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Subject 24 : Sermons for Those Who Have Become Our COWORKERS
[24-72] Store Up the Bread of Life By Faith throughout The Whole World (Genesis 41:46-57)
(Genesis 41:46-57)
“Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh King of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt. Now in the seven plentiful years the ground brought forth abundantly. So he gathered up all the food of the seven years which were in the land of Egypt, and laid up the food in the cities; he laid up in every city the food of the fields which surrounded them. Joseph gathered very much grain, as the sand of the sea, until he stopped counting, for it was immeasurable. And to Joseph were born two sons before the years of famine came, whom Asenath, the daughter of Poti-Pherah priest of On, bore to him. Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh: ‘For God has made me forget all my toil and all my father’s house.’ And the name of the second he called Ephraim: ‘For God has caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction.’ Then the seven years of plenty which were in the land of Egypt ended, and the seven years of famine began to come, as Joseph had said. The famine was in all lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was bread. So when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread. Then Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, ‘Go to Joseph; whatever he says to you, do.’ The famine was over all the face of the earth, and Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold to the Egyptians. And the famine became severe in the land of Egypt. So all countries came to Joseph in Egypt to buy grain, because the famine was severe in all lands.”
Today’s passage of Scripture describes the story of Joseph when he was holding office as governor of Egypt. As you may already know, he was sold into slavery into Egypt by his brothers but he eventually became the governor of that country. How could he become the governor of Egypt? This is an amazing story.
When Joseph was in jail under a false charge, Pharaoh had a dream in the royal court and this dream impacted him greatly that he was greatly troubled by it. But there was no one who could interpret the king’s dream from among his loyal servants. Right then the chief butler of Pharaoh remembered Joseph who had interpreted his dream in jail and recommended him to the king. And so Joseph was summoned by Pharaoh and he interpreted this dream, and because of this, he became the governor of Egypt and delivered that country from the famine that the dream had foreshadowed. Today I would like to deliver a message to you on the deep spiritual meaning of Joseph’s interpretation of the dream of this king.
Joseph Who Interpreted Pharaoh’s Dream
The dream which Pharaoh had in his royal court went as follows. Genesis 41:1-7 says, “Then it came to pass, at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh had a dream; and behold, he stood by the river. Suddenly there came up out of the river seven cows, fine looking and fat; and they fed in the meadow. Then behold, seven other cows came up after them out of the river, ugly and gaunt, and stood by the other cows on the bank of the river. And the ugly and gaunt cows ate up the seven fine looking and fat cows. So Pharaoh awoke. He slept and dreamed a second time; and suddenly seven heads of grain came up on one stalk, plump and good. Then behold, seven thin heads of grain came up on one stalk, plump and good. Then behold, seven thin heads, blighted by the east wind, sprang up after them. And the seven thin heads devoured the seven plump and full heads. So Pharaoh awoke, and indeed, it was a dream.”
And further we read, “Now it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled, and he sent and called for all of the magicians of Egypt and all its wise men. And Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was no one who could interpret them for Pharaoh” (Genesis 41:8). Pharaoh told his dream to his magicians and commanded them to interpret it, but there was no one who could do this. Then the chief butler recommended Joseph to Pharaoh and Joseph interpreted the dream for the king. His interpretation of the dream went like this.
Genesis 41:25-36 says, “Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, ‘The dreams of Pharaoh are one; God has show Pharaoh what He is about to do; the seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good heads are seven years; the dreams are one. And the seven thin and ugly cows which came up after them are seven years, and the seven empty heads blighted by the ease win are seven years of famine. This is the thing which I have spoken to Pharaoh. God has show Pharaoh what He is about to do. Indeed seven years of great plenty will come throughout all the land of Egypt; but after them seven years of famine will arise, and all the plenty will be forgotten in the land of Egypt; and the famine will deplete the land. So the plenty will not be known in the land because of the famine following, for it will be very severe. And the dream was repeated to Pharaoh twice because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass. Now therefore, let Pharaoh select a discerning and wise man, and set him over the land of Egypt. Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint officers over the land, to collect one-fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt in the seven plentiful years. And let them gather all the food of those good years that are coming, and store up grain under the authority of Pharaoh, and let them keep food in the cities. Then that food shall be as a reserve for the land for the seven years of famine which shall be in the land of Egypt, that the land may not perish during the famine.”
