In this sermon, the preacher discusses the prophet Jeremiah and his plea to God regarding the sudden downfall of a prosperous society. The preacher emphasizes how God is involved in every detail and step during hard times. He mentions how God destroyed a society and instructed Noah on how to preserve a collection of animals. The preacher warns that America may face severe consequences for its sins and iniquities, similar to what happened to Israel during Jeremiah's time.

This message is one of the Times Square Church Pulpit series. It was recorded in the sanctuary of Times Square Church in Manhattan, New York City. Other tapes are available by writing WORLD CHALLENGE PO BOX 260 LINDALE, TEXAS 75771 or calling 903-963-8626. None of these messages are copyrighted and you are welcome to make copies for free distribution to friends. Heavenly Father, I thank you that you have a word for your people. You never leave us questioning. You never leave us in the dark. And I pray, Lord, that you help us this bright day. This is a time, when I'm preaching it, when it's nice weather outside, the sun is shining, and what I'm talking about seems so far-fetched, it seems so far off, but one of these days soon, Lord Jesus, we're going to be hearing reports in the news that frighten the whole nation. There's going to be terrorism, there's going to be problems, and there's going to be an economic panic in this country, and we're on the brink of it now. But, Lord Jesus, I want you to speak comfort to your people this morning. I want us not to be afraid of what we hear, and, Lord, I pray that you anoint us. I have no question, Heavenly Father, that you put this on my heart, that you've made me a watchman. I'm just one of many, many watchmen that you have in this nation. But, Lord, I will not be afraid. I will speak your mind, and then I'll just leave it to God's people to do with it what they choose. But, Lord, my part is simply to warn, and you said if I don't warn, then the blood would be on my hands. I will have no blood on my hands. I will speak your mind and speak your word and then leave it to you, Holy Spirit, to do with it in the hearts of your people as you choose. In Jesus' name I pray, amen. Now, folks, I have faithfully been warning that the United States is on the brink of a financial holocaust, that our nation is soon going to come under severe chastening of the Lord, and I'm telling you now that every single person in this nation is going to have their life affected. The American lifestyle is about to become the American nightmare, and the lifestyle of the American will be changed forever. It will never again be the same. Now, I'm telling you also that Christians are going to suffer just like everybody else. When God's judgments are upon a nation, everybody suffers alike. In fact, Jesus warned his generation that Jerusalem was going to be surrounded with armies and there was going to be a siege and it would be destroyed, and he forewarned his people. He said, when you see Jerusalem surrounded with armies, in other words, when you hear the Chaldean army with Titus is coming, you know that I've warned you, now you flee to the mountains. You take supplies and you go to the mountains. Josephus tells us the majority of believers in Christ were delivered in that time because they got this special direction from the word of the Lord Jesus. The writer of Hebrews spoke of Christians in a certain time who lost everything. In fact, they were homeless and he said, you took joyfully the loss of all your worldly goods. You took joyfully the spoiling of your houses, your lands, your homes and everything else. And the Bible says in the 11th chapter of Hebrews, that believers, wonderful godly believers, wandered in deserts and in mountains and in dens and in the caves of the earth, being destitute, afflicted and tormented. The idea that Christians will not suffer is absurd. It is absolutely unscriptural. There are going to be false prophets that will tell you that there will be a select few of God's believers who have a certain kind of super faith that will inure them from all of these kinds of things that are coming upon the country and that they will survive without any pain or testing. I don't find that in the scriptures whatsoever. In fact, this was the problem in China many, many years ago, before the Boxer Rebellion. Christians were telling, even though the Chinese knew something was coming, an awesome upheaval. Christian missionaries were telling them, you will not suffer, the Lord will come and take us home, there will be a rapture or you will be gone. And folks, they were not ready. Many, many hundreds of thousands of Chinese Christians lost their faith because they were persecuted, they were killed, they were bloodied, they lost their houses, they lost their lands. They were not ready. Most Christians today in the United States are not prepared to suffer. Many do not believe that they're going to endure privation and loss. They hope that the hard times will be short-lived. And that's what the false prophets are going to say. Oh, it's just a short time, it's just a glitch in our markets and that's going to be it. Good times are ahead, nothing to worry about. That's exactly what happened the days of Jeremiah. Jeremiah had been warning his nation and the people that there was going to come a change in their society. Israel was going to be crushed economically. There was going to be a sudden change in everybody's lifestyle. Jeremiah, for 13 years, cried it up and down the streets. He went to the temple and he warned, he warned the king, he warned the princes and the leaders and the elders. And they would not believe him. They said the time of prosperity will not end. God will not move with awesome judgments. But this man said, awesome judgments are coming and it's not going to be short-lived. In fact, there's going to be 70 years, 70 hard years in captivity. False prophets begin to ridicule the warnings of the prophet. And Hananiah, one of the false prophets, predicted, don't believe what Jeremiah says because I've heard from God. And I'm telling you, within two full years, God will bring