Joseph Prince - Keys To Counter The Four Horsemen
Greetings, church. We are in for another exciting time in God's Word, and every time we approach God's Word, we must realize that God's Word is God-breathed. In other words, all the writers of this holy Scripture, of the Bible, be it in the Old Testament or the New Testament, they are all inspired. God breathed into them, and that word there is "God-breathed". The same breath that gave man life, God breathed into his Scriptures. So the Scriptures have God's essence in it. Therefore, it is a word that doesn't only speak to them at that time, when they lived back then, but it's speaking to us today, and every time we come to God's Word, it is so relevant. It is a now Word, you know, and it's amazing that, from one passage, the Lord can give us a revelation about a situation that we are in, and it can be very specific. You know, for us, it's like God is saying, "This is the word for you," and we are hearing God in the Scriptures. Praise the Lord. That's the number one way that God leads us. Praise the Lord.
People are looking for voices elsewhere. That's dangerous because the Bible says the devil can impersonate as an angel of light and give us revelations, but, you know, things that the devil reveals will always be things that will glorify ourself, but the devil will never glorify Jesus Christ. Always remember that, okay? And the devil's purpose will always be to mar and tarnish the glory of Christ. I wanna share with all of you something that the Lord revealed to me just recently, and the Lord wants me to have this perspective about his church. His church. The Lord Jesus Christ gave his life for the church. Bible says, "He gave Himself for the church," amen? Yes, he died for the whole world, but there's a Scripture that specifically says, "He gave Himself for the church".
What is the church? The church is not a building where people come together and worship God. It may manifest itself in the building, but the church is the many-membered body of Christ and is the most successful and eternal organization, if I can put it that way, living, breathing organization that God has created, and the mystery of the church was hidden in the Old Testament, revealed to the apostle Paul of whom God gave him the fullest revelation about the church, and every time you think about the church, the devil, for so long, has, sort of, like, cloud the church.
When you hear the word "church," straightaway, you think of a old building, organ music, you know, people that look drab, dreary, dull, you know, but nothing could be further from the truth. God's church is the place where all the fullness of his Holy Spirit, with the sevenfold manifestation of His Holy Spirit, as well as all the gifts, and, for example, one gift is called the gifts of healings. It's plural, "gifts," many gifts of healings. All kinds of healings is available, where? In the church. Another gift is the gift of working of miracles. This is beyond healing diseases and things that, even a supernatural cancellation of your financial debt. That is in the area of the gift of working of miracles. God can just cause miracles even in the weather around us, and God can cause this to happen again even today because the gifts have never ceased.
And anyone that tried to tell you that is not quoting the Bible accurately. They'll probably use 1 Corinthians 13, that says, "Prophecies will fail," you know, "tongues shall cease," but what they fail to tell you is that, "when the perfect is come, then these things will cease," when we see Jesus face-to-face. The perfect has not yet come, my friend. The gifts are still needed today. If the early church needed the gifts of the Holy Spirit, how much more we need the gifts of the Holy Spirit today? For example, the gifts of healings, I see so many people making prayer requests online as well as, you know, personally, for people that they love, that they care for who are sick. They want prayer for them, and so many of the needs, I will say that the greater part of the needs of the body of Christ today is in the area of physical healing, and that's why I'm sharing what I shared for these past weeks in this regard.
So it's important for us to realize that God has given us provisions in the body of Christ. It's all found in the body of Christ. The Bible says in the book of Acts, Acts chapter 4, it says that "and with great power gave the apostles witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all". Notice, when "great grace was upon them all, they gave witness with great power to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus". "Great grace". "Great power". Say that, "great grace, great power". And the Bible goes on to say, "Nor was there anyone among them who lacked". None of them lacked in the early church. So that's our pattern. That's what we have in mind. You know, when God spoke to Moses to build the tabernacle in the wilderness, more than three times, God said, "See that you make it according to the pattern". "See that you make it according to the pattern you see in the mountain pattern". Pattern of, what? Pattern of what you see in a vision in the mountain, Mount Sinai. You see the pattern of heaven and how the tabernacle is patterned after the heavenly pattern. Praise the Lord.
So just like the presence of God, the throne of God is the ark of the covenant. Then there's a laver, which is a sea of glass, okay, and then the Bible tells us the Lamb is as if, when John saw him in the book of Revelation, he "saw Him like the Lamb who was just slain," because with God there's no time. The cross of Jesus Christ is always fresh to God, amen. When we come for Communion, we must come with the kind of spirit and expectancy to receive as if Jesus just died just now. Jesus just gave his life for us just now. He bore our sins as well as our diseases just now. We come with a freshness, amen, not like he died 2,000 years ago, and we can find the time and all that, no. But with God, there is no time. Praise the Lord.
And, also, in the church, we find that all kinds of gifts, God has put in the church, not in the world but in the church. Therefore, I can go on to talk about like, last week, what we see, "The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree, and they will grow like the cedar of Lebanon. And those who are planted in the house of the Lord", and that's a New Testament reference right there after Psalms 91. It's a New Testament reference that those who are righteous are righteous with the righteousness of God in Christ. "They will grow like cedars of Lebanon". Then it says, "These people are planted in the house". Where's the house of the Lord today? The church of Jesus Christ, and the expression of the church is always in a local assembly, in a local church.
You know, we can talk about the universal church and all that. Yes, of course, everything, there are principles that govern the entire universal church, but the practicality and where God is focused on, the Lord is focused on, is the local assemblies. In every local assembly, each one has a glory. Let me finish off that verse. It says, "Those who are planted in the house of the Lord", what will happen to them? "They will flourish", where? "In the courts of our God," outside, when you are planted in your local church, in the local assembly, amen. In the church, that's when you flourish. You flourish outside there in the courts of God, okay?
In 2 Corinthians 8, it says, "If anyone inquires about Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker concerning you. Or if our brethren are inquired about", so notice that, "if anyone inquires about Titus, he's my partner". So Titus is not just someone in the body of Christ. He's actually Paul's "gospel partner and fellow worker concerning you. Or if our brethren are inquired about, they are messengers of the churches, the glory of Christ". Notice what the Bible, the Holy Spirit is saying that "the churches," definitely is referring to the local churches. "The local churches is the glory of Christ". What a precious thought that God wants us to think of the local church as the glory of Christ. Therefore, do you know that the devil wants always to tarnish the glory of Christ?
