THE CHURCH OF GOD OF PROPHECY
47 Pine Hill
Centreville, AL 35042
MINISTER: Leonard Chance
(205) 926-7706
(205) 717-1970
www.thegreatspeckledbird.org
When You Face Eternity
Count the blessings that God has provided us to be able to Worship God in the Spirit of Truth and Walk for Him Holy. One day we’re not going to be here. One day it will all be done. One day we’ll have to go and meet Him! Praise the name of the Lord. But right now we’re here to Worship God and give praises unto Him. I want to Worship the Lord and declare His Righteousness! I want to go a little deeper than from the bottom of my feet to my toes: I want to go all the way up past my nose. I want to go all the way with the Lord. I don’t want to go somewhere and stop: I want to go all the way! Praise the name of the Lord. Remember now thou creator. In the days of thy youth; that’s a good time to remember the Lord. When you get old you may not be able to go to the House of God! You may not be able to Worship the Lord and be in the Services! You may be flat on your back but God remembers His own: He will Protect and Guide and keep your Soul forever!
As long as you obey God and keep the Salvation, He is able and just to deliver you! Praise the name of the Lord. I’ve done a lot of studying. I spend a lot of time trying to preach and teach the things God has given me. The responsibility for the Souls of man is upon the House of the Lord. We must come and Worship Him! It’s good to be able to declare the Righteousness of our God! I realize that Jonah stayed in the whale’s belly for three days and I’m sure he was happy to get out of there. But I tell you one thing, there wasn’t a whole lot more said about Jonah; only that He stayed outside the city to see what God was going to do. Well, I know what God is going to do! I know what the Saviour is going to do! I know that we must do it with Him. He is coming and we will one day be with Him! Praise the name of the Lord. I want to read a verse of Scripture here in Isaiah 62:1. Listen to what the Prophet had to say.
Isaiah 62:1---For Zion’s sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the Salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth.
This is the time we need to come together. It is our time on the program that we obey God, obey God, obey God! For Zion’s sake: for the sake of the Church! I want you to know it’s for Zion’s sake! “For Zion’s sake I will not hold my peace.” I will not hold my peace! I don’t believe today is the day for you to hold your Peace: not when things aren’t going right in the House of God, in The Church of God of Prophecy. You need to Tell! You need to Speak! You need to Show, not just roll over and go with it. But for Zion’s sake I will not hold my peace! “And for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest!” I will not rest until this happens: until the Righteousness thereof go forth as a Lamp that Burns! We need the Brightness of the Lord’s Work! We need the Last Day’s Message; right! We need to Walk Holy before God: not just because it’s something to do but it’s for Eternal Life! I will not hold my peace; you might as well get used to that until this Lamp goes forth as burning.
Isaiah 62:2, 3---And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy Glory: and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord shall name. Thou shalt also be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God.
Now the Gentiles are going to come. They’re here: today is the day of the Gentiles! The Gentiles shall do what? They’ll see thy Righteousness and all the Kings are going to see thy Glory. They are going to be called by a new name: not from the mouth of just anybody, but the mouth of the Lord shall name! That’s where we got the name “The Church of God of the Bible.” That’s where the name came from! A lot of people want it but only one has it, which the mouth of the Lord shall name! Thou shalt also be a Crown of Glory in the hand of the Lord and a Royal Diadem in the hand of our God! That’s what we are today people; if you live up to this Truth! If you live up to this Word, you are a Crown of Glory in the hand of the Lord; you are a Royal Diadem in the hand of our God! But there are things to do. For Zion’s sake I will not rest, for Jerusalem’s sake I will not! You have several (I will not’s) here. I’m not going to betray the House of God for the Devil. That’s what you need to say! I’m going to stay with the Holy Path and Plan of God! That’s what you need to determine, be unshakeable, unmovable! Stand steadfast: unshakeable!
Now I realize that ole Noah lived in a world of people that didn’t know God said build an Ark. And no doubt people came by laughing everyday. Every time he turned around, there was somebody trying to do this or that against it, but ole Noah kept working. The whole plan hinged upon Noah. Today the whole plan hinges on the House of God! We must Obey God according to this Holy Word of God! We took this King James Bible to be our Bible from the beginning and we are not changing it! Get used to it, Devil! It doesn’t matter who does, anybody can, but The Church of God of Prophecy will not change from the Holy Word. We will Stand Steadfast in it! Choose whatever you want to; do that if you will, but The Body of Christ will not change His Word!
Isaiah 62:4---Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate: but thou shalt be called Hephzibah, and thy land Beulah: for the Lord delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married.
Now thou shalt no more be termed Desolate! We’re not going to become Desolate! There’s going to be enough People in The Church of God of Prophecy that won’t change! Change is inevitable but the True Backbone of The Church of God of the Bible will not change!! You may be washed out earlier then you think! Thou shalt be called: this is a fact! We’re going to be called Holy! We’re going to be called Righteous! We’re going to be called Steadfast! Get used to it: from the sole of the foot to the top of the head! Get used to it. This Holy House is going to be called the Land of Beulah! For the Lord, He has delighteth in thee from the beginning in 1903. He is still delighted in Her today! Now, He may not be happy with you but He has something for that! You may have been in the way for many years but a day is coming when you won’t be in the way!