again into this place the vessels of the Lord's house that have been taken, the king and all of his captives. For God has broken the yoke of the king of Babylon. He prophesied the Babylon empire would crush and God's people would come floating back within two years. Folks, it wasn't two years, it was 70 years, just as the prophet Jeremiah predicted. You say, Pastor David, how bad is it going to get? How bad can it get when God judges a nation for its transgressions? The book of Lamentations is Jeremiah's heart cry after everything he prophesied was coming to pass. He saw mothers boiling their babies. He saw those that had lived delicately digging in garbage cans. He saw Levites begging for food. He saw people that were so healthy and strong now dying on the streets from hunger because Jerusalem was under a siege. He was not saying, I warned you, I told you. He was not gloating over it. In fact, it's so dejected, the prophet, he almost lost his faith over it. He couldn't believe. In fact, he starts the third chapter of Lamentations. There's five chapters of this prophet crying, pleading with God. And he starts the third chapter saying, how? God, how could a prosperous society, so prosperous, world trade center, how could it overnight be so stricken? How can it be that people are starving in the streets? How could it be that this could happen so far that this nation, this city that was a jewel to the whole world is now in servitude? He says, how could it happen overnight? Why couldn't people see? Why didn't anybody listen to me? And if you want to know how bad it can get when God judges a nation, go home and prayerfully study the five chapters of Lamentations, the whole story of how bad it gets when God judges a nation for its sins and iniquity. Bible says, he afflicts for a multitude of transgressions. God afflicts nations for multitudes of transgressions. Beloved, what I see coming to America is not just a slap on the wrist. It is not just a glitch in our markets. It's not just, it's simply another Black Monday where the stock market goes down for a week or two and then comes back. It may go down and come back for a season, but this is not just a temporary slap on the wrist, the American wrist. It's going to be long. It's going to be worse than any of us can imagine. I have people now calling me that have heard some of my prophetic warnings. And they call me for financial advice. And they say, Pastor Dave, here are the questions I'm getting. They call and they write, what am I going to do with my money? What do you suggest for investments now? What is God saying to you about debt and mortgages? Will I lose my house? What if I lose my job and I can't find employment? How am I going to support my family? Do you recommend that I store food? How do we prepare for such an awful event? Are there going to be any safe havens for our savings? And what about Social Security? What about retirement funds? Brother Dave, who do we go to for answers? If what you say is true, where do we get some answers? Well, folks, I want you to know that I'm in daily touch with one of the most dependable financial advisors. No, I don't give advice. I don't give any financial advice. Don't come to me asking me where to put your money. I'd probably tell you to put it in the offering anyhow. But every single question I have about my future, about finances, I go to my financial advisor and he answers every question. He's been with me the whole time here in New York City. He's been my real estate advisor. He helped us buy this theater right here. He told us how. He provided the Isaiah House for feeding the poor and drug addicts. He provided Hannah House. He provided Timothy House. He has been leading and guiding and telling us what to do. In fact, this advisor of mine is also my attorney. This financial advisor of mine is my psychiatrist. This advisor of mine helps me with all my family problems. In fact, he doesn't mind at all that I call him. I'm in touch with him every day. I talked to him this morning. And this advisor of mine said, David, you don't have to worry because I've been through this many, many times. I've had clients for 2,000 years. And I have taken him through every kind of dark path and hard times. And he told me he doesn't mind me coming to him as often as I want with every question. In fact, he said he gets delight out of it because he knows I trust him when I come to him. In fact, he said, if you don't come to me, David, I'm going to come knocking on the door. If you just open up, I'll come and have supper with you. I'll talk to you. I'll meet every need you have. You see, my financial advisor has been through this with over 3 million Jews in a wilderness where there was no water. There was no food. There were no malls. There were no clothing stores. There was nothing. In fact, the Bible said no man lived. There was totally uninhabited and dry, hopeless, snake-infested wilderness. And my God, through his advice, through just his voice, led them through that so that they came out stronger than they went in. Their children did. Glory be to God. My advisor went to a man by the name of Noah. And he warned Noah that his society was going to collapse. He said, I know right now you look at it. It looks impossible. They're buying. They're selling. They're planting. They're trading, marrying, giving in marriage. They're eating and drinking as though it'll go on. The party's going to go on forever. But Noah, I'm telling you, I'm giving you this special word that it's all coming down. You've got 120 years. And I want you to build an ark to the saving of you and your family. And not only did he tell him that he was going to destroy that society, that he's going to crush the economy, he's going to wipe it out. But he said, I'll tell you what, I'm going to have you build a ship and I'm going to tell you the exact dimensions of that boat. How long, how wide, where to put the window, where to put the door. You do it my way and you're going to survive. Folks, it's amazing when you study the Bible, how in hard times God is so involved with his people. Every detail, every step, every everything is all