Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord: Part 2

Below is but a small measure of revelation that my father had received from the Lord. I hope this will be a blessing to you. All that is written below are the words of my father.

January 20, 20?? 

In loving memory of my father
Robert Louis (Bob) Padgett
July 28, 1931-May 22, 2023

In our previous message we introduced the topic of Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord. We emphasized the importance of that exhortation. Now, let us try to provide some answers to several important questions concerning our preparation.

Why do we, you and I, and every professing Christian need to prepare the way of the Lord? for several very good reasons. First of all, that is a commandment, as we stated in our last message. There can be little doubt that the Lord will return to earth very soon. Now some may say, well brother, believers have been saying that for 2000 years. True, but who can doubt that the world is rapidly going from darkness to gross darkness? (Isaiah 60:2). But from Isaiah 59:19, "When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him." What of who is that standard? the manifestation of the sons of God ... the very elect, the remnant, the overcomers.

The enemy has been coming in like a flood for many years and it will get worse. Coming in to where? to the Church, the body of Christ. There are many reasons why the Church has allowed the enemy to come in like a flood. One reason is because pastors have usurped the place of apostles and prophets. In the New Testament, the only place that a pastor says anything is in Acts 15, when James, the pastor of the Church at Jerusalem, settled a dispute as to what, if anything, of Judaism should be part of Christianity. May I add that going through a seminary or Bible College does not make anyone a pastor. Only the Lord makes someone a pastor.

Another reason the enemy has come in like a flood is because so many in leadership positions use the NIV, NAS, NKJV, and/or other "modern" translations of the Bible, all of which come from "Nestle's Greek" rather than the "Textus Receptus," which is the Greek basis for the Authorized KJ version. If you have any doubts about that, let me send to you (free) a scholarly book written by Ken Bennett, a solid man of God that I personally knew very well for many long years. In Ken's book, "Why Would God Write Two Bibles?" After much research and from a startling experience he had while ministering deliverance to a young woman many years ago, a demon revealed that they (demons) had written "Nestle's Greek" (through human pawns of course). No one could buy any of Ken's three books (he gave them away free) but I still have a few copies of all three. Of course, Ken makes it very clear that God did NOT write two Bibles.

The Church at Ephesus was perhaps the most spiritually mature church in Paul's day. Paul warned the elders of the Church at Ephesus in Acts 20:29-31, 

"For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears." 

In 3 years, night and day, Paul must have preached and taught 2000 times. So Paul warned the church at Ephesus 2000 times about what would happen after his departure. How many times have you heard warnings from ministers?

Jesus said, in Luke 20:18, 

"Whosoever shall fall upon that stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder." 

"That stone" of course is Jesus Himself. That Verse does not contrast the Christian with the non-Christian. The contrast is between those who have been born from above and those who have been broken and walk in the Kingdom of God. Unless we are broken of all traces of self, we cannot walk in the kingdom of God. But unless we are walking in the Kingdom of God, we will suffer the consequences of great tribulation. If we are walking in the kingdom of God we will still go through the great tribulation but it will not affect us. In like manner, I believe that when the Jewish Sanhedrin stoned Stephen to death, he never felt anything ... he just fell asleep, as the Scripture says. 

6 For thus saith the LORD of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land;

7 And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the LORD of hosts.

8 The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the LORD of hosts.

9 The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the LORD of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the LORD of hosts. Haggai 2:6-9 

25 See that ye refuse not Him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from Him that speaketh from heaven:

26 Whose voice then shook the earth: but now He hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven.

27 And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain.

28 Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:

29 For our God is a consuming fire. Hebrews 12:25-29

What should we do to be ready for this shaking that we are in and the even harder times that are sure to come? At the most basic level we must prepare the way of the Lord. I do not speak of being born again and baptized with the Holy Ghost; that is just step 1.

If we read those verses in Haggai and Hebrews carefully, we note that Haggai 2:6-7 and Hebrews 12:25-27 speak of the great shaking that the Lord is bringing about. Most evangelicals and some charismatics believe that the church will not have to endure this difficult time because of something men call the "rapture." But too many scriptures indicate that we must through much tribulation enter the kingdom; that will not only make us stronger but we will be purified through the trial to become the Bride of Christ. The so-called "rapture" doctrine has contributed beyond all measure to the apathy, complacency, and lukewarm attitude of the Church. That complacency should give us considerable concern. Our resources, our wealth, our military might, our claim to democratic ideals and practices have become our boast. Like Israel of old, we assume that God is on our side and that He is bound to protect us and prosper our cause. God bless America so we can continue to do our own thing. The so-called "rapture" out from the great tribulation is a product of the carnal mind. It runs totally counter to the spirit of the Bible. To me, the rapture doctrine is first cousin of the similar scenario recorded in 

Matthew 16: 21-23, "From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto His disciples, how that He must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day. Then Peter took Him, and began to rebuke Him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee. But He turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind Me, Satan: thou art an offence unto Me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men."

The future we face need not and must not be one filled with doom and gloom, so disastrous that a silent "rapture" must spirit us away in order to escape what is coming. The church is about to have its "finest hour" - a time when some believers, called overcomers, will shine brightly with the glory of the Lord. The Scripture promises a bright future which every faithful saint can take hold of and look forward to ... PROVIDED that we prepare the way of the Lord.

When the Lord returns, the parable of the 10 virgins in Matthew 25 will be fulfilled. All ten of them represent true born-from-above Christians. Five were wise and five were foolish. The five wise virgins were prepared with an ample supply of oil in their lamps, but the five foolish virgins had no oil for their lamps. The five wise virgins speak of the bride of Christ; the five foolish virgins speak of the rest of the church, those who neglect to prepare the way of the Lord.

It is true that God is love. It is also true that God is a God of judgment. The first 39 chapters of the Book of Isaiah are primarily about the judgment of God for those who do not obey Him. The first half of the Book of Joel is about the judgment of God. When is the last time you heard the judgment of God preached from any pulpit?

It is time for us, the church, to wake up, man up, stand up, speak up, or shut up and fold up. It is time to get our thumb out of our mouth. It is time to get off our pablum diet and start chewing some meat. It is time to be potty-trained, time to get rid of our diapers. It is time to put away our childish ways ... time to understand and walk in His ways. It is time to cease all debates, envyings, wraths, strifes, backbitings, whisperings, swellings, and tumults: (2 Corinthians 12:20). A house divided against itself cannot stand (Matthew 12:25).

Joel 1:5, "Awake, ye drunkards, and weep; and howl, all ye drinkers of wine, because of the new wine; for it is cut off from your mouth." 

