In this sermon, the preacher begins by warning against viewing the Bible as a means to gain material wealth. He emphasizes the importance of staying away from apostasy and turning away from worldly desires. Despite the impending challenges and difficulties, the preacher assures that God will have a faithful remnant who will be led by the Holy Spirit and separated from the spirit of the world. The sermon concludes with a reminder of the need for grace and a caution against pride, particularly in the context of the LGBTQ+ community.

This recording is provided by World Challenge Incorporated. You're welcome to make additional copies for free distribution to friends. All other unauthorized duplication or electronic transmission is a violation of existing copyright and other applicable laws. This recording cannot be posted on any website. However, written permission to link to the World Challenge and or David Wilkerson homepages may be requested by emailing info at davidwilkerson.org. Other recordings are available by calling 903-963-8626 or by writing to World Challenge Incorporated, Post Office Box 260, Lindale, Texas, 75771. Hallelujah. Praise you, Jesus. You may be seated. Thank God for his presence. The Holy Spirit has come, opened our hearts to praise him and to hear his word. Did you hear a word from heaven this morning? We ask him to speak to us again now. It's going to be a great service tonight. Believing Jesus to send heaven to come down. Hallelujah. I've never claimed to be a prophet. But I'm one of God's many watchmen. And I have to preach as a watchman. That's why I preach a prophetic message. And I want to preach a prophetic message to you. This is about the great final apostasy. Jesus, come. Open your word to us by your spirit. We're here to hear your word. We didn't come to hear a man. We didn't come to hear a man. Or men. We came to hear your voice. So speak once again to us. We open our hearts in Christ's name. Amen. I'll be preaching to you from the 16th chapter of Ezekiel. We will refer to a number of scriptures. And let me set a background for you. Do you love the word? Do you love the word? In the 16th chapter of Ezekiel, the prophet is talking about Israel. But the apostle Paul said everything written in the Old Testament, written as an example, and for our teaching, who live at the end of the world. That's our time. This is a dual, double prophecy. It speaks to Israel and their apostasy from God. And it speaks to this generation, to the evangelical church, to every church on the face of the earth today. And in this chapter, I won't read every verse. But I'll give you the background. Ezekiel said, God found you. He said, you were born and cast out into a desert. You were forsaken in your blood. You were abandoned. Nobody wanted you. He said, nobody washed you in water. But God said, I saw you. You were not really a people. Totally cut off from the world. He said, now you are known. And you have not remembered how I found you in the beginning. He said, now you play the harlot. Other loves have entered into your life. This is a picture of the apostasy. That is happening in churches around the world. You see, out of this root, out of this early call, remember Jesus was a root in dry ground. Out of this root grew a great plant. Its branches reached out. We call them denominations. We call them spiritual movements. We call them gatherings. And here's what the scripture says. This church that I founded has forgotten its beginnings. Think of the birth of the denominations. I have read the history of the founder of the Methodist church, John Wesley, great man of God. He founded the Methodist church. He used to get up at 5 o'clock in the morning and preach to the miners on the way to their mines. They would stone him. Many times they almost killed him. He suffered persecutions. But out of that persecution, out of that blood, was born the Methodist church. The Pentecostal movement was born in a little wooden church in Los Angeles. A small handful of whites and blacks who prayed, shot the face of God. And out of that little beginning, sacrifice, poverty, hunger for God. One after another, a Pentecostal movement was born. The Assemblies of God, the Church of God, the charismatic movement was born in that little church. The little church where there was holiness preaching, and there was such conviction of the Holy Spirit that preachers from all over the world would enter into the chapel. Not a word said. They would fall on their face and cry out to God. Many with hidden sins. And God exposed those sins. Without even preaching, it was the presence of God. It was the convicting power of the Holy Spirit. And that was the beginning of the Pentecostal movement. In the early days in America, preachers rode by horseback. They had what they called camp meetings. They preached out in the open fields. All the churches were born out of that revival. They preached with such conviction. They preached so powerful about the sins of the nation. People would faint. People would cry out to God all night long. They were