                    [Times Square Church Pulpit Series]

                               Iron Chariots

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
            Plain Text File + Home Page + Subscribe + Copyright
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

By David Wilkerson
November 16, 1987
__________

          "And the Lord was with Judah; and he drove out the
          inhabitants of the mountain; but could not dive out the
          inhabitants of the valley, because they had chariots of
          iron" (Judges 1:19). "But the mountain shall be thine;
          for it is a wood, and thou shalt cut it down: and the
          outgoings of it shall be thine: for thou shalt drive
          out the Canaanites, though they have iron chariots, and
          though they be strong" (Joshua 17:18).

          Why is America plagued with AIDS? Why are out streets
          unsafe to walk on? Why is a whole generation alcohol
          and drug crazed? Why are our borders defenseless, with
          pushers flooding our nation with a tidal wave of drugs
          of all kinds?

          Isaiah describes our time in Isaiah 1:4-7: "Ah sinful
          nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of
          evildoers, children that are corrupters; they have
          forsaken the Lord, they have provoked the Holy One of
          Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward. Why
          should ye be stricken anymore? Ye will revolt more and
          more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart
          faint. From the sole of the foot even unto the head
          there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises,
          and putrefying sores: they have not been closed,
          neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment. Your
          country is desolate, your cities are burned with fire:
          your land, strangers devour it in your presence and it
          is desolate, as overthrown by strangers."

          God warned Israel that their evil lusts would end up in
          slavery. "The Lord shall bring you into Egypt... there
          ye shall be sold to your enemies" (Deuteronomy 28:68).

          America has become an evil, wicked nation; and God has
          sold us to the enemy. We are now a nation of slaves. We
          are slaves to lust, alcohol, drugs, television, money,
          sex, pleasure! We were warned to study God's Word and
          learn from Israel's mistakes. "Now all these things
          happened unto them for ensamples: and they were written
          for our admonition (instruction), upon whom the ends of
          the world are come..." (1 Corinthians 10:11).

          A powerful, detailed example for our instruction is
          found in Judges 4 and 5. "The children of Israel again
          did evil in the sight of the Lord... And the Lord sold
          them... Into the hands of Jabin, king of the
          Canaanites" (Judges 4:1,2).

          Israel was a once-holy nation, set apart unto God,
          relying on His power alone, afraid of nothing! Her
          cities were filled with laughing, playing children. Her
          leaders and shepherds yearned after God's own heart.
          But God sold Israel to slavery because of lust and
          compromise! During twenty years of bondage Israel
          cringed like cowards because 900 Canaanite iron
          chariots raced up and down their highways. No Israelite
          could safely walk the streets. Children lived in fear!
          There was "war in the gates" because they had turned to
          new gods. "The highways were unoccupied... travelers
          walked through byways" (Judges 5:6).

          What pity! How shameful! There was a day these people
          of God would have wiped out any enemy! No weapon formed
          against them could prosper. Now, look at these cowards
          - God's people - sneaking around, walking in fear. The
          sound of the rumbling of the enemy's iron chariots
          striking fear in their hearts. It was the same kind of
          scene in Czechoslovakia when Russian tanks rumbled
          through the streets enforcing Communism. All opposition
          was squelched! Israel fled the villages, hiding out in
          the hills. Sin had turned the nation into a cowardly,
          groveling, powerless people.

          Some of you reading this may be asking already, "What's
          your point? You are certainly not going to suggest we
          Christians today are enslaved and cowardly! Certainly
          you aren't going to overlook all the great conventions,
          seminars, crusades, marches! What of all the special
          ministries against abortion, pornography? What of the
          mega-churches, where thousands now gather in great
          praise and worship meetings? Isn't this revival? Isn't
          God with His church?" Others may be asking, "look at
          all the busy Christians - jail workers, street workers.
          Look at all the drug rehabilitation programs, all the
          many spiritual retreats. And what about all the mass
          literature invasions, Christian radio and television?
          Isn't this revival?"

