The California Collection/TheCaliforniaCollection.cdr/his091/warm.lzh/WARM.TXT

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INS:The Laodicean Lie!  by David Wilkerson

   Brothers and sisters-this is the lukewarm generation. You don't have
to be a theologian to understand we have come to the Laodicean era
which Jesus prophesied would arise in the very last days. Simply
compare what Jesus said about the lukewarm Laodicean church with what
today is called the Church of Jesus Christ. Jesus warns that he who has
ears had b est listen to what the Holy Ghost is saying about this
religious system.

   Jesus clearly warned that a church would evolve in the last days of
civilization which would boast that it was rich, growing and increasing
in numbers, and self-sufficient. In other words, a church with great
influence, gaining in visibility and power, while refusing all
correction or scrutiny.

   Jesus said of this church, "it will say...I am rich, increasing with
goods (wealthy), and in need of nothing..."(Revelation 3:17). How sad
that this particular church, arrogant and boastful, is being heralded
by so many undiscerning Christians as the glorious last days church of
power and dominion which will subdue the world and bring King Jesus
back. It is the Laodicean lie! One dear soul wrote the following,
"Don't you realize, sir, that our next president will be
atongues-speaking, Spirit-filled man? Don't you know that all these
great building projects by evangelists are ordained of God? The Lord is
training leaders, raising up huge projects so they can move into
government positions-having learned all about high finances and
building. The church is going to take over the government-Spirit-filled
leaders are going to make the laws, doing away with abortion,
pornography and crime. God has raised up a powerful church to take
dominion now."

   The main element in th concept of "the Kingdom of God on earth" is
that of a perfectly righteous rule, embracing all nations; unde4r which
rule all injustice, oppression and strife will cerase, th evils of
poverty be no more known, and all men dwell in peace and prosperity as
brethren.

   What alarms me is that many ifundamentalists now share similar
Pollyanna views about the role of the modern American church. It seems
to me they are boasting, "We have arrived! We have 30 to 40 million
evangelicals. We have charming, popular, articulate leaders. We have
the money, the expertise and growing numbers who will join us let's
take dominion!"

   I have heard pastors of large Chraristmatic churches boast, "I am
going to build the biggest church in America, because numbers mean
power, influence. We must have a church big and powerful enough to
enforce morality and the will of God on our nation and our
communities." It is the blatant, that boastful!

   This proud, rich, arrogant church now covets power. Not the power of
God-but political power. It covets the White House, congress and the
Supreme Court. Since we have failed to bring about a Johnah-like
revival of repentance and a change in the hearts of men, we will,
according to some, take over the reins of government and legislate
righteousness.

   It sounds so pious, so spiritual and vital. Like Israel, many of
God's people are crying for an Imperial pulpit-with a spiritual leader
who will root out the entrenched powers of evil and legislate a new
moral system. The pointed, accusing finger of thundering prophets and
weeping watchmen is to be replaced by the refined pen of Christian
congressmen enacting moral laws.

   BELIEVE IT OR NOT-THIS IS THE VERY CHURCH GOD IS GOING TO SPEW OUT
OF HIS MOUTH!

   God is not at all impressed with this church's bloated estimate of
itself. The Laodicean lukewarm church is not destined to dominion,
power, and authority of any kind. It is destined to judgment! It is the
worst kind of spiritual blindness to line up with those who boast that
the modern American church, Charistmatic or o therwise, faces its
finest hour. What an incredible lack of spiritual discernment. I, for
one, must line up with what Jesus said of this last-day church.

   Jesus rips off the facade and exposes the truth about the Laodicean
church. It is not what it thinks it is-it is not what is says it is. It
is not rich-it is poorr! It is not on the increase-it is wretched and
about to be forever cut off!~ It is not strong and in need of
nothing-but rather, it is naked, shameful! It is not a church with new
revelation and deep Scriptural insights-Jesus said IT IS BLIND! It is
not going to be the vehicle of Christ's dominion on earth, but rather
the object of His wrath and abhorrence.

   GOD'S CHURCH IS A TRIUMPHANT, DESPISED, PERSECUTED REMNANT.

