In this sermon, the preacher begins by expressing gratitude and love towards God. He emphasizes the need for believers to fully surrender to God and live devoted lives in these last days. The preacher then discusses the Day of Final Preparation, highlighting the intense activity happening in heaven, hell, and on earth. He warns that many believers are becoming complacent and resistant to change, urging them to let go of their own ways and embrace God's plan. The sermon concludes with a call to heed these warnings and prepare for the coming judgments.

This message is one of the Times Square Pulpit series. It was recorded in the sanctuary of Times Square Church in Manhattan, New York City. Other tips are available by writing to World Challenge PO Box 260, Lindale, Texas 75771 or calling 214-963-8626. None of these messages are copyrighted, and you are welcome to make copies for free distribution to your friends. Now, just keep your Bibles handy. We're going to go into a number of scriptures later on into the message, but let me just try to embed my heart to you tonight about the great and final preparation. Now, we're living in what I believe to be the day of final preparation in heaven, in hell, and on the earth itself. There's a tremendous activity going on. If God could pull back the screen so that we could see between time and eternity, that thin tissue that separates us, the eternal from the physical, we would see an incredible activity that we couldn't understand. He would pull back the curtain, and we would, I for a second would cry, what's going on? What is happening? What do they know that is causing such tremendous comings and goings, such activity? All of heaven in preparation. There's never been anything like it ever described until it came to us through John in the revelation of Jesus Christ. The determination, the rushing about, the intensity, and a lot of the mind-boggling preparation. And the question is, what's in the wind? What's about to happen? And right now, the heavens are ablaze in anticipation, absolutely ablaze. Angelic beings must be awe-stricken as they're prepared to judge the earth with the destructive forces that they hold in their hands, that are unspeakable. Now, angels don't know the day of the hour when the Son of Man comes, but they know they have been commanded and set on edge to prepare. They've been commanded to be in a state of readiness. You see, folks, there's a final war coming. There's a final conflict of the ages. When every enemy is going to be put under the foot of the Lord Jesus Christ. Every enemy. Imagine the preparations going on right now. There are also great preparations going on in hell, and right here on this planet. We're going to talk about some of these preparations tonight. The final preparations in the heavens can only be seen by us in little glimpses into the eternal. God's not chosen to show us the whole scene. We're just little glimpses here and there through the Word of God. But how glorious and yet how frightening it is to look into the preparations of eternity. Now, without speculation tonight, I'm going to try to stick right to the Word of God and not speculate. I'd love to. I'd like to just kick off and imagine what it's going to be like. But I'm going to stick close to the Word. One of the most mind-boggling statements in all of God's Word. We don't have to turn there, but it's in Revelation, the eighth chapter and the first verse. And I've got the thinking of this, and I can't get it out of my mind. It says, and there is silence in heaven about the space of half an hour. Why the silence and why half an hour? The Lord hasn't given us the clue. But in Revelation 6, 1, the Lamb of God broke even one seal and then broke it. There was a noise of thunder throughout the heavens. The heavens literally shook with an incredible, supernatural thunder. I don't know what thunder is like when God does it in the eternals. I know what it's like here when you hear thunder and it rolls you out of bed. Can you imagine what it's like when divine thunder rolls the heavens? But you see, there's no thunder now. There are no choirs singing. There are no angels. The seraphim's crying, holy, holy, holy. There's an absolute hush. Can you imagine the silence when God speaks it? When God commands it. When not an angel, not a created being in the heavens, nothing in the cosmos, there's not a sound in the eternal world. There's a total silence for half an hour. Why couldn't we begin to find a clue for that silence other than that the Bible explains the Bible. The word explains itself. And in Zechariah, I'll just give you, you don't have to turn to Zechariah 2, 12 and 13. And the Lord shall inhabit Judah, his person in the holy land, and shall choose Jerusalem again, and speak into the spiritual Jerusalem. Be silent, O all flesh. There's the silence. Be silent, all flesh, before the Lord, for he has raised up out of his holy habitation. It's the raising up of God for judgment. That which has been eternally established from the foundation of the world, the hour has come. The end of all things is beginning to fall into focus. And I don't know whether it's God meditating, I don't know anything. It's a rising up. There's something so awesome. There's something so powerful about to happen. All we know is that there is silence for the space of half an hour. God is seen here, ready to claim his inhabitants. All things are now in place. The time of the foundation of the world has come. In fact, the word used here is a holy hush. A great calm before a storm. It's too holy, it's too incorporeal for your mind to understand it. We do know this, that the silence suddenly ends, and the judgment angels, which have the seven trumpets, prepared themselves to sound. They're made ready. In other words, they were poised. They were standing at attention. Now get this in mind, please. This is what John is seeing. It seems that John has been brought into the war chambers of Almighty God. He's sitting in the war council. He's watching all this activity. There's about to, the judgment's about to begin. There's this awesome silence. And then those prepared with the judgments, with the trumpets that are about to