Satan and the Spirit World

brethren a very real sate of the devil is moving very rapidly these days it's already been mentioned by one in this service and I think most of you realized that if you know that there is a real devil Satan has a lot of energy he never gets tired he works in the sons of disobedience day and night and the Bible tells us that he never gets tired he never lets down and so we need to realize that that what we're up against he's very obviously intervening in world affairs he's guiding over all even the nations of the world this recent brexit vote is splitting Britain and Satan is trying to attack both physical Israel and spiritual Israel and that's causing a great deal of consternation and division among the British people and as you know the Scottish people are threatening to now leave as well so it's going to weaken the people of ephraim in a number of ways apparently in the years ahead also we know the true Church of God has always taught and mr. Herbert Armstrong taught way back in the 1940s that Britain would not be part of the coming European Empire the revival of the Holy Roman Empire that's going to take place very soon he always said Britain would not be part of that because Britain easy for him and work Manasseh we will not be part of that Empire so that's another piece of the puzzle that's already come together they're probably going to lose the Falkland Islands they're probably going to lose your altar they're already under siege they're the only two Seagate's left all the other sea gates have been taken away God's prophetic events are moving ahead Satan sees that and he hates that because he knows that his time is short but certainly we need to understand what's involved here Satan's the Satan's program has always been to & Conquer sake we'll try to divide and conquer the Israelite people he will try to divide and conquer God's true church every way he can I've seen that as you know I've been in the church for almost 67 years since I came to ambassador College in early September 1949 Satan tries to divide and conquer over and over every way he can and so we need to be aware of that and aware of Satan's devices and so we have to understand that this recent shooting this recent murder of five policemen in Dallas is just another piece of the puzzle that's about the end brethren that's just the beginning I'm sorry to tell you that we're going to have all kinds of division we're going to have all kinds of upsets we're going to have race or class war we're going to have drought and famine lack of food food wars raging forests and range fires terrible storms and earthquakes and disease epidemics beyond anything we've ever seen the Book of Luke calls that great earthquakes such as the world has never seen the great God is beginning to intervene and you young people you you people that are under 35 you're probably going to live into the most exciting time in human history if you keep living and it'll be exciting some of us older people may not be here it will miss the excitement but it's also going to be very traumatic and it's going to test a lot of you I've had to be tested in all kinds of things in the work now for 64 years full time but God's going to test you in a different way and he's going to let Satan test you in various way he will try to divide and conquer God's work he will try to accuse he's called the accuser of the Brethren as you know in Revelation chapter 12 so he'll try to accuse God's church and accuse Leiter's God's leadership but we've got to come out of this world we can't be hating each other we can't be hating our brethren who have a different race or anything else like that God tells us that over and over to come out of Babylon and back in Philippians chapter 3 if you turn with me turn with me at this point if you all would to Revelation I mean to Philippians the book of Philippians chapter 3 at this point Philippians chapter 3 he says for many walk in verse 18 verse 18 from any walk of which I've told you often and now tell you even weeping that there are enemies of the cross of Christ many in the church back then were enemies and we're attacking whose end is destruction whose God of their belly whose glory is their shame who set their mind on earthly things if you get involved it's just trying to get ahead and hate people that cause trouble whether they're different race or religion or whatever it is you become part of this world and you get in their attitude of competition and jealousy and hate and violence don't do that he tells us here in verse 24 our citizenship god almighty tells us Christians our citizenship is not here in the United States or Britain or Canada our citizenship our ultimate citizenship is in heaven from which Christ is not going to stay there he's going to come back to this earth heaven from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior the Lord Jesus Christ who will transform our lowly body and make it conform to his glorious body according to the working by which he is able even to subdue all things to himself Christ is coming back as King of Kings the Lord of lords and tremendous power and glory and magnificence and we need to realize that were just strangers and pilgrims here on this earth this is Satan's world God tells us that if such a trip is chapter 4 verses 3 and 4 Satan is the devil he is the god of this world many other scriptures tell us that back at revelation 12 verse 9 we'll read that later where Satan has deceived all the nations not some of the nations all the nations is the god of this present society not the earth but the world the cosmos this present society of man and were to come out of that we're not to be part of that and get involved in the world's politics and their Wars and their hates and their riots and their violence and their attitudes were not to do that what we must certainly cry out to God and help us understand that our jobs prepare for kingship in the coming kingdom of God and we've got to understand that we're in the meantime fighting a spirit war because I this world there is a spirit world out there and brethren I want all of you to be more aware of that I don't think most of you're really fully aware but you sort of vaguely aware of it but I don't think many of you get it it's not something you think about very often all around us are spirit beings I'm not kidding more than you probably realize there may be more of God through people I'm not saying that for sure there may be some other bigger gathering but there may be more of God through people right here today right now than anywhere on earth at this particular moment and God's angels are here and Satan is circling and some of his demons we know that God has over 100 million angels around the throne of God alone the book of Revelation shows that how many millions of demons are there when Satan took one third one third of the gellick hosts millions of demons fallen angels wicked spirits understand there is a spirit world and we have to understand that in order to resist it and know what our enemy really is so hope we can get it and understand what we're up against a spirit war is going to come in the next several years the back of the second Chronicles if you turn there this is a very exciting scripture second Chronicles in your Old Testament but remember Jesus Christ showed us were to live by every word of God and the only Word of God they had the only written word was the Old Testament what we call it it's God's mind this book is God's mind this book is the revelation of the way God thinks the way God is the way God acts please understand that and the book of the Bible is much more exciting when you think about it that way our Creator is revealing how he thinks what's going to happen what his purpose is how he reacts to various situations and how he wants us to react and second chronicles back here in chapter 18 you notice some interesting things it talks about how this mkhaya was trying to encourage the king to do what god said and they were worldly people there