Chapter 35

AN IMAGE TO THE BEAST...

When the thing got so human, (that is when the Methodist organization got so human) out of it came a bunch of people. They said, “We can’t take it, any longer. It’s just a human work! So, out they came. One group called themselves Nazarenes, and Wesleyan Methodists, and then, the Pilgrim Holiness came also, that was good---but they turned right around and built an image again! Oh yes, the head of “the church,” in the Newark Advocate the other night, was on front page. It wasn’t doctor Jesus; it was doctor “somebody else”. The very minute they built an image and started the wheels of human machinery running, the power of God moved out.

It works individually or collectively. If we go to governing our own experience and make up our own mind, the power of God will just move on. If we, as a people, begin to turn the wheels of human machinery and have our own government, God will just go and get a people, who will let Him be the head! Now, this is a hard statement, but we’re going to make it. We don’t know any movement that’s exempt from this. We don’t know any movement that hasn’t built an image. Now, if you know of any, tell me about it after the service. The trouble of it is: people are still deceived---right in the church of God movement, people are deceived.

What is an image?

Let's analyze it: Causing them to make an image and the 15th verse tells us what the image is. He had power to give life to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and causeth men that would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. What is an image? It is something set up, that begins to speak, and enforce what it speaks and has its own mark. That’s an image. When anything starts to speak, (other than God's Word) and when any of the machinery, (back of that voice), gets strong enough, that they can enforce what they speak---and they have their own mark of recognition, that’s an image. That’s what the Revelation calls an image, when some church government begins to speak other than God's Word and enforces it---that’s an image!

The law of God never got us---the by-laws, got us. Come on---we made it clear that they didn’t have any Bible against us. The man made by-laws, got us. Let's face the facts---the ministry can back off the Word, disregard, refuse to preach it, refuse to live by it, and then, will tell you: "You ought to have enough of the love of God to line up with them." You can Cross the Word of God, you can cross the teachings of the Word, the very doctrines that were the backbone of the Church of God reformation, and still be a good brother, but if you break one of their human by-laws, you’re “going out”.

So what’s governing them? Let's get awakened! When some church government begins to speak other than God's Word, and then, has enough human machinery back of it, to enforce that thing---that’s an image. The second definition of an image is, when they’ve got their own mark of recognition. It’s an image. The true mark of the church of God: is the blood. "We reach our hand, in fellowship to every blood washed one." Whenever we begin to get any mark of recognition other than the blood, we’re building an image.

F. G. Smith tried to tell them, that, 20 years ago! Somebody said, “What do you mean, some other mark besides an image?” All right, this image put the mark on people: that you can’t buy or sell unless you’ve got the mark. What is it---the mark of recognition among the ministry? In religious work, you don’t buy and sell cheese: you buy and sell the Gospel. But you can’t preach (buy and sell the Gospel) for that organization unless you’ve got their mark. The first charge they had on us was: that we let men preach for us that wasn’t in the year book. Another mark: creeping up there. Blood is the mark, and we’ll still, stand on it.

It’s pretty sad, right around the church of God, when a church of God preacher makes a statement that the blood is the mark and you only get one amen. Some places you go, a woman has to have a “knot of hair” on the back of her head, that’s a mark. Other places, you’ve got to have the necktie, off: that’s a mark! Nothing but images: the blood is the mark. People today are not guided by the Word of God, but guided by the teaching of their organization. Now, we want to “tie it all up,” and show you there’s no difference. You talk to the Catholics: We’ve done it and you have too--show him the Bible. What’s his only answer--our church doesn’t teach it. So, he’s not guided by the Bible, he’s guided by the teachings of his church.

He said, he would put a mark in the right hand or in the forehead. What kind is that? That’s just “head and hand religion”. He didn’t say he would put a mark on their forehead, he said in it.

How does Protestantism put a mark in their forehead? By their catechism---Protestantism is catechising her members into the church, just like Rome does. She puts the mark in their forehead, when she sows that doctrine in their very minds and teaches them. They go to school so many weeks---and they will take them into the church. Now, they not only put a mark in the forehead, but in the hand. What is that? Well, if they’re are a good supporter---even if they won't learn their catechism, they’ll mark you in the right hand---shake your hand and take you in. Mark in the head---it’s all in their creed---this Protestant religion. Many people are not saved---just a head religion or a hand religion---nothing said about the heart being changed whatsoever. Great God, help us! It causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond to receive a mark in their right hand and their forehead. There’s their yoking. Free or bond, saved or unsaved, just yoke them all together. Oh, God, help us. And then they turn around and say, if a man preaches this kind of Gospel, he’s causing division.

