                     [TimesSquare ChurchPulpit Series]

                      The Great and Final Preparation

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By David Wilkerson
October 23, 1989
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          We are living in the days of final preparation. In
          heaven, in hell and on earth, tremendous activity is
          erupting as all of creation anticipates the culmination
          of mans history.

          If the Holy Spirit were to pull the scales from our
          eyes, we believers would be both joyful and horrified
          at what we'd see. We'd cry out, "What is going on? Why
          is everyone rushing about so determined, so intense?
          What are all these elaborate, mind-boggling
          preparations about? What's in the wind? What is about
          to happen?"

          Right now the heavens are ablaze with anticipation!
          Angelic beings must be awestruck as they prepare to
          usher judgments upon the earth with destructive force
          that is unspeakable. No, angels do not know the day and
          hour of Christs return -- but as they are called into
          a state of readiness, they do know the end is near.

          Without question, a final conflict is coming -- a time
          when every enemy will be put under our Lord's feet.
          Let's examine the great and final plans taking place in
          all three realms of the conflict.

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                     Final Preparations In the Heavens

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          If the veil separating the physical and spiritual could
          be lifted for a moment, what a sight we would behold!
          Everywhere we looked, we'd see preparations taking
          place. We often are mistaken in thinking God is merely
          waiting for the last soul to be saved before He speaks
          a word and the final judgment begins.

          No! God is busily preparing! During the creation God
          worked for six days. And now, at the close of this age,
          He is at work diligently preparing the last things.

          These preparations can be seen only as we are allowed
          glimpses into the eternal. And, without speculating, we
          can see what God has revealed in His Word about this
          final preparation taking place in heaven.

          Revelation 6 says the Lamb breaks one seal, "and there
          was a noise of thunder." But following this is one of
          the most mind-boggling statements in all of Gods Word.
          It says: "There was silence in heaven about the space
          of half an hour" (Revelation 8:1).

          No angelic being cries, "Holy, holy," no choirs sing --
          not a single sound is heard in all of God's eternal
          kingdom! The heavens literally shook with a holy
          thunder; but now God is silent. Christ and His Holy
          Spirit are silent. Why this silence? And why half an
          hour?

          The prophet Zechariah provides a clue: "And the Lord
          shall inherit Judah his portion in the holy land, and
          shall choose Jerusalem again. Be silent, O all flesh,
          before the Lord: for he is raised up out of his holy
          habitation" (Zechariah 2:12-13).

          Here we see God ready to claim His inheritance. All
          things have been put into place. Seven judgment-angels
          stand before Him, waiting to be given assignments to go
          forth and smite the earth. The time that was appointed
          from the foundation of the world has now come.

          The words used in Scripture here speak of a holy hush,
          a great calm before the storm. And this silence is too
          holy, too incomprehensible for human minds. We can't
          even speculate as to why, in this period just prior to
          the final judgment, God in His heaven is silent.

          We do know, however, that the hush ended and the
          judgment-angels "which had the seven trumpets prepared
          themselves to sound" (Revelation 8:6). They made ready
          and were poised -- standing by to act at His command!

          The Apostle John was allowed through a vision to behold
          all this heavenly activity. And what he saw was a
          revelation of Jesus and His final preparation, a
          prophecy of end-time things!

          When Jesus appeared to John in this vision, His eyes
          were on fire. There was no more time for lukewarm love!
          All must return to Him and repent, He says, or "I will
          come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick
          out of his place" (Revelation 2:1-5).

          Beloved, its time to deal with Jezebel spirits,
          lukewarmness, false teachings, fornication -- time to
          remove all stumblingblocks. For John was told that what
          he would see "must shortly be done" (Revelation 22:6).

          The apostle saw incredible movements, comings and
          goings, great and shattering commands, just as if he
          were seated in the war council of the High Command.
          Here is the scene:

          Angels are coming out of the temple of God, having in
          their power the last seven plagues. They are "girded"
          for action (Revelation 15:6-8). Another angel is flying
          in the midst of heaven with the everlasting Gospel to
          preach to every nation. That angel cries with a loud
          voice, "for the hour of His judgment is come." Another
          cries, "Babylon is fallen" (Revelation 14:6-8).