didn't want to do that and those olhe then finally told the king rather than trying to bluff him and kind of make fun of his request knowing he didn't want to follow the request he said in verse 16 second chronicles 18 16 then micaiah god's prophet said here's the prophet of God speaking revealing a spirit world the mind of God then he said I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains as sheep they have no Shepherd he knew that this people of Israel were going to be conquered in this coming war and the Lord said these have no master ladies return to his own house in peace and the king of Israel not Judah the king of Israel said to Joshua fast who was king of Judah standing there that I not tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me but evil then Micaiah said here's the mind of God and therefore hear the word of God the word of the Lord I saw this prophet and God's inspired this to be put in the Bible what this man saw I saw the work I saw the Lord the everliving one sitting on his throne and all the host of heaven standing on his right handed on left and the eternal said who will persuade the king of Israel to go up that he may fall at ramoth-gilead and once spoken this matter and another that a conference in heaven God is there he's allowing these angels to speak and it sort of a conference they were having then a spirit came forth part of this spirit world and stood before the Lord had said I will persuade him and they ever lived in once said in what way so this other spirit said a demon perhaps I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets and the eternal said you shall persuade him and prevail go out and do so so God let him do that because this king of Israel was very wicked and God was going to punish him anyway so he said go ahead now therefore look the everliving one has put a lying spirit in the mouth of these prophets of yours he told the king of Israel not the king of Judah but the wicked king of Israel and the eternal has decided disaster against you so God Almighty revealed here in the Bible a heavenly conference with angels discussing what they could do to overcome this king to deceive this king to bring about what God wanted and God was talking to them it's a little vision a little insight into the mind of God and how the spirit beings are there and God and angels and even demons sometimes discuss what's going to happen and what's going to be done because this is Satan's world and God was allowing these things to happen God is the overall leader but he's allowing Satan to rule this world for this 6,000 years of man's rebellion since we sinned at the Garden of Eden and then he's going to intervene and send Christ back as king of kings and straight to it all out but until that time all these things are going to happen and remember brethren Satan comes at you sometimes well and he everything he says is not wrong he has a mixture what did Satan and do in deceiving Adam and Eve he has them take a tree of the knowledge of what a pure evil no they were taking the tree of the knowledge of good and evil a bad mixture you can have 90% something good in your food but you have just 10% strychnine or some of the poison and it will kill you kill you quick just a little bit of evil God does not want evil he does not want to ask to have a mixture of good and evil but the devil is very clever at how I presented he often makes fun of ministers you say well that's terrible know some of them are Catholic or Protestant ministers who do credit crazy things so what some of the human humor is may be justified and make people laugh but the indication underneath what Satan is trying to do is to make all of God's ministers look bad to make God himself look bad and irrelevant which he's now almost succeeded in doing because of this recent situation for instance as most of you know if you've been following on radio and television which I have about the murder of these $5 policemen while they talk about they talk about better policing methods better attitudes toward race talk about better training of the police and things like that they virtually never mentioned God never mention the Ten Commandments never mention the root cause that men have cut themselves off from God and so they do not have the fear of God they murder each other because God is not in their thoughts they have rejected God the world does not even bring that into the discussion because Satan has blinded them so much by various religions who have a mixture of good and evil it's not all evil that's that's the reason it could fool people a little bit of is good but a lot of evil ISM extend and that's what kills people eventually because they're cut off from God back in Daniel the ninth chapter turned there was be at this point more about the revelation of God and spirit wars that are taking place the Book of Daniel I want to turn to chapter 9 and beginning in verse 19 after telling how they had done wrong and God had punished them for these 70 years of Babylonian captivity why then God tell Daniel says in his prayer verse 19 Daniel 9 1908 ternal here Oh eternal give all eternal listen and act and do not delay for your own sake and for the sake of your city and your people who are called by your name now while I was speaking daniel said praying this earnest heartfelt prayer to God and confessing my sin in the sin of my people Israel and presenting my supplication before they turn 'old on while I was speaking a prayer notice a spirit being appeared a spirit world is there a man of Gabriel whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning caused to fly swiftly reached me about the time of the evening offering and informed me and said o Daniel I've now come forth to give you skill and understanding at the beginning of your supplication look Daniel when you first started to pray the command came out and I have come to tell you for you or Bridgey beloved that therefore consider the matter and understand the vision and I'm come to give you understanding of the end times and then he gives them the 70 weeks prophecy showing when Christ would come after 40 hundred and eighty-three years and so on as angel of God appeared and did that then in chapter 10 turn Daniel Daniel chapter 10 in those days when Daniel was constantly seeking God and God's guidance I Daniel was mourning he apparently was fasting and fasting and praying for three full weeks he may not have fasted the whole time but he probably passed at part of the time and one of it was on a very limit diet the rest of the time some of you remember mr. Armstrong used to go out to Palm Springs and rent a house for a month in December and he didn't fast every day he didn't pretend to but he would fast for a couple days and rest but just have some time just a bland buy it limited diet to steady and pray and meditate and clean out his system that he'd fast again for a while and so on all the time he was there so Daniel was in mourning for 3-4 weeks I know pleasent foot present food nor meat or wine came into my mouth nor did i anoint myself at all till three full weeks were fulfilled so on the twelfth day he suddenly sees this vision this mighty powerful being in verse six the appearance of lightening his eyes were like torches of fire a great spirit being appeared to him and verse 10 then suddenly a hand touched me which made me tremble at my knees or the palms of my hands of this great angel is an angel of God he said old Daniel a man greatly beloved understand the words that I speak to you and stand upright for I have now been sent to you while I was speaking this word I stood trembling a powerful spirit being was right there probably emanating maybe pulsating noises and energy and light and Daniel was trembling then he said do not fear Daniel for from the first day that you set your heart to understand brethren do you ever start praying and studying and fasting help me understand everything God help me understand what to do help me to be sure help me understand from the first day you begin to do this