You know, when the church is under attack, when there are local troubles and even strife and things that we find that we have to handle, in every local church, you know, they all have their own challenge and trials, but the uniqueness of the local church is this, that, when they overcome in that trial, there is a light that shines. Now there's a testimony, and there is a wisdom that comes because you went through that trial. So regardless of what the devil is doing, you might feel like he's attacking you or attacking your family because you are in the local church and all that, but always remember he's going after the glory of Christ. He doesn't want Christ's glory to be seen, and what is the local church? The glory of Christ, amen.
And when you look at the breastplate of the high priest, you'll find that there are 12 precious gems, precious stones. There's ruby, there's diamond, there's amethyst, there's emerald, all kinds, and I have a teaching on this. We have shared before that your name is on the breastplate of the high priest, and who is our high priest today? Our Lord Jesus Christ. In heaven today, he bears you, where? On his heart, because the breastplate, notice, "breast," "breast" is the place of love. It's on his heart, amen? You are so close to his heart, and that's why revelation comes, wisdom comes, light and, you know, enlightenment comes when you behold his heart for you, amen? Because the Urim and the Thummim, which are the lights and the perfections that give direction to the people, the kings of Israel in times past, they would seek the high priest to hear from the Urim and Thummim, lights and perfections. It shines from the breastplate of the high priest.
But if you notice that the 12 tribes, they are represented by different precious gems or stones. Like, for example, you have Judah, then you have Issachar, then you have Zebulun. You have different ones and different roles, and they are all represented by different gemstones, different precious stones. What's that saying to us? If you think of it, even though we can say that we individually are on the heart of Christ, but the Lord wants us to think more that we are there in our local churches. Why? Why do I say that? Because, notice, there is not our name. It's not the name of a specific person but the name of the tribes that are engraved on the stones of the breastplate. So the names of the 12 tribes are engraved there, not individuals in the tribe. That tells us that God wants us to think of ourselves in the local church, just like there are 12 tribes of Israel, but they all make one Israel. There's unity with diversity.
So all the local churches, they have a ray of light, a ray of glory, if you would, the glory of Christ that is unique with another local assembly. And none of us are complete in ourselves to reflect all the glory of Christ, no. We are interdependent, and each one has a strength that the other one doesn't have. Each one has a beautiful ray of glory of Christ that the other one doesn't have, but together, we see the fullness of his beauty and his glory, hallelujah. Praise the Lord. Praise God.
And that's where the Lord has us, the local churches, so close to his heart, and that's why he has seven different messages that he spoke to seven different churches, and these are local churches in the book of Revelation or else just one sermon would suffice if God thinks all the time about universal church, but, no, God's heart is beating so close to the local churches. Praise the Lord. They are so close to his heart, hallelujah, and this is something that I want you to think, every time you think of your local church, praise the Lord, be rooted in it because the local church is the glory of Christ. Hallelujah. And every local church, together, all right, each, every local church has a strength, has a beauty that another does not have, but together, we manifest the light of the glory of Christ in all its glories and perfections, praise the Lord.
Now, church, the devil wants to stop that, but what a precious thought it is for us to know that all the troubles in the local church is the devil trying to mar the glory of Christ. Once we realize that, we put ourself in position to see Christ glorified. We are not in this for our own name or our own local assembly or our own families to be exalted or glorified. We are all out to glorify Jesus Christ, amen? And if that is our motive, we are in the flow with the Holy Spirit and his purposes. Praise God. Thank you, Jesus. And you will prosper in all that you do because you are in line with what God is doing in the local church.
Now, all the attacks of the enemy is the same. You know, people ask me the question, you know, sometimes, "What do you think, Pastor Prince? Russia has attacked Ukraine," and things like, you know, remember, early this year when I was sharing on the theme of the year, "The Year of Rest and Acceleration"? I shared about you will hear this verse will be more practical for this year than ever. I said it keep on rising up in my spirit. That's how I started sharing it. And I said this from Matthew 24. This verse keeps on coming up: "And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled, for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet". And I said that this verse keeps on rising up in my spirit earlier this year when I shared on the theme of the year, and I said that, you know, you will see of wars, and you will hear saber-rattling, but the point that God wants us to see is this: Jesus says, "See that you be not troubled". "See that you be not troubled". And all this will happen, but he goes on to say that "this is not the end".
People ask, "Is this the beginning of the Tribulation"? No, it's the beginning of birth pangs but not the Great Tribulation. It is not, amen? In fact, if you go on all the way, you'll find Jesus says that "for nation will rise against nation, kingdom against kingdom. There'll be famines, pestilences, plagues, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows". Now look at verse 6: "See that you're not troubled". "You'll hear of wars, rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled, for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet". Let me say that again: "The end is not yet". You know, when the Lord talks about "the end," the disciples are well aware about the end. They know it as the Day of the Lord.
Even Isaiah the prophet prophesies a lot about the Day of the Lord, so when the Lord says, "the end," they knew what "the end" is. In fact, they came, asking him the question. "Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, 'Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?'" Notice, "'When will these things be? What will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?' Jesus answered and said to them, 'Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ.'"
Now I wanna share with you something that God put on my heart. In fact, some of these truths that I'm sharing with you is something God revealed to me, and I've shared on this some years ago, but God has revealed even more, and today I wanna step deeper into this. That is, I'm very excited when God unveiled this to me, and I want you to receive it, amen. Praise the Lord. I love feeding the church. I love feeding the flock of God, and every time God reveals to me something that is good, I'll make sure that you receive it. Praise the Lord, hallelujah. Now if you look carefully, at the first sign, Jesus says, "Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many". Let's put it on a list, okay? The first sign to look for is "false Christ," and I put down there, "teaching".
So, first of all, we know that there will be an Antichrist, The Antichrist. There'll be one Antichrist, and, yet in John's time, John says there are many Antichrists already during this time. He says that, but there will be one Antichrist that will come in the future, and, yet there is a form, you know, it's like a sign tells you some things are gonna happen, right? Just like in America, for example, you drive down the street, and you see all the decorations in the malls and all that for Christmas. Then you know, if they're decorating for Christmas, you know Thanksgiving will come first. So whenever you see the signs pointing to the coming of the Lord, and I'm referring not to the Rapture here. The Rapture will happen first. I'm referring to Jesus coming back, amen? There'll be judgment, and he will set this world right, okay? I'm talking about that time.
