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                   Seven Women Shall Lay Hold of One Man!

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By David Wilkerson
September 18, 1995
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          According to the prophet Isaiah, two kinds of churches
          will exist in the last days. And I believe these two
          types of churches are already in existence. We do not
          have to speculate about what they will be like -
          because Isaiah gives us a very clear, prophetic
          description of both.

          Isaiah 4 opens with a concise and tragic description of
          what I call "the church of forgiveness only":

          "And in that day seven women shall take hold of one
          man, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our
          own apparel: only let us be called by thy name, to take
          away our reproach" (Isaiah 4:1).

          This is one of the most misunderstood verses in all the
          Bible. Some commentators suggest this happened during
          the reign of King Ahaz, when enemy armies came in and
          slew 120,000 men. But that is only speculation. There
          is no evidence that this verse has ever been fulfilled
          at any time in history. There is nothing to suggest
          that, even in Ahaz' time, seven women "took hold of one
          man."

          Then the Holy Spirit spoke something to me concerning
          this passage. To my knowledge, you won't find what I
          have to say in any commentary. Yet, I see this entire
          chapter in Isaiah as one of the clearest, most
          unmistakable prophecies about how the church will look
          just prior to the coming of the Lord.

          Like many Christians, I believe without a doubt we are
          living in the last days. Jesus' life, death and
          resurrection instituted the beginning of this period.
          On the day of Pentecost, Peter stood up and said,

          "...this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;
          and it shall come to pass that in the last days, saith
          God, I shall pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh..."
          (Acts 2:17).

          Peter was saying, "These are the last days. God's
          outpoured Spirit is proof of it!"

          Likewise, the apostle Paul wrote,

          "Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples:
          and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the
          ends of the world are come" (1 Corinthians 10:11).

          Paul knew he was living in the last days. And to me,
          there is no question that we are living in the very
          last of the last days!

          In Revelation 1, John sees Jesus standing in the midst
          of seven golden candlesticks:

          "...and his eyes were as a flame of fire; and his feet
          like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a
          furnace..." (Revelation 1:14-15).

          John was smitten by this frightful sight - and he fell
          on his face in fear! Remember, this was the same John
          who once leaned his head on Jesus' bosom. And now, as
          he sees the Lord in this state, he is utterly stricken.

          Scripture makes it very clear that these seven
          candlesticks represent seven churches - that is, the
          entire religious body of believers in the last days,
          all that we call "the church." And Jesus walks among
          these seven candlesticks, His piercing eyes searching
          the seven churches.

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                        Scripture Always Refers to
                     The Church in the Feminine Gender,
                         in Many Cases As a Bride.

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

          The seven would-be brides Isaiah mentions are clearly a
          type of the characteristics of many in the last-days'
          church.

          Dispensationalists would say the seven churches of
          Revelation represent seven church ages. I am saying
          that I believe you will find the characteristics of all
          seven churches in all churches through the ages. Even
          in "blessed" churches that are complimented by the Lord
          - such as are of the spirit of Smyrna or Philadelphia -
          you will find mixture and characteristics that God
          hates.

          These seven would-be brides are seeking to lay hold of
          one man, whom I take to be Christ. Yet these brides are
          not interested in loving Him. On the contrary, they
          have only one thing on their minds - the removal of
          their reproach!

          "...We will eat our own bread, and wear our own
          apparel: only let us be called by thy name, to take
          away our reproach" (verse 1).

          I see here seven women approaching a man and saying,
          "You don't have to provide food for us. We'll take care
          of our own bread. And you don't have to provide any
          clothes for us. We'll provide our own robes."

          You don't have to be very deep spiritually to see the
          significance here. After all, "...sin is a reproach to
          any people" (Proverbs 14:34) - reproach of guilt! Sure,
          these women want to be the bride of Christ - but only
          on their own terms. They want an arrangement without
          intimacy, love or devotion.

          The number seven is used in regard to these brides to
          remind us that in every church system there are such
          people. They attempt to "take hold of one man" - Christ
          - only to get relief from the guilt and condemnation of
          their sin. They don't want intimacy with Him. They want
          nothing more than forgiveness - to have the reproach of
          sin removed. I call this "the church of forgiveness
          only."

          Please understand - I believe in justification by
          faith. It is by faith alone in Jesus Christ that we are
          saved. We are justified by His finished work on the
          Cross. And because of this we can live without guilt,
          fear or condemnation. This is the great meaning of the
          gospel.