Who’s causing division? We’re ready to work with any blood washed one, anywhere. Any spirit that testifies that Jesus is come in the flesh, we’re ready to work with it. Irrelevant of how much light he has---if he has the spirit of God, we’re ready to work with him and try to get together with him---and get in the center of the faith. Now who’s making division? One who sets up a rule, that you have to be in a certain book or we won’t recognize you. Again, who’s making division? The ministry “here”, is a hireling ministry! They cause all to get a mark. Why? To get your name in the lamb's book of life is not enough. They’ll “plague you to death”, until they get your name on the church roll by their hireling ministry and they’ve got to submit something to headquarters. And if they don’t show an increase, they’re going to get a smaller church. So, they “run the hospital aisles”. We follow them, sometimes, and watch them. They get people to sign their name, just before they die---it won’t make any difference if they are, dead members, just so they can “send names in”. That’s what’s going on. They’ve got to show an increase. Why? Because: when council meets next year, “out we go”, unless we show an increase. We have to be a profitable servant.

Revelation 13:16, let me hit it again, "And he causeth all, both small and, great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads" and goes on to tell us that we must have the mark to buy or sell. Oh, may God help us to cry out against this thing. One can’t do business with them, unless they’ve got their mark---can’t buy and sell. People right in this audience, tonight, may say, we just can’t see the Word of God alike, now, Brother Wilson, you might just as well give up. Would you tell me arithmetic is “more plain”, than the word of God? We see it all alike. Now, if we didn’t see arithmetic alike, I couldn’t buy gasoline to get home. We’ll show you the same thing: Down in Newark, we’re taught two and two are five and up here, you’re taught two and two are four. You’ve been taught it from your childhood, you would believe it was right, and swear by it. Now, we come up and say, “Give me five gallons of gas and you’re going to make change and I say, “Hold on, you made a mistake.” “No, I didn't.” “Yes you did, two and, two are five.” “No, two and two are four.” Now, we’d have the same mess in the business world, we have in the religious world. No, they won’t allow that in the business world. If you open up a school, anywhere, there’s only one standard you can teach or they’ll put you out of business, quick! Everyone teaches 2 and 2 are 4! But, you can open up any kind of church on any kind of corner, teaching anything you want. And then wonder why we have confusion. Tut! Tut! Tut! If we all get the same teacher and use the same textbook, we’ll learn the same lesson. The Holy Ghost is the teacher!

Paul said, “In this Gospel I preach, we speak the things we know. If any other man comes preaching any other Gospel, if an angel from heaven came down preaching any other Gospel than this, let him be accursed.” Then he went on and said, “This Gospel I preach unto you, I did not receive it of men, neither was I taught it of men.” There’s where the trouble is: But by a divine revelation of Jesus Christ. “Oh, now, Brother Wilson, there’s a modern way. We must have educated ministers, so that proper influences can be applied, and the Church have prestige.” Let me say here, that a man could attend every seminary, if it were possible, quote the entire Bible by heart, have every degree bestowed on him that man can imagine to make up, speak with the greatest eloquence ever acquired and be a master at psychology, and in spite of all these, he might not be a qualified true Church of God preacher. Job 32:8, "The inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding." II Tim. 3:18, "All Scripture is given by inspiration” How is it given? It is given by, the Holy Spirit. God's truth comes by, revelation to humble hearts. There’s no other way. John got it where? In the wilderness! Where did Paul get it? In the wilderness! After God saved him, he said he didn’t confer with flesh and blood; neither did he go up to Jerusalem, but God took him down in Arabia, in the wilderness for three years, and sitting on a rock, (down there in the wilderness) God gave him a divine revelation of truth.

THE MARK OF THE BEAST...

