has come.
Because of the religious system of that day it will appear that those who are rich are being blessed but in reality, those who follow the old system, which is under the influence of the Antichrist, will be the ones that are able to buy and sell. The poor will be those believers who have chosen not to take the mark of the beast.
When James writes about faith without works in chapter two, he writes that these works are to clothe the naked and feed the hungry. During the Tribulation period, those who do not receive the mark of the beast will not be able to buy food or clothing and if one sees another in need and has the means to help the other person then one is to show his faith by helping out the other believer.
During the Tribulation, the rich will tell the Jews that Jesus is not the Messiah and the reason "the remnant" is poor is because they believed that Jesus is the Messiah and He is not. The nation of Israel will need to choose which group to associate with, the rich or the poor, the Antichrist or Christ.
They are told to ask for wisdom so that they will be able to identify the true word of God. James is writing to the remnant believer to equip them to be able to endure and withstand the temptation they will face during the Tribulation, which is the next thing to happen according to the prophetic timetable.
"Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh" (James 5:8 KJV)