poor. But they knew God. It was the birth of the Pentecostal movement. God says of all these denominations, I found you in your poverty. I found you in your nakedness. I clothed you in a white robe. I blessed and I prospered you. Think of the movements now. The beautiful denominational headquarters. The influence around the world. God said, you're not remembering your beginnings. Think of this country. And how so many of your movements were born. All of those praying men. Mothers of Zion. Who knew how to fast and pray. Some of them were mocked and ridiculed. They were very poor. But they had a hunger for God. That God said to these people. You did not remember the day of your youth. When you were naked and bare. You forgot that you were polluted in your own blood. And here's the words of the prophet Ezekiel. You left me. Because you gave yourself to harlotry, you are now a wife that commits adultery, and you're turning to strange doctrines now, you're turning to strangers. Let me talk to you about the Episcopalian Church. This is the oldest church denomination in the world. It was founded by men of the Holy Ghost and power. You read some of the books of the founders of the Episcopal Church and the Church of England, great revivals. Today, the Episcopal Church has adopted a gay agenda. They've ordained a gay bishop. One of their bishops has written a book denying the Godhead of Jesus Christ. Today, there is a woman director who has adopted the gay marriage agenda, and the church is splitting, breaking apart. And I say to the Episcopalian Church, heartbroken, and I speak it in love, you hear the words of the prophet, you forgot the day of your youth when you were naked and poor, and you've been polluted. Now, the Episcopal Church has made it possible that every diocese can call God a she, if they prefer, rather than a he. The Holy Ghost can be interpreted as a spirit of love, and you can interpret Jesus as you choose in light of human need. Can you understand the apostasy of that statement? If God is a she, then He has no son. The Father has no son. You're taking away the divinity of Christ. That's the key doctrine of Islam. God has no son. The apostasy that is creeping into the church. In the United States, all the great institutions, the colleges, Yale University, Harvard University, Princeton University, Columbia University, all the great universities were started by preachers. I have the books of some of the founders, powerful holiness preachers, great revivals that swept through the schools. Today, those colleges, hotbeds of atheism, homosexual agendas, in so few years, the apostasy has become embedded. And now, even evangelical colleges are having a hard time trying to keep to the standards, because from all sides, the apostasy is coming in. They can't stop it. Those who love God, I have read the letters of those who are on the board, godly people, and they say, we can't stop it. Apostate teachers, apostate professors are coming in, and our standards are all breaking down. God said, through the prophet Ezekiel, as I live, says the Lord, Sodom is your sister, has not done what you have done. Sodom has not sinned as you have sinned. Sodom is more righteous than you. He said that to his church. Pastor David, I don't want to hear this negativity. Let me tell you something. I listen to so many preachers today, and believe me, we have some of the greatest preachers that have ever lived. God has his prophets. God has pastors and pulpits. They are preaching the straight gospel, preaching a pure word. But most of what I hear, and it's heartbreaking, is an apostate message. And if it's not apostasy, it's something else. All I hear is how much God loves you. I hear that everything is going to be fine with you. All I hear is prosperity. All I hear are voices. You're good. Think right. Just do good. God loves you. That's true. That's all I hear. There's no message of hell. No message of divine judgment. No message of brokenness. When God destroyed Sodom, the number one sin was pride. It was not just homosexuality. The number one sin was pride. God said it was because of the pride and the arrogance. There's a smooth gospel being preached today. Listen to what the prophet Isaiah said. You'll become a rebellious people. He said children will no longer hear the law of God. They say to the prophets, do not preach right things to us. Preach smooth things to us. Cause the Holy One to cease from our presence. May I tell you this? A lot of Pentecostals, a lot of evangelicals, don't want to hear it anymore. Smooth gospel. Easy gospel. God wants you to be rich. God wants you to have a brand new car. Prosperity, prosperity, prosperity. And all the while, there's a handwriting on the wall. Your days are numbered. Now believers, I preach grace. I'm going to give you a good dose of grace before I close. Let me tell you about pride. I told you he destroyed Sodom for pride. Have you heard of gay pride? I've been at those parades in New York City. I was one of the first gay prides in New York. A quarter million homosexuals marching up 