and to humble yourself before God your words were heard God didn't hear that person or didn't answer the first day but later this angel comes and said from the first day your words were heard and I have come because of her words but the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me three weeks and the whole Michael one of the chief Prince's came to help me for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia what's going on God reveals a number of times brethren behind every pagan nation those in the demonism and paganism it doesn't look bad lots of American tourists go to Indy or somewhere they say oh they bring back an image of Buddha isn't that cute no it's not cute it's a pagan idol it's a pagan idol it should not be in your house you should not have that kind of thing even though you don't mean to represent it or worship it nevertheless God works or Satan works through these things but these demons are behind every pagan nation I'm just telling you that when you read the whole Bible we could have a whole sermon on that behind every pagan nation is a demon or demons and so the prince of persia present-day Iran was withstanding the true angel of God here the prince that the kingdom of Persia withstood me three weeks and behold Michael remember the three great terror beam the three great super Archangels were Michael Gabriel and Lucifer and Lucifer the third one the great light bringer he became a prince of darkness instead of light he turned away from God he took one-third of the angels with him one-third millions of spirit beings turned away and followed Lucifer such a powerful influence and brethren that can influence you to more than most of you can imagine if you'd let it do so you must not let it do so you've got to understand there is a spirit world that world is real I know many of you young people you have fun and you listen to your lady's song and want to see the latest TV show which may or may not be but good it may be bad in many cases but your minds on those things you'd better start tuning in to your Creator it's going to affect every single thing around you it's going to affect the food you eat the water you drink whether you have food or water it's going to affect the fires the earthquakes that is these epidemics the whole society everything is going to change because of the spirit world God intervening and God allowing Satan to do lots of things - it's very real and God gives us the details of it in the Bible it has to become real to you for you to understand you're at war all of us whether we mean to be or not were at war against Satan or we better be otherwise we'll lose the war by default so the Prince of Persia withstood me and Michael the chief Archangel came and helped me now I have come to you to make you understand what will happen in the people in the latter days so but God was revealing through this angel - Daniel what was going to happen later on and he says here near the hand he says if I may I think I've turned beyond this he said again verse 19 old man great develop fear or not peace be to you be strong yes be strong when he spoke to me I was strengthened and said let my Lord speak for you strengthen me then he said do you know why I've come and now I must return to fight with the Prince of Persia so there's going to be a spirit battle and when I had gone forth indeed the Prince of Greece will come you see Greece was also a pagan nation you know it's been in the past and Time magazine the old Life magazine all the port magazines and papers there's great Greek heritage that we have the greatest philosophers Plato Aristotle all these people's supposed to be so smart there were pagans they were not so smart they had all kinds of very wrong ideas I took a course in philosophy and what is now called Missouri Southern College that was not part of the business curriculum I felt I wanted to understand and it helped me to take it because I realized how absolutely empty these philosophers were they didn't understand anything because I was hearing mr. Armstrong night after night on the radio and during all this garbage coming out of their mouths and reading their writings they did not understand that falsifies and had all kinds of reasoning they're guided by demons the Prince of Grisha of course was a loafer a pagan nation and he says he will come but I will tell you what is revealed in the scripture of truth where is truth this word this gives you understanding of the real world around you the spirit world how to get into the kingdom of God or if you don't do your part you'll be end up being in the kingdom of Satan Satan has a kingdom and you're a part of that Kingdom you're going to go where Satan is going eventually into the lake of fire you've got to make a choice you've got to stand for one thing or the other so I'm going to show you what is noted in the scripture of truth and no one upholds me in this war this battle except Michael your Prince Michael was the prayer to the chief Archangel the one who watched over Israel Michael which means like unto God so we need to understand the spirit wars that we're in and how vital that is and how meaningful that is yet brethren God's angels his true angels are always nearby as you read the book of Acts I don't begin to have the time to read all the scriptures outrage you one or two but recognize all around us right now our angels and you have angels watching over you you should never pray to them do you pray to God but you want to realize they're there if you serve God they will help you so let's turn now to the book of Acts let's turn to chapter 12 I could have a whole sermon just on what's mentioned here in the book of Acts about this matter because he describes it again and again through the entire book of Acts I just finished rereading it for about the hundreds or 200 of time I used to teach it every single year in freshman Bible class so I read it but in Acts chapter 12 Acts chapter 12 verse 1 now about that time Herod the King this ancient pagan king over Israel at that point because they were a part of the Roman Empire had been conquered threats tout his hand to Harris some of the church so here was God's true church being picked on by the several rulers then he killed Herod killed James the brother of John remember the original James the other James came in later who's called James the Lord's brother so he killed James the brother of John with a sword he chopped his head off apparently God allowed things like that to happen did they all give up and quit no you must not give up and quit if God allows persecution to come on to his church you must not quit you've got to come to know that God is real he'll protect you he'll never leave you no forsake you and if they allow some few of us to be killed or beaten up or something that's just part of the course it's part of the the obstacle course we go through but God is there he's doing the big things overall and we've got to understand that and no one know that we know that and put our faith in God so he killed James and because it saw it pleased the Jews who are trying to destroy the Church of course he proceeded further to seize Peter so now he sees the chief apostle who did most of the speaking as you know all the way through the book of Acts he sees Peter and he it was also during the days of unleavened bread this was a years and years 10 or 15 years after Christ's sacrifice but the days of unleavened bread were still being observed otherwise this wouldn't even be mentioned so when he had apprehended Peter he put him in prison and delivered to four squads of soldiers to keep him intending to bring him before the people after Passover the Passover and days of unleavened bread season was a special season and Herod didn't want to cause an uprising so he was going to do this way Peter was therefore kept in prison but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church God's through people if I were thrown in prison if mr. Ames was thrown in prison we hope you'd be praying for us in the same way they