Another Angel

The hand of God still rules the universe. The hand of God still vindicates His people. God is still able to take care of every circumstance if we have enough patience and faith to leave it with Him. He will bring it to pass: He will bring judgment upon every circumstance.

In our previous message, John saw a picture of a group of people back on Mount Zion. We explained that they were not only blood redeemed, but that they were also redeemed from the earth. They were redeemed by the Word. We proved that there is redemption by the Word, as well as by the blood. This was symbolized by the singing of a new song that had nevedr been sung before which the saints before them could not sing.

The former saints were redeemed by the blood, but these were redeemed from earthly organizations when they heard the voice of God and the voice of Christ. As they obeyed it, my friends, they were delivered into an experience where they could sing a new song that people who had never been delivered out of Babylon (false religion) could not sing. The message The Church preaches is distinct: it is not preached anywhere else. This new song just can't be sung in a strange land--and anywhere but The Church is a strange land.

After John saw this picture of people on Mount Zion, he began to see something else. He said, And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach... Most systems of religion have the people working themselves to death, financially and every other way, to build up their system. When, however, you can get people delivered from the systems and from the strain of building up those systems, you will see a people do just what the lesson is telling us. The burden of bearing the everlasting Gospel to a lost and dying world will fall on those people's hearts.

After John saw this group gathered together who were redeemed from the earth, who were without fault before the throne of God, he saw an angel, or a ministry, fly in the midst of heaven with the everlasting Gospel to preach. That word fly doesn't mean he is up in the air floating around. This word fly means, "rapidly, moving quickly". If we could really see a picture of our world as God sees it and the shortness of the time, there would be a little more rapid moving. I wonder if there would be a night go by but what we would be delaring the Gospel somewhere.

Here was a people who got close enough to Christ to get a vision of what was going on. We need to be stirred today. Too many people's vision is not keen enough. That is why we are so slow in some respects of bearing the everlasting Gospel to a lost and dying world. If you get close enough to Jesus, you will be a little more rapid in your efforts of reaching the world. This is definitely sure. Nobody ever got close to Jesus without feeling a stirring burden to help a world and bear the Gospel to them.

Heavenly Places

So here we have a picture of a ministry flying in the midst of heaven. This heaven refers to the heavenly position of Mount Zion, The Church. We are caught up into heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6). When you get up in the top of Mount Zion, you will think you are in Heaven. Too many are living only halfway up the mountain. Someone might say, "You couldn't call it heaven." Yes, you can. When you get a people awake from the systems, they come to where Jesus is. When we come to Mount Zion, we come to God and to Jesus (Hebrews 12:22-24). We have come to a clean people. We have come to a people who love the Lord, who live square lives. There is no one on top of Mount Zion who backbites or talks out of both sides of their mouth. No, everyone comes without fault before the throne of God. When we get where Jesus is, where there is a clean people, who think clean, talk clean, act clean, dress clean, smell clean, and with no guile in their mouth, you have reached the heaven on earth. I know there is a Heaven to go to, but Thank God, there is a heaven on earth.

We know that when you see Zion, you will see people harping on their harps, a picture of praise, thanksgiving, and rejoicing. Certainly that is necessary, but there is more to being in Zion than just rejoicing. Every one of us needs to realize that we are the firstfruits, and that firstfruit can be updated. The firstfruits are actually a picture of Brother Warner, some of the early reformers, and the early people who came into the evening time light of truth. They were just the firstfruits of a harvest of many, many other people. The work is not done; there are many more out there who need the experience that you and I are rejoicing in. They are not going to get hold of it, however, unless we get stirred within our hearts and take the Gospel to them.

John saw an angel flying in the midst of heaven, or in the midst of The Church, having the everlasting Gospel to preach to them who dwell on the earth. Those who are dwelling on the earth are those who are building on the sand, dwelling on earthly things. Remember, these firstfruits have been redeemed from the earth, showing you that they have been delivered from earthly organizations and from living on an earthly level.

Any church you can join which was started by some man or group of men will never get any higher that man can exalt it. As far as church joining is concerned, it doesn't lift you a bit more off the earth than someone who doesn't go to church, who never even considers a church. You are just as earthly as they are. Brothers and Sisters, there is NONE but Jesus Christ Who can change your position and lift you up from the earth to a higher plane of living. None other can do it. When we leave Him out, my friends, we are still dwelling on the earth.

So this Gospel was to be preached to them who dwell on the earth and to every nation. The Jews need it too. If the Jews are ever saved, they will have to hear the everlasting Gospel, believe it, and meet the mandates of the Gospel, or they will never be saved. So we have the everlasting Gospel to preach to every nation, kindred, tongue and people.