This was Joseph’s interpretation of this king’s dream. Pharaoh and his servants were all pleased with the interpretation of that dream, and then Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find such a one as this, a man in whom is the Spirit of God?” Joseph was the overseer of the household of Potiphar, the captain of the guard of Pharaoh, but we see that Pharaoh appointed him the governor over all the land of Egypt and he took his signet ring off his hand and put it on Joseph’s finger, clothed him in fine linen, put a gold chain on his neck, gave him a chariot which equaled that of Pharaohs and had his servants to cry out and bow the knee before Joseph. He became a man of immense power as we see in Genesis 41:44-45, “Pharaoh also said to Joseph, ‘I am Pharaoh, and without your consent no man may lift his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.’ And Pharaoh called Joseph’s name Aaphnath-Paaneah. And he gave him as a wife Asenath, the daughter of Poti-Pherah priest of On. So Joseph went out over all the land of Egypt.” Pharaoh thus handed Joseph great power and authority over that country. We Koreans often speak of great power as “power that can make birds even fall from the sky.” Pharaoh gave this type of power and authority to Joseph, saying, “Without your consent no man may lift his hand or foot.” Without the permission of Joseph, the people of Egypt could not lift their hands or feet. Like this for example, we played soccer this afternoon and in the evening we played ping pong. If we had been living in that period and had played ping pong without Joseph’s approval, we would have broken that law and would have been killed.
Joseph was thirty years old when he became the governor of Egypt. He went out over all the land of Egypt and ruled over it. Genesis 41:47-49 says, “Now in the seven plentiful years the ground brought forth abundantly. So he gathered up all the food of the seven years which were in the land of Egypt, and laid up the food in the cities; he laid up in every city the food of the fields which surrounded them. Joseph gathered very much grain, as the sand of the sea, until he stopped counting, for it was immeasurable.” Just as Joseph interpreted the king’s dream, there were indeed seven years of prosperity. The seven years of prosperity which God allowed was for them to gather up all the food for this period, and laid up this food in the cities; he laid up in every city the food of those fields which surrounded them. Joseph gathered much grain and stored it, as the sand of the sea, until he stopped counting for it was immeasurable.
He built large storage houses in this manner, and after seven years of prosperity, and at the beginning of the eighth year, a severe famine descended upon the land. This is what the Bible says regarding this, “And the seven years of famine began to come as Joseph had said. The famine was in all lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was bread. So when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread. Then Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, ‘Go to Joseph; whatever he says to you, do’” (Genesis 41:54-55).
Truly, because Joseph became the governor of Egypt, the country was able to wisely prepare itself for the disaster of famine to come. And as a result, all the people of Egypt were able to survive they all prospered.
What does today’s Scripture passage teach us then?
The Time of Spiritual Harvest Which God Has Appointed Is Drawing Near
God has promised that He would save many lost souls during the times of sorrows that Jesus spoke of. I am sure you are all well aware of this fact already. The reason I am telling you this again is because the end of the world is approaching us fast. In fact, the disasters on this earth have already begun. God has planned the unfolding of the Seven Ages according to His will (Revelations 5:1). Among these seven ages, the first age has already passed. The first age, namely the age of the white horse wherein the gospel was first proclaimed, is the age when the gospel blossomed and continued to be preached (Revelations 6:2). This first age has now long passed. And the second age is the age of human ideology, namely the age of the fiery red horse (Revelations 6:4). Because of differences in human ideology, wars and conflicts among humankind resulted, and this age has also passed away. And then the third age is a period of disaster and famine, namely the age of the black horse (Revelations 6:5). We are now living in this age of calamity and famine, that is, the age of great sorrows. This world will experience natural disasters on a growing scale, and in this age we will experience lack of food because of these devastating famines. It will also be accompanied by great spiritual famine.
The fourth age will be the age when the Antichrist appears, namely the age of the pale horse (Revelations 6:8). It will be a period when the Antichrist and his servants oppress mankind and kill those who do not submit to them. It will be a period when those who truly believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit are martyred. After this period the fifth age will come, and this age is the age of great tribulation. During this tumultuous period, multitudes of people will die.
During the fourth age when the Antichrist makes his appearance, it will seem calm at first, but soon the Antichrist will reveal his true brutal nature. He will separate those who truly believe in Jesus and those who do not, those who are born again and those who are not born again. He will control people coercively and even kill those who do not listen to him or do not receive the mark of his name. Such people will not be able to buy or sell anything. During this age, many saints will be martyred and many people who are now within Christendom will come to believe in this gospel of the water and the Spirit.
When that time arrives, the nation of Israel will go through adversity and will also be attacked by the Antichrist. Then the people of Israel will cry out and pray to the Lord God. And they will begin to look earnestly and wait for the Savior who will deliver them. And finally they will come to know that the Savior they were waiting for is in fact Jesus Christ who had already come on their land. They will come to understand that Jesus is the Christ and will then believe in Him; but the Bible tells us that only a minority will believe in Him. During this age, many people among the nation of Israel will be martyred. And many others will be martyred during this age.
Which Age Are We Now Living in among the Seven Ages That God Has Planned?
Amongst these seven ages, which age are we now living in? The period that has come upon us now is the third age, the Age of Calamity. Some of you may be asking how this present age can be the Age of Calamity. The Bible says that this present age is the Age of Calamity as so clearly recorded in Matthew chapter 24 and in Revelations chapter 6. There is no one who can deny that this is the age of sorrows and the fact that we are presently in this period. Dear fellow believers, do you not believe this to be true?