"Drunkards" and "wine" does not speak of the natural realm. New wine cannot be put into old wineskins. Old wineskins are not flexible and resist change. New wine speaks of fresh revelation from the Lord.

Ezekiel 47:3-5 says, "And when the man that had the line in his hand went forth eastward, he measured a thousand cubits, and he brought me through the waters; the waters were to the ankles. Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through the waters; the waters were to the knees. Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through; the waters were to the loins. Afterward he measured a thousand; and it was a river that I could not pass over: for the waters were risen, waters to swim in, a river that could not be passed over."

Today, far too many of us professing Christians haven't even got our feet wet. A few more are wading in the kiddie pool. We tend to believe that the vast majority of professing Christians put ourselves on a slightly more mature spiritual level than our brothers "over there." After all, we are born again, baptized with the Holy Ghost, go to church regularly, give money to the church, lead a morally good life, etc. But Paul said, in 2 Corinthians 10:12, 

"For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise." 

We must compare ourselves with Jesus. Who among us is perfect?

In Revelation 1:7 we read, "Behold, He cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see Him, and they also which pierced Him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him. Even so, Amen."

The "clouds" in that verse do not speak of those white puffy things we see in the sky. It speaks of a cloud of witnesses ... those saints who have gone before. "Every eye shall see Him" speaks of the natural realm. The following two verses speak of those who see Him in the realm of the Spirit before every eye shall see Him in the natural realm.

After the resurrection of Jesus and before His final ascension, Jesus appeared to a few more than 500 brethren (1 Corinthians 15:6). During that time period, He appeared and He disappeared (Luke 24:31). He did not appear to all of His disciples at that time. That sequence of appearing and disappearing will be repeated until every eye shall see Him.

So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation. Hebrews 9:28

And I will wait upon the LORD, that hideth His face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for Him. Isaiah 8:17

The "house of Jacob" speaks of the natural man or the carnal Christian ... those who are not looking for Him. So a very important question for you and me and every professing Christian is, "Are you looking for Him?"

There is at least one more huge reason why we all should prepare the way of the Lord ... that is if we have any desire to rule and reign with the Lord Jesus on earth for 1000 years, usually called the Millennium. 

1 And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.

2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,

3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.

4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.

6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. Revelation 20:1-6

Verses 4 and 5 clearly indicate that not all born-from-above Christians will participate in the Millennium. Why not? because of the decisions and choices that each of us must make during our time on earth. Verses 4 and 6 refer to the Bride of Christ; Verse 5 refers to the rest of the Church. 

Revelation 19:7, "Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to Him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife hath made herself ready." 

In our next chapter we will see the Scriptural pattern which defines how we make ourselves ready to be part of the Bride of Christ.

We have tried to emphasize the necessity to "prepare ye the way of the Lord." Now we want to think about the scriptural answer to the question, "How do we prepare the way of the Lord?" first of all by preparing our hearts. Without any doubt the main responsibility that we have is to prepare our heart (but by the power of the Holy Spirit). Our heart does not speak of our natural heart. Our heart speaks of the essence of our being; it corresponds to our spirit. We must be prepared and I'm afraid that many of us are not prepared, spiritually or physically.

Let us read a few of the many verses in the Bible that speak of our heart and how we prepare our heart.

Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Psalm 51:10

My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the LORD: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God. Psalm 84:1

So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom. Psalm 90:12

Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against Thee. Psalm 119:11 

5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

6 In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths. Proverbs 3:5-6 

And ye shall seek Me, and find Me, when ye shall search for Me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:13 

12 Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to Me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning:

13 And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth Him of the evil. Joel 2:12-13 

7 Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear His voice,

8 Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: Hebrews 3:7-8

Our hearts are overly concerned with materialism, entertainment, traditions of men, putting an "X" in all the right boxes, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men, and a hundred other things. Therefore it seems only reasonable that we should understand what constitutes a right heart. More importantly, a right heart must become a living reality and not simply a mental understanding.

At the most basic level, a right heart is a heart that is attuned to the heart of the Lord. Every believer is called to identify (in reality, experientially) with the Lord Jesus in His suffering, His death, His burial, His resurrection, His weeping over Jerusalem, His will, His heart, His intercession for us, His love and zeal for the Church, and His jealousy over Zion, to name a few. It is a heart that wants the Lord to be pleased and satisfied with us even if we never receive anything from the Lord. It is a heart that wants the will of the Lord to be done more than life itself. It is a heart that is jealous for the Lord of hosts, which is what Elijah said in 1 Kings 19 ... jealous that He might have His way within every believer. Stephen, Paul, and Moses (and others) had that same jealousy for the Lord to be satisfied and glorified. 

Moses said, "Yet now, if Thou wilt forgive their sin-; and if not, blot me, I pray Thee, out of Thy book which Thou hast written" (Exodus 32:32). 

Paul said, "For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh:" (Romans 9:3). 

Stephen said, to the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem,


51 Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye.

52 Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers: Acts 7:51-52

Some might say that Stephen did not exercise wisdom when he spoke those words to the Sanhedrin. Logical reasoning and natural thinking would say, "Stephen, you should be very careful with your words to the Sanhedrin. Just think of all of the good you could do for the body of Christ. You are a man full of faith and wisdom. The Lord needs you to help other believers here on earth." We are quite sure that Stephen was aware of the consequences of his discourse. However, Stephen was motivated only by speaking the word which the Holy Ghost put into his being. Did Stephen fully satisfy the heart of the Lord? We believe that Scripture gives a resounding answer of "yes" to that question (Acts 7:56). His ways are higher than our ways; His thoughts are higher than our thoughts.

The first step in preparing the way of the Lord is to have that same heart attitude that Moses, Paul, Stephen (and others, like David) had. That heart attitude can never be generated by our own effort or by our own faith. Some may say, "Well I am not in that place in my life yet." Then you are not alone. But God is no respecter of persons. If He did that amazing work in Moses, Paul, Stephen, and others, He will also do that work within you and me, PROVIDED that we see the need and cry out to the Lord. What the Lord is looking for is that each of us believers cry out to the Lord and say, "Help me, Lord."

Now some may say, "But brother, I am not a Moses; I am not a Paul; I am not a Stephen." Very true. I am none of those three either. But we all have many things in common. One of those things that every believer should have in common is the attitude of our heart. "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you."

Our first priority is always to glorify God, first of all in our heart, and then outwardly as the Holy Spirit gives us unction.