   You can be sure God has a people for Himself in these final days,
but they are a despised, holy and separated remnant. This holy remnant
people walk in the light and enjoy great discernment. They see the
modern Laodicean church through th eyes of Jesus and they will not be
deceived by the pomp, bigness and outward grandeur of popular religion.
The true church is invisible; it is repentant; it yearns for the return
of Christ, the beloved One.

   The true church cannot possibly enjoy the favor and goodwill of the
world. Do we believe and tremble at God's Word not? When will we ever
face up to what Jesus warned was ahead for those who deny themselves,
take up their cross and follow Him? Jesus said, "If the world hate you,
ye know that it hated Me before it hated you. If ye were of the world,
the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but
I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.
Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than
his Lord. If they have persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if
they have kept My sayings, they will keep yours also. But all these
things will they do unto you for My name's sake, because they know not
Him that sent Me" (John 15:18-21).

   Speaking of what will happen to saints in the last days, Jesus said,
"They shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you
up to the synagogues, and into prisions, being brought before kings and
rulers for My name's sake" (Luke 21:12).

   Jesus went on to warn of betrayal, and "some of you shall be put to
death...and ye shall be hated of all men for My name's sake (Luke
21:16, 17).

   Paul emphatically states, "All that will live godly in Christ Jesus
shall suffer persecution" (2 Timothy 3:12).

   It is absolutely impossible for the true church, or any of its
leaders, to be approved or accepted by the world. A godly man, a godly
church, will be persecuted and maligned by the world, by its kings and
rulers. Jesus will permit no exceptions to this rule-for He warned,
"Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! For so did their
fathers to the false prophets" (Luke 6:26).

   Woe to this Laodicean church and its political aspirations If th
world accepts you, it can only be the result of removing the reproach
of the Cross. For nearly two thousand years the church of Jesus Christ
has been rejected and persecuted by the world. The blood of millions of
rejected martyrs cries out from the ground. For centuries, Spirit-led
men and women of God have been burned at the stake, sawn asunder,
chased and hunted down like animals, Godly saints were beheaded; others
were drowned;; many were thrown to the lions. The Bible says they all
died in faith and the world was not worthy of them. Am I now to believe
that Jesus has changed His mind and has decided to close out the ages
with a lukewarm, rich, pampered, boastful, self-centered church? Will
the last army of God consist of precinct workers getting out the vote?
Will the soul winners be replaced with petitioners going into the
highways and hedges seeking signatures for some social cause?

   GOD'S GREAT CONCERN IS WITH THE CHURCH THAT CLAIMS TO BE SPIRIT-
BAPTIZED

   The dead, cold, liberal church has long ago been given up to its
sinfuls ways-it is not God's prime concern in these last days. There
are entire denominations that have turned heathen-the Spirit of God
left them years ago. But God's focus is on both the organized and
unoirganized evangelical and Charismatic churches, fellowships and
ministries. It is out of the Charismatic body of believers that all
prosperity preaching has sprung. Those who claim to be Spirit-baptized
and led are the ones who go forth saying, "God wants you rich,
increasedf with goods and self-sufficient in all things." It is out of
this body that the new doctrines of earthly dominion have been birthed.

   I have been a Charistmatic preacher for over 30 years, and I can say
with Paul, "I speak with tongues more than you all." But I grieve over
the seductions and false doctrines that are now sweeping away so many
undiscerning Charismatic believers. Multitudes of them are being duped,
misled, swindled and carried away by doctrines of demons.

   What God deplores is THE MIXTURE being introduced in Charismatic
circles. Mixture is synonymous with lukewarmness. You find this mixture
everywhere you look nowadays. Attend a so-called Christian rock
concert, for example. What incredible mixture. They usually begin with,
"We are here only to minster Jesus-to glorify Him." You will hear a
sweet talk about holiness, repentance, and giving up all for Jesus.
Then suddenly the spirit of Elvis Presley seeems to fall upon them and
they are transformed right before your eyes into rollicking, unabashed,
sensuous hard rockers. Before the event is over, you will hear them
boast. "We are going to take Jesus where the church never goes. Into
bars, secular concerts, MTV! we are praying God will give us the ear of
the world. We want to get to the same crowd the world gets."

   If I am to believe what Jesus said-they would be stoned with
tomatoes and hooted off the stage by that worldly bunch-that is, if
they truly ministered in the Spirit. The more they would be hated and
despised. Gospel singers who are being praised and accepted by the
world have lost the presence of Jesus-the very thing that causes
rejection. The gospel of Jesus Christ is an offense to the Jew and
foolishness to the Gentile.

