An Exposition of the
THE SMYRNAEAN CHURCH AGE
Revelation 2:8-11
"And unto the angel of the church of Smyrna write;
These things saith the First and the Last, Which was
dead, and is alive; I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou
art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are
not, but are the synagogue of Satan. Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into
prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou
faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith
unto the churches; he that overcometh shall not be
hurt of the second death."
INTRODUCTION
110-2 In order to refresh your minds I
want to point out again how we arrive at finding the names of the messengers to
the various ages. God in His sovereign will has seen to it that the history of
the New Testament church was not lost, even as He saw to it that the history of
THE MESSENGER
111-1 Using
our God given rule of choosing the messenger for each age, we unhesitatingly
declare that Irenaeus was exalted by the Lord to that
position. He was the disciple of that great saint and warrior of faith, Polycarp. And it is no doubt as he sat at the feet of that
great man he learned the Christian graces that flowed from his consecrated
life, for Polycarp was one of the truly illustrious
saints of all ages when viewed in the light of a blameless life. You will
remember from your own reading that Polycarp was
martyred. Too old to flee, and too sincere a man to allow another to hide him
and then suffer a penalty for doing so, he gave himself up to death. But before
he did, he asked for and was granted permission to pray two hours for his
brethren in the Lord, for the governor, for his enemies and his captors. Like
the great saints of all ages, and desiring a better resurrection, he stood
firm, refusing to deny the Lord, and died with a free conscience. He was placed
at the stake (untied at his own request) and the fire was lit. The fire bent
away from his body, refusing to touch him. He was then pierced through with a
sword. As this was done, water gushed from his side drowning the flames. His
spirit was actually seen to depart in the form of a white dove released from
his bosom. Yet for all this great testimony, this student of John the Revelator
was not militant against the Nicolaitane system, for he himself leaned toward organization, not realizing that
the desire for fellowship and what appeared like a good plan to foster the work
of God was really a trick of the enemy.
111-2 With Irenaeus
this was not so. He was militant against any form of organization. Also, his
life history, wherein he served the Lord, was one of much manifestation in the
Holy Spirit; and the Word was taught with unusual clarity and conformity to its
original precepts. His churches in
112-1 He was also clear on his
understanding of the Godhead. And since he was the disciple of Polycarp, who in turn was the disciple of
112-2 Thus with his strict adherence to
the Word, his wonderful understanding of Scripture, and the attendance of the
power of God upon that ministry, he is the right choice for the age. It is
altogether unfortunate that the other ages did not have in their messengers
such a balance of fruit, power, and leadership in the Holy Spirit and the Word.
112-3 The city of
113-1 The word
113-2 When
113-3 In this city there were two
famous temples. One was the temple erected to the worship of Zeus, and the
other was erected to Cybele. And between these two
temples was found the most beautiful road of ancient times, called the
This age
lasted from 170 to 312 A.D.
THE SALUTATION
Revelation 2:8, "These things saith
the First and the Last, Which was dead and is alive."
114-2 "The First and the Last, Which was dead and is
alive."
Now these are not the words of a man. A mere man (could he speak from the
grave) would say, "I am the first and the last which was alive and is
dead." The first thing that happens to a man is that he is born (is alive)
and the last thing that happens is that he dies. So this is not a man speaking.
This is Deity. Man (Adam) took life and turned it into death. But this MAN
(Jesus) took death and turned it into life. Adam took innocence and turned it
into guilt. This One took guilt and turned it into righteousness. Adam took a
paradise and turned it into a waste howling wilderness; but this One is coming
back to turn an earth rocking and reeling with destruction into another
114-4 And here He is, walking in the
midst of those whom He has redeemed, even His church. And what were those who
were redeemed? Were not many like Paul, murderers and corrupters? Were not many
like the dying thief, robbers and men killers? All trophies
of His grace. All brought back from the dead. All made ALIVE in Christ
Jesus, the Lord.
115-1 I wonder if you noted the
salutation to the first age and then noted the one to this age. Just put them
together. "These things saith He that holds the
seven stars in His right hand and walks in the midst of the churches. These
things saith the First and the Last, Which was dead
and is alive." This is one and the same person. And He is letting us know
that the church is His. As the seed of the fruit is in the midst of the fruit,
so is He, the Royal Seed, in the midst of the church. As the seed alone has
life in it, so is He the author of life to the church. His walking signifies
His untiring care of it. He is the Chief Shepherd watching over His own. That
is His right, for He bought that church with His own blood. That blood is the
blood of God. The One Who owns that church is God, very God. He is the 'First
and the Last.' That title spells eternity. He was dead and is alive. He paid
the price so He has sole ownership of the
CONDITIONS OF THE AGE
Revelation 2:9, "I know thy works and thy
tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them
which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan."
115-3 The key to this age is most
evidently tribulation. If there was tribulation in the first age, there is now
predicted an intensified tribulation throughout the second age. There is no
doubt but what the following words of Paul applied to the mass of Christians
wherever they were in the world and in every age. Hebrews 10:32-38, "But
call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye
endured a great fight of afflictions; Partly, whilst
ye were made a gazingstock both by reproaches and
afflictions; and partly, whilst ye became companions of them that were so used.
For ye had compassion of me in my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your
goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring
substance. Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. For ye have need of patience, that,
after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. For yet a
little while, and He That shall come will come, and
will not tarry. Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man
draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him."
116-1 The mere association of
kindhearted people with the true believer might well bring death in return for
their kindness.
116-2 Now the Lord God Almighty says,
"I KNOW." There He is walking in the midst of His people. There He
is, the Chief Shepherd of the flock. But does He hold back the persecution?
Does He stem the tribulation? No, He does not. He simply says, "I KNOW
your tribulation--I am not at all unmindful of your suffering." What a
stumbling block this is to so many people. Like
117-1 Why does He stand by? The reason
is in Romans 8:17-18, "And if children, then heirs, heirs of God, and
joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with Him, that we may be also
glorified together. For I reckon that the sufferings of this
present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be
revealed in us." Unless we suffer with Him we cannot reign with
Him. You have to suffer to reign. The reason for this is that character simply
is never made without suffering. Character is a VICTORY, not a gift. A man
without character can't reign because power apart from character is Satanic.
But power with character is fit to rule. And since He wants us to share even
His throne on the same basis that He overcame and is set down in His Father's
throne, then we have to overcome to sit with Him. And the little temporary
suffering we go through now is not worthy to be compared to the tremendous
glory that will be revealed in us when He comes. Oh, what treasures are laid up
for those who are willing to enter into His kingdom through much tribulation.
