Friday, July 9, 2021
David Wilkerson (1931–2011), a non-denominational minister, prophetic voice and founder of Times Square Church in New York, NY, said “An earth-shattering calamity is about to happen. It is going to be so frightening, we are all going to tremble – even the godliest among us”. For many years Wilkerson lamented and prophesied against the progressive backsliding church in America. Somewhat akin to the weeping prophet Jeremiah, Wilkerson warned the church with tears to change course, to preach the full gospel, not just God’s love but also His judgments.
The Holy Spirit warned that “the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry” (2 Tim. 4:3–5). The Lord Jesus Christ warned: “Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man” (Luke 21:36). The time has come when this evil unbelieving world, including many so-called Christians, are wholly turning against true Christians. Are you prepared?
Last week I reminded readers that God gave ancient Israel “a certificate of divorce” (Jer. 3:8), and as a result of that divorce, today true Christians are “a chosen generation…His own special people…who once were not a people but are now the people of God” (1 Peter 2:9–10). And, we must remember that God does not change, He is the same yesterday, today and forever, Mal. 3:6 and Heb. 13:8. And in this context the church must be warned that if God would divorce ancient Israel, (which He did) then He will also divorce professing Christians in the church who continue in their unbelief, idolatry, and rebellion, and turn not to humility, confession and repentance, lest Heb. 6:4–8 becomes the final estate of those back-slidden and fallen away former Christians.
Here’s a glimpse of the spiritual attitude that caused God to divorce ancient Israel: “Thus says the Lord: Behold, I am fashioning a disaster and devising a plan against you. Return now every one from his evil way, and make your ways and your doings good. And they [the people] said, ‘That is hopeless! So we will walk according to our own plans, and we will every one obey the dictates of his evil heart’” (Jer. 18:11–12). [My bold emphasis added] But today, preachers and teachers by the score refuse to even call out sin, unbelief, rebellion and idolatry because that would make them very unpopular with the culture. Today, while many would not actually voice the overt rebellious words of ancient Israel at Jer. 18:12, within many hearts however, the same attitude exists. As a consequence, we’ve seen pastors and church-goers fall away from the faith; as many pastors have even committed suicide, the fruit of a heart in rebellion to God’s Word. In proving that last statement, God’s Spirit said “You [God] will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You” (Isa. 26:3); and God cannot lie.
Just as God fashioned a disaster against ancient Israel by her own evil choices, so too God is fashioning a disaster that will engulf this present world because of its evil and rebellious ways. God allows people free will to unbelief and rebellion, but they, like ancient Israel, will reap the consequences. I’m deeply concerned that many people in the organized church have committed the same rebellion as ancient Israel, and don’t even know it, nor know that they need to confess, repent and turn from their backsliding and unbelief, because so many preachers and teachers are more interested in protecting their social self-image than guarding the Word of the Lord. God, in Christ, is indeed a God of love…BUT, He is also a God of righteous anger, fury and judgment, a truth for which many preachers go weak-kneed, too afraid to reveal that truth to people.
God is indeed fashioning an end-time disaster, and He allows mankind free will to create that disaster, for we reap what we sow, Gal. 6:7. And while the world rejects the truth that Jesus is the only way to God the Father, John 14:6, the organized church largely rejects the testimony of Jesus Christ that He gathers His elect “Immediately after the tribulation” (Matt. 24:29–31). And due to that unbelief many Christians have zero discernment to prepare for the times of the end.
As a result both people groups will be offended at God’s end-time judgments now near. What will they do when the global famine of Rev. 6:5–6 arrives? What will they do when a fourth of humanity dies by sword, hunger, death and beasts of the earth, Rev. 6:7–8? Who will they call when a third of the trees burn and all green grass burns up, Rev. 8:7? Where will they run when something like a mountain or asteroid is thrown in the sea and a third of the sea becomes blood, and a third of sea life dies, and a third of the ships are destroyed, Rev. 8:8–9? Will people in the organized church who loved traditions of men more than God, then believe Christ? Or will their deep offense grip them in a state of hard-hearted rebellion and unbelief, as did ancient Israel?
In warning, God tells us to observe ancient Israel, for “with most of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness…Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come” (1 Cor. 10:5–6, 11). One of the biggest problems in the organized church today is the lack of biblical knowledge and discernment; inability to discern the signs of the times. In large part, a right biblical world view has been replaced with a humanistic world view, in that society and culture will progressively become better; that man will heal himself. God and His Word are removed from most people’s world view, even in the church. Yes, even there, many are absolutely clueless that God will bring this present age to a destructive, apocalyptic end.
And that lack of biblical knowledge and discernment sets the stage for the next intervention by Almighty God. It occurred 5 times with global impact: 1) Noah’s Flood; 2) the Tower of Babel; 3) the birth of Christ; 4) the death of Christ; 5) the resurrection and ascension of Christ to God the Father. And now God’s sixth global intervention is about to unfold, the final 7 years of this present age, the tribulation; then the rapture, the 7th and final. God wants you and your loved ones to be prepared for the tribulation just like the five wise virgins, Matt. 25:1–13. At the mid-point of the tribulation God wants you and your loved ones to “be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass” (Luke 21:36), being “the freewoman” (Gal. 4:21–31), who, like Lot and his wife and daughters, fled Sodom and Gomorrah. But remember Lot’s wife! And likewise “the woman [the true Christ-believing Church] fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, that they should feed her there one thousand two hundred and sixty days” (Rev. 12:6), the last 3 1/2 years of what Jesus called the “great tribulation” (Matt. 24:21).
When the 19th Century church made for herself an unbiblical tradition called dispensational pre-tribulationism in disregard for the teachings of Christ for the end-times, the church, like ancient Israel, basically said in her heart “we will walk according to our own plans”, which led to other traditions of unbelief. And by now the church is so accustomed to walking in unbelief that few question anything. And many, not content with the truths of Christ, think they’ll avert Christ’s prophetic decree by their own self-centered tradition. But in their unbelief they will be greatly offended when they see their false pre-trib rapture fall into the abyss of traditions of men.
Calamities are coming because wicked people are creating them. They seek power and control; they’ve modified our weather and modified humanity, and now the world faces unprecedented wild fires, insect plagues, drought, famine, and massive depopulation by COVID-19 vaccines!
Marlin J. Yoder