In 1973 the Lord told us to start a "neighborhood Bible study." He said to invite our neighbors, which we did. We also invited a few folks who lived a few blocks away. About six or seven came regularly, once a week to our home. We had no idea if any of them were Christians. For the first month or two, we talked about "Who is Jesus Christ?" Then we started going through the Gospel according to John. It was like we sat back and watched the Lord work in their lives.

I found out almost 52 years ago that the Lord can save someone all by Himself, He can heal someone all by Himself, He can deliver someone all by Himself. One night in our living room, the Lord lengthened arms and legs of most of those people, making the arms and legs equal in length. Then one evening a woman, whose husband never came with her, said to us all, "Before we start tonight, I need to share something with everyone. As soon as she said that, the Lord quickened to me John, Chapter 8, about the woman caught in adultery. Sure enough, she said that she had committed adultery with a next-door neighbor. She said that even though she had committed the unpardonable sin and never would go to heaven, she was still going to serve the Lord as long as she lived. That is what I call dedication and commitment! Of course I quickly assured the woman that she had not committed the unpardonable sin and that the Lord forgave her. She still serves the Lord to this day. Would that all professing Christians had that same heart attitude!

The Lord is not asleep. The Lord is quietly and inconspiculously building up Zion. It is a marvelous work that is hidden from the eyes of man and can only be seen in the realm of the Spirit. And one day soon He will unveil His masterpiece. Then He shall appear in His glory ... the parousia of the Lord. The question is, Whose heart is stirred up? Whose spirit is made willing? Who is looking for Him?

Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord: Part 3

Below is but a small measure of revelation that my father had received from the Lord. I hope this will be a blessing to you. All that is written below are the words of my father.

January 27, 20?? 

In loving memory of my father
Robert Louis (Bob) Padgett
July 28, 1931-May 22, 2023

This is the third in a series of messages on "Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord." In our previous message we said that in order to prepare the way of the Lord we must first prepare our heart. One of the things that every believer should have in common is the attitude of our heart. "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you." The Lord will visit those willing to yield to Him. We must keep humble and little in our own eyes. If we get built up by a sense of our own importance, we are gone. The Lord has always sought humble people. He can use no other. There is much need always for heart preparation, in humility and separation, before God can consistently come to us. Our first priority is always to glorify God, first of all in our heart, and then outwardly as the Holy Spirit gives us unction.

About seven years ago a good Christian friend of ours, named John, told me about a sermon the pastor of the Episcopal Church that he attended preached three times one Sunday. I will call that pastor's name Sam (not his real name). Sam was a very conservative preacher and highly respected and sought after by the conservative segment of the Episcopal Church. In his rather amazing message that one Sunday he said that very difficult times were soon coming to the church in America. He continued that he believed that many in his church were not prepared to live in the difficult times ahead, but that he did not know how to help them get prepared. We can admire Sam's honesty and his sincere desire for the welfare of those present that Sunday.

We can also admire his humility for saying what he said. But we are somewhat disappointed that he did not know how to help those professing Christians. So I asked our good Christian friend, John, to try to set up a meeting for me to talk with his pastor, Sam. John told me that would be hard to arrange because Sam was so busy. But after two or three months John arranged the meeting. So John, Sam, and I met in Sam's modest office for about one hour. I do not remember everything that I shared with Sam, but I do remember sharing one thing. I said that one of the biggest reasons for the lack of maturity in Sam's church was because they had no real prophetic ministry. Therefore their vision was too small. A prophet was formerly called a seer. The major purpose of a true prophet is not to prophesy but to help to enlarge the vision of the members of the body of Christ. We are built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ being the chief cornerstone.

Our first step is to prepare the way of the Lord. You do it ... I do it ... we do it. Make ready for the coming of the King of kings and Lord of lords. This preparation does not end when we are born again and/or baptized with the Holy Spirit. That is only the beginning. If you know that a secular king or president or any other dignitary is coming to your house for dinner, you will undoubtedly make haste to (1) clean your house thoroughly, (2) wear your best clothes, and (3) prepare your best meal for him/her. How much more shall we prepare for the Lord Himself?

How do we clean our house spiritually? by making sure that the enemy has no foothold in our life. We must get clean before the Lord; repent and bring our darkness to the light of the Lord. Nothing else we do in the natural realm will matter if our spirit is not right with God. This is the key for us to be able to hear the voice of the Lord. Many will not get past this point because they are very comfortable with their sin or have rationalized their sin away. The hidden sin that is in our life must be exposed so it can be washed by the blood of the Lamb.

David said, in Psalm 19:12, "Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults?" Psalm 51:2, "Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin." 

Jesus said, "Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in Me" (John 14:30). As long as we abide in the Vine, the prince of this world has nothing in us either, for the Lord is our shield.

After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward. Genesis 15:1

This is not automatic. It takes action on our part to take His shield upon us.

Next, we must wear our best clothes. We must keep our garments clean. We have previously shared about keeping our garments clean. We speak, of course, of our spiritual garments that clothe our soul and spirit. Under the Old Covenant, the garments of the priests were natural garments. 

2 And thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother for glory and for beauty.

3 And thou shalt speak unto all that are wise hearted, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they may make Aaron's garments to consecrate him, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office.

4 And these are the garments which they shall make; a breastplate, and an ephod, and a robe, and a broidered coat, a mitre, and a girdle: and they shall make holy garments for Aaron thy brother, and his sons, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office.

5 And they shall take gold, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen.

Exodus 28:2-5

Note, in Verses 3 and 4 above, the purpose of those garments ... so that the priests may minister unto the Lord. "Minister to the Lord" does not equate to what men call praise and worship in gatherings of His people. Those verses in Exodus 28 are still true in the spiritual realm under the New Covenant. The New Covenant spiritual counterpart of the garments of Aaron, the high priest is,

Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Ephesians 6:13

Verse 13 is an exhortation to take, or put on, the whole armor of God, not just part or most of that armor. Christ in you, the hope of glory! For what purpose? so that we may be able to stand in these end times. 

15 But the priests the Levites, the sons of Zadok, that kept the charge of My sanctuary when the children of Israel went astray from Me, they shall come near to Me to minister unto Me, and they shall stand before Me to offer unto Me the fat and the blood, saith the Lord GOD:

16 They shall enter into My sanctuary, and they shall come near to My table, to minister unto Me, and they shall keep My charge.

17 And it shall come to pass, that when they enter in at the gates of the inner court, they shall be clothed with linen garments; and no wool shall come upon them, whiles they minister in the gates of the inner court, and within.

18 They shall have linen bonnets upon their heads, and shall have linen breeches upon their loins; they shall not gird themselves with any thing that causeth sweat.