117-2 "Think it not strange
concerning the fiery trials that are to try you." That is what Peter said.
Is it strange that God wants us to develop a Christ-like character that comes
through suffering? No sir. And we all have trials. We are all tried and
chastened as sons. Not one but goes through that. The church that is not
suffering, and is not being tried, hasn't got it--it isn't of God. Heb. 12:6,
"For whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth,
and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth.
But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye
bastards, and not sons."
117-3 Now this special condition in
118-1 The cloudy skies and storms of
life are no signs of God's disapproval. Neither are bright skies and still
waters signs of His love and approval. His approval of any of us is only IN THE
BELOVED. His love is elective which He had for us before the foundation of the
world. Does He love us? Ah yes. But how shall we know? We shall know because He
SAID SO, and manifested that He did love us for He brought us to Himself and
gave us of His Spirit, placing us as sons. And how shall I prove my love to
Him? By believing what He said, and by conducting myself with joy amidst the
trials that He in His wisdom allows to come to pass.
118-2 "I know thy poverty (but
thou are rich)." There it is again. See Him walking up and down in the
midst of His Church. Like a father He is looking down upon His family. He is
the Head of His household. He is the provider. He is the protector. Yet He
looks on at their poverty. Oh, how the untutored believer stumbles at this. How
can God bear to look upon His own in a time of need and not just stop it
all--just give in and lavish everything material upon them?
118-3 Here is
where you have to believe again in the love, and goodness and wisdom of God.
This, too, is needful. Remember He admonished, "Take no thought for the
morrow, what ye shall eat or what ye shall put on. Your Father knoweth the things ye have need of. He Who
clothes the lily and feeds the sparrow shall do much more for you. These
physical things are not the true basic necessities of your life, for a man's
life consisteth not of the things he possesses. But
rather seek ye first the
119-1 "Oh," cries the Spirit,
"I see your poverty. I see your need. You haven't very much, if anything,
to boast of. What you did have has been taken from you. You gladly gave up your
possessions in exchange for eternal ones. You are laughed at. You are scorned.
You don't have material resources to fall back on. But you are rich in spite of
it all. Your security lies in Him Who is your shield and exceeding great
reward. Your kingdom is yet to come. But it will come. And it will be an
everlasting one. Yes, I am mindful of your trials and woes. I know how hard it
is to get along. But I will remember all this when I return to claim you as My own, and then I will reward you."
119-2 Now this is nothing against rich
people because God can save a rich man. Some of God's children are rich. But
money can be such a snare, not only to those who have it but to those who don't
have it. Way back there in the first age, James cried out to those who were
putting stock in wealthy people, "Have not the faith of our Lord Jesus
Christ with respect of persons." The poor there were trying to butter up
the rich in order to get help, rather than trusting in God. "Don't do
it," says James. "Don't do it. Money isn't everything. Money isn't
the answer." And today it is not the answer either. We have more wealth
than we have ever had and yet less is being accomplished Spiritually.
It is not with money that God works. He moves by His Spirit. And that moving of
the Spirit comes only to a life consecrated to the Word.
THE SYNAGOGUE OF SATAN
Revelation 2:9b. "I know the blasphemy of them which
say they are Jews and are not, but are the synagogue
of Satan."
119-4 Here is
a verse that will bear considerable thought, not only because it is most
peculiar in its contents, but also it is virtually repeated in an age that is
over a thousand years later.
119-5 Revelation 2:9 "I know thy
works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the
blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue
of Satan." To begin with, the word, Jews, does not describe the religion
of the Jewish people. It refers only to the people of
120-2 They were not of the true church,
but of the false church because God said "they were the synagogue of
Satan." Now the word for synagogue is not the same word we use for church.
In the Bible, church means, "the called out ones", or the
"summoned ones". The Psalmist said about these elect people,
"Blessed is the man whom THOU CHOOSEST, and CAUSEST to approach unto Thee,
that he may dwell in Thy courts." Psalms 65:4. But the meaning of
synagogue is "assembly or gathering." This can be good or bad, but in
this case it is bad, for these are they whose
assembling is not of God but of their own selves. Isaiah said of them,
"Behold, they shall surely gather together, but NOT BY ME: whosoever shall
gather together against thee shall fall for thy sake." Isaiah 54:15. And
since these were surely against the true vine, God will one day deal with them
in destruction.
120-3 Now why do we have a people mixed
in the framework of the church and calling themselves Jews? The reason is this:
Since they were liars they could make any claim they wished. They could say
what they wanted as though it were a fact and then stick to it. And in this
case they could be lying with a very powerful thought in mind. Was it not so
that the early church was almost if not entirely composed of Jews, making them
the original members of His body? The twelve apostles were Jews, and the later
apostles were either Jews or proselytes. Thus for men to swear they were Jews
would give them a pre-eminence and a claim to originality. Tell a lie. Stick to it. Never mind fact or history. Just say it and
keep saying it to the people, and soon the people will receive it.
120-4 Now did you catch something there?
Isn't that the same spirit right in the church today? Isn't there a group that
claims that they are the original and true church and that salvation is found
only in her? Don't they claim that they have the keys of the kingdom which they
received from Peter? Don't they claim that Peter was their first pope, and that
he resided in
121-1 Consider
the thought of blasphemy. These of Satan's synagogue were not blaspheming God
in this instance (though that goes without saying) but they were blaspheming
the true church. Certainly. As Cain persecuted and
killed Abel because he (Cain) was of that wicked one, and as the dead formal
Judaic followers (Jesus said they were of their father, the devil) tried to
destroy the Christians in the first few years of the first age, now this same
group (the false vine) is even more strongly attempting to destroy the true
believer in the second age. That antichrist spirit is growing.
121-2 The group that inched its way
ever so slowly into the church by its DEEDS (Nicolaitanism)
no longer fears exposure but is openly organized in a group of its own
assembling and is coming against the true church in undisguised hostility.
121-3 Now when I say this was an
organized antichrist church I am giving you the truth from authenticated
history. The first church founded in
121-4 This spirit of antichrist is not
new. This is not something that just came in the church ages. It has been here
all along. To get a clear understanding of how it works, how it goes against
God and takes over in the church, look at the Old Testament and see it there.
