                    [Times Square Church Pulpit Series]

                      The Red Horse of The Apocalypse!
                   Keeping God's Peace in Troubled Times

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Plain Text File + Related Bible Study + Home Page + Subscribe + Copyright
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

By David Wilkerson
April 11, 1994
__________

          "Let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which
          also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful"
          (Colossians 3:15).

          This one verse contains an incredible command: The
          entire body of Jesus Christ has been called by God to
          let His peace rule and govern our hearts, minds and
          bodies!

          The peace of God is to be the arbitrator of our lives,
          sitting as ruler over everything. If ever there was a
          time this call needed to be sounded, it is today in
          this hour of turmoil and confusion! Revelation 6:4
          speaks of a red horse riding over the whole earth, with
          this mandate:

          "...and power was given to him that sat thereon to take
          peace from the earth, and that they should kill one
          another: and there was given unto him a great sword." (
          Rev.6:4).

          The man on the red horse is galloping through the world
          right now, taking all peace and wielding a bloody
          sword! He has galloped through the Soviet Union and
          swept away all peace!

          In recent years we have witnessed the total
          disintegration of a godless, Communist empire. But now
          the red horse has galloped through, and there are
          ethnic wars, turmoil, strife, chaos, confusion.

          In the formerly Soviet state of Georgia, warring
          factions have no compassion. Three civilian planes have
          been shot down and hundreds of lives taken.

          Yugoslavia is no more!

          The red horse has galloped through that once-peaceful
          nation, making it a raging hell of ethnic wars and
          disputes. Bosnians, Serbs and Croats have divided,
          exploding into an inferno of hate, fear and bloodshed.
          They are murdering and raping by the thousands, with no
          conscience whatsoever.

          Peace is disappearing in South Africa, West Africa,
          Somalia, Korea, Ireland and countries we hardly know
          about!

          The red horse is galloping through these nations,
          snatching peace and leaving nothing but war.

          "We looked for peace, but no good came; and for a time
          of health, and behold trouble!" (Jeremiah 8:5).

          Beloved, this is all a fulfillment of Revelation 6:4!
          The red horse has been released , and everywhere he
          gallops he leaves in his trail an ethnic spirit of
          hate: race wars!

          Catholics against Protestants in Ireland, Serbs against
          Croats, Muslims against Christians, whites against
          blacks, blacks against Asians. Nations that lived in
          peace for decades are now erupting in wild orgies of
          hate, murder, killing! Whoever thought we would live to
          see this day of violence and bloodshed?

          Yet what amazes me most is that so many Americans,
          Christians among them, react smugly, viewing America as
          an "island of peace." We tell ourselves, "God will
          never come to America and snatch away our peace!"

          It's true that America has been a haven of peace in a
          restless world. Our shores have been an impregnable
          fortress no foreign troops could touch. People have
          come here from all over the world to secure their money
          and their families. But now all that is about to be
          taken!

                      -------------------------------

                      The Red Horse Has Been Set Loose
                   and He Will Not Bypass Godless America
                     As He Takes Peace From the World!

                      -------------------------------

          During the past year, I have heard the snorting and the
          hoofbeats of this red horse. He is galloping on the
          winds, headed for America's shores and he is about to
          gallop through our cities, taking away all peace and
          order as he goes!

          On what authority do I stand in saying this? On God's
          own Word!

          "There is no peace, saith the Lord, unto the wicked"
          (Isaiah 48:22).

          Even the most liberal people now acknowledge that
          America has become a wicked, godless nation. No one can
          understand the unraveling of our society. Now the red
          horse of the apocalypse is galloping! Our peace is
          about to be forever taken from us and in its place will
          be a bloody sword! An increasing spirit of hate and
          murder will take over. Cities will be on fire, guns
          will blaze, rioting and bloodshed will fill the
          streets. America is going to become a bloody war zone!

          I prophesied a few years ago that in the coming days
          more than 1,000 fires would set New York City ablaze.
          Today, every time I look out my apartment window onto
          this city, I see those fires in my mind's eye! I smell
          the smoke -- and I hear the galloping of the red horse!
          Most Christians don't like to hear any of this -- we
          don't want any more "gloom and doom." It's too
          upsetting, too frightening. We'd rather sit back in
          front of our televisions with nothing to disturb us.

          But this violence is exactly what the Bible tells us to
          prepare for!

          Our entire outlook on life is about to change. The way
          we pray, the way we think -- everything is going to be
          different. Drastic changes always follow in nations
          where all peace has been taken away!

