History. Upward Look, page 232, says it this way, The history of the children of Israel is written for our admonition and instruction upon whom the ends of the world are come. Those who would stand firm in the faith in these last days and finally gain an entrance into heavenly Canaan must listen to the words of warning spoken by Jesus Christ to the Israelites. These lessons were given to the church in the wilderness to be studied and heeded by God's people throughout their generations forever. The experience of the people of God in the wilderness will be the experience of his people in this age. Truth is a safeguard in all time to those who will hold fast the faith once delivered to the saints. Now brothers and sisters, if the story of Gideon that we're beginning to look at was more for our time than the time in which Gideon lived, and that's what is clearly identified in this passage that we started with, then part of the scenario in these first ten verses is that these people that were being oppressed by the threefold enemies that symbolized modern Babylon at the end of the world, these people that were about to be engaged in the final conflict between the multitude of heathen, these people had prophetic testimony that said, look to the past if you want to understand the future, just as we have. Now I want to close here with a rather long passage, but it's a good place to tie this together as far as bringing it home to us experientially at this time. This is from a passage that is from Selected Messages, book one, page 121 and onward. I would challenge you to get that book out and read this for yourself a few times and see all the important truths that are developed in here. A revival of true godliness among us is the greatest and most urgent of all our needs. To seek this should be our first work. There must be earnest effort to obtain the blessings of the Lord, not because God is not willing to bestow his blessing upon us, but because we are unprepared to receive it. Our Heavenly Father is more willing to give his Holy Spirit to them that ask him than our earthly parents to give good gifts to their children. But it is our work by confession, humiliation, repentance, and earnest prayer to fulfill the conditions upon which God has promised to grant us his blessing. A revival need be expected only in answer to prayer. While the people are so destitute of God's Holy Spirit they cannot appreciate the preaching of the word, but when the Spirit's power