Let us examine this spirit as it was manifested in
122-1 Just as the early church started
out under the pure ministry of the Holy Spirit with signs and wonders and
manifestations such as prophecy, tongues, and interpretation, wisdom, knowledge
and healing, so in the days of Israel when they left Egypt, they were under the
leadership of the Spirit of God manifesting in gifts. God was the leader of the
people. Actually He was their King. He was a Father-King. He took care of
122-2 When they approached Samuel and asked for a king, Samuel
was so dismayed that his heart almost failed him. God had been leading His
people through this consecrated, Scripture-vindicated prophet and he felt that
he had been rejected. He gathered the people and pleaded with them not to turn
away from the God Who had carried them like children, and prospered them and
blessed them. But they persisted. They said to Samuel. "You have never
been wrong in your leading. You have never been dishonest in your financial
dealings. You have done your best to keep us in line with the Word of the Lord.
We appreciate the miracles, wisdom, provision and protection of God. We believe
in it. We like it. And furthermore we don't want to be without it. It's just
that we want a king to lead us to battle. Now of course when we go out to
battle it is still our intention to have the priests go ahead with
And God
said to Samuel. "See, they have not rejected you, but they have rejected
ME from ruling over them."
123-1 How tragic that was. Little did
they realize that when they were asking God to let them be like the rest of the
world they were rejecting Him, because God had ordained that His people act
different from the world. They are not of the world and they don't look like
the world and they don't act like the world. They are crucified unto the world
and the world is crucified unto them. II Corinthians 6:17-18, "Wherefore
come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith
the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be
a Father unto you, and ye shall be My sons and daughters, saith
the Lord Almighty."
123-2 You see the one difference
between
123-3 It doesn't matter if you call
yourself a Christian. Anyone can do that. The point is whether or not you have
the Spirit of God in you, for without that Spirit you are reprobate; you are
none of His. Amen.
123-4 Not too long ago I asked a lady
if she were a Christian. She said to me, "I will have you know, sir, that
I burn a candle every night." What in the world has that got to do with
it? I'm a Methodist, I'm a Baptist, I'm a Pentecostal.
That hasn't a thing to do with it. It is the Holy Ghost or perish.
123-5 Well, starting way back there in
the first church the people got to thinking and reasoning how to improve on
God. The deeds of the Nicolaitanes began showing
themselves. Then a group formed. They drifted away from the pattern of the
Word. All it takes is just one word changed and that little leaven then leavens
the whole lump. He that offends in one point of the law is guilty of all. Eve
just changed one word. That will do it.
123-6 And when that Satan-centered
group was formed, it began to hate and to fight the true believers, insisting
that they (the aliens) were the
123-7 Notice how organization breeds
hatred. It destroys fellowship. It makes bitterness. That is what myrrh means.
This is what
124-1 The Smyrnaean
church had drifted far from the original. It had become a hybrid. It had
hybridized itself the way Eve did. You know that a hybrid is what comes of two
species mixing. The result is no longer pure like the original. It is mongrel.
Well, when Eve allowed the beast to mingle his seed with hers she produced a
creature called Cain that wasn't pure human. He was of the WICKED ONE. Notice
how different he was from Abel. Notice how different he was from Seth. He hated
God and would not obey the Word and persecuted and killed the righteous. He set
himself up above the Word of God.
124-2 The church, too, has departed
from what she originally was. She is a hybrid. That is, the church nominal is a
hybrid. People say, "I am a Baptist." It wasn't so in the beginning.
"I am Methodist." It wasn't so in the beginning. Instead of the
straight Word of God, instead of the Spirit-filled men in the church who were
led by Spirit-given revelation, there are now creeds, and by-laws, and the
educated guesses of educated men. Learning has taken the place of revelation.
Reason has replaced faith. Program has replaced spontaneous praise in the Holy
Ghost. It wasn't so from the beginning. The whole specie has changed. It has
become a hybrid church.
124-3 Now then, when the church becomes
hybridized, will it produce pure Christians? It can't. The life or seed that
brings Christians to birth is not in them. Like brings forth
like. The Baptists bring forth more Baptists and they act like Baptists.
Methodists bring forth Methodists and they act like Methodists. Not one is
known by the power of God nor can they be for it's not there. They are known by
their ceremonial worship of God and their creeds and dogmas.
124-4 Talk about a hybrid. Do you know
the most famous hybrid in the world? It has been with us for ages. It is the
mule. It is a cross between a donkey and a horse. He is a funny kind of an
animal. He can't reproduce himself. He has no life that can do that. Yet talk
about work. He can outwork the horse or the donkey. But watch his nature. He is
stubborn and you can never trust him. He is a perfect picture of hybrid
religion. A cross between truth and darkness, for the horse is a type of the
true believer and the ass a picture of the unrighteous one. Mix them and you
have a sterile, formal religion. It hasn't the seed of life. It is dead. It can
talk about truth but it can't produce it. It doesn't have God in its midst, yet
it gathers together and talks about God, and all the while systematically
denies the power. They will deny the Word in the very Name of the Lord. And
there is never any hope for them. Do you realize that no organized religion
ever had a revival? Never! Once they organized they died. They can't ever come
back. No sir. I can show you that in type. In Exodus 13:13, "And every
firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb;
and if thou wilt not redeem it, then thou shalt break
his neck; and all the first-born of man among thy children shalt
thou redeem." See, the ass can be redeemed. Every miserable sinner can be
redeemed by the blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ, or in rejecting Christ be
rejected himself. But you don't redeem the mule. There is no redemption for
him. There is no blood for him. There can't be because the mule takes refuge in
the church while the ass takes refuge in the blood. The mule has "no
seed" in him that can be quickened, but the ass has seed.
125-1 Why, just a few weeks ago I read
an editorial. Yes, it was an editorial by an unsaved businessman; not by a
Christian. He said that he was amazed at the churches. He could not understand
them. They had seminaries filled with professors who taught the Word of God in
order to destroy it. Now then this man could not figure that out. He was
appalled by it. He said that he could understand the atheist or communist, or free thinker or someone else doing that. But
when the church itself destroyed the Word of God it was tantamount to
premeditated murder. THERE IS YOUR HYBRID RELIGION. WAKE UP
125-2 When the church gets away from
the Word it will believe anything. It is like Eve. When Cain was born she said,
"I've gotten a man from the Lord." Now do you realize that she really
meant that? She thought that she had a man from the Lord. You see, once she had
been deceived by taking the word of Satan instead of the Word of God she then
thought that whatever she said was right. If she said that she had a man from
God, then she had a man from God. But God has set laws in His universe. A good
seed can only bring forth good fruit and the evil seed can bring forth only
evil fruit. Now each seed, though different, will utilize the same earth,
nourishment, moisture, and sunshine, but it will bring forth after its own
kind. Notice the history of the Cain line. Notice the history of the Seth line.