          Just over three years ago, Yugoslavia's biggest problem
          was how to increase its tourist trade. The country was
          emerging from years of backwardness, preparing to enter
          the twenty-first century with growing production and
          trade. Tourists were beginning to visit its many
          peaceful, quaint seaside resorts. Now war has come to
          Yugoslavia. There is bloodshed in the streets, with
          horrifying rapes and killings reported every day!

          Everything in Yugoslavia has changed! The people there
          no longer focus on building factories, increasing
          tourism, retiring, improving their homes. No --
          suddenly, overnight, their country is in turmoil!

          They can only think about surviving: where to find
          enough food for the next day; how to walk four blocks
          for water without being killed by a sniper; how to live
          another week without a wife or daughter being savagely
          raped. Their whole mentality has changed because all
          peace has been taken from them!

                      -------------------------------

                       The Time Is Coming in America
                        When We Will Not Be Thinking
                   in Such Materialistic, Covetous Ways!

                      -------------------------------

          Soon Christians won't be thinking about marital
          differences, the right dentist, the right schools,
          credit-card bills, hair styles, shopping malls,
          vacations, "how to cope" psychology. Instead, we'll be
          thinking, "Where can I send my children to spare them
          from all the bloodshed? Is some disenchanted madman
          coming to torch our building? Do we have enough food
          stored for the week? Please, God -- what am I going to
          do?"

          We will no longer be preoccupied with our psyches,
          egos, luxuries, depressions. We won't be praying, "God,
          give me grace this week to put up with my kids and
          their problems." No -- we'll be thinking of mere
          survival! Well be thinking about the total
          disintegration of a nation under the judgment of God!

          America has already had one Civil War -- and President
          Lincoln called it the judgment of God! That war was
          North against South. But now we're facing another civil
          war -- and it won't take place in some tranquil setting
          like Gettysburg. It's going to be in our midst -- in
          major cities like New York, Miami, Chicago, Los
          Angeles, Boston, Houston, Dallas, Detroit, St. Louis,
          San Francisco, Denver. And the bloodshed is going to be
          beyond all imaginings!

          Yet even with all of this turmoil coming upon us, I
          want to reassure you of one thing:

                      -------------------------------

                     No matter what happens to America
                      or the nations of this world, no
                      power in hell can rob you of the
                     peace of God through Jesus Christ,
                      which He implants in your soul!

                      -------------------------------

          God will have His people governed by peace. The red
          horse and its rider can never rob you of the peace He
          puts in your heart!

          "Let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which
          also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful"
          (Colossians 3:15).

          Why did the Lord command the early church to let his
          peace rule their lives? It was because He knew what was
          coming -- and He wanted to prepare them! In just a few
          years' time, incredible turmoil would come upon them
          suddenly. They would be tortured and persecuted. They
          would face hard times, loss of homes, confiscation of
          all worldly goods, attacks from vicious men who thought
          they were doing God a favor by killing them. God was
          warning them, preparing them: "You are going to have to
          be grounded in My peace -- because it alone will see
          you through all the incredible changes ahead!"

          "...the God of peace shall be with you" (Philippians
          4:9).

          Right now in America, there is a false peace sweeping
          through churches -- a peace that will fail in the
          troubled days ahead. It is the false peace of stubborn,
          sin-blinded Christians! Moses called such believers
          "self-blessed" -- meaning, self-deceived. He warned
          Israel that a curse would come upon all wicked,
          disobedient children of God who walked in idolatry. He
          said they would plaster over their sinful ways with a
          false sense of peace:

          "And it come to pass, when he heareth the words of this
          curse, that he bless himself in his heart, saying, I
          shall have peace, though I walk in the imagination of
          mine heart, to add drunkenness to thirst" (Deuteronomy
          29:19) .

          Moses here is describing the child of God who decides
          to satisfy his lust for evil! He finds a cozy doctrine
          that tells him he's all right, still saved,
          heaven-bound -- yet he can still indulge his sins. He
          says to himself, "I will do what I please, and still
          not lose the peace in my heart."

          Not long ago, I got a call from a dedicated woman of
          God. She was asking for prayer about what was going on
          in her church. The youth pastor had fallen into sin,
          and the senior pastor refused to let him go. Parents
          begged the minister not to allow this young man to
          teach their children. But the pastor refused! In
          addition, the elder pastor had brought some disturbing
          changes into the church. He had made it "outsider
          friendly." The church now held country-western nights,
          square dancing, all kinds of things to attract people.
          He even preached a sermon on being too serious as a
          Christian: "It's time to laugh! Kids, quit working so
          hard for grades. Play hooky once in a while -- break a
          few rules!"