          The answer to these questions is in Times Square, on
          42nd Street - and in other decadent areas across our
          nation. The answer is in the many crack dens, the
          crowded hospitals filled , the crowded hospitals filled
          with AIDS patients, the screaming, mind-blown addicts;
          the porno video shops proliferating all across the
          nation, even in the smallest towns.

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

              We Are Talking About the Devil's Iron Chariots!

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

          The devil's wicked iron chariots are still racing up
          and down the streets - spreading fear - going
          unchallenged! The nation, the church, seem powerless to
          stop them!

          Recently we brought over 500 Christians into New York
          City to help us launch Times Square Church. Most were
          bold and fearless and got a burden for New York. But
          some could not wait to get back to their safe areas.
          They left saying, "What a slime pit! Demons are in
          control everywhere! How awful!" New Yorkers are no
          different. I hear Christians say, "I try to stay out of
          those wicked areas! I don't want to go near them." So
          we escape to our safe homes and apartments, staying
          away from addicts, staying away from Times Square,
          staying away from the poor, the bag ladies, staying a
          safe distance - afraid of these satanic iron chariots!

          How dare we boast that revival has come - anywhere in
          this land - when Satan's strongholds are not being
          challenged! Is this revival, when all the powers that
          be, both city, state and national, cannot shut down
          42nd Street? When all our government can offer is to go
          up to the iron chariots and "just say no!"? Is this
          revival, when all the churches in New York City
          combined are not able to stop the devils' iron
          chariots.

          The addicts and pimps are getting bolder; homosexuals
          come out of hiding; pornographers mock our laws; Wall
          Street brokers wheel and deal with no fear; criminals
          plunder and rob in broad daylight! And every Sunday, a
          few hundred Christians gather like cowards in their
          safe houses - most of them thinking nothing can be done
          about these iron chariots! The rest are lounging in
          easy chairs, laughing at Bill Cosby on TV.

          The truth is, the church has settled for only
          mountaintop victories. Like the Israelites in the story
          in Judges 1, we "drive out the enemy on the mountain."
          "And the Lord was with Judah; and he drave out the
          inhabitants of the mountain..." (Judges 1:19). This
          represents victory over habits: flesh, lust - the enemy
          within! Israel set up her altars on the high places,
          began to settle down to worship and praise, and gave up
          the rest to the devil's crowd. They looked down on 900
          iron chariots and said, "The valley belongs to the god
          of this world. Let the enemy have it. Let's avoid it!
          We'll stay up here and enjoy the blessings of the
          mountaintop. What can we do against such wicked power?"

          By not going after those iron chariots, Israel
          presented a false picture of God to the heathen. They
          made God appear weak, helpless! The chariot drivers
          mocked, "Theirs is a god of the hills! He's only a god
          of songs - someone to sing about! They praise so loudly
          but act so cowardly! Theirs is only a god of the
          cowardly, the helpless."

          So it is today! What image does the world have of the
          church? This is what they're saying, "It's a weak,
          fanatical bunch of old ladies and megaphone street
          preachers who stick a piece of literature in your hand.
          Church is for the sick, the weak, the powerless - those
          who fall apart! Those people don't make any difference
          whatsoever. They've been here for years but nothing
          changes. It only gets worse!" "They are all like the
          money-grabbing TV preachers. They have a computer
          Jesus. They have no guts, no power. They talk a lot
          about power, but the only demons they fight are inside
          the church. They are afraid of the real devil out
          here."

          There can be not true revival until God's people go out
          in faith to challenge the devil's iron chariots - right
          on his own ground! Why must there be a revival of
          holiness? Because that is the only kind of revival that
          brings out hatred for sin. There must be holy anger
          against the devil's iron chariots! When the revival God
          wants is here, no demon is safe! There will be no
          co-existence with evil. No principality or power is
          immune from spiritual authority, because the vision of
          Christ's holiness creates an active hatred and anger
          against sin! The demoniacs are commanded to be free!
          The idol-makers cry out, "Our livelihood is at stake" -
          the evil books are burned. The deceivers who lie to the
          Holy Ghost drop dead. The magistrates tremble, jailers
          fall on their faces and get converted, and the cities
          are filled with the knowledge that God is town!

