We invite you to turn in your Bibles to the book of the Revelation, chapter number eight. The eighth chapter of the book of the Revelation. I am so thankful for the Lord's goodness to us and that we were able to go through the entire chapter 20 of the book of Revelation. And we mentioned several times during those messages, how the church rules and reigns on earth with Christ during the thousand years, that is the gospel church age. and we mentioned it as referring back to Revelation chapter 8, and that's what we want to look at today. So we invite you to turn in your Bibles to Revelation chapter 8, and we'll begin reading with verse number 1. and when he had opened the seventh seal. Gotta stop right there and go back to chapter five of the Revelation. Revelation chapter five, we looked at the sealed book. Revelation chapter five in verse one, and I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne, a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals. It says it was written within and on the backside. Nothing could be added to it. And also nothing was left out. It was full and complete. This is the record of the administration of King Jesus. This is his government set before us as a little book. And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, who is worthy to open the book. not who is smart enough to figure out how to get it open, or who is intelligent enough to figure out what it says if he does get it open, but who is worthy. You've got to understand and know that the only person that's worthy, and it states that in this chapter, is the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the sinless, immaculate, eternal Son of God. He is God the Son, and he is the Son of God. And it says, who is worthy to open the book and to loose the seals thereof? It's sealed with seven seals. And we find out as we read on down in chapter five, that the only individual that's worthy is the person of the Lord Jesus Christ as a lamb as it had been slain in verse number six. He came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne. And then it begins to open up to us how He opens up the various seals. In chapter 6, in verse number 1, He opens the first seal, and I saw the Lamb open one of the seals. And so He begins to open the seals and reveal what's in the book, that is, the providence of God according to His judgment and His rule over the world. The kingdoms of this world, Revelation 11, are become the kingdoms of our God. In verse 15, the seventh angel sounded and there were great voices in heaven saying, the kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ and He shall reign forever and ever. So the seventh angel sounds and the voices in heaven reveal that Jesus Christ is ruling and reigning over all things. Now, It doesn't have that appearance. Men don't believe that Jesus Christ is ruling and reigning because they're thinking about man and his orchestration of politics. Thank you, Brother Bobby. And I appreciate that so much. Thank you. And they're ruled like a king sits on a throne or like a senate or congressman or whatever. a politician, but he's ruling and reigning, spiritually speaking, dear soul, and it has effect upon everything. And the essence of the world's history now is Christ ruling and reigning through his church. And so we see that we shall reign with him a thousand years, during the thousand years. People don't believe that. They say, well, that's way off in the future somewhere. We're going to have a millennium and we're going to rule. Dear soul, we're ruling right now. You just don't understand the rule right now. Jesus said in John chapter 16, and I read this verse to you so many times, John chapter 16. Nope. John chapter 12. Jesus answered and said unto them, verse 30, this voice came not because of me, but for your sakes. Now listen, there's two nows in verse number 31 of John chapter 12. You've got to understand and know that that's not our now, not our 2023 now, but it was the now when he said it. It was his present now back then. Now is the judgment of this world. The judgment of the world started 2,000 years ago when Jesus Christ finished his work on earth and began to have his saints rule and reign with him in judgment. Second now, now shall the prince of this world be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth will draw all unto me. lifted up from earth on the cross. This, he said, signifying what death he should die. So we understand and see that Jesus Christ is ruling and reigning through his church. And that's when the judgment started. And people say, well, judgment, that means God's gonna sit up there with a gavel in his hand and won't ask you, did you do this on so and so day? And did you do that? Or did you fail to do this that I told you? judgment of this world is reestablishing God's precious order in this world, and He's doing it through His church. He is doing it perfectly in His church, but He's doing it also by His church in the prayers of the saints of God. Back to Revelation chapter 8 and verse 1, And when He had opened the seventh seal, how many seals were they? Seven. This is the last seal. When he had opened the seventh seal. Now the seventh seal opens unto the seven trumpets and it begins to have judgment more profound in that. So it's the judgments of God proceeding on and increasing. But first of all, the lamb has to open up this last seal. And he said, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour. Dear