Ere The Lamp Of God Go Out In The Temple Of The Lord......

Israel's darkest day was not the day she went into slavery in Egypt or even the failure of Kadesh Barnea. The darkest day in Israel's history is when the light went out in the Temple of the Lord and as a result she lost the Ark of God, which typified and carried the presence of God from among her midst because of unbelief, rebellion and sin among the priesthood of Eli and his sons. The church's darkest hour will also result if we as Israel of old allow the light of the Lord to go out in the temple of the Lord and we lose the presence of God. As Eli represented corrupt leadership so today men of corrupt minds have promoted a false gospel that does not provide light but is full of darkness that will damn men's souls to hell. Without the preaching of the Cross, the light of the Holy Spirit will be put out in these last days prior to the rapture. We are either headed for revival or outright apostasy depending on whether or not the lamp of God goes out in the Temple of the Lord, of which the New Testament believer stands as a type.

By Chris McDonald

TEXT: 1 Samuel 3:1-4 - And the child Samuel ministered unto the Lord before Eli. And the word of the Lord was precious in those days; there was no open vision.  And it came to pass at that time, when Eli was laid down in his place, and his eyes began to wax dim, that he could not see; [3] And ere the lamp of God went out in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was, and Samuel was laid down to sleep; [4] That the Lord called Samuel: and he answered, Here am I.

It's a terrible thing to lose one's way with God and wind up in spiritual darkness. It is especially horrible to be a blessed people, such as Israel of old, and in spite of those blessings become so engulfed with unbelief and rebellion you willingly go astray and do it without conscience from the One who first betrothed you and blessed you through His own Sovereign mercy and Grace.

Yet, as Israel of old found herself in such a state, we today are also sitting in such peril because of blatant rejection and unbelief concerning the ministry and operation of the Holy Ghost. Let the reader understand that the rejection we speak of cannot take place unless first the church rejects the preaching of the Cross of Christ for it is through the Cross and what the Lord Jesus accomplished for us there that provides the parameters through which the Holy Ghost work. Paul, the writer of Romans, inspired by the Holy Ghost, says the "law of the Spirit of life in CHRIST JESUS has set us FREE from the law of sin and death." (Romans 8:1-3) The "spirit of life," only works because of one's faith "IN CHRIST JESUS," i.e. faith in what Christ did at the Cross; this does not just mean faith one has when we come to Christ in salvation but an ABIDING faith in the Cross as an anchor as long as we are walking this Christian walk.

Friend, you cannot live for God outside the help of the Holy Spirit. The church cannot fulfill that which the Lord has called us to do without the power and anointing of the Holy Ghost. When we abandon the Cross however, we are in essence unplugging the only power source that truly produces spiritual results and many times leaves us to depend on willpower, psychology, and all sorts of other self-help philosophies and ultimately into gross apostasy, error and darkness. The Holy Spirit in Samuel was in essence pleading with the nation to "not let the lamp of God go out in the Temple of the Lord," meaning the Golden Lampstand, which was to be resupplied with oil morning and evening: 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.,  but because of sin, neglect and rebellion had been let go.

Israel's darkest day was not the day she went into slavery in Egypt or even the failure of Kadeh Barnea. The darkest day in Israel's history is when the light went out in the Temple of the Lord and as a result she lost the Ark of God, which typified and carried the presence of God from among her midst because of unbelief, rebellion and sin among the priesthood of Eli and his sons. The church's darkest hour will also result if we as Israel of old allow the light of the Lord to go out in the temple of the Lord and we lose the presence of God. As Eli represented corrupt leadership so today men of corrupt minds have promoted a false gospel that does not provide light but is full of darkness that will damn men's souls to hell. Without the preaching of the Cross, the light of the Holy Spirit will be put out in these last days prior to the rapture. We are either headed for revival or outright apostasy depending on whether or not the lamp of God goes out in the Temple of the Lord, of which the New Testament believer stands as a type.