   THE LAODICEAN LIE INCLUDES REJECTION OF CHRIST'S SUDDEN, IMMINENT
RETURN.

   CAN YOU BELIEVE WHAT THEY ARE NOW PREACHING? They are saying, "Jesus
can't come until we subdue the earth. He can't come until we take
dominion and bring Him back to a world we have brought into
submission." Tjhey mock the idea of an imminent, unexpected return of
Christ.

   Jesus says it is "an evil servant" who sayeth in his heart, "My Lord
delayeth His coming" (Matthew 24:48).

   This kind of teaching is a direct result of spritual declension,
lukewarmness and wariness with cross-bearomg. When love for Jesus is on
fire, there is a longing for His soon return-there is a yearning "to be
with Him, to behold His glory!" But now, because sin aboundws, the love
of many waxes cold; self-sacrifice and self-denial are repudiated; ;and
the church runs off to seek the honor and power of this world.

   They now scoff at the idea of believers being "changed in the
twinkling of an eye" (1 Corinthians 14:51, 52). They have put the
coming of the Lord into the remote future and their primary concern is
not what Christ is doing, but what the church is doing. The present
interest is not internal, but external-to gather in new members, to
grow influence and to set up an earthly kingdom.

   Jesus said, "Behold, I come quickly" (Revelation 21:12). Paul wrote,
"For yourselves know perfectly well that the day of the Lord so cometh
as a thief in the night...but ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that
that day should overtake you as a thief..." (1 Thessalonians 5:2, 4).
Peter also confirmed the Lord's sudden return: "But the day of the lord
will come as a theif in the night" (2 Peter 3:10).

   Jesus warned the church at Sardis to be ever watchful and
expectant-and to repent, or be caught unawares. "Hold fast and repent.
If therefore tho;u shalt not watch, I will come to thee as a theif, and
thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee" (Revelation 3:1-3).

   Why should any Christian watch and be on the alert if Christ's
coming is put off to some remote hour? Are we going to believe modern,
lukewarm preachers, or will we rest our faith on what Jesus said,
"Therefore be ye also ready; for in such an hour as ye think not the
Son of Man cometh..." (Matthew 24:44).

   Jesus warned us, "Be on the alert, for you do not know the day or
the hour" (Matthew 25:13 NAS).

   Jesus warned us, "Be on the alert, for you do not know the day or
the hour" (Matthew 25:13 NAS). That is the way New Testament, apostolic
Christians lived in the first century. They shared Paul's intense
desire "to depart and be with the Lord's work, occvupying and obeying
His commands-but like Abraham, they looked for a city whose builder and
maker is God.

   The kingdom, dominion preachers spiritualize everything having to do
with Christ's soon return. But how do you spiritualize this most
practical commandment of Jesus-"Therefore, be on the alert- for you do
not know when the Master of the house is coming, whether in the
evening, at midday, at cockcrowing, or in the morning-lest He come
suddenly and find you asleep. And what I say to you I say to all, Be on
the alert!" (Mark 13:35-37 NAS)?

   The crown of righteousness which the Judge shall give on that day is
reserved only for "THEM THAT LOVE HIS APPEARING!" (2 Timothy 4:8). I
ask you, do you anticipate His soon return? Do you yearn for it? Is His
coming to gather His elect still your hope? It was for Paul, who
wroteeeee, "Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing
of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ" (Titus 2:13).

   The very last words of Jesus in the Bible are, "Sure, I come
quickly" (Revelation 22:20). The Spirit and the bride say, "Come!"
(Revelation 22:17). What do you say?

   Who do you think it is that is putting doubts in the bride's mind
about the soon return of her beloved? Who is it thta seeks to get her
mind earthbound-focused not on the glory of her Christ, but on her own
dominion and place in this world? Who would make the bride to feel like
a forsaken widow-abandoned by her Bridegroom because she is not yet
assertive and domineering? Certainly not the Holy Spirit-because the
Spirit-because the Spirit cries, "Even so, Lord Jesus, come quickly!"

