Prayers Before The Throne

Now I'd like for you to turn with me if you've got your Bibles over to the book of Revelation. Now our Brother Taylor's been reading for us. And I didn't preach Sunday morning or Sunday night. I just let you all do what you want too and the brethren ministered to you and I really enjoyed it. But I'm trying to talk with you and teach whatever I can. People are running out. They, they don't have anything to preach. Like Brother Billy Andrews, I believe Billy's a real fine brother. I love him. I understand Billy. He's really burned the fields. He, the last time I saw him he said, George, I preach continually. He said, I've been booked up for about a year or more. Said, I'm booked up so far ahead and God has blessed me financially. He's baptized almost two hundred people in one meeting in the name of Jesus under his tent. He's done got a big church paid for. Billy had trouble like we did. They said he'd never build it. But after he got it built he stood up and said, Praise God! You said I couldn't but I did! And they told him, said, You'll never get it paid for. But he stood up the other night and said, Praise God! You said I couldn't but it's already paid for. He paid for it. So you see Satan fights everywhere just like he does here. But Billy made the statement the other day. He said if anybody has anything that they can teach the people said, I want them to come and tell the people. I done told them all that I know. Done took them as far as I can. So see there's a famine in the land. Now Brother Taylor, was it the eighth or ninth chapter we was suppose to read? The ninth chapter. So if you, how many of you are going to bear with me just a little bit to have a little discussion tonight? You know, honestly, I'm going to tell you something in love; and I don't want you to think that I'm mocking you or scolding you because I'm not doing that to God's people. But I'm telling you sincerely, if you really don't have no interest in the Word of the Lord, in what I'm about to do or say, I wish that you would do me the reverence of getting up and leaving right now. I wish that you would do that for me. Because otherwise you are going to let demons and devils use you every time I get up here to talk about God's Word. If you don't have any interest in spiritual things, all you're going to do is get in the carnal mind. And the Bible said to be carnal minded is death. And when you get in that carnal mind you're going to hinder me. The Bible said, Blessed is he that sitteth not in the seat of the scornful nor standeth in the way of sinners, whose delight is in the Lord and doth, he doth meditate in His laws day and night. He'll be like a tree that's planted by the water. He'll bring forth his fruit in it's season; and his leaves not wither; and whatsoever that man doeth shall prosper. And I saw, I'm asking you that if you don't have enough interest in Christ and in God's Word, you be kind enough to me to get up and leave this church; when I start teaching, get on out, go on back to the table or to the television or the radio or to your bed or whatever your interest is in and leave God's people alone; and let God's people not be troubled by you. Don't trouble God's people. And let God's people go on and learn about His Word. Because if you don't, woe be unto you. The Bible said, Woe unto them that are at ease in Zion. Woe! One woe cometh and then another. You just settle down and you don't seek God and you don't have any hunger and you don't have any thirst. And woe be unto you! Woe be unto you! Now we've got a job to do and we've got to grow up into the stature of the Lord Jesus Christ. And I want you to get in and begin to plow the fields; and get in and mean business with God and begin to learn something in the Lord Jesus Christ before it's too late. If you don't somebody's going to get your crown, because people are coming in from everywhere from time to time and they're hungry for it. They're hungry for it. Okay, Brother Taylor, if you will come and read. Let's everybody stand together now in reverence to God's Word. It's not late. We didn't have that much singing. And I took a little time to talk with you and we've got time for a few minutes discussion on God's Word. (Reading from the ninth chapter of the book of Revelation: Revelation 9: 1-21) Now you can sit down if you like. Now I want to call something to your attention here. If you notice in reading these. I've had Brother Taylor to read them slow. And I've not tried to teach the chapter that he read each time, but I've tried to take and form a continuity of the book of Revelation in your mind. Now on these things that he reads, we could just take one chapter. We could go through that one chapter, everyone of these chapters one at a time and teach these chapters, everyone of them in the book of Revelation. But I've not done that because I want to do that. I want to teach the revelation of the Lord if God spares me. And if you get spiritual enough, I'm hoping that if you get spiritual enough that we can do that. But the thing is I'm trying to form a continuity of the book of Revelation in your mind. That's what I'm trying to do. Now first of all there is a lot of controversy about the book of Revelation, a lot of controversy. And some says that Brother Branham is the seventh angel. Now I believe this man that we was speaking of a while ago, maybe he does acknowledge Brother Branham. I believe he says that Brother Branham is the angel, the last angel that poured out the vials. Now see if you understood what