1992 Last Day Witnesses!

By Permission By David Wilkerson

You can believe the Kingdom-dominion people if you choose, who preach that Christians will subdue and purify this ungodly world system and bring back King Jesus to a conquered earth. As for me, I believe the apostle Peter who stood in the Upper Room on the Day of Pentecost and boldly proclaimed that Joel's prophetic last days had come.

I stand with John, who wrote in his epistle, “Little children, IT IS THE LAST TIME: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; WHERE-BY WE KNOW THAT IT IS THE LAST TIME...”(1 John 2:l8, Caps ours.).

Why is it that the apostles recognized the day of grace as being the last days – and we who live at the very climax of history give ear to those who go about saying, “The Lord has delayed His coming...All things continue as they were...Where is the sign of His coming?” Jesus Himself called them “evil servants” who would make you believe the Lord has delayed His coming (See Matthew 24:48). Don't listen to those who would spiritualize Christ's imminent return; that leads to apostasy!

Paul said, “God...hath in THESE LAST DAYS...” (James 5:3) He added, “...for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh...” (James 5:8). Peter boldly preached the power of Christ's blood and the precious Lamb ordained from the foundation of the world: “But who was manifest in THESE LAST DAYS for you...” (l Peter l:20). If all these godly men believed that Pentecost ushered in the final hours of the church – if they believed they had lived to see the fulfillment of Joel's prophecy – how much closer must we be to the end of God's dealing with mankind and the church? It was at Pentecost that all baptized believers were endued with power to go into all the world as witnesses unto Christ. And you can be sure that from Pentecost – the beginning of the last days – until Jesus Christ returns. He has always had and will always have His own TRUE WITNESSES.

I believe that God, by His Holy Spirit, is even now refining and preparing a host of TRUE WITNESSES who will stand for the Lord's holiness in the dark, closing days just ahead.

There is a glib kind of mockery being heard in the church today – aimed at those who sigh and cry over the sins of our nation and in the church. It is directed against the holy remnant who yearn for the Lord's return and who long to see Him face to face and who proclaim that He is coming soon to take His bride. This is the way the accusation goes: “You people have given up on the world. You are willing to give it over to the devil and sit around waiting for Jesus to sneak you out. You won't stand up against the evil in the nation and its government. You would leave it in ruins. You are escapists! You are called to rule and reign – but you refuse to get involved!”

My answer to that is: “Pardon me for confessing with Abraham that I am a stranger and pilgrim on this earth...and I desire a better country, that is, an heavenly...for I sojourn here as in a strange country...and my eyes are on a city whose builder and maker is God...” (See Hebrews ll:9-l6). If that is a reproach, then I share it with both Abraham, Paul and all the saints of past ages. Paul said, “Let us go forth therefore unto Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach...for here we have no continuing city, but we seek one to come...” (Hebrews l3:l3,l4). Here on earth – NO CONTINUING CITY! WE SEEK ONE TO COME!” Beloved, that is the New Jerusalem from above which is “the mother of us all” who believe and receive it. My future is not here – it is in Zion, the place where Christ is – in glory! Everything here is headed for fire, for ruin, with the very elements melting away.

Those who live in joyful expectancy of Christ's return have more power and spiritual authority over the principalities and powers of darkness than all those who live carelessly. It is because they are motivated to meet human need simply by the power of Christ's love in them. And they know that if people don't get changed, with new and purified hearts, all political and social changes are useless. We have proud, boastful preachers who absolutely refuse to believe Peter when he said, “The heavens and the earth which are now...are reserved unto fire against the day of judgment...the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up...all these things shall be dissolved..we, according to his promise look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness...(2 Peter 3:5). The kingdom-dominion people try to spiritualize the fire and burnings and the melting of the earth's elements. But ask the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah if God's fire of judgment is merely spiritual. Ask Achan and his devoured clan. Ask Korah, Dothan and Abiram and the 250 rebellious leaders upon whom “the fire came forth from the Lord and consumed them...” (Numbers l6:35).

____________________________________

__ America is even now under judgment.__

America is right now experiencing the awesome judgments of the Lord. The fiery plagues are even now raging. Drug abuse is out of control. Doctrines of demons are being introduced into an apathetic church that permits wicked Jezebels to teach and seduce. Sin, crime, plagues, diseases, corruption, drugs, abortion, homosexuality, terrorism: everything is accelerating so fast, it is impossible now to compute it in our minds. We can't believe or accept what is happening.

A knowledgeable doctor put into words the horror being felt by physicians everywhere concerning the plague of AIDS. He said, “Unless we find a magic bullet soon, it's all over – we are doomed as a society. We have no moral or political courage to legislate against those who spread it, nor to isolate them. We have become blind, impotent and have given gays 'the right' to spread this dreaded thing throughout the fabric of society. By l993, it will cost trillions of dollars in medical bills – which we don't have – and that in itself could destroy us” These are not the warnings of emotional evangelists – these are the sober words of medical specialists. They know that the whole world – that all of society – is now at risk. And the homosexuals are now so entrenched in our political power structure, the nation is being whipped into a submission unto death.

What is this plague? It is Deuteronomy 28 being fulfilled to the letter. Moses prophesied such plagues would befall those who forsake the awesome name of the Lord: “If though wilt not observe to do all the words of this law that are written in this book, that thou mayest fear this glorious and fearful name, THE LORD THY GOD; then the Lord will make thy plagues wonderful, and the plagues of thy seed, even great plagues, and of long continuance, and sore sicknesses, and of long continuance. Moreover he will bring upon thee all the diseases of Egypt, which thou wast afraid of; and they shall cleave unto thee. Also every sickness, and every plague, which is not written in the book of this law, them will the Lord bring upon thee until thou be destroyed” (Deuteronomy 28: 58-61 KJV).

It is in apostate times like these – when the judgments of God are falling – that TRUE WITNESSES are so needed! This is not a time for FALSE WITNESSES! The trumpet must not blow an uncertain sound. There must go forth a pure word – a convicting word –a word so ablaze with Christ's holiness that the false prophets and deceivers will be put to shame.

______________________________________________________

The character and ministry of TRUE WITNESSES

ALL TRUE WITNESSES OF JESUS CHRIST HAVE A DUAL MINISTRY. THEY ARE CALLED TO PREACH GLAD TIDINGS TO THE LOST – AND TO DECLARE THE RIGHTEOUS JUDGMENTS AGAINST SIN IN THE CHURCH! Some believe their only ministry as a true witness is to bring the good news to a lost world. It's true, God fervently loves the feet of those who go about preaching glad tidings of grace and reconciliation to all repentant, sin-forsaking sinners. But it goes much further than that! The true witness is called by the Spirit of God to discern wickedness in God's house and stand up and declare the Lord's righteous judgments upon it.

God will not permit passiveness nor neutrality when it comes to dealing with sin in the house of God A pastor of one well-known Charismatic church refuses to hear any reports of sin in his congregation. He said, “I don't want to hear it. Just give them enough rope and they'll hang themselves.” A member of that same congregation wrote me about all the compromises now going on there as a result of his apathy.

Continued in Part 2