Dear fellow believers, let’s look at Revelations together. The Book of Revelations 6:1-17 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. He who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer. When He opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, ‘Come and see.’ 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. 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. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, ‘A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarious; and do not harm the oil and the wine. When He 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. 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. When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. And they cried with a loud voice, saying, ‘How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?’ Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed. And I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place. And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and the in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and form the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”
When we look at this passage of Scripture in Revelation chapter 5, we see that the One who is seated on the throne of Heaven has a scroll with writing on both the inside and on the back sealed with seven seals. Who is able to open and read this scroll? I don’t have time to share with you everything about this Scripture passage, but it is says that there is no one in Heaven or earth who is able to open the scroll. The Bible describes the image of the Lamb standing in the midst of the throne, the four living creatures and in the midst of the elders. He looked as though He had been slain, “And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a lamb as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God who sent out into all the earth. Then He came and took the scroll out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne” (Revelations 5:6-7).
God has thus declared here that in order to accomplish His plan, the One who would carry out all the things He had planned concerning human history would in fact be Jesus Christ. We thus see God revealing this to the Apostle John in detail. And so the Apostle John begins to describe His revelations in turn, saying, “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. He who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer” (Revelations 6:1-2).
Some theologians interpret the man on the white horse as being the Antichrist. But I cannot agree with this interpretation. God’s history does not begin with the Antichrist. The Lord of human history is Jesus Christ. And also the Bible says that the man on the white horse “had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.” Jesus Christ is the One who from long ago or in the present is always victorious.
The second age is said to be the age of the red horse. It depicts the age when wars were rampant because of terrible conflicting human ideologies, and this is the Age of Human Ideology. This second age was followed by the age of the black horse, “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. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, ‘A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine’” (Revelations 6:5-6). The third Age is described here as the age of calamity and famine, namely the age of sorrows. Also this age is followed by the age of the pale horse as so clearly described, “When He 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. 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.”
In other words, the Lamb opened the seals in turn and revealed the pages of the scroll in turn. When the first seal was removed, a white horse appeared, and when the second seal was opened, the age of the red horse was revealed. The next period that comes about is the age of the black horse, and the fourth is the age of the pale horse. Even before the creation of this universe, God planned the seven ages within the history of mankind. And beginning with the third age, things will start to accelerate and the history of mankind will begin to change dramatically. The fourth Age lasts for seven years. During this fourth age, the Antichrist will make his appearance and kill many people.
During the fifth Age, many people will die because of the Antichrist. And the born again will be martyred during this tumultuous time. This is because we the born-again cannot listen to the evil words of the Antichrist or be regulated by his authority. He tells mankind to call him ‘God’ and to serve him only, but the Holy Spirit within us cannot tolerate this and so we cannot submit to him. And for this reason only the born-again who believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit will be put to death.
During this age of martyrdom many people of the nation of Israel will also be martyred and the Last Harvest will take place among those who have read our books that contain the gospel of the water and the Spirit. It will be the time of the Last Harvest. The Bible says that the number of the saved during this age will exceed the number of those who have been saved thus far. It is written that an innumerable number of people will be saved then.
So the question is, “When does our rapture take place?” When the sixth seal is opened, the rapture will take place. Up until this catching away of the saints, the Antichrist will investigate each and every person and will kill anyone who does not submit to him. Those who do not receive the mark of the Antichrist will all be put to death. Those of us who are born again cannot submit to this coercion. We may be worried about our flesh and what will happen to it, but we will never submit to the Antichrist. This is not based on our wills, but the Holy Spirit who is within us will give us the power to reject the Antichrist. The powers of the Antichrist oppose God, and so the Holy Spirit does not allow us to submit to him. Jesus Christ told us, “Now when they bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say. For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say” (Luke 12:11-12). Our Lord promised that the Holy Spirit would give us the born again saints the things to say boldly when we are facing such a dire situation. God will give us boldness and power so that we will be able to fight against Satan. This is why so many of the born again will be martyred during this age.
We Must Be Fully Informed about the Present Age
The Book of Revelation is very difficult to interpret. Because this is so, many misinterpretations on the passages in the Book of Revelation have resulted. For example, a late renowned American Bible scholar, named Cyrus I. Scofield, had advocated the so-called “pre-tribulation rapture,” saying that the rapture will take place during the third age, that is, during the age of sorrows. And according to his thoughts, when the fourth seal is opened the Antichrist will appear, and when this happens, everyone who just believes in Jesus will be caught away and will no longer be on this earth. According to the Bible this is incorrect and misleading.
How long will we the saints be on this earth? This present age we are currently in is the third age, the age of calamities and famine. When the fourth seal is opened, it will be the fourth age when the Antichrist will appear, and we the saints will be still living on this earth during this time. But like this scholar, many Christian leaders misinterpret the Words of the Book of Revelations and insist that the rapture will take place before the coming of the Antichrist. Has there been any rapture or catching away of the saints yet? No, this has not happened yet. The Rapture will take place when many people will be dying for their faith. And if you and I are still alive by then, many people will hear the gospel of the water and Spirit through us and will truly come to believe in this genuine gospel.