          Yet another angel is coming out of the temple with a
          sickle in his hand, and a loud voice commands him,
          "Thrust in thy sickle and reap: for the time is come
          for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe"
          (Revelation 14:15). Another reaping angel is told,
          "Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of
          the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe"
          (Revelation 14:18).

          Right on schedule, one angel after another will blow a
          trumpet and set off unthinkable wrath! Hail, mingled
          with blood, will burn up a third of all greenery. The
          seas will be polluted. A great star, a meteorite, will
          hit the earth burning like a torch and will poison
          rivers, lakes and streams.

          The sun, moon and stars will be darkened. And an angel
          will appear suddenly in the skies, crying with a loud
          voice, "Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth
          by reason of other voices of the trumpet of the three
          angels, which are yet to sound" (Revelation 8:13). On
          earth there will be such torment that "men shall seek
          death, and shall not find it" (Revelation 9:6).

          The sixth angel will loose upon the earth four demonic
          powers. Some 200 million horsemen will come forth to
          destroy one-third of mankind with "fire and smoke and
          brimstone" (Revelation 9:14-19). It is written that
          they "were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a
          month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men.
          And the number of the army of the horsemen were two
          hundred thousand thousand [200 million]" (Revelation
          9:15).

          I don't know if this army is human or demonic, but one
          thing is certain: It is even now in its final
          preparation for the very year, month, day and hour of
          battle.

          What awesome revelations of things to come! John saw
          them all. But he also witnessed the grand preparation
          for the marriage supper of the Lamb! He saw the books
          being opened in preparation for judgment day -- and he
          was instructed to give this vision to the Church.

          Let mankind go on eating, drinking, making merry. Let
          everyone say, "Where is the promise of His coming?
          for... all things continue as they were from the
          beginning" (2 Peter 3:4). Still God prepares! Still
          heaven moves on toward the final judgment!

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                             Satan Is Preparing
                          Furiously for the Final
                                 Conflict!

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          "Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for
          the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath,
          because he knoweth that he hath but a short time"
          (Revelation 12:12).

          John saw a bottomless pit being opened, and out of it
          spewed an army of demonic locusts "like unto horses
          prepared unto battle... faces of men" (Revelation 9:7).
          "They had a king over them, which is the angel of the
          bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is
          Abaddon [Satan]" (Revelation 9:11).

          Listen with your spirit to these words: Satan knows his
          time is short, for he has "come down" to the earth.
          This planet is the final battleground! He has prepared
          his forces, and his strategy is underway. All of hell
          is one big, satanic operations network!

          Beloved, Satan's main object is the elect of God. It is
          not the backslidden, apostate nation of Israel, nor a
          lukewarm, self-satisfied Church -- it is the spotless
          bride of Christ! An elect, holy people consisting of
          blood-bought Jews and Gentiles -- the true Church!

          Satan is going to so thoroughly deceive the wicked that
          they will not repent even under the most severe
          judgment of God. "Spirits of devils, working
          miracles... to gather them to the battle of... God
          Almighty" (Revelation 16:14). They will not turn back
          to the Lord even if hell stares them in the eye. Only a
          people who are totally deceived could blaspheme God
          under a scorching sun that consumes!

          Principalities and powers of darkness are at work now
          around the clock, with no rest or relaxing. They are
          raging throughout the whole earth, preparing to set up
          their own kingdom with their own economic system, their
          own messiah, their own religion. Their drive to kill
          and destroy is being directed by the devil himself.

          Have you ever considered what's behind the explosion of
          the New Age movement, the revival of Aquarius in the
          occult, the renewed interest in Santaria, psychics,
          eastern religions, gurus, transcendental meditation?
          Why are even the families of U.S. presidents consulting
          with stargazers and astrologers? Why have multitudes of
          our youth turned to actual devil worship?

          Did all these things just happen? Are evil men growing
          worse simply by nature? Did New Age religions simply
          appear from nowhere? Is Satan worship just a passing
          fad? Are we going to wake up one day and see that
          everything is back to normal?

