G.W. North preaches on the significance of the fifth seal in Revelation, emphasizing that while the devil appears to rule, it is ultimately God who is in control and overruling all events. He highlights the souls of the martyrs under the altar, who cry out for justice, and contrasts their desire for vengeance with the grace of God that offers forgiveness. North encourages believers to live righteously and to understand the power of the blood of Christ, which speaks better things than the blood of Abel, and to reflect on what their own lives and blood would testify before God.

Let's turn to the word then, beloved Chowie. Shall we read in the book of the Revelation? I hope you're familiar with the opening chapters of this book. I want to read just a portion from chapter six. At this juncture, John has been given the revelation of the Lamb who had taken the book from him that sat on the throne. The book that you may remember was a sealed book. And one of the great things that John records for us is that as the Lamb of God broke the seals on the book, something tremendous happened. And it's a glorious thing for us to remember this in these days that it's the Lamb of God who's breaking the seals. Men are not quite doing as they like, as they would have us to think. Powers are not just springing up haphazard and men aren't suddenly stirring up revolutions and coups and all sorts of things like that, just as they think. We have reminded ourselves time and time again, and I think it's good to remind ourselves again, that the devil is ruling. The God of this world, that is not our God, but the God of this world is ruling in the world. But the Lord is overruling. Now that's the thing to take into your heart. The devil is ruling, but he's only a puppet ruler. He has been granted power for a time. Overruling all is God. And that's a marvelous thing. And we see here then, in this sixth chapter, that the Lamb is opening the seals. In verse one you will see, the Lamb opened one of the seals. We could read them all and perhaps, well I think we will as Norman has granted me so graciously a lot of time. We'll start in verse one. I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard as it were the noise of thunder. Strange he should make reference to thunderclaps, isn't it? One of the four beasts saying, Come and see. And I saw. And behold a white horse, and he that sat on him had a bow, and a crown was given unto him, and he went forth conquering and to conquer. Glory be to God. Complete victory in the hand of him that sits on the white horse. And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see. And there went out another horse that was red, and power was given to him that sat thereon, to take peace from the earth. And that they should kill one another, and there was given unto him a great sword. I hope this is sinking into your heart, and you have light enough in your understanding to start grasping some basic facts. Verse five. And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse, and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny, and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine. And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see. And I looked, and behold a pale horse, and his name that sat on him was Death. And Hades, is the Greek, the place of departed spirits, followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth. And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held. And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? And white robes were given unto them, every one of them. And it was said unto them that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellow servants also, and their brethren that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled. And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood, and the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together, and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man hid themselves in the dens, and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of his wrath is come, and who shall be able to stand? A solemn chapter. A chapter of unrelieved, almost, tragedy. Then you don't wonder, I suppose, that that's the story of the earth upon which we live. This chapter has comprehended almost to the end of time, certainly from the resurrection and enthronement of the Lord, encompassing the day of Pentecost, and onward when the rider on the white horse went forth conquering and to conquer, blessed be the name of the Lord, to the time when, as we read, the great bodies of the heavens are going to be moved, and God is going to do tremendous things in this great universe of ours, in which we are living. All in preparation for the day when, finally, He banishes it forever, and in place of this present universe, makes another. Well, it's all going to be wonderful. It may be as well that every one of us answers the question tonight that was asked. Who shall be able to stand? It's important that you and I know some of these great things. I want particularly, though, to dwell upon the fifth seal, not just upon the breaking of the seal. I want to deal on a subject that has been engaging my heart for some days. He said he saw, when the fifth seal was opened, under the altar, verse 9 I'm reading, the souls of them that were slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. Well, praise God. There have been some terrible things spoken of so far. You saw it here, starting verse 3, the breaking of the second seal, following the sending forth of the Holy Ghost, in verses 1 and 2, that is, from the day of Pentecost onward. This great all-conquering Spirit of God is going out, and He's never going to stop, apparently, until God's purposes are wrought in the earth. Hallelujah. He's conquering and He's going to keep on conquering along the line of God's will. Keep this very clear. And in the days when, following it, the red horse goes out and peace is taken from the earth. And when the third horse comes out, the black horse, and famine and provision has to be made in place of famine. And also, it's wonderful to note, that the two symbols that speak for the Holy Ghost, we're told in verse 6, that the oil and the wine were not to be hurt. Glory be to God. They're both symbols of the Blessed Spirit, of the rider on the white horse, as He goes forth. And then the pale horse of death, and the place of departed spirits, hunger, death, all sorts of things. And then the fifth seal is broken, because all the time this has been going on, and the gospel's been preached in the power of the Spirit. All the time that great distresses, darknesses, blacknesses, tortures, persecutions, all the things that you want to embrace in this great description, all the time that's going on, there have been those who have responded to the gospel that is preached in the power of the Spirit of God. There are those who have been listening to God, and have been responding to Him, and they have taken up the testimony, and they have preached it, and some have been slain for the glorious testimony that they've held. And these are the martyrs. Strange again, if strange it be that that hymn was chosen about the martyrs. And in the very first hymn about the altar, we'll read it, Under the altar I saw