19 And when they go forth into the utter court, even into the utter court to the people, they shall put off their garments wherein they ministered, and lay them in the holy chambers, and they shall put on other garments; and they shall not sanctify the people with their garments.

23 And they shall teach My people the difference between the holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean. Ezekiel 44:15-19, 23

Verse 23 is an amazing verse! How can any man cause another man to discern between the unclean and the clean? But Paul said the same thing. Ephesians 3:8-9, "Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:" 

7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to Him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife hath made herself ready.

8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. Revelation 19:7-8

So the Bride, the Lamb's wife must make herself ready. How? by obedience to the faith of Christ ... by keeping His commandment ... by keeping oil in our lamps ... by being a wise virgin (Matthew 25:1-13) rather than a foolish virgin. What is the portion of the foolish virgins (who likewise represent born again Christians)? They must come out of great tribulation. 

9 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;

10 And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.

11 And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God,

12 Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.

13 And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?

14 And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Revelation 7:9-14

I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, He hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels. Isaiah 61:10

Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. Revelation 16:15 

 

4 Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with Me in white: for they are worthy.

5 He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before My Father, and before His angels. Revelation 3:4-5

Matthew 22:1-14, "And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said, The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son, And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come. Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage. But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise: And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them. But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy. Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage. So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests. And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment: And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. For many are called, but few are chosen."

In those days the wedding garment was furnished by the host ... the bridegroom. "Garments" speak of righteousness, but "all of our righteousnesses are as filthy rags" (Isaiah 64:6). So the man who was cast into outer darkness had trusted in his own righteousness, rather than the righteousness which comes only from the Lord.

Once clean, pray for guidance from the Lord. No natural plan that we can come up with will carry us through the severe shaking that soon will be upon us. When the world-wide economy fails, we will have hyper-inflation and riots in the streets. They will shut down the Internet and we might lose our telephones and other utilities. I personally have no disaster recovery plan. Only obedience to the voice of the Lord can carry us through.

Third, we must prepare our best meal. That which we serve to the Lord must be the fruit of the Spirit. The spiritual food that we prepare, eat, and serve to others must be the truth as illuminated by the Holy Spirit, not what our carnal mind understands through our reasoning, logical thinking, or traditions of men. One of the greatest causes of doctrinal error and lack of understanding comes about by trying to interpret Scripture in the natural realm, using our natural minds and logical reasoning.

12 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.

13 For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.

14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

Hebrews 5:12-14

So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation. Hebrews 9:28

Malachi, which means, "My messenger," was most likely the last prophet of the Old Testament era. Many believe that the Book of Malachi was written exactly 400 years before the first coming of Jesus. That seems quite consistent with the ways of the Lord. Just as the Israelites were in bondage in Egypt for 400 years, so there was a famine of hearing the words of the Lord in Israel for 400 years just prior to the first coming of Jesus. The Bible speaks of 10 specific famines, but Jesus said there will be famines (plural) in these last days. Scripture is also clear that the Lord, not mother-nature, sends the famines (e.g., Jeremiah 24:10). We also know, from Amos 8:11, "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD:" This famine is not because the Lord is not speaking; it is because we are not hearing. The foremost characteristic of the present Church age is ... words. We have been and continue to be supersaturated with teachings and conferences. Yet we live today in the last spiritual famine. How long has that famine already been going on? Only the Lord knows. 

1 Behold, I will send My messenger, and he shall prepare the way before Me: and the Lord, Whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to His temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, He shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.

2 But who may abide the day of His coming? and who shall stand when He appeareth? for He is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap: Malachi 3:1-2

Those Verses speak of both the first and second coming of the Lord to earth. In order for the Lord to come for spiritual Israel's redemption, she must repent. The Lord is not returning to the earth for millions of immature, baby Christians. Continuing in Malachi 3:16, 

16 Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon His name.

17 And they shall be Mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up My jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.

18 Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not. Malachi 3:16-18

Those verses emphasize the necessity for the proper fear of the Lord within His people. Note that the fear of the Lord is a prerequisite for returning and discerning between the righteous and the wicked and between him that serves God and him that does not serve Him.

In Malachi's time, the people no longer had a fear of the Lord because they had become apostate .... everything had been reduced to a form, a ritual, a tradition. These two events go together ... apostasy and a lack of a fear of the Lord. Moreover, when there is no fear of the Lord, the door is opened to all manner of sin, off-center doctrines, and worse. That is what happened to the Church at Corinth. That is what we see TODAY in the church ... sin, off-center doctrines, and worse. Could it be that we have lost the reality of the fear of the Lord? Perhaps the most important key to understanding the ways of the Lord is the fear of the Lord.

The secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him; and He will shew them His covenant. Psalm 25:14

There is a clear relationship between the fear of the Lord and discernment, as stated in Malachi 3:18. Discernment is sadly lacking in the body of Christ today. All you have to do to verify that is look at all of the tens of thousands of charismatic believers who have been pulled into one off-center doctrine after another. Many genuine believers have been sorely wounded because of their participation in so many off-center doctrines and "movements."

Who is wise, and he shall understand these things? prudent, and he shall know them? for the ways of the LORD are right, and the just shall walk in them: but the transgressors shall fall therein. Hosea 14:9

The Book of Hosea, like most other books in the Bible, is about two things: (1) the judgment of God, which is steadfast and sure to all those who willingly and knowingly disobey Him, and (2) the love of God for His people. Of course, no pastor wants to speak about the judgment of God lest he lose some of his members. God's wrath can be terrible but His mercy is beyond understanding. God's love is always extended, for this is His very nature, but His forgiveness is conditioned upon the attitude and response of men. Without repentance and return there can be no forgiveness. God forgives when the conditions of forgiveness are met.

Compare Hosea's day with our own. Replace the altars of Baal with the modern idols of materialism, sensualism, secularism, humanism, religious liberalism, compromise, and mixture. We have allowed foreigners who worship other gods to live with us, mix with us, and compromise our original, true, God-centered country. Is there a call to repentance? If so, is there a positive response to that call? How long can any nation survive when the foundations are undermined by godless living? The Christian community has been out of God's order for many long years. Ephesians 2:20 says that we are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone. We have changed that verse to say we are built upon the foundation of the pastor and the chief cornerstone is self.

Hosea emphasizes very clearly at least seven great truths. A wise man will take heed to all of these.

