Jesus said, I will come to you. That is the Spirit inside Him. Jesus is not out to meet everyone that prays, but the Comforter He said He would give is that Comforter: the Holy Ghost that we now have in us. Then as He said, where I am, ye may be also. So tonight: encourage yourselves, or be encouraged in Him. Keep your lamp burning, don’t let it go out, don’t let the devil snuff it out. Let us go back to the 21st chapter that I was on this morning, I think I got to verse 24. In verse 24 He said that Jerusalem would be trodden down of the Gentiles until the times of the nations be fulfilled. That is the happenings of scripture, that is the times. Because it is not always going to be that the Gentiles are dictating what is going to go on in Israel. Prophecy preachers never go into Zechariah 12, because they don’t know what it pertains to. They are stumped! They like to go into Revelation, but then the 13th chapter, when they go there, they see a false prophet and a man of sin, one of them, I don’t know which one it is, that gets shot in the head and he revives. The devil cannot revive himself: because that beast is a spirit, it is not a man, it is a group of men, of the nations. The old Roman system is what it is, reviving, coming about, which is based in Europe, the ten horns. Like Bro. Jackson said, that little horn that raises up does not put another horn on it: it does not make eleven. No, it is raised right up to take its place in the ten that rules over the ten. The final rule will be that a man of sin will rule over the ten nations plus the rest of the body of the beast, which goes all the way into Iran. Because that is where: after Nebuchadnezzar, that is where it was based, there in Elam and Iran, which is all the same thing, which was Persia. That more or less ends the body as far as, let me put it this way, as far as the tail part is concerned. It says it will be trodden down of the Gentiles until the times of the end, which Jesus is not going to tell you because He said only the Father knows the time He would come back. He was not probing the Father, saying tell me. It is all in the Father’s hand. The Father that made the heavens and earth, the sea, and the dry land:, He knows what is out there in space. If the Catholic church, which has a place in Arizona named Graham Mountain, and the name of their telescope is Lucifer. They have a big telescope out there, and they are looking for extraterrestrial beings. If they ever see one, it will be another demon. That is all that is out there beside the angels of God and they are not going to see them. Not until the end: then they will see them. “And Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.” I was talking about this: which I have done before, but whether He is going back and forth here to confuse the picture to the world, because He said they would come in my name in that day saying have not we prophesied in thy name? If you turn on Trinity Broadcast or any of the others, you will have seen and heard all these prophets. It may be that they are “prophets”. Faith always works in their favor though: not on the people they are preaching to. “And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations.” That does not sound like when Jesus comes back to rule and reign. Signs in the sun and in the moon and in the stars. They say not day: but tonight, Mars and the moon are supposed to be close together. The first time in many years. The 13th of September, ends the Shemitah year, the Shemitah year ends with a partial eclipse of the sun. There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and in the stars: distress of nations. Look out west, fires threatening cities and towns: houses being burned. Don’t you think that is distress? Distress of nations. Don’t you think ISIS is distress? Those three American soldiers took care of one of them that was ready to take a bunch of lives. I am glad it was American boys: U.S. citizens. I heard today, that they had first class tickets and there was not enough room for them, so they put them in the second class. After they got going, they found out they had room in first class so they put them there, and that is where it happened. They took care of business. It is a shame that the leadership in this country cannot take care of business. If it was not for political correctness, they could clear out this thing in this country. Oh, we cannot do that! I say Why do they just let the citizenry of this country go to waste? We have distress, and fear. Inner cities in New York are painting their bodies without putting any clothes on, and walking up and down the streets. That evil mayor up there: has allowed it to be exactly like Brother Branham said it would be: like that. He said: before it was over women would be wearing a little thing called a fig leaf. They have it now. Little children are having to see all this filthy stuff. What do you think that is doing to their minds? They are taking morality and throwing it into the ditch. When I was a boy, if you went into Liberty Kentucky where I was from, and you did not have a shirt on, you would be put in jail. They might have had a chaw of tobacco in their mouth: many of them did, and spit in the street. I know you may say: that is nasty, but it was not immoral. I don’t agree with tobacco use, but it is not unlawful or immoral. When I was eight or ten years old, women would walk down the sidewalk with dresses of a respectable length on: whether they were Christians or not, they wore dresses. I would say: that probably; if you looked in Hillary Clinton’s closet you would not see a dress. I have never seen her in a dress, never! This Immoral generation: is just walking right over the Word of God to be able to be a politician or whatever. I was told: I did not see it, but I would have liked to have seen it: that down in Frankfort Kentucky: there was a rally with the woman from Rowan County and the men from Casey County, making a speech about this gay marriage thing. They have a mayor in Kentucky that does not have any more morals than a stray dog. When they put Obamacare in, he said: I will put it in, like it or not. That is the state I am from, and there are other brothers and sisters in this congregation from Kentucky. There is a pay day coming for sure: for all that defy God’s Word. Distress among nations is sure. Butchering people just because they claim to be a Christian, and our government says nothing about it. Nineteen people were killed by ISIS in Egypt, that said they were Christians and would not deny it. Our president would not even mention they were Christian people. He just mentioned the killing. I did not see the actual thing: I did not want to see it. It was on television, but I did see the water turn red. It said we live in an evil adulterous generation. “With perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.” I heard in the News the other day, they said they are not telling it, but there are bank presidents jumping off of high buildings all the time: but the News people will not tell it. Distress: because people have lived so high that when the test comes, they cannot take it. The powers of heaven shall be shaken, that is the atmospheric heaven. The thing we are dealing with, because the Bible says to put on the whole armor of God: that you may be able to stand in the evil day, and against the powers of the devil. He sits in heavenly places yet tonight. Revelation 12 will bring Him down, as I mentioned this morning while reading that. “And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.” That