Thy land shall be married: meaning that old Covenant is going to stay! We’re going to take that Covenant! We’re going to marry the Saviour! There will always be somebody to marry Him! He is the Bridegroom and He isn’t changing. He’s not leaving and nobody here is running from Him! He is going to have a Wife! He’s going to have Holy People! He’s going to have a People that will come down to the Altar, give their Soul to Him, and get up and make this same ole Holy Covenant and marry Him!!
Isaiah 62:5---For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee: and as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee.
Here is the way it’s going to be: “For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee.” We’re going to always be here to marry the Lord! The Church of God of Prophecy is married to the Saviour! Now, you may have changed, you may want change, you may need a change but the Lord is going to keep the Church Holy! Somebody’s going to make it to Heaven! Somebody’s going to mount up like Eagles! Somebody’s going to run and never be wearied! Somebody is going to be Holy! Sometimes it looks mighty desolate! Sometimes you look for someone to stand up and say, I am still that same Old Gospel! I’m still that same ole Church of God of Prophecy!
I’m not giving up my Banner for some logo! I’m going to stand for this Holy Peace and Salvation. You’re going to find people. No matter what you do, you’re going to find People who are going to live and die Holy the way it’s always been! I believe today’s problem is when people come into the House of God they want to get in a big Office! They want the big Tithes! They want big money! They want to give: they want to do! They want to make it! They want to shine their way but I’m going to tell you, the day will come when you will shine no more!
Isaiah 62:6-7---I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the Lord, keep not silence. And give him no rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth.
I have set watchmen: blame the Saviour! The Saviour said; “I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem.” They will never hold their peace day or night. He promised you; “ye that make mention of the Lord, keep not silent.” A praise in the earth: the Church is going to have a praise in the earth! It’s going to come! It’s going to be! Now we have just about lost sight of our Original Rising of The Church of God of Prophecy in the Last Days! We’ve lost our Auxiliaries! We’ve lost this, we’ve lost that and we lost the other! Somebody came in with the sayings and doings that don’t fit in this Word of God. If you are one of them you need to remember, you have eternity ahead!
2 Peter 2:1---But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.
Do you mean there were false prophets in the Church all the time? O yeah, from the very beginning. How many people haven’t left? How many people have come in and then left? They’re still coming in and leaving! Go back and read that again. We know there are false teachers, preachers and leaders in The Church of God of Prophecy today. All you have to do is open your ears and listen! But that day hasn’t come to die yet. They bring in damnable, damnable things. They even denied the Lord that brought them. Yeah, I know it says bought, I said brought. God brought people into the Church that has now changed their ways and their doings! He brought them in: something happened! He bought them: the Blood of the Saviour paid the price. At one time they had Salvation; but where are they today? They now bring upon themselves swift destruction! God bought them and set them in the body all right. What happened?
2 Peter 2:2- 3---And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.
Many shall follow their own pernicious Ways! Do you know what pernicious is? They want to have it their way! They’re not in it for the sake of Salvation! They’re in it for what they can get! Today there’s a big change in the House of God! You don’t see that ole Flag flying on cars! You don’t see it on houses or doors! You don’t see the Truth: where is it? Even ole Jonah, when he got out of that whales belly, he went down to Nineveh. Upon warning them, he saw the whole place turn around and serve the Lord: just one man! By way that even the Truth, now is evil spoken of! We want a change! We don’t want that ole path! Hallelujah, now I have me a Bible I like! You have something else you don’t like!
Do you mean to tell me that people would rather have covetousness than Salvation? Is that for real? Right now I get tithes in my collection plate! I get money in my plate! You’re going to get something else and you won’t like it! Now with feigned word, enticing, I want to see a change. With feigned words, they make merchandise of you! Do you know what making merchandise of you is? They sell you a plan you can buy into! Now we can, now we can…all we have to do is: with feigned words they change you! There is a move of change in the House of God all right but it isn’t for the better!
Whose judgment now for a long time: why this change has been going on for years and their Damnation doesn’t slumber, they’re not sleeping, people. If they can win your Soul, if they can get what you have, if they can do this or that or the other, they’re happy. It doesn’t matter where you are in the House of God. Today you may have a Great Vision but one day you’re going to run around and come up to somebody that has feigned words for you! Now this is a new path that we are on now. I will never go back to that old one. Somebody isn’t listening to God. The Church of God of Prophecy isn’t going to leave that ole Path! People will, but the Body of Christ is going to stay Holy and True!
2 Peter 2:4—For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment.
Now consider this, if God spared not the Angels that sinned, what makes you think He’s going to spare you? If God didn’t spare the Angels that fell from Heaven, what makes you think He is going to spare you? It wasn’t that the Demons and the Devils didn’t like Heaven. They liked it, they meant to stay, and they were enjoying it: that’s why the War was fought! It wasn’t that they didn’t like Heaven; they loved it. They were highly shocked and surprised when they lost it! And you know what; the devil didn’t have nowhere to rest his foot. No, they were cast out but before God came and made the Earth. It didn’t seem to bother God that the Devil didn’t have anywhere to rest his foot. The Earth didn’t come till later. The Devil knew God was going to create it, but when God came down here it was all black! The Devil was already down here but God had to come and say; let there be Light! The Devil has never created anything!