          This pastor preaches a theology that you can't ever
          lose your salvation. No matter what you do, you're
          redeemed! He and his wife attend R-rated movies and
          recommend them to the congregation. He whitewashes
          people's sins, assuring them, "You're okay." Deacons
          can drink, smoke and sleep around on Saturday night,
          then take up an offering on Sunday morning, thinking,
          "All is well." This compromising shepherd has blinded
          his congregation to their sins! He is peddling a false
          peace -- causing young people to think they can drink,
          take drugs, sleep with each other and still be saved!
          He is damning them, lulling them to sleep!

                      -------------------------------

                       All the False Peace in America
                      Is Going to Come Tumbling Down!

                      -------------------------------

          When the red horse gallops through America -- when our
          cities are in flames, race riots break out, federal
          troops and tanks roll down our streets -- all false
          hopes will vanish into thin air! Do you think any false
          peace will stand then? No! Every false prophet
          operating today will have to hide! People will no
          longer listen to them crying on television, "Send me a
          hundred dollars!" Instead, people will smash their TV
          sets in anger against such foolishness!

          Preachers who stood in the pulpit and said, "Peace and
          safety," are going to see their churches fall apart!
          Desperate men and women will stand up in the middle of
          meetings, crying, "Pastor, what's going on? This is not
          what you told us would happen. What does the Bible
          say?" But he won't know! And the people will turn on
          him, shouting, "You lied to us!"

          Today, the whole world looks at Russia and can hardly
          believe what is taking place in that country. Yet soon
          the world is going to look at America and not believe
          what they see and hear! God says, "I'm going to do such
          an incredible thing, it will make their ears tingle!
          They'll stand back and say, 'What's happening?'"

          Already the message in Europe is, "Don't go to the
          United States -- you'll get killed!" Headlines in
          Berlin shout: "Bloody America!"

          The London Sun reads: "Land of Violence! American
          Killers!" Because of all the shocking chaos, men will
          cry out, "Where is peace anymore, a place of security?
          America was our last hope. Where can we go now for
          peace?"

          But there will be no peace! The Bible says there will
          come upon the world "sudden destruction" (1
          Thessalonians 5:3)!

          I want to show you what it means to let God's peace
          rule in your heart during troubled times. The Holy
          Spirit impressed on me these two things:

                      -------------------------------

                      1. Don't Get Upset When God Does
                       Not Soon Answer Your Prayers!

                      -------------------------------

          "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer
          and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be
          made known unto God And the peace of God, which passeth
          all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds
          through Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:6-7).

          When I reread this passage recently, I was struck by
          something I'd never seen before. In it, Paul instructs
          us to stop worrying, go to God with prayer and
          supplication, and thank Him for the answer. But he
          never says anything about getting any answers! Paul
          says nothing about receiving a word of direction,
          deliverance, miracles, healing. Instead, he says, we
          receive a gift, the gift of the peace of God!

          God answers all our requests and supplications with the
          gift of His peace:

          "...let your requests be made known unto God. And the
          peace of God,which passeth all understanding, shall
          keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus"
          (verses 6-7)

          In other words, God's first answer to our every prayer
          and heart-cry is His peace! All praying people have
          this one thing in common: No matter how bad they feel
          going into their secret closet of prayer, they come out
          filled with His peace! You see, God has limited Himself
          to His own government. This is known as the providence
          of God. He does things here and there, preparing
          people's hearts and orchestrating events. But until His
          providence works out the answer to your prayer, He
          says, "I'm going to give you not what you think you
          need, but what I know you need -- peace of mind and
          heart!"

          Most praying Christians will tell you they're still
          waiting for answers to many prayers. They may have
          prayed earnestly, fervently, with fasting and weeping,
          not just for months but for years -- and still they
          have no answer! Yet they wait in peace, fully persuaded
          that God is at work -- and that in His time and His
          way, He will answer.

          Many of us wrestle with the Lord in prayer. We petition
          Him with crying and tears, we pound heaven's gates, we
          claim every promise. But as the days, weeks and months
          go by, we begin to wonder: "Why won't You answer, Lord?
          What's blocking my prayer? What have I done to grieve
          or displease You?"

          The fact is, God already has said to us, "Here -- here
          is My peace that passes all understanding! Take it --
          let it rule in your heart while I work all things for
          your good!" We are to be kept in God's peace until His
          promise is worked out by the Holy Ghost!

