W____ wrote:
Mike,
I have finished reading “Mike and Ray Split” and as promised I am writing you back.  I can certainly understand why this situation was devastating to you.   I am not sure why God is working in this manner.  However, we know He has a reason for all His actions for the completion of His plan for mankind.   This is also a sad and confusing situation for us the readers too.  I am sure there are others such as myself who have read, learned and followed the updates on your site and Ray’s.   Searching religions and churches was frustrating because of the contradictions and differences.  What you and Ray taught made sense and you each acted as a second witness to each other’s teachings.   Then you and Ray split and I thought, “Here we go again, nobody agrees on God’s scriptures, does anyone know what is right?”  It made me want to pack the whole thing up and move back to the world of Orthodox Christianity.   If all are going to be saved, what would it matter.  I am sure I am not the only one who may have had thoughts similar to this.   We all have moments of discouragement and doubt.  You invited me to read the email exchange collection, and I decided that I would, and it helped me to clearly see what was going on.   Ray’s paper, “When The Towers Fall” was very disturbing and was so far away from the spiritual bases of his other writings.  I can now see that Ray has lost his spiritual eyes and ears.   I agree with you that all parts of the sayings of the prophesy of this book have an application in all our lives and we will all experience all of it.  I pray that God will return Ray from his heretical teachings and reopen his spiritual eyes and ears.  I will continue to pray for you both.

W___
 
P. S. I will not be returning to the beliefs of Orthodox Christianity.  

Hi W____,
Thanks for getting back with me. It appears that God has led you through this trial. But as I have been writing for years, we pass one test just to prepare us for the next test.

Joh 15:2  Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every [ branch] that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.

All our trials are but purging and pruning to prepare us for bringing forth more fruit.
If you see the ‘Is, Was and Will Be’ character of God’s Word, then you will know that when Christ quoted Deuteronomy to Satan, His Words were true:

Matt. 4:4 Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word which proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

What this verse tells us in practical application is that we will all be brought to the time when we will be Judas and sell our Lord for our own profit. All the apostles did this when they fled from Him to save their own lives only minutes after they all vowed to die for Him.
But we not only experience turning our backs on Christ, we must also experience at some point in being the christ of Christ, having someone who was so close to us that we would trust them with our own money, turn on us and try to destroy us.

Psa 55:13  But it was thou, a man mine equal, my guide, and mine acquaintance.

You are so right about how this whole affair has affected so many. It is sad to see people like J____, swept away with the lies of  Judas and Ahithophel and crying for the crucifixion of Christ. When Christ was on the cross, He was looking down at the people he had fed with the loaves and fishes, taunting Him to save Himself.
But, as you point out, it was all of God. It has all served to take the eyes of us all off of men and put them where they belong, in God’s Word and on Christ. As you said, it was God working all things after the counsel of His own will. 
Mike