Therefore, we have a huge responsibility to fulfill our calling as those who believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit. We must diligently plan ahead the things we are purposing in our hearts to do. This is because the Lord has already taken the scroll from the hand of God the Father, and from here on out, the world will move exactly according to His providence as is written in this scroll. And then Jesus Christ will come to this earth as the ultimate Judge. God told us that when He created this universe and mankind He did not do it without any plan but He had a perfect blueprint that will be accomplished thoroughly by His will. When the seals on the scroll are opened in turn, the plans of God written therein will all be revealed step by step. The Lord God also said, “I am the Alpha and the Omega” which means that He is the beginning and the end. Our God is like that. Jesus Christ is in charge of all things from the beginning, He fulfills His will and He will create a new world for us eventually. We must know this.
If this be so, what age are we living in right now? The fourth seal has not been opened yet. We are living in the age when the third seal has been opened. The age when the third seal is opened is the age of the black horse, and it represents the age of calamity and famine, as is written, “A quart of wheat for a denarious, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine” (Revelations 6:6). This means that there will be a devastating famine, but God will deliver His people even during this age of great sorrows. What becomes clear here is that during this age of sorrows there will be many hardships including natural disasters and famines. Dear fellow believers, a severe famine is coming, that is, a spiritual and physical famine. If you look around you will find many signs of spiritual and physical famines. A devastating famine has already begun in the souls of many nominal Christians. You also recognize this, right? I ask that you understand that we the Church of God are presently in the age when the third seal was removed and the scroll opened, that is, the age of great sorrows.
This world is decaying away rapidly. We read the current news where the United States is beginning to put pressure on our government to import rice from them. But how can this be when we are a nation that has a full stomach and does not lack anything. They are saying, “We’ve yielded so much grain so please buy food from us.” But in the not too distant future, this will not be the case. Every agricultural product grown in each country will not be sufficient for themselves and every country will struggle with hunger. In the not too distant future, it will be commonplace for countries and people to be perishing from hunger. You and I will personally see these things happen. We will see such disasters with our physical eyes, and we will hear about them with our ears. And we may experience these very things ourselves as well. We must recognize that this day and age that we live in is the age of calamity and we must live out our faith accordingly. What is clear to us is that these things will truly come to pass. These are not just my words. I told you once—I think it was around the time of the 1995 Winter Discipleship Training Camp—that around 2005 many hardships will arise. Honestly, it becomes very difficult to do the work of proclaiming the gospel of the water and the Spirit during this present time. This is because we are now in the age of famine. It is a time of extreme famine. Physically, many people are starving to death. And on top of this it becomes even harder to proclaim the gospel of the water and the Spirit. And so, I am praying that we act in accordance with this knowledge.
Let Us Be Properly Informed about the Age We Are in and Be Prepared for What Is to Come in Order to Proclaim the Gospel of the Water and the Spirit
According to Joseph’s interpretation of the king’s dream, during the seven years of prosperity, he prepared for the famine by collecting one-fifth of the crops and stored this food in large storage houses. There was never a time in Egypt where it had so many food storage houses as in the time when Joseph was the governor of Egypt. Joseph built numerous storage houses all across Egypt. Some people who did not understand what was happening probably questioned Joseph for building so many storage houses. The land had yielded so much food and so they questioned why so many storage houses had to be built and food stored there. And they might have been critical about the cost to maintaining those storage houses. Their complaint might be plausible for it was very hard to manage so many warehouses.
However, Joseph was resolute and stored food during the seven plentiful years in many places. After these seven years a huge mountain of grain could be seen in every storage house. When these seven years ended, suddenly a severe famine came about and the people of Egypt who had scorned Joseph ran out of food. And so, they went to Pharaoh and asked for grain. Joseph was the governor of Egypt at that time so he commanded that the storage houses be opened and the stored grain be sold to the people of Egypt. In this way, he delivered the country and its people and eventually his father Jacob and his brothers as well.
The reason why I am giving you this sermon on this Scripture passage is to exhort all of you to dedicate yourself wholly to the proclaiming of the gospel of the water and the Spirit to the whole world. Dear fellow believers, right now you and I are sharing the gospel of the water and the Spirit to the people of the whole world through our paperback and electronic books. The gospel of the water and the Spirit as prepared by us will blot out all of the sins in peoples’ souls as we propagate it. There will be some who will order our mission books and read them and others will just place them on their dusty bookshelves. Among these seekers, some have perhaps finished reading the books, while others have thrown them away after reading or after browsing through them. Also there will be those who borrow one of our books from others and study them in its entirety and there may be some who just stop reading after reading its preface.
No matter what happens, we have sent out a lot of paperback books which contains the gospel of the water and the Spirit into the whole world. And they have arrived somewhere and are in the bookshelves of the requesters and seekers or they are being read by others. The reason that we publish our mission books in bulk and send them out is to prepare for the future famine. There is a spiritual and physical famine coming to this earth and people will indeed die in such a famine, and so we are acting in preparation of this time. As Joseph stored up grain in the years of prosperity, so we are preparing for the hard days ahead.