soul, at that particular time, God began to reveal himself to his church, come up hither, Revelation 4.1, and they began to understand and perceive things from the spiritual viewpoint. That's what happened to him on Pentecost. You would still do well, if you would, to take time to read the second chapter of the book of Acts, not just the first part about speaking in tongues and all of that, but read on down and read all of the apostle Peter's message that God gave him, the first gospel message on this earth. And you will understand and see that he began to see and perceive things that he did not know before. He did know him before, literally, physically. He knew that David, King David was dead. He knew where King David's tomb was, but he began to express to you that he had not seen it in the spiritual light that God intended it to be. And that when David said about him sitting on the throne, he wasn't talking about Solomon. He was talking about Jesus Christ. So there was a spiritual understanding that they were brought to, and that's what God is doing here. There's silence for the space of half an hour before the seventh seal is, after the seventh seal is peeled back, then before the seven trumpets begin to blow. So we see the apostle sitting in the upper room. Don't go forth, don't preach. Stay where you are. Let there be a ceasing of intercession for a time, silence in heaven until the sacrifice has been received. And after Jesus Christ's sacrifice was done and he proclaimed openly on Calvary before Pentecost could come, it is finished, John 19, 30. We repeat that to you quite often too. So we see there's silence in Heaven. It's an amazing thing. Why is it amazing? In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word WAS God. So for the Word to be silenced, it means God who is a vehicle of expression, the revelation of Himself is the manifestation of His glory and it is the tool of creation. Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the Word of God. Faith cometh by hearing and hearing comes, how? By the Word of God. Proverbs chapter 16 and verse number one. People don't believe this verse. don't hear it. It's not preached. It's not thought about. It's not in our natural, carnal, traditional, organized religious minds. But Proverbs 16 says, The preparation of the heart in man and the answer of the tongue is from the Lord. I sat in a Sovereign Grace Preachers meeting, a Sovereign Grace meeting with preachers gathered together, and their congregations came, and the host pastor got up and he said, You can't hear from God unless I'm in this pulpit. What blasphemy! But folks, that's what we've come to. We've come to what we refer to as gospel regeneration. Well, in one way I believe in that. Nobody's saved apart from the revelation of the gospel, but I'm talking about the spiritual revelation of Jesus Christ, who Himself is the gospel. But just preaching the four points, you know, the Roman road, three points in a poem, it's not going to save anybody. But people are being added to the churches and people are being added to the organization of the religious tradition by preaching. I know God says by the foolishness of preaching men are saved, but you've got to understand what he means by the foolishness of preaching. He means and understands clearly that my word to you is of no eternal value except My Word to you is communicated to your heart by the Holy Spirit, revealing not my thought or not my message, but revealing Christ to you. That's how the Word saves. Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. I understand the Word of God there to be the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. In the beginning was the Word. The Word was with God. The Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. And then you read on down in John 1, 14, and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. That's what's supposed to happen when you sit under preaching. God's Word, the spiritual Word, the spiritual revelation of God needs to be imparted to you by the Holy Spirit and enter into your flesh and the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us." That's Christianity. That's not just incarnation, but that's regeneration. For incarnation, Christ becoming man, is a pattern and a type of man becoming spiritual. and becoming into the awareness and to the being and person of the Lord Jesus Christ. So incarnation and regeneration are both seen here in John 1.14. And the Word was made flesh. I had heard the gospel preached many, many times before the Lord actually quickened me and made me know who He was. I was a baptized church member for seven years. I was a Baptist seven years before I was a Christian. I had a Bible. The Word had become into my brain. I agreed with it. I tried to live a moral life, but that was filled with pride in what I was doing. But dear soul, thank God, seven years later, the Holy Spirit came and pierced my heart with the spiritual word. And the person of the word came to me and spoke to me in my soul, quickened me. Lazarus, come forth. Call me forth from death unto life. And the word, the spiritual word, entered into my flesh, and I beheld his glory. That was what was missing. Church-anity is not the same as Christianity. Being a member of an organization of religion is not the same as being a member of the ORGANISM of the Body of Christ. You must be BORN AGAIN, not just join the