          The apostle Peter tells us God has promised us "...new
          heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth
          righteousness" (2 Peter 3:13)

          Do you believe it is coming? Will God keep His Word?
          Yes, He will! But it is not here yet. And until then,
          we are to be careful to wait in peace and not in
          despair: "Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for
          such things, be diligentthat ye may be found of him in
          peace, without spot, and blameless" (verse 14)

          Often we cry, "Oh Lord, speak to me! You said Your
          sheep know Your voice and I've got to hear a word from
          You. I'm not moving till You speak to me!" We wait and
          wait for that still, small voice to come. Yet He
          already has spoken to us but we don't recognize it!

          The book of Hosea gives us a picture of this. God told
          Hosea, "Ephraim... knew not that I healed them" (Hosea
          11:3). Ephraim in this passage signifies the true
          people of God. The Lord was saying, "I answered My
          people, but they didn't know it! I heard their cry and
          gave them My peace!"

          The fact is, we no longer have an excuse for leaving
          the prayer closet disappointed and thirsty! You may
          say, "I prayed so sincerely. I was so ready, so open.
          But I heard nothing!" Yes, you did! You heard,"...my
          peace I give unto you..." (John 14:27).

          He healed you, but you didn't know it! He gave you
          peace, but you're not enjoying it! You walked out and
          let it dissipate because you didn't appropriate it!

          Hold onto His peace let it rule and reign in your
          heart!

                      -------------------------------

                    2. You Have to Do a Lot of Quitting
                      Before His Peace Can Rule You!

                      -------------------------------

          If you want the peace of God to reign in your life, you
          have to quit several things:

             * You have to stop trying to figure out how God will
               work everything out.

             * You have to quit worrying and fretting: "Be
               anxious for nothing..." (Philippians 4:6, NAS).

             * You have to stop telling God what you think is
               right for you.

             * And most of all, you have to quit thinking you are
               a failure: Stop thinking you don't please God!

          One of Satan's most effective traps for robbing
          Christians of peace is to convince them they must
          strive in the flesh to please God. He springs this one
          on me all the time!

          Sometimes when I need a quiet place to pray, I drive
          two hours to the hills of Pennsylvania. I was there not
          long ago, praising the Lord and enjoying His presence,
          looking out over green fields and forests. But suddenly
          something hit me: I felt as if I weren't doing anything
          for the Lord!

          I prayed, "Lord, I'm just not accomplishing much for
          Your kingdom. All I do is pray, get messages for
          sermons, and go to church and preach. The whole world
          is going to hell, and I'm not doing anything for You!"

          Have such thoughts ever hit you? You do everything you
          know how to please the Lord, yet still you don't feel
          holy. I know I didn't. In fact, I hardly ever feel
          holy. That is true even in my best times -- even when
          I'm preaching under the Spirit's anointing!

          You say, "You, Brother Dave? You feel at times as if
          you're not doing much for God?" Yes! The devil comes in
          and makes us all feel unworthy, unfulfilled. And we
          lose our peace by giving in to these awful feelings!

          Listen to Paul's prayer for us:

          "Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in
          believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the
          power of the holy Ghost" (Romans 15:13).

          Paul was saying, "You are to be filled with hope, joy
          and peace while you're walking with Jesus!" You may
          say, "I want to walk this path full of hope, joy and
          peace. I want to be filled continually, as Paul says.
          But how?" I don't think God's peace can ever come to us
          in full measure until we quit seeing the Father only as
          our Judge and let Him be to us what He most wants to
          be! He tells us in His Word what His desire is: He
          wants to be our loving nursemaid!

          God describes Himself this way in Hosea:

          "I taught Ephraim also to go, taking them by their
          arms; but they knew not that I healed them" (Hosea
          11:3).

          The Hebrew in this verse translates, "I came to them in
          their despair and tenderly nursed them through foul,
          rugged places. I held them in my arms as a nurse!" But,
          Scripture says, Ephraim was "...bent to backsliding
          from me..."(Hosea 11:7). The word "bent" here means
          "hanging in suspense, hanging in doubt."

          Ephraim was not sure of the Lord's love and tenderness.
          And God was saying to Hosea, "My people are doubting My
          love for them. They don't really know Me -- they don't
          know My nature. They're unsure of My love!"

          It was true -- Ephraim could not believe God still
          loved them. They were idolaters, backsliders, doubters
          -- hung up with fears of all kinds! They probably were
          thinking, "We brought God's displeasure on ourselves.
          We sinned willfully. Surely He will judge us and send
          His wrath down on us all!" But God said "How shall I
          give thee up, Ephraim? ...mine heart is turned within
          me, my repentings are kindled together" (verse 8).