is the end of the Millennium. This other is talking about now, the other verse I just read, but this is talking about the end.” And when these things begin to come to pass, (When they begin: they are here: they have already begun, we are living in it. We are not a part of it, but it does not mean that we will not have to suffer a few things. Let us be as Amos was. Israel: prepare to meet thy God. It mentioned in the book of Habakkuk, in the days of His preparation, and it tells how the cars would jostle against one another, and it says carriages will jostle one against another in the Broadway’s. The broadways: do you know why these were built from north to south, from east to west? President Eisenhower had them built: because, if this nation was ever attacked, then the tanks and things would have a place to move on quickly. It was not built just to give us a better place to drive on, to get from one side of the country to the another. They were built for the protection of the country. That was the purpose: because he was fearful that the country would be attacked one day. When these things begin to come to pass…) then look up: (which takes you right to Hebrews, chapter 12,which says: lift up the hands that hang low and the feeble knees. It is not talking about somebody crippled: It is talking about a crippled mind.) and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.” He is not talking about being proud and stuck up, He is talking about getting our mind on heavenly things. Look up! So tonight I say, look up: lift up your head. Don’t let the devil see you moping along. Look up: and keep your mind on defeating him: as you daily keep your mind on that which pleases God. Overcome the evil one: the wicked one: which we know is our adversary: the devil. The scripture says he is out like a roaring lion: seeking whom he may devour. “And He spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees.” Israel is the fig tree, but all the trees refers to this world system. All the trees; is what we see on our television. If there is an earthquake in Japan, it is heard about before it has hardly been settled. An earthquake in India, the same way. “When they now shoot forth, (that is the budding, which was of the 1940’s: which is when the U.N. came into existence: in 1945. The U.N. came into existence so there would be no more war. Did it work? In 1950 the Korean War started. In 1945 they formed the U.N. so there would never be another war. That is when our nation began to go down hill. The war was over, but the trees of the field are growing, they are budding. This nation that we now live in became the greatest nation upon this earth. If it had a mind to make it so, and in 1945 they could have taken over the world. Russia was whipped. Germany was slaughtered. China was in dust. Here comes along a little nation like North Korea, and we settle that with an armistice: to divide a nation. Look what they have over there now: a man that does not even know how to get a hair cut: running the nation. It is kind of like some of the old farm boys: when I was growing up; who could not afford a haircut. They just put a bowl on their head and cut around the bowl. They said the only difference in a good haircut and a bad haircut was about a week. “When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand. So likewise ye: when ye see these things come to pass; know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand.” We are there! I cannot say it any plainer than that. we are at that point now. We have already gone beyond summer, and we are now in the fall of this time. We are in the last days. “Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled.” I am trying to bring you from the 1940’s: the time when this started, up to our present day. This thing has grown and grown. Israel has got stronger and stronger, and stronger: until the world does not know what Israel has. In two days; they could wipe Iran off the map. It will not happen; because God is going to do that in the Ezekiel 38 and 39 event. As far as Israel’s surroundings: they are going to take over all of that. Egypt is going to be taught their lesson, and so is Syria. I just saw: that four missiles were shot into Israel from Lebanon. Things are heating up. We are getting ready: because the Bible speaks to us. We are going to see these things. “So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away: (That is what Peter said: heaven and earth will pass away with a great noise. It is the works of man that will pass away, but Jesus said: my Word: that what we are standing on tonight, will not pass away.) but my words shall not pass away.” We have anchored ourselves in something that is sure; because the waves of sin of the world, is not going to knock out those anchors to which we have anchored ourselves. My words shall not pass away. “And take heed to yourselves, (Now He is warning us: after He has told us the things going and coming, from the time of the apostles until this time, He is warning us now, take heed to yourselves. He is not talking to the world. He is speaking to the apostles, but He is also speaking unto this hour of time as well: because that hour of time was not it. Take heed to yourselves…) lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, (just floating along merrily) and so that day come upon you unawares.” Surfeiting and drunkenness, that is drunkenness on the cares of this world. The cares of this world can take away your equilibrium. People get so caught up: that they quit going to church regularly, first for a week, then a month. Time passes and then you seldom see them. Why? Something happened, somebody said something: oh you hurt me. I wonder what it would have been like if Jesus was all the time up and down: because He let the Pharisees and Sadducees get under His skin. We would not have had much to look forward to: would we? We cannot even let our families determine our salvation. You cannot let the world determine your outlook: that is sure ,and certainly not the things of the world. Why? Because that day will come upon you unawares, why would it come upon us unawares? Because we had went surfeiting. The cares of this life made us drunken. “For as a snare (When I was a boy, we caught rabbits like that: in a snare. Take a strong string and hang it on a bush, then pull that bush over and fix a little place there and put a trap in that. Put a sweet potato in there, and a rabbit would come along and get hold of it: trying to get the potato. You might say, well that is cruel. There was a time when some people had to get their food in ways like that. You had to get a rabbit, or squirrel, or whatever: any way you could. Some of you could never imagine how things were after the great depression of years ago, but some people had to get food for their table however they could. There were families that this was the only type meat they ever had, rabbit or squirrel. Why did they not go to McDonald’s? McDonald’s was not even thought of back then. There used to be a little restaurant down there: I could not afford to go to it, but when you walked by you could smell those hamburgers frying. It smelled so good, but I had never ate one: so I had no idea what they would taste like. We come to find out: my brother-in-law told me he went coon hunting over the weekend and skinned his coons back there in that kitchen. Maybe it was a good thing I did not have the money to eat there. A man has to do what he has to do. I remember Bro. Jackson telling about fixing up a snare when he was a