Apostasia en La Iglesia — David Wilkerson

I have never claimed to be a prophet, but I'm one of God's many watchmen. And I have to preach as a watchman. That's why I preach a prophetic message. And I want to preach a prophetic message to you. This is the great final apostasy.

Jesus, come. Open your Word to us by your Spirit. We're here to hear your Word. We didn't come to hear a man or men. We came to hear your voice. So speak once again to us. We open our hearts in Christ's name.

Amen. I'll be preaching to you from the 16th chapter of Ezekiel. We will refer to a number of scriptures. And let me set a background for you. Do you love the Word? In the 16th chapter of Ezekiel, the prophet is talking about Israel.

Israel's Apostasy as a Warning to the End-Time Church

But the apostle Paul said everything written in the Old Testament written as an example for our teaching who live at the end of the world. That's our time. This is a dual, double prophecy. It speaks to Israel and their apostasy from God.

And it speaks to this generation, to the Evangelical Church, to every church on the face of the earth today. And in this chapter, I won't read every verse, but I'll give you the background. Ezekiel said, God found you.

He said, you were born and cast out into a desert. You were forsaken in your blood. You were abandoned. Nobody wanted you. He said, nobody washed you in water. But God said, I saw you. You were not really a people.

Totally cut off from the world. He said, now you are known. And you have not remembered how I found you in the beginning. He said, now you play the harlot. Other loves have entered into your life. This is a picture of the apostasy that is happening in churches around the world.

You see, out of this root, out of this early call, remember Jesus was a root in dry ground. Out of this root grew a great plant. Its branches reached out. We call them denominations. We call them spiritual movements.

We call them gatherings. And here is what the scripture says. This church that I founded has forgotten its beginnings. Think of the birth of the denominations. I have read the history of the founder of the Methodist church.

The Spiritual Origins of Denominations and Revival Movements

John Wesley. Great man of God. He founded the Methodist church. He used to get up at 5 o 'clock in the morning and preach to the miners on the way to their mines. They would stone him. Many times they almost killed him.

He suffered persecutions. But out of that persecution, out of that blood, was born the Methodist church. The Pentecostal movement was born in a little wooden church in Los Angeles. A small handful of whites and blacks who prayed sought the face of God.

And out of that little beginning sacrifice, poverty, hunger for God. One after another, a Pentecostal movement was born. The assemblies of God. The church of God. The charismatic movement was born in that little church.

A little church where there was holiness preaching. And there was such conviction of the Holy Spirit that preachers from all over the world would enter into the chapel. Not a word said. They would fall on their face and cry out to God.

Many with hidden sins. And God exposed those sins. Without even preaching, it was the presence of God. It was the convicting power of the Holy Spirit. And that was the beginning of the Pentecostal movement in the early days in America.

Preachers rode by horseback. They had what they called camp meetings. They preached out in the open fields. All the churches were born out of that revival. They preached with such conviction. They preached so powerful about the sins of the nation.

People would faint. People would cry out to God all night long. They were poor. But they knew God. It was the birth of the Pentecostal movement. God says of all these denominations, I found you in your poverty.

I found you in your nakedness. I clothed you in a white robe. I blessed and I prospered you. Think of the movements now. The beautiful denominational headquarters. The offices of our beautiful denominations.

The influence around the world. God said you're not remembering your beginnings. Think of this country and how so many of your movements were born. All of those praying men, mothers of Zion, who knew how to fast and pray.

Some of them were mocked and ridiculed. They were very poor. But they had a hunger for God. But God said to these people, you did not remember the day of your youth when you were naked and bare. You forgot that you were polluted in your own blood.

And here's the words of the prophet Ezekiel. You left me because you gave yourself to harlotry. You are now a wife that commits adultery. And you're turning to strange doctrines now. You're turning to strangers.

Denominational Drift and the Corruption of Historic Churches

This is the most ancient denomination in the world. It was founded by men of the Holy Ghost and power. You read some of the books of the founders of the Episcopal Church and the Church of England. Great revivals.

Today, the Episcopal Church has adopted the gay agenda. They've ordained a gay bishop. One of your bishops has written a book denying the Godhead of Jesus Christ. Today, there is a woman director who has adopted the gay marriage agenda.

And the Church is splitting, breaking apart. And I say to the Episcopal Church, heartbroken, and I speak it in love, you hear the words of the prophet. You forgot the day of your youth when you were naked and poor and you've been polluted.