          What love and mercy! God was yearning over them,
          saying, "How can I give up on you? Yes, there was a
          time when I was angry with you. Yes, you are
          disobedient, and at times you grieve Me. But you're
          still My child -- and I love you!" Beloved, the Lord
          will never give up on You! Even now His heart yearns
          for you. He is overseeing you, caring for you as a
          nurse!

          Listen to His words of comfort and healing to you:

          "For I will not contend for ever, neither will I be
          always wroth: for the spirit should fail before me, and
          the souls which I have made" (Isaiah 57:16).

          The Lord is saying, "I will not be angry with you. If
          all you saw in Me was anger, your spirit would fail!
          You couldn't handle it -- it would be too overwhelming.
          You'd be tempted to give up!"

          "For the iniquity of his covetousness was I wroth, and
          smote him: I hid me, and was wroth, and he went on
          frowardly in the way of his heart" (verse 17).

          "I was angry over your failures. I expressed My anger
          to you, but it didn't do any good. You simply continued
          in your stubborn ways, resisting My warnings and
          disobeying Me. So I hid Myself from you!"

          "I have seen his ways, and will heal him: I will lead
          him also, and restore comforts unto him and to his
          mourners" (verse 18).

          "I see your heart -- I know all your failures. But I
          also see you mourning over your sin, yearning and
          longing for Me. Even though you've failed, you haven't
          turned from Me. And now I am going to heal you! I'm
          going to restore comfort to your soul. I will once
          again lead and guide you!"

          I ask you: Does this sound as if God gives up on His
          people when they fail?

          No -- never! He may hide Himself from you for a while;
          He may spend His anger for a season. But, He said, "I
          will draw you back with bands of love. Take off your
          yoke, your burden -- I want to heal you!" "I drew them
          with cords of a man, with bands of love..." (Hosea
          11:4).

          Dear saint, you may be going through deep waters right
          now. I don't mean sin, temptation, or trials
          necessarily; I'm talking about events that are being
          thrust on you that are overwhelming, that you can't
          understand. Winds and waves of all kinds are flooding
          you, things beyond your comprehension. They're coming
          to your home, your church, your job, on all sides. But
          God wants to carry you through it all! He wants to
          nurse you back to spiritual health! If all you can
          believe right now is that He loves you in spite of all
          your stubborn ways -- that He begs you to see Him as
          your Divine Nurse -- that is enough!

          Trust in His goodness. Believe in His love and mercy.
          Don't accuse Him any longer of being angry with you, of
          not speaking to you. Turn to Him and say, "Lord, You
          are my nurse. Carry me!" Let His peace rule in your
          heart and over your whole life.

          Hallelujah!

          This sermon was converted to HTML by DJMC

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

          This material is solely for personal use and is not to
          be posted publicly on other web pages. The Lorain
          County Free-Net Chapel holds exclusive rights from
          World Challenge, Inc. to publicly post these messages
          on its web page. You are free to download, copy, print
          and distribute this material, so long as you do not
          post it on a different Internet site. You may, however,
          link this site to reference these messages.

                 ------------------------------------------
 Plain Text File + Related Bible Study + Home Page + Subscribe + Copyright
                 ------------------------------------------

         Times Square Church Information | New Reader Information

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

COPYRIGHT/REPRODUCTION LIMITATIONS:

This data file is the sole property of World Challenge. It may not be
altered or edited in any way. It may be reproduced only in its entirety for
circulation as "freeware," without charge. All reproductions of this data
file must contain the copyright notice [i.e., "Copyright  1998 by World
Challenge"]. This data file may not be used without the permission World
Challenge for resale or the enhancement of any other product sold. This
includes all of its content with the exception of a few brief quotations.
Please give the following source credit: Copyright  1998 by World
Challenge, Lindale, Texas, USA.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

                       This web site is a service of
                          The Missing Link, Inc.
       Linking Troubled Youth and Adults with Life-Changing Programs
                       Web Site - http://misslink.org
               Chapel Site - http://misslink.org/chapel2.html
  Home of David Wilkerson's Times Square Church Pulpit Series Multilingual
                                  Web Site
             http://misslink.org/chapel/teacher/multilan.html

                                ------------

            Copyright  1998 - The Lorain County Free-Net Chapel
                         North Central Ohio, U.S.A.

                                TOP OF PAGE

           Our webmaster welcomes your comments and suggestions.

  Why Revival Tarries/ "Help!"/ What's Here/ Sponsor/ Statement of Faith/
   Bible Study/ Around the Piano/ Bulletin Board/ Library/ Pulpit Series
