                    [Times Square Church Pulpit Series]

                     The Only Hope in The Coming Storm!

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By David Wilkerson
March 30, 1998
__________

          God promised the prophet Zechariah that in the last
          days, he would be a protective wall of fire around his
          people: "For I, saith the Lord, will be unto her a wall
          of fire round about..." (Zechariah 2:5).

          Likewise, Isaiah testifies: "For thou has been
          a...shadow form the heat, when the blast of the
          terrible ones is as a storm against the wall" (Isaiah
          25:4). "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" (4:6).

          These promises are meant to comfort us beforehand -
          because all the prophets warn of a great storm coming
          in the final days, which will beat against God's wall
          of protection with ferocity!

          Indeed, Jesus says this coming storm will be so
          frightful and overwhelming, people's hearts will fail
          them as they see it developing (see Luke 21:26). Now,
          if Jesus says this storm is going to be ferocious, we
          can know it will be an awesome moment in history. Yet,
          the Bible assures us God never sends judgment on any
          society without first revealing to his prophets what he
          plans to do: "Surely the Lord will do nothing, but he
          revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets"
          (Amos 3:7).

          This is a marvelous expression of our Lord's great love
          for his people. And if you study the biblical prophets'
          writings carefully, you'll see that God acts this way
          consistently. Just prior to an impending storm of
          judgment, he always commands his prophets to warn the
          people to return to him: "I have also spoken by the
          prophets, and I have multiplied visions, and...by the
          ministry of the prophets" (Hosea 12:10).

          Moreover, God is faithful to speak in times of
          prosperity, just before the fury of his judgment
          strikes. While the storm clouds are still gathering, he
          raises up prophetic voices all over the land. And,
          according to scripture, whenever a sinful nation was
          prosperous and at peace, God told his prophets to warn
          that the good times soon would end: "...the Lord hath
          cried by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was
          inhabited and in prosperity..." (Zechariah 7:7).

          At times God made his message so strong, he instructed
          his spokesmen to issue cutting, searing warnings:
          "Therefore have I hewed them by the prophets; I have
          slain them by the words of my mouth..." (Hosea 6:5). In
          other words: "The word I bring will be so clear, it
          will smite you if your heart is open at all. It will
          cause you to fall on your face and repent!"

          We always have to keep in mind, God's only purpose in
          lovingly calling us back to himself is to protect us in
          such times of storm. Yet often in biblical history,
          when he gave these warnings, the people refused to
          listen: "He sent prophets to them, to bring them again
          unto the Lord; and they testified against them: but
          they would not give ear" (2 Chronicles 24:19).

          Almost always, God's people grew weary of these
          warnings. This was especially true if a prophet cried
          out about a coming storm over a period of years, but
          the society only continued to be prosperous and at
          peace. Over time, the people simply switched off the
          prophet's voice. They simply didn't want to hear it
          anymore.

          We see this in the Israelites' response to the prophet
          Isaiah. They told him: "...Prophesy not unto us right
          things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits"
          (Isaiah 30:10).

          Can you imagine ever falling to such a condition? These
          people knew Isaiah was telling the truth - that a great
          storm was coming - but they got tired of hearing about
          it! They preferred to hear "smooth things." And the
          Hebrew word for "smooth" here means "pleasant,
          unperturbed." They were telling Isaiah, in other words:
          "Don't preach anything to us that will upset the status
          quo or make us nervous!"

          This very condition is creeping into the church of
          Jesus Christ today. Believers who have been devoted to
          Jesus for years now turn on their television sets only
          to see more horrible reports of violence, disasters,
          hunger, crime, immorality. After a while, their minds
          become satiated with all the bad news, and their hearts
          become hardened to it. To them, even the worst news
          reports are "just another news story."

          I often wonder: Can anything move us anymore? We've
          already heard every type of bad news we could possibly
          hear. What disaster or calamity is left that could
          shock us?

          Beloved, God is appalled by this kind of response among
          his people! We see this in the warnings of the prophet
          Ezekiel. At the time Ezekiel prophesied, Israel was
          prosperous and at peace with the surrounding nations.
          Yet the Lord told Ezekiel to give the people this
          message: "I will lay the land most desolate, and the
          pomp of her strength shall cease; and the mountain of
          Israel shall be desolate...because of all their
          abominations which they have committed" (Ezekiel
          33:28-29).

          The prophet went up and down the land, preaching God's
          warnings over several years. But the people grew weary
          of listening to him. After all, over the years not one
          of Ezekiel's words had come to pass. On the contrary,
          the nation only grew more prosperous!

          Over time, Ezekiel's prophecies became a source of
          entertainment for the people. They began calling him
          names behind his back - names that were probably
          similar to the ones I've been called over the years:
          "Doomsday preacher," "The man who never smiles," "Mr.
          bad news." Finally, Ezekiel finally got fed up and
          said, "Lord, you've deceived me. Nothing you told me
          has come to pass. And now everyone's mocking me!"