Now, the Episcopal Church has made it possible that every diocese can call God a she if they prefer, rather than a he. The Holy Ghost can be interpreted as a spirit of love. And you can interpret Jesus as you choose in light of human need.

Can you understand the apostasy of that statement? If God is a she, then He has no son. The Father has no son. You're taking away the divinity of Christ. That's the key doctrine of Islam. God had no son.

Apostasy in Christian Education and the Loss of Biblical Authority

The apostasy that is creeping into the Church in the United States, all the great institutions, the colleges, Yale University, Harvard University, Princeton University, Columbia University, all the great universities were started by preachers.

I have the books of some of the founders, powerful holiness preachers, great revivals that swept through the schools. Today, those colleges hotbeds of atheism and homosexual agendas. In so few years, the apostasy has become embedded.

And now, even evangelical colleges are having a hard time trying to keep to the standards because from all sides, the apostasy is coming in. They can't stop it. Those who love God, I have read the letters of those who are on the Board, godly people, and they say, we can't stop it.

Apostate teachers, apostate professors are coming in and our standards are all breaking down. God said through the prophet Ezekiel, as I live, says the Lord, Sodom is your sister has not done what you have done.

Sodom has not sinned as you have sinned. Sodom is more righteous than you. He said that to his church. He said, Pastor Dick, I don't want to hear this negativity. Let me tell you something. I listen to so many preachers today and believe me, we have some of the greatest preachers that have ever lived.

The Smooth Gospel, Prosperity Preaching, and Neglected Judgment

God has his prophets. God has pastors and pulpits who are preaching the straight gospel preaching a pure word. But most of what I hear and it's heartbreaking is an apostate message. And if it's not apostasy, it's something else.

All I hear is how much God loves you. I hear that everything is going to be fine with you. All I hear is prosperity. All I hear are voices. You're good. Think right. Just do good. God loves you. That's true.

That's all I hear. There's no message of hell. No message of divine judgment. No message of brokenness. When God destroyed Sodom, the number one sin was pride. It was not just homosexuality. The number one sin was pride.

God said it was because of the pride and the arrogance. There's a smooth gospel being preached today. Listen to what the prophet Isaiah said. You'll become a rebellious people. He said children will no longer hear the law of God.

They say to the prophets, do not preach right things to us. Preach smooth things to us. Cause the Holy One to cease from our presence. May I tell you this? A lot of Pentecostals, a lot of evangelicals, don't want to hear it anymore.

Smooth gospel. Easy gospel. God wants you to be rich. God wants you to have a brand new car. Prosperity. And all the while, there's a handwriting on the wall. Your days are numbered. Now believers, I preach grace.

I'm going to give you a good dose of grace before I close here. Let me tell you about pride. I told you he destroyed Sodom for pride. But let me tell you something that's worse. I'm going to talk to you about an apostasy that is worse than gay pride.

The Partial Gospel and the Fear of Offending People

All of that is outside the church. Outside the true church of Jesus Christ. But there's something that grieves the heart of God more. And if I come from the United States here to your country, I have to have a reason.

Gary and I came with a reason. I'm not interested in another conference. I'm not interested in another sermon. I'm called to be a watchman. God didn't call me here to work up your emotions. Get you dancing in the aisle.

He sent me as a watchman to warn you and speak to the heart of God. Let me talk about this apostasy. It's not a perverted gospel that grieves God the most. It's a partial gospel. It's a half gospel that's being preached in many churches today.

The apostle said, they don't show the difference between what is holy and what is unholy. They're preaching a smooth message. They don't want to offend anybody because people will not come to hear a message of reproof, of warning, of naming sin.

And here's what the prophet said. They strengthen the hands of the wicked so that he will not turn from his wickedness for I will deliver my people out of their hands and they shall know that I am the Lord.

The proud looks of men shall be humbled. Men shall be bowed down before the word. I have a minister acquaintance who pastored a very large church with thousands. I thank God for big churches with thousands of people.

I'm the founding pastor of one and I thank God for all the churches that have gifted men and I'm not called to judge my fellow ministers. I'm talking about what the heart of God declares to us. It's directed at my heart just as much as anybody else's heart.

A Pastor Repents of Preaching Only Half the Gospel

But this pastor, this huge church, the Holy Spirit came to him one day. In fact, he's written a book about it. He said, the Holy Spirit told me that I was robbing my people because I wanted to have a big church.

