Zero Hedge (via DC).

Early in the morning around 3am on March 24, 1603, Queen Elizabeth I died after ruling over England for more than four decades.

Her successor was proclaimed only hours later– James Charles Stuart, who at the time was serving as King of Scotland.

James was known as a religious hardliner. He became obsessed with hunting down witches during his reign in Scotland, and even personally supervised the torture and execution of young women who had been accused of witchcraft.

And almost immediately upon being crowned King of England, he issued harsh warnings to anyone who wasn’t strictly following the faith.

England had established its own church back in 1534– known as the Church of England– and James (as the titular head of the Church) made it clear that he would not tolerate any religious dissent.

Yet there was a growing movement of people across England who had become disillusioned with the Church. They believed in the principal tenants of Christianity, but they didn’t believe in the Church’s rituals, politics, or hierarchy.

These people called themselves Separatists, and they were forced to gather and worship in secret.

One large group of separatists was based in the small town of Gainsborough in central England. Coincidentally, one of them was my great-great++ grandfather, a local noblemen who held secret worship services in his home.

They were eventually caught. And in late 1607, the Separatists had to flee England.

This was no small task at the time; emigrating required a special permit, which they were unable to acquire.

But eventually the Separatists were able to sneak into Amsterdam, which had a great deal more freedom. And after gathering people and resources over the next decade, they ultimately hired a ship– the Mayflower– and sailed across the ocean to build a new life for themselves.

I thought of this story when I read a few days ago about various religious groups in the US and United Kingdom being forced to gather in secret to hold worship services.

One group in England congregates in a barn. Another gathers in open fields, the location of which is revealed by SMS only an hour before the services begin.

This sounds like some underground church service in China or North Korea… or the harsh restrictions under King James more than 400 years ago.

As one churchgoer told the Guardian newspaper, “The fact that we have to sneak around to worship God, in fear of criminal prosecution, is alarming.”

Well we have plenty of witches in America today but no one willing to end the witchcraft. At any rate, there is much danger for the church in the foreseeable future.  The coming months will be a time of testing, and the false church will fade and fall away.  Many already have.

The true church will survive, and even grow, because it is recognized as true.  Christians in China have been praying for this very thing for the church in America – a time of testing to drive the dross from the silver and to build our faith.