But you know that the Rapture will happen first, amen? Just like Thanksgiving will happen before Christmas. So here, we see the beginning of birth pains. Jesus said like this in Matthew 24, "All these are the beginning of sorrows". "All these are the beginning of sorrows," or one translation says, "the beginning of birth pains," and that reflect more of the Greek word of there, "the beginning of birth pains". When a woman, you know, it is time for her to deliver, she will have birth pangs. Don't believe for pains, eh? Birth pangs, okay? And as the hour arrives that she's to deliver, the birth pangs gets shorter and shorter, the time, so we see a lot of things are happening, back-to-back, back-to-back now, so we know that, yes, the end is near, and we know the Lord Jesus will have to come back for us first, amen.
We are not going through the Tribulation, so this Russia attacking Ukraine and all that, it's not a sign that we are already in the Tribulation. I just don't feel, at this time, that that's gonna happen. I wanna go on to share with you some things that the Lord has just shared with me to feed you with, praise the Lord. So the first thing Jesus says is "false Christ," now, "false Christ" in a way that there will be a false Christ, but today look out for "false teachings," amen, teachings that oppose Christ. Anything that doesn't point to Christ is false, okay? Just like the false Christ, so I put down on here, "false teaching".
The second sign Jesus says in Matthew 24, is "You will hear of wars and rumors of wars". So number two is "wars". Now, wars is the big thing, right? You know, there are bombs being used and carnage, and we don't want to be in a war, okay? But a lower form of war can be our daily life, strife with someone, quarrels, husbands and wives, children with their parents, and parents with their children, and interrelationships and all that. So that's a form of war, so I put down here "strife".
The next sign Jesus says that would happen, and notice, it's all sequential here. "And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places". So next sign he says is "famine," which is, what? "Lack". That's the next sign, okay? The next sign is famine. "Famine" means "lack". Form, it is "lack". Today we see this spirit is working. So it's the same evil spirit that is causing all this. In its greatest form, it's gonna be war. In its lower form, okay, strife, okay? So it's the same thing. In the, form, it'd be the Antichrist. In a daily form, it is gonna be false teaching. So, likewise, for famine, what's "famine"? Famine is a big thing, right? It's a big event. Usually it covers large territories and large swaths of land, okay, but in a daily perspective, it is lack, when you suffer from lack. So it is a work of an evil spirit. I'mma come to that later.
Then the next time Jesus says is, after famine, is "pestilences, and earthquakes in various places". So we come to the next one on the list, "pestilence and earthquakes," and, of course, with pestilence, plagues, and all that, there's "disease and death," okay, disease and death. And what is interesting is that, number of years ago, God opened my eyes to see the parallel between what Jesus said in sequence with Revelation chapter 6. In Revelation chapter 6, the Bible says, "Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, 'Come and see.' And I looked, and behold, a white horse". A what? "A white horse. And He who sat on it had a bow, and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer".
Now, this rider on the white horse, he has a crown. A crown was given to him, and he went forth conquering. Notice he has a bow, but he has no arrow. He has a bow, but he has no arrow. In other words, he has a form but not the substance, not the impact that the arrow, which is a picture of the Word of God. He has a false appearance. He's a false Christ. He's a false teacher. He gives false impression, and just by sheer being, he can threaten you as if he has an arrow, but he only has a bow. But notice there's something mentioned here. There was a crown. It said, "And a crown was given to him".
Now, very interesting, when the Latin Bible came out, the Vulgate, if they translate "the crown," in Latin, "crown" is the word "corona". It is also the Ancient Greek, not the Koine Greek. Koine Greek is Stephanos. But in the Ancient Greek, it's also "corona". In French, it's also "couronne," right? So it's very interesting. I just thought that it's gonna be interesting. Am I saying this coronavirus, I do not know, all right? It could very well be what it's saying is that the coronavirus is gonna cause a lot of false teachings to emerge.
We have to be careful, church. Even right now, we are hearing teachings talking about the end times, and all that, that's causing people a lot of fear. If it causes fear, my friend, it is not God. "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ". So if that word that you hear, you think it's the Word of Christ, it should produce faith, not fear. Now, you ask, "But, Pastor Prince, why are you sharing all these things, and where is the food here"? I'm coming to it. Once you understand and establish all these things, you will see what's the answer even for you and your family, amen? For you and your own personal needs, there is an answer in this sharing here today 'cause God gave me this word for you. But first, let's see the parallel first.
And so, the white horse. So, the very first thing, put on the list, right, "Rider on the White Horse". See the parallel now? The next one is "When he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, 'Come and see.'" Now notice all sequential. This is the second seal. "Another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another; and there was given to him a great sword".
Now, this one is the fiery red horse that brings war. All these horses are evil spirits. I'm going to show you later, from the book of Zechariah, that all these are spirits. The Bible says they are spirits. All these horses are spirits, amen? They are principalities of darkness. Wherever they go, they bring all these things that the Bible says they will bring. If it's a white horse, it's false teaching. If it's a red horse, it's war. In a daily manner, these spirits attacking a local church or a family. It will be in a sense of strife causing, you know, division and causing misunderstanding, strife.
The next one in Revelation 6, "When he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, 'Come and see.' So I looked, and behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand". Now, a pair of scales is talking about commerce. So, this spirit brings famine. He brings lack. By the way, they are horses because when they bring it, they bring it very fast. They almost like know no fear. They will charge right into battle, and they travel fast, okay? So, these things is gonna happen. Famine means a lack. You know, if you are suffering lack, and you're always suffering lack, probably, you're under attack by this spirit, and there's an answer that God has for you. Praise the Lord. So, the next thing we put on the list, exactly what Jesus said in sequence. After the wars and strife, he talks about famine. There's a rider on the black horse.
Then we come to the fourth one. "When Jesus opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, 'Come and see.' So I looked, and behold, a pale horse". Now, this word "pale" is a very interesting word. It is the word chloros in Greek. Now, chloros, where you get chlorophyl, it's not just a pale. It's the color of death. You know, after someone dies, you know, I know it sounds morbid and all that, but if you look at a person after he dies, for a few days, you know, he turns green, you know. Even after a day, he will turn green, greenish pale. It's not just pale. It's a greenish pale, chloros, where you get the word green, chlorophyl. Chloros, a pale horse. "And the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed with him. And power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth".
So, the next one is, let's put it on the list, rider on the pale green horse. Now, all this sounds negative and all that. You say, "Pastor, I don't want to come down here". Yeah, I agree with you. But when God reveals to us, it's always for us to receive wisdom from him, so that we know with spiritual intelligence how to handle these things in our lives. Amen. Now I want to remind you there will be an antichrist that will come, but on a daily basis, how this evil spirit manifests will be false teaching, and there will be a major war, as well as other wars preceding that. But before that, there will be strife, daily strife, and what the devil wants to bring into our relationships. All right?