the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held. And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? And white robes were given unto every one of them, and it was said unto them that they should rest yet for a little season until their fellow servants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled. That's just before the sixth seal is opened. God moves into the next great phase of the judgments that are sure to come and must take place as justice responds to the treatment of men the way they have accepted or rejected the great gospel of Jesus Christ. And this is why, beloved, one of the great reasons. The Lord Jesus, when he was on the earth, said that all manner of blasphemies and things against the Christ that men have said or sins they have committed can be forgiven them. But it is quite impossible to sin against the Holy Ghost and blaspheme the Holy Ghost and be saved because he's the only one by which you can be saved. And if a man blasphemes the Holy Ghost, he's blaspheming the means of salvation during this age. And, of course, there's no hope for him. That is not a threat. It is just common sense. Isn't it? Of course it is. Jesus said you've got to be born of the blessed Spirit. That's what he said. He said that the good Samaritan who in the final analysis is our Lord Jesus Christ pours in oil and wine, that they are the symbols of the Holy Ghost. It doesn't matter whether there be shortage of food. It doesn't matter whether there be wars. It doesn't matter whether there be rumours of wars. It doesn't matter if nation rises up against nation. It doesn't matter if incredible barbarities are perpetuated all over the face of the earth against men and women, poor innocents, many of them, who've never done anything to discern it. It doesn't matter what else the devil mixes up or what he does or doesn't do. There will never be any cessation to the going forth of the Holy Ghost. There will never be any shortage of the oil and the wine in the spiritual sense. In fact, it is a known truth that in days of persecution so stupid are men and so tied up and upside down are they that these are the times when they turn mostly to God. That's a tragic fact. It's utterly true. Praise the name of the Lord. There's no hurting these things. There's no limitation of this. And there are those, beloved, who through it all are listening and they are receiving and God is giving them the Holy Spirit and the Holy Ghost goes forth first, you see. And everything, though it seems absolutely impossible, as we listen to news and read newspapers and catch the general spirit of depression and chuck out one government and put in another and discover that they're the same, if not worse, certainly no better than the one we tipped out. And all this kind of thing. And men try every scheme there is under the sun. Hallelujah. That the Holy Ghost is over all and the blessed Spirit of the Lord is working, working and working. And we're evidences of it. We're in this room tonight. Praise the name of the Lord. And I think we ought to be glorying in the Lord in one sense, not just because, hooray, Cliff has come round again. But there are those, beloved, who just couldn't gather like this. Just couldn't do it. You know, somebody has been very, very loving to me. Lots of people are loving to me. But someone has been very loving to me because without my knowledge and without my asking they may have thought that I needed to know. And they must have given a subscription to a certain publication. Now I warn you that if you give subscriptions to publications to have them sent to me, I almost certainly won't read them. I have no objection to it in that sense. It's just that time forbids. But there's one little paper that comes into my home and I noticed the other day that my wife said to me, Where's that? She wanted to read it too. And it's called The Voice of the Martyrs. I don't know whether you read it, or whether you've ever heard of it, or whether you want to lush yourself up with papers called New Wine, or something like that, to tell of charismatic ebullience, or whatever it is, all over the earth and all this sort of thing. And I want to tell you that God's more concerned with flesh and blood than He is with gifts and upspurtings of joys or downpourings of rains, or what it is that people think about, beloved. And I read, and I read it most regularly, and the papers I bypass, I bypass. But this one I read, The Voice of the Martyrs. It's not a very large paper, and it tells of those who in this day are laying down their lives inside information, beloved, that should take the blinkers off your eyes if you're carried away by propaganda from political sources. The Voice of the Church that speaks truth, backed up by photographs that aren't faked by newspaper wizards. I don't say that all photographs are like that, but I'll tell you this, I know a man, I know of him, I haven't met him, I want to meet him one day. If I can, I like to meet these kinds of men. He was a fashion photographer. I could name a name that everybody in the room would know if they were English, of a great fashion photographer. He was one. He had salons. He was in the big money. Until one day, he isn't a Christian even to this very day, but the man, I believe, or his wife's in this place, that will back up what I have to say, because this gentleman told me, he said that he one day realized that he was living his life on a lie. That he touched photographs, he took this, he doctored them, presented them to the various publications that wanted them, they accepted them. Big orders from this thing, big orders from that one. And there came a day when he realized that he was living for a lie. And he gave it all up. All the big money. He wasn't a Christian, but at least he came to some high principled thinking. You see, that's the sort of thing that you and I have to realize we're up against in this world. Doctored this and doctored that. Until nobody knows what he's reading is the truth, or the thing he's looking at is telling them the truth either. But when you read and see the photographs taken by men, who know they're going to probably die for taking it, because they want to put on record what's happening in these countries. If you're like me it speaks to your heart. And they're the things I want to see. They're the things I want to know about. Men and women who are prepared to live and to die for Jesus. When they died, nobody built an altar and put their bodies on it. And burned them so that their ashes fell beneath the grid. But when they're spoken of by the blessed Lord Jesus, and remember it is He who has sent His angel to testify these things in the churches. He, it was, listen and I'm testifying it to you tonight. We're a church. Church is just the people gathered together that's all it is. And He beloved, that stood on Patmos and gave the original revelation to John. He, whenever a man or a woman lives and dies for Him, whatever kind of life or death they may live, whether it be cultured or barbaric, whether it be eastern or western, whether it be in this hemisphere or in another hemisphere of this earth, it matters not to God whether it be in the cold regions of the north or the burning deserts of the Sahara. It