The Lamp of God went out in the Temple of the Lord, "where the Ark of God was," meaning while the Lamp of God was in the Holy Place, the ARK of God was in the Holy of Holies, behind the veil which separated the two compartments of Moses' Tabernacle, showing us today that God is not to be flippantly treated as the "man upstairs," or whatever else a sin-mad, evil-possessed society calls Him. The High Priest could only go into the Holy of Holies ONCE a year and that under extreme conditions to bring blood that was shed on the brazen altar outside the Holy Place to sprinkle on the mercy seat which was in essence the "seat" of the Ark.  If the Priest made one wrong move, had one single sin or one ounce of uncleanness within his heart, or had one wrong motive, he would be stricken, smitten on the spot. That is why he had a rope around his waist - for others to pull his body out should he be stricken down by God. That is how reverent God required those who would approach Him during Moses' day come - a striking difference than that which takes place in the modern church world today with its foolishness, error and craziness so many denominations has sank into.

Isaiah cried, "Lord, why have you hardened us from your fear?" We have become so drenched with the false gospel of humanism that instead of our hearts being conditioned to fear God, we have been hardened to lose our fear! This is what ultimately happened to national Israel and as a result she fell into unbelief and suffers from a blindness today in part that will never be lifted UNTIL Messiah returns at the end of the Great Tribulation period and reveals Himself to Her and she believes.

Isaiah 63:17
O Lord, why hast thou made us to err from thy ways, and hardened our heart from thy fear? Return for thy servants' sake, the tribes of thine inheritance.

This journal regarding this time in Israel's history I will try by the help of God is a call and plea to us in the modern church to not let the "light go out" in the house of God as Israel did so long ago and resulted in a horrible death and plague among not only Israel's political leadership but among her spiritual leadership.

To state it again, losing the ark of God was Israel's darkest hour without debate. It was darker than the time when she was in slave pits in Egypt; darker than the time when the people worshipped a golden calf while Moses was in the mount; darker than the time when thousands perished in the wilderness as venomous snakes were sent throughout the camp by God to judge the people; darker than the time of the judges when the people "did what was right in their own eyes" before the Lord; and darker than the failure at Kadesh Barnea when the unbelief of 10 spies caused a generation to perish in the wilderness. The Ark itself was but a mere symbol of the presence of God, but Israel's neglect and unbelief in what it stood far represented a very serious spiritual condition that caused her to be defeated at the hands of her enemies.

Losing the symbol was not the issue - losing the power and presence of God was Israel's issue THEN and neighbor it is our issue today. Entire denominations have succumbed to the spirit of psychology instead of depending on the power of the HOLY GHOST to bring deliverance to those in bondage and addiction. Demon powers are destroying millions with drugs, alcohol, lust, hatred, racism, envy, jealousy, greed, unbelief, apathy, religion and a number of other things. There is ONLY ONE POWER in this universe that destroys the power of those demon powers and that is the power of the Holy Ghost who ALONE breaks the chains and the shackles of sin through faith in the finished work of Christ! The blood sprinkled on the brazen altar was brought into the Holy Place, to be sprinkled on the altar of incense, sending up a sweet aroma to God, then to be sprinkled on the seat of the Ark known as the Mercy Seat. 

When the blood was placed on the Mercy Seat, that was in type of the Lord Jesus Christ who went to glory after He died 2,000 years ago and sprinkled His blood on the mercy seat in heaven before God, who then RENT the veil, typifying that heaven's door was now opened, the way to God made plain and clear, and the release of Holy Ghost power made possible - ALL because of the BLOOD!  When the Holy Ghost came, He came to dwell in the hearts and lives of all those who would put faith in the blood and bring VICTORY, LIFE, PEACE and LIGHT to those bound by the powers of darkness. THERE IS NO OTHER WAY OR SOURCE OF VICTORY - NONE, NONE, NONE, NONE, NONE, NONE. What part of this do we not understand.

As we draw closer to the rapture of the church we also draw closer to the end of this age when the curtains of this age of the outpouring of the Holy Ghost and it's related harvest will come down and judgment will be released throughout planet Earth to bring Israel back to her redeemer and to judge ages of man's sin and rebellion against God. We are in a transitional time in the Body of Christ. This transition is not a transition from one spiritual fad to the other as so much of what we call Christianity has degenerated into today. This transition among the true body of believers is a time of preparation to the great harvest spoken of in scripture by the prophets and the apostles:

Joel 2:28-29
And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: [29] And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.

Acts 2:17-20
And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: [18] And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: [19] And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke: [20] The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come:

This is harvest time upon planet Earth. The greatest thing the church has to offer the world right now is not its programs, activity, softball teams, contemporary Christian concerts, Purpose Drive Life studies, 40-days of purpose, celebrate recovery 12-step programs, all its Christian psychology or any other false offer rooted in new age humanism that will never set one captive free nor save one single soul from hell.