The Gospel is Everlasting Because

Someone might question, "Why is it called the everlasting Gospel?" It is called the everlasting Gospel for many different reasons. First of all, the everlasting Gospel is an unchanging as Christ Himself. Jesus said, Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. Matthew 24:35. It will not change; it will be just as real in eternity as it is today. His Word is forever settled in heaven: For ever, O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven. Psalm 119:89. So when we talk about everlasting, he is talking about something that doesn't pass away. When he talks about the everlasting Gospel, he is talking about that which has been from the beginning. It is the same Gospel that was preached to Abraham: And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed. Galatians 3:8. It is the same Gospel that will be declared by God and His true ministry clear through to the end of time.

When we speak of it as being the everlasting Gospel, we are talking about a Gospel that Rome could not burn or destroy. We are talking about a Gospel that Protestantism could not destroy. Even though they killed the two witnesses, the Word and the Spirit, and made merry over them while they were dead, yet God resurrected them and raised them up. They were just as bold as they ever were before. As they rise up, they are a witness against those who killed them.

I tell you again, Protestantism today, as a system, is the same old Protestantism that killed the Word and the Spirit back in the 11th chapter of Revelation. She will still kill the Word and the Spirit just as much as she ever did. Don't be deceived, my friends, by the garb that Protestantism has put on today, or by the false love that she tells you she has for the truth. The real spirit of that second beast is to kill the Word and the Spirit. Why? Because they have their own vicars; they don't want the Word and the Spirit to rule. So when we speak of the everlasting Gospel, we are talking about something that the beast or the second beast could not destroy.

It is everlasting because it deals in everlasting things. This everlasting Gospel proclaims the mind of the everlasting God. Moses prayed in Psalm 90:2, Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God. One of the first things the everlasting Gospel talks about is an everlasting God Who existed before this time world. He still exists today! He is everywhere. There is nowhere you can go to get away from God. My friends, you can go to the other side of the world, and He will be there (before you, because He is already everywhere). There is nothing hidden from Him. He knows the end from the beginning. The light and the darkness are the same to Him.

It is an everlasting Gospel because it talks about the everlasting things of an everlasting God. It is based on the everlasting covenant. God had promised old Israel that the day would come when He would make a new covenant and it would be an everlasting covenant that He would make through the New Testament.

It is called the everlasting Gospel because it brings everlasting experience and puts us in everlasting habitation. Someone might ask, "Where is there an everlasting habitation here on earth?" In THE CHURCH. Brothers and Sisters, when you get in The Church, death doesn't take you out. Thank God, you have reached an everlasting habitation. The Church reaches from the door, Jesus Christ, right here on the earth, to the portals of Heaven.

Over there are Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, the patriarchs and the millions of saints who died in the past. They found an everlasting habitation. Abraham ...looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. Hebrews 11:10. What did he want? He wanted an everlasting habitation. He died without finding it, but thank God, you and I are come unto Mount Zion, the city of the living, everlasting God. The door of The Church is the door of Heaven. There is no way you can get into Heaven without coming through the door of The Church. So it is an everlasting Gospel, and it brings everlasting habitation.

Fear God

What is the Gospel? In verse 7, this angel came, Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters. In Romans 1:16 and 18, Paul said, For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth...For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness. Here is a people who have just come out of Babylon, and God had promised that He would put judgment on those conditions which were deceiving the minds of men and offering false gods for the true God.

My friends, when this Gospel began to sound out, the first words this angel said were, "Fear God." It was said with a LOUD voice. Why a loud voice? It had to be lifted above the din of this world. If there is any one portion of the Gospel that NEEDS to be cried aloud, it is, "Fear God!" We are living in a day and age, among a people, many times who claim to be "Christian", who don't live a God-fearing life.

One of the first thoughts in God's mind in sending a Gospel was of bringing redemption to man. Why did He send it? Because God is God, and we, His creatures, need to learn to respect and fear Him. So the first cry was to "Fear God!" As much as it was needed back in 1880 or 1900, it is needed even moreso today.

It was said with a loud voice because people are rocked to sleep in carnal security. Even God's good people are sleeping or slumbering today (Matthew 25:1-13). The wise ones right to sleep, along with the foolish. Why is there a loud voice sounding out there? Because if we wait until we hear THAT cry, it will be too late to wake up! That FINAL cry, "The bridegroom cometh," is the announcement: Whatever you have or have not done--it is all settled now! Whoever sleeps in an state unprepared to meet the bridegroom will awaken on the OUTSIDE of a closed door, pounding and pleading, "Please let me in." They will hear the Master say, "I know you not!" Too late, too late, too late. Sadly, sadly, sadly, so many are being TAKEN IN by "theories of second chance"--they are LIES from the pits of hell to deceive you into waiting too long to receive salvation, to make things right with God!