          During the great Welsh revival under the ministry of
          Evan Roberts, teen-agers prayed! They got tired of
          alcoholic dads beating mothers. They prayed the bars
          shut! The police wept and joined in the singing - and
          crime nearly stopped.

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

                    Intercessory Prayer: The Only Way to
                    Bring About the Revival God Wants!

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

          "And the children of Israel cried unto the Lord..."
          (Judges 4:3). It is even stronger in the original
          Hebrew, "They shrieked unto the Lord together!"
          Corporately, desperately they called on God!

          In the midst of all the wickedness, God had a witness
          of His holiness in the land - a prophetess named
          Deborah. While everyone else was cowardly, drying up,
          barren, Deborah was in Mount Ephraim shut up with God,
          getting to know His heart, bearing His burden, learning
          to trust Jehovah for victory over all enemy power.
          Deborah began to bring forth a pure word to the church
          of the Lord which was under the palm tree at the hill
          of Ephraim. There was a message of holiness and
          repentance and victory being preached in that hidden
          church! The people came - slowly at first! Rich and
          poor! The upper class ["ye that ride white horses..."
          Judges 5:10] came to Deborah to hear and to pray. God
          always has His own among the wealthy. During Finney's
          revival, the wealthiest in town were at the heart of it
          all. They listened to Deborah, and how their hearts
          burned within them. They, too, began to see the iron
          chariots had to go!

          The middle class came ["..those who walk.." Judges
          5:10]. Not riding on white horses - today these
          represent those who ride the buses, the subways, the
          blue collar workers. There was no class preference, as
          the all came to hear the same Word.

          The poor came. "Those that are delivered from the noise
          of the archer in the places of drawing water.." (Judges
          5:11). These had to fight to survive; they were always
          at risk, living from one draw to the next. But they,
          too, came to Deborah's palm church!

          And the scribes came. "Out of Zebulun they that handle
          the pen of the writer" (Judges 5:14). All revivals have
          this - hidden remnant of scribes, willing to fight iron
          chariots with their gifts! I prophesy many will be
          raised up in the media in days ahead. Theirs will be a
          powerful word! Praying writers, both male and female,
          will be enlisted in this last war!

          It was men and women - working together! There were
          Deborah and Barak, ministering together. There is
          nothing macho about a true Holy Ghost revival. It is
          God moving on handmaidens; it is God provoking men to
          act! How different Barak's attitude was from what we
          see today. He was told that if Deborah went along into
          battle, a woman would be given credit for winning the
          war. Barak cared nothing for credit or honor! He wanted
          the prophetic authority and the praying power of this
          prophetess with him. So it will be today! When true
          revival comes, no one shines! There will be no ego
          tripping! No going to hear, "my favorite preacher."
          There will be no more saying, "Oh, doesn't he have such
          great power!" Instead it will be said, "Jesus is there!
          It's holy there! God speaks there!"

          The victory was really won against the iron chariots on
          Mount Ephraim under the palm tree. It was an
          underground move of God. The message in this church
          was, "Not one inch to the enemy! No more iron chariots!
          War is here!" Everyone who came to this hidden place
          left with their hearts on fire. Barak, the warrior,
          ["man of lightning"] had been there! What did he hear
          from Deborah? "When will you rise up and be men? When
          will you believe God has the power to wipe out these
          iron chariots?" And the princes, the leaders and the
          scribes received the word coming forth that God was
          about to wage war: "Better get in the fight! God is
          going to vindicate His name! He will be glorified
          before the eyes of the wicked!"

          Out of the intercession came very clear directions. "Go
          to Mount Tabor, and take with thee ten thousand men of
          the children of Naphtali and of the children of
          Zebulun" (Judges 4:6). It could not have been any
          clearer! How very specific it was - go to Mount Tabor
          and gather 10,000 men! The enemy will come against you
          with iron chariots at the Kishon River - God will
          deliver the iron chariots and all the army into your
          hands!