          But if that is all you ever want of Jesus - if you
          don't want to be intimate with Him, to live on Him as
          the bread from heaven, and to come under His fiery
          gaze, which searches and convicts - then being forgiven
          is your entire focus!

          I was in a town some time ago to speak at a meeting,
          and I passed a big amphitheater advertising a Christian
          rock concert. I stopped to watch the kids set up their
          equipment for the show. Unbelievably, some of them wore
          T-shirts with a message that included a four-letter
          word. It read: "-- Guilt!"

          I can't even quote the word to you here - and these
          were so-called Christians. Apparently, all they wanted
          was to get rid of guilt!

          Many pastors and evangelists today preach a
          "forgiveness only" message - and that's all they
          preach! They cry, "Come, accept Jesus and enjoy a life
          without guilt, fear or condemnation. Just believe and
          confess, and you will be His bride. You can walk your
          own walk and talk your own talk!"

          I do not believe we are saved by the law - but the law
          has a purpose. It is a mirror that holds up before us
          the commands and demands of God. And when we see we
          can't fulfill those commands, we are driven to Jesus.
          But God help us if we don't hear this kind of
          preaching!

          Many churches have replaced the Word with ten-minute
          skits that contain no convicting gospel at all. There
          is no preaching of holiness, no word of separation from
          the world, nothing about sanctification or dealing with
          besetting sins. Yet the leaders defend themselves by
          saying, "People don't want to hear a hard gospel. We're
          simply giving them what they need to cope in these
          troubled times."

          Indeed, the Bible says of those who attend such
          churches,

          "...after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves
          teachers, having itching ears" (2 Timothy 4:3).

          These churchgoers are saying, "You don't have to feed
          us, Jesus. We can provide our own bread. We have our
          own gospel!"

          All across America churches are feeding their sheep the
          same pabulum - a cotton-candy, "feel-good" gospel.
          These places are packed with thousands who have merely
          repeated a sinner's prayer, saying, "I believe!" But
          the Bible says even the demons believe - and they
          tremble at the very thought of God!

          Few of these people have been provoked to deny self and
          embrace the Cross -to die to all self and ungodliness.
          They don't want the burden of the Lord. They don't weep
          over the sins of Zion. They don't feel God's
          heartbrokenness over the wickedness and compromise in
          these last days.

          Instead, they say, "...We will eat our own bread..."
          (Isaiah 4:1). They don't want the bread that comes down
          from heaven - that is, Jesus Christ crucified,
          resurrected and seated at the right hand of the Father.
          He is the bread of separation - of holiness, purity,
          self-denial. But these say, "We will provide our own
          bread" - usually a gospel of permissive love, with no
          reproof, no smiting conviction.

          Beloved, the Bible says their bread is defiled! The
          prophet Hosea called it

          "...the bread of mourners; all that eat thereof shall
          be polluted: for their bread for their soul shall not
          come into the house of the Lord" (Hosea 9:4).

          Yet the true house of God - the holy remnant church -
          will have nothing to do with this manmade bread. They
          know that most of it is pop psychology, with a few
          verses of Scripture sprinkled in to make it sound
          religious. It sounds good - but leaves the sheep
          starving!

          "...We will...wear our own apparel..." (Isaiah 4:1).

          The "church of forgiveness only" says, "Listen, Lord,
          you don't have to provide us with clothes. We'll make
          our own and clothe ourselves."

          There are no robes of righteousness for this people -
          no holiness preaching, no reproof, nothing "negative."
          There is no separation from the world, no forsaking of
          all others, no cleaving to their husband. Instead, they
          say, "We will dress as we please!"

          These would-be brides have no desire to submit to the
          authority of a husband. They don't want to live under
          the same roof with him. Nor are they interested in his
          needs. They don't want to know his heart or care about
          his concerns. They are totally consumed with self -
          with having their reproach removed!

          So they have as little contact with him as possible -
          maybe one hour a week. Is there any intimacy, love,
          companionship, submission in this arrangement? No! Is
          there any clinging to Him? No! Do they desire to spend
          hours in His presence - in secret, sharing His very
          heart? No - they spend most of their time with "other
          loves," such as sports, TV, theater, pleasures of all
          kinds. Without exception, such Christians always turn
          to a self-centered gospel.

