HomeARC ML 1439
THE SHEEPDOGS!--Our Annoying Helpers! DFO 1439 France, 15/11/80
1. THANK GOD FOR OUR HELPERS, THANK GOD FOR OUR ANGELS & ALL THE FOLKS THAT HELP US! We'd be in a pretty poor fix if they didn't, because we haven't had too much other help from the System, certainly not from our enemies! Even our friends have been a little leery of us! It looked for awhile like God was our only friend, but we've stayed friends with Him & He with us always, TTL! It looks like we've made a lot of friends & it's not quite as hard on us now as it used to be in some ways, providing we continue to use common sense & wisdom & realise that we're still sheep, & the wolves are still out there just waiting for us to make a mistake!
2. WE WERE WATCHING THAT SHEPHERD TODAY & THOSE SHEEP & THOSE SHEEPDOGS, those black little hounds darting all around the sheep, nipping at the heels of the strays, keeping them all in line. And Maria said, "Do you remember what the Lord showed you about the sheepdogs?" I said, "No, I don't remember!" I'm sorry I forget so much, I don't know whether we ever published this or not, but here it is, thanks to Maria:
3. THE SHEPHERD IS LIKE THE LORD, WE'RE THE SHEEP, & THE SHEEPDOGS ARE LIKE THE DEVIL'S ANGELS! (Or you can call'm the Lord's angels if you prefer.) The devils are working for the Lord to help keep us in line. They nip at the strays, the backsliders, people who get out of line, out of God's protection, out of the protection of the Shepherd. And yet the sheepdogs belong to the Shepherd, they're working for Him! They're literally taking care of the sheep by keeping them in line & keeping them in the flock & not letting them get away with anything.
4. AND THAT'S JUST LIKE THE DEVIL--HE WON'T LET YOU GET AWAY WITH ANYTHING! You think it's the Lord Who won't let you get away with anything?--The Devil won't let you get away with anything! He's the Accuser of the Saints! He will accuse you to the Lord the minute you step out of line in any way & he'll start nippin' at your heels & giving you all kinds of trouble! Because really, he's working for the Lord!
5. YOU SAY, "THEN HOW COME HE CAUSES ME SO MUCH TROUBLE & SO MUCH DAMAGE IF HE'S WORKING FOR THE LORD?"--Probably because you got out of line, that's why, & you didn't stay in God's Will & where He wanted you, & you didn't stay close to the Shepherd, you strayed away! Thank God for the sheepdogs, his little imps, because if you get too far away, then the Devil's big executioners, the wolves would get you! Well, maybe you think that's too exaggerated, that's too farfetched, but it's what I got anyhow!
6. IN A WAY, THE DEVIL IS YOUR FRIENDLY ENEMY! I always told you the Devil's working for the Lord! God's his Master & God created him for a purpose--to hound you & keep you in line--& if you get completely away & completely out of line, he'll let the wolves destroy you! You say, "My God, if the Devil's the sheepdog, who the hell are the wolves? They're worse than the Devil! They'll devour & destroy you!"
7. WHO ARE THE WOLVES?--WHO DESTROYED JESUS?--WHO KILLED EVERY PROPHET?--YOUR BITTER ENEMIES! The Devil's your enemy in a way--I'm sure every time those sheep out there get nipped in the heels they figure those dogs are their enemies--but actually the dogs are keeping them out of trouble! If the dogs let them get away, they'd fall into the hands of their enemies, the wolves, & they have no mercy, they don't abide by the law. The Devil has to obey the law.
8. THAT'S ONE THING THIS MOVIE ABOUT THE WARDROBE & THE WHITE WITCH BROUGHT OUT (a BBC video: "The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe"), a very interesting theological point, that she had to abide by the law--like the Devil has to abide by the law, God's Law--& neither she nor Christ could, in a sense, break the Law. The only thing He could do was satisfy the law, then wipe it out! Having satisfied it, abandon it.
9. HE SAID, "I CAME NOT TO DESTROY THE LAW, BUT TO FULFILL IT!" (Mt.5:17). When it's fulfilled, it's finished! Its purpose was fulfilled, its whole idea was fulfilled, its usefulness was fulfilled, so it was finished. He didn't destroy it, it had just worn out its usefulness, it had worn out its purpose, it had lived its day & He brought it to an end--because then He was to preach the more important Law of Love! (Rom.10:4; 7:4-6).
10. SO BECAUSE THE DEVIL IS IN THE SPIRIT WORLD & HE KNOWS GOD & HE KNOWS THE LAWS & he knows his limitations & what he can & cannot do, therefore the devils are subject unto us! They have to obey us, think of that! But not our enemies, not the [EDITED: "ACs"] & these rebels against the laws of God! They are absolute total rebels in freewill rebellion against the Laws of God!