I wanted to expand and expand. He said, but I discovered the more I read the word I was just giving them the good news. I wasn't taking to them the full message. I was afraid to correct. The Holy Spirit dealt with me for weeks.

He started giving me messages. I was heartbroken. I began to weep. The Holy Spirit said, when you get up, you're preaching a compromise message to hold the congregation to carry your expenses. He said, one day I couldn't take it anymore.

I said, God, if I preach what you're telling me to preach now I'm going to lose my people. The Lord said, you must preach the whole gospel. You're afraid to offend anybody. He noticed more and more divorces in his church.

Young people were not turning to God. They were just having church. The people were not growing spiritually. The Lord finally told him, you're really not my shepherd. You're appeasing these people. So he got up one Sunday morning with a broken heart, through tears, he said, I have not given you the whole gospel.

I've been afraid to preach the whole gospel. I'm sorry, but I have to tell you what God has said. Within a few months he had 200 people left. But he said, my people are growing when I stand before God.

This is what he said in so many words. I'm going to know that I've presented a people who know Christ, who know his word, and are growing in the Spirit. He said, the burden is gone. I'm not competing with anybody now.

I'm one of the happiest pastors in America. In the days ahead in this nation, if you're a pastor, please listen closely. If you don't hear anything else I say, from a gray-haired man of God, you're going to be tested.

The Testing of Pastors and the Call to Preach the Whole Gospel

Where do I stand? You're going to see others. You're going to see around you cutting the gospel, preaching only what people want to hear, tickling the ears, preaching borrowed messages, preaching only principles, but not the revelation never warning, never a prophetic message.

I ask you, where are your prophets? How many men do you know? How many preachers have you heard lately that you know that when you hear them, you know that the word is coming from God's throne, not just to bless you, but to awaken you and to prepare you for the days ahead.

You're going to be tested, and the reason I say that, I'm being tested. Tomorrow night, I'm going to be preaching one of the strongest prophetic messages I've ever been given, and I have to argue with the Lord.

Lord, I don't want to do that.

Lord, give me a nice, easy, encouraging message.

I get tired of hearing this when I hear it all over America, and I'm not talking out of self-pity. They say, is he still living? That doomsday preacher in New York, is he still around? Talking about judgment.

Jeremiah said, I don't want to preach this anymore. But you see, there's a scripture that says, I will raise up watchmen, and if you see a storm coming, and you won't warn the people, the blood's on your hands.

I don't want any blood on my hands, and there are some of you who are going to have to make the same decision. God's speaking to you, and God wants you to make a clear stand, and you who are not in the ministry, watch out.

I was listening to a preacher, and I'm sitting there, and saying, this is such wonderful preaching. Then suddenly, after 95%, good preaching, then came the poison. Jesus can't come until you have a new house and a new car.

Jesus wants you to be wealthy. Then he said, this Bible is nothing but a path to riches. Watch out. You'll hear that. Now let me give you the good news. When you get to the end of the 16th chapter, and the prophet Ezekiel, in the midst of all of this warning, the Spirit of God comes on you, and the prophet Ezekiel, he said, in the midst of all of this, there are going to be a people who turn away from all apostasy.

The Promised Remnant That Turns Away from Idolatry

He said, I will cause you to turn away from the harlotry, and this is what the prophet is saying, and this is the message I really bring to you now. In the midst of all the things that are coming, I can't begin to describe to you what I see coming, but in the midst of all of this, the Lord said, I'm going to have a people, and I'm going to move by the Spirit in their hearts, and I will cause them, I will do it by my Spirit, I will turn you away from all the idolatry, and I will raise up a remnant who know my name, who are immovable, and will not accept the Spirit of this age, and God has those people here, they're sitting in this room, and God will anoint you to turn away from all these voices that call you to the flesh, and the Spirit will bring you into the fullness and make you unafraid, take all fear out of your heart, and all the pride of this world is going to have a humble people, a broken people, a people who are not moved, immovable, anchored in this Bible, nobody can move you.

Pastor, make up your mind, and ask the Holy Spirit to give you the courage, I will not compromise, I will not cheat people in the Gospel, I don't care what it costs me, I will preach the full Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Here you stand, Spirit of God, come, confirm your word now, awaken us, awaken us in this hour, raise up prophets, God open your word, let no apostasy take over the church, awaken the Pentecostals, the Baptists, the Presbyterians, the Catholics, wake them up, you are coming Jesus, wake us up, awaken us.