I was talking about I could just go like that and tell you exactly. But I just have to kind of be sporadic in what I'm saying. But anyway he says that Brother Branham was one of the seven angels that poured out the vials. And he said he was the last of those seven angels. Now knowing the book of Revelation by the grace of God, having read it, and the Bible says study to show yourself approved that you might rightly divide the Word that you might be approved of God, a workman unto God, that needeth not to be ashamed. Now see there is something that's wrong with that. You say, Brother Pike, how can it be wrong? Because it doesn't add up. It doesn't add up at all. Because there is first of all if we take a continuity of it, there is seven seals that is opened. And then in the last seal, last seal of the seven which is the seventh seal itself, it is in that seal that that the trumpets come forth. And the trumpets begin to sound which is seven trumpets. And then when the seven trumpets start to sound, when it gets down to the last three of those trumpets it is called the three woes of Revelation. So three trumpets of the seven is woes. Woe, woe, woe. Is that right? Are you following me? All right now, then when these things take place then there is a number of other things that transpires. We got a tape somewhere that gives it right down the line. All right now there is a number of things that transpires; and then after this is when the seven angels come forth with the seven last plagues that are in vials, that pour out their vials upon the earth. So you see if he is life, then there is a lot of things that I don't understand. Because I've wondered how that he got way, our Brother Branham got way over there to be that last angel in the seven vials when the Bible said that is the seven last plagues that God will pour out upon the earth. And immediately after that last vial is poured out this angel comes over there, one of the angels come over there and takes John and shows him the city of New Jerusalem that's coming down out of heaven. Shows him the, he sees the great harlot as she's destroyed and all of the powers of government as they go down. Now I don't understand how Brother Branham could get past those seven seals and pass those seven trumpets and pass those six vials and get over there to the last one, as well as get past all of the other things that took place inbetween. I just don't see how he could do it. But that man apparently does or he wouldn't have said that. Now he's got a reason. Men like him are too great and too fabulous in their understanding and so forth and reputation just to make some statement that they don't have some backing for. He's got some way to explain it. But now I want my people here, I want them to understand the book of Revelation in a continuity, Brother Lonnie, to where they won't say, Well, Brother Pike believes this. But they'll say, I believe this because I know that according to what the ministry has said and according to what I've read, and God has made me to understand it's absolutely that way, lined up that way. See, so that when they are out yonder in a spiritual battle with somebody that is out around away from the church that's trying to overthrow them that they will be able to stand as real men and women and prove to that person by the Scriptures. The Bible said, Apollos was mighty in the Scriptures. And when it speaks of Paul, Paul was mighty in the Scriptures. He was a man that knew the Word. And commanded us to study that we might be approved of God. Not study a lot of books, but study the Bible. I never have been one to study books. Never in my life, I've seen all kind of books, but they never did appeal to me. Now and I'm glad for Christ's sake that I didn't take that because I've seen now since Brother Branham's books come out, and I know that Brother Branham's got some good books and some good things. But people are given to books. I've done seen what it would do to them. So I love the Bible. I love the Bible. I love to read my Bible. And I love to study my Bible. Now if you notice, if you'll notice now the angel of the Lord, I want you to notice this now, in the tenth chapter here where you read tonight when you come. All right in the tenth chapter just tying a little something here together now. I want you to notice. I'll have to back up here just a little bit in the eighth chapter to tie these things together. Notice now he said, "And when he had opened the seventh seal," that's what he read to you last time remember. "Now when he had opened the seventh seal," said, "there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour." Now of course nobody knows what that is. But I believe it was the time I believe it was the time where the bride was going out and where the Lord had got the bride before the throne and He was turning back to the Jews. And He had cut off all of the nations and everything, and took this little bit of time to make Himself known to the Jews. See, remember now, Jesus was a Jew in this measure, that He was among the Jewish people and fellowshipped the Jewish people and loved them. He came up with them. A little boy He played with them. Just like you come up with your people. He played with them. He had brothers and sisters. How many of you know that that's right? See, and he hadn't seen them. Now he hasn't had a chance to be with them for what? Something like two thousand years He's been away from His family. He's been away from Mary his mother. Now I know the Catholics say, Jesus, the mother of God, blessed