boy. He fixed it up and went to school. When he got home from school, his mom said to him: guess what we are having for supper tonight. His snare had caught the old rooster. He caught a rooster instead of a rabbit. We are not so far from those things. That was when I was a boy. It is easy to remember those things: because the mind does not get too old for that unless you allow it. I went a long way around talking about the snare, but now you can see what a snare is: it is something rigged to catch you off guard. Jesus knew something about a snare. There were many times He did not have anything to eat. He was not out making bread and fish every day. It had been three days since they had anything to eat; when he did that. The people were so interested in what He had to say, that they sat and listened for three days without eating. They listened to what He had to say. Then the next day they were going to make Him king, and He refused. Then they were ready to stone Him. As a snare…) shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.” That is not talking about Bride people; because at this time the Bride is gone. The snare is when He comes back with His Bride. “Watch ye therefore, and pray always, (Well I pray before meals: yes, but the scripture says pray always: keep Him always on your heart, don’t let Him leave. He said, I will never leave you or forsake you. In our rough times, He is still there. Whatever we are going through: and we do have to go through things, but we sometimes get too lax if we don’t stay on guard. Things are going pretty good for a few days: then all at once, slam, right up by the side of the head. Our enemy does not aim to leave us alone. He is always ready to accuse us of something, but greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world. You have a right to rebuke him and throw him out. The Spirit in you: enables you to do that. Always remember: You have that right. Do not let him dwell in your mind or in your heart. Thoughts come against you, so get rid of them! There is more nudity on the street and on television than you have ever seen before. I saw something the other day: these men who have muscle and like to show muscle: are now fixing their hair in buns. That is the newest thing, for a man to put a bun on his head. It is not even funny. What is wrong with you sissies anyhow? You have muscles: but you have a problem with your mind. You have tattoos: long hair, long pony tails like women. I was saying something this morning about a young man that hauled parts from Detroit to Louisville for Ford: every day, five days a week. He drove almost five thousand miles a week. He grew one of these rat tails, a little thing of hair that hangs down the back of their neck. He grew a rat tail. He went home and went to sleep, I guess he was very sleepy. He woke up the next morning and went to the bathroom, and it was hanging on the mirror. His wife cut it off while he was asleep. Men that do not have any hair on top, but have something long in the back: Why! I say to my Christian Brothers: keep alert to the tricks of our enemy. Watch ye therefore, and pray always…) that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, (The escape, what is the escape? It is the rapture. I am looking for that escape.) and to stand before the Son of man.” Is that your desire? Is that your aim, to be able to stand before the Son of man? As I said awhile ago, Let all who have that hope within: prepare to meet thy God. That ends: O Israel, but that is also my words to all of you.

Getting Ready For the Rapture
Part 20

There is so much going on today in the world, it is a change every week. You never know what to expect the next week. We are living in changing times. The thing is, it is not changing for the better, it is changing for the worse. The Bible says that man would be more wiser, but he would be more wicked in the 12th chapter of Daniel. But the righteous shall shine. The prophecy given this morning let us know that God will be with you. There is a finishing up process that is going on in our lives and in our midst, and God seems to be well pleased with what is happening. The thing about it is, if God is pleased, then we every one want to work ourselves into that pleasing situation, that we may be able to comprehend with all the saints, the breadth, the width, the height, the depth, as we take time and go on. Each one of our lives is important with God, but we must exercise that importance to be able to please Him. I am still on the same subject, but I will go a little different way in this: yet it is still concerning the end time. It is still concerning, more or less, part of perfection. I know I preached several messages on the grace of God that seemed like it touched souls and helped some people to know a little more of what the grace of God is; for us. We want to take each thing that God provides for us and keep in mind all that is His care process covers. We have scriptures here that I want to look at, you will see in the scriptures I have chosen; that they go along with the testimony this morning: of Sis Gloria Meadors: which I appreciate very much. I feel that we are getting close to Revelation 19: the Bride has made herself ready. I feel that we are getting into that perfection process. We are not children anymore. God has a place for people to come in even yet. I must say; but not for much longer. He is going to cut it off. Then this baptismal pool will not be needed any more. I believe that: partly because of the prophecy I got a couple years ago, that the time is coming that things are going to shut down as far as the Bride is concerned. Then the perfection process finishes up. I am not trying to scare people, but we live in a serious hour of time. It is closing time. Take a business, they have the hump day, then they have Friday. There are some that work different times, but I am just taking it as the time when I worked at Ford, because that was the last day to work that week. So everything was closed down, the lines did not run. The inspection process was over. But we are at that inspection time now, that the Holy Spirit: God’s Spirit, I remember Bro. Jackson preaching about the godhead, he went to Luke, before Jesus was born and what Gabriel said to Mary. Jesus always, when He referred to himself, He referred to God as Father. In Luke chapter 1: talks about the Holy Ghost that overshadowed Mary, so he said if there be three persons in the godhead, then Jesus had two fathers. If it was the Holy Spirit, then God, as the religious world relates it: that there are three: a trinity, but the Bible itself leaves no doubt that God is ONE. It is the Spirit of the Creator Himself that we have in us. He is the Holy Ghost. There is no trinity: just Father and Son. It is the way God works: that confuses those who insist That God is three person’s. He is ONE, and He is a Sovereign Spirit: not a person. People who have no revelation, just try to work out their own plan. It is just how God works: the Holy Ghost in you, is working now, but that is the Spirit of God. It is not another spirit, it is just the way the Spirit works: that some cannot understand. I appreciate that. I appreciated that message when it was preached. We live in a time when we have a lot of prophecy preachers around, but none of them really know deep down truth, because they have their own ideas about things. Many of them are changing their mind about the rapture because they say it comes at the end of the tribulation. According to the scripture I have gone over not long