You’ve heard of the U.S. Army’s Special Forces-a highly trained army-within-an-army, an elite unit of dedicated soldiers. Special Forces are made up completely of volunteers, fighters who have been noticed and called out by their superiors. Before the war in Afghanistan, Osama bin Laden had said American soldiers were weak, cowardly, not trained for mountain warfare. He predicted the Taliban would send U.S. troops home in shame, but he hadn’t counted on America’s Special Forces. This fearless unit invaded Afghanistan with a mere 2,000 soldiers. Within days, it had located all the enemy’s strongholds.
I believe God is doing something similar in the spiritual realm. While in prayer, I was impressed by the Holy Spirit with the concept-God has been at work in the heavenlies on a covert operation. He’s raising up an army-within-an-army, searching his regular troops to form an elite unit of volunteers. This special force is made up of warriors he can touch and stir, to do battle with the enemy. We see a picture of this in the Bible, with Saul’s special militia. The Word tells us, “There went with him a band of men, whose hearts God had touched” (I Samuel 10:26).
“And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood. And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth. And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” (Revelation 12:15-17)
Who is that woman? What is the flood? In the book of Revelation a lot applies to our generation. When a person reads it and gets confused…Confusion comes when someone was rooted in traditions of men and then he come across the verses that contradict their traditions. Confusion also comes when there is a lack of integrity, which leads to lack of the Lord be able to reveal His Word to you. Revelation from the truth of God’s Word begins with an honest heart. If we lack honesty God will actually withhold the truth from us, He will even send a strong delusion, as in Thessalonians, that you might believe a lie.
There are people in our community who are totally in the dark about observing the 7th day Sabbath. They say, “You are wrong, this is a cult.” It’s only going to get worse. I want you to be prepared to stand for what is right.
When I just started pastoring, two Advent Christian ministers brought me to a book store. One of those men grabbed “Great controversy”, handed it to me and said, “You need to read this.” I was spellbound. I connected with the mission for my life, what God wants me to do. The controversy is not between us and Satan, but between God and Satan. We are in the center, because we are on God’s side. We are successful, because we stay the course with God.
I came to understand that I was worshiping on a wrong day. In observing the Sabbath day there is a protection, joy. It goes back to honoring what God has established. I heard all those excuses, “it is really does not matter what day to worship on.” If it does not matter, why not to give up your Sunday? It mattered to God; it should matter to us - to observe the 7th day.
“And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. 9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, 10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb” (Revelation 14:8-10).
What He is saying in verses 9-10 - if we continue the trend of following the traditions of men after God is showing us what He wants then we are drinking of that cup and going into our own damnation, in bondage, that will come on them. This has been a mesmerizing passage to some, “Oh, we will receive an implant or a tattoo.” The passage is so simple, if you understand the Bible. (more…)
Parts 4, 6 - 8 were added recently in video format
The only place the everlasting Gospel is mentioned is in the book of Revelation: “And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people (Rev 14:6).
In Matthew 24:14 it said: “And this Gospel of the Kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.”We have a tendency to hear what we want to hear rather then what the Bible has to say. It says, the preachers preaching it will be a witness; they will not only preach it, but live it. Witness usually means ready to lay down your life for it.
Jesus went to different villages preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom in Matthew 9:35. He also healed the sick of every disease, indicating that the Gospel of the Kingdom will have to do that.
“And I heard another voice from heaven saying, Come out of her, My people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities” (Revelation 18:4).
Make sure your life is in line with the Word of God.
Make sure the traditions of men don’t blind your eyes.
Vision of the hearts of many professing Christians closing. No longer were they able to make changes in their lives or hearts. God had closed the door!
This had to be one of the most difficult things, prophetically, I had ever experienced up until this point. What I saw and even experienced is hard to put into words that truly explain the seriousness of this event. The Lord said that the doors to people’s hearts will start closing all across the nations very soon. Most of the people this happens to will not even know it has taken place until severe trouble is upon the nations. The Lord said I will close the door of the hearts of these people because when I called out to them and pleaded with them, they would not listen. I will no longer play the games of what they call Christianity and Grace. They believe they can sin and then repent anytime they feel ready to repent. In the very time they need me the most, they will not find me nor will I hear them. I will not even listen to a prophet of God who calls out for them. The door is closed.
We need to prepare yourself and your children to eat less, because it may not be enough food very soon. Waste cannot be allowed. Learn how to control your appetite, how to multiply food. Get rid of gossiping and slandering tongue. Some people wonder why somebody always comes against them. It is because you constantly come against others.
Мы должны подготовить себя и своих детей, научите их есть меньше, потому что, возможно, очень скоро будет недостаточно пищи. Не позволяйте им выбрасывать пищу. Научитесь управлять своим аппетитом, научитесь умножать пищу. Избавьтесь от сплетничания и клеветнического языка. Некоторые люди задаются вопросом, почему кто-то всегда выступает против них. Это происходит потому, что вы сами постоянно выступаете против других, распускаете сплетни и вредите им своим языком.
Persecution comes; it is automatic with receiving the truth. We must be able to face all persecution in order to be able to overcome. “Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.” (John 15:20)
Truth will be the most resisted thing in the future.