Only one difference between them--the original seed. Nothing else.
126-1 If you look at this statement of
Eve real close you will notice that she had more of an understanding than most
realize. She did not attribute the son to Satan for that would have made him
equal with God. Only God could create the egg in the womb of Mary. Satan
couldn't do that. Eve knew that. Satan can only pervert. So he beguiled her
with the wrong seed. It was the serpent's seed that brought forth Cain. It was
Adam's seed that brought forth Abel and Seth. Those seeds went through exactly
the same process, but the children were different for they were from different
seeds.
126-2 She believed that Cain was from
God. She accepted the devil's lie as the truth of God. That is exactly what we
have now. Churches set themselves up as fountains of truth but the truth is not
in them; yet their begotten children swear by them and will even kill to uphold
their error.
126-3 If you think that is an
exaggeration, read all of II Timothy chapter 3 and the first five verses of the
fourth chapter. II Timothy 4:1-5 "I charge thee therefore before God, and
the Lord Jesus Christ, Who shall judge the quick and the dead at His appearing
and His kingdom; preach the Word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove,
rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine. For the time will come
when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they
heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away
their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. But watch thou in
all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof
of thy ministry."
126-4 When the church allowed herself
to move away from the original, like Adam and Eve, death set in.
There is
no strength in her. She has become a monstrosity. The minute the church moved
toward form and ceremony, and toward priesthood by
organizing the ministers into a group that decided leadership apart from the
Holy Spirit and His Word, that very moment death entered and she started to get
sick, and as she got sick she changed to a powerless group of people whose only
weapon was argument. She could produce nothing in the Spirit, for her hopes
were built on program and not on faith in His Word. They sowed program so they
reaped program. They sowed perversion so they reaped perverted children.
127-1 You tamper with God and you reap
exactly what you injected. Man ought to learn that from nature. He has tampered
with nature. He has injected his own ideas into nature and rearranged the
molecules, etc., and now he is reaping a whirlwind. Just look how they have
bred the chicken. It is so highly bred that it is a laying machine that lays
itself out. It is no good for food and is soft and poor eating. They inject
substances into the meat we eat and because of that the human body is changing
so that women are getting narrower in the hips and broader of shoulder and men
are getting just the opposite. Now if you fool with nature and get a
monstrosity and a backfire, what will happen if you change the truth into a lie?
The answer is, you will breed an antichrist, godless system of religion that is
so perverted it will not look like or produce what the original did. The only
answer that God has for a situation like that is the lake of fire.
127-2 That poor Smyrnaean
Age was dying. When it died, it never came back. No age ever comes back. No
revival ever comes back. It can't have the life of God in it by natural
generation. It takes a regeneration from above. This
last age started with the fires of a Pentecostal revival and they organized it
right back. Instead of taking the Word they took their own ideas and did just
what every age has done--substituted the manual for the Word. Just you step
outside that manual and see what happens. You are out, brother. And they will persecute
you and blame it on God. And how they love their
organization. No wonder. They are second generation Pentecostals and
since God doesn't have grandchildren they are just children of their fathers,
known by their creeds and form of worship. They can talk about what used to be,
but they can't produce it. Once they had the lightning but about all that is
left is the thunder. But let them talk to you about the glories of their
movement. They will say, "Yes sir, I want you to know that this is a move
that no man started. It came spontaneously. The Spirit fell all over the world.
Yes sir, we got what they had at Pentecost. This was not of men but of
God." THEN WHY DIDN'T THEY KEEP IT THAT WAY? IF GOD STARTED IT HOW COME
GOD COULDN'T KEEP IT AND FINISH IT? If God didn't write a handbook of creeds
and formulas and dogmas to start it, then what right did they have to do that?
God poured out His Spirit upon Baptists, Methodists, Nazarenes, Adventists,
Presbyterians, Brethren,
128-1 They are like all the rest. The
revival is over. They are trying to live a name and are dead. They took
organization, all the while talking about the Spirit of God. They talk about
the evidence of the Holy Spirit. But they forget that the devil can talk in
tongues, too. The utter confusion of
128-2 Now you might desire to scold me
right here for what I have said. All right. They call
themselves Pentecostal and Full Gospel. Let them prove it. At Pentecost the
fire came in a cloud and separated over each of them like a tongue, and fell on
each one. Where is the fire? They spoke in tongues at Pentecost and the people
who listened understood. Where is that? The whole multitude of believers acted
like one family. Pentecostals are as badly divided as any group in history. No
man durst join himself to the early church but only
God added. They have as many goats among them as any. They claim to be full
Gospel but they can't prove it. Their churches are as empty of power as any of
them. If they are full Gospel then we had better admit the Bible made a mistake
when it describes the full Gospel men at Pentecost. They sing, "There's
been a great change in me." They are right. But the change has not been
for the better. It is time to get back to God. They have a name that they live
but are dead. Tongues isn't the evidence of revival.
It is the evidence of death. Tongues proclaimed the evidence that the
ceremonial religion of the Jews was over, that a new era had begun. Tongues today is ringing down the curtain on the Gentile
church ages and the Gospel is going back to the Jews. People are talking about
tongues heralding in a great Spiritual move. They have missed the boat. The
truth is that it is writing the finish to all of man's ideas, programs and
kingdoms, and the
129-1 If you don't think this is true,
just listen to this. All over the world in both Pentecostal and fundamental
groups they are organizing the businessmen. They have invaded the pulpit
without a call from God. They have styled themselves the fishers of men and the
founders of a move of God, and they say the gifted ministry of Ephesians
4:10-13 that God gave the church has failed, so they are taking over. Here we
are right in the midst of the fulfillment of prophecy, called the gainsayings of Korah, and they
don't even know that they have fulfilled it. They are blindly going on
preaching experience for truth. May God have pity on them.
May their eyes be opened before it is too late. Oh,
listen to me. When did the prestige of money, social leadership, business
ability, or sheer mental prowess ever qualify a man for spiritual leadership,
or give any weight to the Word of God? And when in any way materiality or human
values begin to show as the media by which God works instead of the Holy Spirit
ALONE, then we are fighting against God, not for Him.
129-2 Now I want this on record right
here. I am not speaking against elders in the church. No sir. And that elder
can be as poor as any man was ever poor, or be the richest man in the world as
long as he is an elder in heart and deed. I would not hesitate to ordain any
man that has the real Spiritual qualifications as an elder or deacon regardless
of his finances or social position. But when you see a social
or financial structure come into the church that divides the folks in any
way--that is not of God. It is another sign of the time in this
physically rich, but Spiritually impoverished Laodicean Age in which we are now living.
