                    [Times Square Church Pulpit Series]

                       Its Reaping Time In America

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By David Wilkerson
December 19, 1988
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          For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a
          far country, who called his own servants, and delivered
          unto them his goods. And unto one he gave five talents,
          to another two, and to another one; to every man
          according to his own ability; and straightway took his
          journey. Then he that had received the five talents
          went and traded with the same, and made them other five
          talents. And likewise he that had received two, he also
          gained other two. But he that had received one went and
          digged in the earth, and hid his lords money. After a
          long time the lord of those servants cometh, and
          reckoneth with them" (Matthew 25:14-19).

          This matter of sowing and reaping can be taken two
          ways, both good and bad. All my life Ive heard it
          preached, "Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also
          reap." It was almost always given a bad connotation:
          sow to the flesh and reap destruction - sow to the wind
          and reap a whirlwind! But this text of the parable of
          the talents focuses primarily on the good side of
          sowing: sowing to the spirit to reap life everlasting.
          "In due season we shall reap, if we faint not"
          (Galations 6:9).

          Lets first consider the dark side of sowing. There
          most certainly is a "sowing to the flesh" that brings a
          terrible harvest. There is already evidence of this
          horrible harvest everywhere to be seen in America. Look
          at our public schools: we are reaping an awful harvest
          from years of driving God out of the classroom. In
          1940, just one generation ago, classes opened with
          prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance. Gods blessing was
          asked upon the school, on the lessons, on the students,
          on the nation. It was one nation under God and he was
          honored every day in the classroom. In that year the
          top seven disciplinary problems were: talking in class;
          chewing gum; making noises; running in the halls;
          cutting in line; improper clothing; not disposing of
          garbage. Today, recent surveys are frightening. The top
          seven disciplinary problems are: rape; robbery;
          assault; burglary; arson; bombing; murder - almost all
          of which are related to drug abuse. Our youth are not
          just saying no! Drug-pushing students in New York City
          parade the halls wearing gold chains and carrying wads
          of $100 bills. Restrooms are now shooting galleries and
          smoking dens.

          God was not wanted in the schools, but the devil was
          welcomed! So in came the occult, humanism, and
          doctrines of perversion. Promiscuous sex was glorified
          and homosexuality was praised. The liberals called for
          condoms to be freely distributed in classrooms. Now
          they want condom vending machines in all high schools.
          They call it AIDS protection!

          Look what we are now reaping: One-half of all births in
          our cities are now illegitimate! Fifty percent!
          One-fourth of all pregnancies are now being aborted -
          twenty-two million so far. In just one generation we
          have gone from chewing gum to machine guns! In one
          Bronx school a student brought an Uzi machine gun to
          class, hidden under his jacket. There used to be
          respect for teachers and for authority, but today
          teachers in New York and other cities live in dread.
          Some have been beaten up. Can you imagine what our
          schools will be like in just five more years if we
          survive? When a nation draws a line and dares God to
          cross it - when satanic powers are made welcome - it
          has to end in a living hell on earth, a devils
          playground.

          What about the "sexual revolution" of the past twenty
          years? What a harvest are we reaping now for years of
          sowing to the flesh. The liberal press and the corrupt
          theologians called for a new day of sexual freedom.
          They wanted no more Puritanical moral standards, no
          more restraints. The cry was, "Anything goes between
          two consenting adults!" Hundreds of thousands of gays
          came out of the closet. They took their message into
          the public schools; they marched on our streets calling
          for gay rights; they moved into government to pass laws
          protecting homosexuality. America was flooded with
          books, movies, and TV series glorifying lesbianism,
          group sex, and wife swapping! There was talk of open
          marriages, of living together, of sexual freedom. It
          was supposed to be paradise on earth!

          Now its payday - now comes the harvest. The death
          angel has come to say, "The partys over!" What awful,
          incurable new diseases there are such as herpes,
          chlamydia, and AIDS. Chlamydia now infects over four
          million girls in America, leaving many of them
          infertile. Many of these girls have no chance of ever
          having children. God may have to shut one womb for
          every abortion. Syphilis, an old disease, is on the
          increase. My Christian doctor told me that fifteen
          years ago he would give 600,000 units of penicillin to
          syphilis patients. Now it takes 4,800,000 units and
          its still not killing the virus! This virus is
          becoming immune to penicillin. Now there is a new
          sexually transmitted cancer virus known as papilloma -
          a form of cancer being found in young women. Also the
          rate of incest is up 100% in the last ten years. The
          end is nowhere in sight as the harvest keeps getting
          worse daily. Who know where the AIDS epidemic will end?
          There can be no doubt that the Word is true in saying,
          "You reap what you sow."