ago, then God is going to take His Bride away during that tribulation time. I am not talking about midweek, I am talking about the first of the week, because midweek is too late. But I believe we will see the temple built and I believe that we will possibly see the two prophets, as God raised them up to fulfill their time. Then the church will be ready to leave. So we are in a gradual scale of moving upward. That is what the prophecy said, not in that way, but it is what it said because we are moving toward perfection. Perfection is going to take all the doubts out, take all the fears out, and all the miss leadings, the misguidings and mis-feelings. The devil puts a lot of feelings in people. That is his job. It is certainly not God that gives you wrong thoughts. I will let that soak in a little bit. All the bad feelings that some may have: like oh I am not worthy. Who is worthy of the grace of God? Can any of us say we are not worthy? Yes, but if we dwell on that unworthy condition: it can eat us up, but we are given an armor. What is that armor for? The armor is for protection: especially for a soldier in battle, but we need it too. I have a scripture in 2nd Timothy, I am not reading that yet, but that scripture tells us we are soldiers. As I went over it a couple weeks ago, if we do not take this thing: and I will say it like this, take it to its limit. We must take our faith to the limit in this hour; in order to ward off the wiles of the enemy: because he is working hard to defeat us. I have brothers and sisters that are going through trials; through sickness, that they didn’t cause. It was not caused; because of sin or evil: it is just something that the devil has put upon the lives of people to discourage; and try to defeat them. When I see people rise above that, it shows that they are not dwelling on their sickness. They are dwelling on the remedy: knowing the remedy will come. Sometimes it is holding on, we sing songs about it, keep holding on. We sing songs about it, but sometimes it just becomes a melody instead of becoming alive. After all, there is a life living in us. Paul expressed it this way, that we are not our own. So we have been bought with a price. The price was the Son of God. It says in Isaiah, by whose stripes we are healed. Peter takes it further and said, by whose stripes ye were healed. It has already happened. Your sins are gone and buried. Don’t dwell on it. Well I’m not worthy. You are just playing into the devil’s hands. We are not standing here saying I am worthy of something great. I am not talking about that. I am talking about how we must face the devil with our problems, with faith, with courage, with an attitude of lifting ourselves up. If I can think of an easier word, to lift ourselves up into a plateau where God dwells. You might think, oh, that will never happen. Why did Paul say that we are in heavenly places in Christ Jesus? I have thought of death, I was just thinking of that this week, I have thought of death because we paint such a blunt picture of it. But when we look at what Jesus said about Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, He said God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. As I mentioned a couple weeks ago, about Bro. Pixley, he had not said anything in days: then all at once he mentioned his wife’s name. He was seeing somebody alive. It is just another dimension, a better dimension. Oh, I don’t know about that: you might say, but Paul said, it will be best if I go on, he was looking at better days. This old flesh sometimes can go through things. I am not advocating death, but I am advocating that there is a better day coming. I remember; it was either the last service or the next to last service that Bro. Jackson was with us. They were singing the song about a better day coming: that was the first time Bro. Jackson had played his fiddle since he had his shoulder operated on. He got happy. There is a better day coming. We are living in a good day. What about the stock market? Well, what about the stock market: all that is going to fail. America is going to fail because of all the wickedness. From the president on down to the dog catcher, they are corrupt. I just saw something this week: a young man that has been promoting Al-qaeda, trying to get some other some people to join it, they gave him a CDL license. He was put in to drive a school bus. What is wrong? That is what he wanted. They are giving the devil everything he wants. But we cannot give over to that. We have to let him know where we stand, and that greater is He, greater is He. Right: Bro. Bill Tuley is here this morning when he was so sick just two weeks ago, because he realized God is alive. Sometimes we have to be stubborn against the devil: not against God, because He is our life. In one sense of the word; we are making our own way in His time. However high we want to be in the Lord, He has given us that privilege. He is making some thirty, some sixty, and some a hundred, according to every one’s ability. Don’t just say: oh I am just thirty: and think that is something less. It is still wheat. It is still the best: as much as a hundred; it is still the best. Sometimes we use words to bring ourselves down because we feel weak. We feel defeated, but the Bible said you are strong. David had never fought in an army, never. He tried a sword, he had the best Israel had to offer, he had the king’s sword. He put it on, I guess it probably drug the ground because he was small. He put it on, but he took it off and said, I have not tried this yet, this has not been tried. In other words, he had not worn it before. So he just took a little slingshot. When he met the giant: the giant said, oh this is just child’s play. He said, I will tack you up on the wall. David said, I will take your head from you. You come to me with spears and swords, but I come to you in the name of the Lord. That is enough. If you have Him today, that is enough. Jolly St. Nicholas is not going to help you. No! We have an ear, but we will lean it toward the Lord. I will go to 1nd Timothy now, chapter 1. “Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Savior; (He felt something: he felt a calling. He knew God had spoken to him. He knew who he met on the Damascus road. Who did you meet this morning? Who did you speak to? Whose name did you call? The name of Jesus Christ is a high tower that we can run into and be safe.) and Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope.” Our hope, we have hope this morning through Jesus Christ. Hope is something, as Paul said:, fades not away. Because we have been begotten through the word of God. There is a new life. That old life is dead: that old man is gone. When Satan met Eve in the person of the beast, he was convincing. He was not good looking. He did not look anything at all like Adam, but he was convincing. I hope you don’t get mad at me for saying this, but you see some of these women on the back of motorcycles with riders that probably have not had a bath in two weeks. They are driving down the road with that long hair blowing back and the smell with it. At once she was a good looking woman, but she got dirty just like him. It is the kind of life I used to see in the cartoons: Pepe LePeu, as he walked you could see the smell coming up. That is the way sin is, it stinks. They call themselves Hell’s Riders, and that is where they are riding: right straight into hell on their present course. How can anybody be happy with something like that on their back? Bro. William Branham said he met a man one time while driving down the street, he saw a man coming toward him with a sign on him. He said it was something like this, I don’t remember exactly, but something like: I am a servant or a slave to Jesus. When he turned around and went the other way, on his back it said, whose slave are you? “Unto Timothy, my own son in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. As I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, that thou mightest charge some that they teach no other doctrine.” I really wanted to go to 2nd Timothy, let us go there. 