Preparation for the Second Coming of the Lord Part 1.

Preparation for the Second Coming of the Lord Part 1.

Preached in Angelus Temple, Bible Study #21 August 11, 1927

I am conscious today that God has a design for us greater than our thoughts even or our language, and so I am not frightened of on the line of the spiritual exaggeration, shall I say. I dare believe that God will help me say things to you that shall inspire you to beginning dare to believe God.

Up to this present time the Lord’s word is for us, “Hitherto ye have asked nothing.” Surely you people that have been asking great things from God for a long time would be amazed if you entered into it with clear knowledge that it is the Master, it is Jesus, who has such knowledge .of the mightiness of the power of the Father, of the joint union with Him,, that nothing is impossible for you to ask. Surely it is He only Who could say “Hitherto you have asked nothing.”

So God means me to press you another step forward. Begin to’ believe on extravagant asking, believing that God is pleased when you ask large things.

If you will only dispose of yourself in a short time —for it is nothing but yourself that will hinder you — dispose of your human mind, dispose of your human measure, dispose of your strength and dispose of all you have — it is a big word for me to say — and let inspiration take whole charge of you, bring you out of yourself into the power of God, it may be today that God shall so transform you into another man as you have never been before.

Interpretation of Tongues:
Only the divine mind has divine thought to meet human order for knowing us from the beginning and understanding us as a Father and pitying us as children, He begins with the blade and the ear and the full corn in the ear so that we might know that He won’t take us out of our death but He will transform us moment by moment till we can come into full stature of the mind and thought and prayer and act.

Hallelujah! God is on the throne.

Now beloved in the Lord, I come to you this morning to inspire you to dare believe that this day is for you as a beginning of days. You have never passed this way before. So I bring you to another day of passing over any heights, passing through mists or darkness, dare believe that the cloud is upon thee, shall break with an exceeding reward of blessing.

Don’t be afraid of clouds. They are all earthly Never be afraid of an earthly thing. You belong to a higher order, a divine order, a spiritual order. Then believe that God wants you to soar high this morning.

Interpretation of Tongues:
Fear not to enter in, for the Lord thy God has thee now in preparation. He is proving thee and He is chastising thee, but His hand is not heavy upon thee as thou mayest think, for He is gentle and entreating to bring thee into the desired place of thy heart’s affections.

Be still and know that I am God. It is I and I alone that openeth to thee the good treasure. Oh, to be still that my mind be so unsurfeited with the cares of this life that I might be able to enter into the joy and the bliss God has caused me to, for 1 have not passed this way hitherto.

So God is going to speak to us about entering into something we have not entered into before.

The thoughts of this morning message are primary to the message of the coming of the Lord. There must be a preparing place and an understanding line because of the purposes God is arranging for us. I know He is even at the door. Spiritual perception make’s us know of His near return. But we must be so built on the line of truth that when He comes we are ready.

In the few days to come I am going to declare unto you the revelation of Christ to me of the readiness, and what it is, the knowledge of it, the power of it, the purpose of it, till every vestige of our human being is so filled with it, it would be impossible for us to be out of it. We shall be in the midst of it.

I have a message this morning leading up to the knowledge of His coming. It is in Peter’s second epistle, the third chapter.

Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: but the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which .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. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless. And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation —2Peter 3:3-15.

I may deal with many things on the line of spiritual awakening, for this is what is needed this day. This day is a needy day of spiritual awakening, not so much as a knowledge of salvation but a knowledge of waking in salvation.

The seed of the Lord Jesus Christ is mightily in you, which is a seed of purifying, a seed of truth and knowledge, a seed of life-giving, a seed of transforming, a seed of building another person in the body till the body that bears the seed only lives to contain the body which the seed has made, until that comes forth with glorious light and power till the whole body has yielded itself to another, a fullness, a manifestation of the perfect formation of the Christ in you. This is the great hope of the future day.

I want to speak to you very exactly. All the people which are pressing into and getting ready for this glorious attained place where they shall not be found naked, where they shall be blameless, where they shall be immovable, where they shall be purified by the power of the Word of God, have within them a consciousness of the very presence of God within, changing their very nature and preparing them for a greater thing, and causing them to be ready for translation.

You will find that this thing is not now already in the world in perfection. There are millions and millions of real believers in Christ who are losing this great upward look, and in the measure they lose this upward look, they lose perfect purification. There is only perfect purification in this upward look.