(1) Idolatry of any sort means the transfer of primary affection from God to some other object or person, and constitutes spiritual adultery. (Hosea 4:12; 9:1)

(2) Sin carries the seeds of judgment within it and always bears negative fruit. No one can play with sin with impunity. (Hosea 8:7; 10:13)

(3) God punishes sin ... especially sin in the hearts of His own people. The high privilege which He has bestowed upon us demands a corresponding sense of responsibility on our part. (Hosea 4:1-6)

(4) There is no easy road to forgiveness and restoration. Only sincere and wholehearted repentance can pave the way to a renewed fellowship. (Hosea 14:1-4)

(5) National apostasy and idolatry will inevitably mean national disintegration and destruction. (Hosea 9:1-7)

(6) God will never be satisfied with superficial, formal, external ritual. (Hosea 6:6)

(7) God's heart is filled with a tender, gracious, inexhaustible love. (Hosea 2:15, 19-20;

6:4; 11:8; 14:4-8)

Despite all of the failures of men, Christian men, Spirit-filled Christian men ... But God! The Lord will have His way, with or without you and with or without me! Amazing grace and compassionate mercies! God loves us so much that He will continue to accelerate the natural disasters, economic collapse, persecutions, tribulations, etc., to help us to break out of our apathy, lukewarm attitude, and self-centeredness, and to cry out to the Lord for help.

Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord

Below is but a small measure of revelation that my father had received from the Lord. I hope this will be a blessing to you. All that is written below are the words of my father.

Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord 

In loving memory of my father
Robert Louis (Bob) Padgett
July 28, 1931-May 22, 2023

In our previous three messages we have shared about the most important exhortation in the Bible for us Christians ... namely, "prepare ye the way of the Lord." After we do our part, i.e., prepare the way of the Lord, then the Lord does His part ... namely restoration. In this series of messages, we will be sharing different aspects of restoration as they apply both to believers individually and corporately.

The prefix "re" generally means "again." So "restore" or "restoration" means to store again, or to bring back to a former position or condition. People talk about restoring a car or restoring a house. One of the major truths that is dear to the heart of God is restoration ... a restoration of the Church back to something that was always intended in the mind of God before the foundation of the world. Let us consider the need for restoration.

Charles Finney, the great 19 century revivalist once said:

"If there is a decay of conscience, the pulpit is responsible for it. If the public press lacks moral discernment, the pulpit is responsible for it. If the church is degenerate and worldly, the pulpit is responsible for it. If the world loses its interest in Christianity, the pulpit is responsible for it. If Satan rules in our halls of legislation, the pulpit is responsible for it. If our politics become so corrupt that the very foundations of our government are ready to fall away, the pulpit is responsible for it."

Finney believed there was a direct correlation between the kind of legislation passed in Congress and the kind of preaching taking place in the pulpits of America's churches. He also believed that the churches are ultimately responsible for corruption in government. America's biggest threat does not come from domestic abortionists, gay rights activists, pornographers, drug dealers, or terrorists. Neither does it come from North Korea, Iran, Syria, Iraq, Russia, China, or Afghanistan. Our biggest threat comes from our nation's pulpits.

As with most topics, we do well to look at the life of Jesus on earth as recorded in Scripture. The religious elite of the day branded Jesus as a reactionary, a revolutionary, a heretic. They bristled as they heard Jesus say things that seemed to be contradictory to the law, as given through Moses. When Jesus was healing people, working all sorts of miracles, and feeding people with natural food, He was generally well-received, at least by the common people. However, the religious elite of the day objected strenuously when Jesus healed anyone on the Sabbath day because that was contrary to "their" law. Further, Jesus seemed to be a revolutionary heretic who threatened their comfortable religious system. So they crucified Him. Are there any comfortable believers in comfortable churches today? Jesus came to comfort the afflicted and to afflict the comfortable.

Reluctance to change is widely accepted by the field of psychology as a phenomenon of people. Max Planck, who received a Nobel prize in 1918 for discovery of the revolutionary quantum theory in physics, once stated:

"This experience gave me also an opportunity to learn a fact - a remarkable one in my opinion: A new scientific truth does not triumph by convincing its opponents and making them see the light, but rather because its opponents eventually die, and a new generation grows up that is familiar with it."

Please think about that quotation in terms of the Church today. A major characteristic of our walk as Christians should be change. There is nothing static about Christianity. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever; but we should be changing! How do we change? by looking unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith ... by being obedient to the Holy Spirit.

But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. 

2 Corinthians 3:18

The closer we walk with the Lord ... the more we allow the Holy Spirit to reveal His Truth to us ... the more we allow the Holy Spirit to change us into His image, the more we will be misunderstood and the more difficult it will be for us to try to explain to others what we have experienced. Anyone who really seeks only the will of God is a person who will be marked as "different." People do NOT like to be branded as "different." Also, the further we walk on with the Lord, the more people we will leave behind.

There is a price to pay to walk on with the Lord. That walk took Jesus to Calvary. It will take us to that same cross, not necessarily physically, but spiritually. Are we really willing to pay the price? If so, a crown of glory, rather than a crown of shame, awaits us. Salvation is FREE, but it cost the life of Jesus. To enter into the Kingdom of God is NOT free ... it will cost us OUR self life. Count the cost VERY carefully! May that love relationship we are honored to have with Christ propel us into fulfilling His purpose within us.

Arthur Schopenhauer, a 19th century German philosopher, said, "All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident."

Many years ago I taught electronics for four years in the Air Force. One specific circuit that I taught was a rectifier, whose purpose is to convert AC to DC current, which is needful for computers. A rectifier is used to change the wave shape of an audio or RF wave from a sine wave to a square wave. The meaning of the word rectify, according to Webster's Dictionary, is to set right; purify; to correct by removing errors.

Likewise, after we have been apprehended by the Lord Jesus, we believers need a Divine rectification in our thinking and life style, which must no longer be according to the old man, whose focus is on me, my, and mine, but rather on the Lord Himself. This requires us to cut off from our minds our selfish focus on me and to understand and agree with the will of the Lord. The Lord will NOT do that for us! That requires a continual, daily, decision on our part! We must cooperate with the Holy Spirit and allow Him to rectify or change us.

Leonard Ravenhill, a well-known and respected 20th century revivalist said, in his book "Why Revival Tarries,"

"Oh God send us prophetic preaching that searches and scorches! Send us a race of Martyr-preachers - men burdened, bent, bowed and broken under the vision of impending judgment and the unending hell of the impenitent ...
Preachers make pulpits famous; prophets make prisons famous. May the Lord send us prophets - terrible men, who cry aloud and spare not, who sprinkle nations with unctionized woes - men too hot to hold, too hard to be heard, too merciless to spare...
We are tired of men in soft raiment and softer in speech who use rivers of words with but a smidgen of unction. These know more about competition than consecration, about promotion than prayer. They substitute propaganda for propagation and care more for their church's happiness than holiness."