prayed and prayed constantly to deliver Peter and so when Herod was about to bring him out that night the very night before they were to bring him out perhaps kill him Peter was sleeping bounded published with chains between two soldiers and the guards before the door were keeping the prison and behold verse seven and angel hears a Great Spirit being were surrounded by spirits brethren there is a spirit world and so an angel of the Lord stood by and a light shone in the president's truck Peter on the side saying arise quickly his chains fell right off great big chains weather lock probably locked them close around his body they just fell right off supernaturally God is not limited he's not limited as I've told you before what if they captured me and put me in a space capsule and said you relent and stop this preaching about God and the true way of God or we're going to put you in his face capsule and we're going to shoot your way out past Mars and you'll be millions of miles on outer space will you be helpless out there no God outer space here's the world let's say were they this mike is and here's outer space man's idea of outer space real outer space is way out there God is not limited of course God could bring me right back with no problem whatever there's nothing in heaven or earth now or in the future that could take us away from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord read the last few verses of Romans chapter 8 nothing nothing can take us from the love of Christ nothing from taking us from the love of God the love of God and His protection so we've got to know that belief but anyway God intervened here the chains fell right off and so there's angel the spirit being said put on your clothes or your sandals and he did so follow me and he followed the angel outside the prison thinking he he thought it's all a dream somehow I thought this must be a vision I must been a dream or something and so they went out and he when they passed the first and second guard post they came to the iron gate a great big iron gate no doubt locked solid it just creak creak creak open supernaturally an angel has no problem with that and the thing came open and then they went out down the on the street and immediately the angel departed from him you say God will do as mr. Hoge explained again and again God will do for us what we cannot do but God expects us to do for what we can do so the angel got him out there supernaturally confused the guards made them in kind of a stupor blinded them or something that gives went right down and turned the corner and went down the street once he got down there he didn't really have to have an angel anymore suddenly disappears and when Peter had come to himself he said to realized wow this thing that's been leading me this angel is gone now I know for certain that the Lord has sent his angel and delivered me from the Herod and the expectation of the Jewish people who wanted to kill him so when he could thought about that he came to the house of Mary the mother of John whose surname was mark you know this is the one who wrote the book of mark this was his mother where many were gathered together praying God people were crying out please father Oh God in heaven deliver Peter and somehow they didn't dawn of them how quickly God was doing it he'd already done it while they were still praying and as Peter knocks at the door this little girl named Rhoda came and jumping up and down said Oh Peters outside they didn't believe her remember they said you're beside yourself and she kept insisting no he's out there he's out there so they said it says angel think about that you see they constantly were aware in the New Testament church of God that there were angels and that there were demons they were aware most of you in this room and most of you brethren around the world that there is a very real spirit world they just automatically said well then it says angel they thought an angel was there they didn't think Peter had been let out so that's the way they thought of then it was a very real thing now Peter continued knocking bang bang and they finally came to the door and were astonished and he said be quiet don't yell they're starting to yell with happiness I guess so they thought the neighbors might hear and turn him in so he told him to be quiet and declared to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison and he said go tell these sayings to James remember James had just had his head chopped off so this was the other James James the Lord's brother after Christ died his brothers began to meet with the Apostles it tells us in the first chapter or two of Acts but they weren't leaders for a while now the Lord's own brother Jesus Christ brother who grew up as a little boy Wow for an opportunity did you ever have a perfect older brother a perfect older brother who never ever made a mistake no one ever has except James and Jude and Jesus brothers they had had an older brother who was God Emmanuel God in the flesh so James now had become converted and all that knowledge came back to me what would Jesus do he'd seen Jesus make mistakes or not make mistakes make decisions I mean he'd seen what Jesus would do over and over and over all day long around the house so once he was filled with the led by God's Spirit and it's an experience then he became the leading minister at Jerusalem and Peter went off to the peoples of Israel the house of Israel the scattered ten tribes and Paul went out to the Gentiles but when they came back to have a big conference in Jerusalem as you read in acts 15 then James was the one who is kind of the presiding a possible at that point so Peter kept knocking so he said go and tell it to James and he departed went to another place and then there was an old small story about the soldiers about what had become a Peter what happened to Peter how did he get out they didn't understand they were pagans a spirit being led him out and they did not believe that but brethren we need to understand and believe those things because we're going to be facing trials and tests and it'll scare the fire out of you sometimes unless you know that God is there that God is your father that has angels all around you he can help you deliver you guide you in a ways that human beings cannot understand because God is real and the spirit world is very very real as well now let's turn to another scripture about this matter of the spirit world and what we should do first Corinthians chapter 10 turn with me to 1st Corinthians and your New Testament 1st Corinthians chapter 10 and you'll notice here in verses it's say picking up the story in about verse 12 Paul talks about their how God tested them in the Old Testament and some of the Old Testament Israelites began to murmur against God and murmur against Moses and he said therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall don't just assume you've got it made you may not have it made I don't have it made yet God is going to keep testing me and till the end of my life I'm tested every day and you will be tested every day take heed lest you fall no temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man but God is faithful who will not allow you to be tempted about what you're able you say how can I win a spirit battle well God won't allow to Satan you to attempt you too much you don't need to use that excuse he will never allow that to happen that kind of temptation has come to people down through time he will never allow that to beat you to be tempted beyond what you're able but will make a wave escape that you may believe air it therefore my 11 flee idolatry and you better believe that in this society we've got to flee idolatry even though we don't always recognize where it is so notice I speak as a wise man judge for yourselves what I say the cup of blessing which we bless is it not communion literally taken communion with sharing with the blood of Christ the bread which we break is not commune of the body of Christ for we being many are one bread and one body for