The virgins sleeping did not mean they were sitting in a corner snoring, with their feet propped up and their false teeth in their pockets. This, too, is a SPIRITUAL lesson. When it says that they were asleep, it means that they were not awake--aware. They were not awake/aware to what? To the fear of God! We are not awake to the fear of God as we ought to be. If you get some old-fashioned fear of God, you will be more punctual in getting to church. You will be more vigilant to witness to those you interact with EVERY day. You will clean up your life, your speech, your attitude. You will change your mind about hanging on to those old habits, those old friends who keep you defeated and disillusioned about the necessity of completely selling out to God!

We have little, if any, regard for the light handed, careless disregard we keep for the things of God. Such as that simple thing of dragging in to church just "whenever" we get there. Why don't you try dragging in a half hour late to your job every day next week? "Oh, I am afraid the boss would get after me." Well, let me tell you, you have MORE to fear from God and the lukewarm, don't care, lazy idleness in your way of conducting your life for Him, than you ever have to fear from your boss!

Let's get right down to where we need to be with this. You see, God does NOT let everybody put out the Gospel. This angel appeared having the everlasting Gospel. You must HAVE it before God will ever let you preach it, and if you don't LIVE it, you DON'T have it!

I am telling you, we need an old-fashioned revival of fearing God. This carnal security hash so many in our world rocked to sleep; they are not awake to their own condition. It is so. You can talk to people, and you can't even get them disturbed about their own soul! Some of them, even after the doctor tells them they have only a few days to live, are not disturbed about their soul. They are lost and don't even want to give it a thought. What's the trouble? They are rocked to sleep in carnal security.

The spirit of this old world has benumbed them until they can't get any real feeling about what's going on, and that is the same spirit that can get hold of us if we get sloppy or careless in our attitude toward God, in our living, or in our deportment. Start from Genesis and study the thought of the fear of God. Men who had the fear of God on their lives lived pretty straight. They did not do a lot of things other people did. Why? They had the fear of God on them!

A Door of Utterance

My friends, this angel came with a loud voice. I am not talking about squalling loudly. Listen: the thing that makes your voice loud is when God anoints, when God gives you the message. Just hollaring loudly will not wake up someone who is asleep spiritually. Just hollaring loudly will not wake him up a bit more than it will wake up a dead person in the graveyard.

If they are ever awakened, it is going to take a loud voice as the Bible talks about it, one that is anointed with God's Spirit. God is still able to cause our voice to have more effect if we are willing to live as God wants us to live. My friends, it will ring and roar in the corridors of mankind's conscience and bring an awakening into his life, no matter how slumbering he is.

This angel cried out with a loud voice above all the sleepiness and carnal security, and above the cry of "Peace and Safety" of false prophets. This is what stirs me to no end. There would be a greater awakening in our nation if the nominal ministry would stop patting people to sleep. A man can hear a message on the radio, pick up a tract and read it, or attend a service somewhere where the Gospel is laid out, and his heart gets stirred. There is an awakening which begins in his life, but when he goes back to where he is used to worshipping, the preacher will put him back to sleep.

SO MANY TIMES, the preachers of this day and age get up and say, "Don't be alarmed by people talking about holiness. I sin, you sin, everybody sins. Nobody lives holy. If God marks us according to our sins, we would all be lost." Well, Hello! God DOES mark us according to our sins! And it IS COMPLETELY POSSIBLE to live a HOLY LIFE BEFORE GOD, even in THIS day and age! You had BETTER be worried about sin! Yet as the souls of these folks hear the lies coming from the pulpits today, their soul, which had been stirred, is lulled back to sleep.

So this messenger cam crying out with a loud voice, above the cry of "Peace and safety" of false prophets. This has been my burden: "My God, give me a voice to speak!" Paul called it a "door of utterance": Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds. Colossians 4:3. That is the same as saying, "Give me a voice to speak." I don't mean a voice that is free from harshness, or hoarseness, my friends. We are talking about an amplification that only the Holy Spirit can bring which can break through upon people and bring the abrupt awakening that is so desperately needed in our lives today!

If they needed to be loud back then, it needs to be EXTRA loud today. Why? We are on the precipice of eternity. Those preachers could not stand and say that Jesus may come tomorrow, because every one of them who had understanding of prophecy knew there was more that had to be fulfilled. Who is there who has understanding of prophecy that can say there is much yet to be fulfilled, and look for years and years and years? Only God knows the hour when it will come, but I am saying that you and I are the closest to the brink of eternity as any people have ever been in the history of the world. Eternity is right out there. I say, my friends, we are certainly at a time when the Word of God, the everlasting Gospel, needs to be sounded out loudly and clearly as never before.