5th Avenue. Big signs. Jesus is gay. God is gay. I saw a group of Christians on the sideline, on the street. They had a sign. Jesus loved gays, but he hates their sin. A gang of homosexuals jumped out of the parade. I was standing nearby. They beat them up. Tore up their signs. They started waving their signs. Jesus is gay. Now you say, that's really apostasy. That's really pride and arrogance. But let me tell you something that's worse. I'm going to talk to you about an apostasy that is worse than gay pride. All of that is outside the church. Outside the true church of Jesus Christ. But there's something that grieves the heart of God more. If I come from the United States, here to your country, I have to have a reason. Gary and I came with a reason. I'm not interested in another conference. I'm not interested in another sermon. I'm called to be a watchman. God didn't call me here to work up your emotions. To get you dancing in the aisles. He sent me as a watchman to warn you and plead with you and speak the heart of God. Let me talk about this apostasy. It's not a perverted gospel that grieves God the most. It's a partial gospel. It's a half gospel that's being preached in many churches today. The apostle said, or rather the prophet said, they don't show the difference between what is holy and what is unholy. They're preaching a smooth message. They don't want to offend anybody. Because people will not come to hear a message of reproof, of warning, of naming sin. And here's what the prophet said, they strengthen the hands of the wicked so that he will not turn from his wickedness. For I will deliver my people out of their hands, and they shall know that I am the Lord. The proud looks of men shall be humbled. Men shall be bowed down before the word. I have a minister acquaintance who pastored a very large church with thousands. I thank God for big churches with thousands of people. I'm the founding pastor of one. And I thank God for all the gifted men. And I'm not called to judge my fellow ministers. I'm talking about what the heart of God declares to us. It's directed at my heart just as much as anybody else's heart. But this pastor of this huge church, the Holy Spirit came to him one day. In fact, he's written a book about it. He said, the Holy Spirit told me that I was robbing my people because I wanted to have a big church. I wanted to expand and expand. He said, but I discovered the more I read the word, I was just giving them the good news. I wasn't taking to them the full message. I was afraid to correct. And the Holy Spirit dealt with me for weeks. He started giving me messages. I was heartbroken. I began to weep. And the Holy Spirit said, when you get up, you're preaching a compromised message to hold the congregation, to carry your expenses. He said, one day, I couldn't take it anymore. I said, God, if I preach what you're telling me to preach now, I'm going to lose my people. The Lord said, you must preach the whole gospel. You're afraid to offend anybody. And he noticed more and more divorces in his church. Young people were not turning to God. They were just having church. The people were not growing spiritually. And the Lord finally told him, you're really not my shepherd. You're appeasing these people. So he got up one Sunday morning with a broken heart, through tears. He said, I have not given you the whole gospel. I've been afraid to preach the whole gospel. And I'm sorry, but I have to tell you what God has said. Within a few months, he had 200 people left. But he said, my people are growing. When I stand before God, and this is what he said in so many words, I'm going to know that I presented a people who know Christ, who know his word, and are growing in the spirit. He said, the burden is gone. I'm not competing with anybody now. I'm one of the happiest preachers in America. Just about everywhere Gary and I go, not always, but a number of times, we see a preacher coming to meet us. He's got his whole entourage of people. Did you mention this this morning, Gary? They come to you, to Gary and I, and it goes something like this. I have one of the biggest churches in the country. I'm on television. He starts telling all these great things he's doing, and we don't even know his name. One time, Gary asked, by the way, what's your name? And in the same atmosphere, there's a man comes up to us, doesn't say anything, but I've been praying for you, humble, broken, and he just passes by. And someone standing by says, you know who he is? He's the leader in Africa of over a few million people. Pastors all over Africa. You would never know. There's a man, you know, who's preaching Christ in his fullness, and when you look at him, you see the cross. You see the cross of Jesus Christ. No ego, no competition, preaching the full gospel of Christ. In the days ahead in this nation, if you're a pastor, please listen closely. If you don't hear anything else I say, from a gray-haired man of God, you're going to be tested. Where do I stand? You're going to see others around you, cutting the gospel, preaching only