๐ก✞ Coming Out Of The Wilderness: In-Depth Study
๐ก✞ Coming Out Of The Wilderness: In-Depth Study ๐
๐๐ต Where Did Jesus Go to Pray? — The Wilderness & Prophecy in the Latter Days ✨๐
๐ Jesus and the Wilderness
Jesus often withdrew into the wilderness to pray alone, away from crowds and distractions, seeking intimate fellowship with the Father. ๐✝️
The wilderness represents a place of quiet reflection, spiritual renewal, and divine communication. ๐️๐
๐ต The Two Purposes of the Wilderness
๐ก️ A Place of Protection
The woman of ๐ Revelation 12 flees into the wilderness where God prepares a place of safety for her.
⚖️ A Place of Testing & Correction
Israel wandered for 40 years in the wilderness as a period of discipline, preparation, and proving of faith. ⏳
The wilderness teaches dependence upon God rather than human strength.
๐ช A Place of Separation
In biblical symbolism, the wilderness can represent solitude, separation from worldly influences, and even spiritual estrangement before restoration.
๐ Prophetic Perspective & Current Events
๐ฟ The Fig Tree Generation
Many prophecy students associate 1948 and the rebirth of Israel with the parable of the fig tree, viewing it as a significant prophetic marker. ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฟ
๐ค Global Peace Efforts
International negotiations and shifting alliances are viewed by some interpreters as signs of prophetic developments occurring before the return of Christ. ๐
๐ฅ Pentecost Expectations
Attention is drawn to Pentecost because of its connection to Acts 2 and Joel’s prophecy concerning signs in heaven and earth and the outpouring of God's Spirit. ๐️๐ฅ
⭐ Numbers 24 — Balaam’s Prophecy
๐ The Star Out of Jacob
The prophecy of a Star arising from Jacob points to the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ. ⭐✝️
๐ The Scepter Out of Israel
The scepter symbolizes Christ’s royal authority and future reign over all nations. ๐️๐
⚔️ The Final Conflict
Scripture portrays a future struggle between truth and deception, ultimately ending with God’s victory and the establishment of His kingdom. ๐ก️๐ฅ
๐ชจ The True Rock
Jesus Christ is presented as the eternal foundation upon which believers stand. ✝️๐ชจ
๐ Hosea — The Wilderness of Restoration
❤️ Hosea’s marriage illustrates Israel’s spiritual unfaithfulness and God’s enduring mercy.
๐พ God promises:
To draw His people into the wilderness and speak tenderly to them.
To transform the Valley of Achor ("trouble") into a Door of Hope. ๐ช✨
To establish a covenant of:
⚖️ Righteousness
๐ค Justice
❤️ Lovingkindness
๐️ Faithfulness
๐งญ Lessons from Israel’s Wilderness Journey
๐ Hebrews 3 warns believers:
Do not harden your hearts against God. ๐
Remain faithful and obedient. ๐
Encourage one another daily in truth. ๐ค
๐ The wilderness reminds believers to:
Study Scripture diligently.
Grow in spiritual maturity.
Avoid complacency and shallow faith.
๐ข New Testament Fulfillment
๐ฃ️ John the Baptist
Fulfilled Isaiah’s prophecy as the "voice crying in the wilderness." (John 1:23) ๐
๐ His message:
Prepare the way of the Lord.
Repent and return to God.
Receive the truth that leads to salvation.
๐ถ♂️๐พ Joshua 5 — Leaving the Wilderness
๐พ Israel entered a new season:
Celebrated Passover in the Promised Land.
The manna ceased. ๐
They began eating the fruit of the land. ๐๐
๐ผ Joshua encountered the Captain of the Lord’s host, confirming God's presence and guidance for the journey ahead.
✨ This transition symbolizes moving from preparation into fulfillment.
๐ Reflections for Believers Today
⚡ Many Christians observe rapid world changes and see reminders of biblical prophecy unfolding before their eyes.
๐ช Believers are encouraged to:
Stand courageously for biblical truth.