we all partake of that one bread observe Israel after the flesh or not those who eat that sacrifices partakers of the altar in other words if people and these pagan churches around us calling themselves Christian when they have their so-called communion or they have their lord's supper or they have their Mass they don't know bud they do not understand God is not their fault we shouldn't hate them I used to be that way for 19 years I did not understand until I came to ambassador college and finally the shackles began to come off my body and the shackles so to speak personally came off my brain and I could understand the blindness was taken away and I could understand they don't understand yet but they are following pagan customs their way and attitude the whole understanding they have a breaking bread communion Lord's Supper Mass that's not God's Way it's all based on a pagan understanding of the wrong God the wrong Christ the whole long way of life what I'm saying that an idol is anything or that what is offered to an idol is anything and all that thing does have a lot of power but I say this that the things was the Gentiles sacrifice who are the spiritual Gentiles today everyone outside of God's church there are spiritual Gentiles they're worshipping the wrong God the wrong Christ in the wrong way the things with the Gentiles sacrifice you say will they mean well they're sincere well the Gentiles mean well there sincere but the things they sacrifice they sacrifice to demons Wow the things they sacrifice it seems so innocent that I used to do when I grew up in this Protestant church because it was a mixture of good and evil I was being taught about little Lord Jesus away in a manger silent night holy night mother and child I did not understand the true God it all seems so nice but I was being taught the modern variety of paganism and I was being taught by people influenced by demons they weren't evil people they simply were deceide people Jesus says the blind lead the blind they fall in the ditch together but don't follow blind people that are under the influence of Satan the devil don't do that because they sacrifice to demons and not to God I do not want you to have fellowship with demons you cannot break the cup of the Lord you know you cannot drink the true Passover wine and also the cup of demons who repeats the word demons here two or three times demons you cannot partake of the Lord's table and the top of demons or we provoke the Lord jealousy are we stronger than he no we'd better come out of that God doesn't want us to have her they cheat based on a mixture of good and evil the devil is very clever about that so word had come out of this world as way of worship and we've got to powerfully resist Satan and resist his lies his whole way of life back in Revelation chapter 18 now turn with me if you would to Revelation chapter 18 here we find in Revelation 18 after these things he's describing how this great Babylon falls down I saw the great city which reigns over the kings of the earth he says the last verse of chapter 17 modern Rome modern Babylon I saw another angel coming down from having great Authority and the earth was illuminated with his glory a true angel perhaps our Kings loved God and he cried mightily with a loud voice God shouts out so people can hear it they get it he shouts out with great authority the earth was illuminated with his glory he cried mightily seven the great is fallen is fallen this modern system that will be rising in Europe and the precursor of it is already there it's fallen and what has become the habitation of what demons are they all horrible people over there and dogs again in animal sacrifice or trial sacrifice no but they're indulging in a whole religion that's based on demonism and turning away from the true God they sacrifice to demons and it's a prison for every foul and cage of every unclean and hated bird for all the nations not just some all the nations have been drunk with the wine of the wrath of her fornication the Chinese have their form of paganism the people of India have their form of paganism every nation on earth has been overcome by Satan and this wine that makes men spiritually drunk and the earth has committed fornication with her and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her delicacies often this system makes people rich physically the Americas are almost insane about wanting to get more get more got to have two cars you got to have two TVs the women can't stay a woman be homemakers anymore like my mother did and live in a smaller house and yet have time to take care of your children you've got to have a big house with two cars two TVs to this and to that no you don't and God's come in government there's to be some rich people but everyone doesn't have to have all that they can be absolutely gloriously happy without all that I've told you this before but I'm in it brother just gave you an example one of the happiest couples I ever saw I met back at about 1952 on the Baptist visible tour in southern Louisiana if you look on a map you see New Orleans and down south of the place called Houma age oh um a boy is hot and humid and sweaty down there Burke and I go back on a plank road it was so wet and muddy the the probably get stuck so they put wooden planks and you had to keep on the planks here your car would sink right down but back at the end of this plank road was a shack it was clean inside though this young woman newly married couple not newly married they've been married we found out for two or three years they didn't have children yet she was a very pretty kind of occasion type young woman very pretty and her husband was a very nice-looking young man and they had a dirt floor but she kept it absolutely clean there was old junk scattered around and they had just a very plain bed they slept on they didn't need covers I think they had some sheets was always warm and hot down there they had virtually nothing they didn't have electric lights they didn't have running water but they were happy Conklin just beamed with happiness they were so happy with one another they had enough to eat and enough to wear and they were very happy because they learned to love each other and they were loving God and giving their lives to God and we baptized them we I noticed why were there two or three hours a constant glow of happiness they didn't have a new TV they didn't have any TV but they were happy so there are you could be very very happy with all his gadgets if you have someone you love a husband or wife or friends or family and so on you have to understand that but modern society is based on get-get-get do you think you're happy because of the physical things you have no you're not some of the most miserable people in the world have had tremendous I always remember the man that mr. Armstrong had a problem with he said Armstrong you'll never get my property his name was hewlett sea merit he owned the property that became ambassador hall and terrace villa and some of the main buildings along which became the college campus later God did give mr. Armstrong his property and if you read the mr. Armstrong's autobiography you'll find how I had the opportunity to write mr. Armstrong activity to Telegraph him aboard ship on the way to England that this property came for sale and then he asked me to take Herman hay over and look it over set would be fit for classroom usage and we said it was he said buy it he told tells you that in the autobiography we were able to buy that property because was sold at auction Merritt had died we got that property for pennies on the dollar almost a beautiful property which became a million was a millionaire's mansion and that it was restored like a multi-millionaire as mentioned again we called an ambassador colleagues with Ambassador hall and a beautiful Philippine mahogany inside all kinds of wonderful things God gave it to us God gave it to us because that was his well but at any rate modern Babel is based on get-get-get and I heard another voice from