looked for judgment, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry Therefore my people are gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge: and their honourable men are famished, and their multitude dried up with thirst. Therefore hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure: and their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoiceth, shall descend into it. And the mean man shall be brought down, and the mighty man shall be humbled, and the eyes of the lofty shall be humbled (Isaiah 5:5-7,13-15).
And now also the ax is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire (Matthew 3:10).
The judgment of God is inevitable and it has been determined upon every tree that brings forth bad fruit. No soul will escape the fierce judgment of God except those that have genuinely repented of their sin and with patience bring forth fruit unto God. Many souls are going from churches to hell fire because of the heresy and the emphasis of the leaders. Though their ministers may be deceiving them in sin and iniquity that they are going to heaven and they continue singing and dancing, that is how they will gladly rejoice into hell fire if they refuse to repent. The Scripture says, knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men (2 Corinthians 4:11). Persuade men to do what? To repent of their sin and live righteously because of the certainty of the judgment of God. The day of the Lord shall burn with fire. The ministers that truly love their members will constantly warn them of the peril ahead of the unrepentant and the filthy and heretics. It is a great sign of love to warn people of the danger coming, it is not threatening at all. Only wicked ministers will refuse to speak about the judgment of God and the danger of hell fire to His followers because he wants them to perish in the lake of hell fire. The Lord Jesus came to this world because of it and laid down His life because He saw the way people are agonizing and tormented in the hell fire and warned people to fear God above all men, because He has power to kill and to cast into hell fire. All the worldliness that glue itself to your hearts will soon depart from you eyes when dead come knocking the door. All the gold, silvers and painting you are using as pastors’ wives to mislead ladies in your husband ministry to follow your pattern instead of the Word of God will come to an end one day. Those that will escape the judgment to come are those that are free from inward and outward sin. Purity within and without are the only condition for safety. All the gold, silver, big estate, bevy of cars and others worldly wealth will come to an end. None of them will follow beyond this world.
And the slain of the LORD shall be at that day from one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth: they shall not be lamented, neither gathered, nor buried; they shall be dung upon the ground. Howl, ye shepherds, and cry; and wallow yourselves in the ashes, ye principal of the flock: for the days of your slaughter and of your dispersions are accomplished; and ye shall fall like a pleasant vessel. And the shepherds shall have no way to flee, nor the principal of the flock to escape. A voice of the cry of the shepherds, and an howling of the principal of the flock, shall be heard: for the LORD hath spoiled their pasture. And the peaceable habitations are cut down because of the fierce anger of the LORD. He hath forsaken his covert, as the lion: for their land is desolate because of the fierceness of the oppressor, and because of his fierce anger (Jeremiah 25: 33-38).
The leader’s error is a leading error just as the leader’s sin is a leading sin. The judgment of God upon the leaders is very severe because of the people that thought that they know the way that are ignorantly following them. This is why the leaders must constantly abide in the Lord and in His Word to bring a perfect fruit unto God and without that the judgment of God is inevitable. If you as a leader is living contrary to the whole counsel of God or contradicting the salient truth of the Word, all your followers will equally do the same and they are all heading to the way you are heading to. The LORD has no tolerance for those that mislead His people or that cause the blind to wonder away from the way of truth. God’s judgment is hovering over them if they change not.
My covenant was with him of life and peace; and I gave them to him for the fear wherewith he feared me, and was afraid before my name. The law of truth was in his mouth, and iniquity was not found in his lips: he walked with me in peace and equity, and did turn many away from iniquity. For the priest's lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth: for he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts. But ye are departed out of the way; ye have caused many to stumble at the law; ye have corrupted the covenant of Levi, saith the LORD of hosts. Therefore have I also made you contemptible and base before all the people, according as ye have not kept my ways, but have been partial in the law (Malachi 2:5-9).
I have not seen anything that require diligent and painstaking attention as the work of God because we can just follow our own mentality or discretion but it must be done according to all that is written in the Scriptures less many will be irrecoverably led astray because people always repose their confidence and trust in the ministers of God even above the Word of God. Many ministers are doing a great damage to the work of God today because of the approach and wrong emphasize of the Word of God. Many turned the Word upside down while many preach half truth of the Scripture while some others are leading their followers with the special revelation that contradict the written Word of God. If not because of yourself but for the sake of the people ignorantly following you, why not you pocket your pride and seek for the truth and if you know the truth but you are dodging it because of the material gain, remember that one day, you are leaving them behind. What will now be your gain in eternal hell? For the sake of heaven and the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ and your own soul that will not cease to exist, seek the truth and abide by it, because the judgment of God will be so fierce in that day. Why will you allow yourself to dance from the church to hell fire?
And the harp, and the viol, the tabret, and pipe, and wine, are in their feasts: but they regard not the work of the LORD, neither consider the operation of his hands. Therefore my people are gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge: and their honourable men are famished, and their multitude dried up with thirst. Therefore hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure: and their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoiceth, shall descend into it. And the mean man shall be brought down, and the mighty man shall be humbled, and the eyes of the lofty shall be humbled Isaiah (5:12-15).
How many people today are dancing from the pulpit and pew to hell fire because they lack adequate knowledge of the Word of God? Is it because there are not those that are preaching the truth they can learn from? The five wise virgin told the foolish one, to go to them that sell and buy for themselves. You can go to them that sell the truth today and buy for yourself before it is too late. You can destroy the error you have been preaching today and embrace the truth of the gospel instead of you and your followers to perish in hell.
Ten
THE FRUIT IN THE FRUIT
Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen your and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain…herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit? So shall ye be my disciples (John 15:16,8).
The Scripture is replete with God’s threat of destroying the unfruitful tree in His vineyard. In Isaiah chapter five, the Lord warned of the judgment coming upon the unfruitful vine of Israel. He was expecting them to bring forth good fruit of righteousness, justice, mercy, love and all the fruit of the spirit but it was a cry, oppression, the priest taught for hire, the prophet prophesized for money, they love gifts, the judge not the fatherless, yet they were in God’s presence, singing and making melody to God, they brought sacrifice called solemn assembly, burnt offering, tithe, sacrifices and offering but the substance is lacking. The fruit was not in them, the fruit was not in their followers and judgment was hovering over their heads, why cumbereth it the ground, cut it do
wn, remove the edge thereof and let no man eat of you any longer, then they were led away captive, killed, enslaved and thrown into dungeon, because they don’t bring forth fruit unto God but unto themselves.
It is better we realize the kind of fruit the Lord desires and strictly work in line with it in our prayer, preaching, teaching, devotion, evangelism, programs, convention, congress and all the calling of assemblies. Laying too much emphasis on what the Lord is not desiring and handling what He greatly delight in with a pinch of salt is a sign of unfaithfulness and lack of regard for God. The Lord has clearly stated in the Scriptures the qualities or the fruit of the Spirit and of soul winning He delighted in them that will be found worthy of Him. We seldom pray this fruit into our lives and practice them and preach them to others. How could the whole land of Israel lack a fruit fit for God? No wonder many denominations and big churches today could not produce any fruit for the master, since the head is sick, and the whole body is full of putrefying sores. The so-called Christians have forgotten the reason why he was called