          The worst harvest of all is the unbelievable wave of
          child pornography and child molestations. Who could
          have believed that a nation founded by godly men would
          one day become so corrupt, degenerate, that it would
          turn on its little children like wild beasts? This is
          the worst kind of sadism known to mankind and its
          sweeping America like a plague. An ever-growing number
          of parents are molesting their own children. What a
          tragic harvest!

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                America Is About to Reap an Economic Crash!

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          There is going to be a payday for all the years of
          greed and lust for money. The dollar is Americas god,
          with businessmen and Wall-Streeters out for the one big
          kill - like vultures on the American economy. The more
          they get, the more they want. Its madness! The wild
          speculation we see now is of the very same spirit that
          gripped men just prior to every past crash (1857, 1880,
          1932). Not even our best-educated government officials
          know what is happening now. One Federal Reserve
          official said recently, "Dont worry about all these
          multi-billion dollar takeovers, with their ten to one
          debt load. There are too many other unknown forces at
          work out there..." "Out there" is an unknown world that
          can come crashing down overnight and no one will be
          able to explain why.

          But there is a good side to this matter of sowing and
          reaping:

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                   The Lord Is Going to Have a Great Host
                    of Willing Sowers in the Last Days.

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          "And so he that had received five talents came and
          brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou
          deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained
          beside them five talents more, His lord said unto him.
          Well done, though good and faithful servant: thou has
          been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler
          over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
          He also that had received two talents came and said,
          Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold I
          have gained two other talents beside them. His lord
          said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant;
          thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make
          thee ruler over many things; enter thou into the joy of
          thy lord" (Matthew 25:20-23).

          I am going to prove to you that the true church of
          Jesus Christ will not go out with a whimper! It will
          not be crushed or crippled by the tide of wickedness.
          It will not be weak, confused, or beaten down by
          demonic powers. Never! This parable proves that God
          will have a fruitful, glorious harvest at the end. Two
          out of three of the Lords servants will come to the
          judgment loaded with fruit and full joy - happy in a
          great harvest. They will not be losing ground or be
          barely making it. Instead, they will say, "I have
          gained - what God gave me has doubled." They will be
          "good and faithful," not backslidden or dead. They will
          not be cast down, depressed, or dejected, but rather,
          they will have the joy of the Lord.

          Jesus is "the man traveling into a far country" who
          will "after a long time" return and call into account
          His servants. We are those servants, "His own," and the
          talents represent our measure of grace and revelation
          of Jesus. We are commanded to go out and sow this
          revelation. Some have a greater revelation of Jesus
          than others - but all must sow.

          Yet, looking at the world today, we ask: Will there be
          vision for the lost souls in these last days or will
          missions die the closer we get to His coming? Will
          young people respond to the command to go and sow to
          the world? If sin gets worse with drug abuse and
          violence rising and the economy falling, will these
          wicked conditions cause the young to hide? Will there
          be young men and women left unspotted by this
          corruption? Where will God find a new host of workers?
          Doors are closing to missions fields, as the costs go
          out of control.

          The truth is, the Kingdom of God is not affected by
          demons, the economy, communism, violence, or any world
          conditions. In fact, the church in China is stronger
          today than ever. Persecution has only made it stronger
          and more powerful, even in all the Iron Curtain
          countries. I dont know how God will do it, but this
          parable proves that God will have a last day army here
          and abroad who will be out there in the harvest loaded
          with fruit, joyful and excited!

          Psalm 110 is a direct prophecy about a last-day people
          who "shall be willing in the day of thy [Gods] power"
          (verse 3). Martin Luther called this psalm "a glorious
          prophecy concerning the Kingdom of Christ." He added,
          "It ought to be dear to everyone in the church." There
          is a "rod of... strength out of Zion" (verse 2) - a rod
          of power. This refers to Jesus who, even now, has all
          power and authority. But in these last days we are
          going to see and experience a day of the fullness and
          climax of his power - a last great demonstration of His
          might. So it was when God showed His strength to Egypt,
          sending ten awful plagues. First, He touched the earth;
          then the heavens shook with lightning and thunder.
          Finally, in one last surge of power, God exploded in a
          rage of death, killing all of Egypts first-born. The
          power of our Lord has shaken mankind for the past 2,000
          years. But there is prophesied one last great shaking:
          "Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath
          promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth
          only, but also heaven" (Hebrews 12:26).