laid out by him who knows all things. He knows the way through the wilderness. He knows his way through the hard times. God destroyed that society and Noah was saved. God told him how to collect and preserve a world class collection of animals. Can you imagine the work that was involved? Can you imagine when this man was praying and God says, no, that one doesn't go. This one goes, these go, these go. And how he preserved them and how he taught him the whole plan of survival. David, the sweet psalmist, fell upon hard times. He returned home from a battle to find that his hometown of Ziglag had been totally wiped out and burned down. He found nothing but smoldering ashes when he returned with his 400 men army. His town was destroyed. His family, his children had been kidnapped. There's nothing left. Everything he worked for, it's gone. His house is gone. His furniture is gone. His family is gone. He's homeless. He's penniless. How hard can, how bad can it get? Couldn't get any worse than it was for David. Standing there, in fact, he didn't know whether his family is dead or alive. And his own army is thinking of stoning him. So he went to my advisor. He went to the same one who advises me. And he said, David inquired of the Lord saying, Lord, shall I go after this troop? Shall I overtake them? And the Lord answered him, pursue them, go after them. Surely overtake them. And without fail, you will recover all. How did God preserve David? With his voice. A word. Go here, pursue them. Not only are you going to pursue them, you're going to retake everything. In fact, David reclaimed more than he had because he had all the spoil of that army included. By the voice of the Lord, detailed instructions personally received. Elijah the prophet stood before King Ahab and all of Israel. And he prophesied that God was going to smite their nation with a long drought. He said for three years, there will not be a drop of water except by my word. And the Lord came to Elijah. And he said, Elijah, I'm going to give you my word. I'm going to tell you how to survive this terrible time because there's going to be starvation. The cattle are going to be starving. There's not going to be food. There'll be food shortages. There'll be riots. There's going to be a difficult time. It's going to be a long, hard process. And God had a survival plan for this prophet because he was faithful. Because he trusted in God and was faithful to his word. And it came to pass that the same counselor that I serve counseled this man. And listen to what he says. And the Bible says the word of the Lord came to Elijah. And listen to God. How involved he is in the care and the keeping of those who trust him in the most difficult times of panic and collapse. Listen to what God says to this man. Elijah, get out of here. Go east. I don't know which way that is. Go east. Hide yourself by a brook called Cherith near the Jordan River. And he says, if you go east, you're going to find the Jordan River. And there's going to be a little tributary that goes off there, a brook. It's called Cherith. And he probably even told him exactly where to go. And when he got there, there's a tree there perhaps for shade. Hide thyself by the brook Cherith near the Jordan River. You will drink from the brook. And I have arranged to have food delivered to you daily by my courier ravens. Now think of it. How in a million years could have this man thought of that? He's looking at a crisis. He's looking at a hard time and it looks hopeless. How could he have ever dreamed that he would go to a brook and he would drink from that water? Even though there's a drought everywhere, God was going to sustain this brook for this man for a season. How could he have ever thought that he was going to have a daily supply of bread brought to him by a raven that eats everything it gets its teeth to? A ravenous bird. How could he have ever thought of it? Because you see, he said, my ways are not your ways and your thoughts are not my thoughts. I have ways that you don't know anything about. Hallelujah. You're wondering how God's going to keep his children in hard times. Don't try to figure it out. You couldn't even dream what God has in mind. You couldn't even conceive what God has in mind. And when things got worse, things got even harder. Things got more depressed. The brook dried up. So the counselor comes to him and gives him another word, a fresh word of direction. He says, now, Elijah, get up, go to Zarephath, which is in Zidon. Listen to directions. Go east, go to the Cherith, by the brook, by the Jordan. Now I want you to get up and I want you to go to Zarephath, which is in Zidon. I have made arrangements for a widow woman to feed you till the drought has ended. How could anybody have thought a widow, a poor widow? He's thinking she has no job. She's a widow. Widows are despised. And the Lord takes the most insignificant thing and he says, you go there. Just do what I tell you to do and you're going to make it. You do what I'm going to do and you're going to survive. Oh, hallelujah. Folks, the evidence is overwhelming. Our counselor, our guide, our survival expert has a detailed plan for every one of his children in the worst of times. There is going to be suffering. Yes, but God's going to make sure that you're not begging for food. He's going to put a roof over your head and he's going to tell you if one thing fails here, go over here, do this, do that. He's going to direct you by his word. When I finished the prophetic word that God asked me to speak to the nation, I reread the chapters. And it overwhelmed me. It absolutely overwhelmed me and I said, oh, God, don't let this happen. I don't want to see this happen. God, please let this be just a bad dream. And I said, Lord, I can't publish this. I cannot publish it until and unless you give me. What you're going to do, unless you give me a message for your people on how you're going to sustain them during this time. I can't publish it. This is why the Lord gave me this message in answer to that. Because I said, I just can't, because I know very certainly that God takes no pleasure in sending divine judgments