When we see the day dawning, as the manifestation of the sons of God appear, just as these things come to us in light and revelation, we will find that it makes us know that everything is on the decay. Millions of people who are Christians believe this world is being purified. All the saints of God that get the real vision of this wonderful transformation of the body are seeing every day that the world is getting worse and worse and worse and ripening for judgment. And God is bringing us to a place where we which are spiritual are having, a clear vision that we must at any cost put off the works, of darkness. We must be getting ourselves ready for the glorious day.

These are last days. What will be the strongest confirmation for me to bring to you of the last days?

There are in the world two classes of believers. There are believers which are disobedient, or I ought to say there are children which are saved by the power of God which are disobedient children. And there are children which are just the same saved by the power of God who all the time are longing to be more obedient.

In this great fact Satan has a great part to play. It is on this factor in these last years that some of us have been brought to great grief at the first opening of the door with brazen fact to carnality forces. And we heard the word come rushing, through all over, “new theology” that damnable, devilish, evil power that lived in some of these disobedient children, which in these last days opened the door to the next thing.

As soon as this was noised abroad everywhere, “new theology,” everybody began to say, ”What is new theology?” Why, new theology is exactly on the same plane as being changed from monkeys to men. What does it mean? I want to make a clear sweep of that thing this morning. There is not a man can think on those lines only on atheism. Every person that touches a thing like that is an atheist behind all he has to say.

New theology was born in infidelity. It is atheism, and it opened the door for Russellism, which is full of false prophecy. Take the book of Russellism and go into, the prophecy. What was the prophecy? In 1924 the prophecy was that the Lord had to come. Russellism is false prophecy. Russellism is exactly the perfect plan of what will make the man of sin come forth. Russellism is preparing the door for the man of sin and they are receiving open-heartedly.

They declared that He would come in 1914. I went to see a dear beloved brother of mine who was so deluded by this false prophecy that he was utterly deceived by it. I said, “You will be deceived as sure as you live.”

They said, “We are so sure it is true that if we are deceived we will give up all Russellism and have nothing to do with it.”

But what does false prophecy do? False prophecy always makes a way out. The moment it did not come to pass they said they were mistaken in dates. What is the devil? If it had been a true prophecy He would have come. And the Word of God says if any prophecy does not come true that prophet has to prophesy no more.

But those people were deluded by the spirit of ‘this world and the devil, which is the spirit of this world, and instantly allowed themselves to be gripped again, and the same prophet came forth saying that He was going to come in 1925.

In order to cover that, what did they do? They placarded in every nation, almost, in big cities, “Millions alive that will never, die.” And they have been going at that now since 1925, and they are dying all the time, and their prophecy is still a cursed, evil prophecy. Still they go on.

The spirit of this age is to get you to believe a lie. If you believe a lie, you cannot believe the truth When once you are seasoned with a lie against the Word of God, He sends you strong delusion that you shall believe a lie Who does? God does God is gracious over His Word His Word is from everlasting His Word is true.

When we see those things which are coming to pass, what do we know? We know the time is at hand. The fig tree is budding for these false prophecies and these positions

Now you see, they never stop at that They go on to say Christ never has risen. Of course, if ever you believe a lie, if ever you turn the Word of God to some other place, you cannot believe the truth after that.

Then the last days opened the door for that false demon power which is in the world rampant everywhere, putting up the most marvelous buildings — Christian Science, which is devilish, hellish, and deceivable. I am preaching to you this morning that you shall deliver yourself from this present-day evil thing. How shall you do it? You can do it only on one line. Let the seed in. Let the seed of truth, the seed of righteousness, this power of God, this inward incorruptible.

The seed of Christ is an inward incorruptible. The new birth, the new life, is a quickening power, incorruptible, dealing with corruptible, carnal things, evil, sensuous, devilish. And when it comes to the Word of God, the seed of the Word of God is the life of the Word and you are living the life of the Word of God and are tremendously transformed all the time by the Word of the Lord.

This is the last days. You go out in the world and there is no difficulty What are you going to do now? Is this a fact? Is this true? Aren’t people today almost afraid of sending their sons to the colleges because they come out more devils than they went in? Isn’t atheism right in the seat of almost all these colleges? Then what have you to do? How shall you possess your soul in peace? How shall you preserve your children? How shall you help them? You say they have to go because you want them to come out with certain letters to their names. You want them to progress in knowledge, but how shall you save your children?