11. THE DEVIL IS JEALOUS, HE IS AN ENEMY, IN A WAY, BUT IN A SENSE HE'S ALMOST A FRIENDLY ENEMY because he has got to abide by the Laws of God & you have authority over him. He has to do whatever you say in the Name of Jesus Christ--but not your freewilled enemies, not the [EDITED: "ACs"], not the Scribes & the Pharisees & the church people! They are a law unto themselves--self-righteous, hypocrites, liars, murderers, everything that's evil, worse than the Devil himself! That's why I had to correct that guy's Komic that said, "If the Devil had known what he was doing he wouldn't have done it."--Ha!
12. THE DEVIL KNEW WHAT WAS HAPPENING & HE KNEW EXACTLY WHAT HE WAS DOING, & DON'T TELL ME HE WOULDN'T HAVE DONE IT! But it was some of his stupid idiotic people who didn't know what was happening & were crazy enough to go ahead & fulfill the will of God by crucifying Jesus Christ & making Him a martyr & a satisfaction of the Law, to become our Saviour to save the World by grace! Now there's a bit of radical doctrine for you! I came upon that just now!--Ha!
13. BUT MY GOODNESS, IF THE LORD SHOWED ME THAT THE SHEEPDOGS ARE THE DEVILS, THEN WHO THE HELL ARE THESE WOLVES THAT WE HAVE SO MUCH TROUBLE WITH? They're a lot more trouble than the Devil, those absolutely incorrigible totally illegal & unlawful wolves! But in a sense, they're fulfilling their part in the plan, because if you get out of line too far, or if it's God's will they destroy you for your testimony, well, then even they fulfill a part of the program. Even wolves have their place in God's creation or He wouldn't have made them! When the sheep stray away too far & get completely out of the flock & even beyond the protection of the shepherd & the sheepdogs, then they fall into the hands of the wolves.
14. THE DEVIL IS UNDER GOD'S CONTROL--ONLY MAN IS OUT OF CONTROL! Only man can defy God, because he's been given a free will & choice, the majesty of free will to do as he pleases! So only man, like the people who crucified Jesus, can defy God & can try to do us damage. Only man is crazy enough to defy God & try to destroy us! Even the Devil can't do that! Even if he destroys the body, usually it's man that does it, & we go to be with the Lord! PTL!
15. SO THEY CAN'T LICK US, THERE'S NO WAY THEY CAN DO IT, IT'S IMPOSSIBLE, EVEN IF THEY KILL US! So don't fear death, maybe you're better off to pray you die quickly, because you just go to be with the Lord! PTL? I've always prayed that, I don't know whether the Lord will allow it, but I hope so. Whenever I come to die I want to be quick about it & get it over with in a hurry! I don't want to be sick a long time & be a burden & have people having to take care of me like they did in Switzerland. That was the first time in my life I ever had to have people help me go to the toilet! I don't ever want to be sick like that again! I don't ever want to be dependent on people & be a burden & be a problem & be an invalid like my poor father was. I want to go like my Mother did, active up to the very last day & die quickly!
16. I HAVE PRAYED THE LORD WOULD LET ME DIE WITH YOU AROUND ME & GO LIKE THE PATRIARCHS DID, be able to give you all my last instructions & tell you what to do, then tell you each one good-bye like I do every night when I go home, a type of death. Night is a type of death, sleep is a type of death, farewells in this World are a type of death. Every night when I go home & kiss you goodnight, who knows if I'll ever see you again in your lifetime, right? Could be! So, PTL! Don't cry about it!
17. DON'T FEEL SORRY FOR ME, YOU SHOULD REALLY FEEL SORRY FOR YOURSELF! Well, I don't blame you for that either, because you'll probably have a few problems.
18. SO PRAY THAT YOUR FLIGHT BE NOT IN WINTER & THAT MY DEATH DOESN'T OCCUR WHERE IT'S GOING TO CAUSE YOU ANY PROBLEMS OR EMBARRASSING QUESTIONS, & I'm sure the Lord will work it out that way. I've always wanted to die with you guys around me, & I hope that that'll be the way it is. I've had some encouragement along that line from the Lord, so I'd like to die like the Patriarchs. You guys gather around & I'll tell you my last words of farewell & give you my final instructions & just say, "So long, see you there, with the Lord! I'll meet you in the morning!" PTL? Amen!