church and get your tithing envelopes and get baptized. A lot of people are going to be in hell that paid their tithes, attended regular meetings, and were baptized in county water, but they didn't know God. Lord, when saw we thee, this, that, and the other? We've been good. We've cast out devils, we've preached the word, we've done many wonderful works, but he shall remark to them, depart from me, ye workers of iniquity, I never knew you. You thought you knew me, because you had church entity, you thought you knew me because you had the written word memorized in your head, but you did not have the spiritual word conveyed to you in regenerating power and grace in your heart. My soul, God have mercy. I am so thankful now that God let me remain an unregenerate church member for all those years. Thank God He kept me alive and I didn't die in that condition, but it was so that He might call me to preach and I might understand and perceive the difference between church entity and Christianity, that I might understand the difference between being a member of organized religion and being a member of the organism of the body of Christ. That's what we have here. When he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour. God had sent the apostles back to Jerusalem, tarry at Jerusalem. Stay there till the Holy Spirit comes. And when the Holy Spirit comes, he'll fill your heart and mouth with what you are to say. And of all people that he chose to preach the first gospel message, it was Peter, a denier of Christ. Who better to preach the gospel of regenerating grace and of mercy than a wretched sinner who had, although he had publicly proclaimed Christ, he denied Him when the rubber hit the road, as they used to say. A forgiven, cleansed, realized, confessed sinner. He went out and wept bitterly. That was the difference between Peter and Judas. Judas had no tears. He denied Christ the same as Peter did. Dear soul, but Peter went out and wept bitterly. And Jesus said, do you love me, Peter? He said, yes. He said, then feed my lambs. If you have a love for God. After he has asked you and brought you to the place of knowing. That there that your love for him has to be by God's grace and mercy. How how has he accepted you after you have denied him, Peter? Mercy. Grace. Redemption. Oh, my soul, what a glorious Savior we have that takes His enemies. While we were yet enemies, Christ died for us. We did not come to God because we were anything. We came to God because God was everything, and God is everything, and having known sin and having seen myself as a sinner and having known that I was full of pride and that yes, I was a member of the youth choir. Yes, I was a moral young man and but full of pride and understanding their soul that when God saved me, there was an entire difference, a world of difference, a difference between heaven and hell. between church morality and godly righteousness imputed by the blood of the Lamb of God. I understood and saw that God had to make Christ to be sin for me in order for me to be made the righteousness of God in Him, that He had to take on my sin in order for me to take on His righteousness, and I have never got over it. Every time the Holy Spirit brings me to the place of seeing Christ's sufferings and thinking of Christ's death and understanding that He hath made Him to be sin for us, understanding that He had to go into the depths of hell and the demons having their way with Him in such a horrible fashion, we don't know the shame and the suffering that Jesus Christ suffered. Nobody can know it except Christ himself. But this old thinking about it, every time it brings it back to me and it says, you're responsible for this every time. Thank you, Lord. I need to be reminded that me going to heaven It's not about me preaching the Word of God. It's not about me being a member of a church. It's not about me studying the Bible. It's about Jesus Christ becoming sin for me and standing in my place. And I think about the words, nothing in my hand I bring, simply to the cross I cling. Oh God, I cry out, have mercy again upon me. For Lord, I know I have repented and I know you have forgiven me, but my repentance is not a one-time thing. It's a continuous way of life, even so much so that if I am granted a crown of life, when I see the glory of Christ, it comes off my head, even at the place of what you would think would be eternal perfection. I still have a desire to make sure that what's on my head is not worthy to be under Christ's feet. Dear soul, listen, when God saves a wretched sinner, he saves him all the way. He never gets through worshiping the Lord and praising him. Thou art worthy, O Lord, listen, for thou art worthy, O Lord, they say, to take the book and open the seals thereof. Why? For thou art slain. and has redeemed us to God by thy blood. Didn't sit down at the bank and write a check. Didn't have the grocery store deliver us a bunch of groceries. Didn't do anything like that. But he had to have the life blood of God himself to ebb out of his veins. God the father had to turn his back on him. Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, the book says. And dear soul, the world came unglued. The stars began to fall out of the sky and the sun turned to darkness. And the Roman soldier said, my goodness, look at nature. It's coming apart around us. This must indeed have been the son of God. And dear soul, that was my fault. Is that your fault? Do you want to get in on this? So listen, silence in heaven. Don't preach. Stay in the upper room. Wait until the sacrifice has been completely accepted. Wait until the application of redemption is ours so that it can be applied to sinners. Listen, in Zephaniah chapter one, Zephaniah chapter one, verse four, I will also stretch out mine hand upon Judah and upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And I will cut off the remnant of Baal from this place in the name of the Chimerims with the priests and them that worship the host of heaven. upon the housetops, and them that worship, and them that swear by the Lord, and that swear by Malcolm, and them that are turned back from the Lord, and those that have not sought the Lord, nor inquire for him. Hold thy peace at the presence of the Lord. There was silence in heaven. Wait until the judgment of God has been affixed to souls, and they become guilty before Almighty God. He says, hold our peace at the presence of the Lord God, for the day of the Lord is at hand, for the Lord has prepared a sacrifice, he has bid his guests. Dear soul, the next verse in Zephaniah one, in verse number nine, 89, and it shall come to pass in the day of the Lord's sacrifice, that I will punish the princes and the king's children, and all such as are clothed with strange apparel. And in the same day also will I punish all those that leap on the threshold, that fill their master's houses with violence and deceit." God said, I'm going to make application of the judgment of God. Jesus said, now is the judgment of God. And when souls begin to be judged and when all nations begin to be taken out from under the authority of the political and brought under the authority of King Jesus. The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever. There was silence in heaven. God said, Let everything stop until We make application of the completed sacrifice and God shall be able to manifest himself again. Habakkuk chapter two. There are five woes that are given in chapter number two. I'm not going to go through them with you, but the fifth woe is seen in Habakkuk 2.19. Woe unto him that saith to the wood. In other words, you make an idol out of a piece of wood. Awake, and to the dumb stone arise, it shall teach. Chisel out of God, out of rock. Behold, it is laid over with gold and silver, and there is no breath at all in the midst of it. But the Lord is in his holy temple. Let all the earth keep silence before him. Habakkuk 2, 19 and 20. Dear soul, God is gonna make sure that there's an ending of idolatry, that men are gonna understand and see their idolatry. You say, well, I've never made a God out of a tree, really? What's that laying out there on your front lawn now waiting for the garbage man to come pick up? A Christmas what? And didn't you lay it over with gold and silver? Brother Gene, that ain't fair. I understand. This old custom to whom custom is due. You can celebrate the Christ mass as a Christian. You can have your family gathered together and have a wonderful meal in time of fellowship and give gifts. That's the custom of our nation. But dear soul, you better understand and know that it better not be in your heart the Christ mass. That's what it's all about. As the Roman Catholic Church brought forth the Christ mass, you don't celebrate mass, you celebrate the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. Have your Christmas tree. I'm not gonna preach against Christmas trees, but I am gonna preach against wood dumb stone Woe unto him that saith to the wood awake You know, it was a tree out there in the forest But they brought it in and chiseled it up and made a God out of it now all of a sudden they were Just make sure you don't worship it But listen at the next verse But the Lord is in his holy temple Let all the earth keep silence and before him. I think sometimes that there's more worship in a heart that's silent before God, that has the awareness of the greatness of the glory of Almighty God, has the awareness of his own sinful nature. Then there is in all these prayers that are sent forth with all these flowery speeches and flowery words. I was watching the Congress try to elect a speaker, and before each session, this woman got up and laid her little book down on the podium, didn't bow her head, and didn't close her eyes, and read a prepared script. And everybody, when she got through reading it, said, amen. We're in a mess, folks. The prayer to God is brought forth like Peter saying, Lord, save me, when he was sinking in the waves. Crying out to God, a sincere EXPRESSION TO GOD OF SINCERE, GENUINE PRAYER, NOT A WRITTEN, ELOQUENT SPEECH. WE'RE IN A MESS, FOLKS, AND THERE'S SILENCE IN HEAVEN. DO YOU WONDER WHY GOD'S NOT SPEAKING TO US ANYMORE LIKE HE USED TO? Do you wonder why that the nation is in such a mess as she is? We need to understand that we need to get back to God. Jesus said, my words are spirit and they are life. So what do I understand from that? If it is not a spiritual word, it's not life. It is not a living word in your heart. I serve a risen Savior. He's in the world today. I know that He is living no matter what men may say. I hear His voice of mercy. I hear His voice of cheer. And every time I need Him, He's always near. We don't believe that anymore. It's like that pastor said, if I'm not in this pulpit preaching to you, you can't hear from God. God have mercy if that's the case. Lord, have