Remain watchful and prayerful. ๐
Engage actively in ministry and discipleship. ๐๐ฅ
Trust God's plan despite uncertainty. ๐️
๐ Key Scriptures
๐ Revelation 12 — Protection in the Wilderness ๐ก️
๐ Numbers 24:14–19 — The Star and Scepter ⭐๐
๐ Hosea 1–2 — Restoration & Betrothal ๐❤️
๐ Hebrews 3:8–11 — Warning Against Unbelief ⚠️
๐ John 1:23 — Voice in the Wilderness ๐ข
๐ Isaiah 40:1–3 — Prepare the Way of the Lord ๐ค️
๐ Joshua 5:10–15 — Entering the Promise ๐พ
๐ 1 Corinthians 10 — Lessons from Israel’s Journey ๐
๐ง Central Themes
๐ต Wilderness = Preparation
God refines, teaches, and prepares His people.
๐ก️ Protection & Testing
The wilderness can be both a refuge and a proving ground.
⚔️ Spiritual Warfare
Truth continually confronts deception.
๐ Restoration
God remains faithful and restores those who return to Him.
๐ Active Faith
Believers are called to study, serve, and stand firm.
๐ Hope Through Trials
God transforms valleys of trouble into doors of hope.
✅ Key Takeaways
๐ต The wilderness is a place of both testing and divine encounter.
๐ Jesus modeled the importance of solitude, prayer, and communion with God.
๐ Biblical prophecies from Numbers, Hosea, Isaiah, and the New Testament reveal God's unfolding plan throughout history.
๐️ God uses wilderness experiences to strengthen faith, build character, and prepare His people for future blessings.
๐ช Christians are called to remain steadfast, courageous, and grounded in Scripture.
๐ Even during difficult times, God promises restoration, guidance, and ultimate victory for those who trust Him.
๐ Conclusion
๐ The wilderness is far more than a barren place—it is God's classroom, sanctuary, and preparation ground. Throughout Scripture, from Israel's journey to Jesus' prayer life, the wilderness reveals God's desire to refine, protect, teach, and restore His people. As believers walk through their own wilderness seasons, they can find confidence in God's promises, knowing that beyond every trial lies His purpose, provision, and ultimate triumph. ✝️๐๐️✨
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#BibleStudy #Wilderness #JesusChrist #Prayer #Prophecy #EndTimes #Revelation12 #Numbers24 #Hosea #Joshua5 #JohnTheBaptist #Faith #ChristianLiving #BiblicalProphecy #GodsPromises #SpiritualGrowth #ShepherdsChapel #KJV #Hope #Restoration
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๐ก✞ Coming Out of the Wilderness
**If we were to title this lecture:** "Where did Jesus go to pray?" He always went to the wilderness to be alone, even apart from His disciples. Maybe it was just a stone's throw away, with tall rocks over that way, but He would set Himself apart and go into that wilderness. I want you to think about the wilderness because God uses it for a twofold purpose.
Remember the woman in Revelation chapter 12, who flees into the wilderness, borne on the wings of an eagle, and is protected there during the time that Antichrist (that is, Satan) is on this earth. That is only a type, only spiritual, but they fled into the wilderness. So a wilderness can be a place of protection, a place of solace whereby you can communicate with God. But at the same time, God uses it as a place of punishment for the generation that wandered in the wilderness for 40 years. For that generation, there was no way He was going to let them out; they were going to die there. So He uses the wilderness for many things.
"Wilderness" can also be interpreted as "desert." It is simply a secluded place, a separation. In fact, some Hebrew literature uses it to mean a divorcement of a wife, or vice versa. So, whichever way, it is even used in that sense. In one sense, the wilderness means "neither day nor night," a time that signifies the end of this age. I am thinking of Amos chapter 6, verse 14, where a curse was placed upon Israel, on God's children there in that chapter. But we have come to a time when we have been in the wilderness since the parable of the fig tree came into being — that is, 1948. That is well over 40 years now; prophetically speaking, that is a long time. But there is one thing you are surely aware of: we are coming out.
Never before has prophecy blossomed in our faces as we see Jacob and Esau — the two superpowers of this world at this time in *perestroika*. We see peace agreements, and we observe them meeting at Malta, as we discussed earlier, where God brought a severe storm down upon them. Though the two superpowers planned it, it did not go quite as they had planned; God intervened. And I must tell you this: the next meeting, scheduled for May 30th (I believe it is), happens to fall not on the actual Pentecost but on what will be on your calendar as Pentecost day. God specifically said in Acts chapter 2, for those who understand the things of the prophet Joel, that there will be signs both on earth and from heaven. The host of heaven is being shaken, even as the earthly prophecies are being shaken at this time. What a time to live! Praise God!