Loving, Reverential Fear What was the message? Fear God, give honor and glory to Him, and worship Him. Why did people need to hear such a message? My friends, they had been doing creature worship. Romans the first chapter calls this creature worship: worshipping a man who claims he is God. Creature worship: it is going on in America--it is going on in our city! Oh, how the message needs to sound out: "Quit worshipping the creature. Worship the Creator!"

Natural religion is not sufficient to keep up the fear of God, or to secure for God glory from men. No national knowledge, no knowledge we can gain, can put man beyond the need of this experience I am preaching about. My friends, no philosophy or anything that men or devils can come up with will ever substitute the need of the everlasting Gospel finding its place in your heart and life.

There are probably people reading this message who would say, "Brother Wilson, I am God-fearing. I live in America." Psalm 111:10 says, The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom... We have not begun to be wise until we get to the place where we truly fear the Lord. However, this kind of fear is NOT the paranonia that most people associate with the word "fear". "Fear of the Lord" is reverential fear--NOT being "scared" of Him, but respecting, holding Him in reverence. Reverential fear--where you stand in awe, do obeisance to Him, and live humbly before Him. It is not a fear that you are scared He will kill you, but a fear where you are afraid you will hurt or grieve Him.

This is talking about the real fear that the Gospel brings. The Gospel will bring you an experience of salvation where you will have a reverential fear: because you love God, you are fearful that you will grieve Him, or hurt Him, or fail Him. It is just the same if really love your companion: there is a fear that comes with love if it is real, true love. Because you love that person, the only fear you have is that you will hurt or grieve, or cause them to be hurt or grieved.

I bring this up because all some people can think about in the "fear of God" is just being afraid that God will strike them dead, so they go right on and get bold in their sins because of God's mercy. Brothers and Sisters, anyone who has cursed God and dared God to destroy him is the biggest fool to ever live. Psalm 14:1 says, The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God... There is NO bigger fool than that.

Now, I am not talking about that fear where you are scared God will strike you dead with lightning or let your house burn down while you are asleep in it. I am talking about an experience of salvation where you come in old-fashioned, old-time repentance and really turn your life over to God. He will clean you up from sin, make a new creature out of you, and there will be a fear over your life where you will fear God--with a reverential fear. You would rather hurt yourself, or anyone else, than grieve God. Too many do not live under that fear. Here is the scale that measures and weighs us.

Gospel Perversion

It is the Gospel that retrieves for God His glory. Nothing but the Gospel preached and believed will do this. Why has the fear of God been lifted off the people as it has? It has been lifted off the people by false religion. It is lifted off the people by anyone who claims to be the Church of God (Body of Christ), but does NOT live a God-fearing life. The world in sin and corruption does not lift the fear of God off the world. Who lifts it off? False religion and people who claim to be Christians, but who live careless lives.

Paul, even back in his day, marvelled that people were so soon removed from the grace of God and from the Gospel that had saved them to another gospel. He said, I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. Galatians 1:6,7. There is ONLY ONE Gospel, but men have PERVERTED that Gospel by adding to it, taking away, and doctoring it up to SUIT THEMSELVES!

You can read in the newspaper about sex perverts, and how terrible are their actions! It will make cold chills go up and down your spine, but there are perverts worse than them: Gospel perverts. I will say it again: the worst perverts on the face of this earth are Gospel perverts. Why? All the other perverts, if they will hear and obey the Gospel of Jesus Christ, can be saved, but when men pervert the Gospel, there is NO hope of people being saved.

That is why salvation is out on such a limb. Who lifted the fear of God? I say false religion--popes and priests sitting in the temple of God, saying they are God, but living lives of devils. It has been lifted off by preachers who claim to be God-called, but are failing to preach and live the Gospel.

Jeremiah, in Jeremiah 6:13, prophesied of this condition: For from the least of them even unto the greatest of them every one is given to covetousness; and from the prophet even unto the priest every one dealeth falsely. Coveteousness took hold of them, and they coveted wealth, silver, and gold.

Don't tell me that this did not begin in Roman Catholicism. What were indulgences started for? Why did they start charging for forgiveness of sin? They coveted silver and gold. It comes right over into the realms of religion. Too many prechers are guided by their salary. More are afraid of losing their pensions than fearing God.