on wicked societies. He gets no pleasure out of it. He never desires any misfortune on any of his creatures. And it's a libelous representation of God to even think that God gets some thrill or pleasure out of bringing chastening on a people for their wickedness. God gets no pleasure out of that. The Bible says, for he does not afflict willingly and he does not grieve the children of men to cross under his feet the prisoners of the earth. And when it says he does not afflict willingly in the Hebrew, it is from the heart. He does not afflict from the heart, even when he's chastening, even when he's sending judgment. It's not out of his heart. It's a hard work for God. It's a hurtful thing for God to have to chastise and send judgment. And yet, in the absolute justness of God, the holiness of God, he must judge wicked societies. Lamentations 3, 39. Why does a living man complain? A man for the punishment of his own sins. And God said he would afflict the wicked with the rod of his wrath. He's going to afflict the wickedness. God's going to deal with the wickedness of this nation, who would drive God out of its courts, out of its schools, out of every part of its society, even off its coins now. As if this nation has taken a political correct stand, that God's name shall not even be mentioned except in the movies and in theaters, on television, to have his name cursed. There's not a movie today that doesn't curse and blaspheme the name of Jesus Christ and our almighty God. And yet, they won't even allow a judge in Alabama to have the Ten Commandments hanging in his courtroom. You can't even now wear a little religious symbol on your neck in any prison system. It's politically incorrect. We are trying to erase the very thought of God from our society. God must, and he will, and he's about to judge this nation. Believe it. It is a hard work for God. Now, I believe the Holy Spirit has given me this word, how he's going to sustain those who trust him, even if it's a worldwide depression. Do you hear me? Now, listen closely. I've given you the key to it already. Our beloved counselor has shown that he has but one plan that he's devised to protect, sustain, and keep his people in the hardest of times. He has one plan. The hearing of his voice daily. The hearing of his voice. Now, let that sink in for just a minute. Because one day, you that are in this church, if I have to give everybody a free copy, you're going to have this book and you're going to read and reread this chapter. And everything I'm telling you now, the Holy Spirit will bring back to your memory. That God, in the most difficult times, no matter what happens, is going to sustain those who trust in him and keep them by the power of his voice. His inner voice to the inner man daily, hour by hour, if necessary. This is confirmed in Isaiah 30, 21. Thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk you in it, when you turn to the right hand and when you turn to the left. Now, folks, those words are spoken by the prophet Isaiah in the worst of times. That nation was in absolute ruin. The very kinds of things that I'm warning you about this morning already was taking place here in Isaiah's time. But the leaders and the elders that devised their own plan, they weren't turning to God. Now, these are God's people. I want you to know, folks, when Jerusalem was destroyed, God destroyed his own church. He destroyed his own temple. He had it burned down. He destroyed the very city that was the pleasure of his eyes because of the wickedness of his own people. And now, these people are not listening to Isaiah. Isaiah said, just turn to the Lord now. He'll speak the word. He'll give you direction. There'll be a word behind you saying, this is the way, walk in when you go to the right or to the left. But they didn't want that. They decided to go instead to Egypt and trust in the chariots of Egypt. They were trusting in food supplies coming from Egypt. They're going to trust in Egypt. And it failed. Every man devised plan failed. Things got worse. And in that time when it looked absolutely hopeless, this is the word that came to the prophet Jeremiah. God said here. In fact, God said at this time, they were eating the bread of adversity and the waters of affliction. Adversity and affliction on all sides. And God, while they're going around trying to scheme and how they're going to survive, God said, I will wait. I'll wait. I'm going to wait until all your plans have failed. All of your dreams and schemes on how to protect yourself. It's all going to have to go. He said, I'll wait patiently so that I can have mercy on you. And then came this word. Thou shalt hear, thou shalt hear a word behind thee saying, this is the way, walk ye in it when you turn the right hand, when you turn the left. God says, I'll lead you by my voice. I'll speak to you direction and tell you what to do. Now, folks, no matter what crisis you face, whether it's this financial panic that I'm talking about or you may say, brother Dave, I'm already in a mess. I'm in a crisis. Folks, you go to some parts of the world right now. They're not waiting for the tribulation. They're in the tribulation. They're not waiting for hard times. They've been in hard times. They're not thinking of world depression. They are in depression right now. Countries all over the nation. Indonesia, while I speak to you right now, are having riots. Students are all of the college campuses right now are armed camps. The armies is around them. The students are not allowed off the campuses because of food riots. And the signs now say just food, rice and milk, please. They're not trying to overthrow the government. They are writing for food. They can't afford it because the prices have gone out of control. And this is this was the nation four months ago. There was the Asian tiger. That was the most possible, the most prosperous Asian nations on the earth. And overnight, it happened just as we're warning you is going to happen here in the United States. Now, folks, whatever panic you face, whatever crisis you face, it is of great importance that you know the voice of God. You have got to