1st chapter. “Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus, To Timothy, my dearly beloved son: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers, with pure conscience, (With pure conscience) that with ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day; Greatly desiring to see thee, being mindful of thy tears, that I may be filled with joy; When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also. Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands. For God hath not given us the spirit of fear.” You might think, well I am just so nervous. Sometimes we need to pick up the pieces. When Jesus: in Revelation, spoke to the Ephesian church, He said remember from where thou hath fallen. I can think right now of at least six sisters in this assembly, or more than that, I can think of eight right now, sisters who have lost their companion. You do not soon get over that, but you do not let it get you down either. It will eat you up. Spiritually speaking, unless you go on. Those brothers are having the time of their life right now: thinking, why can’t we go on too? I remember my mother, it really hurt me whenever she died, because she had a serious operation: but Mary Lou also had one also, and I did not get to go to the hospital to see my mother. After she died time went on: then two or three years. While laying on my bed one night: I dreamed that I was on the couch down where I grew up, me and my brother. My brother is gone on now. She just appeared, and she did not come through the wall: she just appeared and came over and hugged me. My mother was not a hugger, but that took all that bad feeling away. I never had that feeling any more. God is real. So many testimonies have been given by others that have had to deal with things of that nature, and God has sent their loved ones back to comfort them. He sees our needs: He sees what we have need of this morning. If a departed brother could come back, he would tell you to go lift up your head and go on. They would tell their children to go on also. This is not the end. This is the beginning of a healing if you will allow it. If you do not, it will eat you up. I cannot ’t do that for you, but God can. He is a very present help in time of trouble. I don’t want to miss out on something good; that God has for me just because I never have any victory. There is victory in the Lord. It says God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, which is strength: spiritual muscle. I certainly do not want the devil to put a ring in my nose like they used to do to cows; because they were hard headed. If you put a rope in that they are going to follow you because it is tender. We are going to follow someone, whether it be the Spirit of God or we let our lives become so drowned in fear, and I am going to use another word, which is unbelief, that we never have any victory. There is not a brother or sister that has gone on; that would want you to feel that way. “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” We get so bothered with circumstances; that it clouds our mind. I had a situation sixteen years ago: I got sick in my body while I was here leading singing. Bro. Turner may remember it. I started to pass out, and he ran up here and steadied me. Some people thought it was the spirit. It was not the spirit, I was just about to pass out when Bro. Turner came up and caught me. Some thought it was the spirit, but it was not. I was about to pass out. Do you know why? I had a temperature of 102, and went to the doctor and I was passing blood through my kidneys. I went back a month later, and it was still going on. I had to begin to work on stuff like that. Jesus; when He prayed in the garden, He prayed until His sweat become as drops of blood. There are things that come our way, and we cannot help it. God knows that. I go back to the scripture that says: all things work together for good to them that love God, who are called according to His purpose. All things! I say right now: Yes Lord, I believe and trust in your Word. I ask that you give me more strength and power over adverse feelings. “Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God.” Paul was sitting in prison, waiting execution, and he was encouraging us. Sometimes he gets very blunt, but it is all for our benefit, and not for destruction. “Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began.” Before the world began. He knew this service would be taking place even before the world began. He knew who would be sitting here. If He was, I don’t want to say this the wrong way, but if He was here in person: which He really is, He would say: child of mine, I am not through with you, but I may have to say wake up, we are behind time. When I was going to high school, my mom used to have to probe us to get us out of bed. It would be five minutes after seven and she would say, son, get up, it is going on eight o’clock. She knew how long it would take. “But is now made manifest.” Now made manifest. The time that Paul was talking about was about Jesus Christ, and God waited millions and millions of years, for this moment. For this moment this morning, because He knew what different ones would be going through. Don’t let your feelings; your anxiety make you think all kinds of things. I had been working at Ford about four years: working on the line, when something just snapped, just like that. I become very nervous. I told them I needed to be off the next day, and I did not know when I would go back to work. I have never told this before. I did not know when I would go back to work. I went to a doctor; looking for a pill that would take the anxiety away. Do you know what? He did not give me a pill. He did not give me anything. He did not act like he was really bothered about it. By the time I got back home, I thought: I am going to have to deal with this thing. I went to work the next day and the thing began to leave, and to leave, and to leave. Sometime you have to be more stubborn than the devil. It never came again. Faith went to work in me. I did not have a lot of faith; but I had a little bit. These things can make you think you are dying, or having had a heart attack, you have this, or that. Sometimes it is just faith to overcome our personal feelings. Greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world, this atmospheric thing about us: because that is where the devil works. That is why you need the whole armor. That is why I need it. “But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, (It is already abolished. You pass from death right into life when you know the truth: never to die. Jesus said if you believe on me, you shall never die. You just get rid of this body; to be in the presence of the Lord. The Bible says; weep when they are born, rejoice when they die. We are not out here saying Praise the Lord, they are gone. No, but we know they have gone to a better place; and we are still here to fight the fight, but we are inching up. Don’t be left behind.