"Peace, Peace"

Jeremiah also said, They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace. Crying "Peace, Peace," when there is NO PEACE! This is a picture of false religion telling people to just "have peace" and "no worries". There can be no peace with God or peace within your soul until you get born again, get cleaned up, and measure up to the teachings of the everlasting Gospel.

There is NO peace without being clear with God and clear with your fellowmen. Why? God made you with a conscience. Preachers can cry, "Peace," all they want to, but there will be NO peace! God set the conditions for peace, and there will be NO peace short of meeting HIS conditions!

Someone might say, "That is terrible for preachers to be so covetous that they would deal so falsely." Well, Revelation tells us that Babylon's merchants deal in gold and silver, precious stones, and the souls of men (Revelation 18:11-13). The souls of men are thrown right in with paychecks and gold and silver. They will buy and sell your just as they do gold and silver. Your soul does not mean a bit more to them, and not as much as some money!

It is sad to think that the prophet and priest deal falsely, but the saddest part is that the people WANT IT THAT WAY! Jeremiah 6:16 tells us, Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein. Some people would RATHER have it FALSE! They would rather have preachers and teachers crying, "Peace, Peace," when there is no peace!

"Stand ye in the ways and see..." See what? See if what you call your salvation lines up with God's requirements. We are told in Proverbs 14:12, There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. Matthew 7:13,14 warns, Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

Is there anything about your religion that can really bring the life of Christ to you? If it cannot, my friends, it is not worth a dime and let's face it, a dime doesn't get much at all any more, does it? There is so much natural religion today that people have seemingly forgotten about the supernatural.

"Glory To God..."

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. The fear of the Lord is the source and guard of virtue. When you get the real fear of the Lord in your life, it will straighten a lot of the crooked places. It will put a different guard over your life. It will work a carefulness in you. People have many fears today, but they lack the fear of the Lord. They fear sickness, they fear depression, they fear impressions. Jesus warned that men's hearts would fail them for fear of the things which are coming on the earth (Luke 21:26).

Some other things mankind fears is the loss of goods--the materialistic things in which so many have placed their years accumulating. Some fear wars and rumors of wars. Some have religious fear, but that is NOT the fear of God. The fear of God, my friends, is a mixture of awe, reverence, and love. Jesus said, "If a man love me, he will keep my words..." (John 14:23). So the need is to fear God and give glory to Him.

Romans 3:23 says, "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." As long as you are living in sin, you cannot give glory to God. Regardless of what modern-day evangelists profess, they are NOT giving glory to God. They are building up a system. Some of these systems are worth billions of dollars. We must get to the truth of the matter. God is NOT getting any glory out of that!

There is no way you can start giving glory to God until you get free from sin. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. My friends, there is no way we can give glory to God if He does not send us some glory; we do not have any to give! The message of the Gospel is just that plain. You cannot give glory to God as long as you are living in sin.

Luke, the second chapter, tells of the angels appearing to the shepherds who dwelled on Judaean hills, and of the glory of the Lord shining 'round about them. The everlasting Gospel was declared from the tongue of an angel: And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. Luke 2:10,14. That angel brought the simple message that the little Babe born that night was bringing glory to God.

There IS a way to bring glory to God. How? Through One, and One alone: Jesus Christ. He is God's beloved, only begotten Son in Whom God is well pleased. God is never well pleased with just us. When Jesus is in us, having His way, God is pleased with us, and our lives give glory to God through Jesus Christ and through Him alone.

The Fallen Creature

There has to be a greater awakening among people. Some people are going to have to lose some of these ideas that God is working in everything, that this is a good work and that is a good work. Plenty of work is going on that is NOT good. There is NO USE in talking about giving glory to God while you are still living in and practicing sin.

All the rest of God's creations are glorifying God. Psalm 19:1 says, The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. The cow in the pasture, the horse in the field, and the lion and tiger in the wilderness are glorifying God. How are they giving glory to God? They are carrying out the EXACT MISSION that God created them for. Think about it, think about it, think about it! What a STUNNING thought that can be if you seriously give it consideration. Those animals that we consider to be the "lesser" glorify God far more than we "higher" humans do! God didn't give them the choices, the freedoms, the options He gave us! Think about it, folks.

Man, my friends, is the ONLY fallen creature. When he falls into sin, he falls into a state where his life cannot give a bit of glory to God. All the blood of bulls and goats, and the many sacrifices offered could not and can not free him from sin where he could get back into the realm of life.

Someone might ask, "What does God want mankind to do?" God made the first man here on the earth a HOLY MAN, to live a holy life, in fellowship with God and to glorify God. Sin, however, marred the picture and it still mars the picture today! There is ONLY ONE Who can take away the sin of the world--The LAMB of God. When you come to Him in old-time (that's heartfelt) repentance, He not only takes away the sin, but He will move into your heart and life so that through Jesus Christ you can give glory to God. As long as we live in sin, we repeatedly come short of God's glory. We fail to find (have) peace, and good will is far removed.