doesn't matter to God at all about that. That's the place of the altar, so far as He is concerned. That, my beloved, equates with Him to be rated with the supreme sacrifice of Jesus Christ. And the souls of such people, they go beneath the altar, we are told. That's where they go. You talk about the place of departed spirits. Ask yourself where departed souls go. I saw the souls of them. They were beneath the altar. They were precious to God. Glory be to God. Amen. They said, Lord, how long e'er Thou dost avenge our blood? You say, and perhaps you may sometimes have wondered along this line, as I did for years, how do these people who've really lived for God, witnessed for Him, and had the spirit of the blessed Lamb in them, how can they cry out for vengeance? For truly, I never found it in my own heart ever to seek vengeance. Since the day that the Lord visited me, and changed my heart within me, and gave me His Holy Ghost, and baptized me with fire and with love, into the body of the Lord Jesus Christ, I knew that all such things belonged to the devil. They belonged to humanity, riddled and ridden with and by satanic power. But when God comes, and He deals with a man and a woman, He takes all desire for revenge and anything right out of the heart. It never enters into His thinking. It never, never approaches expression because the idea of it doesn't exist anymore. And I couldn't understand. And like lots of things that I don't understand in the Bible, that may surprise you, but it's true. Like so many things I don't understand in the Bible, when I read them, I just lift them knowing, lift it, that one day God would show me. And God would make it know. Bless the name of the Lord. There always has to come a moment of revelation and understanding. I want to ask you a question now, man, woman. Doesn't matter where you come from or what your age is. What is in your heart? Vengeance? You may say, well I wouldn't be thinking on this level that we've read about. Be sure if you've got it on any level. It's devilish. What's in your heart? You one of these people that want to get your own back? You one of these people that want to get revenge on this person and that person, what they did to you, what they did to your mother, what they did to your brother, what they've done to your family, or I don't know what. Bitterness, hardness, revenge. Hmm? I want to tell you beloved, that you'll never, never get anywhere with God. With that in your heart. When God comes and He renews a man in his heart, that's one of the things that go. Absolutely. Come back to my mind now. Some of you will have heard me say this before, but what else can I say? I can remember a time. I remember a time when God dealt with me so gloriously. And this is why I couldn't understand such things as I've just read for a long time. I remember going to my sister who was very ill at this time. She was propped up in bed and very white and very weak. And I went and I knelt down by her bed. God had only just recently visited me. And as I knelt by her bed, I put my hands up over the cover and I took her two hands in mine. Bless her, she's living out in Australia now. If you saw us, you'd think we were twins. But we're not. She's a good bit older than I am. And because she knew her little brother, she knew what a horror she'd got. And I took her hands and I said, Rene, I know God's done something in me. I can forgive anybody anything. Amen. And I opened my eyes and the tears were running down her face. Don't bet she ever expected to find that from her little brother. Bigger than her physically, of course. She said, and I believe it. Now that's what happens when God deals with you. If that hasn't happened to you, you may depend. You've never allowed yourself to be dealt with by God. You love the sin. You love this great deep hatred. It's been the burning thing that's kept you going. You've lived for revenge. You've lived for the day to come. When you do this and you do that, it's surprising the kinds of things that people live on. Becoming bitter and hard and jealous. And all sorts of things for which people are looking for all kinds of solutions. And can find none anywhere. I once remember learning a hymn. I think I still know the hymn. And it goes something like this. Abel's blood for vengeance. Hmm? Guys. Do you remember that one? Let's read about it. We're reading in Hebrews. We're in chapter 12. Abel's blood for vengeance. Crieth to the skies. But the blood of Jesus for our pardon cries. That's always the difference being painted between Abel and Jesus. Hebrews 12. Verse 22. You are come unto Mount Zion. And unto the city of the living God. The heavenly Jerusalem. And to an innumerable company of angels. To the general assembly and church of the firstborn. Which are written in heaven. And to God the judge of all. And to the spirits of just men made perfect. And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant. And to the blood of sprinkling. That speaketh better things than that of Abel. We'll go back into Genesis chapter 4. And in this chapter. We find that Adam and Eve. Dispossessed of paradise. Produced their two first children. Verse 1. Cain was born. Verse 2. Abel was born. And Abel was a keeper of sheep. But Cain was a tiller of the ground. And in process of time. It came to pass. That Cain brought of the fruit of the ground. An offering unto the Lord. And Abel. He also brought of the firstlings of his flock. And of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel. And to his offerings. I hope that you have not been laboring under the delusion. That the difference between Abel and Cain was. That Cain brought the first fruits of the ground. And Abel brought the lamb. Is that what you think happened? You're allowed to think so. If grammar doesn't disprove you. Grammar inserts the word also. That means that Abel brought the fruit of the ground. As well as the lamb. How often. Is it said. That we never read our Bibles. We read what. We think. They say. That's why in the same Hebrews letter. If I may point the lesson. We are told to bring of the fruit. In chapter 13. As long as you bring it with the lamb. If you offer fruit instead of the lamb. And this is the great tragedy in so many. We've got to watch it in this move that's going on. When people are coming all up into the fruit realm. I want to come tonight down onto the blood realm. That's where I'm moving. Onto the realm of the blood. Abel brought fruit as well as Cain. It was I pointed out this morning. That little word also about Martha and Mary. Mary did serve. But she also sat at Jesus feet. Abel did bring the fruit of the ground. God didn't reject it. But he brought it together with the blood. He brought the lamb. And when you bring the lamb and bring the blood. Then everything is acceptable. This is the way. That God wants us to understand the scripture. And read it properly. And you know what happened. God did not have respect unto Cain. Verse 5. And his offering. And Cain was very wroth. And his countenance fell. He was angry with God. Be very careful when you get angry with God. Won't you? If you get angry with God. That's another thing that should have gone out of your heart. By the way. If God really dealt with your heart. You never get angry with