sound, and bring incredible, unspeakable judgments to the earth. And John is allowed to see all this. He's observing all of this. Incredible preparation in the eternal world. The sixth angel is going to use on earth four demonic powers. Two hundred million demonic horsemen are going to come forth to destroy one third of mankind with fire, smoke, and brimstone. And the Bible said, they were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year to slay one third of mankind. And the number was numbered two hundred million. Two hundred thousand thousand, which is two hundred million. I don't know if they're human, I don't know if they're demonic. There's an army. That army has been prepared. The Bible says they were poised, they were prepared. The word prepared means poised. Standing, made ready. They were poised. Can you imagine holding back an army of two hundred million ready to go? The incredible preparation for an army of two hundred million, whether it's demonic or human. If it's indescribable, can you imagine trying to hold back those forces? In fact, the Bible said when the Holy Spirit is gone, those forces will not be held back. Now, the verse up waiting, the physical and the spiritual. If we could just see it lifted, what a sight it would be right now. This activity. You see, we seem to think that God's just waiting for the last soul to be saved. And when the last soul is saved, and the last human soul, God will just speak the word and everything will fall in place. It just will just happen. No, when God created the earth, He worked on it for six days. And God is working at the preparation for the final hour. Heaven is in movement. Heaven is in activity. For the final hour. Right on schedule. One angel after another is going to blow a trumpet and set off these unthinkable judgments. Hell, lingered with blood, is going to burn up one-third of all the greenery. The seas are going to be polluted. A great star, a meteor, is going to fall on the earth, burning like a torch. And poison the rivers and the lakes and the streams. The sun and the moon, the stars are going to be darkened. And in the midst of all of this judgment, an angel is going to be appearing in the skies, crying with a loud voice, Woe, woe to the inhabitants of the earth, by reason of their judgments yet to come. Right in the middle of the judgment, an angel, John sees an angel flying through the heavens. Woe, woe, that's just the beginning. Woe to what yet is to come. There will be on earth such torment, men will cry for death and not be able to find it. And John is seeing this. He sees in the spiritual mind all the things that heaven is preparing to pour out. In fact, John was allowed by vision to behold this activity, and it was said, Things that must shortly come to pass. Now, we know this is a revelation of Jesus Christ. This final preparations. This is a prophecy of end-time things. Because Jesus appears in the first chapter, and John doesn't even recognize him. The one that he used to lay his head on, he doesn't even recognize him. His eyes are aflame. Because you see things now, the lamb is the lion of Judah. He's coming now with a whole different attitude. Now, all things are at hand. All things are coming to an end. And now he's reaching out to the churches and saying, No more coldness, no more lukewarmness. No, not anymore. The time has come. All things are now ready. And he comes to the church, and he appears to the church with this tremendous call. Return, return, return. For God's judgment has come. Babylon is falling. John sees the angels girded. In Revelation 15, 16, 17, he sees the angels girded for action. Put in a state of readiness, in other words. For the hour of his judgment has come. He sees an angel coming out of the temple with a sickle in his hand. And a loud voice thunders through the heavens. Thrust in your sickle. Weep, for the time has come for thee to weep. For the harvest of the earth is ripe. And another angel comes out of the temple. He's told, Thrust in thy sickle. And gather the clusters of the vine of the earth. For her grapes are fully ripe. Time is ripened. Judgments are about to come. And John is beholding this hundreds of years before it's to happen. He also saw the great preparations for the maidsupper of the lamb. You think the Lord is going to speak a word and the maidsupper of the lamb is going to take place? Oh no, all these preparations getting ready. He has majestic preparations right now to receive the bride for his son. What a glorious preparation that must be. John saw it all. Now let me tell you what I'm saying right here now. It seems as though God is saying, let all on earth that have eaten, drank and be merry. Let them say, where is the sign of His coming? All things continue as they were from the beginning. God says, I will prepare. Let them sleep. Let them say what they will. Let them call it groom. Let them call it groom. Let them call it anything. I am prepared. I tell you now folks, while we sit here in Times Square Church, in the middle of babbling, God is preparing. He is getting ready. All things are in a state of readiness now. Hallelujah. Satan is also preparing for the final conflict. Scripture says, woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea. For the devil has come down unto you having great wrath. Because he knoweth he has but a short time. John sees the bottomless pit being opened. And out of it is spewed an army of demonic anarchists. Faces of men like horses prepared for battle. Prepared. They've been prepared. They're not a lazy demon in hell right now. They're not one of them asleep. They had a king over there much as the angel of the abyss of bottomless pit is known as Abaddon. Satan. Listen to what I believe the Holy Spirit is saying. Satan knows that his time is short. He's come down to the earth. The battleground is not somewhere in the heavens. The battleground is right here on planet earth right now. The devil has set up his headquarters right here on earth. All the principalities and powers of darkness are headquartered right here on earth. The devil has come down unto you. He's prepared his forces. His strategy is underway. All hell right now is one big satanic