129-3 "I know thy poverty."
Did you notice that their poverty is linked up with the synagogue of Satan in
that same verse? Yes, it is the rich powerful organization that has the wealth
and always pushes out the little people that serve God. When the Spirit of God
moves in the hearts of men, who is it that leaves the buildings and property?
The little flock always loses out to the big organization. And where do the
people then go? They worship in homes, old store buildings, and basements, just
as they did when they went to the catacombs. These people were poor in this world's
goods. Certainly. But they were rich in Spirit.
130-2 "I know their
blasphemy." Now it isn't the thought here that these liars are blaspheming
God, though that goes without saying. But they are blaspheming the true church.
It is always thus. The Jews of Jerusalem blasphemed the church at the
beginning. The Gentile polytheists did likewise. If anyone is going to be
evil-spoken of, it will always be the true seed. In Nero's day the Christians
were blamed for every calamity--even for the burning of
130-3 The reason this is so, is because
they are a rebuke to the godless. Like a sore thumb they stand out before the
wicked. And though the righteous intend no harm to the wicked but want to do
only good, invariably they find they are embroiled as was John the Baptist with
Herod. For John did not want to harm either Herod or his wife but to save them
from the wrath of God. This was not only thoroughly misunderstood and
absolutely withstood, but John was put to death because of it. And for all the
good the people of God do, they are still put to public shame and to death.
Surely there must be some sinister force behind a people who would be so void
of conscience that they would return evil to those who did them
good. Yes, there is such a force. It is Satan. The answer lies in the next
verse.
TEN YEARS OF TRIBULATION
Revelation 2:10 "Fear none of those things which thou
shalt suffer; behold the devil shall cast some of you
into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days; be
thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life."
130-5 Every time the Lord uses those
words, "Fear not," there is an engagement at hand which will involve
great danger and suffering and deprivation. Now He does not say in a blunt, curt
manner, "Tribulation is coming." That would frighten one. But like a
mother who is about to turn out the light says gently to her child lest he be
frightened, "Now don't be afraid, for the light will go out and it will be
dark. But remember that I am here with you." So He says, "Don't be
afraid of man or what he can do to you. I am with you, and My
grace is sufficient for you. When you pass through the waters, they will not
overflow you. Not even in death are you defeated. You are more than
conquerors."
131-1 The great apostle, Paul, knew from experience the reality
of those words and he wrote in Romans 8:35-39,
"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine,
or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For Thy sake we are killed
all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay in all these
things we are more than conquerors through Him That
loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities,
nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor
any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is
in Christ Jesus our Lord."
No, we are
not to fear. His love casts out all fear.
131-2 Now notice what He says, "the devil will cast some of you into prison that you may be
tried." The Jews were doing that right then. The pagan priests were doing
that right then. The governors who tried to curry favor with the public because
the people liked the arena, hurled the Christians by the thousands to their
death, destroying them by lions and gladiators. What has the devil to do with
this? Why blame him? Ah, yes, but it is the devil's hatred behind it all. He is
behind it all for he hates God. What God has set His heart on,
Satan is bound to try to destroy. But watch. Here is some illumination. If
Satan is behind the Jews who are hailing the Christians into court, then the
Jews are not of God's religion but the devil's. Their gathering is also of the
synagogue of Satan. And if the Roman Catholic Church killed the multitudes of
believers in the Dark Ages, yes and in all ages, then they are of the devil and
belong to Satan, also.
131-3 And if you think this shocking,
just wait until the prophecy of Revelation 13 is fulfilled. It is strikingly
true that the
132-1 Those who
fight the humble of God and scoff and destroy--let them do it. And do it they
will. And all in the Name of God and religion. But
they lie. They are not of God. They are of their father, the devil. They, by
their deeds against ANY people, expose themselves for what they are. Let them
organize and repudiate the little flock. They but further
reveal to all that they are of the devil. They are the false vine--the
vine that murders. Their hatred proves who they are. The Nicolaitane
antichrist church is who they are.
132-2 "They shall be cast into
prison." Yes, they are hailed into court and falsely accused and tried and
imprisoned. And of course it is all done in the name of religion and decency
and outraged innocency. All done
for a good cause. That makes me think of the Supreme Court's ruling on
prayer and Bible reading in the schools. Who is behind it? Satan is. It is just
another angry outburst against God.
132-3 "Thou shalt
have tribulation ten days." Here is a prophecy. And with it is a means of
determining the life span of the Smyrnaean Age.
Diocletian, the cruelest of all emperors, launched a terror campaign against
the saints of God, that except for the mercy of God
would have wiped out all believers. It was the bloodiest in history and lasted
ten years (the ten days of Revelation 2:10b) from 302 to 312.
132-4 "Be thou faithful unto
death." He does not say be faithful until death, but unto death. You may
have to seal your testimony with your blood. Thousands, yea millions, have died
during all the ages. They died in the faith. Like Antipas, the faithful martyr,
they held not their lives dear unto death. Often we think that it would be
almost impossible to be a martyr. But dare to recall that the faith we daily
use to triumph in Christ Jesus is the same faith that upholds the Polycarps and all martyrs. The supreme faith will give
supreme grace for the supreme hour. Blessed be God forever!
133-1 "And I will give thee a
crown of life." Since not even a cup of cold water given in the Name of
the Lord fails to receive a reward, how great shall be the reward to him who
gives his life as a martyr for the Name of the Lord Jesus. Perhaps we can get a
small idea if we compare this crown with the crown won in a race. In I
Corinthians 9:24, Paul says, "Know ye not that
they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth
the prize? So run that ye may obtain." A crown given to the winner of the
Olympic race was a garland of olive branches. But the crown spoken of here in
the Revelation, given to a martyr, is the crown of royalty. Jesus calls it the
crown of life. The one crown is for those who have striven; the other is for
those who have given. Both crowns are incorruptible. They will not perish. The
winners of the worldly race of life will soon lose the joy of the plaudits of
the world. Their glory will fail. But those who give their lives for God,
either by daily striving or shedding their blood as the crowning sacrifice of
their lives will be given the crown of life.
133-2 All too little time is spent on
laboring for the eternal rewards of God. The recompence
of God is too lightly esteemed. If we believe in the reality of the
resurrection of the body, and an eternal kingdom of substance, then we ought to
lay up in heaven those good treasures that are available to the faithful saints.