Mary. I believe it is blessed Mary because the Bible said she'd be called blessed. From henceforth shall all men call me blessed. That's Bible. And the Catholics they say that Mary is the mother of God. That's foolishness. God doesn't have a mother. God is a Spirit. Mary was the mother of Jesus Christ. Somebody said, Well, Jesus Christ was God manifested in the flesh. God the Eternal Spirit dwelt in the body of Jesus Christ. But God is a Spirit. Jesus Christ, John 4:24 said, "God is a spirit..." When Jesus come up out of the grave He said, Feel of me a spirit hath not flesh and bones as you see me have. I want our people to be able to differentiate between Jesus and God. I don't want them to go to the extremes like some of the Jesus only people that don't know what they're saying, or like some of the trinity people that don't know what they're saying, but I want them to come to the real truth of it. Whatever the Bible said that's what's right, not what a doctrine say. In this day there's doctrines of devils, did you know that? Now God was a Spirit and He still is a Spirit. And He lives inside of the body of the Lord Jesus Christ. How could Mary be the mother of God? Because it was God that created Mary. We know that that isn't possible. How can the Catholic people be so deceived? God is a Spiirt. God has no beginning. God has no end. And in that He doesn't have any beginning or any end and in that He is Spirit, Mary could not be the mother of God. She was the mother of the Lord Jesus, now, which was the body of the tabernacle in which God the Eternal Spirit dwells. That's why the Bible said all nations will call me blessed. That's a wonderful thing. But see she loved God and she looked forward to God using her. She believed God and God gave her a great place. Now, I'm trying to make a point here. The Lord Jesus had not seen His family for two thousand years, there about. Now I believe this thirty minutes is just like it was with Joseph who was a type of Christ, speaking revelation wise. When Joseph had been down there for a number of years and had served the people faithfully, and had done everything that he could for the people, the Egyptian people. He had also taken a bride from among the Egyptian people. See, Jesus left His people like Joseph did and He went to the Gentile people and He took a bride from among the Gentile people. But now when the time came that the brothers or family of Joseph came back in to see him and was driven down into Egypt because of the famine, that God might show the greatness of Joseph over all the people, as some of you remember how we said that Joseph would show up about this time and already he has. And I perceive he's going to move down here. Hasn't been seen for years, but all of a sudden he's going to move down here. Just heard about it today. But all here they showed up, and then when they did Joseph just cut everybody off. He told all of the Egyptians said, Just get out. Just get out. Cut them all off. And he just, he didn't even go to his brethren. He just shut everybody out and got by himself. Now I believe that's that thirty minutes silence in heaven. It might not be but that's what I believe. Now there's one thing that I do know. I know that it's right here in the end of the seventh chapter before the seal was opened here that the Bible said that these that were raptured is caught up to the throne. And I also know that it's right here that these twelve tribes are sealed. I do know that it's the brothers of Jesus coming in. And I do know that Joseph's story, life story is a perfect type of Christ. And I know that this is the place where the brethren do come in right here where we're reading from. And the Bible said that Joseph just cut everybody out, got away by himself and began to ball like a little baby. He began to cry. He just couldn't stand it. To think that after all of those years he was fixing to see his brethren. And I believe the Lord Jesus Christ will just have to have a little time there. That heaven and everything will just have to be quiet. Whether He sobs a little bit or whatever He does knowing that after two thousand years that He's going to see His family again. After two thousand years now. "And when he had opened the seventh seal there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour." Never before anywhere in the history of the Bible is it recorded that there's a silence in heaven. But here it is, right where it says the Jews come in. So there must be something to it. Now the thing that I'm trying to point out here is that these seals in the eighth chapter it said that when the seventh seal was opened the silence came, and seven angels stood before the throne. And there was given unto them seven trumpets. Now I want to just break a few things down and I ain't going to have but a few minutes to talk to you anyway. I'm not going to really have a chance to get into anything much because I exhorted you a little bit before now. But how many of you know what a trumpet is? Everything in the Bible is a type of something. How many of you know that Israel had two trumpets that they sounded one to gather and one to move? When they sounded one trumpet it means to gather them. When they sounded the other trumpet it meant that they were ready to move or go to war. Now here seven trumpets are given to seven angels. How many of you know what an angel is? Now I'm just trying to take a little time to talk with you tonight to break down a few things to where you can understand what some things are. What is an angel? A