So, we've gotta be alert and be aware what is happening. These are not friends, my friend, amen. These are not good things. Death, plagues, pestilence are not good things. Okay, we want to find an answer in God's Word for all this. So, now let's look at something very interesting. In the same book of Revelation, we find that the Bible says in Revelation chapter 4, "Before the throne there was a sea of glass, like crystal. In the midst of the throne and around the throne were four living creatures full of eyes in front and in back. The first living creature was like a lion". Say lion. "The second living creature like a calf". Say a calf. "The third living creature had a face like a man". Say a man. "And the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle, a flying eagle".
So, you have the face of a man, a lion, a calf, and a flying eagle. Friend, this is very interesting because we know these are the four faces of Jesus. I have a number of teachings on the four faces of Jesus, but it is important that we understand this, because this is actually the answer to these four principalities of darkness. This is the answer that the Lord gives us. Now, how the Lord revealed it to me is going to be very interesting, and I shared some of it when I shared on the four horsemen many years ago. Okay, so he revealed much more, and I want to share them with you.
So, the four faces of Jesus: the face of a man, the face of a lion, the face of an ox, and the face of an eagle. The four faces correspond with the four gospels about the life, death, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit deems fit to portray the Lord's life, and his death, and his resurrection in four books and only four: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The Gospel of Matthew is known as the book of the King. He reveals Jesus as the King, the King of Israel, the King of the kingdom. Hallelujah, that Jesus prophesied about and talked about and thought on in the Gospel of Matthew. In the Gospel of Matthew, you'll find this expression more than any other gospel: the kingdom of heaven. The kingdom of heaven.
And that's what Jesus brought, all right, the kingdom of heaven. If only Israel accept him as the Messiah, it was at hand. He says, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand," but they refused. And as a result the kingdom is now suspended. All right? So, we are now in a spiritual kingdom, but back then it was a literal kingdom that he offered them, and they rejected him. But nonetheless, that will happen when he comes back again. He will establish a literal physical kingdom, all right, and he will reign in it. Praise the Lord. And it will be from Jerusalem. So, the Gospel of Matthew portrays Jesus as the King, and the King of the beasts is the lion. The next one is Mark, the Gospel of Mark. By the way, in the Gospel of Matthew, it talks about his pedigree, he genealogy. Because as a King, you need to know the genealogy of the King, okay, whether he qualifies.
And the Gospel of Matthew, only two gospels talk about his genealogy, Matthew and Luke, and both talks about his genealogy, but not Mark. Mark doesn't talk about genealogy. It starts off like this in chapter 1. Take a pen and underline everything you see there in chapter 1 that use the words like straightaway, immediately, forthwith, suddenly, immediately, straightaway, and this appears very frequent in just chapter 1 of Mark. Now, Mark doesn't open up like Matthew. It talks about the genealogy of Jesus Christ; because as King, you need to know his genealogy. But Jesus, in the Gospel of Mark, he's portrayed like the ox, strong to labor. And in the Gospel of Mark, the main characteristic we see there of our Lord Jesus is that he's always working. He's always serving. He's always going about doing good, healing all that were oppressed of the devil, always serving, tirelessly serving, amen, strong to labor. Like the Bible says, the ox is strong to labor.
So, that's a picture of the Gospel of Mark. Why is there no genealogy in Mark? Because you don't ask a servant. There he is portrayed as a servant, strong to labor. Amen? And you don't ask a servant for his pedigree. So, in the Gospel of Luke, you find the genealogy again. Because in the Gospel of Luke, you find this phrase more than any other gospel, "the Son of Man," because there he's portrayed as man. Amen? As man. Then you have the Gospel of John. In John, there's no genealogy mentioned. Why? Because there Jesus is portrayed as God. "In the beginning," John chapter 1, verse 1. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God". And later on, it says, "The Word became flesh".
So, surely, there's no pedigree; because as God, he has no beginning, no end. He is the beginning, and he is the end. Praise the Lord. But as man, there is a beginning, and he came, the eternal God came and took on human flesh and became a man, fully man, fully man. Don't misunderstand, he's fully man, but he's also fully God. Amen? And forevermore, he's the God-man who now sits at the Father's right hand. Praise the Lord. So, you have the four gospels here, and there are four different colors, as well, in all these gospels, but here we're going to see the animals as portrayed here, except for the Gospel of Luke. You have the face of a man, but Matthew, the King of the beast, is the lion, because there he's portrayed as the King. Then Mark, strong to labor, is portrayed by the strong ox.
Then, of course, like I said just now, Luke is the man, the face of a man, and the divine Son of God that came from heaven and took on human flesh. The Word became flesh. It is the picture of the eagle, amen, 'cause the eagle flies higher than any other bird, is the king of all the birds, amen? And it's a heavenly bird. It's a heavenly creature, amen. It's a picture of the Gospel of John. Jesus there is portrayed as the eagle, and each of his faces is the answer for you concerning all these spirits. Amen. So, what we can see and what we can learn from here, amen. So, before that, let's go to Ezekiel chapter 1. Ezekiel chapter 1 says... and, again, Ezekiel lived before Jesus, right? It's about, at that time, about 600 years before Christ came, and he prophesied. He's one of those during the Babylonian captivity and all that. He was at the river Chebar, and he prophesied all these prophecies in the book of Ezekiel. But look here, Ezekiel 1, verse 10. "As for the likeness of their faces, each had the face of a man".
Now, Ezekiel had a vision of heaven, the glory of God, and he noticed that the cherubim, the creatures around the throne of God... by the way, all these creatures, they have the four faces of Jesus, amen, because they reflect their God, they reflect their Master, they reflect their Lord, and they're the four faces of Jesus. Again notice, the face of a man. Each of the four had the face of a lion on the right side. Notice the direction, on the right side. Each of the four had the face of an ox on the left side, and each of the four had the face of an eagle, and that's why we portray it like this, right? Jesus has the face of a man, the lion on the right side, the ox on the left side, and the eagle at the back.