The Bible makes it so plain: men are called upon to give glory to God and to acknowledge His majesty. How can you acknowledge God's greatness today? How can you publicly confess your belief that there is a God and actually give Him majesty? By confessing that you have sinned. When you confess that you have sinned, you also confess there is a God who had a law which you broke. You are sorry that you have disrespected God in such a manner; you want Him to forgive you and cleanse you from it, and CHANGE your life. You are then ready to live a life in the fear of the Lord and reverence to God. This is what real, true, Bible salvation is all about.

Salvation, my friends, is NOT joining a church or changing your mind. Salvation is getting you back into the right position before God and getting God back into the right position before you. And it is done through a living experience of Jesus Christ. So we are called on to give glory to God by acknowledging His majesty, by confessing our sins, and by receiving His pardon.

Fire And Brimstone

The angel not only tells us to fear Him, but also to give glory to Him and worship Him. Why? If He is truly God today, He must be worshipped. We must worship Him as the only true Creator. Why is there such a cry to worship God? The message is being sent to people who have been worshipping the beast, worshipping creatures.

Let's just read Revelation 14:8-10. And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb. Some noteworthy thoughts, here in followup: (1) "...followed another angel..." means although there were different angels, they were just different divisions of the same Gospel message. (2) "...wrath of God...poured out without mixture..." means the wrath of God with NO mercy. (3) "...his indignation..." means God is stirred. His creatures have been deceived into following nominal religion which is not giving them salvation here and going to let them end up in hell. (4) "...holy angels..." means "ministers".

Where does a beast worshipper, or somebody who has this name in their forehead, suffer fire and brimstone? The Bible says in the presence of the holy angels (His holy ministers) and in the presence of The LAMB. What is the fire and brimstone? Just plain, old-fashioned fire-and-brimstone preaching that puts torment on people who are not right with God. The world has had more effect on us than we want to own up to. People want everything nice and lovely, and they want people to be blessed and feel good by being in our services, even if they are right on the road to hell. That is a deceptive thing. Where else are they going to be tormented? People in nominal religion have drunken the wine of the wrath of her fornication, spiritual fornication.

The Church is the TRUE BRIDE of Christ, and Christ is the only Husband. Paul said, But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit. Flee fornication... I Corinthians 6:17,18. When you were born again, you were joined to the Lord. He is your Husband, and you are to be subject to Him. He is the HEAD of The Church. If Babylon comes along and gets you to join her church, thereby going contrary to God's Word, you are drinking the wine of spiritual fornication!

These people who are joining church are deceived. The preacher has told them that their husband, Christ, has gone away and that they need a "church home". So they line up with these different churches and even take that other fellow's name, when they KNOW their real name is "Child of God"!

Now our Scripture text said that everyone who worshipped the beast or his image would get his mark in his forehead or in his hand. When they get around where God's holy ministers are, over at Mount Zion where the LAMB is, they are going to be tormented with fire-and-brimstone preaching.

Zion Is Redeemed With Judgment

Let's read II Thessalonians 1:7-9. ...the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord... Romans 1:18 says, For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness. How is the wrath of God revealed from heaven? In the Gospel!

When you get around where the TRUTH is preached, people are going to be tormented. This is why I know that The Church cannot hold her message and line up with Babylon. If we are going to line up with Babylon, welcome Babylon's ministers in and let them feel right at home, there is only one way we can do it: compromise our message!

This is exactly what is being done over the land. Everybody gets to talking about the sweetness of Christ, the love of God, and it is so perfumed up that the most corrupt fellow in the world could say, "My, isn't this wonderful?" But if you start pouring out God's indignation against Babylon, they don't feel at home. Well, Babylon is NOT supposed to FEEL AT HOME in the Church of God. Why? They are NOT at home! They may be saved, but they need an experience; they need to be redeemed by the Word out of that sectarian organization they are in and be made free.

Revelation 14:11 says, And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever... What does it mean forever and ever? As long as The Church remains the church, she is going to put fire on Babylon (false religion). Whenever you find a preacher who, somewhere along the line doesn't have any fire to put on Babylon, just mark him off. He is a falsity. Why? The Bible said the smoke would go up forever and ever. That means that as long as there is a church, there will be fire falling on that which is wrong. God is going to lay the judgments down. Zion is redeemed with judgment. There is no other way to bring God's people out of Babylon except by putting judgment on it.