The greatest thing the church of the Lord Jesus can offer the world today is the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ through the fire and power of the HOLY GHOST. This gospel shall be PREACHED in ALL the world and then shall the end comes. This gospel is not just eloquent words of man's so-called wisdom nor is it the babblings of some new age guru dressed up in a suit and tie on Sunday morning smiling and making jokes each week before he preaches to sold-out stadiums; it's not the ramblings and babblings of preachers who prostitute the gospel by turning ministry into corporations with their names attached to it then use scripture to justify their greed while at the same time going on national television shows and claiming God is not angry at America's sin and was not involved in ANY way the recent tragedies of 9-11-2001 nor in Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Was this preacher on drugs? No, he wasn't on drugs - but had he gotten a hold of the power I speak of and had a backbone and got on television and said, "REPENT," America and come back to God or more of this is coming - his "corporation," would probably take a financial hit. He is a WOLF in sheep's clothing and a pimp dressed up in a purple suit preaching a false gospel that will lead people to a false Jesus drawn away by a false spirit.  ERE the lamp of God go OUT in the temple of the Lord! Neighbor, the LIGHT of the gospel is being snuffed out by spiritual pimps parading as preachers on America's airwaves.

A recent head of the largest evangelical groups in America was exposed as a homosexual; his problems began two years earlier when he got on Larry King live and asked without question, "is homosexuality a sin?" His response, which should have been a simple, "YES," was "well, I don't think it's the best lifestyle one can live." When another well-known preacher was asked in the summer of 2005 "is Jesus Christ the only way to heaven," his answer, which should have been a HOLY GHOST filled "YES," was "well, Larry, I am not really sure." He's not really sure?? He's not SURE???? This man smiles in front of television cameras every week and woos and soothes millions into thinking what he is preaching is the gospel - it's NOT. ERE the lamp of God go OUT in the temple of the Lord!!!! Before the light goes out neighbor, we need HOLY GHOST revival!

Another new age guru sings Jimi Hendrix's "Blue Haze," as he launched a so-called Global P.E.A.C.E. Plan in 2005 during a recent anniversary celebration of his church. During the unveiling he sang the Purple Haze song, written by Jimi Hendrix about the psychedelic drug LSD and demonic visions. Here are the lyrics:


Jimi Hendrix - Purple Haze Lyrics

Purple haze all in my brain
Lately things just don't seem the same
Acting' funny, but I don't know why
'Scuse me while I kiss the sky
Purple haze all around
Don't know if I'm coming' up or down
Am I happy or in misery?
Whatever it is that girl put a spell on me
Purple haze all in my eyes
Don't know if it's day or night
You got me blowin', blowin' my mind
Is it tomorrow, or just the end of time?

(c)1967 Jimi Hendrix, Smash Hits album[3]


Because the lamp of God is going out in the Temple of the Lord, we're singing songs about LSD and demonic visions written by a man who died according to the local coroner, "“because of inhalation of vomit after barbiturate intoxication.” David Cloud's research about Jimi Hendrix reveals:

"Music was Jimi Hendrix' god. Apparently Hendrix attended church some in his youth, because he later testified: "I used to go to Sunday School BUT THE ONLY THING I BELIEVE IN NOW IS MUSIC" (Hendrix, cited by Curtis Knight, Jimi)."

Hendrix was deeply involved in occultism and mysticism and these themes permeated his music. His song "Voodoo Chile" glorified voodoo practices such as out of body experiences. "Well I'm a voodoo child/ Lord I'm a voodoo child/ The night I was born/ Lord, I swear the moon turned a fire red/ ... My poor mother cried out now the gypsy was right/ And I seen her fell down right dead/ ... 'Cause I'm a voodoo child/ Lord knows, I'm a voodoo child..." n fact, Hendrix believed he was possessed by the devil. Girlfriend Fayne Pridgon said: "HE USED TO ALWAYS TALK ABOUT SOME DEVIL OR SOMETHING WAS IN HIM”...and having some root lady or somebody see if she could DRIVE THIS DEMON OUT OF HIM" (sound track from film Jimi Hendrix, interview with Fayne Pridgon, side 4, cited by Heartbeat of the Dragon, p. 50).