          No! It is all part of the preparation -- all an
          operation being masterminded by a high intelligence.
          Satan is setting up his power bases, and angels of
          light and deception are in training.

          In the kingdom of darkness there is not a lazy,
          unemployed demon. They all have intensity and devotion
          to their cause. All their powers and abilities are
          given to overthrowing the kingdom of Christ. Satan's
          army is not asleep or lukewarm to their master!
          Scripture describes Satan as one who "walketh about,
          seeking whom he may devour" (1 Peter 5:8). He and his
          hordes possess people -- and they do not rest from
          their toil night or day!

          John saw this last great preparation in hell as well.
          He saw the devil poised to flood the Church in an
          attempt to destroy it and to carry it away with evil.

          What do you think is the major topic in hell, the main
          message being sounded at this moment? It is a sober,
          life-and-death call to war: "Time is short, work while
          you can!" There are no prophets of peace and security
          in hell. It is doomsday there, the final call!

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                           The Joke in Hell Must
                            Be the Total Lack of
                             Preparedness Among
                                Christians!

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          The whole point of my message is this: While all heaven
          and hell have been put on alert, and everywhere in the
          spiritual realm the preparations are furious for the
          final hour, millions of Christians are fast asleep!
          This last-days spiritual sloth and sleepy unconcern
          have to be a source of bewilderment to both angels and
          demons!

          The disciples slept through the Lord's agony in the
          garden, and not much has changed today. Those followers
          were not prepared. They slept, then they forsook the
          Lord and fled.

          John the Baptist went before Jesus "to make ready a
          people prepared for the Lord" (Luke 1:17). The Apostle
          John saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, consisting
          of a people "prepared as a bride adorned for her
          husband" (Revelation 21:2). Beloved, the Word is
          crystal-clear: We are to be prepared!

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                            Three Warnings About
                          Our Lack of Preparation

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                        1. Gods people are digging
                           into the world rather
                             than letting go.

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          I want to talk about "things." The Word says, "Love not
          the world, neither the things that are in the world" (1
          John 2:15). Jesus warned, "Beware of covetousness: for
          a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the
          things which he possesseth" (Luke 12:15).

          Things -- our possessions -- can tie us down to this
          world. While heaven and hell prepare for war, we go
          shopping. Eternal values are at stake, the end of all
          we know is near -- and we're busy playing with our
          toys!

          We're clothes hogs. Our wallets are out of control. We
          wallow in our possessions. We say God can have it all
          at any time, but then we race off to find things that
          are bigger and better. We spend more time at the
          shopping mall than in the prayer closet with God!

          Scripture says of Noah's day, "They were eating and
          drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the
          day that Noah entered into the ark" (Matthew 24:38).
          And of Lot's day, "They bought, they sold, they
          planted, they builded" (Luke 17:28).

          Now this activity wasn't evil in and of itself. I'm
          sure Noah himself had to buy and sell. After all, he
          was building for 120 years! But the key here is that
          the people did all these things even up to the day of
          judgment -- no one was heeding, listening, preparing.
          They were digging in. No one was letting go of the
          spirit of bondage to material pleasures!

          A missionary friend recently wrote from Hong Kong that
          he had 18 Chinese students sleeping in his tiny
          apartment. The students were fleeing Communism. These
          people had no money and possessed only the clothes they
          were wearing.

          The Christians among them are an example to us of
          people who have "let go." They weren't escaping their
          country because they want Western materialism. Rather,
          they simply wanted to be set free! They wanted to live
          in a country where the soul is free to worship!

          By contrast, the Church is not escaping but digging in
          -- to its TVs, its VCRs, its conveniences, its "good
          life." No prophet nor watchman will ever convict them.
          There is little desperation among them for God and for
          discipline.

          Ringing in my soul are those awesome words that Jesus
          gave to His servants, whom He entrusted with His
          blessings and authority: "Give account!"

          Jesus said that for every idle word "they shall give
          account" (Matthew 12:36). If we must give account of
          every word, will we not be called to account for idle
          time and wasted money as well? "Who shall give account
          to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead"
          (1 Peter 4:5).