mercy. Dear soul, I would hate to think that you, those who are under this ministry, out there in the grocery store, separated from your family or from your husband or from your wife or down at the job or wherever you might be, or you young people off yonder at school, not around your family, or not around a church, and not around a preacher, that God can't talk to you unless you get back to me? What blasphemy! What a mess we're in! Organized religion has become the hope of this nation, and it is a false hope. There is no benefit in it whatsoever. Dear soul, you need to come to God yourself. You need to find that place of isolation. You need to find that place of true repentance. You need to find that place where your prayers are not spoken in order to make somebody on the next pier or next beach think well of you. Well, what a wonderful prayer that was. That person certainly has a glorious understanding of the things of God. If that's why you're praying, you might as well just go on and stop praying. You're not praying for people's benefits and for other people's ears. You're praying for your own heart's expression to the honesty and integrity of the Almighty God. Oh, my soul. Psalm 28. Psalm 28. And verse number one. Psalm 28, unto thee, in verse one, unto thee will I cry, O LORD, unto thee will I cry, O LORD, my rock. Be not silent to me, lest if thou be silent to me, I become like them that go down into the pit. What is the pit? It's hell. That's what the pit is. That's what it's all about. I used to carry a song in my Bible that was always a blessing to hear people sing it or to have it brought to my mind. And you know, I can't find it now since I won't, I want to sing it, not sing it. Here it is. I want to read it to you. Psalm 28 verse number one. Don't be silent, Lord. If you are, if thou art silent to me, I become like them that go down into the pit. There's no difference between a born again Christian to whom God is not speaking as far as his experience is concerned than those that are in hell. You say that's a horrible thing to say, really? How tedious and tasteless the hours when Jesus no longer I see. Sweet prospects, sweet birds and sweet flowers have all lost their sweetness for me. The midsummer sun shines but dim. The fields strive in vain to look gay. But when I am happy in him, December is as pleasant as May. His name yields the richest perfume, and sweeter than music, his voice. His presence disperses my gloom and makes all within me rejoice. I should, were he always thus nigh, have nothing to wish or to fear, no mortal so happy as I. My summer would last all the year. Oh, my soul. John Newton wrote that, how tedious and tasteless the hours when Jesus no longer I say. Well, there is no awareness of God. This old, true, biblical, continuous, encouraging, enlivening Christianity is nothing but a God consciousness by the Holy Spirit within you. That preacher, he's in the presence of God now, he was in the presence of God when he said that, but he's dead now, physically dead, and he's in eternal, in the presence of eternal God, and I hope, pray, that he got himself straightened out before he got into the presence of God. He made you understand and think that there was no expression of God to the individual believer. He made it clear in that message that he was preaching, that if you thought God was speaking to you, you was tricked by the devil. You was nothing but a sinful charismatic, caught up by the things of the flesh. But listen to Isaiah chapter 30, Verse number 20 and 21. And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet shall not thy teachers be removed into a corner any more. But thine eyes shall see thy teachers, and thine ears shall hear a word behind thee saying, this is the way, walk ye in it when you turn to the right hand. or when you turn to the left. Oh, my soul, dear soul, I found out in seven years of unregenerate church entity that I paid my debt to God, I thought, by attending religious services. But as soon as I was out the door, God was out of my mind. And I found out that when God saves a man, truly, genuinely, when God saves a person, He gives him a consciousness of God and brings the Holy Ghost to stand within him. The book of John chapter 16, will you believe the words of the Holy Spirit, and by the way, that preacher was a very well-thought-of Sovereign Grace Baptist preacher. He wasn't some jack-leg false preacher or teacher, and yet he did not believe that anybody had an understanding and a perception of God speaking to them in their hearts and in their lives. Let me read you this. John 16 12. This is the humanity of Jesus Christ speaking. I have yet many things to say unto you, but you cannot hear them now. Wait a minute. The person of the word who was God and was in the beginning with God The word that became flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld his glory is saying, I gotta stop talking to you. But then we're all going to hell. He said, but I can't speak to them because you cannot receive it now. He said, but don't worry, I'm gonna fix that up. The next verse, how be it? John 16, 13. How be it when he, the spirit of truth has come, he will guide you into all truth for he shall not speak of himself. He shall speak, but not of himself. Keep reading. But whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak. And he will show you things to come. He shall glorify me, for he shall receive of