When we see the One World System coming together, and we hear "peace, peace, peace" — which falls soothingly on the ears of the population — they do not know, nor can they understand, what our Father is doing, even when it is so plainly and clearly written. Many of these prophecies are written to Israel, specifically those ten tribes that went north. I am not talking about Judah now; Judah does not have anything to do with the house of Israel at this time going north. Later, these prophecies have to do with every nation and every tongue, as God is calling out leaders of all peoples — men and women who will stand strong, listen to His Word, and give their people hope, because they are going to need it as the end draws closer. I add that because I want you to know this applies to all of your peoples.
I want to go way back to the Old Testament. Many people say, "You are always in the Old Testament," but I would repeat — if someone has already heard the lecture this morning — that the first Bible study Jesus gave after He came out of the tomb was from the Old Testament. Let us go to Numbers 24, starting with verse 17. This is a prophecy, and it is time you begin to pay more attention to prophecy than perhaps you ever have in your life. Though some of you are almost fanatical scholars — you study prophecy so much — there are enough current events coming to pass that you can see prophecy taking shape and solidifying all over this world. You have to keep yourself prepared. I praise God that He has given us this ministry, with input from all walks of life and directly from some of the most secretive places — not to do people harm, but to keep up with what is happening in this world, not only from our wire service but from within the very heart of the Beast all over this world. I thank God for that. I can say no more than that, but a word to the wise is sufficient. God has blessed us, and He has troopers out there on the front lines who seek information and bless all of you, though they can never be recognized. No, you will never be able to applaud them, because they are troopers in a way that no recognition can be given. But God intends that through input into the very heart of the Beast — the whole system here, abroad, in Europe, wherever — we have instant input so we can track prophecy and know exactly what is happening from within. I thank Him for that. I thank Him for those troops. And do not let anyone make anything military out of the word "troops." I am talking about Christian soldiers, real soldiers on the battle line against Satan, even as his Beast system operates. When you can tie into the nerve center of the belly of the Beast, it makes it much easier to understand prophecy in a more definite way.
This was a prophecy given in the Book of Numbers. Listen to it; it is self-explanatory and will set the stage. Numbers 24, verse 14. They were about to come out of the wilderness again, and some prophecy was being given to them. Therefore, as we are coming out of the wilderness in this generation, the prophecy applies to you in the long-term sense. So it is important to you.
> "And now, behold, I go unto my people: come therefore, and I will advertise thee what this people shall do to thy people in the latter days."
And he took up his parable and said:
> "Balaam the son of Beor hath said, and the man whose eyes are open hath said: he hath said, which heard the words of God" — whose words are we dealing with? The words of God — "and knew the knowledge of the Most High" — that is what is important, beloved — "which saw the vision of the Almighty, falling into a trance, but having his eyes open."
God was using this prophet. "I shall see him, but not now." That Hebrew phrase means, "I am seeing this vision; my eyes are wide open. I will see the Savior, but not now; it is far in the future." "I shall behold him, but not nigh" — in other words, not near. This has to do with the latter days; never change the subject or the object of a prophecy, or you will get in trouble.
> "There shall come a Star out of Jacob" — of course, that is our Yeshua, Messiah, Jesus — "and a Scepter shall rise out of Israel."
You know what a scepter is — a king carries it. The King of Kings out of Israel. He is King — not Judah (again, they are separated at this time).
> "And shall smite the corners of Moab" (the sons of Lot) "and destroy all the children of Seth."
Unfortunately, the King James Version — bless its heart, written in 1611 — missed the vowel there and made a proper name out of it, but it is not supposed to be a proper name at all. The Hebrew word for "Seth" means tumult, or confusion. So let us not make a name out of it; let us read it for what it is supposed to be. If you were to destroy all the children of Seth, you would destroy both the house of Israel and the house of Judah; nothing would be left except the nations. Instead, it says: *destroy the children of confusion*. Now let me ask you scholars a question: those of you who know, who are the children of confusion? You do not have to answer me; I can tell by your eyes that you know. They are Satan's children. Naturally, He says, "I am going to destroy you." So we know that has not happened yet, so we are still marching, friends.
