Tumultous Times

Tumultuous Times, Tribulation times.

We celebrated our 47^th National Day on the 9^th this month and amidst the financial and political crisis around us in the Middle East and Europe. This time, our wings were not clipped as we have the best or maybe the worst of both sides of the world, the Pacific and the Atlantic. Our currency remains strong as our previous Finance Ministers had wisely hedged our dollar to a basket of currencies rather than relying on the Greenback such as the Hong Kong currency, or Libor on the Pound or even Reminbi.

We can pet ourselves a little on our backs and say we are still registering some growths and our GDP appears to head north rather than south. In fact, we are Numero Uno in Per Capita Income!  However, in my years of secular work, jet setting around the world for seven years, working in Vickers Medical, a subsidiary of Rolls Royce, spending most time inside an aeroplane suspended in flight, 10,000 meters in the sky, I did not even notice that we have an increasing national debt to savings ratio which is more than just alarming. I did not realised we are living on borrowed time. Negative gearing however is not all evil. It does have its own merits, as long as we revolve around a center point and not slide out too far. Just a respectable distance. Most important is the actual work done. Not Virtual, but load carried over a distance. That is the real manufacturing of goods or services, which is production fit for use and we have Quality and Productivity.

After the industrial revolution, the many nay-Sayers predicted the collapsed of the capitalist system since the time of Karl Marx but Communism has come and gone. Soon the Bamboo curtain will be enveloped by the Purple curtain implementing the mark of the beast and no one can buy or sell without that mark. Every nation will look after their own interest and that is worrying. Has the bible answers ? Yes, it has all the answers because it look at the question of mankind in relationship to God and themselves. King Solomon, in all his wisdom concluded there is no new thing under the Sun. The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done:

Ecc 1:14 : I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit.
 

I was wondering what is more to life than just dollars and cents? How about Valour and Sense? Is our spiritual growth getting better and are we closer to God than before? Do we still read the bible everyday, pray and be concerned for all the sins done in the world today? Did not the bible said, the things that were done in Sodom and Gomorrah vexed the righteous soul of Lot daily,  and that was why God sent His two angels to bring his family out before He destroyed the twin evils? Alas his wife had to look back. One look and she frozed into a pillar of salt.

Did not the angel told the inkhorn writer to seal those who sigh and cry for the abominations that were done in Jerusalem during the time of the Roman Reign, which became so decadent that immorality was the norm rather than the exception?

Eze 9:4 And the LORD said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof.

Isn't it appalling to hear that the younger generation of message believers are faced with dilemma they can't handle because as the demonic spirit of unbelief sweep into their mind by reasoning? Asking for proofs, seeking evidence from those who specialized in spreading untruths and gossip? The most shocking news last week was that I heard the website, believe the sign, which started out to chronicle the prophet's ministry ended up with a sugar coated article titled “humble pie” (see how they play on words, attracting the mind) by denouncing the prophetic side of the ministry. Oh yes, they can't deny the miracles because they were under their previous pastor who is practically a walking living testimony, who can still call out names of neighbours, friends and loved ones who were healed in the meetings. Can they deny the healing of Congressman Upshaw invalid for 66 years healed! Or that of King James V or King Gastuv?

What in the word of insanity can anyone harbour such unsound reasoning? “ Oh, they said, the healings and miracles are true, but just don't listen to the prophecies”. That won't stick. What did Nicodemus confessed to Jesus coming to Him by stealth in the night? He said, we know! Who are the “We”? Mine, modern Nicodemus, why dare you not come to Him in the day! Why are you ashamed of your former walk? Are you the Children of the dark? Or are you just waiting for the right time for the kiss of betrayer?

John 3:2 The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.

Sooner or later, they have to denounce the ministry itself because it is 100% or nothing. It reminded me of the Collin's grandson who been privy to many inside information now turned around and used it to disproof what was the very basis of his own grand father's life work, that being the pastor of Branham Tabernacle? His grandad knows that millions are saved when they hear this gospel and he claims he is yet to seek the truth? You see, when you know God did not give you a role to play in His kingdom, you ended up trying to make yourself important, not having the same patience as Abraham who staggered not at the promise of God, not considering his own frail and old body but accounting that God was able to fulfill His promise of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall THY SEED be called.

I went to re look at that site and saw he published a marriage certificate which entered 1908 as the birth year of Brother Branham whereas Brother Branham mentioned 1909? When you are getting married at such a young age, one year older is one year wiser. I would venture the clerk added one year to him.

It reminds me of one of my staff asking me this question before he became a Christian. He held a seance for his departed dad and in the scene, the medium was able to call up his departed dad and converse with him in his original voice or something like that, and that voice told the family about an umbrella he had kept in one corner of their cupboard which they said were not aware of. Why only the umbrella? You mean the departed got nothing better to speak of?

He asked me, what do you think? "How do you expect me to believe in God, the only God when such supernatural stuff was proof" that his father's spirit was still alive somewhere and he did not talk to them about seeing God? Do we have an explanation? Most would gravitate to that which make them comfortable. I asked what if the explanation is that there is a spirit imitating your father? You see, spirits, they don't die when a person dies. That spirit occupying that human house as its or their residence just jumps over to another host, at least not till the final judgment when God cast the Devil and his angels to Hell. Hell was made for them.

I said, why, that is the very proof you need to know there is a supernatural world out there but the explanation could be even more startling. I read about the Tibetans believing in the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama, the Panchen Lama and the host of other Lamas? The only reason they taught that such holy people comes back is that they do not want to leave this world having some desire to want to help people? Isn't the very idea is to seek Nirvana or enters into Nirvana, where all desires ceased ......... ....enlightenment.