          Gods people will be "willing" in that day - they will
          be spontaneous volunteers. Here is how God does it:
          When He determines that His day of power has come then
          He raises up holy prophets, watchmen, and shepherds who
          blow the trumpet. God supernaturally moves upon a
          people to respond. They heed the call to repent, to
          rally, and to rise up in faith to challenge the enemy.
          They wake up, go out - and challenge the powers of
          darkness. Gods people begin to cry out and He sends
          prophets to arouse the church.

          So it was when Sisera and his great iron chariots came
          up against Israel (Judges 4). God raised up Deborah
          because "the children of Israel cried unto the Lord"
          (Judges 4:3). It was the Spirit of the Lord that came
          upon them and as Deborah later sang, "the people
          willingly offered themselves" (Judges 5:2). When the
          Spirit of God truly comes upon a people you dont have
          to push, plead, pull, or threaten. They become willing
          in the day of His power. I see this happening already
          here in Times Square Church. The Word is cleansing and
          the Spirit of God is coming upon many. We have now an
          abundance of volunteers, willing to do anything for
          Jesus.

          "Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power,
          in the beauties of holiness" (Psalm 110:3). This is a
          prophecy that God will have a people who do not see
          holiness as a burden too hard to carry. They will not
          see it as something difficult or legalistic - but
          beautiful! They will not cringe under a hard message;
          but rather, they will see it as God cutting and
          polishing a diamond, so additional rays of light will
          shine forth. It is a certain prophecy that in a day of
          wickedness, a day of immorality, He will raise up a
          holy host, walking with joy in all His commandments.

          What proof do we have that God will have an army of
          young people working for Him in the end times? "Thou
          hast the dew of thy youth" (Psalm 110:3). This means
          that the young converts shall be as numerous as the
          drops of morning dew. Go out in the morning and look at
          the grass: its like millions of sparkling diamonds. So
          will His harvest of youth be. This is not simply my
          interpretation of this great prophecy. Edwards, Calvin,
          and Rodgers all translate it this way. In fact, this
          110th Psalm is so important that it is quoted by Jesus
          and Paul, and is referred to seven times in the New
          Testament. Has God given up on the youth? Does Satan
          romp all over hell shouting, "The youth are all mine!
          The druggies, the sex-crazed, the suicides!"? No! God
          will have "the dew of youth."

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              There Is Absolutely Nothing on Earth or in Hell
                    That Can Stop the Last Day Harvest!

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          There is something unique and special about these last
          day servants who will bring in the last great harvest.
          First of all, they will not be afraid to "plow in the
          cold." The sluggard will not plow by reason of the
          cold; therefore shall he beg in harvest, and have
          nothing" (Proverbs 20:4). Jesus said that the field is
          the world, meaning nations, peoples, races. When I came
          to New York in 1958, society, the church, and
          government all said the drug addict was incurable -
          especially heroin addicts. They said in effect, "Too
          cold to plow! They dont want God. They cant be
          reached." But God said to me: "Go plow! Thats a
          diamond mine! Im going to have a great harvest there."
          And so He has.

          Along our southern borders they are ringing their hands
          as millions of illegal Mexicans are pouring in. In New
          York and California there are illegal aliens flooding
          in from all over the globe. God has raised up churches
          to reach them for Christ, mostly from addicts, because
          these newly converted Christian workers saw it as a
          chance to plow. God has brought the mission field to
          them. Now, young ministers, who were once illegal
          aliens, are going back to their homelands as
          missionaries to evangelize.

          Yes! Cold waves of apostasy are sweeping the earth. The
          Jews are cold, as well as the Muslims. So many seem
          hopeless and hard. But the Lord says, "Dont be lazy -
          go plow!" No group of people, no individual, should be
          considered too cold, too hard, or too far gone! Go and
          sow! Plow and you will reap! In this day of His power
          the Spirit will convict all. Before establishing Times
          Square Church, we were told that New York was too hard
          and too wicked - that there was no hope - that no one
          would come out on a Sunday night for church - that
          there was to much cynicism, too much crime - that
          people would not leave their homes to come to Times
          Square at night. It was supposed to be too cold to
          plow. This packed church proves how wrong they were.

          These willing servants will not be afraid of "the lion
          out on the streets." "The slothful man [lazy Christian]
          saith, There is a lion without, I shall be slain in the
          streets" (Proverbs 22:13). "The slothful man saith,
          There is a lion in the way; a lion is in the streets"
          (Proverbs 26:13). Is there a lion out in the streets?
          Yes! A roaring lion seeking to devour. But these
          Spirit-filled servants are not afraid of any lion.
          Before I came back here to New York to pastor, the
          devil tried to put fear in my heart. I see what is
          coming and how wicked these streets will become. Satan
          says, "Youll be slain in the streets!" But Jesus
          commanded: "Go out quickly into the streets and lanes
          of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the
          maimed, and the halt, and the blind" (Luke 14:21). We
          are not afraid!