messenger. All right now that's good. An angel is a messenger. But now being a messenger that's more what he does than what he is. But what is he? Can somebody tell me? There is a Scripture in the Bible that tells what He is. Brother John. They are ministering spirits. That's the Bible. He said, I'll make my ministers a flame of fire and I make my angels ministering spirits. They are ministering spirits. Angels are spirits. That means that a thousand angels could be here tonight. And unless you were spiritual minded you'd never know nothing about it. Like the vision that I had when we ended that little cycle and I was down yonder in Del Rio and I went off into vision. And in the vision I looked up and when I looked up seven angels appeared on horses in the heavens. And when I looked up I said, The Lord God of Elijah. I said, My Father, my Father, and the horsemen thereof. Now the other night when that tornado was rolling as sure as I live them horsemen was riding through the air out there. Because it went back, the vision went back exactly to the tornado. I can trace it back and it happened exactly the way the tornado happened. Like Brother Grady made the statement he said, I ain't never seen lightning like that in my life. The lightning would bust, it would run off like this, like this, like a magic wand or something. And it acted real strange like. And the first thing I thought was those horsemen and the way that they they moved. As sure as I live them horses was riding the other night. Now see, angels are spirits. Just like Elijah, you take Elijah back in his day. Elijah could see angels. And the Bible said on one occasion when an army rose up against him and come against him, the Bible said that this little servant of his came over there and not being a great man of God like Elijah, but still being honest and sincere, he was all excited and just like you get and I get when something happens, a tornado or whatever it is, preservation of the flesh, you know Brother Willie, we get excited. And this little fellow he got excited and he said, Elijah, he said, all these people over here are against us and they're coming after us. And the prophet of the Lord said, Well, why are you worried about it? Said, they that be for us is more than them. Said, We got more on our side than they have. But see he didn't see nobody on his side because he was looking through his own natural eyes. But see Elijah was looking through the eyes of God. How many of you know that you can see angels by the Word? The eyes of your understanding being enlightened, you can see angels by the Word of God. I wish we had time to explain what I mean by that. But you absolutely can see angels by the Word. Now he turned around and when he turned around he said, Now open his eyes. And when he looked the Bible said that the whole mountain was full of fiery chariots. Everywhere there was flaming chariots. Now that would be a sight to see. See a chariot out there just blazing, like somebody threw gasoline on it and set it afire. And said the horses was just a prancing. Not, not dead, lifeless horses but said they was just a prancing, just a moving just like that. There was life in them. And Elijah said, See, there's plenty of help. Plenty of help, ain't got nothing to worry about. You know that ought to make you realize how carnal you are. Somebody said, But now that was Elijah. But the Bible said he was a man of like passion the same as you are. Now if we are, if we are the son of God according to the Scriptures, and if we are gods according to the Scriptures, the Bible said you're the body of Christ. Is the body of Christ a son of God? I felt somebody freeze up on me when I said the son of God. Carnal minded, how can you be so carnally minded after all the preaching that we done to you? Paul said, Ye are the son of God, the body of Christ, members in particular. That's Bible. Now he said, ye are gods. Now if you're gods and if you're the son of God, ought you to be able to see angels? Somebody said, Well all the prophets are gone, Brother Pike. No the prophets are not gone. Somebody said, But the prophets are gone. But the prophets are not gone. I mentioned here the other night the Bible said, I set in the body, in the body, in the ministry a five-fold ministry. And he said, Prophets was one of them. That means that in the church today in the membership of the body there is prophets. And the Bible said, He has spoken to us in the time past by Moses and Elijah and Elisha and Ezekiel. In time past I've spoken in divers manners by the prophets at sundry times. Now I have spoken to you, but in this later time I've spoken unto you by my son Jesus Christ. Now there is really something right there. Now you talking about really chewing on something that's real spiritual food. I have not spoken to you by Ezekiel. Said because when the preacher preaches to you it won't be the voice of Ezekiel. It won't be the voice of Solomon because a greater than that's here. But he said it shall be God that speaks unto you. And the Bible said, And they all shall be taught of Ezekiel. No. That they all shall be taught of Moses. No. For surely you don't believe God could be teaching. No you couldn't believe that. Now you say, why? Because you don't act like it. Now you couldn't believe you're in the presence of God. You couldn't believe that God was talking to you. But it does say they shall all be taught of God, is that right? But in the last days he has spoken unto you by his son Jesus Christ. God is speaking unto you. And so much the more as