operations network. It's set up. Everything is spilled out of hell. Satan's main object, of course, is the elect. His object is not the backslidden Babylonian church. The devil's object is to try to shatter and shipwreck the elect, the chosen of God, and remove them from their steadfastness in the Lord. He's going to so thoroughly deceive the wicked that they're not even going to repent when the sun scorches them and they're dying left and right and the judgments fall. The scripture says there will be spirits of devils working miracles that there will be judgments of God falling upon the earth. The Bible said they will curse God. They will not repent, the Bible said. They're going to be so deceived that even though they know they're under the judgments of God, they'll curse God. That's deception. Principalities and powers of darkness are right now working around the clock. There's no rest in the demonic world. There's no relaxing. They're racing through the earth preparing to set up their own kingdom, their own Christ, their own money system, their own religion. Beloved, what do you think is behind, what do you think is behind the adversary forces right now? This driving force to kill and destroy, what's behind that? The principalities and powers that rule now over their own kingdom. Why in the past ten years, New Age, Aquarius, a revival of the occult, Santana, Psychics, Eastern religions, Gurus, Transcendental Meditation. Why is it that even presidents of the United States now consult with stargazers and astrologers? Why do our young people turn to actual devil worship? Why all the outbreak of fever like we've never seen? It's the destroyer who's come to set up his kingdom on earth. He knows his time is short. He knows it. He's in awe of it. Did all these evil things just happen? Is it just the degenerative power of nature? Are Americans so burnt on sin that we're just going worse and worse because of the flesh? Or is there something more sinister behind it? Oh yes there is. There is a force behind it, war to the inhabitants of the earth, and you see the devil has come down to you, he's mad, having great wrath, and he knows his time is short. It's a masterminded attack. It's well planned. It's a high intelligence. It's a power base being set up. Angels of light and deception are now in training. There's a devotion to their cause. There are abilities that have been distributed among these demonic powers. Satan's army is not asleep. There's no lukewarmness in hell. There's not a lukewarm devil. There's not a lukewarm demonic spirit anywhere. They are totally devoted to their man, totally devoted to their cause. They run to and forth, the scripture says. They run to and forth like a hare. They never sleep. You see a demon-possessed person, you'll see one that is roaming around the town. No rest. They're going about seeking rest. What's the topic in hell? What's the main message there? I'll tell you what it's like in hell. It's a very sober time. It's a life and death issue. A call to war. The message there is time is short. Let's work while we still have time. There are no prophets of peace and security in hell. None. They're not looking at peace and security right now. This is all out war. There is no sloth. There is no laziness. But let me tell you something. I believe the joke of hell must be the total lack of preparation among Christians. It must be the joke of hell. Where everyone in the spiritual realm, where everyone in the spiritual realm does this furious preparation for the final hour, millions of Christians are falling fast asleep. It must make angels blush. It must make devils laugh while they prepare so furiously, knowing their time is short. And in the heavens, all in preparation, angels standing in tents and trumpets in hand. And what are the majority of God's people, especially in America today, in materialistic societies, what is happening? John the Baptist went before the Lord to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. That was his call. Prepare a people for the Lord. John saw the holy city of Lusitania coming down out of heaven as prepared as a bride adoring for her husband. There was a call for preparation, not only in heaven. It's not only to be demonic powers in preparation. The church of Jesus Christ was to be prepared as a bride. There's a call for preparation. Well, the disciples slept through that dark hour, that last hour. And Jesus called them to watch and they slept through it. And I wonder if we're not going to have many, many in our church today, in the church of America, fast, fast asleep. And in light of that, the Holy Spirit gave me three warnings for the church. Three warnings. Now, when I say the church, I'm talking about this congregation and wherever the message is heard. I have no delusions that I'm speaking to the world. I'm speaking simply to those the Lord delivered His message to. First of all, the Lord commanded me to speak this. Just this first small voice. The Holy Spirit stay in my heart. First of all, there's three warnings I want to give you tonight about preparation. Hear it in the Spirit, please. And I'm asking God to help me to say it in love, but I have to say it. God's people are digging in rather than letting go. This is a warning. God's people, many. And I'm speaking in generalities. Thank God for the remnant. Thank God for the elect. But folks, don't shovel it off now. Receive what the Lord wants you to receive tonight. I'm speaking to myself primarily, but to anyone else who is open to the voice of the Holy Spirit. God's people are digging in rather than letting go. I want to talk to you about things. Things. Love not the world, nor the things that are in the world. Jesus warned, beware of covetousness. For a man's life consists, if not, in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. Now, you can sit here and say, well, thank God the pastor is going to talk about things, he's going to talk about rich people, he's going to talk about people who have more than I do. No, because I've seen some of the most selfish people in the world who had probably the least of any others. I've seen people who absolutely live on the streets with no covetousness