          A man who was visiting our church recently from a large
          southern city approached me before one of our services.
          He said, "Brother David, I just had to leave my church.
          We sent a whole delegation across the country to a
          congregation where a 'great revival' was supposedly
          taking place. Everyone came back excited about it all -
          but something didn't sit right in my spirit. I didn't
          feel I could be a part of this 'new thing.' So I had to
          leave.

          "Tell me - what is happening to our church? Where is
          the discernment? Why isn't our pastor intimate with
          Jesus? Why doesn't anyone seem to know God's heart? Why
          this sudden introduction of an 'imported' revival?"

          Indeed, it is out of intimacy with Jesus that we
          receive discernment, direction, a knowing of what is
          right and wrong, of what is holy and pure. Intimacy
          with Christ gives us a firmness wherein we are not
          tossed to and fro by every wind and wave of doctrine.
          Yet right now there is such foolishness going on, with
          no discernment at all. It is manmade bread - it is not
          of God - and it grieves His heart!

          Now, let me move on to the other church of which Isaiah
          speaks:

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

                    The Next Church Isaiah Saw Emerging
                        in the Last Days Is Called
                        the Church Of God's Glory!

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

          "In that day shall the branch of the Lord be beautiful
          and glorious, and the fruit of the earth shall be
          excellent and comely for them that are escaped of
          Israel" (Isaiah 4:2).

          Who is the branch being spoken of here? All through the
          Old Testament, the branch that is mentioned as coming
          forth is none other than Jesus Christ, the Lord of
          glory.

          According to Isaiah, there will be a church to whom He
          will appear beautiful and glorious, excellent and
          comely. Their motive toward Him will not be one of
          simply having a reproach removed. No - they will be
          passionately in love with a Man whom they see as
          desirous, glorious, excellent!

          Right now, there is on the earth a remnant church that
          desires nothing but Christ. This remnant is but a small
          portion, perhaps a tenth, of what we think of as the
          church. I don't believe that the church which will
          please God in these last days has to be one of multiple
          thousands of believers. On the contrary, much of what
          we see taking place in megachurches today does not
          represent God's heart at all.

          No - the heart of the Lord is in those churches where
          Jesus is the center of attraction - where everything is
          based upon the preaching of the Cross and built around
          the presence and character of Christ. God's heart is
          revealed to those churches that are in love with His
          Son - where people focus their all on Him!

          These are the ones Isaiah refers to as being
          "...escaped of Israel" (same verse). He says of them:

          "When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the
          daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of
          Jerusalem from the midst thereof by the spirit of
          judgment, and by the spirit of burning" (verse 4).

          God has sent His Spirit into the world in these last
          days to reprove of sin and ungodliness. Many who hear
          His burning, judging, convicting Word will flee into
          Babylon - that is, into worldliness - and will be
          carried away into bondage.

          Only a remnant will remain. And Isaiah is saying here
          that God will bring these few through "...the spirit of
          judgment, and...the spirit of burning" (same verse).

          Indeed, the last-day church that will be filled with
          God's glory is more than just a forgiven church. It is
          a holy church - one that has been purged by the
          consuming fire of God's convicting Word. Holiness and
          purity characterize its people. Isaiah adds,

          "...left in Zion...shall be called holy, even every one
          that is written among the living in Jerusalem" (verse
          3).

          You may say, "But, Brother Dave, it's clear this refers
          only to ancient Israel. Jerusalem and Zion are named
          here - and that pinpoints this prophecy to the Jewish
          population of Jerusalem at a certain time in history."

          No! It is much more than that. Consider what the Bible
          says elsewhere:

          "But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the
          mother of us all" (Galatians 4:26). "But ye are come
          unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God,
          the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company
          of angels" (Hebrews 12:22).

          There is a new, heavenly Jerusalem - a spiritual city
          that is the mother of all believers:

          "...the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which
          cometh down out of heaven from my God..." (Revelation
          3:12).

          This is what the prophet Isaiah is talking about - a
          heavenly-minded remnant whom the Lord will bring
          through His consuming fire!

          You see, when you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, you
          are born into Zion. Your name is recorded there. And
          those who have fully given their heart to Jesus - who
          are intimate with Him and belong to Him - are known in
          Zion as sons and daughters of God.

          The best evidence here that Isaiah is referring to the
          last-days' church is found in verse 5:

          "And the Lord will create upon every dwelling place of
          mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, a cloud and smoke
          by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night: for
          upon all the glory shall be a defence" (Isaiah 4:5).

          Isaiah is predicting God will create a new pillar and
          cloud to cover His people!