Start preparing for not being offended. You have to make a decision not to be offended.
People who are focused on eschatology1 prepare only to what they believe and what they been taught about the end of the world. If they are not corrected now they won’t have the faith to overcome in the future. They talk about rapture of the church, 10 toes in the book of Daniel, pre-tribulation, on and on. They study only end time events and prophetic. This causes them to be unstable.
I believe many people will walk away from the Lord and perish in the days to come because of wrong teaching in this area. They can tell you all about the end of the world, but they are not ready to face it. I meet in prison a lot of people like that. They can tell you a lot about Revelation and Daniel, but they can’t tell you anything about good understanding and management, how to make it in the world we live in today. They have prophetic things figured out. I don’t ask for prophetic information, it just comes. The Lord told me one time, “Don’t just spend all your time in Revelation and Daniel, there is the whole Bible you need to know.” Eschatology is important, but you can’t get it out of balance.
Люди, которые сосредоточены на эсхатологии2 готовятся только к тому, чему они верят и чему их научили о конце мира. Если эти люди не исправятся теперь, у них не будет веры, чтобы победить в будущем. Эти люди только изучают события времени конца и пророчества: восхищение церкви, 10 пальцев на ногах в книге Даниила, время скорби и т.д. Это делает их нестабильными. Полагаю, что многие уйдут от Бога и погибнут в последние дни из-за неправильного учения в этой области. Они могут сказать вам всё о конце мира, но они не готовы выстоять в это время. Я встречаю в тюрьме много таких заключенных. Они могут рассказать вам очень много об Откровении и Даниила, но они ничего не могут сказать о том, как распоряжаться своей жизнью, как вести себя в мире, в котором мы живем сегодня. Они поглощены пророческими вещами. Я не прошу у Бога пророческую информацию, она просто приходит. Бог однажды сказал мне : “Не проводи все время в книгах Откровения и Даниила: есть целая Библия, которую ты должен знать.” Эсхатология важна, но нельзя непропорционально раздувать ее.
God does not have to have a lot of people to accomplish His purpose, as in case with Gideon. Faith is based on wisdom. You cannot base faith on stupidity. Nature itself teaches us to be ready at all times. The earth is shaking, things are getting worse. People see it happening, but they say, “It is not happening.”
God did not remove Noah out of the hard times, He showed Him how to live through it. God delivered three Hebrew boys in the fire. (more…)
“And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.” (Revelation 3:14-16). I thought Laodicea was a compromised church full of lukewarm people. In fact in the same church different people are like that: one is hot, another one is cold, etc. Because “no man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” (Matthew 6:24). Love of money is in a way. You don’t have to be rich to love money, it is independence from God.
Some people believe they will be all raptured out before the tribulation comes. But the Bible says, “All that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” (2 Timothy 3:12). There is very little persecution nowadays. If you are not suffering persecution, there is a problem.
The Bible is not meant to make you guilty, but to straighten you out. People lost relationships with the Lord, that’s why they don’t believe in healing and deliverance and they are upset when somebody sees these things.
In preparation for the future Jesus said, “Take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” (Matt 6:31-33). If you focus on those things you’re going to lack something. How to get a foundation of confidence?
The are keys: 1) Purposes of God.
Foundation of everything is in Genesis 1. If it is not valid in your heart you won’t be able to stand. Rom 4:15-16 “Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression. Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all”.
Throughout the centuries Christians have speculated about the meaning of “the Mark of the Beast” and “the Number “666″ of the Beast” mentioned in Revelation 13. Today the interest continues unabated for this apocalyptic endtime Antichrist who will control the economic, political, and social life of mankind by placing a mark and a number upon people.
In parable of 10 virgins the command was given not to buy oil, but “go meet the bridegroom”. By not following command and by not being ready to follow the command they now they have to go prepare themselves to follow God’s commands. Preparing yourselves for better future means making adjustments now. God does not want His people to perish, but He said, “My people perish for lack of knowledge”. But people are perishing daily because of the lack of sound doctrine, lack of knowledge. I praise God that in this place we hear sound doctrine, which prepares us for better future.
Why are people not convinced today? Titus 1:9: “Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.” Because sound doctrine is missing in the church, strong teaching. Why strong teaching is needed? To convince the gainsayers. Why is it so much debate around the word of God? Because sound doctrine has not being taught.
Revelation 12:1 - 13: And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: 2 And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered. 3 And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. 4 And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born. (more…)
During the last 8-10 years I developed a habit, while preaching in different Adventist churches throughout the US, to ask people, “Do you believe that Christ might come today, tomorrow or this week?” Almost everybody answers, that they do not believe in it. So it won’t be a typical Adventist approach to the 2nd coming of Christ in this sermon. It is opposite to the popular idea as if we are able to influence the thime of His Coming. Instead I want to bring you to conviction, that His Coming in fact is closer to us that when we just first believed.
Dick Coston, Retired Pastor
Part 1.
Duration 28 min.
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By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh. By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God. But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. (Hebrews 11:4-6).
Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled. Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed. Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent. And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst (John 6:26-29, 35).
by David Wilkerson