          "...(Israel is) saying, Come, I pray you, and hear what
          is the word that cometh forth from the Lord. And they
          come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit
          before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but
          they will not do them: for with their mouth they shew
          much love, but their heart goeth after
          covetousness...they hear thy words, but they do them
          not. And when this cometh to pass, (lo, it will come,)
          then shall they know that a prophet hath been among
          them" (Ezekiel 33:30-33).

          Let me ask you: Have you come to the place where you've
          said in your heart, "I've already heart it all! I don't
          want to hear any more!" If so, beware!

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

                          As It Was With All Past
                        Societies and Church Bodies,
                         The Church Today Is in No
                         Mood to Receive Bad News!

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

          The majority of churchgoers today soundly reject all
          prophetic warnings of a coming storm. Indeed, the
          American church today is the most blatant "feel good"
          church in all of history. But, like Israel, we're only
          experiencing the calm before the storm!

          While Moses spent forty days on the mountaintop, Israel
          indulged in a spirit of lawlessness. The people wanted
          to play and relax, so they abandoned all godliness. You
          remember the result: It ended in a drunken, naked orgy
          around a golden calf.

          Likewise today, Christians by the multiple thousands
          are casting off the yoke of Christ, tossing aside all
          limits and restrictions. This attitude is prevalent in
          many of the books and magazines you find in Christian
          bookstores. It's almost as if our leaders are saying,
          "Relax! God isn't hard. He's our Daddy, we're all his
          kids, and we're meant to have a good time. Don't let
          anyone disturb your fun!"

          A few years ago, three pastors of large charismatic
          churches publicly stated they believed God would use
          rock-and-roll and rap music to bring in the next great
          revival. One of these ministers even declared that God
          used the Beatles to open people's hearts to the Holy
          Spirit. No - never! Those young men glorified sex and
          drugs. How could that ever be the work of the Holy
          Spirit?

          One Christian magazine predicted that the next big
          movement in the church would be a "nightclub" approach
          - including services that feature dancing, "near-beer"
          alcohol, and comedians. One pastor told me this is
          already happening in churches throughout England and
          Europe. The churches can't hold the people's interest -
          so they turn them into nightclubs!

          In addition, many "sinner friendly" churches in America
          now serve coffee during their morning services. The
          people sit with their feet propped up on chairs, never
          standing up for worship. At one such church, a visiting
          gospel singer was advised not to sing anything that
          mentioned sin or Christ's blood, because it might
          offend the visitors. That church's leaders were trying
          to create a "comfort zone" for sinners!

          You may find it hard to imagine the Israelites dancing
          naked around a golden calf. But don't for a second
          think the same thing couldn't happen in the church
          today. Soon we're going to witness lewd, sensuous,
          blasphemous forms of religion, straight out of the pits
          of hell. Indeed, the Bible says a time is coming when
          God's people will no longer blush. And right now, the
          church's blush is gone - because we've seen and heard
          so much already. yet this is just the beginning!

          You may ask - why are so many ministers and believers
          being deceived? Why is there so little discernment in
          God's house? Why do the most bizarre, worldly movements
          attract so many followers? I believe the answer lies in
          a prophecy from Amos:

          "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will
          send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a
          thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord"
          (Amos 8:11). Notice, this verse doesn't say there will
          be a famine of preaching. The fact is, God would never
          hold back his warnings from his church - because only
          his truth can set us free. That's why he sends his
          prophets, teachers and evangelists to speak truth to
          us.

          No, Amos' prophecy is not about all the shallow, light
          preaching we hear today; it isn't saying there will be
          a shortage of truth. Rather, what the church today is
          experiencing is a famine of hearing! There is an
          unwillingness to hear the true word of God. Instead,
          people are closing their eyes and ears, hardening their
          hearts, and saying, "I don't want to hear any more!"

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

                         I Believe Right Now We Are
                       Experiencing the Calm Prior to
                         The Greatest Storm America
                            Has Ever Suffered!

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

          I first delivered this message as a sermon to Times
          Square Church on April 4, 1997. Just two days before
          that, on Friday, April 2, the stock market reached an
          all-time high of over 7,000. Newscasters and magazines
          boasted:

          "America is enjoying its greatest prosperity ever.
          Unemployment has fallen below 5 percent, and there is
          very little labor strife. Profits are at an all-time
          high, and people's purchasing power is up. At the same
          time, interest rates are low, and home sales are
          increasing. America is riding the crest of a booming
          wave of good news, prosperity and peace."

          It all sounds like good news, doesn't it? Yet the Bible
          says whenever people are crying, "Peace and
          prosperity!", sudden destruction is about to fall.