> "And Edom" — what is Edom in the Hebrew tongue? It is red. It is the land of Seir, which is Rosh (Russia of today — Rosh in the Hebrew, Russia of today), the home of Esau — "shall be a possession. Seir also shall be a possession for his enemies; and Israel shall do valiantly. Out of Jacob shall come he that shall have dominion, and shall destroy him that remaineth in the city."
Jesus Christ shall set His feet upon the Mount of Olives. Jerusalem is the city, and that is Satan's headquarters at that time, and you know what will happen to it.
> "And when he looked on Amalek" — this is the grandson of Esau, still dealing with Rosh — "he took up his parable and said, Amalek was the first of the nations, but his latter end shall be that he perish forever." Now for the sons of confusion... and he looked on the Kenites.
I doubt there is anyone in this room who would not know what the word "Kenite" means in the Hebrew tongue if they have studied with me very long. It has only one meaning: the sons of Cain — the children of the devil.
> "And he took up his parable and said, Strong is thy dwelling place, and thou puttest thy nest in a rock."
What rock? The fake rock, not our Rock, not the solid foundation that is Jesus Christ, but the false rock, the King of Tyre (Ezekiel 28), Satan himself. Nevertheless, the manuscript word here is "Cain" — the Kenites, sons of Cain. As a matter of fact, I believe both Dr. Moffatt and Dr. Goodspeed translated it as "Cain," as it should be.
> "Shall be wasted, until Asshur carry thee away captive."
That is very important. What happened in that event in old times — you will understand what it is talking about. Asshur refers to the time when the ten tribes from Samaria were captured and taken into Babylon and made to worship there. Who do you think is going to be taken into Babylon very soon? Confusion. Babel — that is all Babel is, the base from Babylon — that which is passing itself off as the Word of God taught but is really the traditions of men. The Bible is going to come alive again when the sons of confusion begin to establish the seat for their father in the city of Jerusalem that is being discussed. Bear in mind: this prophecy was given soon before the coming out of the wilderness, and it pertains to the latter days — the end time. It has not even happened yet, because the sons of confusion are still with us, and the Scepter has not yet risen as King. But He is going to, and we look forward to it.
So we see a prophecy given in the wilderness. I want to look at more, and I want you to make a note of all these prophecies. They have a deeper meaning that may cross over for you today, and they will be very valuable. Do not miss it.
In the 12 Minor Prophets, there is a book called Hosea, which in the Hebrew tongue means "Savior" — Hosea, Joshua, Yeshua — it has to do with saving. You will remember what happened in the book of Hosea because the ten tribes had gone north. God told the prophet Hosea, "I want you to go marry a harlot." That was God's instruction. Why? He had divorced Israel, and He wanted one of His prophets to go marry her and produce children whose names — Jezreel, Lo-Ammi, and Lo-Ruhamah — give the whole prophecy concerning the people, especially in this generation. Lo-Ammi in Hebrew means "not my people." Removing the *Lo*, they would then be "my people." And Lo-Ruhamah means "no pity" or "not pitied." Removing the *Lo* gives mercy and pity. God loves His children, but how He puts up with us with what is happening in this world today... it is a good thing God did not put an Irishman in charge — is that a racial statement? I am jesting, and I am sorry. Those of you who are new here know I can get away with it because you know where my heart is. I would not have the patience, would you, when you have raised a generation like we have in this world today? And you have young people who stand up to make a stand, and the opposition they run into is awesome. So, may we unite knowing the prophecy, knowing the outcome already — that we have the victory — may we encourage young people throughout the world that God's kingdom is our kingdom. We are citizens thereof; we say this humbly, of course. But my friend, I want to tell you something: it has always been stated that Christians must be super humble. That is only toward Christ, because you can become so humble that you have something that is rightfully yours, and someone will push you off square one, and you will not have anything. Christians have got to stand up, dedicate themselves, and put faith in what they do enough to say, "I, as a child of God, take this step." And you know something? You may slide back a time or two; you may even slip. But either God Himself or one of the children will pick you up, and we will hit it again. We are no pushovers. We win battles, we take ground, we do not give it up. We are not in the business any longer of giving ground. That is one reason we have this lawsuit in progress concerning the school system; I pray it makes a difference in every school in the nation. And I will tell you quite frankly: I do not believe in teaching worship in classrooms at all. Worship should be taught in churches, but schools should teach history, and God's Word is history. If evolution is going to be taught, then the history of God's Word should be taught as well. But Christians sit on their hands, do nothing about it, and allow themselves to be pushed around. If they would stand firm, stand up, and make a noise, the politicians would change it in an instant. That is what I mean: you can be so humble that you say, "Just run over me, and I will say I love you." Be real careful if you try that on this boy, okay? Be real careful. God expects His children to have a little bit of backbone. Look at what we have allowed to happen. Of course, it is written; of course it is going to come to that. If I am not careful, I will get onto something totally different.