over their little bag of goods than anybody I met that had great wealth. Now, it's on both sides. That doesn't put the blame on either side, on either group, but I want you to follow me, please. Our possessions, our possessions have a tendency to tie us down to this world. We are living in the very last of the last days, yet we are wallowing in our things. Heaven and hell are preparing for war, we go shopping. Ah, brother, sister, this is not a laughing matter. I'm not trying to be cute, but I'll tell you what. If you get away from your prayer closet, the further you get from your prayer closet, the closer you get to Bloomingdale's. The closer you get to the things of this world, the closer you get to the things of this world. We're becoming clothes hogs. We're trying to buy clothes so we don't have any closets to stay in. Heaven and hell are preparing for the final conflict when we're playing with our toys. Our pocketbooks are out of control. It's said of Noah's day, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the Ark of Lot's day. It says they bought, they sold, they planted, they built it. Now, none of that activity is evil in itself. In fact, Noah was building the whole time. He'd go for 120 years. Noah had to buy and sell to get the food and all the cookery he had to buy. And he had to sell. His children married and were given in marriage. That's not the point. He said until the day they entered in. And what the Lord was saying, these people rejected the message of the last hour. They rejected the message of judgment. They rejected the message of the prophets. And so they were giving themselves to these things. It was not that those things were evil in themselves, but until that very day, they shut it out. They shut out all the message, all the warnings, all the rulings of the Holy Spirit to be used and disrupted, to lay down the idolatry. And they heard this message, and they went on their way. And what he's talking about is they neglected the message of judgment. They regretted the call of the shepherds and the watchmen. And they went on their way until the day that Noah entered into the ark. And also much time until the fire fell from heaven. Nobody was heeding. Nobody was listening. Nobody was preparing. They were digging in. They weren't letting go. They were coming under the bondage of these things and giving themselves to the pleasures of this earth, giving themselves to these things and not preparing, not awakening and stirring themselves. I'm going to tell you something. I don't care how much you love Jesus. You will be backslidden if you don't allow the Holy Ghost to continually stir your heart by the Word and by prayer. It's called lukewarmness. It's called drifting. All through the Scripture it says, Awaken, awaken, stir yourself. I got a letter from Ronald Carlton, from Raymond Bacon, who was in this pulpit not too long ago, telling us about the problems and the victories in China. They have a tiny apartment in Hong Kong. And after this uprising in China, the students began to flee and he had 18 students sleeping on the floor in his tiny apartment. 18 students. And these students got out of China with nothing but the clothes on their back. Many of them Christians. And to hear of this primitive love, to hear of those who want nothing to do with our Western culture, they want nothing to do with our American dreams now. They don't want anything to do with our T-shirts. They don't want anything to do with our rock music. They don't want anything to do with our cars. They don't want anything to do with our houses and our lands and our possessions. There's a cry of these young people out of China now. Ronald Bacon said there's a cry from their heart. We want to be with Jesus. They want the freedom to worship and praise. They've been totally cut off from everything material. I probably would have to confess I'm a materialist. Deep in me, I think I'm an ascetic. I keep saying I'm just satisfied going to live in a tent. We know that's not true because I like nice things. And I have to be careful because those luxuries have a way. Luxuries are sedatives. They're drugs. They're Western alcohol. They're Western cocaine. They're Western heroin. And they're subduing the church of Jesus Christ. And our luxuries are driving us out of the presence of God. Nobody on the face of this earth is more guilty than I am. I have to continually read myself. This is a constant uprising in my flesh. And none of you can say amen to somebody else. Take it to heart. Please take it to heart. Hear what the Spirit is saying. I hear it ringing in my ears. I've heard it in my soul. The same words that Jesus spoke about the servants of the cold. He'd given them medicines. He'd given them talismans. And he said, give it a count. Give it a count. Give it a count. There's a story that shook me up. I was reading it this afternoon. And it's of a certain steward. He was accused of wasting his goods. The master called him and said, Servant, give it a count. I've lost stewardship. And that shook me like a knife. I'm going to have to stand before the judgment of the Holy God. Having lived in the last days. I'm tired of not having an office to pay. Even the devil knows it's late. I should know it's late. I should be curbing my appetite. This is not legalism. It's the voice of the Holy Ghost speaking to me. Speaking to this church. Shake it off. Shake off the lust for things. Lest it sedate you out of the burden of the Lord Jesus Christ. But you see the church we have people digging in in front of their TV sets. I know when I preach against TV, I can feel it. I actually feel it in the spirit. I see people digging in. I don't care what he says. I don't care what he says. Nobody going to touch my TV. Let's have a dig in. They don't let anything go. They got it all figured out. Saints. I'm going to find out. In not too distant future. We're going to find out if it's prophecy. We're going to find out if God was really crying from his heart to his people. We're going to find out whether there was stubbornness. We're going to find some things out because he said, you're going to give an account. I'm going to give an account to obey the Lord, to do it