          Deborah knew when to move and how to move. On that
          precise day she had head from God! To her, those 900
          iron chariots were already junk! "And Sisera gathered
          together all his chariots, even nine hundred chariots
          of iron, and all the people that were with him, from
          Harosheth of the Gentiles unto the river of Kishon. And
          Deborah said unto Barak, Up; for this is the day in
          which the Lord hath delivered Sisera into thine hand:
          is not the Lord gone out before thee? So Barak went
          down from mount Tabor, and ten thousand men after him"
          (Judges 4:13,14).

          Why is it that so much of what we do in the name of God
          is without results, confused, unsatisfying, and no
          challenge to the devil's iron chariots? Why are our
          directions not so precise, so clear, as that received
          by Deborah who lived in a time of less light? It is
          because we have not been shut in with God! We pray only
          to be self-gratified! We refuse the discipline of
          private and corporate prayer!

          I am personally tired of all the empty, useless
          activity. In the past 30 years, we have distributed
          tons and tons of literature. We have stood before the
          people, like children on the seashore holding up hands
          to a tidal wave, yelling "Stop!" A tract is nothing but
          a paper sword - unless it is accompanied by the Holy
          Ghost! It is like going up to the iron chariots and
          crying out, "This far and no further," then waving
          paper swords. That is the letter that kills, unless it
          is backed with much prayer and tears! Through prayer
          God turns that paper sword into rapier steel! Street
          meetings without Holy Ghost power, with spiritual
          authority, are useless. Mere entertainment with no
          changed lives. Only through prayer and fasting can we
          challenge these strongholds!

          They prayed down a rainstorm - and it was the rain that
          brought down the iron chariots! "They fought from
          heaven; the stars in their courses fought against
          Sisera. The river of Kishon swept them away, that
          ancient river, the river Kishon. O my soul, thou hast
          trodden down strength. Then were the house hoofs broken
          by the means of the prancings, the prancings of their
          mighty ones" (Judges 5:20-22). The Kishon river
          overflowed its banks. A huge marsh was created. The
          enemy got up, mounted their chariots, and the wheels
          spun deeper and deeper into the mud. The chariots were
          now liabilities! Worthless hunks of iron. Look at
          Barak's army excitedly climbing over those immobilized
          chariots, smashing wheels, tearing apart the harnesses.
          Don't you know they looked at those worthless, muddy,
          sunken chariots and said, "We were afraid of this?"
          "And the Lord discomfited [routed] Sisera, and all his
          chariots, and all his hosts..." (Judges 4:15).

          When the rain of the Holy Ghost comes in answer to
          prayer, God mires the enemy down on his own territory.
          Overnight, Satan's power is exposed as useless. God's
          people will be crushed. The falling rain renders the
          enemy powerless.

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

                  It Is Dangerous to be Complacent During
                     God's Appointed Day of Awakening!

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

          While the awakened band went out to take dominion in
          God's name, others refused to get involved. Iron
          chariots did not concern them as they were too busy
          with their own problems and life.

          The Reubenites refused to get involved. "Why abodest
          thou among the sheepfolds, to hear the bleatings of the
          flocks? For the divisions of Reuben there were great
          searchings of the heart. Gilead abode beyond Jordan:
          and why did Dan remain in ships? Asher continued on the
          sea shore, and abode in his breaches" (Judges 5:16,17).

          The Reubenites are still with us! They are right now
          conducting or planning another "How To" seminar. They
          are gathering at conventions, conferences, sharing
          great thoughts about how to win the lost. How to take
          dominion. How to bring about a righteous kingdom. They
          are drawing up charts. The have their computers
          spitting out numbers - how the world can be saved in 90
          days if 3.5 Christians witness to 6.2 heathen.

          What great heart searchings! They even weep over their
          unconcern. They love to go to meetings to be greatly
          convicted. They make great resolutions. Committees are
          formed. They draw up strategy, always asking, "What is
          your strategy to win your city?" "What is your game
          plan." My answer is "Our only plan is to stay on our
          knees until God tells us exactly how and when to act."
          They are still talking when the battle is already
          fought and won. They are the ones who write the books
          for the future generations - "16 Steps To Win Over Iron
          Chariots." The Reubenites were people of no action - no
          commitment - no dirty hands - no going up to the
          mountain to pray with Deborah! They had to get to their
          next conference.