God. And the Lord said unto Cain. Why art thou wroth? And why is thy countenance fallen? If thou doest well. Shalt thou not be accepted? If thou doest not well. Sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire. And thou shalt rule over him. And Cain talked with Abel his brother. And it came to pass. When they were in the field. That Cain rose up against Abel his brother. And slew him. And the Lord said unto Cain. Where is Abel thy brother? And he said. I know not. Am I my brother's keeper? And he said. What hast thou done? The voice of thy brother's blood. Crieth unto me from the ground. And now thou art cursed. From the earth. Which hath opened her mouth. To receive thy brother's blood. From thy hand. Matthew. God make the Bible talk to us this night. Make thy word plain to us Lord. Trace thou a path through its mighty pages. And teach us the truth. In Matthew chapter 23. It's one of the great chapters. That when you read it. I should think would bring a chill to your heart. It's one of the chapters. It is when the Lord reluctantly did something. That he very seldom did. He pronounced woe upon woe. Upon Pharisees. Upon scribes. Upon lawyers. He did all sorts of things. He didn't believe in calling people names. He told the Pharisees that they were serpents. All sorts of things. And well. In verse 34. Wherefore behold. I send unto you prophets. And wise men. And scribes. And some of them ye shall kill. And crucify. And some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues. And persecute them from city to city. That upon you may come all the righteous blood. Shed upon the earth. From the blood of righteous Abel. Unto the blood of Zacharias. Son of Barachias. Whom ye slew between the temple and the altar. Verily I say unto you. All these things shall come upon this generation. O Jerusalem. Jerusalem. Thou that killest the prophets. And stonest them which ascend unto thee. How often would I have gathered thy children together. Even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings. And you would not. Behold. Your house is left unto you. Desolate. For I say unto you. You shall not see me henceforth. Till ye shall say. Blessed is he that cometh. In the name of the Lord. Solemn scriptures aren't they? Abel is called a righteous man here. Do righteous men call out for revenge? Do they? No. They don't. Praise the name of the Lord. Then what ever does it all mean? This. I don't pretend to think that I know. That there is any moral and ethical relationship. Between blood plasma. And character. If there are any Jehovah's Witnesses in the room tonight. Or have been Jehovah's Witnesses. Or would be Jehovah's Witnesses. And this is very strange. Because in some countries you know. Say Cyprus for instance. Where some of us go to preach. Or at least one or two of us have been. My wife comes. She doesn't do much preaching. Except to me. But if you go there. And you say anything different from the Orthodox Church. In Cyprus. Everybody is dubbed a Jehovah's Witness. So I am a Jehovah's Witness when I go to Cyprus. You are called that. They have got no other bracket for you. Must be a Jehovah's Witness. Well in a sense it is a testimony to the Jehovah's Witnesses. And very bad outlook upon the church I would think. At least they have been there. Pestering everybody with their erroneous doctrines. But one of the errors into which they have fallen. And you know that many of them have been to prison about this. They really sincerely believe it. That you should not have blood transfusions. Because they believe that character and such like. Does literally lie in the red blood plasma. And a little bit of saline they drop in with it. And all sorts of things. That we don't really know. But we have to trust them. We really do. And generally we are in good hands. I have been in the one or two doctor friends I have got. And I don't think there is any real thing about it. I don't believe that by transfusing blood from one person's veins to another. You transfuse sin or righteousness. But there is something about it. That all the time the blood of a person stops in that person's veins. And circulates around that system in a way I don't pretend to understand. God associates the blood with the moral character and ethics of the person. It's because basically blood is the most vital thing that we have. And he comes right down to the basic thing about us. And he associates things with basics. He is not unduly impressed. Or over impressed. Or whatever it should be. With the sort of thing that Norman was talking about. You know, ever so religious. I am ever so glad that God rescued Norman. I reckon he was on his way to a monastic cell. There you are. And wouldn't we have lost a treasure if he had gone there. You see, ever so much religion. And of course he put himself up to be looked at. So we are going to look at him. And ever so much religion, he said, with this great outward covering. That's all it was. And inside, well I won't say anything about it. He is allowed to mow and nobody else much. But the greatness about it, beloved, that God is not impressed with these outward things at all. That isn't to say that he ever alters the inwards of a man and leaves the outwards unaltered. Now that's one of the tragedies of the sort of way in which we are living today. The men think they can get baptised in the Holy Ghost and dress as though they are hippies or something. And act as though they are. There's a, there's a, things go together. You can't live one way inwardly and another way outwardly. You cannot do that. If you young people think you can, you let someone who loves you tremendously, and would love you a lot more if I knew you more intimately. You let someone speak to your heart. My young people, you cannot do that. The Holy Ghost does not allow it. And if you look around and say, well he does seem to, I can think of Arthur somebody and Joe somebody and Mary someone else and Sister someone else who does it. They are not your examples. You are to understand that you are to look and look only unto the Lord Jesus Christ. And let him deal with you inwardly and outwardly. You understand that. You say, well the man's a conformist. Yes I am. And in these things I'm not a non-conformist. I believe that the Blessed Holy Spirit has come to conform us in every way unto Jesus Christ. That's what I believe. And how Jesus Christ would live as if he was a 20th century man. He hasn't bidden us go barefooted in sandals, I won't look in certain directions. And grow long beards and I'm not looking in certain directions. And wear an old filthy old cloak tied round with some sort of a cord round your waist and all that sort of thing. Blessed be the name of the Lord. Jesus Christ was a message to his generation in his time. And you are to be a message to your generation in your time. And the Lord wants us to understand, it's not that I want to talk about that, that seems to have come up by the way. But, he wants us to understand this beloved. That there is an association between the blood of you and the life of you. I understand this from reading in the book of Leviticus. Some of you will know the verses to which I'm going to turn. I can remember several years ago when we looked on these same verses and