the membership of the body speaks of the world, God speaking to the world through the membership. And yet even in that there is different offices: one spirit many operations. There is prophetic operations. There is evangelistic operation. There is pastorial operations. Is that right? In the body. Now what are you tonight? How many prophets have we got, let me see your hand. Well how many evangelists have we got, let me see your hand. Well how many pastors have we got, let me see your hand. You mean we don't have none of the five-fold ministry in the church? Well anybody that's got the gift of miracles, let me see your hand? Well anybody that's got the gift of healing, let me see your hand? There are no gifts in the church. Now see there must be something wrong. How many of you believe that this is the, now it's going to be kind of hard to swallow, ha ha. But how many of you believe that this is the same apostolic church and the restoration of the apostolic church, let me see your hand? Ha ha. You know what? I'm persuaded to believe that you don't know what you believe. Because a few nights ago I ask you that and your hands went up, you know I ask you about, if this was the apostolic church, and right on right on time you said, yes. But now what makes you believe that it's not the apostolic church? Now what made you change your mind? Now I could go a little further, but I don't want to confuse you. But I could ask you some more questions as pertaining to eternal life but I'm afraid I'd come up with the same answer. And then you really would be discouraged. But I'm, I'm asking you now, do we really know where we are? The Bible said, Examine yourselves and see if you be in the faith. We say that that man Lowery or whatever he is, we say that he's gone off the deep end or something. I mean that's the attitude of some of them. I've heard them say so. Somebody made a statement today, said, any fool or foolish person would know better than that. But now when you really narrow things down, do you really know what you do believe? Do you know whether you're Baptist or Pentecostal or Methodist? If I ask you tonight how many Methodists or Pentecostal or Baptist we got here, I doubt if I had one hand raised. Now you say, Well why do you say that? Well you don't know what you are. You don't know what you are. Somebody said, Well I'm the body of the Lord Jesus. You just told me that. But now how can you be the body of the Lord Jesus Christ when you don't have any of the apostolic traits? You don't have any of the apostolic talents. You don't have any of the gifts. Don't have any of the five-fold ministry in your life and you say that you're the body of Christ, when Jesus Christ was a prophet, was a teacher, He was a healer, a miracle worker and you say that you're the body of the Lord Jesus Christ. Somebody said, Now Brother Pike, do you mean to tell me that I'm suppose to be all of that? If you're the body of the Lord Jesus. Now somebody say, amen. What am I saying, is this right or wrong? All right, now if that's amen then where are we, who are we, what are we? See that's why I say, folks, we need to get down to business. I'm afraid that we don't know. See, when you get right down to business, that's the way it's going to be at the judgment. All of us has got some idea, some thought, but when we get up there before the great judge of all the earth and he begins to cross examine us and he begins to say this and that, and then we begin to wonder what we are and where we are and what we're doing there to start with. That's right. So if we are the apostolic church then there is prophets in the church. I believe there's prophets in the church. Somebody said, Brother Pike, do you believe there's prophets in here? Well if there ain't none in here there's something wrong with us. I said there's something wrong with us. If there ain't none in here then we better go back and start all over again, if we don't have any of the gifts and we don't and we don't have any of the offices that God put in the church. How many of you believe this is the church? Well where did He say He put the offices? Well how can you believe this is the church when you don't believe any offices is here? Now see we're not agreeing together in what we're saying here somehow or another. Do we really believe what we're saying? Somebody said, Now Brother Pike, you think you're smart. I'm not thinking I'm smart. You're the one that thinks you're smart. That spirit I keep feeling from over here on my right. You're the one that thinks. No I'm not playing. You do that every time you come here. You can't get rid of it. You know why? It's a devil. If you'd get rid of it at home you wouldn't have it in the church. When you quit trying to run your own home and come to church in the right spirit you'd be all right. See, I'm not playing. I'm telling you the truth. Then where are we? I'm trying to get you to understand and see what you really do believe. Or if you really do know what you're talking about. Now what if somebody else come up here instead of your pastor and he begin to do this, then where would you be? Now see you'd be in a fix, wouldn't you? How many of you believe you'd be in a fix? You don't have to raise your hand, I'll testify for you, you would. Now but the Bible said study to show ourself approved, a workman unto God that needeth not to be ashamed. You might never have been through this but I have. I'd had them to crisscross me, I've had them to put me on the firing line. I've had them to shoot at me until tears rolled