          Over the years, I have received letters from people
          saying, "You've been prophesying for years about
          'gathering storm clouds' and a 'coming crash.' Yet all
          you've done is scare a lot of Christians who trust your
          word. The truth is, the opposite has happened. Instead
          of experiencing a storm, we've seen a boom, with
          record-breaking prosperity. There isn't one sign on the
          horizon to suggest a coming crisis."

          The fact is, the apostle Peter warned that many
          believers would react this way: "...there shall come in
          the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,
          and saying, Where is the promise of his coming? For
          since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as
          they were from the beginning of creation" (2 Peter
          3:3). In other words: "People will say, 'Where's the
          so-called storm? Everything is continuing today as it
          always has!"

          Beloved, God has judged every past society for lesser
          sins than America's. Consider:

             * No other nation has killed more babies than the
               United States has through abortion. Our soil cries
               out with the blood of these children! We'd rather
               save the life of a whale than one of our own
               babies.

             * America has the world's highest rate of
               illegitimate pregnancies.

             * Teenage crime in this country is the highest in
               the free world.

             * Americans now spend more money on dog food than on
               foreign missions.

             * We have begun to glorify homosexuality and
               lesbianism. Our media applauds the "bravery" of
               gays who declare their sexual orientation - but we
               ought to weep over it! TV's "Ellen" was hailed as
               a heroine when she came out of the closet on
               national television. Yet at one time, Christians
               across the country would have been on their faces
               crying out to God for mercy over such immorality.

             * Network newscasts showed images of half-naked gay
               women in Florida celebrating "Lesbian Pride Week."
               An estimated 30,000 women gathered to indulge in
               drunken orgies all night long for a whole week.
               And local officials applauded it, saying, "It's
               wonderful that they're all together here." But it
               must have been breaking God's heart! Radical
               homosexuals cry out to society, "In your face!"
               Yet what they're really saying is, "In your face,
               God!"

             * America has brazenly kicked God out of its schools
               and courts. Now there's even a movement to remove
               his name from the Pledge of Allegiance and from
               all U.S. coins. People no longer want to hear even
               the mention of his name!

             * Fifty million Americans now smoke pot, and
               millions more are hooked on heroin, crack and
               other hard drugs.

             * Our schools have become bastions of blasphemy and
               agnosticism. Our children have been robbed of all
               moral standards, denied all access to God - and
               they're reacting by becoming more violent and
               rebellious.

          Beloved, God destroyed Noah's generation, as well as
          Sodom, all for lesser sins than ours. What arrogance to
          think that while these societies were judged severely,
          we might be spared!

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

                        Very Soon, America Is Going
                        To Wake Up to a Sudden News
                        Report of Calamity - and the
                           Storm Will Be Upon Us
                                 Suddenly!

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

          The psalmist describes how God's rod of judgment will
          fall overnight: "In the hand of the Lord there is a
          cup, and the wine is red; it is full of mixture; and he
          poureth out of the same: but the dregs thereof, all the
          wicked of the earth shall wring them out, and drink
          them...all the horns of the wicked also will I cut
          off..." (Psalm 75:8, 10).

          In Revelation, this cup is called "...the cup of his
          indignation..." (Revelation 14:10). In other words,
          it's full of God's wrath. Simply put, America's cup of
          iniquity is overflowing - and all of our sins are going
          to turn into his holy wrath!

          You may be saying, "Why do you have to put such a scare
          into people? Why shouldn't we just enjoy this posperity
          while it's here? You should be glad about all the goods
          things that are happening, especially in New York City.
          Walt Disney has moved in and taken over the once-seedy
          42nd Street. Now all the smut and porn shops are gone,
          and everything in Times Square is family-oriented.
          There won't be any riots here, as you predict, with
          over a thousand fires burning. Relax, pastor, and enjoy
          it!"

          No - Mickey Mouse can't stop the coming storm! The fact
          is, Disney has become one of the world's most corrupt
          media systems. Its movies are rife with homosexuality,
          violence and the occult. Indeed, such businesses are
          the very reason God will send the storm - and it will
          come quickly!

          I remember as a young boy hearing a sudden news report
          that instantly changed America's peaceful slumber. Our
          family was riding along on a beautiful, peaceful Sunday
          afternoon to a country church where my father was going
          to preach. We had just stopped for ice cream when a
          sudden news flash came over the car radio: "We
          interrupt this program to bring you this news report:
          Japan has bombed Pearl Harbor!" I still remember the
          look on Dad's face; he was in utter disbelief.

          That night at church, everyone was baffled. "What's
          happening?" they wondered aloud. "How could we suddenly
          be bombed? In the days that followed, we had
          "blackouts" in which we all had to cover the windows in
          our homes and schools. Everyone feared a sudden bomber
          attack!