          I say - Enough of all the marches, the TV specials, the
          mass meetings, the paper plans, the strategy meetings,
          the great thoughts of great minds, the prodding, the
          begging! It's time to pray! It's time to lay hold of
          God! It's time to put it all aside and cry out to the
          Lord for power and guidance!

          Giliad, Asher and Dan were too busy making money!
          Seeking success and prosperity. Too addicted to comfort
          and ease! Read Judges 5:17 again. They "abode in the
          breaches" - all wrapped up in their own little world of
          need. Absorbed with little battles of their own! They
          "remained in their ships" - rowing their own boat.

          These are those against whom Amos prophesied! "Woe to
          them that are at ease in Zion... that lie upon beds of
          ivory, and stretch themselves upon their couches, and
          eat the lambs out of the flock, and the calves out of
          the midst of the stall; that chant to the sound of the
          viol, and invent to themselves instruments of music,
          like David; that drink wine in bowls, and anoint
          themselves with the chief ointments: but they are not
          grieved for the afflictions of Joseph..."

          They were "not grieved over the affliction of Joseph!"
          They "put off the time of judgement" - "lying on beds
          of ivory, at ease!" "Stretched out on easy couches" -
          "chanting their music." They were inventing new ways to
          enjoy life.

          It was said that someone came into A. B. Simpson's
          office early one morning and saw that great missionary
          preacher on the floor, clutching the globe of the world
          - weeping over the lost.

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

                            The Curse of Meroz

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

          The Merozites just did not care! And they were cursed
          by God for their complacency! "Curse ye Meroz, said the
          angel of the Lord, curse ye bitterly the inhabitants
          thereof; because they came not to the help of the Lord
          against the mighty" (Judges 5:23). The curse of Meroz
          is one of the most serious matters in all of God's
          Word. It was a curse right out of heaven - clearly
          revealing God's attitude about complacency! Reuben,
          Gad, Giliad, and Asher did not get involved - but they
          were not cursed as was Meroz! Why the frightful curse
          on Meroz?

          It was a bitter controversy God had with Meroz! I
          believe it was because Meroz sinned against light. They
          had heard the trumpet sound and turned a deaf ear. They
          heard Deborah's' heart-cry and mocked! Merozites I
          believe, were cursed because they were so close to the
          battle, so near the iron chariots, yet so far from
          being involved or caring. The days are long gone when
          Christians can be so near the battle, see so much all
          around them, and shut it out saying, "I'll shut myself
          in, pray, grow up in Jesus all alone. I don't need
          anybody - just me and the Lord!"

          No! The judge will call us to account. "I was hungry -
          you did not feed me! Naked, in prison - and you did
          nothing! You did not go out into the byways and hedges
          and compel them to come in! You shut yourself up -
          wrapped your talent in a napkin, waiting for the Lord's
          coming! You are the buried talent!"

          Meroz tried to hide out from the turmoil and take the
          safe and easy way. They would let the rest of God's
          people fight the iron chariots, while they cuddled up
          securely around their cozy fireplaces. But God despised
          their complacency and put a curse upon them. The curse
          of Meroz is the worst kind of all - to be left to one's
          self interest, robbed of all spiritual vision and
          energy, to simply fade away into mindless oblivion.

          As for me, give me Deborah's spunk and fire - give me
          her Holy Ghost backbone, her boundless faith and
          confidence, and her unwillingness to cower before God's
          enemies. Let the church of Jesus Christ declare war on
          all Satanic iron chariots and pray down the victory!

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

                 ------------------------------------------
            Plain Text File + 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  1999 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  1999 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://www.tscpulpitseries.org

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

            Copyright  1999 - The Lorain County Free-Net Chapel
                         North Central Ohio, U.S.A.

                                TOP OF PAGE

           Our webmaster welcomes your comments and suggestions.
               This page was last updated February 23, 1999

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