          I think of how wonderful it must be to live in a quiet,
          secluded place, and many have that privilege. But there
          are growing number of Christians "taking to the hills,"
          simply to hide out. The lion has chased them and
          theyre seeking a place of security. Ive already been
          through that way of thinking. A leading
          reconstructionist wrote a book called Government By
          Emergency, in which he warns Christians to stockpile
          goods and guns, to get ready to hide out and protect
          their possessions. The list he recommends includes
          liquor and tobacco to bribe (he calls it "barter") law
          officials in a time of anarchy.

          These are those who will cry for the rocks and the
          mountains to hide them from His wrath (Revelation
          6:16). "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it:
          and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find
          it" (Matthew 16:15). No! This Spirit-filled body will
          not hide, but will be on the front lines, fighting a
          good fight and bringing in a harvest of souls.

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           Some Will End Up Lazy and Fruitless, Losing Their Very
                                  Souls.

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          "Then he which had received the one talent came and
          said, Lord I knew thee that thou art an hard man,
          reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where
          thou has not strawed [spread]: And I was afraid, and
          went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou
          hast that is thine, His lord answered and said unto
          him, Thou wicked and slothful servant... Take therefore
          the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath
          ten talents... And cast ye the unprofitable servant
          into outer darkness..." (Matthew 25:24-30). Who is this
          lazy, wicked servant and why was he cast into hell?

          First of all, he was a servant of God who was
          controlled by a secret sin. Jesus called him a wicked
          servant, which here denotes evil or something sinister.
          Although he is associated with a circle of servants who
          are busy, fruitful, and joyous, there is something
          hidden and unexposed in this man. He claims to know the
          Lord ("I knew thee"), but he has developed a perverted
          vision of the Lord because of unforsaken sin. He says,
          "Thou art an hard man," which is another way of saying,
          "You expect too much from me - I cant live up to your
          demands for serving!"

          It is sin in the heart that makes one say, "This is too
          hard - it turns me off!" The yielded heart, on the
          other hand, becomes free and obedience is no longer a
          burden. For the surrendered heart, its all joy. A
          minister once heard some of our tapes and then told a
          friend, "No one can live like that! Everybody makes
          mistakes. You cant live as pure as they preach!" He
          saw it as a hard message. I wonder why.

          We have husbands in Times Square Church with wives who
          claim to be Christians, but who think their husbands
          are fanatics. Some of those husbands used to be on
          drugs or alcohol; they were cheaters, full of the
          devil. Now, they are sold out to Jesus! So when the
          wife says, "Lets go dancing and have some fun," he
          wont do it. Then she blames God for being so hard and
          strict, for "taking my husband from me!" She ought to
          fall on her face and thank God the devil doesnt have
          him anymore.

          This slothful servant in the parable accuses his lord
          of reaping where he has not sown (Matthew 25:24). This
          is a serious charge of which many half-hearted
          Christians today still accuse the Lord. What he was
          saying is this: "Lord, You expect too much of me and
          Youve let me down when Ive needed You. You expect me
          to be faithful and fruitful, but You didnt help me
          when I needed a miracle. You want a reaping in me, but
          wont sow deliverance in me!" In other words, he had a
          grudge against his master and therefore accused him of
          being unjust.

          What did he do that was so wicked and so lazy that it
          cost him his salvation? It was this: "God doesn't need
          me to accomplish His purpose. If Jews or Muslims or my
          family are to be saved, He will do it without me. It's
          all preordained anyway! It's just a waste of my time,
          witnesing and working so hard, because the Lord will
          have a harvest without all this sowing. So I'll mind my
          own business, stay out of trouble, be the Lord's quiet
          servant -- and what will be, will be. I can't change
          anything!" So they sit in front of the TV saying, "Who
          am I? God will do it anyhow! What does it matter? I'm
          not hurting anybody -- I haven't stolen anything -- I
          haven't hurt the Lord!"

          "I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the
          earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine" (verse 25).
          Rather than the fear of God, it was the fear of having
          to give up sin, the fear of costing him too much, that
          kept this servant bound. So God stripped him of
          everything. You either grow -- or -- loose it all. You
          will either go on with God -- or -- you will be cast
          out of His Kingdom.

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

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