Paul came out of the wilderness, not only preaching the truths that Peter was, but he “had the jump on him” and made him back up. Where did John get it? John gave us the greatest book we have in the Bible—“sitting on a rock” out in Patmos. Who taught it to him? The Holy Spirit! Jesus said when He is come, He will teach you. He will take the things of mine and show them unto you---and if we all get the same teacher and use the same text book, we can see it alike, and preach it alike, and stand together on it and have power for God! Well, these people here, in the 15th chapter of Revelation---let's go back to them. "And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name." Notice here: in the 13th chapter of Revelation, they can’t buy or sell unless they have the mark, the name of the beast or the number of his name. What’s he talking about? These beast names: now, “these people” believe the church of God is invisible and they say there’s nothing in a name. Well, let's see if there is! We’re here to tell you: there’s everything in a name! That’s why we have so many! Let's analyze it, in sound reasoning, by the Bible. Here’s “this old deceptive work”, they just put any name on the church, they want to, and say: “There’s nothing in a name. Why, there’s everything in a name. Again, that’s why we have so many! Why don't we all go by Wilson? Why, I wouldn't want that name! Do you know why we have so many names? To tell us apart! And that’s what God is against. Every new group, that comes out now, we must take another name. Why? "Nobody will ever know we’re separate" - and that’s what God is against---being separate, in that sense. There’s everything in a name. That’s the reason we have so many. Not long ago, a fellow was “pushing on” the Methodist name. We showed him the Bible name. “Oh, I know that.” “Well, then, what’s the Methodist name? He said, "just a nick-name." I said, "old nick." Well, that’s what the revelation says.

What does it mean: having victory over the number of his name? The number---these names (plural)--- many of them. Again, someone says, “There’s nothing in a name.” There’s everything in a name, when it comes to inheritance. Our father died, and left a will, but we didn't see any of you, down there. Why didn't you come down? There’s nothing in a name? We didn’t see one of you, down there. It wouldn't have done you a bit of good, if you had come. You don’t have the right name. Everything! Yes, everything, in a name! “…Victory over the number of his name.”

In the 17th chapter of the Revelation, the 3rd verse, we’re told, that over this apostate religion, was written the names of blasphemy---plenty of them. But, there’s only one Biblical name for the Church and any other name is a blasphemous name, the Word of God says. Revelation 13:6, we read to you what dragon talk was. He talked like a dragon, even Protestantism did. Why? The first thing they blasphemed was the name of God. How did they blaspheme the name of God? By taking their own name of their organization and saying it is the church just as much as anything else. They blaspheme the name of God in this manner. God's a character name. God, is the only character name there is. Now, stop and think a minute. You can be any kind of rascal and have the name of Wilson or McKenzie. He knows that, and I do too, because we were both rascals, before we were saved. Now, I’m a saved person and still a Wilson. So, you can be any kind of a person and still be a Wilson, but you cannot be a child of God, unless you have the character of God. That's why, when you run the genealogy of men from Adam to Christ, none was called the son of God (read it in Luke). Adam was the son of God. Everyone else was the son of a man and the son of a man, until Christ was born, and he was the Son of God. Why? None from Adam to Christ, had the character or nature of God. God is a character name. They blasphemed that name. How? Makes no difference how they live, they want to be called the children of God. Then, they take these many names, here, and say they’re just as good. Now, you know as well as I do, that we wouldn’t have to have more than one name, if we didn’t have more than one body, and we’ve already read to you, where the Bible said there was only one body. Whenever the Church of God becomes multiple... What do you mean? Whenever you have to put a prefix on the name "Church of God", that’s beast worship, too. See, it’s a number of his name, meaning: more than one—there’s only one name for the church.

We need to get victory over the number of his name---these multiple names, if you please. We read the 17th chapter of John, and we want to look there again. Jesus gave us the attributes for Bible unity. There are four of them. What are they? Turn with me to the 17th chapter of John, and we will read from Jesus' prayer the very same thing the Revelation said. John 17:1, "These words spake Jesus, and lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said, Father the hour is come: glorify Thy Son, that Thy Son also may glorify Thee. As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given Him. And this is life eternal (here is the first one) that they might know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent." There’s the first necessity for Bible unity. Every person must have eternal life. They must know Him, (and look out, people, that don't believe in the trinity) And Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent. So we see, that Christ said that the first necessity of Bible unity is that every one must have a real experience or have eternal life, in other words you must get past the preacher. You must get past the priest first, this fellow that sits in the temple as God. You must know the truth of the matter---that there’s only one God in that sense. They must know, Jesus said, the only true God. Oh, Catholics don't think he's God--they don't? Then why, when they go to mass do they say, "Our Lord God, the pope?”

If you ever get in the true Church of God, you’re going to have to get past the priest and get to God, the only true God, and get a real experience of eternal life. You not only have to get past the priest, but you’ll have to get past the false preacher that says you cannot live above sin and cannot be holy and cannot be one people---you’re going to have to get past him. And get to God, and get a real experience of eternal life. Now look out! John 17:6 and 11, (6) "I have manifested Thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world"- (11) "And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to Thee, Holy Father, keep through Thine Own Name."

