The California Collection/TheCaliforniaCollection.cdr/his101/warm.arj/WARM.TXT

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 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