          Now, we know that when Isaiah prophesied this, the
          pillar and cloud in the wilderness had already passed
          away. Obviously, this was something that had yet to be
          created - a new thing!

          The cloud has to do with direction and comfort - with
          preservation from all evil and terror, and with
          guidance. This means God's last-days, holy remnant
          people will have clear direction. They will not be
          confused. When everything around them is spinning in
          different directions and falling apart, they will have
          a cloud and a pillar of fire to lead them!

          Israel had but one tabernacle - and they had one cloud
          and one pillar of fire. But today we all are
          tabernacles of the Holy Spirit - and God has provided a
          cloud and a pillar of fire for every one of us. Every
          individual - and every repentant, holy congregation -
          has the cloud of the Spirit to lead them by day and a
          pillar of Spirit-fire to lead them by night.

          God is saying, in other words, "I'm going to see you
          through, no matter what your situation. Even in the
          worst storm of your life, you'll have clear direction
          from Me. I will give you a pillar of fire to lead you -
          as surely as I did Israel in the wilderness!"

          Yet right now in America, there is a raging storm of
          confusion in the church. So many people are confused.
          There is little discernment - and yet there is much
          false doctrine, foolishness and flesh.

          Our ministry receives calls and letters from people all
          over the country who say, "What's going on? I can't
          figure it out. Our pastor is bringing in strange
          teachings, and it's tearing our church in two. Is this
          of God or not? Please tell us. We don't know what to
          believe anymore!"

          My son Gary, who pastors a church in Denver, called me
          recently. He said, "Dad, I went to a meeting recently
          where things just went crazy. It almost frightened the
          leaders. They had to get up and say, 'All right, let's
          bring this all back to Jesus.'

          "At the beginning they'd said it was a move of the Holy
          Ghost. But then they had to say, 'Let's bring it all
          back to Jesus.' Well, where had they been, if they had
          to bring everything back to Jesus?"

          Beloved, this kind of thing is frightening. The focus
          in that meeting never should have been anywhere but on
          Jesus!

          Often people come to me and say, "Brother Wilkerson,
          you've got to go with us. A great revival has broken
          out in such-and-such a church. It's marvelous. People
          are falling down left and right."

          Now, I'm not against manifestations. I worked for five
          years with Kathryn Kuhlman, and I saw people in her
          meetings fall under the power of the Holy Ghost in a
          way that was absolutely awesome. There was no
          manipulation involved; it was a genuine work of the
          Spirit.

          But if people want to tell me a great move of God is
          going on somewhere today, my first question will be:
          "Is God's Word being preached there with consuming
          fire? Are people falling under conviction for sin? Is
          the cry of the people there for the purging of the
          spirit of this world?

          "Is holiness the result? Is there a strong message of
          reproof? Does it drive people to Jesus? Does everything
          focus on Him? Is Christ the sum of it all? Is there a
          new compassion for lost souls? Are hardened sinners
          repenting?"

          That is the work of the Holy Ghost! He comes to reprove
          the world of sin, righteousness and judgment. So, if
          you're going to tell me the Holy Ghost has come down,
          then these things had better be happening. If not, then
          judge it for what it is - flesh!

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                        The Holy Remnant Church Is
                    Led Completely By the Holy Spirit!

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

          The Lord has a people in these confusing times who are
          not confused. They are so given to Jesus - so in love
          with Him, so open to the reproof of His Spirit, so
          separated from the wickedness of this age - that they
          know the ways and workings of the Holy Spirit. They
          know what is pure and holy, and what is fleshly and
          foolish. Wherever the cloud moves, they follow!

          "...for upon all the glory shall be a defence" (verse
          5).

          The original Hebrew here reads: "Over all shall be a
          covering of glory." This means, in essence, "Over each
          of these remnant people, and all of these holy remnant
          assemblies, there will be a hiding place, a blanket, a
          covering. And that covering is the glory of God!"

          You may remember from Exodus 40 that a cloud of glory
          covered the tabernacle in the wilderness:

          "Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and
          the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. And Moses
          was not able to enter into the tent of the
          congregation, because the cloud abode thereon, and the
          glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle" (Exodus
          40:34-35).

          Read also what happened in Solomon's tabernacle, when
          he dedicated the temple:

          "Now when Solomon had made an end of praying, the fire
          came down from heaven, and consumed the burnt offering
          and the sacrifices; and the glory of the Lord filled
          the house. And the priests could not enter into the
          house of the Lord, because the glory of the Lord had
          filled the Lord's house" (2 Chronicles 7:1-2).