We also are doing this ministry because most Christians all over the world believe in Jesus without any knowledge of the gospel of the water and the Spirit. There are those who are debating among themselves whether the gospel of the water and the Spirit is the true gospel or not. When we look into the Bible properly and carefully, the gospel of the water and the Spirit is clearly mentioned, but these people have not met with the gospel of the water and the Spirit yet. Spiritually speaking, they are blind in spirit. Because pastors believe and teach this askew doctrine of the so-called “pre-tribulation rapture,” and as a result many Christians believe that they will be raptured before the Great Tribulation and so they are not able to escape this spiritual confusion they are facing in this age of calamity. Therefore, many of them will be living out their lives with a sense of heavy guilt in their hearts. The time will come for these people to go before God and they will be agonizing over their sins. Some of these people will come into contact with our mission books that contain the gospel of the water and the Spirit and read them. Then if they accept this true gospel they will receive salvation.
As Joseph stored up grain and delivered many people during the time of the severe famine, likewise, I believe that through our books on the gospel of the water and the Spirit, many people in this world will be saved from the sins of the world. This will come to pass for sure. These things were written about in the Bible. Things written in the Old Testament were fulfilled in the New Testament. I am sure that in order for those of us who are indeed proclaiming the gospel of the water and the Spirit to be prepared for the coming severe famine, our Lord God has written today’s Scripture passage in detail.
Right now, we are printing books on the gospel of the water and the Spirit and are providing them to people for free. When the time I am speaking to you of arrives, people themselves will have to evaluate their spiritual lives. What must they evaluate? They must inspect whether or not they have sin in their hearts. They must question whether they stand before God with sin or without sin. They must examine before they go to God, before they go and stand before Him, whether they have received the remission of sins or not. Therefore, they must read our mission books that contain the gospel of the water and the Spirit which were given to them for free, no matter whether these books are still in their possession or whether they are in someone else’s possession. They must absolutely read them in order to receive deliverance from their sins. The contents of these books that we have handed out will become the bread of life which will save people from their sins. When people read these books, the will of God will be fulfilled in this world. This is why, as Joseph stored grain during the years of prosperity, we are handing out our books, the spiritual bread of life. We are distributing our mission books absolutely for free. This may seem ridiculous to some eyes. But in the future many people will read these books, receive deliverance from their sins and obtain eternal life. At that time, the Holy Spirit will open up their hearts and will allow them to trust the Truth of the genuine gospel of salvation. At that time of great famine, many people will believe in the righteousness of God and will be saved from all of their sins and will praise His righteousness. By faith, I look forward to the time when these things will come to pass.
This literature ministry that you and I are doing is worthwhile in the sight of the Lord and, of course, effective even now. Moreover, the contents of our books will become much more effective all throughout this third age and even in the fourth age when the Antichrist appears. Through the gospel of the water and the Spirit which we are proclaiming, I am sure that the will of the Lord will be fulfilled. Do you believe this?
The World Will Become More Chaotic and the Ministry That We Are Doing Will Shine Forth Even More Brightly
It is for this reason that we must proclaim the gospel of the water and the Spirit. This work must not be done out of obligation, but must be done with faith which believes in the righteousness of God. Whatever the work that we have been entrusted with is, we must accomplish it by faith. We must set a goal that is aimed at the proclamation of the gospel of the water and the Spirit to the entire world and steadily continue to proclaim this genuine gospel. We must not overdo ourselves in doing this work but must steadily handle this by faith step by step. If we do not carry out the work of proclaiming the gospel of the water and the Spirit by faith, it will become more difficult later on as time goes by.
It seems that now is the best time to proclaim the gospel. Because now is the age of famine, people can be interested in our books and read them. But it is also possible that the concerns of people will be separated even farther away from God because of the rampant sins of this world. The lives of people will begin to be divided into two extremes. Some will starve to death because of the lack of physical food, and others will be drowned by the pleasures of this world and will be killed both spiritually and physically while opposing God. On the contrary, some people are eager and willing to find the way out to reach their salvation. They can be called “the truth seekers.” We are now living in a sinful world, so it may be easier for us to proclaim the gospel of the water and the Spirit, but during these Last Days, it will become more difficult. Nevertheless, the work that we are doing now will absolutely bear results. During the Last Days, multitudes of people will be saved by reading our mission books and give thanks to God. From here on out, multitudes of people will look for our books with hearts that desire to be saved from their sins. They will seek for these books, read them, believe in God properly and become like us. And they will begin to share the gospel of the water and the Spirit along with us. Although we cannot make everything happen all at once, God will use these new believers to continue to accomplish His work and exhibit His power. We believe this to be true.