The Bible says to grow in grace. It is a daily thing. Grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.) and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.” That is what I am trying to do this morning, bring immortality to light, so you can see there is a better way, there is a better place. I am not advocating death this morning, I am advocating the One that has conquered death. “Whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles. For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against (this day, He said that day, but it is this day) that day.” The stock market is going to fall. It is in a zig zag now, just hobbling along. It is going to fall. I feel for anybody that has something in that, or in the banks. This whole thing is going to collapse. You might say, you are not very encouraging. David said, I have never seen the Upright forsaken or His seed begging bread. God may have that old crow go down to McDonald’s and bring you something from the drive-through. Don’t worry, it will not kill you. Maybe you think, well I WILL NOT eat anything like that. You would if you were in Elijah’s place. “Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.” See? His exaltation is always the Lord Jesus Christ. “That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us.” Which dwell in you, it is in you. Let us go on down to chapter 2. “Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.” He is lifting us up in every supposition, I guess that is a good word. Isn’t it something how the word of God is alive, even though it was spoken two thousand years ago. It is alive, and it gives us life, gives us hope. “And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same: commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also. Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.” That is what I was talking about earlier, a good soldier. A good soldier wears his armor; the armor of God, the whole armor of God. You might think, well I will take this one, but you are vulnerable if you don’t take all these other parts. You have to have protection for your head; for your feet, and Your entire body. You sure have to have a sword, but you have to have a shield too. The whole armor is what you need. See the fiery darts, here they come. That is what that is; fiery darts. What they have done, here is the helmet, the shield, and on down. (Referring to chart) They have the breastplate of righteousness, the sword of the Spirit, helmet of salvation. We have to have this old mind covered. It has to be covered, if we don’t; we are going to find ourselves kind of like Bush was in Iraq; when they threw shoes at him. If you are not completely covered, they are going to slip through. We have to have the whole thing: or we are exposed to our enemy. When we have it; we therefore endure hardness as a good soldier. I went over this a couple weeks ago. My thought then; was, I talked about some of these special operations that are in the armed services. They had just gone over something the other day, two women got into some of the special forces. I don’t know why, I suppose it was just to prove they could. I don’t know why a woman would want to do that, but we live in a time when women think: well I will show you something, but the Bible says grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. I will continue with this next time.

GETTING READY FOR THE RAPTURE
Part 21 

I hope to be able to say something that will be an encouragement to all of you and give strength to some who may be struggling this morning, and that will help all of us to live a life more pleasing unto Him who died to make that possible We are living in times like we have never been in before. We read about the things that are to happen in this nation, but we did not know just how it would turn out as time passed. We never imagined that people in the hour we are living in; would be put in jail for their belief. That is really what has happened, and there will probably be more of that to come. God will not let it stick. He will not let it go on with man just having his way and these unrighteous judges making decisions that are not their decisions to make. God has already decided it from the very beginning, how man should live, that there should be husband and wife; not two husbands or two wives. It is an evil time and an evil inspired generation. It makes you wonder just how long it will be before they stand outside our doors with their evil intent. We do not intend to compromise with evil. This is an evil generation. Preachers are compromising and getting the laity to go along with them on many things. You don’t have to agree, but don’t disagree, so if you don’t disagree, you are standing with it. So I stand here today to disagree, not to agree with their evil works, but to disagree. Faith Assembly is a place to come and get our lives straightened out. It is not a place to come and be overrun by the devil. We intend for it to always be that way. These things will not last forever. If there is anybody here that may have loved ones, or you may have friends, or you may know people that are in this lifestyle, if you are sitting in here, and you feel sorry or compassion for them; I have to say; you are wrong. That is not something you can tolerate. You may have somebody in your family that is living that lifestyle, but that does not make it right. Faith Assembly is a place that is going to speak and stand solid for truth and righteousness no matter what. If you have family members like that, pray for them, but don’t compromise your position in the Lord for these social ills. That is what it is. The time will come when things will either change in people’s lives or there is going to be an end to it. We praise the Lord this morning for His wonderful grace, His love and the truth He has planted within us. Some have talked about last Sunday’s service, about a continuation, and that is what I want to dwell on today. It seemed to have helped some people to be able to bring them closer to the Lord. I see people this morning that God has dealt with in your life: God has done something for you. He has dealt in your life and made things different. I rejoice with all my brothers and sisters that God has touched anew. It comes down to this fact: You just have to be more stubborn than what the devil is. As it is talked about, that little seed of faith must be cultivated in order for it to grow. That is the truth. It must be nourished by truth until there is no compromise with questionable things around you. Seed faith must always be exercised to obtain growth. It will be built upon a seed. Seed is to grow, just like the mustard seed you read about in the Bible. It is very small, but when you go to Israel and see what the mustard seed grows into, then it is a bush; where birds can light in it. It is not like our mustard here. Our mustard here; is an herb. In Israel: it grows to a small bush. We saw some of them, even on the Mt. of Olives. I would like to say something about Israel today. They are letting things go on, just like at the Mt. of Olives: Now the Muslims are desecrating it. They are tearing up tombstones that have been there for thousands of years. People are criticizing the Israel government and police force for letting it go on like that. I would have to