Chapter 36

VICTORY OVER THE NUMBER OF HIS NAME...

Victory over the beast---well, we’re going to have to get victory over the beast name. "Father, keep through thine own Name, those that thou hast given me." What was the Father's Name? God. That’s the name we’re to be kept in. That’s why it’s called the Church of God. What was Jesus name? Jesus God. Oh, I don't believe that. Well, it was the minute He was born and before that, He was the Son of God. Some fellows are running around and saying Joseph was His father. Well, all you have to do is watch Him. As soon as He got old enough, He would tell you who His Father was. He didn't know who His Father was until He got big enough to talk. He was the Son of God. Jesus was His given name.

I was born into the Wilson family, and though I was the son of Wilson's, just as soon as I was born, Emerson was my given name. Thou shalt call His name Jesus. You gave Him that name; His name was Jesus God. When the son gets married, the bride doesn’t take the given name, but takes the family name. When my wife got married, she wasn't Mrs. Emerson; she was Mrs. Wilson. Even so, when Christ took His bride, she (it) was not (Mrs. Christ) the Church of Christ, but (Mrs. God) the Church of God, the family name. Well, somebody said, any name will be all right. We’ll never be together then. Names are separating us. These people had victory over the beast, Roman Catholicism; over his image, Protestantism; over the number of his name.

The 14th chapter of Revelation, John saw the church standing on Mt. Zion with the Father's name written in their forehead. We are the children of God, family of God, the Sons of God---the Church of God. Diversity of names is dividing God's people. So what are the attributes of unity? Eternal life; every member has to have their names written in the Lamb's book of life.

God is calling His people out of Babylon. He’s not calling the goats and everything else. We must be kept in the Father's name. What is the next thing necessary? 14th verse, Sanctify them through the truth, Thy Word is truth. You have to get past the image of the beast, you have to get past all the creeds. Throw away all the human doctrines and creeds and get back to the blessed old Bible; get people sanctified---get them to consecrate to God's Word in its entirety, known and unknown.

“Sanctify them through the truth, thy Word is truth.” Well, Jesus said after these three steps were taken, in the 24th verse, He said, "and the glory thou hast given me, I have given them that they may be perfect in one." Now, when does the glory come? Go right back to the type. Before we even go to the type, let’s read a little farther in the 15th chapter of the Revelation and we’ll be through. The 15th chapter of the Revelation, and He comes right on down through… The temple of the tabernacle of testimony in heaven was open, and he came on down to the 8th verse, and the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God.

When did God fill the temple? After it was built according to the blue print and the sacrifice was laid on the altar. Now, come over to the New Testament temple---when was the temple filled with smoke? After she was built according to the blue print. What is the blue print? Every member having eternal life, every one of them kept in the Father's name, every one sanctified through the truth---then, the glory moves in. John said the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God. And where there’s smoke, there’s fire. Smoke is a symbol of the glory of God. Now, friends, we’re just sitting around and, we will never see any more glory than we have seen, unless we line up according to that blue print. When we line up according to that blue print, the glory will then be automatic, as salvation or anything else is, when we meet the conditions. Brother, they had the glory in the morning time. Why? She was built according to the blue print.

Now, someone may say: All I’ve gotten out of your message is: you’re trying to get everybody to leave their church and come to yours. We have no church. We’re asking people to leave every thing that’s not truth and come to the truth---wherever you are. Keep that group you’re preaching to, in the Father's Name. Keep them by the Word of God. These old images are working on every side and they have all kinds of beliefs. It’s a human work. They’re voting the preachers in---an voting them out. It’s not God's church—it’s the people's church. You go to the church in our town—it’s supposed to be the church, but it’s The people's church. After you’ve joined it, they’ll ask you whether you want to be baptized or not. It makes no difference what the Bible says, they ask you whether you want to be baptized or not. Then, you say, yes, I want to be baptized. Well, we will let you choose what kind, you want. We’ll sprinkle you, pour you, or immerse you. It makes no difference what the Bible says; you just do what you want to. That’s what’s going on. Then, we jump right back over to the Church of God and it’s the same thing. Preacher thinks we ought to have a meeting and he gets up and asks, “Do you think we ought to have a revival?” No-o-o, we have house cleaning to do. We call it, God's church, but we never ask God at all, about having a revival and who is going to hold it. We ask the people. We preach about Holy Ghost leadership---we read it to the people, but never have it. May God help us!