Why is this important? Because what is interesting is this, friend? When Israel camped in the wilderness, you know, around the tabernacle, oh, hallelujah, the tabernacle, my friend, is something that God actually kept his secrets, even for this generation, for people that would live now in the new covenant, right? The type's there. The shadow speaks to us in a way like nothing can. Every part of it talks about Jesus and his glory, and that's why there's a verse there that says, "And in his temple," in Psalms 29, "And in his temple, everything, Christ's glory". Everything says glory. Every part of the furniture, every color, every fabric, every metal, everything about the tabernacle cries glory, hallelujah, just like the local church, every local church is the glory of Christ. Praise God.
When David said this at that time, the temple was not yet built. He was definitely not referring to the temple. He was referring to the tabernacle of Moses at that time, as well as his tabernacle, the tabernacle of David. Amen? Every part of this glory, praise God. But in Numbers 2:2 it says this: "Everyone of the children of Israel shall camp by his own standard, beside the emblems of his father's house; they shall camp some distance from the tabernacle of meeting". So, all the children of Israel, they will camp around the tabernacle. They'll camp around the tabernacle, okay, and they will camp according to the sign, the emblems of their father's house. Notice that? And the word, by his own standard, it's actually a flag. It's like a flag, a banner. Back then, they would carry banners. Even to war, they would carry a banner, and each tribe has their own banner.
So, all the 12 tribes, each one has their own banner, but they would come in such a way around the tabernacle, three on each side: north, south, east, west, all right, all the 12 tribes are divided in group of threes, okay? And each one would have the emblem of their father's house; for the tribe of Judah it is the flag or the emblem in their father's house is the lion. And for Reuben, when Reuben was born, even his name Reuben means "see a son". Amen. When Reuben was born, it's like a face of a man. Okay, so the flag of Reuben is the face of a man. Let me show you the tabernacle first. Notice the east side, all right. The east side is the longest, because it has the most people. The tribe of Judah has the most population, right? And Judah is like Zebulun, camped on the east of the tabernacle. And then you have Simeon, Reuben, and Gad. They are camped on the south side. Then you have Manasseh, Ephraim, and Benjamin. They are camped on the west side. Then on the north side, you have Dan, Asher, and Naphtali.
Now, each one of them has a flag, but each side has a leader. And for Judah, their flag is the lion, the face of a lion. And on the south side, Reuben is the face of a man. And on the west side, Ephraim is the leader there. Their flag is an ox. And then Dan, Dan was supposed to have a snake on their emblem, because it was prophesied by his father, Jacob. Right? But the leader felt that he cannot. And it's all God, it's all God. God arranged it that way, that he cannot be putting a snake on his emblem, on his flag. So, instead, he put the eagle, the snake destroyer. Amen? On the emblem, on the flag pole. Let's see the flags up close. So, you have north. Who is at the north? You have Dan. His flag is the eagle. Then on the south, you have Reuben, right? And his flag is the face of a man. Then on the east, you have Judah. His flag is the face of a lion. And on the west, you have the face of an ox or a calf, okay? And it's the tribe of Ephraim.
So, here you get the four faces of Jesus around the tabernacle. This is the tabernacle back then, and they all camped around the tabernacle. And when they camped like this, if you look at the top view down, you will see a cross. Okay? You will see a cross. That's how they are camped. Okay? We are approaching from the east, all the way down to the tabernacle. That's how they are all camped, and they're all camped facing the tabernacle. Notice, they're all facing inwards. They're facing the tabernacle. They're all facing the tabernacle. They're not facing out. Who will take at your back? The Lord. In fact, there's a verse that says, "The glory of the Lord will be your rear guard". Hallelujah.
In fact, in the natural, you think it's not wise to camp like that, all right, for safety reasons. And make sure that no enemy or no other nation will come to attack you and all that, you have to face outwards in all directions. Right? But no, God told them to face the tabernacle. God says, "I'll take care of you. As you focus on me, as you put your attention on me, as you look unto Jesus, look away from everything else and look unto Jesus, the author and the finisher of faith, look unto Jesus". What's going to happen? The Bible says he will take care of all your enemies. When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him. Praise God. Put your eyes on Jesus. Don't worry about the enemies around you, behind you. Even if they attack you, they won't catch you by surprise. As you look to the Lord, the Lord looks at your direction. The Lord takes care of whatever comes against you. Praise the Lord.
But if you look around you, and you start getting distracted, and you start getting discouraged because of what you see around you, and you start talking in terms of the natural, because all around you is all in the natural, okay, you miss out on the supernatural, on what God can do for you supernaturally. Amen? In one fell swoop, he can turn your darkness to light. He can cause a chronic disease to be instantaneously removed from your body, amen. We've seen that happen, church. But even if it continues for some time, as I said last week, God is preparing a testimony for his glory, because there are people who need to hear that, and there are situations like that, as well. Praise the Lord. So, friend, as you look at the tabernacle, remember this. It's all a picture of the local assembly, the local church of Jesus Christ. We all encamp, our priority is the local church. The priority is focusing on Jesus, amen, in the local church.
As we prioritize this, God will prioritize all our needs and all the things that will beset us. Be it strife, you know, in our relationships, we are having a problem with strife or in our relationship with someone, or our loved ones, even, amen. God will take care of that situation, as you keep your eyes on Jesus. It's amazing how many times I come here and tell you, when I focus on Jesus, and I choose to see him in the Word, the times when God would fight my battles. And before I know it, when we look at the situation again, it has changed. It is no longer the same kind of... or I will go back to another situation after spending time looking at Jesus, and all of a sudden, I know just what to do to turn that thing around. Amen? I just know what to do, the posture to take. Praise the Lord. And that always happens when you focus on Jesus, amen. You become like him, because the Spirit of God transforms us from glory to glory, as we behold the image of the Lord. The Spirit of God transforms us, as we behold Jesus. Praise God, amen.
Okay, let's go on. So now the attacks that come in, look at Zechariah chapter 6. I mentioned just now that these spirits, these horses are evil spirits, okay, principalities. Notice Zechariah's vision now. See, we're talking a lot about visions today, but the visions must all come from the Holy Scriptures, not someone's vision, okay, today. "Then I looked up again and saw four chariots coming from between two bronze mountains. The first chariot was pulled by red horses". Say red horses. "The second by black horses". Black horses. "The third by white horses, and the fourth by powerful dappled-gray," or pale, "horses".
Again, it is like, you know, spotted, kind of gray, a deathly color, greenish pale horses. "And what are these, my lord"? Notice, "What are these, my lord"? The question is asked, right? "I asked the angel who was talking with me. The angel replied, 'These are the four,'" what? "'spirits of heaven, who stand before the Lord of all the earth. They are going out to do his work. The chariot with black horses'". Now listen carefully. Whenever the Bible says that, even Satan stands before the Lord. Let me tell you this. Okay? People think that, oh, God commissioned them. God directs them. No, God is sovereign, and this is showing the sovereignty of God. In other words, the time has come, probably there's an open door.