This literature ministry that we are doing now is the same as the work that Joseph did when he prepared for that great famine. Joseph built storage houses, stored grain and delivered many people from that famine. In the same way, we are storing up the books on the gospel of the water and the Spirit and waiting for many people who are seeking to find the Truth. After Joseph became the governor of Egypt, he did not build a storage house in just once place but he built many storage houses all over that kingdom. Whether in each town or county, wherever he decided to, he built storage houses for the surplus grain. In wide open areas such as in the plains, Joseph probably built hundred or thousands of storage houses. And you can be sure of this, storage houses were built in the farming areas by his command. Across the entire land and in various regions, storage houses were built and they were filled with surplus crops.
In the similar way, the books that we hand out for free have gone into the whole world and are being stored in various places. And when the proper time comes, people will read the books and receive salvation from their sins and the will of God will be fulfilled. From here on out, we will proclaim the gospel of the water and the Spirit with more boldness. Before this third age ends, we will proclaim the gospel of the water and the Spirit to our fullest extent with all our hearts. Dear fellow believers, it will not be long before the time when this third age will end. Beginning from this third age, the course of the world will change drastically. The first and second age went by slowly, but beginning with the third age, things will progress quickly as we see them happening. When that last time comes, you and I will be martyred together with other saints who have faith in the gospel of the water and the Spirit. At that time across the whole world, there will be many people who will have the exact same faith as us, and we will not be able to communicate with each other well, so we will use body gestures to talk. It is for this time that we are now storing up the gospel of the water and the Spirit.
This Present Age Is the Third Age
I am convinced that this present age we are currently living in is the third age, the age of the black horse. This Age will pass by rapidly. Already, environmentalists and climatologists are saying that around 2020 the polar icebergs will melt away and much land will be covered under the sea. And they are saying that there will be an increase in natural disasters all across the world. When nature begins to be destroyed like this, the progression is very fast. Total destruction comes in a blink of an eye. As epidemics spread easily after a devastating flood, death will come quickly to this earth.
This is why we are striving to proclaim the gospel of the water and the Spirit to the people of the entire world at this time. At this very moment, my purpose in life right now is simply to carry out the will of God by teaching these aforementioned truths to His saints, servants and workers who are in His Church. We must know that these things will not be accomplished by our own strength, but they can be carried out through our trust and reliance on the Word of the Lord and through our prayers. We must know that God will give us faith. And we must recognize what it is that we must do. Those who know what to do and then do it by faith are the people who are blessed by God.
What age are we in right now? We must know this. There are no clear answers for our human mind to arrive at no matter how much we ponder over how we must live or how we must prepare for the future. If I told you horror stories on the age of famine you would become timid and afraid. So, I don’t want to tell about such horrible stories anymore because I told you sufficiently before. How afraid would you be if I were to just tell these things to you now? And so, I try to refrain from talking about such horrible things nowadays. For further details on this subject, please take a look at my sermon books written on Revelations.
Even if the end of the world is immediately before us, we must continue to do this ministry that is entrusted to us. This is because we are already in the age of famine and there is not much time left over. This is the age of calamity. We still have the opportunity to proclaim the gospel of the water and the Spirit. The time for the destruction of the world has not come upon us yet. The world will end during the age of the pale horse. In the future, according to the Word of God concerning the Antichrist, he will appear and force people to submit to him. Those who do not receive his mark and will not be controlled by him will be killed. This age of the Antichrist that will come upon us is a time of destruction. Dear fellow believers, you will soon see the progress of these ages I have spoken of.
It Is Not Long until the Day When People Are Compelled to Take the Mark of the Antichrist
I don’t know if you remember or not, but I spoke about this several times already. When we go to a supermarket or to a convenience store, there are barcodes that are placed on all items. There are barcodes on books as well. When you use a scanner on any barcode, information of that product is recognized in no time. Things such as who the publisher is, the cost of the book and how many of the books are left in inventory among other things are revealed by scanning the book just once. In the age to come, people will not be satisfied with this, but they will go a step further and develop a smaller chip and place them into products and merchandise. When this system is put into place, when the customer purchases a product a satellite can track where the product goes to. There is a specific number or code that is attached to each chip which is placed in each product. And so, if some satellites are used to search for a person through the specific code in the chip, it is possible to find out where the product is and who took possession of it. All of this information will be available on a computer screen.
This type of chip has already been developed in some countries. In Japan, they use this type of chip to prevent crime. They place this chip in ex-convicts. I have heard that a similar chip to this is used in Europe to imbed in the bodies of pets. This type of technology has developed to an amazing level. And our country happens to be a leader in this field. Prior research and development was done by other advanced countries, and our country started out later, but our country has emerged as the leader. To summarize the description of the chip—it is small, the cost is low and it transmits a signal that can be received from very far away. The capability of this chip is incredible but the cost is very cheap. And it can attach a bar-coded specific number to any product. There is much research being done on this specific technology so far. We probably heard about this on television, and it is said that we are among the leaders in this field of research.