we were thinking then about the blood of God. I'm thinking about the blood of man now. I'm on the opposite side. The blood of God which eventually found it's way into writing some of it. And here's the truth. Verse 10 of chapter 11 of 17 of Leviticus. Whatsoever man there be of the house of Israel or of the strangers that sojourn among you that eateth any manner of blood I will even set my face against that soul that eateth blood and will cut him off from among his people. For the life of the flesh is in the blood and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls. For it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul. Therefore I said unto the children of Israel no soul of you shall eat blood neither shall any stranger that sojourneth among you eat blood. And whatsoever man there be of the children of Israel or of the strangers that sojourn among you which hunteth and catcheth any beast or fowl that may be eaten he shall even pour out the blood thereof and cover it with dust. You remember how God breathed into dust in the beginning and somehow how he did it I don't know. Blood started to circulate through veins. I don't know how God did it. But I want to tell you this beloved that this is the preciousness of it all that when he inspirited in the dust soul came and blood started to circulate and it is precious, precious, precious to God. He said cover it with dust. It is the life of all flesh. The blood of it is for the soul of it. That's your word. That word life there is soul throughout. God is talking about soul. The soul of it. I said unto the children of Israel ye shall eat the blood of no manner of flesh for the soul of all flesh is the blood thereof whosoever eateth it shall be cut off. So now you know whether animals have souls or not. If people were to read their Bibles they would know. You understand whether a bird has a soul. No. I'm not saying it's a highly developed one. I'm not saying it's capable of feeling all the things that we feel. I'm not saying it's capable of building up the same kind of life. Thank God that it isn't. So don't try and waste your time on your budgerigar or on your chihuahua or on your cow. I knew a man that used to get up every morning and go out and kiss the cow. I'm telling you the truth. God filled him with the Holy Ghost and he fell in love with everything. And he went out. I'm telling you the truth. And if you got within arm's length he'd kiss you too before you had a chance to duck. God put love in that man's heart. I saw him kiss the cow myself. I can't say I've ever done it. But the cow hadn't got a soul like John. He had a soul but he hadn't got that kind of a soul. And it was the soul that was offered to God that was the atonement. Will you note that? Amen. The soul, the content, moral, immoral or amoral is associated with the blood. Now what a tremendous thing this is. So when Abel brought the lamb or what it was he brought we'll say it was a lamb or a kid of the goats and he brought its blood everything was accepted. There was a soul offered to God. And he could bring his grapes and figs and melons and I don't know what all the side when he got it in right perspective. What a glorious thing it is. Abel was a righteous man. Hallelujah. Somehow beloved here's the thing that you and I are to understand and God help us for we need to see it as plain as we've ever seen anything in our lives. Somehow the life you've lived has a connection with your blood in the sight of God. And it takes the moral and ethical qualities of the Christ of God the sinless one. It takes His righteousness to get down to blood level in you. Somehow that blood stream which you know is the scavenger of the body if you're medical and goes faithfully round your body and collects up normal things and purifies your body. Somehow that blood which gathers oxygen from the lungs which has to do with the spirit breathing gathers life from the spirit in the tremendous way that God wants us to understand and carries the oxygenated plasma to every other part of your body and lo you live. You live. Glory be to God. And you become healthy and you become strong. I hope you don't become wealthy because it would probably demoralize you. It does most people. Few people can stand money. Very few people. That's why most of us are poor. Bless God. You may not think so. I think so. Have you ever thought of getting down on your knees and thanking God because you're poor? Or have you grumbled at God because you're not rich? I don't know. In the same way in which the blood carries life to every part of your body something beloved of every passing moment of your life it's there, it's connected there's a link somewhere with your blood. And people can persecute you and people can torture you and people can malign you and people can tell all the stories in the world about you. I have two men left here tonight two young men and a young lady. I saw them off in the car. I didn't know I was going to. I was out there. I said goodbye as they went and one man turned back he said he came to me and said I want to tell you I've heard a lot of wrong things about you. I said well I hope what you've heard this weekend is worse on that level. You see here then beloved is the place you live. It's all connected with God. You must know that beloved. I don't understand. But there came a day when Cain slew Abel. And Abel didn't cry out. I never read that Abel said Oh God avenge me. There's a wonderful consistence in the Bible you know. For those of you who are Bible lovers and Bible students if you're not I hope you soon become one. Abel lived pre-law. The other man we read about Zacharias he lived under law. You'll read about him in 2nd Corinthians 2nd Chronicles sorry we won't turn to the chapter now and you can read about him then. Now he lived under law. And he knew that God must do justice. So when he was slain he was slain as Jesus said between the porch and the altar. He said God require it of thee. That's all he said. And they killed him. But not Abel. He lived before law you see. He was living in a grace period. You read about these people in that area. Noah was one of them. Noah found grace in the sight of the Lord. He never had the legal code given to him. He found grace in the sight of the Lord. That's marvelous. And they lived in a grace age. Oh not the grace that you and I know. They never knew anything about the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. They never knew about Calvary. They never knew about the precious blood of the Lamb. Abel never knew anything about that. He simply died at the hand of Cain. That's all. But listen. To God it was precious blood. It wasn't as precious as the son of God's blood. It wasn't as precious as that. He wasn't God manifest in the flesh. But that man living to the light he had. And moving on the ground of the knowledge that he had. Was a righteous man. He never had the moral code given to him. He lived according to the law that was written in his own heart. I'm quoting from Romans 1 and 2 here. For you that are Bible students if you want to make notes of it. To read it for yourself. He had the work of the law written in his own heart. And his conscience. The meanwhile accused or excused him. And the man's conscience is his uprightness. And when you read in the Bible that God made man upright. But he sought out many inventions. It means that he invented many things. Whereby he can deny the testimony and light of his own conscience. It was conscience that kept him upright. And your conscience can keep you upright. Even if you be as it were an unconverted sinner. Uprightness. And he was an upright man. He never knew that Jesus saves. He never knew that Jesus had died and risen again. For Jesus had not died and risen again. When Abel was on the earth. But he lived according to what he knew. He lived righteously. Praise God. And we are told that he was a man of faith. Let's have a look this time. Into the Hebrews again. And in chapter 11. Bless God for the Bible. It's all here isn't it. Glory be to the name of the Lord. Amen. In Hebrews chapter 11. Now faith is the substance of things hoped for. The evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good report. Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God. So that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain. By which he obtained witness that he was righteous. God testifying of his gifts. And by it he being dead yet speaketh. That's the only time it's ever mentioned in the Bible. And I want you to notice something else. Verse 2. God. Verse. Sorry. Verse 3. God. Verse 4. Abel. Abel next to God. The next man to be mentioned. God. Abel. I want to ask you. If it came tonight to the night of reckoning for your life. Could your name be mentioned next to God. God and John. God and Jim. God and Jack. God and Mary. God and Martha. God and Gene. Eh? Would your name be mentioned next to God? Bracketed in a breath. Sorry Abel. I can't talk about your brother. I can't talk about your mother. I can't talk about your father. But I'll talk about you. What a tragedy. A generation gone to the winds. Abel. If you like the second birth. The first generation gone. Here's the second generation. God's always the God of the second things. Always. And here he is. He's a man of faith. He's a man of righteousness. He offers unto God the excellent sacrifices. Bless him. He keeps talking. I want to say Abel, keep talking. Keep talking. The one that wrote the Hebrews letter. As we've looked at it together in this hall at some time or another. His name is put at the beginning of the epistle. God. God wrote the Hebrews letter to some unnamed author. Blessed God we have it. I mean human author, an amanuensis. God wrote it. And he's written it to us, beloved. And this is what he's saying to us. Would he testify of you? It's God that says, listen. His blood is speaking. He's alive. He's talking. Your blood talks to God. Your chattering tongue and the never ending noise of your mind. Doesn't register in heaven much. Except that if you're in torments and you seek deliverance. He hears your cry. But the thing that speaks to God. I may have a plausible tongue. I may be quick at repartee. I may be able to draw the blind down quickly anywhere to any man. So that no one can see into the depths of my life. But my blood is there coursing through my veins. God help me, I don't understand it. But I come to faith and I believe God. And it cries out to God. It speaks and speaks and speaks and speaks. Do you believe there? The way you've lived. It's there. The blood trace. The soul life. How does God keep records we think of every individual that's upon the earth. Will you allow me to tell you that every individual writes his own book. In his blood. And the books were opened. We read in the end of the Bible. And another book was opened. Which is the Lamb's book of life. And if your book is opened you needn't turn to the Revelation. I wonder if it will correspond to what's written in the Lamb's book. Oh God. Is everything that I said and done. Every place I've been. Is it all recorded? Is there no way a man can find release? Is there no way a woman can hide from her shame? Is there no end to the coursing of my blood. And the inevitable ticking away of the moments of time. There's. There's another blood. There's the blood of God. There's the blood of the Lamb. There's the blood of utmost love and perfect uprightness. There is the blood of one who lived only in purity of love. There's the blood of a man that was shed like the blood of a lamb. Hallelujah. And the soul that's in that blood. The content of every precious moment is there gathered up into the bosom of God. Bless God. We're told tonight that it speaks better things than the blood of Abel. For Abel spoke of the morality forged out of well-nigh ignorance. For he didn't know what we know any more than a butterfly knows what you know. Any more than a dog knows what you know. He didn't know. I'm not classifying him with butterflies, insects and animals. But what I'm meaning is that the blessed revelation was never given. And when the revelation was written, his name is included in it. He lived in the world's innocency almost. He lived when men were beginning to learn to walk after God having lost paradise. That's when he lived in the youth of the world. He lived. And I tell you that this blood spread said there long ago. And this is why the devil doesn't want you to read the Genesis. And this is why he got up all these so-called highfalutin scientific notions about Genesis to turn you off the truth. That you should read that. The right in the beginning. The first blood of man that was shed on the earth. God told you it's in the beginnings. It's never changed. His blood cries unto me. If we'd read our Bibles we'd have been slow to shed blood. This is why it says in the scripture, their feet are swift to shed blood. I read of people pleading for mercy for mercenaries who had no mercy. Blessed are the merciful says Jesus. I read of the absolute immorality of the age in which we live. I read of a world gone mad. A psychology overcoming justice. Then where shall we end? Pleading, pleading for they who slew the innocents. Not mine to pass judgments. I am given moral understandings. What think you? I remember once being asked by a man to go and talk to a friend of his. I think I must have told you this story before. I don't know but it comes back vividly to my heart. I travelled many miles in somebody else's car as usual. Down to the coast I saw him sitting there in his flat. He invited me in and I told him as I told his friend before him how he could be born of God and how God could give him a new heart and make a new man of him. And he sat there and listened in all politeness. His name was Colonel blank so far as you're concerned. And when I finished talking he said is this for me? I said it's for you. He said it's all right for you. He said but I've got the blood of men on my hands. I've ordered them to their death. In the war in North Africa he was a great wizard with Arabic and he could speak it like a native and they dropped him down to be the Lawrence of Arabia stuff behind the lines there working in North Africa against the enemies. I'll put it in quotes. And when it came to it the blood that he... He was there, there, there and he knew. And I said God can forgive even that. God can deal with it. Glorious Lord. Glorious Lord. If ever we can rejoice for the spilling of blood we can rejoice for the spilling of the blood