Let us go to Hosea, chapter 2. For the sake of time, let me set the stage: He is talking to the children of the offspring, telling them about how bad their mother went. This is not a literal woman but her people. But He gives a promise. Beloved, this is your promise; you claim it.
> "Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness." (Hosea 2:14)
Are you with me? You know what "allure" means. I am going to lead you. Let me ask you something: are you ready to be led? I am not talking about by a man; I am talking about God leading you, pulling you into the wilderness, "and speak comfortably unto her." Beloved, it is all downhill from here if you will come into that wilderness — and I am speaking in a spiritual sense. If you will realize that prophecy is just *snap, snap, snap, snap, snap*, and you know it, that is comfortable. When you see God's Word coming to pass exactly as it is written, exactly as we have studied it — God's Word predicting it and we ourselves predicting it (not as our prediction but His teaching, His prediction) — you understand that is encouraging.
> "And I will give her vineyards from thence, and the valley of Achor for a door of hope."
Do you know what *Achor* is in the Hebrew tongue? Trouble. Even in that valley where the trouble is, you are going to prosper; your gifts are going to succeed where theirs fail. Even if trouble is going on, God says, "I am going to see to it that trouble becomes a door of hope." When trouble for everybody else is your door of hope, we have it made. Why? Because when we see trouble coming upon them, that is our door of hope into the wilderness that He allures us into, whereby we see the prophecies of the end times with clarity and understanding, preparing ourselves to be used of Him.
> "And she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth, and as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt."
How did she come up out of Egypt? God brought her up. God leads; He allures; He attracts. There is going to be a great romance soon, you understand. God is looking for His virgin bride — one who has not messed around with Antichrist. He does not want you if you bow a knee to him, if you have listened to the traditions of man rather than this written Word, and if you have allowed your people to listen to the words of man rather than this written Word without even making an attempt. Of course, you cannot turn into a religious fanatic, but at least those who come near you should hear you say, "I have something I want to share with you," and see if it grows, if it sprouts.
> "And it shall be at that day, saith the Lord, that thou shalt call me Ishi" — you know what *Ishi* is? Husband — "and shalt no more call me Baali. For I will take away the names of Baalim out of her mouth, and they shall no more be remembered by their name. And in that day will I make a covenant for them with the beast of the field, and with the fowls of heaven, and with the creeping things of the ground. And I will break the bow and the sword and the battle out of the earth, and will make them to lie down safely."
You see part of that today in the negative sense. The negative comes first. Russia, three or four months ago, pulled 5,000 (I believe it was) or more tanks offline, chopped off the turrets, and put them in their wrecking service — not Ivan's Wrecker Service, but they made wreckers out of them to pull trucks up icy roads. You are going to see more and more of that, and that is why I say "peace, peace, peace" — because the nations can no longer afford war. And when the world monetary system is so well controlled that war does not cost anybody but you anyway, you really do not care that much about having a war.
> "And I will betroth thee unto me forever; yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in lovingkindness, and in mercies. I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness: and thou shalt know the Lord."
There is only one way you can know the Lord, and that is to know His letter that He has written to you — the instructions on how to make it work: which string to pull. And you wives, listen to me, this is good stuff: which string to pull to get what you want. But truly, this is the way you get along. Beloved, this is the instruction for your life. You will see people who say, "Oh God, my life is a mess." They are like someone who jerks something out of a box and starts sticking it together without reading the instructions. They do not even know how to operate a life because they have never read the instructions. He is going to betroth her, and she shall have eternal life — the foreign tribes, which are symbolic through Christ of all people — that happiness forever. That prophecy is going to come to pass. You remember the one we read this morning about Christ dying on the cross? It came to pass, did it not? Then why would you doubt this? I am going to tell you something about that little trick: you better talk to that 10% of yourself that says, "I don't know, I don't know if God is really real or not." That little 10% you keep tucked back there — you better let the Scripture get a grip on it and straighten it out.