down my cheeks. I'd set and cry like a baby because I didn't know how to answer them. That's right. But there's an answer. I tell you one thing when God did give me the answer, everyone that ever fired always got a return. Now see according to the Bible, a continuity. Now we say or they say that Brother Branham is the last angel. Now all of the people that followed Branham I guarantee you right on down to the very leader of them there's not one of them not one of them, I don't care who they are or where they're at, there is not one of them that really knows what they're talking about when it comes to calling Brother Branham the seventh angel. They don't know how in the world to prove it in the Scriptures. I've talked to them and listened at them and they don't know what they're talking about about it. They've got one thing that they can base it on, I mean other than an argument. They might get up some kind of argument and get steamed up about it. But they've got one thing that they can base it on, and that's something that they said that happened in the tabernacle. But I'm speaking of the Scripture of the Word. Now you say, don't you believe that Brother Branham is? I never said he was. I never said he wasn't. I'm asking you and I'm talking to you. They say that he is. Brother Zell and I was talking the other day over here, yesterday or day before yesterday. And I told Zell, I said, Zell, I said, there's some things in revelation that you have to get linked together to be able to understand it. It is absolutely astounding how the sequence of revelation runs; if you've never got the mind of God on it it's absolutely astounding. You could go through it a hundred times and still not get a sequence on it. I know that that's the truth. You could. But now there is a sequence on it. And if you stay long enough God will give it to you. But it doesn't at all run like you would think it does, not at all. I just wish we had about ten or twelve hours just to talk to you about the sequence of it. I really mean that,Brother Zell. To talk to you about the sequence of it. I wish that we had a group of people that was spiritual enough to set, and Brother Branham had them. They stayed sometimes for hours and hours. Paul had them. But he said the last church would be a lukewarm church. They wouldn't have any spiritual endurance, wouldn't have any spiritual vision. They'd already feel like they were rich and full and on their way to heaven and they'd be wretched, naked and blind. But I'll tell you what,folks, before God, I tell you the truth and lie not. Paul said, My conscience bearing me witness. It won't be a tornado. I noticed in that tornado you wished that you'd had more than you felt like you had. You're not fooling me. When that tornado come there was many of you that wished you'd had more. I could tell you wished you'd had more. You wished that you'd been closer to God. That's right. But when the judgment comes and it's coming just as sure as that tornado come it's come, it's coming. You're going to wish that you'd spent days and months and years learning. You'll find out that that was the only important thing to do was to learn. Because it's going to be a horrible time. It's going to be a horrible time. By God's grace I spent many long years of doing nothing but just eating and drinking and eating and drinking the Word of God. And I'm just as hungry now as I was when I started, even more so. I done learned the taste of it now. It's so wonderful I just wish I could go through every bit of it all over again. But I want to say this and Im going to try to close. I'm just, I just try to talk with you tonight in a little spiritual cross examination just to see where you're at. Just like any principal or any teacher when he's taught, he cross examinates you know. He goes through cross examination and then he finds out if you knew your lesson. I'm just trying to find out if you're getting anything. Now in the seventh seal when the seal was opened, the Bible said that these seven angels sounded and we said that the angels was ministering spirits. And we also said in time past that a trumpet was a type of a voice. Lift up your voice like a trumpet. It was a type of a voice. It said here according to Brother Taylor's reading, pardon me. It said that the seven angels stood before God. They were given seven golden or seven trumpets. Another angel came and stood at the altar having a golden censer. And there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne." Now somebody tell me what God's throne is. Can you tell me? Brother John said, The Holy Spirit. Somebody tell me, what is God's throne? The Bible tells us what it is. Heaven is God's throne. That's a big one isn't it? I use to wonder how we could overcome and set down in the throne with Him, but I found out how it was. Heaven is God's throne. Is that right? I use to wonder about the crown that we was going to get. But finally I learned that the crown was the crown of life. He crowns your soul with eternal life. That eternal life is your crown. It goes to your soul. The crown of your soul, like the crown of your head. He crowns your soul with eternal living, eternal life. Overcome He'll give you the crown of life. Is that right? All right now what is incense? What is incense? Can somebody tell me? What is incense? The natural is perfume that's right. In the Old Testament they made incense. Now nobody could, nobody could make anything like unto that because God would cut them off. See, it was a symbol of hypocrisy. Well, what is incense? Now