Dear fellow believers, in the future, we will be controlled by such devices. Not too long ago, there was the female university student kidnapping case. The police could find the suspect who got off the bus right after she did. How did they find out? A chip like what I have mentioned to you is placed on each bus card and it enabled them to find the kidnapper quickly. Through searching for this information, the police were able to find out the possible suspects who had boarded the same bus. And they were able to arrest the suspect. Cell phones and some other devices that you possess are sold with a chip imbedded in them so that when they are lost they can be easily located. If a person has a product with this type of chip installed in it, then this person can be located regardless of wherever he or she might be. In the future, this technology will be developed even further.
Our government has already begun to put this kind of device to practical use. Not only our country but also all of the leading nations in the world have started to put this invention to practical use. It is simply that the public are not aware of it. When you purchase a single item by your credit card and take it back to your home to use it, if there is a chip inside that product, the manufacturer or the authorities concerned will be able to know what kind of person you are and where the item is. Your personal information will be exposed. We are entering such an age as this.
On December 26, 2004, a tsunami hit Indonesia and about 230,000 people died in Indonesia and in the nearby countries. But I can tell you that this will not be the last tsunami that is to occur. If I continue on with this topic, you will become nervous and will not be able to concentrate on your jobs at work because of anxiety I have caused. But we must know about this. Such things as natural disasters that I have mentioned will become a frequent occurrence. This third age, the age of sorrows, has already come upon us.
For instance, in Indonesia alone about 150,000 people including Korean tourists were killed by that tsunami, so the families of the Korean victims visited that very spot where the victims might have breathed their last breath. Sadly, most of the Korean victims were not found in the end. But if the tourists all had these chips in their passports, what would have happened? From now on, this will be done as a precaution. If someone goes to say India and goes missing, it will be difficult to locate him. The authorities will not be able to know the current location of that person, so they will have tourists implant a tiny chip beneath their skin before they leave their respective countries. And if they are kidnapped they can be found fast or tracked down by satellite. Would tourists then agree to receive such a tiny chip, or would they not? Of course, tourists will. Imagine how convenient it will be to apply this device to our actual lives.
But what will happen if this technology gets into the hands of the Antichrist? People will be thoroughly controlled by him. The Book of Revelations says that those who submit to Satan will be cast into the Lake of Fire on the Last Day. Even though this great technology makes our lives so comfortable, it is unfortunate that this chip will also enable the Antichrist to rule over the entire mankind thoroughly. No one should receive this chip in the future because each individual will be controlled by it, including their individual rights and freedom and even their thoughts. It is the worst humiliation, disgrace and shame.
There Are Some among the Righteous Who Proclaim the Gospel of the Water and the Spirit with the Wisdom That Joseph Had
Fellow believers, there can be worse things than this in the world. Something like this may be really not that bad. Nevertheless, what we must do now is apply the wisdom of Joseph in spreading this gospel of the water and the Spirit? We are distributing our paperback and electronic books to everyone in the world. And through reading these books, people are being saved from all their sins. That is as much as we can do on our part. What I am saying is that although the readers of our books may not completely accept salvation at this time, if they have the books with them, when the age of tribulation arrives, they will take out these books and read them carefully. Will not many people receive the remission of sins by reading our mission books that contain the gospel of the water and the Spirit, and will not many be seeking for our books? When that age arrives, the people who have received our books but in ignorance have thrown them away will ask, “Where is that book?” and “Whose house can I find those books?” And they will scramble around trying to read these books again. Is this true or not?
Right now, we are proclaiming the gospel with the wisdom which Joseph possessed. The more difficult the times are, the more we must live with faith and wisdom. What you and I must do during these years of prosperity is to build and fill up the storage house of the gospel in preparation for the troubling times that will come in the not too distant future. For the salvation of people’ souls, we must live our lives handing out these gospel books. We must reveal and proclaim the righteousness of God through our lives to people who desire to know about the gospel of the water and the Spirit and for those who desire to go to Heaven by meeting the Lord and receiving the remission of sins. What I am saying is that we must do the work of making sure that our books are placed in their homes. This is exactly the work that we must do. Now is a good time to proclaim the gospel of the water and the Spirit. During this time of prosperity in proclaiming the genuine gospel, we must share this gospel generously. It is still the age of prosperity for sharing the gospel. Although the age of sorrows has begun, we are still able to do the work of sharing this gospel with faith. Sometimes our ministries face difficulties, but our ministries are not legally restricted on a governmental basis in most countries at this time. It is during times like this that we must work even harder to pile up the books that contain the gospel of the water and the Spirit. Truly, as Joseph stored the crops in storage houses during the seven years of prosperity in preparation for the seven years of famine, so we must press on preparing the bread of life by faith in times like this. Do you understand this?
We are doing this work right now. How many books that contain the gospel of the water and the Spirit have we handed out for free so far? How many English editions have been published? Sixty? Of course, we cannot translate all these English editions into every language, but we are doing our best also in this translation ministry. The first eleven books give testimony to the gospel of the water and the Spirit from various aspects. Beginning from Volume 12, we call them “Paul C. Jong’s Spiritual Growth Series” and they contain messages that assist in gaining spiritual maturity. Right now, we are distributing the sermon books on Genesis to establish our coworkers steadfastly in true faith. My series on spiritual growth will be helpful to our readers who have already received the remission of sins.