We read in Revelation 15:4, Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest. There is not a way in the world of getting people out of Babylon if you do not put judgment on it.

Someone might say, "That means to put judgment on the corrupt sinner who is deep in sin." Yes, sir, there needs to be fire and brimstone on people who profess to be people of God, but are not living according to God's eternal Word.

Our Attitude Judges Us

Revelation 14:7 tells us, Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come... I want you to notice something there. It does NOT say, "for the hour of His judgment will come"--it says for the hour of his judgment IS come. We know He is not saying that the hour has come for the FINAL judgment--it is the hour to put judgment on false religion. God kept still while His people hid in dens and caves, while the dragon and the beast roared, and while the false prophets did all their talking. Now, God speaks. The hour is come for God to speak, and God has put judgment on these things that are false.

Notice the word "is"--that is the present tense. Not past tense, NOT future tense, present tense! What brings the hour of His judgment? When the Gospel comes. When God speaks and tells you what you are, you have to answer. When the preacher stands up to lay out the everlasting Gospel, the hour of God's judgment is come. Not the FINAL judgment, but a preliminary judgment.

Every time the Gospel goes forth, it brings judgment. The way an individual receives the Gospel is a test, or proof, of what he really is. Whenever and wherever the Gospel is preached, only there is the actual trial going on. Only there is this judging process taking place.

And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world... John 9:39. What does He mean by that? Just follow His life. He went by the sick to tell them He would heal them, and He healed them. He went by the lost to save them, and He saved them. Then when He came upon a group of hypocrites, He laid judgment on them. He told them, Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. Matthew 23:27,28. To all the lilly-livered, spineless, whiney hypocrites of today, who would call that "judging"--that's not condemning people--that's judging sin!! And just as Jesus told the scribes and Pharisees on that day, the same holds true for mankind TODAY: if you are sinning, you are headed for hell! Oh, all the folks on a "Grace Kick" are not going to like that!

Let's get rid of this modern idea that people have today: don't judge. We are NOT judging; the Gospel is doing the judging. Oh, we sure like to condemn or kill the messenger, though, don't we? God's Gospel is what does the judging--not the rare, exceptional preacher or teacher who stands for the truth of the Bible! The Gospel brings judgment every time it is preached. e that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. Mark 16:16. I don't know how much plainer it can be said. Our attitude towards the Gospel puts us on the right hand or on the left. If Jesus split the clouds today, my friends, and finds us on the left hand down here, when we wake in eternity, we will still be on the left hand there! How do we get on the left hand? By rejecting the everlasting Gospel.

Man has so perverted the Gospel today that he has left mankind with the attitude: "This is the way I feel about it. You can have your own idea about it." It has developed to a point where nobody really knows what God wants them to do, and couldn't do it if they did know. Isn't that a pitiful state to be in, when the Gospel is the power of God unto salvation?? It not only tells you who you are, where you are, and what you need to do to get out of that shape, but it also furnishes the power to change you if you will obey it! The Gospel is the power of God unto salvation, just as sure as we are here.

According to Revelation 14:5, there IS a people who can LIVE HOLY. God will never bring judgment on people until there is a people living better. God is putting judgment on the sinner because it IS possible to live holy! How do I know it is possible to live holy? God has a people doing just that! God would be most unfair to put judgment on you when nobody could do better, but He has a people living better. So the hour of His judgment is come through the Gospel. There is judgment on those who dwell on the earth because tehre is a better place to dwell. In Mount Zion you can find a heavenly atmosphere to live in.

Soul Prostitution

There is judgment on Babylon (false religion) because she made all nations drink the wine of the wrath of her fornication, instead of the new wine of the kingdom. Revelation 14, verses 8-12, lets us see what Babylon is doing to people. It is pointed out. First of all is soul prostitution; they drink the wine of the wrath of her fornication. What an ugly thing it would be among religious folks if some woman would start operating in prostitution, but there is a religion which is carrying on soul prostitution. They are prostituting the spirit of man, and hardly anybody cries out against it.

God's indignation is stirred worse against soul prostitution than against fleshly prostitution. You may go out and commit fleshly adultery or prostitution, and through the blood of Jesus Christ you can be saved. However, if old Babylon gets you to prostituting your soul, there is a good possibility you will end up in a devil's hell to be tormented forever and ever. Why? I don't think there is a person living who has not had enough training at home to know that for a young lady to go out and prostitute her life is wrong, but this soul prostitution is exalted as the real thing to do!

There is nothing more terrible or alarming to see than the human soul, made in the image of God, rendering practical devotion of all its spiritual powers to the morally unworthy, the world, the flesh, and the devil through the false systems of religion. Why does God hate this so? Why would He pour out a cup without mixture? The reason is, our mind is so constructed that the object of our soul's devotion or affection transfigures us into that very thing.