Probably, there is something that, like for example, Jesus told Peter, "Satan has desired to sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you". In other words, he didn't say, "I won't stop the sifting," okay? But he says, "You know what? I'll pray for you. I'll pray for you. And when you are converted, when you are strengthened, when you are restored, strengthen your brothers, as well". So, he prophesied his victory even before he went in the trial. Now, Jesus didn't promise you won't go to trial. So, friend, in our Christian life, there are situations. Don't ask why. Okay? It could be an open door. It could be because, you know, of something that we have done in the past, whatever. I do not know. Amen?
It has consequences, my friend. Don't meddle with sin. Sin has consequences. In the Bible, sin brings forth death, and that's why it's important for you to make sure that when there is sin, you appropriate what Christ did at the cross. Okay? And thank God for grace. Praise God, hallelujah, that where sin increased, grace super abounds. If you know how to be conscious of that grace and how to receive it, it's only when you receive the abundance of grace that you will reign in life. Praise the Lord. So, friend, these are spirits. In the Hebrew, it says that God directs something. It's actually God permits. God permits it. Even when it says that the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart, in other places you find Pharaoh hardened his heart. Pharaoh kept on hardening his heart. Then it says the Lord hardened his heart.
What does that mean? That means God says, "Okay, that's how you want to play it? Okay, I'll use your hardened heart". That's when it says the Lord hardened his heart. Okay? So, it's showing God as a sovereign God, allowing it to happen, because there is some judicial things that we don't understand of, that evil spirit seems to have a right, but that doesn't mean that we have no advocate at the Father's right hand today. Praise God. In fact, in the Old Testament, they didn't have. Remember, Job wished that he had a advocate, a daysman, a go between, between him and the Lord. Well, today we have him, amen? We have the advocate at the Father's right hand. Okay, so here the Lord allows these spirits. Notice the direction. "The chariot with black horses is going north, the chariot with white horses is going west, and the chariot with the dappled-gray horses is going south".
So, the famine and the black horses is going north. The white horse, this false christ and false teaching is going west. And the dappled-gray, the death and disease horse is going south. There's one more horse that's not mentioned here. It's obviously we have north, west, and south. What is missing? We have east, the horse that goes east, the red horse that brings war. And I believe that this horse is behind what is happening right now in Ukraine. Okay? We've gotta pray, friend. Continue praying for Ukraine. Continue praying that God's will be done. Your prayers can make a difference, amen? Keep on praying.
So, let's look at this picture here. All these horsemen is coming against the people of God, okay? Of course, the devil's priority is always to rob God's people of their inheritance in Christ. Just like during the time of Gideon, the Bible says the enemies came, the Midianites, and they robbed their food. The devil is always, you notice in the book of Judges, in the Old Testament, the enemies and Philistines and all that, they always come and take God's people's food. It's the food of God's people that the devil is after. Okay, friend, don't deprive yourself of food. Don't do the work of the enemy. Amen? Expose yourself. Keep on feeding upon God's Word. Keep on, you know, having access to the food that will strengthen you, that can bring miracles in your life like the Bible says. "He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you".
Does he do it by the works of the law? No, but by the hearing of faith. Don't cut yourself off from the hearing of faith. Amen. Tune in every week. Praise the Lord. Keep on hearing messages that's based on the word of Christ, that is Christ centered, praise God, and receive even God's working of miracles in your life. Hallelujah, praise the Lord, amen. Notice the directions here, right? The false christ comes towards the west. The white horse is always towards the west. Then you have the... can you see the disease horse? It's coming against the south, the direction of the south. Then you have the red horse going towards the east, and you have the black horse going towards the north. So, these directions are put there to teach us something, to tell us how to counter each and every one of them. Oh, the wisdom of God. The people of Israel came in such a way that each of them actually has an emblem, a flag, a banner that they would raise high. In warfare, they would raise their emblem up. They would raise and then they will charge. Okay?
So, notice, as the enemies attack, this is what you need to do, and I need to do, as we have been attacked by either one of these enemies or even a few of them. Okay? As they attack us, what do you do? Lift up the standard, lift up the flags, lift up Jesus. All the four faces speak of Jesus and his different attributes. Praise the Lord, hallelujah. You know, like the seven churches, the one church he says, "the one that has the key of David, who opens and no man shuts, and shuts and no man opens. Don't be discouraged. I know you have a little strength. But listen, I can open and no one can shut. I'll do that for you. And I can close and no one can open". Another church he says, "The one that has the discerning eyes". Amen, praise the Lord.
Another one he says that he who holds the stars in his hand, and the stars are the ministers, the pastors who are given the responsibility of the local church. Many of them are discouraged. Many of them are feeling dejected, and he lifts them with his right hand of his righteousness. Praise the Lord. He's encouraging them. So, different churches see different parts of Jesus, and that's the revelation that they need in that local church, and that's why he appears in that way to that local church. Okay? So, again, the four faces of Jesus. When you understand this, as to how they counter, we just lift Jesus. And notice, friend, we are not facing outside. The tabernacle is in the center of their habitation, right? They're all faced inwards, like I said just now. They don't face outside; but as they face towards the tabernacle, the enemy comes from different directions. That means the enemy comes from the back.
But notice, all they've gotta do is what? Lift up Jesus. Let God arise, hallelujah, and let all his enemies be scattered. In the name of Jesus, right now, as you lift Jesus, praise the Lord, hallelujah, even your heart right now is exalting Jesus Christ. Is it not? Praise the Lord. Oh, I feel like stopping right here and go into a time of praise. Amen. Lifting Jesus, sing songs of praise to him, and he will take care of all our enemies. Let God arise, and let all his enemies be scattered. Praise the Lord, hallelujah. May that be true in your life, amen. So, lift up Jesus, not worry about this enemy, that enemy. Just lift up Jesus, and they'll all be scattered. Praise the Lord. As you look towards Jesus, and whatever aspect of Jesus that you see, lift it up in praise. Amen? Call it forth. Share with someone else. Talk about Jesus, just like the Song of Songs, that lady.