of Jesus. Hallelujah. And did it have power this night in the spirit of God to come down into you and though you've lived this life unending now for 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 years the spirit of God can bring in the glory of the soul of the Christ of God when a man or a woman is prepared to quit the way they've been living and acknowledge it all with hope and with light dawning upon your man that God is not coming with vindictiveness. Why didn't he avenge the blood of Abel? Why did he say to the souls beneath the altar though they'd probably come through darkness like sackcloth and torches as I saw them lying across the front page on a photograph and the blood of the martyrs with their faces lacerated with bayonet wounds and they'd been taken off and done to death and lay there in their own immobility a glorious testimony to God. Why didn't God come and avenge his blood? Because they don't cry out for vengeance. Not all of them. Those souls did. And you're being told the language of a soul that never came out of the human lips. Abel did not cry for vengeance any more than Jesus cried for vengeance. But God has to come and avenge blood in the end unless he'd never be a righteous God. It's God that takes the decision. And this is why the bloodbaths are coming on the earth in the end time. This is why the tragedies are here. This is why desolations are planned. God's done it. But all the time the spirit of the living God is going forth on his white horse. There is mercy and grace extended beyond what human hearts ought to have thought could ever happen. That a man can be expunged down to the seed of his blood. Whence it all comes I don't know. I shall have to get my doctor friends to give me a little more tuition along this line. I don't know how it makes itself. I don't understand. One of my great friends who's in the room told me, he said to me, I think he was telling me in confidence but I'll shout it from the housetops. He said, we don't know anything much. That's why I won't look at him. We don't know anything. And seeing that he was a blood specialist, I think he ought to know. Hear then, beloved. Bless God for these men. They love me ever so much they let me talk about them. But the tremendous thing about it, beloved, and I want this thing to get into your veins and eat you up. I want it to get hold of you and it's got hold of my being. I want it to transform you. I want you to see the burning truth. I want the light to come. I want it to come with power. I want you to get to understanding. I want you to move and God wants you to move of every other foundation upon which you've been building anything. Nothing matters. Nothing. Nothing. Save that the blood of Christ was shed. And that's God's great reason for holding back. And the Holy Ghost has come from that blood, all pure and white. Moving out to bring the glory of it. To show you that you can be whiter than white and whiter than the snow. And purified seven times and ten thousand times seven times. That's what it's all about. But God's got to take action in the end. It is He that decides. Let me read. Acts. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Glory be to God. We're on the ground of everlasting truth and nobody shall erase it. Acts chapter seven. You probably knew where I was going. The first Christian martyr. Not the first martyr, but the first Christian martyr. So far as we know. There were people who died earlier than this in the Christian church. Slain. You must read about them in Acts chapter five. Don't do it now. They went out on a different note. They went out crying from their very blood. So did this great man Stephen. You stiff-necked, verse 51. You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears. You do always resist the Holy Ghost as your fathers did. So do ye. Which of the prophets have not your fathers slain, persecuted? And they have slain them which showed before of the coming of the Just One. Of whom you have been now the betrayers and murderers. Who received the law by the disposition of angels and have not kept it. When they heard these things they were cut to the heart. And they gnashed on him with their teeth. But he being full of the Holy Ghost looked up steadfastly into heaven. And saw the glory of God. And Jesus standing on the right hand of God. And said, behold I see the heavens opened. And the Son of Man standing on the right hand of God. Then they cried out with a loud voice. And stopped their ears and ran upon him with one accord. And cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet. Whose name was Saul. And they stoned Stephen calling upon God and saying. Lord avenge my blood. Did they? No he didn't. Lord receive my spirit. And he kneeled down. Bless him I'd love to have been there with him. And offered him a breast to put his head on. He just kneeled down and cried with a loud voice. Lord lay not this sin to their charge. When he had said this he fell asleep. You'd like to fall asleep like that wouldn't you? Pleading for people to be forgiven. Wouldn't you? Wouldn't you? What a man. Hallelujah. Glory. He wasn't crying out for vengeance. God's got to avenge him. He's got to. And it's coming. May I speak of the blood of one great man. The greatest man of all the blood of Jesus. Not that I would bracket him alone with martyrs. But put him there where he is the great and unique Jesus. And there he hung. And there he bled. And there he died. And even the Roman judge that judged him. When he said to Jesus answer us. No nothing don't you speak to me. He said don't you know I have power to crucify you. And power to release you. He said you couldn't have any power against me at all. Except it was given you from above. Blessed be the name of the Lord. And he didn't say yes you're going to catch it in the beyond. He didn't say that. God laid down that glorious life beloved. I don't know whether your heart has seen it. I don't know whether your mind can comprehend it. But this is the truth for you to take into your heart. That that precious one laid down such a life. His soul was so wonderful. That there's destruction of sin in its power. There's the blotting out of all things. In all men that will believe. Amen and amen. And he didn't cry for your condemnation. He told the people around him. He said don't you think I'm going to accuse you. I want to accuse you to my father. He said wouldn't it be terrible. If Jesus was accusing us tonight. I'm not accusing anybody. And I love dear old John coming up again. In that glorious letter he wrote and said. Jesus Christ is the propitiation for our sin. Not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. Hallelujah. Glory be to God for the whole wide world. There's sufficiency in the shedding of one innocent man's blood. To bring cataclysmic judgments upon the earth. And I want to tell you beloved. That there's sufficient in the blood of Jesus Christ. To have saved every precious soul that had ever moved on this earth. I don't know whether you want to be hyper-calvinistic at the moment. I don't want to be. I want to be here and to see the glory of the precious blood of Jesus. And I'm not getting mixed up in the will of God. Or in the purposes of God in which I believe most fervently. But I