   Has the Lord commanded His church to put off His coming and instead
raise up an earthly kingdom of righteousness-or has He commanded as to
put oil in our lamps, awaken, and get ready at any moment for His
return? Let the Word answer that! "Let your loins be girded about, and
your lights burning; and ye yourselves like unto men that wait for
their Lord, wh en he will return from the wedding: that when he cometh
and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately" (Luke 12:35, 36).
Then christ added these words, "Blessed are those servants, whom the
Lord when he cometh shall find watching" (Luke 12:37). Why watch, why
be alert, why gird up the loins, why be in a state of readiness, why
look for it-if Christ's coming is put off into the remote future,
awaiting the militant actions of the church?

   The Lord knew what would happen to the church when it is said, "The
Lord delayeth His coming." There would be carelessness; there would be
eating and drinking, drunkenness; there would not be an urgency to
prepare. "But if that slave says in his hear, My master will be a long
time in coming and begins to beat the slaves, both men and women, and
to eat and drink and get drunk; the master of that slave will come on a
day when he does not know, and will cut him in pieces, and assign him a
place with the unbelievers. And that slave who knew his master's will
and did not get ready or act in accord with his will, shall receive
many lashes..." (Luke 12:45-47 NAS).

   Such ignorance of her real spiritual condition is possible to the
church only when the Holy Spirit has been grieved and His voice
silenced. If the Spirit of God cannot speak, they cherish their
delusions, and become obsessed with pride and become arrogant and
boastful when the judgments of God are about to break forth.

   Thank God, there is a sanctified, separated remnant hearing the
voice of the Holy Spirit, and they cannot be deceived or caught
unawares. They are the watchmen who have detected the wiles of the
enemy; they are bold to expose the frothy doctrines of demons. Those
who hear what the Spirit is saying know what the Lord is about to do.
They see the gathering storm-they hear the approaching thunder-they
know God is already judging the house of God and their nation in
particular.

   The Laodicean church has self-elected itself, without any guidance
of the Holy Ghost, not to light the world, but to subdue it. She has
become the greatest teacher of lies in the universe. She is confident
of her own strength and wisdom, while mingling anti-Christ falsehoods
with the truth of the gospel. She has decided to break down the great
distinction Christ put between the church and the world.

   WE MUST CLEAVE TO THE APOSTLES CONCEPT OF CHRIST'S KINGDOM.

   The apostles saw in the supernatural person of the King a
foreshadowing of the greatness and glory of His kingdom (2 Peter 1:16).
As the incarnate Son of God, and having all power in heaven and earth,
His kingdom though on earth could not be compared with earthly
kingdoms. Its symbol was the Holy City, the New Jerusalem coming down
from God out of heaven. And, as the King was a man raised from the dead
and made immortal, and so could be God's perfect ruler through all
agbes, so must all those be who would be His helpers in the
adminstration of His rule. His kings and priests must be made like unto
Him; and only under such a heavenly government could a perfect social
order be established, and all nations dwell in peace under His sway.

   The apostles always distinguished clearly between the Lord's present
work in heaven, beginning at His ascension, and His future kingly work
on earth. He has gone to the Father to be made the grat High Priest,
ever interceding in the most holy place. When this work of intercession
should be finished, and the church, His body, gathered and perfected,
and then and only then would He come forth to seat Himself upon the
throne of His glory and begin His work as Judge and King (Matthew
25:31). At His ascension, He as invested with all authority, but His
present exercise of it is providential and unseen. His authority even
now is supreme-though the world has not yet know or recognizxed Him as
the King. The sphere of His visible rule is now in the church itself,
where His will is made known by the Spirit in the choosing of its
ministers, and in its whole admini stration. Not until He returns and
takes the kingdom is His rule over the nations revealed, and all human
rulers recognized Him as the source of all their authority. Then He
"takes to Himself His great power, and reigns." Till that time the
church must be in the world as He was in it, its divine claims not
recognized, rejected, and exposed to enmity and reproach. Not till He
eneters upon his kingly office can the church reign with Him .

   This is the apostolic concept of Christ's kingdom. This differs
greatly with those who teach that Christ commissioned the church to
administer the kingdom in His absence, and to bring all nations under
obedience-tobring Him back as King to a world in which all enemies are
already put under His feet. They teach that Christ can return only
after all nations believe in Him and righteousness and peace fill all
the earth. This is a radical departure from what the apostles taught.