say: If I was there I would have to criticize them too. They are averaging ten attacks on people in Jerusalem a day now. That is on Jews that they are doing that. I don’t like it at all! They know where it is coming from and they know who it is. They are attacking people with rockets and things in Samaria and Judaea. So you can see why they are going to have to be the ones to rise up. Jerusalem is a place that the Bible speaks about. We have to look at it that way and thank the Lord that pressure is going to be put on Judah to where she is that goodly horse in battle. We look forward to it. I will go back to the scripture now. I believe it is in 2nd Peter where it says: judgment must begin at the house of God. It says; if it first begin at us, then where will the world wind up. God deals in our lives to straighten us out, then when it comes to the world, they have no hope, nothing to turn to. We do; and I praise the Lord for that. I was on 2nd Timothy, 2nd chapter; last Sunday. I don’t rehearse. You see preachers on television with tele-prompters, with everything written down: turning page after page. They get to be good readers. Some of them have their tele-prompter that they can scan through as they go along. If it was that way with me, you would never hear much because I am a slow reader. I don’t say these things to glorify myself, but to recognize the Spirit of God. We were on 2nd Timothy chapter 2, verses 1 thru 9. Maybe we will go through that again. “Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.” This is the theme of that. The theme of what he is saying here is to be able to teach others the things that you have seen, not the things that has been rehearsed. Books have been sent to me, sermon starters and all that stuff. I need to clean my book shelf, because I don’t want sermon starters from somebody. I guess people use it, because they are selling it. I did not buy it: it was sent to me. “Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.” That refers to strength; that is being able to take the word of God and make a stand and endure hardness. He is talking about soldiers. I talked a couple weeks ago about people going through training to be in special forces. They almost have to make a commitment they are going to forget everything except what they are doing. I don’t believe in it; because many of them are even taught not to believe in God. That is not right. But what they are doing, they are training their mind’s for obedience. But this is a different situation. We are training our hearts each day as we grow in the grace of God. You can tell how old a tree is when you cut it down, because it has all those rings in there. Each year it grows a ring. If you cut the bark from around the tree, then that cuts the ring and the tree dies. If you count the rings; starting in the middle of the tree and go to the edge of the tree, on one side, not both sides. If you count one side you can tell how old that tree is by the rings it has. If it is fifty years old, it will have fifty rings. That is to establish growth. Every year it is getting stronger and larger. That is an illustration of what it is to be a child of God. We are in need of growth; because the Bible says so. It says: grow in grace, but it don’t just say grow in grace, it also says grow in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Therefore we have to have a start: just like that tree did. The first year; you will not look there and find anything, because the bark is determining the age, because that bark grows into another layer. That is the way our life is: we become layers of righteousness, of holiness. If you go along the highway and see all these dead trees, like the ash. These ash borers have come from China and have killed the trees. If you drive along the highway you can see it. A lot of them are dead because something got in there that was not dealt with. It came from the outside world. We are going to have to get rid of all these things that cause our life not to measure up to the grace of God that has been given to us. I am not talking about an impossibility. I am talking about spiritual growth; as we grow in the grace of God. As we grow in the knowledge of Him: It is because of what we are doing in the word of God. You will not find His knowledge outside the Word. You will find representatives of what the Word has said in this world. just look at this age of time we are living in: how natural man is getting more wicked, but the Word has already said it would be as it is so: with men getting wiser and wiser and more wicked. I am not saying these things today: to go over your head: I am saying things that need to get into our hearts. Endure hardness; if we endure hardness then that little worm, what does it do? It breeds other worms. As it does, then each one of them are for attack. What they are after; is what is inside that tree. That is what the devil is after. That is why it says; to take unto yourself the whole armor of God. It leaves no place for this thing to come in. If we let little things: like jealousy get in: then that will let other things in. People have feelings of not being worthy. The devil eats on things like that. I am not worthy, but Jesus Christ makes us worthy. I am not my own. I have been bought and paid for: when Jesus hung on that old cross. The earnest which comes in, which is the Holy Ghost: when He comes in; He takes over, and does what we cannot do; as an individual. The Spirit of God will take what we commit to Him. It is a fact: growth eliminates wrong motives, it takes charge of what we are not able to do. I am not going to preach a lot about proper dress, because we know better now. If I got outside my home in Salem, and had shorts on: it would be pitiful looking, but that would not be what I teach. If I wore a muscle shirt, then that is speaking against what I believe. “No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life.” Because he has done sold out. I can just see those Roman soldiers, if they did not obey Caesar: their heads would be cut off. We are living in an hour of perfection. I am not trying to say, well I have to do this, or I have to do that. No, the Holy Spirit will lead us. If we have Him inside: we are not going to be making mistakes; if we are obedient to His leading. There are things in this hour of time, that we just have to get over. “That he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.” He is talking about a natural thing, in order to make a spiritual move out of this. Jesus used natural things like: a sower went forth to sow. He talks about Lazarus and the rich man. He tells us about the end time, how it will be. He tells us about the rapture, which so many preachers do not even know where they are: when they get on the subject. It is because the Pentecostal preachers used to preach that the rapture would take place before the tribulation, before the seven years. That is where the Bride will be during that time. Now some have changed their mind and say no, they are taking scripture out of context, and they are now saying it is going to be at the end of the tribulation. They don’t know where to place anything anymore because they are losing it. I have heard things just this week concerning the Branham move, how they are now worshiping the man and letting them