THE REWARD FOR OVERCOMING
Revelation 2:11, "He that hath an ear let him hear
what the Spirit saith unto the churches. He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death."
133-4 Now, once again the Spirit is
talking to all the ages. This message is to comfort us today even as it has
comforted our brethren of all the other ages. And He says to us that the second
death will not hurt us.
133-5 We all know that the second death
is the lake of fire. Revelation 20:14, "And death and hell were cast into
the lake of fire. This is the second death." Of course that means all
those who were therein, were cast into the lake of fire. Now then, I want to
bring out something here for you. It no doubt will cause people to comment on
my strange doctrine. But I stand here on the authority of the Word of God and
deny that the unbeliever goes to an eternal hell and burns there eternally. In
the first place, hell, or the lake of fire, or whatever you want to call it is
not eternal. How can it be if it had a beginning? In Matthew 25:41, it says
that "everlasting fire was prepared for the devil and his angels."
Now if it was prepared, then it wasn't without a beginning. If it had a
beginning then it can't be eternal. Of course you might stumble over the idea
of the word 'everlasting.' But that word means "from the ages to the
ages" and has different meanings attached to it. In I Samuel 3:13-14, God
told Samuel that He was going to judge the house of Eli forever, and that they
would offer no more sacrifices "forever" as His priests. And in II
Kings 2:27, Solomon thrust out the last descendants of Eli from the priesthood.
That was four generations or so later. Now you can see that
"everlasting" does not compare with what is "eternal", or
that which had no beginning or end. Here in this case the word everlasting
means "to the vanishing point." That is what happened. They vanished.
134-1 Look at
the word, "destruction" over in II Thessalonians 1:9, "Who shall
be punished with everlasting destruction." In the Greek, "destruction"
positively means annihilation. And the word, "destruction", does NOT
mean destroying. Now "destroying" means something going on and on in
decay. So what can everlasting annihilation mean? It doesn't mean to keep on
annihilating, or that would make the word "destroying", instead of
"destruction". It means to destroy to the ending point. End it.
134-2 You
might wonder now, when you can use that word, "eternal", and not use
it the way we have been taught. That is easy. When it applies to God it means
to be without beginning or end, and ever enduring and never ceasing. And when
you talk of eternal life you have that in mind which is the life of God.
"This is the record, that God has given us
eternal life, and that life is in the Son. He that hath the Son hath
life." Now then, only sons of God have life eternal, the kind that never
had a beginning, but always was. That is right. You have something in you right
now that is eternal--without beginning or end. It is the Spirit of God. It is a
part of God Himself. It is the life of God.
134-3 Now if a sinner is going to go to
hell and then suffer the same as you are going to heaven and enjoy heaven, then
he has the same kind of life you have already.
134-4 Well,
then there might be those who say eternal life signifies the welfare of the
children of God. It is their welfare and enjoyment that is at stake. On the
other hand the sinner goes to his punishment, so that we can reduce the second
death to a matter of punishment and place. Eternal life means heaven, and
eternal punishment means hell. You would be surprised at the men who have been
exalted as theologians that believed that. But do you know what that does? It
makes eternal life a matter of geography instead of a Person. Eternal life is
God,--the Lord Jesus Christ. How anyone could believe such a thing, that
eternal life is a matter of place, is more than I know. It makes me stagger to
think of it.
135-1 No sir. There is only one kind of
eternal life. God has it. If we have God, we have eternal life in and through
Him.
135-2 So you see, that word eternal, or
everlasting, can be applied in various ways, but when
it applies to God, He being what He is, it has one meaning. It is the duration
of God. You can't apply it like that to any other thing. God alone is eternal,
and because He lives, we live with Him.
135-3 Now don't let anyone say that I
don't believe in a lake of fire and in punishment. I do. I don't know how long
it will last, but it will eventually be removed. In Revelation 21:8, it says
that those sinners mentioned will have their part in the lake of fire. But the
true interpretation of the word is not 'part' but it is 'time.' See, there you
have it.
135-4 So the wicked shall be cast into
hell (Hades or the grave) and hell into the lake of fire. Separated
from God. What a terrible thing that will be.
135-5 But with the righteous it shall
not be so. They don't have to fear. They have been redeemed by God. They are in
His bosom. They are the overcomers. And who is he
that overcometh? He that believeth
that Jesus is the Christ.
135-6 Why will this overcomer,
this believer escape, and go into realms of eternal life and bliss? Because Jesus paid a price to ransom us from sin. He filled
the gap of separation, and we who were afar off are now made nigh by the blood.
135-7 And they will never come into
condemnation. They will never be in that lake of fire. They can never be lost
for He will lose none of them. Not one of the redeemed will be anywhere except where
Jesus is.
135-8 Do you know why that is? I will illustrate it for you. I
have a little boy, Joseph. He is a part of me, no matter what happens. If I
were a rich man, the worst I could do would be to disinherit him, but there is
nothing that I can ever do to deny him. I can't because he is a part of me.
Here, let's take a blood test. Let's match his blood with mine. It'll prove
that Joseph is my son. He is mine.
It's the
blood test that shows whether you belong to God or not.
136-2 I can't help thinking of the time
that I used to ride herd on purebred Herefords out in
136-3 You know God looked down and
declared, "The soul that sinneth, it shall die.
It is separated from Me. It can't approach unto Me." We know that all have sinned and fallen short of
the glory of God. That meant that all died, all were separated, and one day a
time would come when even that bit of life would be snuffed out and it would be
all over. But God in love, took an animal and took its
life in the place of the sinner's life.
136-4 In the Old Testament the sinner
brought a lamb. He placed his hand on the lamb while the priest cut the lamb's
throat. He felt the bleeding and heard the bleating. He felt the body stiffen
in death. He saw the smoke of the sprinkled blood ascend to God. He knew that
the lamb had taken his place. He knew that the lamb's life had been forfeited
for his. But the life of that lamb was animal life and it
could not come back upon the sinner making him clean. So he left with
the same desire to sin. He would go out with sin in his mind, and come back and
offer a sacrifice for the same thing a year later.
136-5 But in the New Testament it is
not so. Our dying Lamb is the Son of God Who gave His blood a ransom for many.
By faith we walk up and place our hands upon that Lamb--we see Him with the
bloody wounds, the lacerated back, the cruel thorns tearing His brow--we feel
His pain and hear Him cry, "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?" And what happened? The life that left that broken
blood cell came back upon the repentant one. The life that was in Him came back
upon us. We go back with no more desire to sin, and we now possess a hatred for
the works and lusts of the flesh.