the Bible said that the prayers of the saints are bottled up. Is that right? Now when they start pouring them out over there, God's got your prayers all bottled up. When He gets ready to answer them He just pours them out and listens to them and He answers them. But now what is incense? Incense has to do with the Spirit of God. That's what it was a type of. Over there it was offered on the golden altar. Back there Aaron would get that coal and go over to that altar and God would cause him to offer up the incense that would come up like a beautiful smoke like, a beautiful smell like perfume, a type of the Holy Spirit. Is that right? It said here that the angel went to the altar filled the little, little vial here with incense or filled the censer. And there was given unto him much incense that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. In other words God does not hear your prayer unless it has the incense with it. That means that just like I read that tract on anointed faith, it's got to be anointed prayer. The Bible said you don't know what you ought to pray for. Somebody said, Well God hears the prayers of the wicked. You're wrong. The Bible said, We know that God heareth not a sinners' prayer. God doesn't hear that kind of prayer. God hears the anointed prayer, the prayers of the saints. You don't know what you should pray for. But the Bible said the Holy Ghost, the Holy Spirit inside maketh intercession with groans and moans that cannot be uttered. That's the way that you have the intercession. Some of you have about as much interest in this as a rooster would with a side-cone as I've heard the old expression. You're so carnal minded until you have no interest in what we're saying. But just a little longer for the sake of them that do have a spiritual mind. And remember, if you don't have a spiritual mind you are not eternal. Only those that have a spiritual mind are eternal. The others have never been born again. That means that you're still dead. If anything happens you'll go to hell. "... having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hands." Now see God is bringing back to remembrance all the prayers that the saints have prayed. At this particular time when He gets ready to pour out His wrath upon antichrist, all of the prayers that the saints have prayed have been bottled up; and God is taking those bottled up prayers and as He opens those prayers that He might hear the request and answer the request, then He turns the incense loose which is the anointing of the Holy Ghost loose that He might accept those prayers, that they might be accepted in God's sight; and then He pours out His wrath upon the people because of these groanings and these moanings and pleadings; whereas they persecuted the people and mistreated the people. So see it says here that when he took this "... with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar,"..."the smoke of the incense which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand. And the angel took the censer and filled it with fire..." Now after the incense was gone out, you notice after the Holy Spirit left the censer. Are you listening? No, I know some of ain't because you're looking everywhere but at me. When the censer had completely emptied itself of the Holy Spirit, there was one thing that was left and that was the wrath of God. Is that right? From the altars he filled that censer up with fire. Is that right? In other words he filled it up with the wrath of God. The mercy of the incense was now gone. Is that right? Now the wrath of God was poured in there. And then he was getting ready now to visit the earth not with the Holy Ghost, not with grace, but with the wrath of God, the fires from off the altar. "And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake." Now when that happens some of you will get more spiritual. I said when the earthquake part comes around you'll get more spiritual. You'll find out that you got time to stay in church. I noticed the other night when that tornado hit nobody was in a hurry to go home, had plenty of time to stay. Now tonight I notice they're kind of restless. But the other night they wasn't in no hurry to leave. Now what's the difference? There must be a difference somewhere. There's a difference, isn't it? You know why? You was afraid to go back because you was afraid you might not have a home to go back to in a little while. That's what it was. See, you found out that all them cars and houses and food for the belly and clothing and all of your feelings and ideas and what you thought and what you wanted wasn't worth the time you took to get them or think them. There was one thing that was important. Like Sister Anna made the statement today. She said she wasn't worried about all that was lost and nothing else. She was just glad she was here. If you all, I think I think some of you all would have been better pupils if you had have went through what she did. I think you'd been a little different. I think you'd made me a better pupil. I really believe you would have. But God was merciful to you. It might be that Sister Anna makes it into heaven and you all don't too after God give her an experience. That might be why God give her an experience to really make her get down to business with God so He could take her to heaven. Some of you that didn't experience it you might not make it, because you might not have enough fear of God to cause you to go straight. All right I'm going to stop right there. We didn't get to say much tonight. But the thing is I want you