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WE SEE NOT OUR SIGNS BY: AL GORMLEY "They have cast fire into thy sanctuary, they have defiled by casting down the dwelling place of thy name to the ground. They said in their hearts, Let us destroy them together: they have burned up all the synagogues of God in the land. We see not our signs: there is no more any prophet: neither is there among us any that knoweth how long. 0 God, how long shall the adversary reproach? shall the enemy blaspheme thy name for ever?" Psalm 74:7-10. PURPOSE OF SIGNS In traveling, you always look for signs. As you travel, you see the signs that have been placed alongside the road, and you know that your journey is coming to a close. You started on a journey and headed to a destination which you determined in advance. As the signs pass by, you know that your journey is almost complete. But the person who fails to look is at the end of his journey before he knows it. Some may sleep during the journey and awake and say, Are we there already? While you were sleeping, the signs passed by and you failed to see the nearness of your destination. Then, there is always the chance that the signs have been removed. This, too, would cause the end of your journey to be unexpected. GOD HAS PLACED SOME SIGNS God has placed some signs along the road to eternity. These signs are recorded in the Word of God, and it is the responsibility of every child of God to look for them. It is especially the responsibility of God's preachers to show the people the signs as we approach them. There are some preachers who are removing the signs and are not showing them to the people. THE RIGHT ROAD Now, I am on the road to this eternal home. I know that I am in the right way because Jesus Christ is the way, and I am in Him. "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me" John 14: 6. I am following Him. God has placed some signs along this road. These signs can be seen, but they cannot be seen if you are asleep. If you are asleep as you are making this journey, may I awaken you and point out to you the signs that God has placed along the way. I believe that there are some of us who are awake and see our signs, but there are some here who are asleep. There are some of us who will cry out to you that are asleep, "Look at the signs God has placed! Is not our journey coming to a close?" "And that knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed" Romans 13:11. Yes, we began the journey to the promised land when we believed. Already there is a great part of the journey past for a great number of God's saints. It has been a long journey since the time of Jesus Christ "as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?" Matthew 24:3. So the long journey will be ended when Jesus comes back; when this age is consummated. Jesus told His disciples some of the signs and that there would be a long period of time before this journey would be over. But at the end, there would be some signs along the way that would clearly show that the coming of the Lord is near. That which we have looked for, and hoped for, and yearned for, and have desired, and expected, is upon us. And it hasn't caught us unaware. Those that see the signs are as the virgins who had their lamps trimmed and had bought oil for them. "Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh." Matthew 25:1-13. Before our journey is complete and before we have come to the time when we shall meet our bridegroom, we shall see our signs and shall prepare ourselves for His glorious appearing and for the end of our journey. "Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober." I Thessalonians 5:6. For ye see, brethren, we are traveling in the day, and we can see our signs. "Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness" I Thessalonians 5:5. We are the children of light. "But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should over take you as a thief" I Thessalonians 5:4. No, we are not drunken and have not our sight blurred. "For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. But let us, who are of the day, be sober." 1 Thessalonians 5:7-8. We are watching. For you see, we desire to be where our Savior is. We are "waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body." Romans 8:23. "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is." I John 3:2. We desire our heavenly home, and as we are on this journey, we are looking for our signs. As we see them, we are crying out to you who may be asleep,"Look, there is another sign that your journey is almost over." "Lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh." Luke 21:28. Rejoice for the end is nigh well come. I will soon be in the presence of the Lord. A Psalm of David, "Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore." Psalm 16:11. Only God can shew us what is to happen in these last days, and when our journey is to come to a close, "It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in: That bringeth the princes to nothing; he maketh the judges of the earth as vanity." Isaiah 41:22-23. GOD'S PEOPLE CAN KNOW As we are coming to the close of the end of time and the coming of our Lord, and to what every child of God has looked for, for centuries; as we see the day fast approaching; as we see God's signs now appearing more frequently, day by day. I believe God is saying to us as God said to Abraham, "Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do" Genesis 18:17. Or unto Noah, "And the Lord said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years." Genesis 6:3. And the Lord destroyed the earth with water. "But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father." Mark 13:32. It is true that no man knoweth the day nor the hour of the coming of the Son of Man, but God has placed some signs for us to see the time approaching. And I believe those who are awake can see them. "Wake Up!" is the message of God. "Look for your signs!" These signs were not put in the Bible for no reason just as a sign is not put along the road for no reason. JEWS BACK IN PALESTINE You have already missed some of the signs 20 miles back, (20 years) I