This new age guru we speak of don't believe in people using their Bibles to study scripture but he believes in singing a song written by a man who calls himself a "voodoo child," and was possessed of the devil. He claimed he was possessed by "something that was in him," which many who knew Mr. Hendrix believed it was drugs, or what the Scripture calls "pharmaka," which is the Greek term for "drugs."

The King James Version Study Bible states the following about pharmaka: “Witch (mekashep) denotes a form of magic. The root means "to cut up," and thus may refer to one who cuts up herbs and brews them for magical purposes (Gr. Pharmaka, drug). The term is used in Micah 5:12 for some such material as drugs or herbs used superstitiously to produce magical effects. The noun therefore means enchanter or sorcerer (Ex. 7:11; 22:18; 2 Chr. 33:6; Dan. 2:2; Mal. 3:5). (KJV Study Bible)”

It is also seen in the book of Revelation as a sign of why God will judge apostate Babylon:

"And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived." Revelation 18:23 Note: the word “sorceries” is rendered “pharmakeia” in Strong's Lexicon:

Is this the example this new age guru parading as a preacher wants to set in leading his sober and vigilant billion-man Christian army? Even if this man sang Purple Haze in jest to inaugurate his Global P.E.A.C.E. Plan, it still has the appearance of evil and is a bad witness for a Christian. His justification for defending the singing of Purple Haze before his congregation, is like saying “Well, I just did a séance with all of my friends just for the fun of it and to help set the tone and stage for the New Reformation.”

What a song to pick; one whose author regularly took LSD and promoted a psychedelic culture! Is Purple Haze the type of song Jesus would ever sing? Is this the kind of song Jesus will sing when he launches his Global Millennium Peace Plan?

We should be astonished and shocked America's leading so-called evangelical voice would choose a song which glorifies drugs used to produce magical effects, but when the LIGHT goes out in the Temple of the Lord this is what happens!!!!!!!

Promoting a song which glorifies evil, and/or is well known and identified with the drug culture, and the fact that he has not publicly repented for it, should have brought a great outcry from his followers as a pastor; however, in the climate we call church today and because the LIGHT has gone out in the Temple of the Lord, he not only was not rebuked, but applauded by many for his "progressiveness," and then was labeled, 'America's Pastor' by Time Magazine.

When told of this, this new age guru answered from his heart, which is the HEART of ELI, who we will get to in a moment, when he said:

“When Time magazine comes out and calls me, quote, "America's pastor," I can't tell you what that does in my life because it's something that I really didn't want. And some people say, "How could he be America's pastor when we're not all Christians?" Well, I can't, okay? You know, somebody has got to be America's rabbi, somebody has got to be America's imam, right? But if that is a role that I'm going to play for one segment of our society, then I want to represent them and the things they value – humility, integrity and generosity – with intelligence and integrity. Those are the three important values to me.”[6]
 

This new age guru's book translates God's Holy Word into an effective business manual to manipulate congregations like corporate drones using a GODLESS translation of the Bible, The Message, of which quotations are used over 90 times which indicates more than a mere desire to provide a variety of translations to get a point across. This is not a mistake. I didn't start this journal to get into all of this but it grieves this writer that the discernment of the church embraces such darkness with glee while we neglect or reject the TRUE moving and operation of the Holy Ghost. ERE the lamp of God go out in the temple of God, we need a Holy Ghost revival.

True Holy Ghost revival has never come without the preaching of the gospel. Every single revival that took place in Israel's history was earmarked by the restoration of the Law AND repentance! No matter how educated and how eloquent this modern crop of preachers may be, if America is to survive, and her only hope for survival in this time we live in is HOLY GHOST revival, then we MUST return to the preaching of the Cross and to once more BELIEVE and EMBRACE in the anointing and the operation of the Holy Ghost.

This gospel we speak of is not a gospel that shall be preached is not a gospel of words but of POWER. It's a gospel that Jesus saves, Jesus heals, Jesus baptizes in the Holy Ghost and Jesus is coming again. It's a gospel that preaches that Jesus came to not only forgive sinners, but to set sinners FREE by the power of His death, burial and resurrection through the ministry of the Holy Ghost. It's a gospel that centers on the CROSS and the power of the HOLY SPIRIT, not psychology or any other humanistic effort, to bring victory to man's heart and life.