in love and not feel legalism. But I'm not even I quit worrying about that flag legalism. I got a burden from the Lord and I'm just going to shout it out. But saints of God, we're going to have to give an account. Thou shalt give an account. The Bible said we shall give an account to him that is ready to judge the living and the dead. Going to have to give an account. Isn't that something? You saw him under the blood. The Bible said we're going to stand. We're giving an account. We're giving an account. These were servants. These were all servants. Give an account. Give an account. Secondly, God's people are becoming less and less excited about the coming of the Lord. This is a warning. I've heard it as clear as I've ever heard in my life. You see, there's a new gospel being preached in the land and in the world today that Jesus comes only in the heart. His second coming is a special revelation through the mind and he opens up himself to the inner man. In fact, the New Ages, that's the key message of their gospel. That's the cornerstone that their Matreya, that their Christ is going to appear on television simultaneously all over the world and people are just going to know, they're just going to look at his face and know that he's the Christ because of the inner revelation in their heart. And in their mind. They're going to have a knowing, they're called a knowing. And all how that's creeping into the church today. You see, we have Christians today who don't see the world as we should see it, as a sentient ship that's reserved for fire, the scripture says. It's reserved for fire. They don't see it that way. They see the world as a capital, an international capital so to speak that's just kind of out of shape and kind of ransacked and run down and a lot of undesirables have moved in and they're going to kick out the undesirables and remodel the place and re-engovern it. That's not God's work. That's not the picture of this world in the Bible. That's not the picture. The Bible said it's reserved for fire. There's going to be a new heaven and a new earth. I want you to go to 2 Peter, if you will please. 2 Peter, 3rd chapter. And this should be a chapter that you read from now on no less than once a week. And I'll tell you why, because of the doctrines that are going to be coming down the turnpike. These doctrines that say Jesus is the latest coming is the doctrine of wickedness. A wicked man saith, the Lord delayeth. Only an evil man, the scripture says. The evil man saith, the Lord delayeth his coming. 2 Peter 3, 3. Knowing this first, this is 2 Peter 3rd chapter, 3rd verse. I'm going to read a number of verses now. At this point I'll read. Knowing this first, that those that come in the last day's staffers, walking after their own lusts, and they're 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. For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water. Look at verse 7. But the heavens and the earth which are now, by the same word, are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. I want you to skip down verse 10. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat. The earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. See then that all these things shall be dissolved and melted. What manner of persons ought ye to be in our holy conversation of godliness, looking for and hastening unto the coming of the Lord. In King James, hastening means earnestly desiring the coming of the day of the Lord, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved and the elements shall melt with fervent heat. Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens, and a new earth may indwelleth righteousness. Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace without spot and blameless. While you're still in that chapter, listen to me, please. They're saying this is not true, that Jesus only comes with clouds. They're symbolic statements, not even for the clouds. Come in the clouds where the clouds represent opposition. They've got it all figured out. They've got it all figured out. These new doctrines will sound so Christ-like. They will sound so steeped in scripture. Except they're going to twist them. They're going to symbolize all of these things. They'll be symbolic. The clouds, the coming of the Lord will be in the inner man, just a revelation. They'll call us now who preach the coming of Jesus, escapists, who are trying to escape the world. Now that's okay if you're out in Iowa, or the midwest, and you don't have to rub your nose in the gutter. You don't have to be around human need. That's one thing. We're in the front lines of evangelism here in New York, right in the middle of crack city, right in the middle of Dublin, and we sweat the comb to comb of the Lord Jesus Christ. We're not escaping, we're involved in human ministries. And we intend to stay here. But what kind of message is it? Verse 17, Ye therefore, beloved, soon you know these things. Before, beware, lest you also be led away with the error of the wicked. Fall from your own steadfastness. You know why the devil's going to try to rob us of this hope? It's because it produces steadfastness in Christians. And he's trying to get us away from our steadfastness in him. Beloved, if you've got your eyes on the coming of the Lord, and you're earnestly, like the scriptures are looking for, and hastening to the coming of the day of God, not just to do this wrath that has been told, listen, this whole doctrine, this whole teaching that Jesus is not coming and they get laid off way right into the future, is symptomatic of a lack of devotion to Jesus. Those who are devoted to Jesus want to see Him. They desire to be in His presence. Don't let anybody rob you of this, folks. It's coming. You're going to hear all kinds of sweet tunes. You're going to hear all kinds of doctrines coming down the road now. And they're going to be putting off, putting off the Lord every day away with the coming of the Lord. Oh, He's coming, folks. I've always believed that there's going to be a lot of suffering. The church is going to go through a lot of suffering. It's going to be purged by fire. But Jesus is coming. He's coming in clouds of great power and