hear and know his voice. Sadly, great numbers of Christians don't know his voice. They go for months and years without having an intimate word with the Lord. God does not speak to them. In fact, if you go to any New York psychiatrist and tell him God talks to you, he'll want to lock you up. They tried to lock up Nicky Cruz because after he got saved, he told a psychiatrist, I talk to God, he talks to me. They're ready to lock him up. Nicky turned and said, well, you can talk to him, too, if you tried. This is the end of side one. You may not. You see, God did speak to some. There are many Christians that God did speak at one time and yet he doesn't speak to them now. They have silenced their God. Listen, it is God's, it is God's desire that every single child of his called by the name of the Lord Jesus Christ should be able to hear and converse with the Heavenly Father. If God doesn't talk to you, you're God's dead. Do you talk to God? Do you hear him speak? Does he talk to you? I know there's a lot of crazy stuff going on where people said, oh, I, God said, God said. Every Bible school has kids, girls run around pointing out guys that God told me you will be my husband. He goes that God told me you'll be my wife. That's happened in this church. And the guy goes, what? God doesn't say anything to me. God has shown us how desperately he wants to talk to his people. He gathered all of Israel, the foot of Mount Sinai, and he spoke clearly. He gave, he absolutely spoke audibly to the children of Israel. Later in Deuteronomy, Moses recounting it said, the Lord talked with you face to face in the mount out of the midst of the fire. Out of heaven, he made thee to hear his voice that he might instruct thee. He said, out of heaven, God made you to hear his voice that he may guide you and lead you and instruct you. Now, you would have thought that that would be such a wonderful, marvelous thing that these people would rejoice that they served a God who spoke not like all the dead stone idols of the heathen all around them. But here's a God. Our God is alive. He speaks. That should have been something great and marvelous in their eyes. Because you and I as Christians today, you know what? Jesus said, my sheep know my voice. They hear when I call. You know what John the Baptist said? The bride hath a bridegroom, but the friend who stands by rejoices greatly just at the sound of his voice. That we as Christians rejoice when we hear God speak. Folks, when I get alone with God in the secret closet and I've worshiped and I've praised him and I've laid all my petitions before the throne and I've come boldly to him. Then I sit back and say, now, Lord, I want to talk to you and I want you to talk to me. And folks, in that still small voice, when he begins to speak direction, when he begins to speak guidance and instruction into my heart where to go and what to do. And when he tells me how much he loves me and not to worry and fret. I'll tell you, it's the greatest high on earth. It's incredible experience to have God whisper to your heart. Don't be afraid. I love you. I'm going to keep you. Don't be afraid of man. No weapon formed against you can prosper on and on and on. Wonderful when he speaks. But you see, the voice of God that came to Israel deeply disturbed them. They were deeply disturbed by that voice. There's something about that voice that so bothered them that they gathered the elders and the leaders of their tribes and sent them to Moses with this message. We have heard his voice, they said, out of the midst of the fire. We've seen this day that God does speak to man and he lives. And what they said next makes no sense at all. Absolutely no sense. Now, therefore, why should we die? For this great fire will consume us. If we hear the voice of the Lord anymore, then we shall die. For who is there of all flesh that have heard the voice of the living God speaking out of the midst of the fire as we haven't lived? Well, they know that Moses is standing right there and he heard the voice of God out of a burning bush. He told that story a thousand times. They all knew it. He lived. He was right there in front of his example. They had just confessed. We know now that you can hear the voice of God and live. We didn't die. So what's the confusion? Why are these people wanting only a second-hand word from God? Why don't they want to hear God talk to them personally? Now we're going to get down to where you and I live, having to do with hearing the voice of God. Now listen very, very closely to what I'm about to say. They went to Moses and said, Moses, you go thou near and you hear all that the Lord our God shall say. And you speak thou unto us all that the Lord our God shall speak unto thee. And we will hear it and we will do it. Now why are they shying away from God's voice? Why did this is just a voice of instruction, guidance. God's way of saying I'm alive, I'm real. I'm not a dead God. This should have thrilled them. But it only disturbed them. Why? Because the voice of God had fingered their secret sins. The idolatry. The voice of God had thundered from heaven, thou shall have no other gods before me. That was the voice of God. And these people that had come from Egypt, these Israelites had brought with them thousands upon thousands of these little gold and silver mice and gods that they had carved in Egypt because the idolatry of Egypt had gripped their heart. In fact, for 40 years they had offered, for 40 years they offered half-hearted sacrifices to the Lord. They had packed in their belongings these little idols. We would call them charms today. But these charms, they would not let go. They're going to hold on to them. And they knew. In fact, I can prove that to you because remember when Stephen gave his last message before he was stoned. He said of the Israelites, they took up the tabernacle of Moloch and the star of the god Rephim, figures they made to worship. He even named these little star gods, these little charms, that in their tents they would secretly worship. They would give public praise and worship to Jehovah. But you see, they wanted something to back them up just in