mine and show it unto you. Dear soul, I don't care how many religious meetings you attend. You can go to church every day, seven days a week. And in those meetings, you still are not assured that you will hear God. But if you are genuinely born again, once the sacrifice has been accepted, and once the sacrifice has been applied, then the voice of God comes, and the Spirit of God is that voice that never ceases to speak to you. He shall take of mine and shall show it unto you. For he shall not speak of himself, but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak, and he will show you things to come. And we read you Isaiah 30, 20, and 21, You shall hear a voice behind you saying, this is the way, walk ye therein. What would the peoples of God do were it not for the Holy Spirit being with them and within them every day, every night. Wake up on your bed at night and the voice of God begins to speak to your soul and you are thrilled beyond words. And when you get up the next morning, you can't tell even your dearest relative, some of the things that were said to you because they were special from God to you. Dear soul, you must understand he shall be with you and shall be in you. And again, Proverbs 16 one that we read you earlier. Listen, Proverbs chapter 16 and verse number one. The preparation of the heart in man and the answer of the tongue is from the Lord. Let me take out that second phrase and let you read it like this. The preparations of the heart in man is from the Lord. Dear soul, what would you do if it were not for the Holy Spirit whispering to you about things that you're uncertain? This is the way, walk you therein. And you go up to that preacher next Sunday and you say, you know, the Lord showed me this. And poor old preacher, he said, I've been preaching that to you for months. But they didn't hear it until the Holy Spirit said it to them. And preacher, you ought to just be thankful the Holy Spirit did say it to them. You need to keep on saying it until God says it to them. You need to add your prayers to your preaching, that God will get it out of their head and put it in their heart. And don't be upset and don't be jealous when they say, the Holy Spirit showed me this, and you know you've been preaching that to them for months. Just be thankful that God finally showed it to them. And dear soul, who do you want to be glorified anyhow, yourself or the Holy Spirit or Christ? Dear soul, I want to keep on preaching. Preach the word, be instant, in season, out of season, rebuke, reprove, exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine. Dear soul, I've been long-suffering in this church for 45 plus years, and some people are just now coming to hear that which had been said to them long ago. But this thing is not about me talking to you, it's about the Holy Spirit talking to us. I'm just glad God's people hear the voice of God, and whether they're around me or not, or whether they see me or not, or whether they hear me or not, God is on the job, and he's speaking to them. But there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour. What was going on? There was a change. from the old economy to the new. In the old economy, you refer to it maybe as the Old Testament, there was the physical. In the new economy, the New Testament, there's the spiritual. And it shall develop into eternity, into the glorious. That's the way it works. The physical brings on the spiritual, which brings on the glorious. And dear soul, God said in Romans chapter one in verse number 20 that the invisible things of the person of God himself are clearly seen. The invisible things of God are clearly seen. How? Being understood by the things that are made. So the physical things can be accented by the Holy Spirit and open up to that believer something about God. I have seen it many times and thank the Lord for it. Preach all my ministry on you must be born again. People sit there and hear me and hear that's right. And then they as a wife, they have a baby. Or their wives have a baby, the daddy. and they come to me and said, I saw something I've never seen before. What is that? You must be born again. I've been telling you that for years. Dear soul, as that male penetrates that female, so the Holy Spirit penetrates the female, the body of Christ, the bride. And in the depths of secrecy, that that that sperm germinates with that egg and produces life. How does it work? I don't know. How come some parts of it can become a hard fingernail and the other can become a soft earlobe? I don't know. That's up to God. How does that form? It's up to the Lord. It's secretive. It's special. It's glorious. But many times people have come to see the word of God more clearly and more completely by seeing something physical and natural. So the physical becomes spiritual. And they see that and then they stand there and worship the Lord and it becomes glorious to them. That's the way that it is. There was a change in God speaking to us. Can you back that up? I wouldn't have said it if I couldn't. Hebrews chapter one, verse one. God, who at sundry times in separate revelations and in diverse manners, different ways, spake. So get all that other out of the way and say, God spake in times past until the fathers, watch it, by the prophets, Hebrews 1.1. At various times God spoke by the prophets. Then it says, God, verse two, hath in these last days spoken unto us, same God, still speaking and still