Now let us go to Acts chapter 7. This is when Stephen was being stoned to death. In verse 41 it reads:
> "And they made a calf in those days" — back in Egypt, or rather in the wilderness, just out of captive bondage — "and offered sacrifice unto the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their own hands. Then God turned, and gave them up to worship the host of heaven."
Do you know what the host of heaven is? Angels. Do you know the first host of heaven that will appear on this earth? Have you read Revelation chapter 12? Satan and his host, his angels. As it is written in the book of the prophets, there is that saying I love so much:
> "As it is written, O ye house of Israel, have ye offered to me slain beasts and sacrifices by the space of forty years in the wilderness?"
So at the time of coming out of the wilderness, the whole center shifts. What would that say to you in a prophetic sense? You better be ready for a host. A host is coming. Need you fear that? You love the Lord, don't you? Did He not say, "I am going to treat her comfortably, I am going to protect her, I am going to take care of her; she is never going to have any more problems"? The war that is about to come is a war of love. Satan as Antichrist is the most beautiful — he really does want to woo you for your soul. He wants to say, "I love you." He wants to be God. He is very serious in that; he does not wish to be the Destroyer that he is called. He wants his own kingdom; that is what got him into trouble in the first place. When you have a desire that strong, it usually does not change a great deal. Age might mature you a little, but it does not change that much. He still wants to be your Lord. He wants his own kingdom, and he is going to have it for a little while, because unfortunately, with what is taught in this world, people are ready to follow any savior who is supernatural, who will just come down and blow his whistle. And Michael says, "I am throwing Satan out first," and woe to you on earth who want a quick trip out, because he is going to deceive you. It breaks my heart, but the majority of the world today is ready to jump on his bandwagon, and they are not even aware that that is Mystery Babylon. Did Jesus say in Matthew 24 that maybe Antichrist will come before I return? He said he shall return first, and he will bring tribulation upon your people. But it is a tribulation of love — the greatest revival this world will ever know.
We are coming out of the wilderness, dear friend. Prophecy is happening so fast it is breathtaking. What a year to meet at this Passover with these things before us. Before, we would study and plan and look ahead. But now there are so many prophecies fulfilled in a year that it has become commonplace; I cannot and would not even attempt to reiterate them all, or we would be here all night. A few examples: East and West Berlin — one part of the Warsaw Pact, the other part of NATO — both coming together means a big decision must be made about whether the whole body will stay with warfare or go to NATO. Naturally, they will go to NATO. That is a step that is awesome when you look at it from inside. You say, "You are talking about armies that are packed, not just countries." We see talks of peace. Quite frankly, we have observed things from Mikhail Gorbachev in this past year that make me pinch myself. The amazing thing is that it has not been our president who has brought this to pass, certainly not our Congress; it has been Mikhail Gorbachev. God has His hand on that man, and I dare anyone to say I said he was God's savior to the people. That is not what I said. I said God is using him. You have to give him credit for one thing: he has a lot of power in his own country and with his own people, and the man has guts. I do not know any other way to say it — to stand up to the old guard the way he does is fantastic. When God has His hand on a person, do you know that his mother was a Russian Orthodox Christian and that he was baptized as a baby? Not that it makes any difference one way or the other, but is that not a strange thing compared to what we have heard coming out of Russia over the past 40 years? Of course it is.
So you have a prophecy of the wilderness, a prophecy of coming out of the wilderness, and a prophecy of what they will worship in that wilderness. Let us quickly go to the book of Hebrews, chapter 3, verse 8:
> "Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness" — there is our key word again: wilderness — "when your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years. Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways."
Well, beloved, what is new today? How many people really know God's ways? They know man's ways, the traditions of men; they are good churchgoers, but we have so many "one-verse Charlies" filling pulpits around this nation. Do you know what a one-verse Charlie is? That is a man who reads one verse of God's Word and then flies off on his own for an hour. I love them, but I do not like it because they teach by disassociating themselves from God's Word. When you read only one verse and then talk for an hour, you can drift so far from reality as far as God's Word is concerned that it becomes confusing and misleads people. You need to stick to the Word — God's way.
> "So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest. Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God."
You can do that in many ways, simply by not studying His Word.
> "But exhort one another daily" — do you know what that means? Study daily — "while it is called To day" (not tonight) "lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end."
Again, that is what happened in the wilderness; God used that whole generation to teach a lesson.