believe that there is enough moral content. And spiritual power and intention of God. In the shedding of that blood to save everybody upon the face of this earth. Whether they've been steeped in sin so deep and dark. That they'd even be ashamed to expose themselves before the devil. It doesn't matter. God forgives utterly. But I want to make one or two inquiries before I finish. Of every one of us here. And I'm going back to the Revelation. Chapter 6. Verse 9. The Revelation of chapter 6. Verse 9. When he had opened the fifth seal. I saw under the altar. The souls of them that was slain for the word of God. And for the testimony which they held. You will know that in the ancient mosaic pattern. Of religion. The altar was set at the gate of the tabernacle. And you know too that. The bodies of the animals that were slain. Had to be put upon the altar. You will know that the blood was also put upon the altar. Because God was thirsty for it. In the type. And there under the altar fell the ashes of the offering. They went under the altar. That's where they were. And the man that was appointed to do his duty daily. Would carry away the ashes. And put them outside. The city or wherever they were. Outside of the camp. That's where they were carried. But isn't it a glorious thing beloved. That when a man or a woman comes to the place of martyrdom. God says their souls go under the altar. Amen. Hallelujah. It came to me years ago. That when Jesus was slain. If you read your Gospels carefully. And you understand where he was slain. You will understand that his body. Was probably laid directly beneath the cross. For there was a garden there we're told. Where Jesus was slain. And they put Jesus in the garden. And I should be very surprised. If in the end we don't find that the garden and Golgotha were one. And they took the Lord off the cross. And they put him there in the garden. And they laid him there. And that's if you come to think of it. Is where his soul was revived. Just there at the altar. That's where he was laid. And that's where glorious blessed truth is in. That it is on the third day. That's where he came forth. That's where his body came forth. Bless the name of the Lord. That he should come and warmly breathe on his own. And show them who he was. Now what a glorious thing it is beloved. Under that sacrifice. Under that cross I been. There he lay. Amen. Supposing you and I were to die tonight. Let's put away martyrdom at the moment shall we. Though it needn't frighten you. What would your blood say to Jesus? I looked. I looked. And I looked. And I thought and I thought. And I said oh Lord. If my blood was to be shed tonight. Or today. What. What did it mean to you? Hallelujah. It's a wonderful thing that God will keep blood in your veins. That you should live a righteous. And a spiritual. And a powerful life for him. Wherever you go. Amen. Wherever you go. Oh for that glorious quality. That uprightness. That holiness. That sweetness. That all pervasive charm. That holds the heart of God. Even if men are repelled by it. For that to be there. In your life. Is it? Is it? Would your blood cry out. Though your mouth never uttered the words. And never came it to your thought. Would it cry out for vengeance? God says I must avenge that man. I must avenge that woman. They don't want it. And it's for the very fact that you don't want it. It's the very fact that you say. If I had a thousand lives to give Lord. I'd lay them all down for thee. Every one of them. But don't be over extravagant with 999 lives you haven't got. If you haven't given the one that you have got. God's not impressed by words. And he doesn't care how you look woman. And he doesn't care how you dress yourself much. Not over much. And he doesn't care about anything else. Man. Whether or not looking into your life tonight. He says. Ten years. Twenty years. Living for me. Only five perhaps. If you've only had a chance of five. A man can't live fifty years for God. If he's only been saved five years. I mean he can't have done. But think of what lies ahead of you. I looked. I saw them. Men who were snapped. Women who were raped. Men who were photographed. I saw a company. They were upon the front page. Of a magazine I looked at. Just this little slip. And they were photographed. They'd gone off into the forest. One of their numbers had taken their photograph. They were praising God. They had the light of sweetness on their face. Many of them. But they weren't rushing around. They weren't chuckling their head off. They weren't putting on masks of smiles. For they were gathering under the shadow of death. And the very fact that their photographs were taken. By one of their number. Has almost surely. Surely sealed their death. But they were brave enough to put it on record. For spying eyes to see. And send it back. Because they want the church of Jesus Christ to know. That there are those who are living for Him. Where the goings. Not just tough. But almost impossible. And I find people crying. Because they say it's hard in my office. Or it's difficult in my home. Or it's all this. And we're in nearly lush green pastures. And I say oh God give us the men. God give us someone with some moral fiber about them. Men. Women. And I have to confess to you. That the larger part of the people that comprised the photograph were women. I don't know whether they killed all the men. I don't know. Is your life there? Listen. Where did you expect the ashes of the animal to fall when it was laid on the altar? Underneath. Why did they fall there? Because it was on the altar. Do you expect your soul to go under the altar if your life's not on the altar? Where do you think it'll go? When your life's on the altar. That's where your soul will go. It's very simple. Glory be to God. Somewhere. God is storing it all up. Give them some white robes. He said. Tell them this. They've only got to wait a little while now. That's all. Until their brethren. Who should be slain. Shall be slain. Lord should I be slain? Say is he morbid? No I'm not. Get on that altar. That's where you've got to live. Your life's got to tell. Are you there? If I may ask it with all the way I've discussed it tonight and with all the meaning. May I ask this question? What's the content of your blood? The sight of God. Blessed be the name of the Lord. I wonder when he's going to break the fifth seal. I wonder when he's going to break the sixth seal. Has he done it? Has he broken the fifth seal? Are we ready for the sixth to be broken? I don't know. I only know this. Thank God. That through the night of toil and sorrow. And through the tragedies of earth. And through the persecutions. And the hatreds. And the crucifixions. And the tortures. There have been those who through the ages have stood for God. Upright. True. The word is sure. The testimony is there. And if I was to make the count of souls for God tonight. Which you may be thankful that I am not. You may be thankful that I am not. Could I add yours to those? If I was the recording angel. If there be such a one. Could I say this man is there. This woman is there. They are on the altar Lord. They are on the altar. Glory. Souls in white robes. Oh. I think I am going to stop preaching. Where are you beloved? Where are you?