glory. Hallelujah. My Bible says that the Jews of Enoch prophesied, Behold, the Lord cometh with 10,000 of His saints to execute judgment. Well, if the Lord's coming just in the heart, He's coming down with 10,000 angels to execute judgment on them. That's what it says. He's coming with 10,000 to execute judgment. Paul said, For the Lord Himself, that means Godly, shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God, that dead in Christ shall rise first, and we which are alive and remain at His coming shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, so shall I ever be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words. It's a message of comfort. Hallelujah. It's not a message of escape. It's a message of comfort. All right? Do you believe that? Then what changes in your lifestyle are you making? Seeing that all these things are going to be dissolved, what kind of persons are we to be in all the conversation of God is in everybody's lifestyle. What kind of changes are we making? Are we living in readiness? That doesn't mean you walk around in fear. I grew up in that kind of thing, always fearing that the trumpet would sound and I'd be lost. I would have said a bad word, or I would have slipped out the movie, and come out, and the trumpet would sound, and I was left behind. I grew up fearing. I was absolutely afraid the trumpet would sound, and I had a bad mood on me or something, and I'd be lost. I grew up in some kind of... I heard that kind of theology. Well, Moses, that's what we're talking about. The readiness. And I speak of right now as a devoted heart. It's a heart so devoted to Jesus, so confident in His love, so desirous to please Him, just so near to Him that you have to take, like I said, that one tiny step to be in His presence. Glory be to God. Finally, here's my last warning. Don't get stuck in babbling at midnight, because babbling's falling. This merchandising world of greed and self is all coming down. Come out of her, my people, speaking of babbling, that you be not partaker of her sins, and that you receive not of her plagues. You know, I'm guilty, just like so many others, of spiritualizing babbling so much that I'm missing... I've been missing a very simple, basic foundational truth. Listen to me, please. I looked at this this afternoon, and I prayed and prayed and said, Oh God, what are you trying to say to me? Because I wanted to come here tonight, and I just wanted this... I wanted to spiritualize this, and I really didn't want to cut too hard. I really... No preacher wants to offend people. You'd think I'd like better now if you'd just flatter your pants around the back and say, you know, you've been doing so well, saints were growing in the Lord, everything's fine, I don't want you to end up with your combination, so I'm just going to... And the Lord said, you will look at it, apply it to yourself, and then preach it. You know what the Lord is saying here? He's talking about delicious living. He's talking about making merchants rich. Now, there's nothing wrong with merchants getting rich in itself, but it is representing something deeper than that. There's a spirit of greed behind it. We call Wall Street the capital of greed in America and the world. But that spirit of greed is spread all through our society, and now it's crept into the church. A spirit of greed, a spirit of equality, a spirit of lusting after the things of this world. And the Bible said, if any man loved this world or the things of the world, the love of the Father is not in him. And we can say, I don't love them, but we chase them. If we don't love them, why do we chase them? Oh, I say, Oh God, I know this is not going to determine my eternal salvation at this point. I'm securing you. But I don't want to have to stand before the judgment seat of Christ and have to look... I tell you what, I look over my past ministry, and there are times I've cried for hours at the waste. I cried last night, into the walls. I cried this afternoon. I have a weeping spirit right now on me. For the wasted time, the wasted calls the Holy Spirit gave to me, and I didn't listen. The wasted money. Oh, I could have built 15 churches in China for the money I've wasted. Oh, I could have done so much for the kingdom of God, and I wasted it. And I tell you what, I'm under the blood. You say, are you condemning, are you trying to condemn us? No. I'm saying there has to come a time in the church of Jesus Christ when enough is enough. There comes a... No, no clapping please. There comes a time when there has to be such an intensity in us. We have to be so devoted, we have to so believe, that what we're preaching, we so have to believe that Jesus is coming. We are not playing games anymore. We're not wasting our time. We're giving ourselves. We are giving ourselves. So holy to Jesus Christ. There's a revelation flowing through us. There are healing powers flowing through us. There are miracles flowing through us. There are things from the divine world that flow through us. Because we are so given to His heart, we're beginning to see His mind. We're seeing through His eyes. You can't do that with a selfish, greedy people. Amen. You can't do it in me. I'm so far. I'm so far from being there. But I want it. I desire it. And I have the Holy Ghost cutting at me right now. I have His knife being applied to my heart. The man said, I feel bigger, better, balanced. The Lord said, the soul, your soul be required tonight. He said, and then He said, now whose things will these belong? Who's going to own all these things now? You're dead and gone. What about all your things? Folks, it's all wrapping up. It's all wrapping up. If you steal the word that anywhere has your heart, you're not going to be prepared for what the Holy Spirit wants to do. I'm not saying you're going to die and go to hell. This trinity is not a guilt trip. But I hear the Holy Spirit saying deep in my heart, I hear it saying loud, don't let your greed make the merchants richer. Don't get carried away with spending and debt. Begin to curb your appetites. And instead, do you know what we're doing? We're feeding these merchants. And the Bible said, the merchants saw that I would have let them