case. He said the whole time, in fact, Stephen said the whole time in the wilderness they held on to them. You see, they don't want God's voice because they know God's voice is going to put the finger on that bosom secret sin. And so they're going to take a chance with a man. They're going to take a chance with Moses because Moses is not a mind reader like our counselor is. He can't see into the heart. So they say, you go get a word. You bring it to us and we'll do it. And there are some of you God spoke to. He used to speak to you. And you know what he told you? Put it down. You got an idol. How can I work with you unless we walk in agreement? How can I speak to you? How can I lead you and guide you in hard times? I want you to lay this down and I'll give you the power to lay it down. I'll send my Holy Spirit and you can live free from this burden in your life. And then we can walk together in agreement so that I can lead you and guide you and you can hear my voice. And my voice will not be one of judgment. It will not be one of only commandments. But you see, if you want to hear the voice of direction, if you want God to lead you in the hard times, you've got to be ready first of all to have God's voice cleanse you. There has to be a voice of cleansing where you say, Lord, put your finger on anything in my life that would hinder fellowship, anything that would hinder the flow of getting guidance in the days ahead. They would not leave their idols down. They would not put them down. So that voice is a voice of fear, condemnation and guilt. And that's why some people don't go into the secret closet. They don't pray because they know when they get along with God and God begins to speak to them, they know exactly what he's going to say. Thou shall have no other gods, no idols. You're going to hear his commandment before he leads you and guides you. You're going to hear his commandment, the commandment of Jesus. I command you, this is the commandment I give you that you love one another. And before his voice gives you guidance about your family, about the future, he's going to talk to you about the treachery of your heart against your husband or wife. He's going to talk to you about that temper that keeps flying off the handle. How quiet things can get when you're touching somebody. He's going to talk to you about your life. He's going to talk to you about that stuff you're watching. He's going to talk to you about going to theaters where you sit there in the name of Jesus Christ, this curse, the blue streak against your advisor, against your counselor, and you just sit there, in fact, you can't hear it. He's going to talk to you. And the reason many of you don't hear from him, because you just don't want to hear that kind of talk, and so you've just shut him out. You go to the pastor, I'm going to Times Square Church, there's a word coming forth from... Pastor, preach it! I'll do anything you tell me! But you don't want to hear that inner voice of the Holy Ghost. Mm-hmm. We're talking about how to survive in hard times. It's not a joke. It's life and death. Now, if you want to know God's voice on how to invest your money, whatever you have, if you want to know about the mortgage, if you want to know about how to keep your business and career afloat in panic times, before you get a single word of that kind of direction, then you've got to open your heart, and let him speak to you about every hidden, secret thing in your life. Now, God heard the words of the people, and he said, all right, I'm going to draw a line. He said, oh, that you had such a heart in you, that you would fear me and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with you and well with your children forever. He turned to those with a divided heart. He said, okay, get back to your tents. Go back to your tents. Go about your business. You want to run your own life? You don't want me to lead you? You don't want me to guide you? You're not going to trust me? You're not going to lay down your idols? All right, you go ahead and make your plan. Go back to your tents. Go back to your tents. Tragically, these people wondered for 40 years without an intimate voice of God, 40 years without being in touch with him. They died worshiping a God they had silenced in their own hearts. All those years they lived in fear and dread. They were unhappy, always murmuring, always complaining, misery, pain, and sorrow. And most of all, they fretted about their children. They accused God of bringing them into the wilderness and their children are going to suffer. Now, folks, I've already had people come to me, some wonderful people come to me, fathers and mothers who've just had babies, just had children, and they hear what's being prophesied from this pulpit. And they come to me and say, well, Brother Dave, what about my little baby? What about my little boy, my little girl, my children? What about hard times? How, if there's a panic, how do I take care of them? And folks, this is what happened with the children of Israel. They had no confidence in God to keep their children whatsoever. They said, our children have been brought in this wilderness to be a prey of the enemy. Our children are going to die in this wilderness. God, how could you allow this? Listen to what the scripture says. God said, not one of you. He's talking to the parents. Not one of you shall see that good land to possess it. But as for your little ones, which you said would be a prey, and your children, they shall go in, unto them I will give the land. But as for you, speaking to parents, turn you, get yourself back into your wilderness. Folks, it is the worst kind of unbelief. It's an affront to God. It's a slap in His holy face to even conceive that He would leave your children hurting, that He would abandon your children in hard times. I'm telling you, God will take care of your children. They will survive better than you will. God will take care of your children. Don't worry about your family. Say, Lord, they're in your hands. I give my family into your hands. You'll direct me and you will lead me and guide me. Hallelujah. But as for Moses, God says to