to know that as quick as the mercy's gone judgment comes. And that's what the voice said that judgment will now begin to come. I want you to stand with me. Something is taking place, folks, something grand and glorious. I can't talk to you much about it because it's such a discouraging atmosphere among you. It's so discouraging because that it isn't that you don't know. Because you don't know that doesn't discourage me, but because you have no interest to learn. That's what discourages me. Now you say, But Brother Pike, I'm glad God don't feel that way. But my friend, that is God being discouraged. That is God being discouraged. That is. You're discouraging God because He doesn't feel any interest among you to learn and to grow in the things of God and He commanded you. He gave you a commandment to grow in the grace and in the knowledge of Jesus Christ. A lot of folks say, Well, I want to hear a sermon. I want to see a miracle. I want to feel good. But He didn't say do any of that. He said, grow in the knowledge of God. That was the thing that He told you to do is get the knowledge of God. Sit down and listen. Spend hours, spend days, spend weeks. Make yourself really hunger and thrist and get the knowledge of God. Paul said, I speak this to your shame that you don't have the knowledge of God. I speak it to your shame. He said, It's a shame that you don't have the knowledge of God. But you know what, folks, you'll never have it unless you begin to get interested in spiritual things. You're just not interested in spiritual things. That's all. More and more I feel God lifting from you in that way. I notice that instead of growing more spiritual, more diligent, more concerned, more and more you're getting lighthearted, less interested, more and more you feel like it's less important, more and more. But there's one thing about it the song said, Oh how I need Him to plead my cause. Let's sing that little song, Don't Turn Him Away, Brother Taylor. (Sing) Say, Brother Pike, I'm not turning Jesus away. But the song said, Hear His voice. For it shall not be you that speak but it shall be His voice. John said, For I'm the voice of One crying in the wilderness, prepare ye the way of the Lord. He said for you to prepare His way, you prepare a way for the Lord, the Bible said. John said, You're like a wilderness and I'm in the midst of you. And I'm crying among you. Prepare a way. Let Him through. Prepare ye the way of the Lord. Said, Make Him a straight path. Make Him a straight path. For oh how you'll need Him to plead your cause on that eternal day. (Sings) Father, we thank you tonight for another service and another chance just to talk a little bit and exhort the people. Oh Lord, how we long to teach and faith by hearing, Lord, for we long that they would hear. More ready to hear, Father, when they come to the house of the Lord, that we might teach them. Father, even as Paul that taught, Lord, in the school for a number of years just taught the people. Oh how we'd love to teach them but, Lord, we can't find the interest. We can't find the interest. Lord, we know that when people turn a deaf ear around the nation and lose interest in your Word, then we know that the end shall come. Lord, we're in the Laodicean age when people are, when they feel like they're rich, that they're a special people, called for special things, that you're going to be with them, Lord, whether you are with anybody else, or they don't have to listen. When you said they're lukewarm. Father, they feel they have need of nothing. But you said, They're wretched, naked, blind. Father, that they need to council with you. And Father, they need to anoint their eyes that they might see the Word. Lord, that they might find the precious raiment of God which is the body of Jesus Christ, the kind that's been tried in the fire. Oh Lord, help us. Help us, Jesus. Give us a deep concern, a deep sincerity, a deep hunger, a deep thirst. For Lord, the day is far spent and the night is at hand. Let us cast off the works of darkness. Lord, and let us put on the armour of light and become children that walk, Lord, as in the day time where we stumble not. For they that walk in the night stumble. Help us not to be drunken off the cares of life. Oh God, help us. Help us. Help these poor people. Father, help these poor people. Dear God, unless you help these people, Father, I feel sure, Lord, that they're not going to make it. And I ask you to help them. Dear God, I ask you to help these women here. Father, help them to get spiritual minded. Lord, they're so carnal and carried about with the things of life. Help them to get spiritual minded. And dear God, help these men, Lord. Father, help them to cast off hypocrisy. Lord, and insincerity, and help them to get right with God, Father. Lord, and be sincere and get in Lord, and seek the Lord and pray. Father, and carry the load and be real spiritual parents to them that are abroad and scattered around the world that need a helping hand. Father, when we reap things like this thing that come from the..., dear God and these other men, Father, it makes us to know that we're living in the end of the world when men can be deceived. And Father, where men need a helping hand and need somebody to open their eyes. Be merciful to us, God. Help us for we cannot find our way without you. We ask in Jesus name. Amen. Shake hands with somebody. Come back and be with us.

By Rev. George Leon Pike Sr.

Founder and first President of Jesus Christ’s Eternal Kingdom of Abundant Life, Inc.

Holiness Unto The Lord