In the Old Testament, they made false gods of wood and stone. They made a stone god, and their hearts became harder and harder. It took them farther and farther away from God. They became more and more like the stone. They were made in God's image to be like God, but sin had separated them from God and they turned to false gods. Those false gods made them like those false gods.

I want you to see why God is so against these fleshly, human gods. When the human spirit get buried and absorbed in the flesh and the world, instead of the minds that should expand into higher and higher things and be more like God, they end up worshipping beasts and images.

Revelation 14:11 says, And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night... Someone might contend, "They are not disturbed."

Don't lose the point. They have NO rest, day or night, when they are around the holy angels and around where The LAMB is. There can be no rest for a guilty conscience under the sway of true holiness. To those ill at ease with God, there must be torment. Why? God has arranged it that way; there is no rest for a guilty conscience. Where the Gospel is preached, if ther is a guilty conscience, it will bring torment.

God is against Babylon because she is more interested in giving out her dogmas and creeds, getting man to adhere to a teaching and joining her organizations, than really making disciples for Christ. Babylon is more interested in holding her members than to see men walking in the light. Any preacher who is really interested in your soul will never lay a straw in your way of walking in the light.

Personal Decision

Revelation 14:8,9 declares very plainly what Babylon is. I just want you to look at it again: And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man... This proclamation makes it individual. It is a personal judgment. God will take care of world powers that are wrong. God will take care of religious systems that are wrong. The question is, what are YOU going to do about it? The Gospel brings the judgment down individually just as sure as we are here. God deals with you as an individual. What are you going to do about it?

All through the Revelation, Jesus said, "He that hath an ear to hear, let him hear." John was told to take the Revelation and send it to The Church. What is the revelation for? My friends, it shows us the true condition of what is going on, then warns that if you have an ear to hear with, you had better hear what the Spirit is saying. Brothers and Sisters, the word "hear" means "HEED".

So there will be a day of final judgment. What is God going to do? Revelation 20:12-15 tells us, And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. Verse 10 of that same chapter says, And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. God is going to take care of those systems when He comes again, but now He wants to know waht you are going to do about it as an individual.

Someone may say, "Brother Wilson, you cannot bring judgment up that close." In John 12:48, Jesus said, He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day. What is judging us now? The One that God has sent, the Words taht God sent Him to speak. That is judging you now, and if you will not take that judgment now, the same Word will judge you in the last day, at the end.

So, my friends, God sends the Word, the everlasting Gospel. He points out, little by little, the sad conditions of these systems, and then He says, "Come out of her, my people." Then He goes on to tell you that if you fail to come out, and hang on and worship the beast, his image, keep his number and his name, and drink of the wine of the wrath of that fornication, you cannot come around where the saints are without getting tormented. Your torment will not stop when the world comes to an end. You will be tormented, forever and ever, throughout the ceaseless ages of eternity. Church of God, it sums up to the fact taht we have a bigger job than we feel we have.

Can God Count On You?

Someone might say, "It does not sound like you, or God either, loves people." God loves every one of those people, and I do, too. God hates those systems, and I hate them, but not the first person--the systems. I despise the false doctrines that mislead people into a sense of security that is founded on lies and perversions of the Bible. Within a matter of minutes, several hundred souls, through death by accident or otherwise, step right into eternity. In a second, they are awakened to the fact that the thing they were in was not of God. Their next cry is, "Why didn't somebody tell me?"

There is no way in the world we can put forth special effort without starting in the right way. The starting place is right here: "Lord, am I living as this 14th chapter of Revelation says that they who are on Mount Zion should live? Am I free from guile and without fault before the throne of God? Am I living with the fear of God on my life? Do I have a reverential fear for God so that I am fearful I will grieve Him? Or, can I just carelessly and indifferently overstep what I know is wrong, with the thought that I will just come around and ask forgiveness?"

If more people had done some real repentance, they would not be overstepping so often. Why? Real repentance makes you sad, and nobody wants to be sad every other day. The trouble is, too many don't really repent. REAL GODLY SORROW that works repentance makes you sad--sadder than if you had lost your companion or children in death. Real repentance brings a remorse. If people truly repented, instead of this "lite" asking for forgiveness, they would be more careful of how they live. They would live a more God-fearing life, with more reverence for God.

How are our lives? Can God count on us to harvest the rest of the harvest? Are we truly the firstfruits? If we are, the earmark of our being the firstfruits will be a burden for the rest of the harvest around us that so needs to be saved. [ The End ]