the people, you go back to your tents. You don't want to hear from me, but I want to talk. I want to speak, because I'm a speaking God. I'm a conversing God. I want my people to know my voice. And so he turns to Moses, and he says, as for you, Moses, stand right here by me, that I may speak to you. Folks, listen to it. Hear it. There will be a people in the last day that are going to be an example to the whole society of a people who are not in panic, of people who trust God with everything in them. And they're going to hear the Lord speak by the spirit of the living God to their heart. Because you trust me. Come on. Come on into the secret clouds. Come and stand by me. Come because I want to talk to you. I'm going to lead you. I'm going to guide you. Oh, hallelujah. Lord be to God. Folks, that's what the Holy Spirit is all about. You see, we live in a different age. We live in this dispensation of the Holy Spirit, where God himself has sent the Holy Spirit to them that ask. And he comes and he makes this his temple. He abides here. He lives here. I don't have to go somewhere. I don't have to die a long distance. I don't have to go out of my head. I just say, Lord, you are right here. This body of mine, this mind, my lips, the word is not you. Even in your mouth, Holy Ghost, you abided me. And the Holy Ghost knows the mind of the father. He will speak. The Bible said he will not speak of his speak of himself. That doesn't mean that he won't talk about himself. It means he will not speak without direction from the father. That's what he's saying. Because the Holy Ghost does speak of himself. We're to worship the Holy Spirit. Because he is the very essence of God. The Holy Spirit abides in us. And he is the voice of God. You read the New Testament and the Holy Spirit said, and the Holy Spirit said, and the Holy Spirit said, and the Holy Spirit said. The Holy Spirit was talking all through the New Testament, leading and guiding the disciples. Peter, go here. Paul, go here. The Holy Spirit said, anoint them. Go to this place. Go to that place. Paul was led everywhere by the voice of the Holy Ghost. We have an abiding spirit, the abiding spirit of the living God in us. The Holy Spirit who has come to lead you. The Bible says very clearly, albeit when he, the spirit of truth has come, he will guide you into all truth. For he will not speak of himself or on his own, but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak. And he will show you things to come. That's not just prophets. That's not just pastors. He's saying to you, if you get the Holy Ghost in you, if you believe what he said, Lord says, I'm going to instruct you. I'm going to lead you, comfort you and guide you. Doesn't matter how bad it is. Doesn't matter how hard it gets. Doesn't matter if there's a worldwide depression. Doesn't matter if everything collapses. God says, I'm going to lead you by that voice in you. The Holy Ghost who abides in you. He's going to teach you what to do. He's going to instruct you. He's going to lead you. And he's going to tell you of things to come. Hallelujah. So why are we afraid? I know there's a human, there's a human frailty that human nature is that way. But folks, you have to bring every thought into captivity. The obedience of the Lord Jesus Christ. I believe that he is going to do exactly what he said he would do. He's going to keep his children in these final days. I was preaching along these lines at a minister's conference. And with this, I close. A pastor came up to me and he said, Brother Dave, I'm scared because I just launched a multimillion dollar building program. And if what you say is true, where does that leave me in the church? I looked him right in. I said, brother, if God told you to do it, he's going to see you through. If you heard from God, God told you to do it, then do it. Now, folks, I'm telling you, stay out of debt. But if God tells you, you say, well, brother, I feel it's time for me to buy a house. If you prayed about it, you absolutely clear that that's God's mind for you to buy something. And you know, it's God. It's something it's needed. Pray, ask the Holy Ghost to give you guidance and he will guide you. He will tell you he will not let you operate in fear. He said, I'm not giving you a spirit of fear, but love and power and a sound mind. You do what God told you to do and he will see you through. And if you do it and somewhere along the line, you lose it. He's going to have another way and says, go over here and do this. And then when that changed, God said, go over here and do this. I'll lead you. Now, folks. I believe every word I told you. I believe that God is going to keep a people, even though there will be a great measure of suffering for all of us. It's going to be a time of rejoicing because he's going to reveal himself to us better than ever. They're going to be fellowship like you've never known. There's going to be sharing and giving. And our children are not going to be satiated anymore with materialism. You're going to see Christmas is coming where kids are going to go back to enjoying just one little toy and not being baptized with junk. God is going to purge this society. I'm not saying it's the end of America. I'm not saying I'm not saying anything like that at all. I'm saying I don't know how long it lasts, but God is going to purge and cleanse the land. Glory to God. Will you stand? Well, let me tell you what I'm going to write in my book right after this chapter. The end. So as now, this is the end of what I want to warn this church. I'm telling preachers who listen to me that we've got a congregation. New York is going to be ready. We've got a congregation. Don't be afraid. We have a congregation. Folks, I gave you Bible. I didn't give you a dream. I didn't give you a vision. I gave you the word of the living God. Now, if that's the word of the living God, then that should bring hope. That should be strength to you because the word of God is strength. It is life. It is life giving. Glory be to God. Folks, before I give an altar call, I'm going to ask every Christian in the annex, you that are in the annex listening to me