what people want to hear, tickling the ears, preaching borrowed messages. Preaching only principles, but not the revelation. Never warning, never a prophetic message. I ask you, where are your prophets? How many men do you know? How many preachers have you heard lately that you know that the word is coming from God's throne? Not just to bless you, but to awaken you, and to prepare you for the day that's ahead. You're going to be tested, and the reason I say that, I'm being tested. Tomorrow night, I'm going to be preaching one of the strongest prophetic messages I've ever been given. And I have to argue with the Lord. Lord, I don't want to do that. Lord, give me a nice, easy, encouraging message. I get tired of hearing this, when I hear it all over America. And I'm not talking out of self-pity. They say, is he still living? That doomsday preacher in New York. Is he still around? Talking about judgment. Jeremiah said, I don't want to preach this anymore. But you see, there's a scripture that says, I will raise up watchmen, and if you see a storm coming, and you won't warn the people, the blood's on your hands. I don't want blood on my hands. And there are some of you that have to make the same decision. God's speaking to you. And God wants you to make a clear stand. And you who are not in the ministry, watch out. I was listening to a preacher, and I'm sitting there, and saying, this is such wonderful preaching. And suddenly, after 95%, good preaching, then came the poison. Jesus can't come until you have a new house and a new car. Jesus wants you to be wealthy. Then he said, this Bible is nothing but a path to riches. Watch out. You'll hear that. Now let me give you the good news. When you get to the end of 16th chapter, and the prophet Ezekiel, in the midst of all of this warning, the Spirit of God comes on the prophet Ezekiel. He said, in the midst of all of this, there's going to be a people who turn away from all apostasy. He said, I will cause you to turn away from the harlotry. And this is what the prophet is saying, and this is the message I really bring to you now. In the midst of all the things that are coming, I can't begin to describe to you what I see coming. But in the midst of all of this, the Lord said, I'm going to have a people, and I'm going to move by the Spirit in their hearts. I'm going to call them out of the Spirit of this world, and I will cause them. He said, I will cause them. I will do it by my Spirit. I will turn you away from all the idolatry, and I will raise up a remnant who know my name, who are immovable, and will not accept the Spirit of this age. And God has those people here. They're sitting in this room, and God will anoint you to turn away from all these voices that call you to the flesh. And the Spirit will bring you into the fullness and make you unafraid, take all fear out of your heart, and all the pride of this world is going to have a humble people, a broken people, a people who are not moved, immovable, anchored in this Bible. Nobody can move you. Pastor, make up your mind, and ask the Holy Spirit to give you the courage. I will not compromise. I will not cheat people in the gospel. I don't care what it costs me. I will preach the full gospel of Jesus Christ. Will you stand? Spirit of God, come. Confirm your word now. Awaken us in this hour. Raise up prophets. Raise up watchmen. God, open your word. The revelation of truth. Let no apostasy take over the church. Awaken the Pentecostals, the Baptists, the Presbyterians, the Episcopals, the Catholics. Wake them up. You're coming, Jesus. Wake us up. Hallelujah. I have a question from the Holy Spirit. What do you want in the Dominican Republic? What do you want? No use keeping the doors open if sinners can't feel your presence. If I don't sense your presence, if you're not here, we need to sell the building because we don't have church. We just have a meeting. This is about having the presence of Jesus. And what Gary is talking about, the glory. And if we leave these meetings and we didn't catch it, we didn't let the word get a hold of us, we missed it. There's time before you go eat to have a prayer meeting. You can walk around. You can kneel. You can sit any way you choose. You can go to empty seats around here. I guess the balcony is open. If you're a husband and wife together, I want you to find a place of prayer, and I want you to seek the Lord. Lord, I'm asking you now to bring a spirit of intercession for the presence of Jesus to fill this nation. Come to our churches. Oh God, do something fresh. Do a fresh work of your Holy Spirit. Not just emotions, but something deep in the Holy Spirit. Would you find a place before you go to eat? Just find a place of prayer. And if you plan to be in a meeting tonight, would you gather together and just start praying that the glory of the Lord will be upon us the rest of this day. God bless you. Pray. You can come to the front. You can kneel here in your seat. You can sit down in your seat. But let's call upon the name of the Lord. No music. Just prayer. Just crying out to God.