A. W. Tozer, another highly respected 20th century revivalist, said:

"If Christianity is to receive a rejuvenation, it must be by other means than any now being used. If the Church in the second half of this century is to recover from the injuries she suffered in the first half, there must appear a new type of preacher. The proper, ruler-of-the-synagogue type will never do. Neither will the priestly type of man who carries out his duties, takes his pay and asks no questions, nor the smooth-talking pastoral type who knows how to make the Christian religion acceptable to everyone. All these have been tried and found wanting. Another kind of religious leader must arise among us. He must be of the old prophet type, a man who has seen visions of God and has heard a voice from the Throne. When he comes (and I pray God there will be not one but many), he will stand in flat contradiction to everything our smirking, smooth civilization holds dear. He will contradict, renounce and protest in the name of God and will earn the hatred and opposition of a large segment of Christendom.
Such a man is likely to be lean, rugged, blunt-spoken and a little bit angry with the world. He will love Christ and the souls of men to the point of willingness to die for the glory of the One and the salvation of the other. But he will fear nothing that breathes with mortal breath." ("The Size of the Soul," pages 128-129).

In all of the history of the human race, there has never been a generation on the face of the earth that has been exposed to greater spiritual light than this generation in the United States. Most believers have heard an enormous amount of teaching, both through first hand exposure and through books, tapes, and videos. Yet the Church in America has strayed far from what the Lord desires. Those in positional authority within the Church have always been, and still are, the ones that must bear the brunt of the judgment of God. The problems always have been with the leaders, scripturally, historically, and experientially.

And the common people heard Him gladly. Mark 12:37b

Two quips written by Dresden James, a British novelist, are very fitting for the times in which we live:

"In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act." 

 

"A truth's initial commotion is directly proportional to how deeply the lie was believed.
When a well-packaged web of lies has been sold gradually to the masses over generations, the TRUTH will seem utterly preposterous, and its speaker a raving lunatic."

Would you believe that a Scripture says essentially the same thing?

7 The days of visitation are come, the days of recompence are come; Israel shall know it [discover her wickedness when she said ...]: the prophet is a fool, the spiritual man is mad, for the multitude of thine iniquity, and the great hatred.

8 The watchman of Ephraim was with my God: but the prophet is a snare of a fowler in all his ways, and hatred in the house of his God. Hosea 9:7-8

In the past 52 years, the Lord has taken me to many churches, not for me to say anything, but rather so that the Lord asked me, "What do you see and hear?" I have seen a spirit of democracy, an independent spirit, a self-seeking spirit, a spirit of mixture, a spirit of materialism, the traditions of men, stagnation, complacency, lack of vision, lack of discernment, compromise, disunity, strife, division, entertainment, and yes, even idolatry, which have permeated the spirit-filled/charismatic churches in America and greatly affected believers. False doctrines abound, particularly the faith and prosperity teachings that thrill the flesh but anger the Lord. None of those spirits should have any place in Christianity.

Today, the watered-down Gospel is big business. Indeed, it is the best form of entertainment around! I have seen a few Sunday "sermons" that would rival a Broadway play. Some sixty years ago William Branham prophesied of this coming entertainment in "Christian" circles. We are aware, through a brother who was a very close personal friend of William Branham, that, "He [Branham] was particularly sharp in his insight and understanding of future events as well as of those personalities and organizations that would bring terrible confusion, mixture, and impurity to the body of Christ through religious programming, networking, television, Christian entertainment and music with a contemporary beat." He was right on! That was a true word of prophecy. This once new (but now old) charismatic breed of evangelistic showmanship never ceases to amaze the world with its Hollywood dress and Broadway appearance. Gospel recordings are at an all-time high. Gospel music is also big business!

Now perhaps some of you have thought, "But brother, none of that applies to me and none of that applies to us as a local church." Well I certainly hope that is true. But even if none of that applies to you directly, it definitely applies indirectly. Why? Because there is one Church, one body, and if one member of the body is suffering then the whole body is suffering (1 Corinthians 12:26).

22 But this is a people robbed and spoiled; they are all of them snared in holes, and they are hid in prison houses: they are for a prey, and none delivereth; for a spoil, and none saith, Restore.

23 Who among you will give ear to this? who will hearken and hear for the time to come? Isaiah 42:22-23

Those verses, like so many others in the Old Testament, are prophetic of the time in which we live. They certainly apply right now to the charismatic churches in America which are a people robbed and spoiled. We have been robbed because those in leadership positions have not spoken the word of the Lord, but instead have been pastors who feed themselves. We have been spoiled on the milk of the word and by those who make a name and wealth for themselves. And we love to have it so (Jeremiah 5:31).

We are snared in holes and hid in prison houses and do not know it. Christianity is growing by leaps and bounds in China, India, Africa, and Southeast Asia. A few years ago I read, from a very reliable source, that in those parts of the world the increase is thousands of new Christians every DAY! But in the United States, the grapes are withering on the vine. It is rare for a charismatic church to have one new convert per MONTH. Why? These messages attempt to provide at least partial answers to that question.

Isaiah 42:22 says that we are for a prey. That means that we are hunted by the adversary simply because we are believers.

Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captive delivered?

Isaiah 49:24

A mouse is a prey for a cat. What did the mouse do to deserve being a prey for a cat? Nothing! It was simply born a mouse. The second, third, and fourth generation of the Israelites who were in bondage and captivity in Egypt were also a prey. They had grown up in an environment and all they knew was a life of bondage. They had never experienced anything else. What had they done to deserve being in bondage? Nothing! They simply were born into that environment. They never knew there was a better way. Finally, after 400 years of increasing bondage, suffering, and hardship, the Israelites cried out to God and God sent a deliverer, Moses, who led them out of Egypt. In like manner, many charismatic believers today have grown up in an environment and just assume that their "leaders" are preaching the truth. These lovely believers have never known there is a higher way!

What about a "lawful captive?" We believers become a lawful captive whenever we sin through omission or commission, through word or deed. As a lawful captive we are subject to the will of the adversary. If we have become a lawful captive, no amount of prophecy, praise, or prayer will restore us. We must run to the cross and sincerely ask forgiveness for going astray.

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9

Isaiah 42:22 says prophetically that none delivereth the charismatic churches in America. The blind are leading the blind. That same verse says that none saith, Restore! We can think of only three possible reasons why none saith restore. The first reason is fear, which comes in many forms. Fear of losing "our" money or position. We like to speak only smooth things to keep everyone happy and keep the money coming in. On November 4, 1977, the Lord gave me a word: "It is the fear of man that hinders the body of Christ from functioning; but it is the fear of God that compels us to function." Whenever the Church loses that scriptural fear of God, the enemy comes in like a flood.