137-1 Look at
us. What is our life? Just one little cell that came from our
father. The female does not have the hemoglobin. She produces the egg;
she is the incubator. But the blood comes from the male. That is why the woman
takes the man's name. The children take his name. The mother is the incubator
for the children she bears him.
137-2 That is
what happened for our redemption. The Holy Ghost came upon Mary and she bore a
Son and called Him, Jesus. The great Creator came down and became a sacrifice
for our sin. His blood was the blood of God. That is exactly what it was. That
blood of God was shed and the Spirit left Him as He died in agony. Then the
SAME LIFE (SPIRIT) came back to in-dwell the repentant sinner and set him free.
That sinner did not come back year after year, sacrifice after sacrifice, for
there was no need. By ONE sacrifice, once and for all he has been set free from
the dominion of sin, and has received the life of Christ whereby he reigns in
victory over sin, the world, the flesh and the devil.
137-3 God did it. He did it all. He
cried out to the world cursed in sin, "I will give you a sign. A virgin
shall be with child. A virgin shall conceive and bear a Son. That will be your
sign. It will be an everlasting sign. What she brings forth will be Emmanuel,
God with us."
137-4 God came down in a blood cell,
not through a man, but by the Holy Ghost, and in that virgin womb a tabernacle
for the purpose of death was built. The Seed of the woman came in order that He
be bruised to bring us our salvation. When the Holy
Ghost came upon Mary, He created within her womb the cell that would multiply
and become the body of our Lord. That cell was created. It was the Beginning of
the Creation of God. That is Who Jesus is. And that Holy One was filled with
Holy blood, even the blood of God. That tabernacle came to birth. He grew to be
a man. He went to
138-1 Oh, how striking it is. Jehovah, born crying over a manure pile. Jehovah
born in a manger of straw. There is your everlasting sign to the proud and
puffed up, pseudo-intellectuals that have evolved their own theology and denied
the truth of God. Jehovah God, a crying baby in a stinking barn. Then we think
we have a right to be proud, holding up our noses, criticizing and acting as
though we were somebody. Here's your real sign. This is the right one. Jehovah, playing as a boy. Jehovah working
in a carpenter's shop. Jehovah washing the feet of
fishermen.
138-2 "I will give you a
sign," said God. "Not the sign of a white collared priesthood. Not
the sign of wealth and power. There's nothing in this sign that you will want,
or think suitable. But it is an everlasting sign. It is the greatest sign of
all." Jehovah standing in the courtyard bruised and
bleeding with thorns on His brow and spit on His face, mocked and set at
naught. Jehovah, despised and rejected, hanging naked upon the cross,
while the hypocrites jeered and dared Him to come down off the cross. Jehovah dying. Jehovah praying and nothing
happening. Then Jehovah died. That is the sign for all men now. There
isn't another like it. It is the great one.
138-3 Then darkness came upon the
earth. They put Him in a tomb. There He lay those three days and nights until
an earthquake shattered the gloom of night and He came forth. Jehovah came forth.
Jehovah ascended on high. Then Jehovah returned to in-dwell His church. Jehovah
came back with a mighty rushing wind and flames of fire. Jehovah came back to
walk in the midst of His church and empower His people. Once more Jehovah came,
and this time to stay in His people. And again Jehovah heals the sick, raises
the dead and manifests Himself by the Spirit. Jehovah came back, speaking in
tongues, and giving the answer back in interpretation.
138-4 Jehovah came down and He raised
the prostitute to sin no more. He came down to the drunkard with fly blows on
his face as he lay unconscious in the gutter. Yes, Jehovah came to manifest in
flesh and manifest through flesh. Jehovah came--God in us, the hope of glory.
138-5 Yes, Jesus came and shed His
blood and set the captive free. He came and redeemed His lost sheep. He gave
them eternal life and they shall never perish. He won't lose one of them, but
raise them up at the last day. Hallelujah, the second death cannot hurt them.
It has no power over them. For they are the Lamb's and they follow Him wherever
He goes.
THE HOLY SPIRIT IN EVERY AGE
Revelation 2:11, "He that hath an ear,
let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the
churches."
139-1 There is not one church age
where this verse is not mentioned. Every single age has the same admonition to
the people of every age. "He that hath an ear,
let him hear what the Spirit saith." But it is
absolutely impossible for all men to hear what the Spirit says to the different
ages.
I Corinthians 2:6-16, "Howbeit we speak wisdom among
them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of
this world, that come to naught; but we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery,
even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:
Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would
not have crucified the Lord of glory: But as it is written, Eye hath not seen,
nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God
hath prepared for them that love Him. But God hath revealed them unto us by His
Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth
the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even
so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit
of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit Which is of God; that we might know the things that are
freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which
man's wisdom teacheth; but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But
the natural man receiveth not the things of the
Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them,
because they are Spiritually discerned. But he that is
Spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is
judged of no man. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct
him? But we have the mind of Christ."
Matthew 13:13-16, "Therefore speak I to them in
parables: because they seeing, see not; and hearing, they hear not; neither do
they understand. And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias,
which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not
understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: For this people's
heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they
have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with
their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted,
and I should heal them. But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears,
for they hear."
John 8:42-44, "Jesus said unto them, If God were your
Father, ye would love Me: for I proceeded forth and
came from God: neither came I of Myself, but He sent Me. Why do ye not
understand My speech? even
because ye cannot hear My Word. Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts
of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not
in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh
a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and
the father of it."
It is most
evident from these Scriptures that no man of himself can hear God. That ability
has to be given him of God. Matthew 16:17, "And Jesus answered and said
unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona; for flesh
and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but My Father Which is in
heaven." Putting these verses together we see that there is only one group
of people, and that a very special group of people who are able to hear what
the Spirit says in each age. It is one special group that receives the
revelation for each age. That group is of God, because the group that cannot
hear is not of God. (John 8:42-44.) The group that can and does hear what the
Spirit is saying and receives the revelation thereof is that group described in
I Corinthians 2:6-16. They are the ones who have the Spirit of God. They are
the ones that are born of God. They are baptized into the body of the Lord
Jesus Christ by His Spirit. They are baptized with the Holy Ghost.
140-1 To further bring out what we have
just said, and to also use a Scripture that should be borne in mind as we talk
about who it is that is baptized with the Holy Ghost, see what Jesus says in
John 6:45, "It is written in the prophets, And they shall All be taught of
God." But turn to Isaiah 54:13 whence this is taken and it reads,
"And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord." The ALL of God
are the CHILDREN of God. Thus it is that the evidence of being a true child of
God, (he whom the Spirit has come upon and in-dwells) is again set forth as one
taught the Word by the Holy Ghost.