smoke and they wept. They were not weeping for the multitude who were dying in a holocaust. They were weeping because their money machine was dying. You see, this is what happens. People don't count anymore. The greed begins to build up and people don't matter. The bottom line is the only thing that matters anymore. Just bouncing the books. Just paying the bills. And we're getting in debt. We're Christians. Here is the message. Don't go in debt. We have thousands and thousands of Christians still spending like drunken sailors. Going deep in debt. I beg you, don't go in debt. Now for some of you say, that's not my problem. My problem is just paying my regular bills, my rent and my food. I'm not talking about that, saints. The Lord said, get off the Babylonian greed mill. Shake off that spirit that lusts for things. Get out while you can. It's a sin of merchandising with greed. There's nothing wrong with merchandising. It's merchandising with greed. Now get that. Get that, please. That we do not get caught up in the spirit of greed. The end of side one. You may now turn the tape over to side two. Stop here, folks. You may not believe it. I shouldn't say that. You may not see it. But I stand before you now under a deep anointing. I sense the Holy Spirit standing with me. Because I've pleaded with Him over this message. I've wept over it. It's nothing profound. It's very, very simple. But if I hear the Spirit right, He's calling you, He's calling me to quit just talking it and doing it. He's saying now. It's too late. It's too late. And my excuse has been, well, David, you deserved it, you earned it. No. We don't deserve it. We've not earned it. It's been His grace all along. I don't know about you, but I've heard from this pulpit. I've heard it from Pastor Don. I've heard it from Pastor Bob. I hear a call. I hear a call. Some of you are satisfied. You say, well, thank God, I finally found a church where the glory of the Lord is resting and I'm hearing a person of pure word. Folks, God is saying something to us. He's trying to build a fire under us. He's trying to awaken our spirits. He's talking about discipline in these last hours. We have an undisciplined spirit often among us. There's an undisciplined spirit often in me. And God says, David, you're going to have to set your heart to save me. Set your heart. Set your affections. Set your heart. Cut the ties that bind you to this world so that I can set one up in heaven. The best part with this, I'm going to close. You know I always close on a good note. There's one other preparation being made. And I thank God for it. Jesus said, I go. To what? To prepare a place for you. I will come again and receive you unto myself that where I am, there you may be also. Doesn't it warm your heart to know He wants you with Him? Doesn't it warm your heart to know that I'm sitting here and He's preparing a place? Right now, I can't begin to describe what it is. In the spirit world, I'm not even going to attempt that. That's speculation. But I know there's some place in His heart. There's some place near Him. He says, Church, I want you. I'm coming back for you. I am preparing a place for you. I want you with me. And I tell you what, if He's preparing a place for me, I'm going to prepare for the place He's preparing for me. If He's going to prepare for me, if He wants me near, I want to be near Him. Glory be to God. Oh, boy. Hallelujah. I feel like I've preached in such weakness tonight, but I... Are you hearing something from God at all? Yes. It does save the Lord. The battle... The hour is almost upon. The battle has become very intense. Destruction is everywhere. And I've got to send a strong wave. A strong wave throughout the land. Even unto my church. I am saying unto my church. It is now time for you to be healed. To believe and trust in me. It is now time for you to be healed. To give it all to me. Today I can lift your eyes. And today I'm where you're coming from. And you're coming from the Lord. You're almighty. It is now time to trust and believe me. Give it all to me. Give it all to me. Begin to love. Tonight in my heart. Let it rise in you. You are the spirit of salvation. Let's stand together. Will you stand, please? No clapping, no clapping, please. Robert, listen to me, please. Hold steady. Hallelujah. I thank God that he loves his church. Oh, how he loves us. Believe it or not, this is a message of love. He loves us enough to not let us go our own selfish ways. And he says, come on, son. Come on, daughter. If you walk with me. Hallelujah. He's not talking just about money. I'm not going to take away from the natural and try to put it on the spiritual. It's both. It's both spiritual and natural. But he wants our hearts. Hallelujah. Lord Jesus, I pray tonight that you would take your loving knife, your surgeon, your loving surgeon. You're the best surgeon in the whole world. And you love us so much that you come. You said you apply the ax right to the root. Put the ax to the root, Jesus. And then cut away everything that's unlike you. That we can be prepared people for the glory that's to come. The glory that's about to fall on the church. The glory that he wants to give. Lord, there are some people here on the verge of being so mightily used. And the devil's trying to trip them up. The devil's trying to sidetrack them. There's been an uprising of the flesh within them. And the devil's been trying to keep them from the ministry that God has ordained for them. He's trying to get them involved in the flesh. Trying to sidetrack us from our high calling in Christ Jesus. We will not be robbed of our inheritance in Christ. We will not be robbed. Lord, smite the greed. Smite the selfishness in me. Begin in this pulpit. Begin in me, Lord. Let it spread through this house. Oh God, give us a heart for you. Break and marvish whatever you have to do in order to pour in your healing oil. Pour in the vine of Gilead, Lord Jesus. And give us confidence in your faithfulness. If there's any reason for you to step out of your seat tonight and come here to lay down selfishness, greed, sin, whatever it is in the Holy Spirit tonight, you felt, as I did, the convicting power of the Holy Ghost. Get out