heaven saying verse 4 about this modern Babylon come out of her my people lest you share in her sins unless you receive of her plagues plagues are going to come on modern Babylon you read about it in this book I don't need to read all that tea it's got to be horrible do you want those plagues no let God become real to you brethren and you young people that don't fully get it yet a lot of you learn to come apart from your television and your rock music once a while and read this book read it as though as God speaking because it is is the mind of God is an insight into the mind of God the way God thinks in the way God is it gives you a window into the way things really are the spirit world and you need that and once you understand that aspect of it be very exciting so each day is kind of exciting to me I get but look at the paper more prophetic things are happening more prophetic things that it's all coming together different pieces of the puzzle that I've helped to understand and help to even preach since 1952 when I raised up the church down in San Diego I've been in preaching these things for a long time sixty-four years and it's happening it's a very exciting the Bible could be a very exciting thing when you put the pieces of the puzzle together and you understand it is the mind of God it's a revelation of God's Way of thinking is the revelation of the big things he's affecting the world with not that there's a little sweet Jesus off somewhere that has no meaning no a real God who intervenes in human affairs at a specific ways affecting the lives of hundreds and hundreds of millions a human being who gave modern a theramin as to the great Seagate's he gave Britain those gates we probably written read about that and mr. Wynn's booklet in the United States and Britain and prophecy but he's the one that gave us the great Suez Canal and the Bob Belmont David the southern answer to the registry he's the one who gave us the straight out and in eastern Pacific there he's the one who gave us the Panama Canal he's the one who gave us Gibraltar he's the one who gave us all these other great sea gates and now he's taken them all away except two all the way he's the one who gave Britain control of the passage coming out from what we call Iran now the street of Hormuz is trying to think of it very vital sea gate it's gone but Britain used to control the Strait of Hormuz Britain used to control the tip around South Africa called Cape Horn they could no Cape of Good Hope I mean all those things are gone the only ones left as I said are Gibraltar which is under siege already and and the Falkland Islands which help control the tip around South America these things affect hundreds of millions of dollars of commerce passing through ships and making the sea lane safe and they affect the lives in peace and in war even more of hundreds of millions of human beings mr. Armstrong was the only one who predict that the Eastern European nations would break free from the Soviet boot he said they're going to break through and all of a sudden that winter of 1989 in 1990 he was dead he didn't have to be alive to make it come about he was God sir but he said it would come about just about four years after he died it did come about remarkable there's one thing after the other after the other that all came about and then the Berlin Wall would come down he said it would come down and the two Germany's came together and Germany did become the most powerful nation in Europe which I have heard him say since the 1940s he was saying that way back then he understood that because he was God's servant and were in this work carrying along that same work we understand God is real there is a spirit world out there and we'd better be in touch with that world and understand if we don't were in trouble we're going to lose out on eternity so we really do want to make sure that we do our part and come out of this world so remember brethren we have our part to do to come out of this world now let's turn at this point if you would to chapter 12 Revelation chapter 12 a lot of you know where I'm going here is where the Great Spirit war is going to take place in Revelation chapter 12 and let's see here how much more time we have left good revelation 12 now a great sign appeared in heaven a woman clothed of the Sun and the moon under her feet and on her head a garland of twelve stars describing as you know ancient Israel then being with child ancient Israel brought forth the Messiah she cried out in labor and in pain to give birth and another sign appeared in heaven a great fiery red dragon throughout the Bible Satan has called a dragon so the dragon to Satan was there to destroy Christ remember he had Herod killed all the little boy babies in that whole area from miles around under two years old he didn't want to miss anyone in case he the the baby was even older than they thought so he had seven heads and ten horns as he had later in the and the time is it the roman empire developed and his tail drew a third or had drawn it maybe translated a third of the angels of heaven so satan drew one-third of the demons of the angels they became demons and threw them to the earth and the dragon stood before the woman ready to give birth to devour her child he tried to kill Christ again and again after Christ very first sermon you read on if they ran him to the edge of the cliff and tried to slow him down and somehow he got away again and again they tried to kill Christ they couldn't until it was God's time at the Passover in 31 ad and Christ is our Passover then God allowed it not until then so they tried to kill him she bore a male child who was to rule all nations this is the Christ ancient Israel brought forth the Christ a rule all nations with a rod of iron is that said brethren I used to think well why does God use a rod of iron I hope today you can understand that when you see what these pagan rulers have done in butchering people torturing people burning people alive it's going to take a powerful being to shake these dictators that their very being to help them wake up many of them won't wake up even then but it's going to tell you a God of power to deal with these people he's not going to come with a with the feather he's going to come with a rod a rod of iron and her trial Christ was caught up to God and his throne after his resurrection then and this is later God just skips ahead hundreds of years sometimes in this chatt passage then the woman fled into the wilderness toward the Dark Ages as we call it the true church had to flee into southern france and northern italy where she had a place prepared of God up in the Alps and the mountains to hide for the Roman Empire that they should feed her there 1260 days so there was a period of there of that period of time and war broke out in heaven so here we come years later our time the time of the end war breaks out in heaven Michael and his angels fought against the dragon against the demons and the dragon and his angels fought against God but they did not prevail so the great dragon verse 9 was cast out and he's going to be soon thank God for that so Satan has cast out that great serpent of old called the devil and Satan who deceives the whole world every human being on earth has been deceived I was deceived for the first 19 years of my life many of you were deceived some of you sitting here are still to see you're not really conquered by God you don't fully get what I'm saying and I know that many of you out in TV land saying this later you don't fully get it god help you to get it if you seek God and ask for understanding he will help you to wake up he will help you to get it so the war is going to break out and the Great Dragon was cast out who deceives the whole world and it was cast to the earth and his angels with him all these demons then are going to be cast back down for the last time in the final battle then I heard a loud voice now salvation strength and the Kingdom of our God and the power of his Christ has come finally the kingdom the