know he is not against it. That is what it winds up to be if you do not go on with the Spirit of God. Bro. Jackson was taken from us almost eleven years ago, but we have had to go on trusting the Lord. The day I preached his funeral, I said: this place will never be a memorial. I meant it. Because I saw what happened when Bro. William Branham died. Now the entire thing is a complete mess. It all turned out to be flesh. I will stand in the door if I have to: I will preach the Word of God. If they want to take me to jail, I will be preaching as I leave. If they put me in the grave, I will sing, there is no grave that will hold this body down. We are on a journey. We are not standing still. I am not preaching against Bro. Jackson. I am not preaching against Bro. William Branham, but some of them have done the same thing to Bro. Jackson as they did to Bro. William Branham, they have just not had as much time to go as far as others. Bro. Jackson stood here and said, if you elevate me, it will only goes as far as my toes. We get to thinking that man is so important, but the importance of it is that God is in them. “And if a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned, except he strive lawfully. The husbandman that laboureth must be first partaker of the fruits.” That is the ministry. It goes back to 1st Corinthians 2nd chapter. “Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things. Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according to my gospel.” He had taken a responsibility there, according to my gospel. Can these people today say, according to my gospel, and it be right? Or can they say according to the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ? Paul knew what he was talking about. He knew the truth he had preached. “Wherein I suffer trouble, as an evildoer, even unto bonds; but the word of God is not bound.” He said he suffered trouble even in bonds, but the Word of God is not bound. I have to say that today, the word of God is not bound. Let us go to John 14th chapter, 27th verse. Jesus is talking to the disciples just before He goes away. He has already had supper with them. He has already washed their feet. He has showed the example that should be set. “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: (Do you have peace today? Are you struggling with something that you feel you cannot overcome? Are you struggling with unhappiness, or with sadness? Do you Not have peace of mind? Do you Not have strength to overcome these feelings? I just preached: be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. The devil is going to bombard us. He is going to bombard you with thoughts, but you just have to throw them off with positive faith in the power of God ; because they do not need to be there. I remember: in the denominational realm, they have a revival one year, the next year they have another revival. The same people are saved and baptized each time. They were never satisfied. Really though: they had nothing to stand on. You have something to stand on this morning. You have the Word of promise. I will read something in a minute, but this is something here. He is saying peace I give to you. We are not in turmoil this morning, because the peace of God that passes understanding dwells in us. He said, my peace I give unto you. My peace. When people do not have peace, everybody around them are affected by it. You can affect your children: as well as those around you, and especially when they have the same problem. If we are going to grow in grace; we have to start somewhere. I am talking about reigning with Christ: ruling and reigning with Him. If we are always in a turmoil, and if we never have peace within us and it shows: it goes through the skin to the outside of us and we admit our thinking, how are we going to rule? It does not take away your salvation, but how are we going to be kings and priests? We are on the training ground right now. We are training for rulership. Right? I don’t mean just to be practicing what we are, we are daily directing ourselves toward a goal. We are climbing. We cannot go to the house and just leave these things, because the Bible teaches us to think on these things. I want to be in a rulership role, not because I am worthy, but because He promised. There is an advertisement for the armed forces: which says; be all that you can be. That is what it is: be all you can be. Don’t let the devil fool with your mind. Get rid of thoughts that are going to take away from the grace of God that has been imputed to you. We have the authority to resist every vain thought. That is why we have the armor we spoke of earlier. The Bible says: He that gets hold of the plow and looks back: is not worthy of the kingdom of God. what is he going to do? You are going to plow up what you have already planted. This may be kind of hard for some, but if you apply it you are going to be happy.) not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, (It does not stop there: let not your heart be troubled.) neither let it be afraid.” I had a brother: growing up and he was afraid of everything. He was strong as an ox, but afraid of everything. He was a year and half older than me, but he would take me with him at night; because he was afraid to drive through certain places alone; because it was haunted. I went along for the ride. He was bigger than me and stronger than me, but inside him something happened when he was young: that made him afraid. On Saturday, when we would go to town, we would just get a nickel and could get a double popsicle. There was a boy that came by and said, give me that. He just handed it to him. Somebody asked him, why did you give that to him? I was afraid he was going to slap me. I don’t mean to be talking bad about my brother, he was a good person. He grew out of it when he was about forty. What I want to say to all of you: is grow in grace. It is all open for us. I will not mention who, but one man was in jail for five years or so: but he said God put him there so he could learn revelation. If you hear him, he does not know any more now than he did when he started. If you are not ordained for it, that is where the ministry has got off the track. That is where the ministry has got off in this message. There is a certain preacher that preached here more during a convention than any other preacher. I remember coming through here, and he was going to preach on the seals. Somebody in Alabama had dreamed that he was going to preach on the seals: on the seven seals. I kept waiting for the seventh one, but it never happened. He had these seven men that were in Revelation 1, which is seven men; the pastors of seven churches. He had them angels that were going to come back, those seven angels that were going to come back at the end. When it was Paul, when it was Columba, Iraneas, all these men down to William Branham, that is who the seven angels were, they were messengers. He had them coming back, all seven of them grouped together here at the end time. I talked to Bro. Jackson about that. He said if he would have stuck with being an evangelist, he would have been alright, but when he got into Revelation, he would have been better off if he had left it alone. Men have made that mistake trying to teach revelation without the anointing. Continued next issue.