Some of you who are within the Church of God may think that we’ve done enough or too much up to this point. There are some who think that it is enough for us to have gone through the motions. They might say, “Why do we have to hang onto this ministry as if it is a life or death situation?” But if we do not store up the gospel books now, when the seven years of famine come, the people of this world will all starve to death. Before the years of prosperity end, we must continue to do this work. When the age of the pale horse comes to pass, we will not be able to do this work anymore. I believe that when that time comes the Holy Spirit will accomplish His work through the books that we have handed out.
The work that we are doing is the all important work of God. Dear fellow believers, at this time, there are a lot of power struggles over who will gain dominance in Asia and over the entire world. Nevertheless, as I mentioned a bit earlier, what will happen if a tsunami strikes and many people die? Many countries will most likely send money or pledge to give money. In the G7 meetings or the other sub meetings, the heads of many countries meet, discuss and decide on things together. There are so many different organizations in this world. And there are so many topics and issues they go over. At the moment the United States is trying to maintain its hegemony over the entire world so they are attacking Afghanistan and Iraq. Iraq does not even have any nuclear weapons but the United States has used that as an excuse to attack that country. Some other powerful countries are also trying to gain world dominance. These powerful countries will unite together to maintain some world order for a while, but some day someone will grasp all of the power in his hands. There will be a unified coalition used to exert control and dominance over the whole world.
When natural disasters occur rampantly in the world, we do need these global organizations to unite and govern the world. Currently it is difficult for the government of one country to manage even the affairs which occur in its own country. As I mentioned earlier, when natural disasters such as a massive tsunami occur, it is so devastating that people may be at a loss of what to do. And so, these organizations have been established to unite countries and to manage and control the help going to these affected people by means of funds or personnel assistance. Nevertheless, projects such as these are an attempt to take hegemony over the world. As you know, there is a certain president who is continuously requesting and pressuring other countries to support his agenda.
Honestly, if you think about it, why is it so important if some country builds nuclear weapons? I would like to ask this warlike president, “You have several hundred nuclear bombs in your arsenal and you claim that these countries that are trying to build a few nuclear bombs will destroy your own country or the entire world. Isn’t this quite ironic and humorous?” But they have their reasons so we should not get involved. But all of these things are part of a greater power struggle for world dominance. We are able to see many instances like this. Not long from now, the results of this power struggle for world dominance will reveal itself and take shape.
Right now the United States and Japan are cooperating politically with each other. Our country is allied to the United States as well. We need to hold hands with America which is currently the strongest nation in the world, but I think we do have that strong a grip on them. Japan has grasped the hand of America very tightly as if they are shaking hands while having glue on their palms. Only over recent times do we see Japan has been joined at the hip together with the US. But our country tells the United States to get out of our country. This is ridiculous. Korean people are so foolish. They do not know what is going on around them, but they just act with their emotions.
We also look down on the Japanese. It’s probably because of the sorrow and grudges of our ancestors. We are not supposed to hate anyone, but the things that they did during the Japanese colonial period were quite terrible. If they truly would have simply apologized, we could have forgiven them. If they would have said that they acted mindlessly in their quest for power and that they were sorry, things would be better. So many Korean women were forced into prostitution for the Japanese army during the World War II. Dear fellow believers, how awful do you think those comfort women feel even now? They were taken away while they were sleeping and they experienced much suffering. The Japanese should apologize to them and compensate them, and truly say they were sorry as a nation—that they were out of their minds for a brief while. They should ask how they can compensate the comfort women or at least state their regrets by words, but they refuse to do this. They are a people and a nation like that. In times like this, it is our loss to not have a good relationship with the United States. Things like I have mentioned are taking place in this world. In times like this, we must not put our feelings first but must ascertain things properly.
Dear fellow believers, will the Antichrist someday appear and say, “I am the Antichrist?” Absolutely not! Satan will enter into one of those who are in power and, through that ruler; he will oppress the people of God and oppose God. We do not know who the Antichrist will be. However, the things that I have told you about are actually taking place in these very days. No one knows who the Antichrist will be, but it is a sure fact that he will appear in the near future.
Nevertheless, we must never forget that this age which we live in right now is the age of famine. Please live your lives by not forgetting these facts. It is not only difficult for you on an individual basis now, but people of our country and the entire world are currently going through difficult times. When you make a contract, when things are inexpensive now, it will be prudent to agree to conditions that will not change for a long time. Agree to terms so that the price will not change for another twenty years. If you do not do this in preparation, you will regret it when a severe famine hits your land.
You and I are “little Josephs.” We are following the spiritual steps of Joseph. I give thanks to God for allowing us to prepare in advance during the plentiful season for the days to come by the proclamation of the gospel of the water and the Spirit.
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