Let us go to Saint John chapter 1 before we leave the New Testament. John chapter 1, verse 23. They thought John the Baptist was Elijah, and he was in the spirit of Elijah. They went out to ask him, "Are you Elijah?" He said, "No, I am not. I am not Elijah." He was only in the spirit of Elijah. Verse 23:
> "He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness."
Here again is that wilderness, beloved, that wilderness of wandering. Whether you like it or not, when you become a part of that voice, then in that wilderness you are part of a so-called Elijah ministry, bringing God's truth back to the children to turn their hearts back to the Father rather than to the false father, as it is written in Malachi. It happens in the wilderness because you can communicate with God in the wilderness, and God can communicate with you. That is a state of mind; I hope you understand what I am saying.
> "Make straight the way of the Lord."
What does that mean? The Lord is coming back, and there are prophecies that must be fulfilled and people ready to do certain works. Does that mean you will establish a kingdom on earth? No, Christ will. But He has servants here, as saith the prophet Isaiah. Where did Isaiah say that? In chapter 40. Let us go there for a minute.
Isaiah 40, verses 1-3:
> "Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God."
Now it is important that you pick up on that. They are doing a lot besides comforting His people today. Most things taught, all that are arranged, are questions without answers.
> "Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare" (her hard service) "is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the Lord's hand double for all her sins."
There is a future time you can look forward to for Jerusalem, and you know what will happen there.
> "The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert" — desert is wilderness — "a highway for our God."
Make a straight way for what? His Word, His way. Christ is the Way. Teach His Word and make a way for people to see the truth and walk that path straight to Christ, so that ultimately we arrive in Jerusalem when the Millennium age is brought into being. Despite the many months between now and then, we shall arise and have a King on the way — the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
So does God expect His Christians to just sit back and not cry out? Beloved, you cannot understand the miracle that has happened in this family. You cannot imagine the tentacles that spring out from this family. I am talking about you, and you are a part of it. We all share equally, each one of us, in God's pleasure and His rewards in this ministry. We are accomplishing things that should make you wake up and say, "Only God could do that," because I assure you, we could not. I do not want to frighten anyone, but we have moved up to buying millions of dollars' worth of television time every year, and I am talking about a little old church in Northwest Arkansas that has 124 people. Why? Because God has added to that a family that cares about the truth and about getting that Word out, about preparing the way. He has turned men's hearts and women's hearts and children's hearts, changed their lives by inserting His truth into their lives, so they can stand up and act proudly like men and women of God with dignity by teaching the real truth. We are training people — each one of you — training people daily with as many hours as you can study. You are part of it to plant seeds. Those seeds grow. You know why God fertilizes us? He vernalizes them. Do you have a good memory of the vernal equinox? He makes those seeds sprout. Do not ever doubt that He can do that. He does. That is why you can talk to one person and it just catches and blossoms, and then you talk to someone else and it is just dead. So there you go. But God is working a miracle among common folk. What I am telling you is that we are probably the fastest-growing ministry in the world at this time, and we do it with peanuts compared to what others do. But you know something? We are not beggars, are we? Have you ever heard anyone begging in this ministry? No, and you never will. Why? You are witnessing a miracle. He guides because you all are serious in your hearts, and you know the moment, the hour, and the time. Bless your hearts, I wish I could tell you and show you the rewards that lay up for you. You cannot imagine; it is wonderful. As we go through this wilderness, the Word must be sounded; it must go out. Not my word, someone else's word — no, all of our word as the ministry. The ministry of Elijah goes forth in these end times giving people hope. And how do you join that ministry? You go straight to Him. If He says, "I like you, you are alright," we are not going to question you. I am not going to question anyone; you are the deacons of the church. If you would like to question someone, I am not, because God is in control. He knows; He picks, He chooses, and He keeps those wheels oiled. What I am trying to tell you is that you have seen all these other miracles going on in the world as far as "peace, peace, peace." You are one too, beloved. It is growing to a point that it is astounding. It is amazing, of common people, home people throughout this hemisphere, and soon even into Europe. Those things could not have entered my mind 20 years ago, not even 15 years ago. What I am saying is that you are a miracle going somewhere to happen. You say, "Show me some prophecy." My God, look at yourselves. It is all in motion, and it is only a matter of time. "Well, can you give me that time?" No, I cannot, or maybe I should say I will not. If any of you have to catch a flight — I get long-winded sometimes — I see now it is three o'clock, and I am about to wind this up. But you are that miracle going somewhere to happen. We all are.