Our greatest gift, our most precious commodity, even though it's more valuable than ANY commodity in the world, is the precious message of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, which alone can set the captive free. The message of the gospel is the message of the CROSS and its power that comes from the Holy Spirit.

Hear what I say to you preacher. NO AMOUNT OF MONEY YOU SPEND RIGHT NOW ON WORLD MISSIONS to get the gospel out is TOO MUCH. No amount of money we spend on evangelistic outreaches to tell souls about Jesus is too much. The gospel of Jesus Christ is the LIGHT that can not go out in the temple of the Lord. This gospel is fueled and empowered by the HOLY GHOST. This light is the light that will break and penetrate the darkness of men's hearts and souls. Man does not have two, three, four, five or eight answers to his problems - he has ONE and that is the power of the Holy Spirit.

2 Cor. 4:3-6
[3] But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. [5] For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake. [6] For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

1 Cor. 2:1-5
And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. [2] For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. [3] And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. [4] And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: [5] That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.

Hebrews 2:1-5
Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip. [2] For if the word spoken by angels was steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward; [3] How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him; [4] God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will? [5] For unto the angels hath he not put in subjection the world to come, whereof we speak.

There is only one answer to the ills of humanity and that is the LORD JESUS CHRIST and Him crucified. The blood of Jesus still sets men free. Let me write it again and again and again and again - The Blood of Jesus still sets men free. The power of the Holy Ghost is still real today. The mighty baptism of the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in tongues is not just some backwoods doctrine that a few people believe in.  It's the greatest fundamental need of the modern church just as salvation through the blood of Christ is the MOST important need for the sinner without God. The Holy Spirit works because of the blood and when the blood is applied the Holy Spirit will WORK in the life of the believer!

Bill Gaither wrote a song under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost called "I'm Free," © Gaither Music , which I believe says it all:


So long I had searched for life's meaning,
Enslaved by the world and my greed;
Then the door of the prison was opened by love,
For the ransom was paid - I was free.

I'm free from the fear of tomorrow,
I'm free from the guilt of the past;
For I've traded my shackles for a glorious song,
I'm Free! Praise the Lord! Free at last!

I'm free from the guilt that I carried,
From that dull empty life I'm set free;
For when I met Jesus, He made me complete,
He forgot how foolish I used to be.

I'm free from the fear of tomorrow,
I'm free from the guilt of the past;
For I've traded my shackles for a glorious song,
I'm Free! Praise the Lord! Free at last!

I can almost hear the Holy Spirit say, "write it again," so I write it again:

I'm free from the fear of tomorrow,
I'm free from the guilt of the past;
For I've traded my shackles for a glorious song,
I'm Free! Praise the Lord! Free at last!
I'm Free! Praise the Lord! Free at last!

HE that the Son has set free is free indeed. Alcoholic, you can be FREE today; drug addict you can be free today. Homosexual, you can be free today and understand the power and grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and live a NORMAL life free from the bent to sodomy and the perversion that grips millions.

John 8:36 - If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

And (before) ere the lamp of God go out.....in the temple of the Lord....we MUST, MUST, MUST, MUST humble ourselves and ask the HOLY GHOST to once more FILL our New Testament Temples as believers so HIS LIGHT will shine to those in darkness!

No Open Vision, And The Word of God Was Precious In Those Days

1 Samuel 3:1
And the child Samuel ministered unto the Lord before Eli. And the word of the Lord was precious in those days; there was no open vision.

As the writer of this narrative tells us, Samuel ministered unto the Lord before Eli at  a time the word of the Lord was precious in those days. Samuel's ministry was in the Holy Place of the Tabernacle of Moses; As we stated earlier, If one approached this Tabernacle, they would first see the Brazen Altar at the only gate that granted entrance into this house of worship. This speaks to us as Christ, our ONLY WAY within the house of worship of salvation. There is no other way to heaven except through the blood of Christ. On the brazen altar inside the gate the priests were non-stop day and night offering animal sarifices, a type of the Cross of Christ, where THE sacrifice was offered once and for all of man's sin. The brazen altar was not a pretty sight to the observer by any stretch of the imagination but for the priest, of which the New Testament believer is a type, the brazen altar was where he had to go FIRST and in was CENTRAL to ALL that he did in the Holy Place in that ANY blood sprinkled upon the furniture and vessels within and ultimately upon the mercy seat - CAME FROM THAT ALTAR!