Nothing but the Word can save them.

I wish all the young men in this place would read these words ‘in the first epistle of John: “Young men,.. .ye are strong,. . .and. . .have overcome the wicked one” (1 John 2:14). What by? By the Word.

They are mighty words we read in this Scripture. What does it say? The Word is holding these things, even the fires that are going to burn the world. The Word is holding them. What is the Word? The Word is the mighty power of the revelation to us of the Son of God. And the Son of God is holding all these powers today in the world, ready for the greatest conflagration that ever could be, when the heavens shall be burnt up, when the earth shall melt with fervent heat.

The Word of God is keeping these things reserved, all ready. What manner of men ought we to be in all manner of conversation in purifying ourselves.

Remember this: In heaven the glory, the revelation, the power, the presence, that which makes all heaven so full of beauty, is that time has no count. It is so lovely! A thousand years are as a day and a day as a thousand years.

Interpretation of tongues:
All the springs are in thee, all the revelations are in the midst of thee. It is He, the mighty God! It is He, the King of kings! It is He, the Son of the living God who is in the very innermost being of thy human nature, making thee know that before these things shall come to pass thou shalt be preserved in the midst of the flame. Whatever happens, God shall cover thee with His mighty covering; and that which is in thee is incorruptible and undefiled and fadeth not away, which is reserved in the glory.

God says to us, “In patience possess thy soul.” How beautiful! Oh! How the enrichment of the presence of the power of the Most High is bursting forth upon our — what shall I say? — our human frame. Something greater than the human frame.

Knowest thou not that that which is born to thee is greater than anything formed around thee? Knowest thou not that He which has been begotten in thee, is the very God of power to preserve thee, and to bring forth light and truth and cause the vision to be made clearer?

You notice this: There is an elect of God. I know that God has in this place people who, if you would examine yourself, you would be amazed to find that you are elect of God.

People are tremendously afraid of this position because they have heard so much on this line: “Oh, you know you are the elect of God! You are sure to be all right.” There have been in England great churches which were laid out upon these things. I thank God that they are all withered. You will find if you go to England those strong people that used to hold all these things are almost withered out. Why? Because they went on to say whatever you did, if you were elect, you were right. That is wrong.

The elect of God are those that are pressing forward. The elect of God cannot hold still. They are always on the wing. Every person that has a knowledge of the elect of God realizes it is important that he press forward. He cannot endure sin nor darknesses nor shady things. The elect is so in earnest to be elect for God that he burns every bridge behind him.

“Knowing this, that first there shall be a falling away”

Knowing this, that first God shall bring into His treasury the realities of the truth and put them side by side — the false, the true, those that can be shaken in mind, and those that cannot be shaken. God wants us to be so built upon the foundation of truth that we cannot be shaken in our mind, it doesn’t matter what comes.

When I was in Sydney they said, “Whatever you do, you must see this place that they built for the man, the new man coming.”

Theosophy has a new man. Nothing but theosophy could have a new man. The foundation of the theosophy has always been corruptible. From the beginning it has been corruptible. In the formation of theosophy it was joined up to Bradlaw one of the greatest atheists of the day. So you can only expect theosophy to be atheism. It sprung out of atheism.

The “Man of Sin” as ‘he comes forth will do many things. There will be many false Christs and they will be manifestations of the forthcoming of the Man of Sin, but they will all come to an end. There will be the Man of Sin made, manifest.

These people are determined to have a man. They know someone has to come. We know Who He is that is coming. They begin to make a man. So they find a man in India, they polish him

up as much as they can, and they make him as — well, in appearance, but you know we are told by the Lord that there is soft clothing goes onto wolves’ backs.

We find they are going ‘to bring this man forth in great style. When I went around the amphitheatre in Sydney that was made for this man to come, I saw as clearly as anything it was the preparation for the Man of Sin. But they do not believe that.

What will make you to know it is the Man of Sin? This: Every religious sect and creed there is in the world all joins to it. Romanism you see joined up with it. Buddhism joined with it. There is not a religion known but what is joined up to it.

Why that is exactly what the devil will have. He will have all the false religions joining right up and the Man of Sin, when he comes, will be received with great applause

Who will be saved? Who will know the day? Who knows now the Man of Sin? Why, we feel when we touch him, when he opens his mouth, when he writes through the paper, when we see his actions — we know who he is.