          Beloved, every time the tabernacle was in order - every
          time it was completed and prepared according to God's
          design - His glory came down and filled it.

          Now, here in Isaiah 4, we are promised that in the last
          days the Lord will create a glory that covers His
          remnant church. The very glory of God is going to fill
          every heart and cover every house. We will worship
          under the canopy of God's glory!

          What is this glory? It is none other than the
          manifested presence of Jesus Christ, God's Son! Jesus
          is the fullness of the Father's glory.

          "In that day shall the branch of the Lord be beautiful
          and glorious..." (Isaiah 4:2). "...his Son...being the
          brightness of his glory..." (Hebrews 1:2-3).

          The glory can't get any brighter than Christ
          manifesting Himself to you!

          The word manifested means "to lay hold of by the hand."
          In other words, when Jesus' presence fills a place, it
          is so real, so evident, that your spiritual hands can
          touch it, your spiritual eyes can see it. It is as real
          as the air you breathe!

          The kind of revival I want to see is the kind where the
          presence of Jesus becomes so powerful and overwhelming
          - so beautiful and glorious - that the "fruit" (or,
          conversions) will be excellent! (see Isaiah 4:2).
          Already we've seen the beginnings of this in our
          services at Times Square Church - with people streaming
          forward, weeping and being broken before the Lord.

          If people are going to fall down, I want to see them
          falling under the conviction of the Holy Ghost. And the
          vision I want them to receive is a renewed vision of
          Jesus. And the manifestation I want them to have is
          their rising from the floor as a new creature in
          Christ!

          That's when people ought to be able to laugh. When the
          consuming fire has done its purging work, and all sin
          is gone, and there has been a heartrending - then we
          should be able to laugh all night long. Let the joy of
          the Lord come then!

          I would not want to attend a church where the glory of
          God has departed. The psalmist testifies that when the
          ark was captured by the Philistines,

          "(God) delivered his strength into captivity, and his
          glory into the enemy's hand" (Psalm 78:61).

          When the priest Eli's daughter-in-law gave birth, her
          son was named Ichabod, meaning "...the glory [of the
          Lord] is departed..." (1 Samuel 4:21).

          Our testimony should be, "If I can't have the presence
          of Jesus, I don't want to live. He has to be my guide,
          my cloud, my pillar of fire!"

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

                Why Is the Glory of God So Important Today?
                What Purpose Is the Glory Of His Presence?

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

          The answer is found in Isaiah 4:

          "And there shall be a tabernacle for a shadow in the
          daytime from the heat, and for a place of refuge, and
          for a covert from storm and from rain" (Isaiah 4:6).

          First, the glory of God's presence will be our shelter
          from the heat. The Hebrew word for heat means "drought,
          desolation, barrenness." It is a type of God's judgment
          on an evil society.

          In Revelation 16, the fourth angel of judgment is given
          power

          "...to scorch men with fire. And men were scorched with
          great heat, and blasphemed the name of God..."
          (Revelation 16:8-9).

          Right now, God is turning up the heat. And it is going
          to get even hotter, with judgments on all sides. But
          the glory of God will be our cover!

          "And there shall be a tabernacle for a shadow in the
          daytime from the heat..." (Isaiah 4:6).

          We won't feel the heat! Instead we'll rest in the cool
          shadow of Jesus' wings.

          Second, the glory of God is our defense, our covering:

          "...and for a place of refuge, and for a covert from
          storm and from rain" (verse 6).

          Already we are seeing the rain - not just of Holy
          Spirit outpourings, but of God's judgments. The storm
          clouds are gathering - but, thank God, there will be a
          covering over His holy remnant church!

          Perhaps you are saying, "I have no 'glory church' I can
          attend. All I can find are man-centered churches. Where
          is my covering from the heat and storm?"

          Your dwelling place is the glory of God in your own
          heart! If Jesus is present in you, manifesting Himself
          to you, then you are covered in full. If you turn your
          heart and eyes on Him - allowing God's Word to reprove,
          convict and correct you - He will manifest Himself to
          you. He has promised it!

          "He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it
          is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved
          of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest
          myself to him" (John 14:21).

          God says, "I will be there with you. It doesn't matter
          how bad it gets - I'm going to see you through. I will
          never leave you nor forsake you!"

          Amen!

          ---
          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
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