should say. We passed one back there that stirred many a heart as we saw a sign that clearly pointed to the soon coming of our Lord. "Behold, I will gather them out of all countries, whither I have driven them in mine anger, and in my fury, and in great wrath; and I will bring them again unto this place, and I will cause them to dwell safely: And they shall be my people, and I will be their God: And I will give them one heart, and one way, that they may fear me for ever, for the good of them, and of their children after them: And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me. Yea, I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will plant them in this land assuredly with my whole heart and with my whole soul. For thus saith the LORD: Like as I have brought all this great evil upon this people, so will I bring upon them all the good that I have promised them. And fields shall be bought in this land, whereof ye say, It is desolate without man or beast; it is given into the hand of the Chaldeans. Men shall buy fields for money, and subscribe evidences, and seal them, and take witnesses in the land of Benjamin, and in the places about Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, and in the cities of the mountains, and in the cities of the valley, and in the cities of the south: for I will cause their captivity to return, saith the LORD." Jeremiah 32:37-44. May 15, 1948 Israel became an independent state. "Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place, even in Jerusalem" Zechariah 12:6. This was prophesied some 1500 years before it happened. For 2,000 years the Jews were scattered in every nation of the world. But in our day, we see this sign as God has placed it before us. It has passed and the nation is being protected by God as he said it would be. Egypt tried to destroy her but was beaten and destroyed in six days. "Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about" Zechariah 12:2. Israel was surrounded by her enemies, but she became the victor. For the first time since Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 A.D., the Jews observed the Passover in April, 1968, in Jerusalem, and they possess it. Can you explain it? Oh Yes, "If God be for us, who can be against us?" Romans 8:31. "Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle." Zechariah 14:3. The Jews shall be saved in the last days. "And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn." Zechariah 12:10. KNOWLEDGE INCREASED, RUN TO AND FRO As we travel the road of time, a few years back we could see horses pulling buggies, we could see horses pulling plows, we did not see electric lines, telephone lines. There were no airplanes, no trains. We would see wars, but they were fought with swords, cap and ball pistols, or rifles. But as we go on the road today, and we come closer to the end of the road to eternity, we see some signs. "But thou, 0 Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased." Daniel 12:3. We see the world increasing in knowledge. Telephones, television, electricity, computers, high technology, everything happening so fast. Men going to and fro, automobiles, trucks, trains, airplanes. Men have circled the earth in a space craft at a rate of speed of 17,000 miles per hour plus. These things were unthinkable a few years ago. Whole nations can be destroyed by dropping a few bombs. The world has in its power the means to destroy its population if God permitted. Space crafts have landed on the moon. Pictures have been taken. Yes, knowledge has been increased. A few years ago, people would not go but a short distance from their homes. But today, all are going to and fro ... nation to nation. The roads are crowded beyond imagination. Thus, we pass another sign. Daniel says, at "the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased." PERILOUS TIMES SHALL COME "This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Withoutnatural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away." II Timothy 3:1-5. As we travel down this road, we also see the perilous times mentioned. Times that are hard and difficult. Times where there is no love except to self. Times where men are all of these things mentioned above. A time when people only have a form of godliness, but the power of God is denied in their lives. "They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate." Titus 1:16. Just another sign that God has placed along the way to show that our journey is almost over. FALLING AWAY FROM THE FAITH "Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition." II Thessalonians 2:3. Go back a few miles (years). God's churches (Baptist Churches) were standing for truth. They were practicing the Word of God. The Word was preached and it was their rule of faith and practice. They believed their membership was to be godly, a separated people, holy unto the Lord. The Church was the temple of God. It was known that the Lord was building His church and that "we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building." I Corinthians 3:9. It was built by the Lord and for the Lord. Only those saved by God's grace could be members. A church dedicated to standing for the precious truth of God's Word. There was no cause for compromise; no cause to work with God's enemies. "They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world." John 17:16. "The church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth." I Timothy 3:15. But as we travel toward the end of our journey, God places another sign along the way. "Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first" II Thessalonians 2:3. What day? "Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him" II Thessalonians 2:1. Yes, the last days will be ones of apostasy... turning away from revealed truth. Not that the truth has not been preached, but the denying of the truth of God's Word. "That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness" II Thessalonians 2:12. "They received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved." II Thess. 