What has the Man of Sin always said? Why, exactly what Russellism says What? No hell The devil has always said that What does Christian Science say? No hell, no devil They are ready for him. The devil has always said no hell, no evil. And these people are preparing, and they do not know it, for the Man of Sin.

We have to see that these days have to come before the Lord can come. There has to be ,a falling away. There has to be a manifestation in this day so clear, of such undeniable fact. I tell you, when they begin to build temples for the Man of Sin to come (but they don’t know it), you know the day is at hand.

A person said to me, “You see, the Christian Scientists must be right — look at the beautiful buildings. Look at all the people following them.”

Yes, everybody can belong to it. You can go to any brother you like, you can go to any theater you like, you can go to any race course you like, you can be mixed up with the rest of the people in your life and still be a Christian Scientist. You can have the devil right and left and anywhere, and still belong to Christian Science.

When the Man of Sin is come, he will be hailed ‘on all sides. When he is manifested, who will miss him? Why the reverent, the holy the separated. How will they miss him? Because they will not be here to greet him!

But there will be things that will happen prior to his coming that we shall know. You can tell. I am like one this morning that is moving with a liquid, holy, indispensable, real fire in my bosom, and I know it is burning and the body is not consumed. It is real fire from heaven that is making my utterances come to you to know that He is coming. He is on the way God is going to help me tell you why you will know. You that have the breath of the Spirit, there is something now moving as I speak As I speak, this breath of mighty, quickening, moving, changing, desirable power is making you know and it is this alone that is making you know that you will be ready.

No matter who misses it, you will be ready. It is this I want to press upon you this morning, that you will be ready. And you won’t question your position. You will know. Ah! Thank God, ye are not of the night. Ye are of the day. It shall not overtake you as a thief. Ye are the children of day. You are not the night. You are not drunken. Yes, you are. There is so much intoxication from this holy incarnation that makes you feel all the time you have to have Him hold you up. Praise the Lord! Holy intoxication, inspired revelation, invocation, incessantly inwardly moving your very nature, that you know as sure as anything that you do not belong to those who are putting off the day. You are hastening unto the day you are longing for the day.

You say “What a great day!” Why do you say it? Because the creature — Is this body the creature? No. This is the temple that holds the creature. The creature inside the temple longeth, travaileth, groaneth to be delivered, and will be delivered. It is the living creature. It is the new creature. It’ is the new creation. It is the new nature. It is the new life.

What manner of men ought we to be? I am going to read it:

The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance —2 Peter 3:9.

I want you to notice this: This is not the wicked repentant. The epistles are always speaking to the saints of God. When I speak to you saints of God, you will, find that my language will make you see that there is not within you one thing that has to be covered. I say it without fear of contradiction, because it is my whole life, inspired by the truth. You know that these meetings will purify you.

It is on this line that every time you hear people speak upon this — I do not mean as a theory. This is not a theory There is a difference between a man standing before you on theory He has chapter and verse, line upon line, precept upon precept, and he works it. out upon the scriptural basis. It is wonderful, it is good, it is inspiring; but I am not there this morning. Mine is another touch. Mine is the spiritual nature showing to you that the world is ripening for judgment. Mine is a spiritual acquaintance bringing you to a place of separation, holiness unto God, that you may purify yourself and be clean, ready for the great day.

This is the day of purifying. This is the day of holiness. This is the day of separation. This is the day of waking. O God, let us wake today! Let the inner spirit wake into consciousness that God is calling us. The Lord is upon us. We see that the day is upon us. We look at the left side, we look at the right side, we see everywhere new theories. New things will not stand the light of the truth When you see these, things, you know that there must be a great falling away before the day And it is coming. It is upon us.

Paul said he travailed in birth. Jesus did the same. John had the same. So brothers and sisters, may God bless you and make you see that this is a day of travailing for the Church of God that she might be formed so that she is ready for putting on the glorious raiment of heaven forever and forever.

Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?

Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless —2 Peter 3:11-14.

Without spot! WITHOUT SPOT! Without spot and blameless!

Do you believe it? Who can do it? THE BLOOD CAN DO IT! The blood, the blood, oh the blood! The blood of the Lamb! The blood of Jesus can do it. Spotless, clean, preserved for God.