speaking to his people, but by his Son. It's different now. There was silence in heaven for about a space of half an hour before that judgment was set forth and brought forth. I came into the world to bring judgment unto the world. I came into the world to send a fire. What am I if it already be kindled? The fires of God's judgment and justice are going to be brought forth to the hearts and minds of this world because King Jesus is ruling and reigning in human society now, since the gospel was brought forth. And he says, in times past, God spoke by the prophets. But now he speaks to us by his dear son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds. And his son was the brightness of God's glory, and the express image of God's person, and upholdeth all things by the word of his power." How come the world is still going on? Putin wants to blow us up with nuclear weapons. can't do it because God's upholding the world by his power. And it's not going to end because, dear soul, it has not fulfilled that which God has for it. It doesn't matter what Hitler or Putin or anybody else wants or thinks they want or tries to do or Kim Jong-un shooting missiles out across South Korea and over towards Japan. It doesn't make any difference. This thing's gonna last because God has established it and his son is in control of it. And God used to speak by the prophets, but now he speaks to us by his son, whom he made heir of all things. And he's the one that upholds the world by the word of his power. When he had by himself purged our sins, he sat down on the right hand of the majesty on high. No priest has ever sat down in the Old Testament. There wasn't a chair in the Old Testament temple, excuse me, let me get that right. There wasn't a chair in the Old Testament holy of holies. The priest never got through Once you offered for this day, there was tomorrow, you gotta start all over again. Once you offered for this year, you gotta do it again next year. But Jesus Christ did it all, paid it all. He accomplished the satisfaction of God the Father on the sinner's behalf, and so he sat down. Thank you, Lord Jesus. And although these automobile companies are having to recall thousands of automobiles because the different parts in them are defective, they have to call them back and redo it. Jesus doesn't have any recalls. He does it right the first time, every time, without fail. There's silence in heaven. Why? God's changing the way He speaks to us. Who is it that's opening the seventh seal? The only worthy individual there's ever been, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. And when he opens that seventh seal, judgment is gonna fall, judgment is gonna come. We have been put into disorder by Satan stealing the scepter out of Adam's hand, and Jesus, the last Adam, stole it back out of Satan's hand. He destroyed him that had the power of death, that is the devil. And through death he delivered us who through fear of death were all of our lifetime subject to bondage. Hebrews 2, 14 and 15. Jesus, through death, got it all back. God said, wait a minute, silence in heaven. Why are you being silent? For the application of redemption. For the manifestation of the sacrifice, for the application of the sacrifice, there has to be a silence and intercession has ceased till the sacrifice is accepted and Jesus paid it all, and then, dear soul, you have the opening of the seventh seal and the judgment of God begins to come as Jesus said it did in John chapter 12 and verse 30 and 31. So, Hebrews chapter one, verses one through three, the word is still coming, but through a different vessel. In times past, God spoke, yep, then quit speaking, hadn't quit speaking, but by the prophets. But now, God speaks to us in this last day by his son. What do we know by that? Hebrews chapter 2 verse 1. Therefore, what do you mean? Dear soul, it's not me that's bringing this word to your heart. If it's getting to your heart, it's done by the Lord Jesus sending you the Holy Spirit. And because of that, you need to give the more earnest heed. One of the things that makes it hard on preaching is people whispering to one another, or going to sleep, or passing notes, or getting up and walking out, disturbing the concentration of others. That's hard. Dear soul, we need to make sure. Are we going to church just for church anity? Well, I gotta go to the bathroom. Why didn't you go before the service started? And what is there so important that you need to tell your neighbor that should take precedent over God speaking to your neighbor by the Holy Spirit? Is it really Christianity or is it just assembly for the performance of traditional religion? This COVID thing has brought a great deal of awareness to our hearts and minds. Some people are so given to the camaraderie, I can't say the word, the fellowship between individuals that they can't think about sitting before the Lord with a God consciousness and hearing Him and worshiping Him. They need it. They yearn for it. They are obsessed with church anity. We gotta go to church. We gotta go to the body, to the carcass where the eagles are gathered together. And the Christians mount up with wings as eagles. And eagles, unlike buzzards, won't eat dead stuff. Eagles have to have hot, fresh blood. And Jesus answered the question. They said, where are you going to be, Lord? He said, if they tell you the the Lord is going to be here in this particular place at this