          And, beloved, so it will be suddenly when the storm
          hits. It will come like a thief in the night, bringing
          sudden panic and disbelief. Right now you may be
          thinking, "Let it come! If calamity strikes, I'll deal
          with it then. After all, I'm in God's hands. I'll be
          ready - so I'm not going to worry about it. Jesus will
          see me through."

          Yet, let me ask you: Why does God tell his prophets to
          shout their warnings from the housetops? He wants to
          warn his people - to stir us up to seek him! He wants
          to convict us of all our attempts to cast off Christ's
          yoke and cozy up to the world. He wants us to keep our
          eyes on Jesus - to seek heavenly things - because those
          are the only things that will stand in the coming
          storm!

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

                        Now Let Me Give You the Only
                         Hope in the Coming Storm!

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

          Just before his death and resurrection, Jesus stared
          into the face of a horrible coming storm. He saw what
          was just ahead: Jerusalem would be surrounded by
          powerful armies, the temple would be destroyed, the
          city would be burned to the ground, and thousands of
          people would die on crosses erected by the invading
          enemy. Their entire society was about to collapse!

          Now, Jesus was the very embodiment of God's love. And
          yet he warned, prophesied and wept over his society,
          because he saw what was coming: "Then shall be great
          tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the
          world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except
          those days should be shortened, there should no flesh
          be saved..." (Matthew 24:21-22).

          If you think about it, Jesus' day was very similar to
          ours: Peace, calm and prosperity ruled. Children played
          in the streets. There were no signs of judgment
          anywhere. Yet Jesus described his society as a
          generation of vipers: priests who robbed widows,
          scoffers blasphemers, adulterers, child offenders, a
          corrupt church full of moneychangers, a ministry filled
          with wolves in sheep's clothing, false accusers, liars,
          cheats, hypocrites, lovers of pleasure, fornicators,
          corrupt children. He warned, "You're about to be
          surrounded by enemy armies. Now, prepare your hearts -
          because there's a storm coming!"

          When I first prepared this message, I was overwhelmed
          by a spirit of foreboding. All I could think of was the
          church's terrible condition and how the devil was using
          subtle evils to deceive God's elect. Christians seemed
          focused mostly on their own needs - "my needs, my
          problems, my past, my future - how my parents hurt me,
          how the church has wounded me, how my friends have
          failed me..." God's people were no longer weeping over
          a dying world!

          For a while, this truly overwhelmed me. Then the Holy
          Spirit showed me how our Lord reacted in the face of
          the coming storm. The apostle John writes, "...as he
          is, so are we in this world (1 John 4:17). The simple
          fact is, we have to have Jesus' mindset in all things -
          or our hearts will fail us!

          The Bible gives no evidence of Christ being downcast,
          fearful or hopeless. He didn't panic or despair. In
          spite of all he saw coming, Jesus knew the final
          outcome. He knew the gates of hell wouldn't prevail
          against God's people!

          David gives us a clear picture of Jesus' attitude in
          the face of the coming storm. He speaks prophetically
          of Christ, saying, "...I foresaw the Lord always before
          my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not
          be moved" (Acts 2:25). The literal meaning here is, "I
          was always in his presence, beholding his face." David
          quoted Jesus as saying, "Therefore did my heart
          rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh
          shall rest in hope" (verse 26). Here is the secret:
          Jesus kept the father always before his face!

          Jesus continually sought out secret places to be shut
          in with his father. And it was only after being in
          God's presence that Christ came forth to minister,
          fully persuaded that his father was always with him:
          "He's at my right hand - and nothing on this earth can
          move me!" The Greek word for "moved" here means
          "agitated or shaken, disturbed." Jesus was saying,
          "None of these problems, evils or coming events can
          cast me down or shake my confidence. My father is in
          complete control!"

          Beloved, if we're going to face the coming storm, then
          we need to be prepared so nothing disturbs our spirit.
          And the only way to do that is to spend time in the
          father's presence, beholding his face. We have to be
          shut in with him - on our knees - until we're
          thoroughly persuaded he's at our right hand!

          God is clearly telling us, "Don't be moved or agitated
          by anything you see. Keep your eyes focused on me - and
          you'll retain your joy!" And according to David, Jesus
          testified, "...thou shalt make me full of joy with thy
          countenance" (Acts 2:28).

          It's as if Christ is telling us, "I faced everything
          you're going to face in the closing days of time. I had
          the same foreboding feelings, because I saw the coming
          storm. But I ran into the presence of my father, and he
          lifted all my concerns! He showed me the outcome to it
          all. And in his presence I found all the joy, hope and
          rest I would ever need, to the very end. I have peace
          and joy because I've been with him!" "...my flesh shall
          rest in hope" (verse 26).

          ---
          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.

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