ALL and any ministry the believer does unto the Lord and for the Lord and given BY the Lord comes only through the blood of the Cross. If the priest circumvented that altar, he died. There are many "ministering," in the Holy Place today that have never come the altar of the Cross and as a result they are preaching and teaching DEATH and they themselves are under a death sentence!

Directly after the altar, stood a bronze laver of water, a type of the Word of God, where the priests would wash themselves before entering the Holy Place. There would be ten of these in the Temple of Solomon, which would be built years in the future, indicating that when the Kingdom  Age comes the Word of God will FLOW from Jerusalem once more as it was intended to do at the first and bring universal salvation and righteousness to those who will believe what it says and embrace it's message called the gospel of Jesus Christ!!

 We are saved by the blood of Jesus (the brazen altar). After we are saved, we have the need for daily  WASHINGS of the brazen laver.

John 15:1-3
I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. [2] Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. [3] Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.

Ephes. 5:26-28
That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, [27] That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. [28] So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.

Jesus said we are washed by the water of the WORD OF GOD. This is a dirty filthy world. The spirit of this age infects us very easily, thus the need for cleansing. As Samuel entered into the Holy Place he would see on his right the table of showbread where sat 12 loaves of bread called the "bread of the face." The 12 loaves typifying the 12 tribes of Israel, were a type of Christ. The loaves typified that we must "partake" of the crucified Lamb as our sustenance and also the fact that all of God's blessings come through National Israel! It was through the children of Abraham, Isaac and JACOB that "all the nations of the earth shall be blessed."

It also speaks to us that man shall not live by "BREAD" alone, but by every WORD that proceeds out of the mouth of God.

Matthew 4:1-10
Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. [2] And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungered. [3] And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. [4] But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.

Nothing else will satisfy us and nothing else will sustain us on this journey yet despite this truth the church offers the world everything BUT the Word of God! When the true Word of God is preached there is always going to be precious few who will embrace it. Jesus drew crowds by miracles and feeding the hungry but when He laid down the demands of eternal life through the gospel, many of those clamoring after His miracles and food LEFT, never to follow again.

John 6:33-58
For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. [34] Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. [35] And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. [36] But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not. [37] All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. [38] For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. [39] And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. [40] And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day. [41] The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven. [42] And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? how is it then that he saith, I came down from heaven? [43] Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves. [44] No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. [45] It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me. [46] Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father. [47] Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. [48] I am that bread of life. [49] Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. [50] This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. [51] I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. [52] The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat? [53] Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. [54] Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. [55] For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. [56] He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. [57] As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. [58] This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.

As Jesus said in John 6 - we must "eat his flesh, and drink his blood." No, that does not mean when you take communion Catholics you are partaking of the Lord's body.

John 6:59-66
These things said he in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum. [60] Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it? [61] When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you? [62] What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before? [63] It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. [64] But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him. [65] And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father. [66] From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.

The gospel does not call us to refine our efforts or become better people - the gospel calls us to DIE! It calls for us to embrace a daily death to our flesh and a daily identification with HIM. We cannot leave any part of our lives in place. There is no substitute for a DAILY "feeding" on Jesus Christ and through the power of the Holy Ghost a DYING out to our flesh, or that which is not pleasing to the Lord!

Samuel as a young man "ministered unto the Lord," in the Holy Place! As he entered the Holy Place, he saw the table of showbread on one side, the golden lampstand on the other; he then saw the altar of worship where a sweet aroma rose to God as the priests took the fire of coal from the brazen altar, placed it on the altar of worship and beat out the spices, representing the  intercessory work of Christ for the believer. Hear what I say to you today.

That coal of fire from the brazen altar is a picture, a type, a WARNING, a proclamation, a WITNESS to the fact that ALL the intercessory work our Lord does for us today is a result of HIS FINISHED WORK AT CALVARY. All of His intercession would mean NOTHING had He not died on that cross.  ALL of the work of the Holy Spirit in His intercessory work here on earth would mean NOTHING if He were not interceding for us based on the finished work of the Son. ALL TRUE WORSHIP MUST HONOR THE CROSS! Hear that neighbor. Hear that preacher. Hear that "Christian" entertainer. Your talent may sway the crowds and grant you applause, but the only power on earth that can set the captive free is the power of the cross of which that brazen altar typified. Glory to God. I feel that as I write this.

ALL WORSHIP must be in SPIRIT and in TRUTH.