Notice that when the beloved speaks to the bride, he's very direct. He calls out her beauties directly. But when the bride speaks of the beloved, her beloved, that's our Lord Jesus, notice she talks about his beauty, his characteristics to someone, and then he appears. Praise the Lord. God has designed us in such a way, as we talk about Jesus more and more, as we share about Jesus with someone, he come on the scene. We can sense his manifest presence. Amen. We feel loved, amen? I know he loves us all the time, but it's so wonderful sometimes to feel his love when you talk about him. The more you talk about him, the more you sense his presence with you. Praise the Lord. And so our growth is growth in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, not just one aspect, and we stay on that aspect for years, but to grow in all that he is. Amen?
There are so many, you know, official glories of Jesus that we can study, all the different titles in the Scriptures that we can study. Amen? All the different attributes. There is the official glories of Jesus that we can study on. There is the moral glory of Jesus, where there's moral excellence, and you can see this in all the gospels. Even every movement, every word, every thought. Amen? And all his glories is for you to enjoy. Praise the Lord, amen. So that's growth, when you grow in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now, for that revelation that God recently shared with me from this passage here, not just lifting up Jesus outwardly with, you know, like in praise and worship, as well as in our testimony with one another. But also, if you look at the directions within the tabernacle, you will see this, all right?
Notice the four directions and all the four horsemen that brings death, false doctrine, famines, wars, they're all around attacking the tabernacle. Don't forget, the devil wants to attack the glory of Christ. Isn't it great to know that we are just, you know, we think that the devil focus on us and give us trouble because he's focused on us alone. You know, friend, he's more. He's going after more than death. He's after the glory of Christ. Okay? No, you just hold on to the glory of Christ, amen. Be conscious of it. Amen. Talk to the Father about the glory of Christ. The Father loves to hear about his Son. Now think about it. You know, when God talks about the creation of the world, this earth that we live in and everything in it, it only take God one chapter, Genesis chapter 1. Only one chapter would suffice to talk about this earth that we lived in and all the creation in it. But when God talks about the tabernacle, God took like 15 chapters in the book of Exodus, 15 chapters to talk about his Son. It's all about his Son. Amen.
And then we have exactly 98 verses from Exodus 25 to Exodus 27, 98 verses exactly, and then God repeats is again in Exodus 37 to 39, another 98 verses, exactly 98. We're talking, why is God repeating so much about the tabernacle? Isn't it redundant to repeat the same things again? You see, with the Father, the Father never tires of speaking about his Son. He loves his Son. And, you know, with the Father, he never tires of speaking of his Son. He wants to talk about his Son. In fact, when Moses spent his 40 days up there in the mountain, he was listening to God. You might think that he just went up there to receive the second set of tables, which, you know, he destroyed the first one, right? And he broke it at the foot of Mount Sinai. But 40 days he was up there. What was he doing up there for 40 days? God was talking about the tabernacle. Only at the end, towards the last day, God says, "Here are the two tablets of stone".
So, friend, it's all about Jesus. Our priority, it seems like today is all about creation, what we can learn from creation. Even health, we trust in creation. Where God, it says, God is prioritizing his Son. It's all found in his Son, amen? And God takes time to repeat and to say again and again about his Son. May we also do the same. The Father loves to hear us talk about his Son, amen? Like Joseph, a picture of our heavenly Joseph, our Lord Jesus, where after he reconciles with his brothers, remember that? Like Jesus reconciles with Israel. And then he says what? "Go tell my Father of all my glory that you have seen. Go tell my Father," what? "all my glory that you have seen".
That's worship, my friend, going to the Father in heaven in heaven and telling him about all the glory that we see of Jesus. So, the more you see, the more your worship can be expanded. Praise the Lord. For this is worshiping the Father in spirit and in truth. Amen. You know, the Father loves to hear about his Son. Let's talk more and more about Jesus. Let's talk about Jesus more and more to our children, amen, to our spouse. Let's not be ashamed to mention the name of Jesus. Amen? Amen. The world is using his name in vain. Let's use his name in glory. Amen. Let's use his name in honor, praise the Lord, exalting Jesus, lifting up the banner, amen? Every time you lift the banner, your enemies scatter. Hallelujah. Mmph. I just preached myself happy.
Okay, let me close with this. There's also a name right here. Now you're looking top down at the uncovered tabernacle. So, you see the uncovered tabernacle on the left. Okay, on the right, what seems like a cross is just the ramp that goes up the bronze altar, and that's where the false doctrine is coming. So, in other words, why did God tell Moses to put the bronze altar there? And what is the bronze altar, my friend? The four corners speaks of the four corners of Jesus Christ, and that's where the burnt offering is placed. That's where the sin offering is placed. It's a picture of the cross of Jesus Christ, amen. So, what counts as false doctrine in our life? The message of the cross. Paul says, "I determine not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified". And after that is the laver.
Can you see the laver there? Okay, laver is the washing. The priest goes there to wash their hands. Amen? In Ephesians, it says we are washed with the washing of water of the Word. The bride of Christ, we are washed with the washing of water of the Word, that he may present us to himself a glorious bride without spot and wrinkle or any such thing. Hallelujah, praise God. So, there's washing of water, and the water there, the Word there is based on the cross. It's the word of the cross that counters false doctrines. You know, false doctrine always have this. It may sound so smart, so intelligent, and we are trying to draw wisdom from this psychological pool and reservoir or from this, you know, natural human wisdom, and it doesn't satisfy. You know why? You're not created for the natural. You are created for heavenly wisdom. Praise God.
So, false doctrine is anything that put Jesus aside, and his finished work, and talk about how you can have those things without the cross. Okay? That's false teaching, amen. False christ is actually someone who takes the place of Christ, telling that he has the answer. That's a false christ. Anti can also mean in place of or substitute. Amen? It's not just against. It is also against, but the word "anti" is also in place of. Okay? Take the place of Christ. Don't let anyone take the place of Christ. Then for the famine below, notice that the tabernacle facing south, what is placed at the south of the tabernacle? The menorah, the lampstand, it's placed at the south. A famine is also lack.
So, God saying the lampstand is the picture of the church of Jesus Christ. That's where the Holy Spirit in a sevenfold manifestation, he dwells. The candlestick, the candelabra, or the lampstand in the tabernacle is a picture of the Holy Spirit, all right, Jesus, yes, but mainly the Holy Spirit in the church. Because in the book of Revelation, the Bible says John turned to see the voice that spoke with him, and being turned he saw seven golden lampstands, which are the seven churches, the seven local assemblies at that time. Okay? So, the menorah is a picture of the local church. What counters the lack in our lives? The church, the local church. The more you're involved in the local church, the more you support the local church, amen, you will have no lack.