THE CHURCH AND VOTING...

There are a lot of them that would preach it, if it was not for the fact that they were voted in, and they know that if they lay it down too strong, they’ll get voted out. Don't we know that God is against voting? We’ll have to pour a vial out… Why is He against voting? Well, for one thing, the majority is always wrong (the majority of the time) (smile). Now, let’s study our Bibles. The majority, are going the “broad way”. In order to vote in a church, you have to have some kind of recognized standard to come to. You can’t let everybody vote. So, you say they have to have been there six months. But you don’t know if they have been “in and out” six times in that six months, because you can’t see their hearts. When we begin to take it out of God's hands, right there, when we begin to say, this one can vote and that one can vote. The only scripture in the Bible, the voters have, is the first chapter of Acts, and that came out of a carnal heart before the Holy Ghost came. Peter stood up---the same Peter that denied the Christ---“but he was different”. NO---the same old carnal nature (living according to the flesh) was there. He stood up and said, Men, I think we ought to vote somebody in to take Judas' place. What ever made him think they ought to choose a man? They didn’t choose the rest of them---Christ, chose them.

So they voted him in---and at least they prayed---they were religious. "Well, God accepted it." No, he didn’t! They voted Mathias in, and we never hear of him. In a few days, Jesus chose the 12th one. He said Paul was His chosen vessel. You fellows voted Mathias in, but I chose Paul. That’s the trouble, now. We have too many Mathias' and not enough Paul's. We never hear of Mathias, and Paul dominates the rest of the book. Somebody said, “He wasn’t one of the 12.” Yes, he was, his own testimony was, "I am the least of the apostles"---He was the least one, the last one, but he was one of them. And you never hear of voting after the Holy Ghost came. Somebody said, “Look out now, he said to pick out seven men to wait on tables.” That's right, but that’s a long way from preaching. Now, we’ve really “thrown a spike in the wheel”. But, we’re still on the Bible. You have to recognize God's given overseers. And when God has placed the overseers in the congregation, every spiritual one will recognize the move God has made. Paul said, “You follow me as I follow Christ.” He was put there as an overseer, set there as a watchman on the wall. Go back and study it.

THE WATCHMAN ON THE WALL

The watchman on the wall could see the enemy coming for miles before the people in the city knew anything was going on. He was set up there and when he saw the enemy coming he was to blow the trumpet. But what is happening today? Too many people won't recognize the watchman! There’s too much of the kind of preaching: Just follow the Lord; just follow the Lord. People say, “I am not going to get excited until I can see it.” Well, you may never see it, until it “eats you up”. The watchman is to warn us, and if we won’t listen to God's watchman, we’re sure to get into trouble. There’s only one charge we ought to give to the watchmen. See if they line up according to the truth, see if they’re an example to the flock, they live by the Bible, they preach the Bible, the Holy Ghost works through them, if they do, then, we need to listen. They are God's watchmen. They are the overseers. This is old-fashioned church of God preaching. It will work. It will raise up a people that love. And any people that don’t love their watchmen will never get anywhere. The Bible says to love them and respect them. They watch for our souls. Show me a congregation that flourishes, spiritually and materially, and I'll show you, a congregation that takes good care of their watchmen. Now, let’s just go out and look around. You show us some people that are tight with their watchmen, afraid they’re going to give them too much, and we’ll show you a people that are just scarcely getting along. Why? It’s not according to God's Word. They, who preach the Gospel, aught to live by the Gospel---they’re the overseers. God has ordained them. Listen to them.

What if we get a man in that’s not a man of God and we can’t vote him out? PRAY HIM OUT! If God can’t take him out any other way, He may take him out in a casket! That’s probably a mite strong, but see, what we mean? We think we can “take the divine out of it”. Let’s keep our hands, off! The Bible says, “don't lay a hand on my anointed.” David would not touch Saul, even after he had backslid! He was afraid to touch a backslidden prophet. When God “sets men in”, we recognize them as “God's men,” by the fruit of their life, the example they live---We’d better keep our hands, off---give them liberty. Now, why should we give them such liberty? They can’t fulfill their work unless we do. We tell our people, give us liberty. Why? We have to answer for every soul that’s under our “watch”. Let’s not put strings the watchmen. Let’s let them preach what God puts on their heart. The Bible says, if they fail to warn us, and we’re lost, our blood will be required of them (the watchmen).