particular time, don't believe it. That's what he said. Read your Bible. Book of Luke. If they say the Lord is going to be here or there, don't go after them. You are to seek the Lord while he may be found. God taught me a lesson as a young preacher that I never have forgotten. As a young first time house owner, had a beautiful yard of St. Augustine grass, real thick, real pretty. And I had to push more, about 18 inch wide. And I wanted to make sure that those wheel marks were straight. And I took pride in my yard. I wouldn't want you to see it now. But one day when I was being so caught up with making sure that those wheel tracks were straight and they didn't vary from the ones before it, the Holy Spirit gave me a thought. And I said, man, that's good. I said, I'll get to it when I get through with my yard. You know the lesson I learned? It wasn't there anymore. I never did get it back. And I learned you can quench and grieve the Holy Spirit. God may be speaking to you with a voice behind you saying this is the way walk you there in. The Holy Spirit shall speak those things that he hears. He shall take of mine and show it unto you as an individual and not speaking to anybody else around you. What do you need to do? You need to make sure you don't grieve the Holy Spirit or quench him. And you better not ever get into that frame of mind like that preacher said, well, anytime you come and listen to me preach, God's talking to you. Nevermind, I'll get it next Sunday. Lo and behold, come to Wednesday night service, my, what a rare animal you are, and I can hear him then. God may not speak to you then. And it is a very sobering thing to go to church and sit on the same pew and sit at the same place and sing the same songs and open up the same Bible and you don't hear from God. And dear soul, I learned my lesson. Next time God spoke to me and gave me something, I turned my lawnmower off, stopped it right then, and went and got before the Lord to find out what it was he was saying to me. We have to learn. Therefore, we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we let them slip. Therefore, why? Because God is speaking to us no longer through the prophets, through the foolishness of preaching, but by His Son, the person of the Lord Jesus. For if the word spoken by angels, that is in the old economy, was steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense or reward, Hebrews 2, 3, HOW SHALL WE ESCAPE IF WE NEGLECT SO GREAT SALVATION WHICH AT THE FIRST BEGAN TO BE SPOKEN BY THE LORD AND WAS CONFIRMED UNTO US BY THEM THAT HEARD HIM? You're reading the words of Paul or Peter or James or John. But they sat under the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. And these are things are written that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ. and holy men of God removed by the Holy Spirit to pin down these things. So we're listening to those who listen to God. And if God speaks to me through these things, I need to be careful and not let them slip. Turn off your lawnmower. Turn off the television. If God speaks to you, give your attention to Him. because you can grieve and quench the Holy Spirit and we don't want to do that. Listen at Luke chapter 8 and verse 15 as we wind down. Luke chapter 8 and verse number 15. And dear soul the way I see things today there's not going to be a second message Luke chapter 8 and verse 15, just this one message on silence in heaven. Luke 8, 15. The good ground here, but that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it and bring forth fruit with patience. Are you a good ground hearer? Are you a wayside hearer? Are you a thorny ground hearer? No, I want to be a good ground hearer. Well, then you must hear the word and keep it and bring forth fruit with patience. There's one more voice we're all going to hear. He says that the Lord shall come And let me read it to you. I know we're running over time. First Thessalonians chapter four, verse 16, for the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout. Everybody's going to hear that. But there's another voice that goes with it. with the voice of the archangel. You say, well, in times past, they heard angels speak to them. You're going to hear that. God's not going to leave you out. He's going to make sure you hear the shout of the Lord Jesus and the voice of the archangel and the trumpet of God also, and the dead in Christ shall rise first. There's one more voice everybody's going to hear. The voice of the Lord, the shout of the archangel, and the blowing of the trumpet, and I don't care if you're on your way to an appointment, you ain't gonna get there. I don't care if you're raising your fork to eat something that you've been looking forward to, you'll never taste it. When that comes, it's over. In a moment, in a twinkling of an eye, we shall all be changed. Dear soul, be careful. You need to get into the habit of listening. You need to make sure you get in the habit of understanding that God can be silent. And you need to reread that Psalm 28 in verse one, that when God ceased to speak to me, I am like one that goes down into the pit. And you need to get that song out and read all the verses, how teedless and tasteless the hours when Jesus no longer I see. Oh, my soul, be thankful that you can hear the voice of God and remember that Jesus Christ said over and over again, he that hath ears, let him hear. God bless you. Thank you for your attention. Amen.