But I must insist that you fall back upon the lecture concerning that 10%. I have to read you one more scripture quickly, and then I will close. I want to go to Joshua. We are actually coming out of the wilderness, and then you will understand what you have to expect right before the Book of Judges. Joshua chapter 5, starting at verse 10:
> "And the children of Israel encamped in Gilgal, and kept the passover on the fourteenth day of the month at even in the plains of Jericho."
They are coming out of the wilderness. That is what you are doing. We are fixing the time and place right here. Listen:
> "And they did eat of the old corn of the land on the morrow after the passover, unleavened cakes, and parched corn in the selfsame day. And the manna ceased on the morrow after they had eaten of the old corn of the land; neither had the children of Israel manna any more; but they did eat of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year."
God always provides. You are going to feed on Canaan this year.
> "And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand."
You better look at that.
> "And Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries?"
I want you to think about that. Even Joshua was not sure whether that angel was for him or against him. Many of you ask me, "How can I tell?" How could Joshua tell? What did he do? This is how. Verse 14:
> "And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the LORD am I now come."
And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and worshipped, and said unto him, "What saith my lord unto his servant?" And the captain of the LORD's host said unto Joshua, "Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy." And Joshua did so.
Wouldn't you? God made a personal appearance to the people. Do I have to tell you anymore what to be prepared for? I am talking about in your own mind, in your own spiritual life. We are past Passover, and with current events and prophecy coming to pass now, you had better wake up, my dear one. I love you all so much, but you need to wake up real good. Listen to the Father when He speaks. He speaks in many ways. Study His prophecy as we go deeper. I think we are going to restart the Book of Ezekiel. I think it is time we redid it, to get into a live prophetical study as we move into these months and days. Am I predicting that the end of the world is going to come? It is going to come. God said it would. When? I do not know, but if I had any sense at all — or if anyone had any sense — when you see His prophecy coming to pass at the rate it is today, a word to the wise is sufficient.
My friends, I want you to expect to see more miracles. You are a miracle. I want you to take inventory. Look at your life before you began to study God's Word in depth and with the seriousness you study it now, and tell me if there has not been a miracle in your own home, in your own self. Then expect more, because He is coming soon. But we have a little bit to go first — some work to do. So pray to Him, if nothing else, that He can use you. Be in His service always; let Him lead, not man. When that angel showed up with a sword, do you think he was going to preach a Sunday school lesson? No. He came to defeat Satan.
I love you all very much. Again we come to this end: you are a miracle. You are certainly a miracle to me, and I love each and every one of you from the bottom of my heart. I really look forward to this year's work in study, research, documentaries, and the events of Almighty God. I want you all to be so good to each other that you make each other suspicious this year, alright? You know where I am coming from, don't you? Try hard to be good to each other. Try real hard to understand the ways of the world and where our people are. But by the grace of God, there you are, my friend. Raise yourself up. You will get discouraged at times, but when you do, kick your feet together and say, "I am a can-do type Christian. I get it done. I plow deep when it is too tough for everybody else to plow. That is just the way I like it." That is right. That is the way I really feel about it. So the best of everything to you — the best of health. I am going to stick around in this area for a little while. Some of you I might not have gotten to shake your hand. I do have to leave before very long, and I know all of you do. I love you all. God bless you.
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**[Closing Prayer]**
Heavenly Father, watch over each heart, Lord Father. I know that You will be touching these people; they are ready to serve You. And Father, as they have something to submit, let them not be silent and stand back without submitting what You have given them. Do not let them hide it under a basket. If You share a truth with them, let it show up in their letters, their input into the body. Father, we know that You use all of Your servants, and we respect and appreciate that. Father, bless these, encourage them, Lord. Even in the valley of trouble today, they are like shining lights, and I know they do You proud, God, as they tell You they love You. I thank You for this in the name of Jesus.
Now, I am going to let you open your eyes a minute and look at me. We are going to say something all at one time, and let us say it three times: "We love you." Alright, now: "We love you, Father. We love you, Father. We love you, Father."
We do indeed. God bless you. I love you. Be good to each other. Have a good trip home.
Dr. Pastor Arnold B. Murray
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