Give the devil the biggest chase of his life and say these words, “The blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, cleanseth us from all unrighteousness.”

If ever you hear a row like that in any Christian Science meeting about the blood of Jesus, go and I will tell you they are being converted. If you ever hear, tell of Russellism getting excited over the blood of Jesus, I can tell you God has dealt with them. If ever you hear about this new man in theosophy getting excited about the blood of Jesus, you can tell them from Wigglesworth that there is a. new order in the world. But they have no room for the blood. And yet we see the blood is preparing us for this great day.

In the amphitheatre in Sydney, when I spoke about the blood and when I spoke about this infernal thing, the whole place was upset. You be careful when anybody comes to you with a sugar-coated pill or with a slimy tongue. They are always of the devil. The Spirit of the Lord will always deal with truth. These people never deal with truth. They always cover up the truth. “Oh, you know, we are all sons of God. We all belong to God.” That is what people said when Jesus was here, and He said, “You are mistaken. You belong to the devil.” And if Jesus dared say things like that, I dare.
Questions and Answers

Q: Is it true if we believe a lie we cannot believe the truth?

A: That is not what I said. If you once believe the Word of God to be a lie, then you cannot believe the truth of the Word of God. The Word of God comes to you like life and revelation, but’ Satan in his spurious condition comes, as he has done with many and moved them from truth to believe in some theory of truth. They have gotten a theory of something else which is not truth and they have denied the truth to take hold of the theory It is all theory when people have left the truth. The people that live in truth never have a theory; it is always fact.

Q: Because I have laid aside my Christian Science books, the people are now using what they call “malicious magnetism” against me. I know Jesus is stronger than they.

A: This is a very important thing. There are many people so under delusion and devil oppressed on these lines that they join together to damage the character of others because they do not go their way. That is the devil if nothing else is. The greatest fact about Christian Science’s false position is that they are led captive by the father of liars. He has been a liar from the beginning. They have stepped out of truth and been taken in charge by this monster devil till they cannot believe the truth.

“I am ‘the light of the world’; any man that walketh in me shall not be in darkness. I am the light to light every man that cometh into the world.”

If you will go back to the time when you knew the light of the truth was burning through you, you will find that there you turned from that to take something else which was not light. Keep in the light and there is no power of Satan. If a hundred people came and stood around you and said to you, “We will join together to bind you that you shall be crippled,” or your mind he affected, or anything, if you know you have the Light you can smile and say, “You can do nothing to me.”

Never be afraid of anything There are two things in the world one is fear, the other faith. One belongs to the devil; the other to God. If you believe in God, there is no fear. If you sway toward any delusion of Satan, you will be brought into fear. Fear always brings bondage. There is a place of perfect love to Christ where you are always casting out all fear and you are living in the place of freedom.

Be sure that you never allow anything to make you afraid. God is for you, who can be against you?

The secret of many people going into Christian Science is a barren church that had not the Holy Ghost. Christian Science exists because the churches have a barren place because they haven’t the Holy Ghost. There would be no room for Christian Science if the churches were filled with the Holy Ghost. But because the churches had nothing, then the needy people went to the devil and he persuaded them they had something, and they are coming out knowing they have got nothing only a wilderness experience.

Let us save ourselves from all this trouble by letting the Holy Ghost fill our hearts.

Will you be baptized in this faith,
Baptized in the Holy Ghost?
To be free indeed ‘tis the power you need,
Baptized in the Holy Ghost.

Don’t depend on any past tense, any past momentum, but let the unction be upon you, let the presence and the power be upon you. Are you thirsty? Longing? Desiring? Then God will pour out of His treasures all you need. God wants to satisfy us with His great, abounding, holy love, imparting love upon love and faith upon faith.

The secret of all declension is refusal of the Holy Ghost. If you have fallen short, it is because you refused the Holy Ghost. Let the Holy Ghost be light in you to lighten the light which is in you, and no darkness shall befall you. You will be kept in the middle of the road.

Hasten unto the coming of the Lord. Set your house in order. Be at peace. Live at peace. Forgive and learn how to forgive.

Never bear malice. Don’t hold anybody any grudge. Forgive everybody It does not matter whether they forgive you or not, you forgive them. Live in forgiveness. Live in repentance. Live wholeheartedly. Set your house in order, for God’s Son is coming to take that which is in the house.