A message the Lord gave me to share in open assembly.
Transcript-
In the beginning of your message, the Lord put this… brought this to my heart. Being a husband and being a father, loving my wife and kids, loving my friends, loving my pastor, this passage has always struck me, motivated me to prayer. Ummm,
(I’m reading from Ezekiel 14)
The word of the LORD came again to me, saying,
Son of man, when a land sins against Me by traitorous betraying, then I will stretch out My hand on it, and will break the staff of its bread, and will send famine on it, and will cut off man and beast from it.
And though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they should deliver only their own souls by their righteousness, says the Lord Jehovah.
If I cause destroying beasts to come through the land, and they spoil it so that it is deserted, so that no one may pass through because of the beasts,
though these three men were in its midst, as I live, says the Lord Jehovah, they shall deliver neither sons nor daughters. They only shall be delivered, but the land shall be deserted.
Or if I bring a sword on that land, and say, Sword, go through the land; so that I cut off man and beast from it;
though these three men were in it, as I live, says the Lord Jehovah, they shall deliver neither sons nor daughters, but they only shall be delivered themselves.
Or if I send a plague into that land, and pour out My fury on it in blood, to cut off man and beast from it;
though Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, as I live, says the Lord Jehovah, they shall deliver neither son nor daughter. They shall only deliver their own souls by their righteousness.
For so says the Lord Jehovah: How much more when I send My four evil judgments on Jerusalem, the sword, and the famine, and the destroying beast, and the plague, to cut off man and beast from it.
Yet, behold, there shall be left a remnant in it that shall be brought out, sons and daughters. Behold, they shall come out to you, and you shall see their way and their doings. And you shall be comforted concerning the evil that I brought on Jerusalem, for all that I have brought on it.
A brother asks – What passage was that?
William – Ezekiel 14:12 to the end.
God will provide our needs, you said that. You talked about tribulation; you talked about God’s faithfulness and God will provide for us when the time comes… But God is providing for us. It is fooling… it is foolishness to think that we need to wait till the sword comes and that God’s going to provide. God is providing now.
People in the congregation say “Amen.”
William – Today… we are told in the book of Ephesians “that having done all to stand.” Are we doing all…to stand? Because it is coming. We… you… do all now to stand? We have… I’ve heard it, and, and, I hope I am saying it in the right spirit. You know, God’s put it on Albert’s heart to talk about preparing, and he has prepared. And there are other’s that I know that are preparing. Because God is providing now that preparation for what is coming. God sends His the prophets. God sends His word and says I will do nothing except I reveal it first through my servants the prophets.
And that is the time you receive what God is saying, and you take the time to prepare, first and foremost spiritually. And mentally to prepare you for what’s coming so that you’re not overwhelmed by sudden fear… but also in the practical. Because we have that little warning there, with the five foolish virgins that come to five wise ones and say, “Give us of yours, because our lamps are gone out.” And they turn around saying to those who had opportunity, who had time to prepare spiritually, emotionally and practically, “Uh-uh, no, not so. Go and buy from them that sell lest we don’t have for ourselves.”
God is speaking to all His people, “Prepare, prepare, prepare, spirit, soul, and body.” To stand in righteousness, to give heed because the God of gods who is righteous and just and has given everything we need now to prepare. And we need to prepare first and foremost in righteousness and repent, and to be the redeemed of the Lord and to let Christ come forth. But faith without works… in that you’re not preparing beyond that to the body, to everybody.
We are the body of Christ, and we need to discern those that are the body of Christ. And we need to let charity move forth beyond words, beyond the walls of the church into true commitment to each other, to stir us up.
This is the word of God today (pointing up towards the pastor), and my prayer is that God’s people lay hold of it, and put actions to it.
Gates of the City 