140-2 Now you can begin to see why tongues is not the evidence of being baptized with the Holy
Ghost. It doesn't say in any age that "he that hath a tongue let him say
what the Spirit is saying." That puts tongues, interpretation thereof, and
prophecy, etc. aside as an evidence. The evidence is HEARING what the Spirit
says. The Spirit is talking. Yes, the Spirit is teaching. That is exactly what
Jesus said He would do when He came. John 14:26, "He will teach you all
things and bring all things to your remembrance whatsoever I have said unto
you." And that is just what happened. That is how the Gospels were
written. These men had recalled to their minds by the Holy Ghost the very Words
that Jesus spake. That is why the Gospels are
accurate. They are perfect. But the Spirit did not only bring all things to
their minds but He taught them further on the truth they already had. That is
how Paul received his revelations. He said concerning it, "But I certify
you, brethren, that the Gospel which was preached of me is not after man. For I
neither received it of man, neither was I taught it (of man) but by the
revelation of Jesus Christ." Galatians 1:11-12. He was taught by the Holy
Ghost.
141-1 One day when Jesus was upon
earth, a certain important man came to visit Him. This man said, "Rabbi,
we know you are a teacher sent from God." But you will notice that Jesus
cut him short. He turned to Nicodemus and the words He spoke may well be paraphrased
thusly, "I am NOT a teacher. I am the Sacrificial Lamb for sin. I am
making possible the New Birth by My Spirit. But there is a coming One Who is
the Teacher. He is the Holy Spirit." When Jesus was upon the earth He came
as the Lamb, and as the Prophet. But when He came back upon the church by His
Spirit He became the Teacher.
141-2 And to every age we hear the same
truth. "He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches." But only a Spirit-filled man
can hear the revelation for that age. None other can. No sir. They cannot
because that is exactly what Paul said in I Corinthians 2:6-16.
141-3 Now this ought to make you
rejoice. There is a most peculiar doctrine in the air that is causing much
misunderstanding and hard feelings. For when the Pentecostals say you MUST
speak in tongues or you haven't been baptized with the Holy Ghost, they are
either denying that great men like Knox, Moody, Taylor, Goforth
and others did not receive the Holy Ghost, or saying that they all secretly
spoke in tongues and were not aware of what was going on. Now that is not true.
No sir. That is gross error. Tongues are not the evidence of being
Spirit-filled. It is simply one of the nine manifestations mentioned in I
Corinthians 12. There is no Scripture that says you receive the Holy Spirit
speaking in tongues or that you receive the Holy Spirit by speaking in tongues.
But it does say that "After they were all filled with the Holy Ghost they spake in tongues," and later on it says that they
prophesied.
142-1 Today
amongst many folks it is taken for granted that all who claim to receive the
Holy Ghost by speaking in tongues speak in a genuine Spiritual tongue. But this
is not so for many people speak in a known tongue but under the influence of a
wrong spirit. Now let's say we are in a meeting and people are all speaking in
tongues. How can you know which tongue is from the Spirit and which is from the
devil? I have been amongst the heathen where their wizards drank blood out of a
skull, spoke in tongues and interpreted and prophesied. They can even write in
tongues. Now if tongues is THE evidence of receiving
the Holy Ghost, then every tongue would have to be of God. But it has been
admitted by tongues evidence people that there are false and true tongues for
God has the genuine and Satan has the false. So my question is, "Who knows
what is real? Who understood the language to know what was spoken? Who has the
gift of discernment to know?" Now when we get those answers we will have
something to go on, but until then, we have to wonder about the source of the
tongues. You can see right now that if you back up a tongues
evidence and don't know what is being said, you have to finally come to the
place where all tongues have to be of God. That would lead us then to believe
that the devil cannot speak in tongues. That is not so; no, not for a minute.
Any true missionary on a foreign field knows only too well that devils speak in
other tongues, the same as I know it by experience.
142-2 Pentecostal theologians admit
that they have no Scripture setting forth that people speak with tongues when
baptized by the Holy Ghost. They admit that they infer it from the experiences
set forth in the Book of Acts wherein three out of five times the people spoke
with tongues. And they also say without any Scripture that there are two kinds
of tongues. One is the tongue you speak in while receiving the Holy Ghost and
it is the 'evidence', while later on if you believe, you can receive the gift
of tongues whereby you may speak often. However, they say, once having spoken
in tongues as the evidence of receiving, you may never speak again. Once more
we are anxious to know where this is found in the Word. If it isn't there, then
God hath not spoken it and woe unto him who would add to that Word. But there
is something in the Word about this very subject that they ignore completely. I Corinthians 13. It mentions tongues of men and angels.
These would be known and unknown tongues. Modern Pentecostals say that they can
receive the Holy Ghost speaking in unknown or angelic tongues. They have the
cart before the horse, for in Acts 2 the people spoke in a perfect dialect
which even unbelievers heard and understood.
143-1 Now when God is silent we had
better be silent. But where He has spoken we had better speak, too, and say
what He has already said. He told us the evidence, or what would happen after
being baptized with the Holy Ghost was that we would have the Teacher come and
teach all truth. But that Teacher was an INSIDE teacher, not
an outside teacher. If the Spirit wasn't inside, you wouldn't hear the
truth and receive it by revelation if you heard it every moment of the day.
That was the sign of the indwelling Spirit in the days of Paul. Those who were
filled with the Holy Ghost heard the Word, received it and lived by it. Those
who did not have the Spirit heard it only as carnal men, put a wrong
interpretation on it and went into sin.
143-2 In every age, (and every age is
the age of the Holy Ghost for the true believer)--I say, in every age the
evidence was the same. Those who had the Spirit, the Teacher, heard the Word,
and that Spirit in them took the Word and taught it (revealed it) to them; and
they were of the group that heard the messenger and his message and took it and
lived it.
143-3 I know it is a great temptation to refer back to the day of Pentecost and also to the day when the Holy Ghost fell in the house of Cornelius and then set those two identical experiences as the evidence of the Baptism with the Holy Ghost. But on each occasion the tongues were understood by the listeners. This is a far cry from the modern babel of confusion of Pentecostal meetings. And if this were not enough to persuade us to leave off such reasoning, what will we do when we are confronted with the fact that people who have never spoken in tongues have some of the other eight manifestations in their lives, such as word of wisdom, the discerning of spirits, a word of knowledge, faith, healing and even miracles? And this observation is even more interesting in the l