   Rome fully developed this doctrine of dominion centuries ago. It was
formulated by Augustine in his "City of God." The church then laid
claim to rule in Christ's behalf in His absence. They carried the
teaching through to it logical conclusion by asserting the absolute
supremacy of its bishop-the Pope.

   When first love grows cold and the return of the Lord indefinitely
delayed, the Laodiceans become weary of crossbearing and begin to ask,
"Are not these disheartening words of the Lord and of the apostles to
be limited to their own day? Is this hostility of the world to the
church to continue to the end? How is this consistent with it heavenly
mission and its gospel of love? Has He not said that the gospel should
be as leaven leavening the meal, and as a mustard seed growing up into
a tree? Did He not say that "all power is now Mine"? Does He not call
Himself "the Prince of the kings of the earth"? Must not the strong
man, Satan, be bound before we can spoil his goods? And when the fourth
century Constantine, the Roman emperor, became a believer and
Christianity had the Imperial power behind it, it become almost the
universal belief that the day of suffering and persecution was past.
From all Christian quarters the jubilant cry went up, "Satan is bound;
the day of triumph is come; Christ is reigning through His church!" Now
the prophecies can have their fulfillment: "All nations will come to
her light, and kings to the brightness of her rising." What a delusion
it proved to be!

   THE LAODICEAN DO NOT RECOGNIZE SATAN AS GOD OF THIS WORLD!"

   There is a practical denial of the power of Satan as "the prince of
this world." They cannot denyh his existence, for it has bee most
clearly testified to by the Lord and the apostles. Nor can they say
that his power has been overthrown and that he is not longer to b
feared. St. Paul called him "the god of this world" (2 Corinthians
4:4), and St. John said, "The world lieth in the wicked one" (1 John
5:19 RV). In the Revelation (12:3), he appears under the symbol of the
dragon as the active enemy of God and of His Christ, and this down to
the overthrow of the antichrist, and till he himself is bound
(Revelation 19:20). But in spite of all these clear declarations and
the continued recognition of various forms of Satanic activity in
individuals, the Laodiceans now say, "Satan no longer reigns; he is
bound, he can offer no effectual oppositon to our unity or to our
missionary activity and to our establishing the kingdom." There is
little agreement as to the time when he was bound. They argue, "How can
the kingdom of God be set up as long as Satan and his angels still have
their power in the earth?"

   Believing they are no longer exposed to the attacks of this subtle
and powerful adversary, they see no need for specvial watchfulness. The
stong man being bound, the church can securely spoil his goods; being
cast out of the earth, the church can now take possession of it. What a
subtle perversion of truth!

   With incredible arrogance, they boast that her bishops can even now
take their places among the princes of the earth. The church ceases to
be a pilgrim and stranger; she is the bride of the Ruler in heaven,
exalted to sit with Him in His throne, the world is to be subject to
her and therefoe all distinctions and honors belong to her leaders as
the nobles of the King. What arrogance!

   CHRIST'S KINGDOM NEVER HAS-AND NEVER WILL-BE "OF THIS WORLD!"

   Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world...my kingdom is not
from hence..." (John 18:36). That settles it for me, as it should for
all believers who tremble at His Word.

   As for me, I choose to be seated with Christ in heavenly places, and
to be among those Enoch prophesied about, "Behold the Lord cometh with
ten thousand of saints" (Jude 14).

   The Laodicean can have this present world and all its kingdoms and
glory. It is destined to burn, according to Peter. "But the heavens and
the earth, which are now, by the same word, are kept in store, reserved
unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men" (2
Peter 3:7). How clear can it be? "The earth also and the works that are
therin shall be burned up" (2 Peter 3:10).

   Let the overcoming church proclaim with Peter, "We, according to His
promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherin dwelleth
righteousness" (2 Peter 3:13).

   Church of Jesus Christ-let no man deceive you concerning our Lord's
return! Draw comfort from our Lord's promise: "For the Lord Himself
shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the
archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise
first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together
with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we
ever be with the Lord... Wherefore comfort one another with these
words" (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18).

   For your information;

   David Wilkerson's messages are mailed free of charge. World
Challenge P.O. Box 260 Lindale, TX 75771 For quicker response call:
214-963-8626