          A certain steward was accused of wasting his goods. The
          master called him in and said, "Give an account of thy
          stewardship" (Luke 16:2). Now, believer -- explain how
          you would justify your waste -- your time, your money,
          your deeds. Give your reasons!

          We all are going to stand before the Lord and give
          account. So we'd better ask ourselves now: What are our
          reasons? Why are we so ill-prepared? Why so selfish?
          Why so wasteful?

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                        2. Gods people are becoming
                        less and less excited about
                           the coming of Jesus.

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          The new gospel being preached today says that Jesus
          comes only to the heart -- and that His Second Coming
          is a special revelation to the mind! He appears only to
          the inner man!

          New Agers advertise that their Christ will appear on TV
          worldwide. All the would will see His coming
          simultaneously. As they view this event, they will
          receive an inner revelation to their minds -- a
          "knowing."

          To many Christians today, this world is not a sinking
          ship, not a world reserved for fire. It is an
          international capitol building overrun with
          undesirables, whom these believers plan to kick out.
          They will then take their places, to renovate and
          govern it all themselves. Such thinking is symptomatic
          of a dying love for Jesus and a clinging to this world!
          "Beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware
          lest ye also, being led away with the error of the
          wicked, fall from your own steadfastness" (2 Peter
          3:17). No one can be more spiritually blind than to
          say, "My Lord delayeth His coming."

          In the days to come, you are going to hear incredible
          messages about loving Jesus that sound holy and
          Christlike, but they'll be tainted with an error that
          will rob the saints of the very thing that produces
          steadfastness. These messages will lack an urgency for
          preparation or a longing for His coming! Their
          preachers will chop away at the glorious truth of this
          event and get you to look for an earthly kingdom. And
          if you look eagerly to His coming, you will be labeled
          an escapist!

          Jude said, "Enoch... prophesied... Behold, the Lord
          cometh with ten thousands of his saints, to execute
          judgment" (Jude 14). Paul said, "For the Lord himself
          shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice
          of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the
          dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are
          alive and remain shall be caught up together with them
          in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so
          shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one
          another with these words" (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18).

          This is not an escapist message. It is a message of
          comfort -- and I comfort you with it even now!

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                       3. Dont get stuck in Babylon
                               at midnight!

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          Babylon is falling. That merchandising world of greed
          and self is collapsing. "Come out of her, My people,
          that ye be not partakers of ther sins, and that ye
          receive not of her plagues" (Revelation 18:4).

          We have so spiritualized Babylon that we have missed a
          simple, fundamental truth. It is spoken of in
          Revelation 18 and includes "delicious living" and
          "making merchants rich."

          There is nothing wrong with merchants becoming rich.
          But Babylon represents a spirit of greed -- a spirit so
          powerful, so evil and driving that it says, "people
          dont count." All that counts is the bottom line on the
          balance sheet!

          Merchants will weep in that day of terror -- not for
          the multitudes who are burning in a holocaust, but
          because their money machine is gone. Wall Street has
          been called the nation's "greed capital," but this
          spirit isn't limited to location. It is sweeping
          society in general -- even the Church!

          The Holy Spirit is saying, "Don't let your greed make
          the merchants richer. Don't get carried away with the
          spending and the debt. Curb your appetites. Enough is
          enough! Get off the Babylonian greed-mill. Shake off
          the spirit that lusts for riches and more and more
          things! Do not partake of the sin of Babylon, which is
          merchandising with a spirit of greed."

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                               A Final Word

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          What an awesome preparation: Jesus wants me with Him!
          Since the day He left the earth, He has been preparing
          for my coming to meet Him in heaven.

          Thank God for one more great preparation! Jesus said,
          "I go to prepare a place for you... I will come again,
          and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye
          may be also" (John 14:2-3).

          I am deeply strengthened by such love. He is preparing
          for me -- and I, in turn, desire to prepare for Him!

          ---
          Used with permission granted by World Challenge, P. O.
          Box 260, Lindale, TX 75771 USA.

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