of your seat. And come. Oh, that's hard to say, isn't it? Up in the dock, we'll come down any aisle. Let this heart beat, as I sit at your feet. Sweet silence. Please bring him closer. Sleep over my soul. Oh, sleep over my soul. Sleep over my soul. Sweet silence. Sleep over my soul. My life is complete, as I sit at your feet. Sweet silence. Sleep over my soul. If you're here tonight and your heart's been cold or backslidden, you're not walking with the Lord as you should, you can come and join. We'll have them sing it just one time, one more time, and we'll open that for those who are cold or indifferent or backslidden. You're not walking with Jesus. We invite you to come and join these. One time, please. Sleep over my soul. Sleep over my soul. Sweet silence. Sleep over my soul. My life is complete, as I sit at your feet. Sweet silence. Sleep over my soul. You just came forward. You're standing here. That doesn't mean that you're at a lower level of spiritual growth than the rest who have not felt led to come. We're all in the same boat, folks. We're all in the same need. We all have the same needs. I can look anybody in this church in the eye and say, I've preached to you in love. I've preached to you in love. Not after your money. Not after anything but your heart for Jesus. This could be the night of a new beginning for you. You know, the Lord is so quick to forgive. He's so quick to heal. He doesn't condemn you. He comes right now with forgiveness, and he gives you a new beginning. Hallelujah. He forgives the past, and there's a whole new beginning. Glory to God. Church, let's ask God for a new beginning. Would you raise your hands? Just raise your hands. Let's say a new beginning. A new beginning of discipline in our hearts. A new beginning of awareness. A new desire for preparation of the heart. The preparation of the heart that the Bible speaks so much about. Will you pray this with me? You that have gathered here right now. Jesus, prepare me. Help me to set no heart on things above and not things below. Forgive me, Jesus, for selfishness and greed and worldliness. Open me, Jesus, to receive by faith the victory between man and the cross. I'm forgiven. Let it be the beginning of a life of victory all over this world. In everything that's of this world. Now, just thank him for that victory. Lord, I thank you for that victory tonight. Thank you for that victory of Jesus tonight. The cleansing, the healing power of Jesus. Oh, glory to God in the highest. Oh, thank you for your forgiving love. Church, would you just love him now and thank him for his love. Lord, I know you love me. I know you forgive me. I know that you care about me. When the Lord loves, he chases. When the Lord loves, he chases. Hallelujah. Lord, you love us. It's a sign of your love. It's a sign of your love for us. And we love you, Lord. We thank you, Lord Jesus. Lord, I stand before these people and I thank you for chasing in me. I thank you for your chasing in me. It proves that I'm not an illegitimate son. It proves I'm a true son of God. Because you love me enough to chase in me. Lord, you love us all, Lord. You love us. We thank you for that love. If you're here, you're standing up for your family. And you have to say, Brother David, my heart's been backslidden. I've been cold and indifferent toward the Lord. And I want him to forgive me tonight. And I want to walk in that forgiveness. Would you raise your hand, please? Just raise your hands. I've been backslidden. I've been cold and indifferent. Lord bless you. God bless you. Lord, these that have their hands raised right now, send the fire of the Holy Ghost. Deposit your fire and your word from your love into their hearts. Hallelujah. You put your hands down. I'd like to have all the counselors please quickly make their way to the prayer room. Now, look this way. How many of you that have come forward, have never come forward to this church before? It's your first time. Would you raise your hand, please? It's your first time to come forward in this church. Raise your hand. All right. Will you please? We don't want you to sign anything. We're not trying to sell you anything or the rest. We want to pray for you individually. Will you go this way, right through this door. Make your way right through the crowd. Just make sure everybody will move for you because they want to see you get the victory in a wonderful way. Go this way, please. My left and your right. I have these that are here for the first time at this altar. Would you find these that are burned? We want to pray with you one-on-one. We'd like to minister to you and believe Jesus to set you free. Hallelujah. Amen. Do you believe there's freedom tonight in the Holy Spirit? Hallelujah. There's absolute freedom in the Holy Spirit. Glory be to God. Hallelujah. Well, I don't know about you folks, but I have a rejuvenation in my heart. You know, our father, my father and Don's father, he used to spank me. And he'd say, this hurts me worse than it hurts you. But then after he did that, he'd put his arms around me and love me. And love out the hurt. Love out all the hurt. If you feel like you've been spanked by the Holy Spirit or by a pastor, would you accept his loving arms around you now when there's repentance and forgiveness? Would you accept that from him? And would you feel what we felt this morning, the wonderful fatherhood of our loving God? He's our father. And he cares and he loves tonight. Would you just right now, folks, just let's just stop for just a minute and look up and let him love us right now. Lord, love us right now. Let us accept your love. Jesus, let us accept the love of the Father right now. Your loving, caring Father. And we thank you for that forgiveness. We thank you for that love. Put your love around us, your heart, your arms around us. We thank you, Jesus. We give you praise. We give you glory. We give you honor right now. Will you tell him you love him now? Lord, we love you. Lord, we thank you for your faithfulness and your goodness. You're going to teach us, Lord, how to walk. You're going to teach us how to live in these last days. Totally devoted, given to you. Hallelujah. This is the conclusion of the tape.