John 4:14-16
But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. [15] The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw. [16] Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither.

John 4:24
God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

What is truth? Is it a doctrine? Is it a movement? Is it a church? Is it a denomination? Is is written words on a wall or handed out in a bulletin? Is it found in a marketing book geared to sway millions into an easy believism and New Age philosophy instead of Christ? I witnessed a "bible study," not too long ago where not one single Bible was present or open but the participants had Purpose Driven Life books wide open reading word for word - that is not a Bible study - that is a JOKE! That is the state of a church or ministry where the lamp of God has gone out in the Temple of the Lord!!!!!!!!

When we preach the truth, we are preaching Christ Crucified!! We are preaching and the teaching the Word of Almighty God, the Bread of the Face, the Bread of Life, the unction of God's heart to a world that sits in darkness and a church that sits in apostasy! What is truth, one asks, as Pilate asked Christ at the Crucifixion??

John 18:38 - Pilate saith unto him, What is truth? And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews, and saith unto them, I find in him no fault at all.

The world asks the same question today of the church and instead of us pointing men to truth we point them to fables. The WORD OF THE LORD was PRECIOUS, or "rare," in Samuel's day and it is rare today! How sad an indictment against our churches when our young people can tell you hands down who won the Oscar for best picture but they can't tell you what the first five books of the Bible are! What an indictment against our churches when people who lead ministries are themselves not born again and do not READ the word of God and do not understand the message of the Cross. Let me tell you this. You can spot these people REAL quick because they always are offering up a alternative for deliverance outside the ministry and power of the HOLY GHOST!

When I write I am not writing to politic to come to your church. So let me go ahead and offend the other 3 people who we have not offended in our city over the issue of the  mighty power of the HOLY GHOST. There needs to be a shaking within our churches within the confines of this city we live! This shaking needs to rip the DEVIL right out of many pulpits and put something in the hearts of every preacher beside this ecumenical demon that causes men to deny the supernatural in the name of church unity. I don't care to be part of the "come on over and let's all get along and still not believe in the power of God," club. God did not put a call on this preacher's life when he was a child for him to grow up to be a member of the Kiwanis Club or the Religious 4-H clubs most churches have become and deny the validity of the baptism in the Holy Ghost because it might offend 95% of the Baptists in the city. I could care less who gets offended.  There needs to be a SHAKING! There needs to be removal of the unbelieving, carnality in our midst and we need to find an old fashioned altar and REPENT of our unbelief! We need a SHAKING to get the WORLD out of the CHURCH and the CHURCH out of the world!

We need a SHAKING to get the spirit of Freud out of our pulpits and get the message of the Cross preached again in this land. We need a SHAKING to get the spirit of Sodom out of our leadership. It's a horrible state of affairs when you're witnessing to a person bound by homosexuality and you're trying to explain to them the nature of their sin and they tell you, "well it must not be too sinful, the local song director from the First _________ Church attends the same gay bar I do." It must not be too sinful, the worship leaders from the Assembly ________ of ____ church in town attends the same sick sodomy parties I do and brag they lead worship and no one knows their gay."

It must not be too sinful this individual told me not too long ago because when this individual "came out of the closet," as he put it, "a great number of homosexuals who are 'real' Christians embraced him and told him that his situation was just like theirs and it was ok to be 'gay' and be a believer."

WE NEED A SHAKING, We need a shaking!! Preacher, if your song director or piano player or Sunday school teacher or choir director or even one of your own ministers is a homosexual and you know about it and you are allowing them to continue - you are a WOLF in sheep's clothing, a HIRELING, a false prophet, you are a tool of Satan and are just as wicked and sinful as those you allowing to embrace such sin and minister to others. Get the spirit of Sodom out of your church man of God and the Holy Ghost will return.

We need a shaking to get the spirit of Wall Street, of Hollywood, of Fifth Avenue, of Nashville, of Branson, Mo., of Dollywood and all the other entertainment centers of the world out of our churches and bring back the preaching of the Word of God! Preach the word, preacher; preach the word young man; preach the word youth pastor; preach the word sunday school teacher; preach the word, pastor; preach the word, preach the word, preach the word.

1 Tim. 4:1-3
Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; [2] Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; [3] Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.