The second reason is ignorance; none are able to see the need to proclaim restoration.

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge, Because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to Me: Seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children. Hosea 4:6

Paul, six times in the New Testament, says, "brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant of ..."(Romans 1:13, Romans 11:25, 1 Corinthians 10:1, 1 Corinthians 12:1, 2 Corinthians 1:8, and 1 Thessalonians 4:13). Peter says the same thing in 2 Peter 3:8.

The third possible reason is indifference, which may also include the desire to maintain the status quo, don't rock the boat, keep everybody happy, keep the money coming in.


16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of My mouth.

17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked. Revelation 3:16-17

The last verse, above, combines BOTH indifference and ignorance. We are not so naive as to believe that this is the first proclamation of the word "restore" in modern America. We are sure that this word is not hid in a corner. Neither are we so naive to believe that the mere utterance of the word, restore, is sufficient. This must be a heartfelt cry from the depths of our being! But enough is enough! It is time for the Lord to have His way! God will have that which He desires, with or without me and with or without you. We believe very strongly that God presently is in the process of restoration. A new sound is being heard in the earth by those who have ears to hear! We will set forth some scriptural, historical, and experiential guidelines concerning both how the individual believer and the Church should function during these last days if we desire His Divine restoration.

A word of caution is in order! What we present should not be interpreted as a cookbook approach to the restoration of the Church. Too many Christians today are looking for some "magic formula" or 1-2-3 steps to follow. Such an approach is always doomed to failure! Restoration is NOT about do's and don'ts. The Lord is no longer saying, "Thou shalt do this" or "thou shalt not do that." The Lord Himself desires to teach us by the Holy Spirit as we cry out to Him. Only the Spirit of God can shed His light into our hearts and dispel the darkness. The question is, do we want to be part of the problem (those who need to be recovered from the snares of the enemy) or part of the solution (those who will be deliverers in these end times), as foretold in Obadiah 21?

And saviours [or deliverers] shall come up on Mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the Lord's. Obadiah 21

What does the mount of Esau refer to? The flesh ... the carnal mind.

May the Lord be merciful to us as we seek our part in His restoration! Amen.

Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord: Why do we Prepare the Way of the Lord

Below is but a small measure of revelation that my father had received from the Lord. I hope this will be a blessing to you. All that is written below are the words of my father. 

In loving memory of my father
Robert Louis (Bob) Padgett
July 28, 1931-May 22, 2023

We are continuing our messages about "Prepare ye the way of the Lord." Why do we, you and I, and every professing Christian need to prepare the way of the Lord? for several very good reasons. First of all, that is a commandment, as we stated in our previous message. Let us state once more that there is a distinct difference between being born again and walking in the kingdom of God. There can be little doubt that the Lord will return to earth very soon. Now some may say, well brother, believers have been saying that for 2000 years. True, but who can doubt that the world is rapidly going from darkness to gross darkness? (Isaiah 60:2). But from Isaiah 59:19, "When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him." What or who is that standard? the manifestation of the sons of God ... the very elect, the remnant, the overcomers.

The enemy has been coming in like a flood for many years and it will get worse. Coming in to where? to the church, the body of Christ. The Church at Ephesus was perhaps the most spiritually mature church in Paul's day. Paul warned the elders of the Church at Ephesus in Acts 20:29-31, 

"For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears."

Jesus said, in Luke 20:18, "Whosoever shall fall upon that stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder."

"That stone" of course is Jesus Himself. Unless we are broken of all traces of self, we cannot walk in the kingdom of God. But unless we are walking in the Kingdom of God, we will suffer the consequences of great tribulation. If we are walking in the kingdom of God we will still go through the great tribulation but it will not affect us. The so-called "rapture" out from the great tribulation is a myth. It runs totally counter to the spirit of the Bible. More detail on that in a later message.

Jeremiah 13:16-17, "Give glory to the LORD your God, before He cause darkness, and before your feet stumble upon the dark mountains, and, while ye look for light, He turn it into the shadow of death, and make it gross darkness. But if ye will not hear it, my soul shall weep in secret places for your pride; and mine eye shall weep sore, and run down with tears, because the LORD'S flock is carried away captive."

In the time of Moses, God's chosen people were in bondage in Egypt (one captor) for 400 years. In our day, many (dare I say 'most'?) of God's chosen people are in bondage to one or more of eight captors (Isaiah 11) and don't know it. Isaiah 11 is a good topic for another word.

Only the Lord knows if our 400 years of bondage is about up. But it is time to cry out to the Lord for deliverance.

Isaiah 11:11, "And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set His hand again the second time to recover the remnant of His people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea." 

If you are interested I will be happy to email to you the significance of each of those eight captors, as the Holy Spirit revealed to me a number of years ago.

When the Lord returns, the parable of the 10 virgins in Matthew 25 will be fulfilled. All ten of them represent true born-from-above Christians. Five were wise and five were foolish. The five wise virgins were prepared with an ample supply of oil in their lamps, but the five foolish virgins had no oil for their lamps. The five wise virgins speak of the bride of Christ; the five foolish virgins speak of the rest of the church ... those who neglect to prepare the way of the Lord.

This generation ... our generation ... has had access to more scriptural light than any other generation in history. We have heard many good teachers, read the Bible many times, read all of the good Christian books, listened to all of the tapes and DVDs, and have been bombarded with many TV evangelists. But what has all of that produced? a visible church that is very close to apostasy. Pity poor Abraham and a multitude of other Old Testament saints. They never even had a Bible to read. They had to depend upon what the Lord said to them.

Hebrews 12:18-29, "For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest, And the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice they that heard intreated that the word should not be spoken to them any more: (For they could not endure that which was commanded, And if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned, or thrust through with a dart: And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake:) But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel. See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven: Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: For our God is a consuming fire." 

It is true that God is love. It is also true that God is a God of judgment. When is the last time you heard the judgment of God preached from any pulpit?

Why is the Lord shaking both earth and heaven? And why must that shaking increase in intensity? God's biggest problem under the Old Covenant was the nation of Israel ... His chosen people. What is God's biggest problem under the New Covenant? His chosen people ... the church.

It is time for us, the church, to wake up, man up, stand up, speak up, or shut up and fold up. It is time to get our thumb out of our mouth. It is time to get off our pablum diet and start chewing some meat. It is time to be potty-trained, time to get rid of our diapers. It is time to put away our childish ways ... time to understand and walk in His ways. It is time to cease all debates, envyings, wraths, strifes, backbitings, whisperings, swellings, and tumults: (2 Corinthians 12:20). A house divided against itself cannot stand (Matthew 12:25).