That's what God is saying. The answer to the attack of this spirit, the attack of lack in our life is to be involved in the local church, even support the local church financially, not just being there, but support. Support by tithing, amen? You all know that it is God's principal. The world will try to say, "Well, they are trying to take advantage of people," and all that. They do not know God's ways. And where does this expression of local church tithing comes from? From the Word of God, amen. Be involved in the local church, and it will counter lack.
Now, look at the north. And what is the spirit that attacks from the north? Death, okay? And for death, what is the answer there? The table of shewbread. God said to Moses, the place, the table of shewbread to the north of the tabernacle. And there's a purpose for the placement. So, the table of the shewbread counters death. Death is also what? The pestilence, plagues, disease, and the table of shewbread is a picture of today, that was the type, the antitype today is the Lord's Supper. Hallelujah. And when you partake of the Lord's Supper, especially on the Lord's Day, now you can partake every day and being conscious of the Lord, proclaiming his death, but especially the Lord's Day, which is Sunday, you need to partake of the Lord's Supper. I'll show you a pattern here.
Look at the Apostle John. The Apostle John, in the book of Revelation, chapter 1, it says, "I was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day". That's a Sunday, by the way. "And I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet. Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the seven lampstands One like the Son of Man". So, watch this now. Let's say I'm facing, right now, I'm facing north. Okay? John is facing north. And when he heard a voice behind him, and he turned around to see the voice that spoke with him, he saw the lampstand, which are the seven lampstands, which are the seven local churches during that time. Right?
So, if John had to turn around to see the voice that spoke with him, and in the middle of the lampstand was actually Jesus, he saw Jesus in the middle, he's always in the middle, my friend. He's always in the midst of the church. He's always in our midst. When he was a 12-year-old boy, right, he was in the temple listening to the teachers at that time. Where was he? He was in their midst. Amen. He says, "Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am, I am in the midst". Praise the Lord. Jesus, when he was crucified, he was crucified in the midst of the two thieves. When he rose from the dead, the Bible says Jesus appeared in the Upper Room in their midst. When John saw Jesus in the book of Revelation right here, he turned around, he saw Jesus in the midst. Hallelujah.
So, where was John facing before he turned? He was facing north, and he was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day. What do you think he was doing? I believe he was partaking of the Lord's Supper. The book of Acts says, "Upon the first day of the week, the disciples, the apostles, they came together to break bread". Notice the motive, the foremost reason for coming together on the first day of the week, which is a Sunday, is to break bread. It was their priority in those days. So, John, on the aisle of Patmos, right, I'm sure he found some bread, okay, and he was illustrating. He was facing north. For him to turn around, in other words, he was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day. He was in the true tabernacle, amen, and he was partaking of the Lord's Supper, and then he heard a voice behind him. And if you are facing north, and the table of shewbread is here, behind is the lampstand. Hallelujah.
So, again, the table of shewbread will counter the death, amen. It will counter the disease and the plague. Even if right now you are suffering from the COVID-19, my friend, don't give up. Partaking of the Lord's Supper, looking to the Lord, that's where your supernatural healing will come from. Praise the name of Jesus. So, notice that God says place the table of shewbread facing where? The north. Amen? And from the north of Israel would come all the enemies of Israel, down through Old Testament and even in the future, from the north comes evil and trouble, the Bible says, right, for Israel.
So, notice the counter is the table of shewbread. "What can a table do, Pastor Prince? What can a table do"? My friend, the table is powerful. It's God's ordained way. It's beyond the natural, amen? It will cause enemies to be confused, amen. It will cause the plague to recede before you. It will cause diseases that's already in your body to melt away and have to spring forth speedily. Praise the Lord. Thank you, Jesus. Amen, hallelujah.
And then we have the last one. We have wars. What countered the wars? The altar of incense. Altar of incense is a picture of prayer. The Lord Jesus is praying. Number one, he is praying. And then we are praying together with him. Actually, in a sense, we are entering into his prayer. One of the best ways to express this is praying in tongues; because when you're praying in tongues, you're actually praying according to God's will. Hallelujah. And as you pray, strife will melt away. As you pray, the enemy will depart. The enemy tries to bring strife and discord. He will be confused as you pray. He cannot stand the atmosphere of prayer.
Friend, the less you pray, the more you try to do, the more you try to save, to try to work at your relationship, you can only suffer because of human effort. But the more you pray, trust God, just pray, and then let me tell you, nothing is happening, remember this. As you pray, the prayers of a righteous man avails much. Amen? The answer is on its way, Daniel. Amen? Even if you've gotta wait for 30 days, wait for it. You've gotta wait for 50 days, wait for it. The answer came the very first day you prayed, but there's spiritual warfare going on, but the enemy is afraid of prayer, when God's people are praying. He doesn't care if you're boasting about your strength and all that, but he fears you when you are on your knees praying. Amen? Praise the Lord.
Have you been blessed by this? Amen. I trust, my friend, I said a lot in this time. In fact, this whole sermon can take a series to break down, amen, but I trust that you have received what God wants you to receive. In fact, in the midst of the words I've spoken, you have received a personal rhema word for your own situation. Receive it, my friend, and prosper by it. Praise the Lord. Or be healed by it, or have that breakthrough by it, in Jesus's name. Amen.
If you have never made Jesus your personal Savior and Lord, I want to pray with you, my friend. I want to pray for you, right now, that salvation in all its fullness will come into your life. Christ died for our sins. If you confess with your mouth Jesus Christ is your Lord, believe in your heart God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Amen? If that is you, pray this prayer with me right now. Say:
Heavenly Father, I believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God. I believe he died and rose again, and I believe Jesus is my Lord and my Savior from this day forth. Thank you, Father, all my sins are forgiven. I thank you, Father God. I stand before you right now with the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. You are my Father, and I am your son, and I am greatly blessed. Thank you, Father. In Jesus's name, amen.
If you prayed that prayer, my friend, from your heart, you are now a child of God. Amen? All things are passed away. All things have become new. Stand to your feet. Praise the name of Jesus.
This coming week, the Lord bless you and your families, and the Lord cause all his face to protect you throughout this week, the Lord cause your enemies to flee before you. They come against you one way, they flee before you seven ways. The Lord lift up his countenance on you and grant to you and your loved ones his shalom peace and his supernatural favor. You are kept in the Lord. Friend, continue to look to Jesus, amen, every single day of your life, and let nothing detract you from that.