How do they know they have come back? Why, they showed the child some stuffs owned by the previous Lamas and when the child showed recognition, they claimed that were proofs enough. It got me thinking! What if these were spirits that lingered near the persons in their previous lives? Don't these spirits recognized the same thing all over again? What if the spirit of Beethoven enters into someone? Don't they begin to play Beethoven like the original? And I happened to go to youtube and was directed to a blind Korean girl Yoo Ye Eun,  born without eyeballs adopted by foster parents. The mother sang a Christian song to herself and at 3 years old, Ye Eun, the blind girl found a piano given by a neighbour and played the tune! That talent in her allowed her to hear a tune once and she was able to accompany the singer in the right key! I look at her tiny fingers running over the keyboard and she was also striking the black keys! See, at the spirit level, the supernatural takes place. It must have been a gift from God to compensate for her being born blind and the foster parents wanting to shower her with parental LOVE!

Consider blind Fanny Crossby, who was equally inspired and she composed more than a thousand Christian songs. Was Beethoven inspired to produce that famous music with Jesus knocking at the door? You know, Deng, deng, deng, deng? Insert the Hanyu Pinyin and you say he was speaking Chinese. Four sounds. Jesus could be knocking at your heart now, but with five knocks, "PEACE BE UNTO YOU", the number of grace.

You see the spirit to discern between this and that can only be given by God. Without His wisdom, we can be fooled by ourselves, our own mind by our own reasoning. The way the tree leans is the way it will fall. Which way are you leaning? Again the way we lean is a gift of God. Pray that we don't lean on the wrong way.

So my National Day message is the same message from the Bible. Be filled with the Spirit speaking to yourselves, in psalms, and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord ( Ephesians 5:19 ).

The foster mother of the blind Korean girl did and look at the results of that. Singing and making melody to yourselves unto God brings the blessing and power of God into the scene.

Dan 2:20 Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his:

Dan 2:21 And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding:

1Pe 3:10 For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile:

That was why Brother Branham warned the people, forget everything about me (The Seventh Seal message), look to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. Yet the demons of envy today claimed he make himself Jesus Christ. He nearly went off the field because some of his closest friends thought he was Jesus. He said, if you do that, you make me an antichrist.

Revelation Chapter Five Part 1 61-0611
²³ If there's anything that has been in my heart to do, was to hear those Words of our Lord Jesus at the end of this journey, to say, "It was well done, My good and faithful servant." And many times I have said I'd like to have been standing there when He said, "Come unto Me"; but I did desire to hear it say, "Well done." That I did not hear the voice in the original say, "Come unto Me," back in the times of the writing of the Bible; but I do desire to hear it say, "Well done."
And if anything I always wanted to be, and desires of my heart to be, was a true servant to Jesus Christ, my Lord and Saviour. I want my testimony to be clean, clear cut, that I stood, in all my mistakes I yet loved Him with all my heart. And I do that this morning with all my heart.
And because of that, it forces me to say I am leaving the ministry, is because that there's something arose up amongst the people that's caused me to do it; that is, that I have been taken from my bracket of a minister or a brother and being called Jesus Christ, and so call... And that would brand me as an antichrist. And I'll meet God as a quitter before I would meet Him as an antichrist to take away from Him.

The Seventh Seal - March 24th 1963 Evening
May you always bear that in mind: to be a gem in the crown of Jesus Christ. Paul said to the church, "You are--you're the jewels, gems of his crown." We want to be the gems of the crown of Jesus Christ. We don't want never put a man in it. You forget anything about me. I am your brother, a sinner saved by grace, not fit to live; that's exactly the truth; and I ain't saying that to be humble; that's facts. There's nothing in me, not one sound thing at all. But the grace of God has let my poor dimming eyes look beyond the curtain of time and see those things yonder, and I come back...

Nobody is greater than anybody, we are all the same. Jesus looks at us as one with no favoritism. You could be brand x, brand y or brand z, but to graze in that special field, you have to be a Hereford.

60-0403  AS.THE.EAGLE.STIRRETH HER NEST TULSA.OK V-2 N-12 SUNDAY
^20-2Oh, brother, them brands, I used to set there and when we'd drive the cattle up in the mountains, with my knee across the old saddle horn there and watch that ranger watching hose cattle coming through. Ours was the Tripod. Grimes was up there with a Diamond T-Bar. Many of them different bars and different brands went through. The ranger didn't pay much attention to the brand. He watched the blood tag. Amen.
That's what God is going to watch. He's watching the Blood tag; He don't care what brand you got on you. Why? Nothing could go into that pasture but a thoroughbred Hereford.
  ^20-4 And nothing can enter the Gates of heaven but a borned again through the Blood of Jesus Christ. I don't care what you do, how intellectual you are, or how good a preacher you are, or how good a church member you are; except you're born through the Blood of Jesus Christ with a Blood tag on you, you'll never go in. That's just all there is to it. "When I see the Blood, I'll pass over you." That's all. He'll let you in when the Blood Tag's right. God will watch the Blood of His own Son on the church.

Do you love Jesus? Why?

1Th 5:9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,
1Th 5:10 Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.
1Th 5:11 Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.

I love Him
I love Him
Because He first loved me
And purchased my salvation
On Calvary's tree.

Not everyone can be like or want to be like Yoo Ye Eun, but certainly we can aspire to be like the foster mother, who gave her love unconditionally. So did our Lord Jesus Christ. All you need is to accept His love.