2 Tim. 4:1-3
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; [2] Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. [3] 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;

Paul CHARGED Timothy to PREACH THE WORD "in season," and "out of season," and with ALL LONGSUFFERING and doctrine, "reprove," "rebuke," and EXHORT! My Lord, we need a shaking to get the spirit of worldly entertainment out of our churches long enough so the Spirit of God can REPROVE and REBUKE and EXHORT those under our roofs! I don't care how famous and popular that group who is coming to sing at your church is preacher.  You will probably not have enough room in your church to hold everybody that is coming to be frank.

Start preaching the word and then you'll be amazed at how much room you will have all of a sudden! But those who come and listen to the Word of God under the anointing of the Holy Spirit may not be entertained but their souls will be saved! Some one needs to shout with me. It's 1 AM and no one is awake in my house but me as I pen these words but I feel the anointing of the Holy Ghost on me so strong I want to shout to the top of my lungs. Glory to God. Glory to God. We need a shaking. We don't need some self-help guru in a suit and tie to come in and hold a seminar to teach our people how to witness. God help us.

Get filled with the Holy Ghost. Get filled with the Holy Ghost. Get filled with the Holy Ghost. Be baptized in the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking with other tongues and you'll be surprised just how much you will understand IMMEDIATELY HOW to witness because the ONE you're witnessing about will become real inside your heart, soul and mind and become more than just a name on your church bulletin or Sunday school quarterly every Sunday. Jesus Christ came to set the captive free. Jesus Christ came to break the powers of darkness and to set them at liberty those who have been bruised. Jesus Christ came to open the eyes of the blind and to bring LIGHT once again to His church which sits in darkness because the lamp of God is going out in the temple of the Lord. The lamp of God is going out in the temple of the Lord. The lamp of God is going out in the temple of the Lord. The lamp of God is going out in the temple of the Lord. The lamp of God is going out in the temple of the Lord.

And the word of God was PRECIOUS, rare, in those days as Samuel ministered unto the Lord. When the Word of God becomes rare we are on the brink of losing our way friend and we are so terribly close to that today if not already there.  Jesus Christ is the TRUTH, the WORD OF GOD, in the beginning was the Word, the Word was with God and the Word WAS God. Jesus Christ declared I am the Way, the TRUTH, and the LIFE and NO man comes to the Father but By ME!

And ere the lamp of God go OUT in the temple of the Lord. We have not even scratched the surface here but we will pick it up in part two of this journal and show from the Word of God what happens when the lamp of God goes out.

I ask you today, do you know HIM? Do you know the TRUTH, the Way, the LIFE? Many claim they do but they have never been born again. They have never come to the foot of the World's Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ and given their heart and soul through repentance and faith in His Finished Work at Calvary. That is why Paul wrote and we write today, "we preach Christ Crucified," for it is the POWER of God unto salvation for those who believe, but it is FOOLISHNESS to those who perish. Must we with our woefully inadequate human efforts tinker with this message that the HOLY GHOST has put His seal on approval with mighty signs and wonders through the centuries, as A.W. Tozer wrote so long ago?

Have you met Him sir through the "power of His resurrection," and the "fellowship of His sufferings," and been made "conformable to His death?" Have you suffered the loss of all things and counted them as DUNG, "that you may win CHRIST?" Have you been found IN HIM, not having your own righteousness, which is of the law, but found that righteousness, which is by FAITH of Christ and what He did for us at the Cross 2,000 years ago?  Do we esteem the things we gain as LOSS for the excellency of the KNOWLEDGE of CHRIST JESUS my LORD!? Have we been to Jesus for the cleansing flow, are we washed in the Blood of the Lamb? Are we FULLY trusting in His grace this hour, are we washed in the blood of the Lamb? Have we laid aside the garment stained with sin, oh, be washed in the blood of the Lamb." There is a FOUNTAIN flowing for the soul unclean, oh, be washed in the blood of the Lamb!"

Philip. 3:5-10
Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; [6] Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. [7] But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. [8] Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, [9] And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: [10] That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;

Are you free today?? As we close this journal I leave you once again with the words of this glorious song by Bill and Gloria Gaither that simply says "I'm Free!" Neighbor, ere, or "before,"  the lamp of God go out in the temple of the Lord, you can be free today through Christ Jesus and the power of the HOLY GHOST.

I'm free from the fear of tomorrow,
I'm free from the guilt of the past;
For I've traded my shackles for a glorious song,
I'm Free! Praise the Lord! Free at last!

Listen to the Song

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