now. And anywhere watching on screen and here in the main auditorium, this goes to press in just a few weeks. I'm going to ask every Christian now to pray with me that God will awaken hundreds of thousands of Christians. That God will awaken and stir and get us back to hearing his voice. Getting us along with God until we're sure and we know and we feel comfortable in our intimacy with Jesus. So that there will not be a... The worst testimony to the world would be a church suddenly running around in panic. And turn their pastor and say, why didn't you tell us? Why didn't you warn us? What's happening? As I told you, I was there Black Monday 10 years ago when the stock market fell that 550 points. And it was only 2030 or 40 at that time. It was probably a third of the stock market had been erased. And I saw the panic. And I heard Wall Streeters coming out. Traders coming out saying, why didn't somebody warn us? What's happening? What's happening? That's a poor testimony to the world. Jesus said, when you see all these things begin to happen, look up and rejoice. Because your redemption is drawing nigh. Now folks, either you believe that or don't. Either that's just a cliche to you or a dead verse. Or you're going to take it to heart. Lord, I will rejoice. I can come. Doesn't matter what the news reports say. I've almost come to a place where I turn off the news anymore. I'm so sick and tired of hearing about the garbage in Washington. That foolishness. I'm so tired of hearing that stuff. I just want to love Jesus. Beloved, I think I need another word rather than survive. I don't think Christians just survive. I think that they overcome. How to overcome in hard times. Because he's going to bring his children through. Heavenly Father, thank you for loving us enough to warn us. I know that I know that I know we're on the very brink of these things. Lord, we're going to hear these news reports coming in fast and furious. Lord, we're going to see terrorism in this country that is indescribable. This city will be hit with a lot of terrorism. But, oh God, you have a people. They're wholly dependent upon you. And there'll be times when these things come that the Holy Spirit will whisper, Don't go on that subway today. Don't walk down that street. You're going to direct and lead your house and your people. Supernaturally by that still small voice of the Holy Ghost. Hallelujah. Lord, that makes me so happy because I can now rest in what you said to me. And you're saying it not only through me. You're saying it, Lord, even through secular people. They are saying there's a black hole ahead. There's something coming. There's something in the air. But, oh God, we know what's coming in the air. The sign of the coming of the Lord. Jesus is going to come. Jesus is going to come. But in the meantime, Lord, we'll work. We'll invest. We will not hide. We'll not be afraid. And we'll be prepared to suffer if necessary. In Jesus' name. Hallelujah. Now, would you pray for me? I'd rather for this book right now on every Christian that loves the Lord. The Bible said I would men everywhere lift holy hands. Just lift your hands to the Lord and pray. God, let's pray for this nation first. Father, I pray for America that you wake us up. Lord, people think that there's going to be no end to all of this prosperity. They think that we can push God out. They think that we can glorify homosexuality. They think that we can do all of these things and God just wink at it. No, Lord, you're not going to wink at it. The judgment is at the door. But I pray, O Lord, that you waken your church. I pray, Lord, that this book and similar books and messages by others, watchmen that are going out into the land, that you cause us to hear it. And, O God, speak to a multitude. Heal, Lord. Hallelujah. Lord, we still pray for our land. We pray that you could heal. I pray, Lord, that you, at the first striking, that people would wake up and return to you so that you could release your hand of judgment, O God. We're not looking for judgment, Lord. We look for your blessing. We look for your mercy. But, O God, help us to cry out for the land and pray for this nation and pray for God's house and God's people and God's servants. That you awaken us and you bring us to prayer and make your voice known to our hearts. Would you sing? I believe I have God's mind now for the invitation. I've just been praying and asking Him what I should say to you after this message. Here's what I believe the Holy Spirit has prompted me to share with you. Just take a moment. There are some of you here listening to me now in the annex up in the balcony in here in the main floor. Wherever you're watching, hearing my voice. You're in no position right now to hear God speak to you. You've really become a stranger to His voice. You don't have that communion. You don't have that wonderful walk with God where you hear His mind and His voice. I don't know how it happened. I don't know what caused it. But the Lord wants to draw you back to your first love. You may have just left your first love. You may have just drifted away. You've gone cold or lukewarm in your heart. I want you to get out of your seat and come and stand here and say, Lord, I want to know your mind and your voice. Forgive me, Lord, for drifting away from you, walking so far from you. There are some of you who don't even know the Lord Jesus Christ. He wants to be your Lord today. He wants to come and speak peace to your heart. He wants to cleanse you, change you, and heal you. Just get out of your seat, wherever you're at. Just get out. Those that are in the annex, go to the back doors, and the ushers will show you how to get down into the auditorium and come right down any aisle and meet me right here. Just come and meet me here at the front. Let me pray with you right now. If you're here today and you've got fear, you're stricken with fear, you're afraid, bring that fear to the Lord. Let him heal you. You don't have to leave this church with any fear whatsoever because I'm not giving you, the Lord said, a spirit of fear, but love and power and a sound mind. This is the conclusion of the tape.