Joel 1:5, "Awake, ye drunkards, and weep; and howl, all ye drinkers of wine, because of the new wine; for it is cut off from your mouth." 

"Drunkards" and "wine" have nothing to with the natural realm. New wine cannot be put into old wineskins. Old wineskins are not flexible and resist change. New wine speaks of fresh revelation from the Lord.

Ezekiel 47:3-5 says, "And when the man that had the line in his hand went forth eastward, he measured a thousand cubits, and he brought me through the waters; the waters were to the ankles. Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through the waters; the waters were to the knees. Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through; the waters were to the loins. Afterward he measured a thousand; and it was a river that I could not pass over: for the waters were risen, waters to swim in, a river that could not be passed over."

Today, far too many of us professing Christians haven't even got our feet wet. A few more are wading in the kiddie pool. We tend to believe that the vast majority of professing Christians put ourselves on a slightly more mature spiritual level than our brothers "over there." After all, we are born again, baptized with the Holy Ghost, go to church regularly, give money to the church, lead a morally good life, etc. But Paul said, in 2 Corinthians 10:12, "For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise." We must compare ourselves with Jesus. Who among us is perfect?

We need to remember that the kingdom of God existed before God created man, before God created angels, and before God created the world. In the beginning, God. For some unknown time period, or perhaps we should say in eternity past, God reigned in His kingdom. Then, from Isaiah 14, Lucifer fell from grace with his five "I wills." He rebelled against the rule of God and persuaded one-third of the angels to join him in that rebellion (Revelation 12:4).

Then comes an untold number of years between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2, for in Genesis 1:2, "And the earth was [became] without form and void." The earth became a wreck and a ruin because of the rebellion of Lucifer. The earth has always been a reflection of the spiritual state of the inhabitants. From Isaiah 45,

For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; He hath established it, He created it not in vain, He formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else. Isaiah 45:18

So in Genesis 1:2 we have the ruin into which the earth fell. We are not told how, when, or how long the wreck and ruin lasted. When geologists have settled how many years they require, they may place them between Verse 1 and 2 of Genesis 1. From 2 Peter 3:7 we live in the heavens and the earth which are now. Both are set in contrast with the "new heavens and the new earth" of 2 Peter 3:10-14.

10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,

12 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?

13 Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.

14 Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of Him in peace, without spot, and blameless.

Paul said in Colossians 1:27-28, "To whom [His saints] God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:"

Note the priority order ... (1) preach Jesus, (2) warning every man, and (3) teaching every man in all wisdom. Particularly note that warning every man comes before teaching every man in all wisdom. Which of the three functions dominate charismatic assemblies? the third priority of teaching every man; but is our teaching of every man done in all wisdom? Further, how many times a day or a week do you hear a warning from a minister? probably very few.

Hebrews 3:12-13 says, "Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. But exhort one another daily, while it is called to day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin." 

Exhort one another daily ... who did you exhort today? and who exhorted you today? How many Sunday morning sermons have you heard which contained words of exhortation?

In Revelation 1:7 we read, "Behold, He cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see Him, and they also which pierced Him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him. Even so, Amen."

The "clouds" in that verse do not speak of those white puffy things we see in the sky. It speaks of a cloud of witnesses ... those saints who have gone before. "Every eye shall see Him" speaks of the natural realm.

The following two verses speak of those who see Him in the realm of the Spirit BEFORE every eye shall see Him in the natural realm.

Hebrews 9:28, "So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation."

Isaiah 8:17, "And I will wait upon the LORD, that hideth His face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for Him."

The "house of Jacob" speaks of the natural man or the carnal Christian ... those who are not looking for Him. So a very important question for you and me and every professing Christian is, "Are you looking for Him?"

There is at least one more huge reason why we all should prepare the way of the Lord ... that is if we have any desire to rule and reign with the Lord Jesus on earth for 1000 years, usually called the Millennium. 

1 And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.

2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,

3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.

4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.

6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. Revelation 20:1-6

Verses 4 and 5 clearly indicates that not all born-from-above Christians will participate in the Millenium. Why not? because of the decisions and choices that each of us must make during our time on earth. Verses 4 and 6 refer to the Bride of Christ; Verse 5 refers to the rest of the Church. Revelation 19:7, "Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to Him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife hath made herself ready." In the next Chapter we will see the Scriptural pattern which defines how we make ourself ready to be part of the Bride of Christ.

Whosoever shall fall upon that stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder. Luke 20:18

That Verse does not contrast the Christian with the non-Christian. The contrast is between those who have been born from above and those who have been broken and walk in the Kingdom of God.

Now only the Lord knows who will become part of the Bride and who will be content to "go to heaven one day." However, there are many Scriptures that give us a general idea. Let us consider the Tabernacle of Moses. The area of the outer court was 5000 square cubits; the area of the holy place was 200 square cubits; and the area of the Holy of Holies was 100 square cubits. The outer court had no ceiling or covering; it was subject to the natural light of the sun. The light in the holy place was the golden lampstand (not a candlestick because a candle consumes itself); the oil in the lampstand had to be sustained every day for the light to shine. The Holy of Holies had no natural-level light "for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof" (Revelation 21:23). Both the holy place and the Holy of Holies had a ceiling or covering and were not subject to natural weather. We believe that the outer court speaks of those who have been born from above; the holy place speaks of those who have been baptized with the Holy Ghost but who must continue to be filled with the Spirit on a daily basis. The Holy of Holies speaks of those Christians who are walking in the Kingdom of God ... the very elect, the remnant, the overcomers, the Bride of Christ. The comparative areas of the three compartments are: Holy of Holies - 2%; the holy place - 4%; and the outer court - 94%.

Other Scriptures indicate similar percentages. Those who entered Noah's ark were eight souls out of perhaps two million inhabitants on earth at that time. Yes, that comparison may perhaps be between Christians and non-Christians, but it still indicates, as Peter states ... wherein few were saved by water. Gideon's army speaks of 300 out of 32,000 or less than 1 percent. Nehemiah 10:38, which does not speak of money, speaks of a tenth of a tenth or 1 percent. And then Jesus said that many are called but few are chosen (Matthew 22:14). Why are few chosen? because few choose.

In this message we have tried to emphasize the necessity to "prepare ye the way of the Lord." In our next message we hope to share with you the scriptural answer to the question, "How do we prepare the way of the Lord?"