government of God is to literally be set up on this earth not up in heaven so it's going to come for the accuser of our brethren there it is Satan constantly accuses he constantly kills mr. Armstrong well mr. Armstrong is too arrogant he's too pushy Thomas ham and some who followed him we're talking God mr. Armstrong that way that others came along and said mr. Armstrong spending too much money and mr. Ambrose wasn't even starting to commence to spend the money back then that he did later but they were already accusing him well mr. Armstrong was to this and to that some people will accuse me they'll accuse mr. Ames well mr. Weston gets here and start to assist best and running all kinds of the administrative areas of the work they'll accuse him he said he'll make a mistake yes I'm sure he will make a mistake am I going to fire him the minute he makes a mistake of course not I make a mistake every day I live no one is perfect but overall mr. Weston is one of the most dedicated capable man that I know on the church of god he has that experience for 47 years walking with God facing problems in Kansas City and have you been there you know what I'm talking about he had to deal with them and then of course for thirteen years up in Canada building the whole work and he had a number weird people causing problems accusing him accusing the work he will face problems he perceives he's able to perceive problems some of our ministers just as dedicated but they don't perceive what's happening he does perceive what's happening and he faces it he solves it so he will help us do that very very much when he gets here and I hope all it will be praying for him but anyway the accuser of our brethren has finally cast down and they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony and they did not love their lives until death in other words some of them would rather have died some of them may be tortured they would rather die and therefore rejoice o heavens and you dwell on the earth woe to the inhabiters of the earth and the sea for the devil this powerful spirit being has come down to you having great wrath boy is he mad finally because he knows he has but a short time he'll realize his time is very short he's not winning God is going to win as mr. Armstrong said so many times in the end that we win understand that brethren if you do your part if you walk with God you will be a winner but God has got to be real to you and you have got to understand that you're dealing with a spirit being or spirit beings thousands of them you're in a spirit war you can't let down you're not going to win the tennis match by default you've got to learn to hit the ball back you've got to face the enemy you've got to overcome so the Satan is angry now when he the dragon saw it been catched at the earth he persecuted the woman boys are going to turn on God's church and those of you who are still alive are going to see terrible persecution being to come before it gets too bad those are watching and praying and close to God this scripture indicates and many others that's not my topic but most David Hurd has preached that the very faithful people the true Philadelphia is not those who call themselves that but those who are Philadelphia are going to be taken to a place of safety on this earth by Almighty God for those who are left behind yes there is the Left Behind situation not the one that Lehane wrote about but they'll be left behind and boy they're going to get persecuted if they keep obeying God but say hate and saints them he hates them he's going to come after them with every fiber of his being so the serpent dispute water out of his mouth and the flood often that term flood is a flood of armies as it indicates in tourists replays of the Old Testament but the earth helped the woman and swallowed up the rank of the arm that the flood which the Dragon spewed out of his mouth and now notice the last verse and the dragon was enraged this spirit being is enraged with the true Church of God he hates those people who weren't turned to him and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring those who are still left the Laodiceans many of sincere but they have not been willing to seek God they have not been willing to fully walk with God they've ripped it along you don't rift into the kingdom of God the overcomers will become members of the kingdom of God not those who drift alone so get this so he went to make war with the rest of the others who keep the commandments of God who are the true Church of God those who keep the commandments of God all ten of them Commandments plural and the testimony of Christ some Protestants have tried to say this means the Jews well they don't keep the commandments of God most used today know if it keep the Sabbath and they certainly don't keep all the other Commandments say they professing Jews as you and a few studies what they do and they certainly don't even believe in Christ so they don't have the testimony of Christ but the true Church of God does so we can be given blessings and power forever if we keep the commandments of God and walk with God so we've got to understand it and put first things first turn back to Ephesians chapter 6 now brethren turn back to at this point of the book of Ephesians the book of Ephesians and here in chapter 6 of Ephesians and verse 10 he talks about this war were in finally my brethren Ephesians 6 verse 10 be strong brethren don't be weak learn to be real men real women fight for the truth is worth it be strong in the lord of the power of his might and put on the whole armor of god were in a battle that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil the strategy of the lies the trickery of satan the devil he's very clever for we do not wrestle against flesh and blood we're not fighting other human beings ultimately but against principalities powers rulers of the darkness of this age against spiritual hosts were fighting spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenlies therefore take up the whole armour of God you need every aspect of it you've got to drink it of the Bible you've got to understand what it says and you've got to do it stand therefore have your waist girded with truth for his truth this book jesus said thy word is truth John 17 verse 17 fill your mind with it then you'll have the mind of God so your waste your whole area protected over the area of hunger and sex is guided by truth having put on the breastplate of righteousness that guides your heart and having charged your feet what you do the way you go get busy in the work the preparation of the gospel of peace above all taking the shield of faith what love is the greatest single quality but in a battle during a battle you need faith above all taking the shield of faith so Satan doesn't sent fiery darts and all of a sudden this poison comes in to you from the guard and you get wrong attitudes you get wrong conceptions of things because Satan begins to put his attitude in you and you've got to learn to be aware of that and resist these wrong attitudes that come at you from time to time I remember right after I was baptized I've told you this about a month or two after I was baptized back in 1949 Satan attacked me no way about it I certainly have these thoughts coming in my mind just pounding in my mind was awful and I came running back to the dormitory and I had some of the older students what's going on they said Satan is attacking you you better fast and pray and I did and one thing brethren I might digress for a moment one or two of our Minister suggested to me and I certainly thought of it myself but I tend to put it off I don't want to lay a burden on anyone but we may need to call a spiritual fast these things are speeding up in world events attacks from Satan have come and will come so we may be asking you to fast in the next few weeks I hope you'll respond for your good not my good we need to seek God as a church more than we have ever done or in a battle we must win this battle so anyway we've got to put the