2:10. "Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils" I Timothy 4:1. This tells us that they shall know the truth, but will be led away from the truth by giving heed to the teachings of devils and not to the teachings of God. Spirits that would lead people to obey false teaching. The Bible calls them seducing spirits. Spirits that would lead people away from the truth. This sets the world in a position to receive the anti-christ ... Satan in a man. The rejecting of the truth is a terrible sin, "And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie" II Thessalonians 2:11. Yes, they will turn from God and begin to exalt man. They will turn to worldly means. They will turn to men to lead the church instead of to Jesus Christ, our head. I can see the stage set for the Man of Sin, which I believe will be Satan incarnate. All of Satan's power will be concentrated in a man. "And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth" Revelation 12:9. A man that will have great power and a solution to the world's problems because he will be the cause of all the problems. He will bring a false peace because he will be the cause of all trouble. He will make men believe a lie. "Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it" John 8:44. This man will have power to do many signs and wonders ... a man that all the world will worship. "And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" Revelation 13:7-8. Yes, I see a world church which is or will be the result of the ecumenical movement to get all to join together. Yes, it is coming just as God said it would. There will also be a world government and a world church. They will be in unity. There will be a coming together of church and state. I believe this church will be Roman Catholicism. She will get her power from the beast. "And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy" Revelation 13:1. "So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns ... And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her which hath the seven heads and ten horns" Revelation 17:3,7. They shall be as one symbolized by the great whore riding the beast. Along with them will come a false prophet with great power. Power such as the prophet Elijah had. "And I behold another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: and that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name" Revelation 13:11-17. He will have complete control over world trade, buying and selling. Yes, this is already taking place. Our rights and privileges are being taken away. The stage is being set. The time of the end is near. Laugh if you will, go back to sleep if you will, but God has put some signs in His Word that cannot be denied. There will be a great time of trouble for the children of God, although I believe God's people will be taken out before the great tribulation. But all these things will begin to come to pass before the Man of Sin is revealed. Some of the things mentioned will take place after God's people have been taken out. "But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words" I Thessalonians 4:13-18. "And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man" Luke 21:34-36. LAWLESSNESS "And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold" Matthew 24:12. As we travel, we see another sign which God has placed near the end of our journey to let us know the nearness or the completeness of our journey. Lawlessness shall abound. There will be no respect for the law. Now let us look at this sign. There are riots in our land, people who are looting, and the police watch, afraid of what might happen. People who have no respect for the right of others. Politicians after their own selfish desires. If there was ever a time that this is so, it is now. Another sign, "but as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be" Matthew 24:37. God tells us if we want to know the condition of the earth when Jesus comes back, look at the days of Noah. "And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually ... And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air... The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth. And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth" Genesis 6:5,7,11-13. The earth is filled with violence today. Why? Through them that are wicked, through them that are evil in their imaginations. There are riots, thefts, marches, killings, abortions, rapes, wars, rumors of wars. But remember this, though a man claims to be a man of God, "God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints." I Corinthians 14:33. All preachers are not God' s preachers. Satan has his preachers. "For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works" II Corinthians 11:13-15. "But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace" James 3:14-18. Do you think that the world's problems are the result of God fearing men? No! They are the result of man' s sins. It is the work of Satan as he deceives the hearts of people. "The Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world" Revelation 12:9. It is Satan who caused man to break the law of God in the beginning. "Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die. For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil" Genesis 3:1-5. It is Satan who is causing the lawlessness that prevails in the world today. Just another sign that God has permitted Satan to have more power to deceive men on the earth. "God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things" Acts 17:24-25. Yes, God is Lord over heaven and earth, but man has not loved His truth, he has not obeyed the truth, so God is giving him what he wants. God is giving this nation up "because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful ... Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts... Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator" Romans 1:21,24,25. Thus, setting the stage for the Man of Sin, one man to rule over both religion and government. "The son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God" II Thessalonians 2:4. Man wants man to be his God, then God will provide that which you want, "And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth" II Thessalonians 2:11-12. "Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they ,builded; But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all." Luke 17:28-29. It was a day of sexual freedom. A day when men did that which was condemned. "And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly" Romans 1:27. There was no sense of right or wrong. Morals were at a low, even to the condition of the beasts that roamed the earth. The men of Sodom came to Lot's house to force two of God's servants (angels) to come out to them that they might have sex with them. "But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both old and young, all the people from every quarter: And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them" Genesis 19:4-5. The beatniks, the long-haired men and boys are all just another perversion of the Word of God. "Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him?" I Corinthians 11:14. "But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone" Revelation 21:8. How can a nation such as this call upon God? No! Only the righteous, they only have power with God. The world's prayers are a mockery in God's sight. God does not hear. Men call upon God as if he must hear. God has conditions to be met for men to pray, and it is certain that this nation is in no condition to pray. "Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth" John 9:31. Cannot we see our signs? WAKE UP! THE JOURNEY IS ALMOST ENDED! CHURCHES NOT ENDURING SOUND DOCTRINE Baptist churches at one time not only preached sound doctrine, but they practiced sound doctrine. "And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch" Acts 11:26. They lived like Christ. They were called Christians by a world of unbelievers. Today people call themselves Christians and live like the devil. Very few live godly so that they can be looked upon by the world and a difference be seen between the world and what is called a Christian. "Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables" II Timothy 4:2-4. "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?" II Corinthians 6:14. How can Baptist churches have fellowship with people who deny the virgin birth. "And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God" Luke 1:35. If Jesus Christ was born of Adam's descendants, he too would have a sinful nature. They deny the Genesis account of creation. "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth" Genesis 1:1. If God did not create, who did? if it just began to exist, what caused it to begin? Whatever caused it to exist is God. "For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist" Colossians 1:16-17. They deny the doctrine of Jesus Christ. "And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins" Matthew 1:21. People will not heed, "come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you" II Corinthians 6:17. "Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward. Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds" II John 8-11. "If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed" Galatians 1:9. A people who preach and teach another gospel, another doctrine, yet God's churches are taking them into their churches, accepting alien immersion, when God plainly says that when you do, you are a partaker of their evil deeds. "Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us" II Thessalonians 3:6. What are the traditions? "Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me. For this cause have I sent unto you Timotheus, who is my beloved son, and faithful in the Lord, who shall bring you into remembrance of my ways which be in Christ, as I teach every where in every church" I Corinthians 4:16-17. These are but a few of the signs that the Lord has put along the way to tell us that our journey is almost over. "And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh" Luke 21:28. We should rejoice as a man that has almost finished the race. "Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain" I Corinthians 9:24. "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith" II Timothy 4:7. Can this be said of us one day? "But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ" I Corinthians 15:57. We should rejoice in our hope more, our faith should be stronger, our love should be greater as we see the day approaching. Our journey is almost over, but as the time comes to an end for God's children, when we shall be with Him and our journey is ended, "Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth" Luke 21:26. Do you see the signs believers? Then wake up! Do you see the signs sinners? Then repent before it is too late. Turn from your sins, put your faith in Jesus Christ, and travel toward the promised land with us. It is just a short way off. "Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence" Psalm 50:3. Many of God's signs have already passed. Some we can see now. The time is at hand... repent, return unto the Lord. He will have mercy upon you. "Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon" Isaiah 55:6-7. PRINTED BY: Bryan Station Baptist Church 3175 Briar Hill Road Lexington, Kentucky 40516 1,000 Copies December 1997 PUBLICATIONS: Books by C.D. Cole Definitions of Doctrine Volume I Volume II Volume III (N.T. Church) Lectures In Biblical Theology-N.T. Doctrine of Election Heavenly Hope Divine Order of the Sexes Eternal Punishment Books bv H.Bovce Tavlor: Studies in Romans Acts of the Apostles Studies In the Parables Women's Work in Baptist Churches Bible Briefs Against Hurtful Heresies Books by Mark W. Fenison Baptist Women Exalted Once Delivered Encludes 3 Cassette Tapes Other Books: Rethinking Baptist Doctrine By: Various Authors Resetting An Old Landmark By: Tom Ross Courtship of Jesus By: M. W. Hall Fully After the Lord By: Steve Flinchum Studies In Types By: J. A. Schumidt Denominationalism Put to the Test By: Selana R. Tull 24 Sermons on Various Subjects By: C. D. Cole & Al Gormley We See Not Our Signs By: Al Gormley Who Are the Baptist By: Curtis Whaley Evangelism 101 By: Matt Waymeyer Mail your order to Bryan Station Baptist Church 3175 Briar Hill Road Lexington, Ky 40516
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