shield of faith with which you could quench the fiery darts of the wicked one and take the helmet of salvation that protects your mind and the sword of the Spirit they only offensive weapon you have is the Word of God you've got to study this Bible you've got to learn how to wield it like a sword do I really understand it to go over and over know how to use it and praying always with all prayer and supplication in the spirit being watchful your to be watchful of world events once all these spiritual events into this end with all professional perseverance and supplication for all the saints pray for one another pray for God's people everywhere and for me Paul writes that utterance may be given to me that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel for which I'm an ambassador in Chains Paul was in Chains in Rome when it wrote this this is one of the prison epistles yet it just rings with faith and trust in God because even though Paul was in prison with Chains he knew God was there he'd seen God deliver deliver deliver again had a ringing declaration of faith when he wrote Ephesians and many wrote Philippians and Colossians these are the prison epistles magnificent books from a man of faith so he knew God he was an ambassador in Chains he said pray for me that I may speak boldly as I ought to speak and certainly I hope you'll pray for me and our other leading ministers here we need your prayers Satan is going to come after us in a special way he will come after me because he knows we're doing the work and so we need to pray for one another then back in first Peter if you turn back then oh let's turn to James chapter four first James chapter four at this point James chapter four and let's go there first James chapter 4 and let's start in verse 4 he says adulterers and adulteresses do not know that the friendship with the world is enmity with God if you're so familiar with all the latest TV programs if you're so familiar with all of the latest movies if you're so familiar with all the latest rock songs I don't just say all those things are bad that that's what you're feeding on frankly you're a friend of the world your minds on the world too much you must not have that approach you've got to come out of this world to think about the things of God meditate on the things of God meditate on the purpose of your life friendship of the world is enmity with God whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God do you think that the scripture says in vain the Spirit who dwells in as yearns jealously therefore he says resist God resists the proud god hates people and says the attitude of Pride and vanity I've got it made and I'm sorry resists the proud but God gives grace to the humble therefore submit to God resist the devil and he will flee from you brethren resisting is not passive it's active you're in a battle you want to ask God God protect me from these wrong thoughts that are coming I'm going to resist it I'm going to say rib God rebuke you Satan I'm going to turn my mind the other way I won't obey God I'm going to walk with God talk with God feed on this book I'm going to use my time the right way I'm going to discipline myself one of the fruits of God's Spirit is self-control control yourself control how you use your time brethren if you really learn to walk with God and you learn to study not just carelessly read but feed on this book and read and reread it and ask God for understanding meditate on it then and then pray to God on your knees get up every day first thing in the morning and pray to God with all your heart and then pray at least once or twice more through the day on your knees if you can work it out you don't have to pray a full hour but try to play at least 20 or 30 minutes a day at least on your knees and talk to God ask God for help ask God for strength as God for understanding as God for wisdom and as God for His love and outflow and concern and asking for faith and courage to go through these trials than these bird battles they are coming on you they're coming on all of us so we need to walk with God interact with Christ in Iraq with God day by day and have her hand in God's hands and then with our hand in Christ's hand and a daily walk with Christ we will walk right on over into the kingdom of God you know that you've got to do that it's not just a nice saying it's a reality and that's the way we've all got to try to live none of us do it perfectly I've never done it perfectly but I've tried and I hope you will try to when we need to pray for one another let's turn now about the first Peter 5:10 at this point the first Peter the First Epistle of Peter chapter 5 near the end of your New Testament here 1st Peter 5 and he talking about how the true ministers of God or to humble themselves and serve and he says in verse 5 1st Peter 5 verse 5 likewise you younger people and I say this in younger people and to all of us of course submit yourselves to your elders yes all you be submissive to one another and be clothed how do you do that you do it by being really close to God and understanding how weak you are and how great God is and how much you need you desperately need his help be clothed with humility have that it's all over you for God resists the proud notice his attitude he does like people who strut around and think they've got it made God resisted proud and gives grace to the humble therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God that he may exalt you in due time God will exalt your brethren but you've got to humble yourself seek God with all your being seek God walk with God talk with God go after God say father I need your help help me help me and mean it and seek God in these constant approaches of study and prayer and then try to use God's Spirit action serve God do the things God says with your heart casting all your care upon him for he cares for you be sober don't be careless and just always having a good time and kidding about everything be vigilant very alert because your adversary you have an enemy your enemy Satan the devil walks about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour resist him again that's active you don't just do it by sitting there it's an active war you're in resist him steadfast in the faith knowing that the same afflictions are experienced by your Brotherhood in the world they have trials but they don't know what to do but may the God of all Grace who called you not to but the Greek word here is I see is meeting in two he doesn't just call you to the foot of the mountain he calls you into eternal glory you will have that glory as a full Son of God if you make it he's called you into eternal glory by Christ Jesus when you'll just rift in there easily know after you have suffered a while I've had to suffer trials and tests and accusations and people put put him pulling power plays on me even in God's work all kinds of things he's tested me tested me tested me he will test you all so don't give up fight the good fight keep on trust God don't try to do it his way after you have suffered a well perfect established and strengthen and settle you to him to God be glory and Dominion for ever and ever amen because Christ will have glory along with God the Father throughout all eternity and brethren if you fight this good fight of faith if you really realize the reality of the spirit world of Satan the devil his demons and of God and of his angels that why you're here to become full sons of God at an entire kingdom an entire family of a spirit beings with God reproducing himself and putting his nature in you if you overcome and make it into the kingdom and the family of God you will have glory and power and majesty and absolute joy forever and ever and ever there will be no end your blessing will be for eternity it's worth it so do it with all your heart with all your mind with all of your being and pray for one another

Channel: Living Church of God

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Length: 76min 15sec (4575 seconds)

Published: Fri Dec 02 2016