19. AND DON'T WORRY, THE LORD WILL SOLVE ALL YOUR PROBLEMS, JUST LIKE HE ALWAYS HAS! He's still your Leader! Just because I'm gone is not going to make that much difference. My mantle & His Spirit will fall on Maria then. She's a Prophetess of God, she has been since the beginning. It was her messages in tongues that I first interpreted that got us started. She's kind of squelched now because I'm still around & I kind of outshine her, because the anointing is on me & the mantle is on me, but when I go, like Elijah, I'll cast it on her.
20. SHE'S MY ELISHA & SHE'LL CARRY RIGHT ON RIGHT WHERE I LEFT OFF, THERE WON'T BE ANY DIFFERENCE! You'll still be getting the Magazine every month, you'll still be hearing the Words of the Prophet. We've got enough stacked up to last you till the Lord comes, & it's all still good stuff! You haven't heard it all yet! And she'll give prophecies too, because she's in touch with the Lord. She loves to hear from the Lord, & if she can't hear through me, then she'll get it straight from the Lord, I'm sure.
21. IT'LL BE IN SOME WAYS A HARD TIME FOR HER BECAUSE SHE'S VERY SHY & BASHFUL, BUT SO WAS I! I never liked the limelight or public eye. I didn't even like being a preacher or pastor or evangelist. I kind of liked being a singer, because a singer usually knows what he's going to sing, he's got it all memorised. With most church songs you don't get up & just sing by the Spirit! Well, you should sing in the Spirit, but you sing words you've already learned.
22. BUT WHEN THE TIME COMES, SHE'LL HAVE THE SAME ANOINTING & THE SAME LORD & YOU'LL GET THE SAME MESSAGES, probably telling you to do the same things I'm telling you to do now, & you'll still be having to do'm! PTL! But as far as I now know, it's not supposed to happen for a little while, so I'd like to kind of dig into some of those prophetic Letters myself & try to figure out, "Well, when is it supposed to be & what is happening right now? How long, O Lord, how long?"
23. SO MAYBE YOU CAN BEAT ME TO THE PUNCH & LOOK UP SOME OF THOSE OLD LETTERS--"70 Years Prophecy" & "The Watch" & some of those things which give actual specific time predictions, or interpretations at least, as well as the Bible predictions. The nice thing about having more recent revelations is, the Lord gives us a little later news on the subject to fill in some of the details & the gaps that the Bible doesn't reveal. If you believe He still speaks today at all, then certainly He's going to tell us something about what's happening now & about to happen, & He has! PTL! So He'll keep telling Maria too.--Amen?--Amen!
24. WE HAD A LOT OF PROPHETS & PROPHETESSES IN OUR EARLY DAYS. Things were pretty hard then with persecution & everything, & when you get under that kind of pressure the Lord gives you a special anointing, special revelations, even more than you had before, to encourage you & guide you & help you. So I know He's going to take care of you. I'm not worried about you because I trust the Lord. Maybe you're the only guys who are worried. I hope you're not worried about it, you know the Lord will still do it.
25. THANK YOU LORD! HALLELUJAH! WE KNOW YOU'RE GOING TO TAKE CARE OF IT, LORD! TYJ! PYL! We don't even have to do things the same way we used to do them. You're the Lord, You change not, but You sure change Your methods & Your ways & Your tactics & Your leadings & a lot of other things, just like any General or Commander-in-Chief in battle. Your goal is the same--victory--& Your convictions are the same, that we're fighting for a good cause, the right side. But we may change our battle tactics frequently & our means of attack & sometimes withdrawals, whatever's best for the Army & best for the Nation, so that we will survive & continue to be able to fight & witness & win & get the victory, Lord, in many battles! A few times we lose, but we're winning the war!
26. SO ENCOURAGE EVERY ONE OF THESE HEARTS NOT TO WORRY ABOUT ANYTHING, today or tomorrow or the future or the past or anything, Lord! Even the World's beginning to recognise that we're not quittin' & we're here to stay, & some of them are even giving up fighting us, because they see they can't lick us, & are willing to tolerate us, if not accept us. That helps a little, Lord, to get some of the heat off so that we can devote most of our attention to our main job, which is getting out the Word, witnessing & litnessing & trying to win souls & warn the World of the Truth!
27. THE LESS PRESSURE WE HAVE FROM ENEMIES & OPPOSITION & PROBLEMS LIKE THAT, LORD, THE MORE TIME WE CAN DEVOTE TO THE MAIN WORK. If we don't have to defend the flock from wolves, we can take better care of them, & if we don't have to constantly be fighting off the enemies, we can devote more time to Thy Word & Thy children, the flock, & feed Thy sheep. And thank You for how You have made this possible, Lord.
28. WE'RE GETTING OUT MORE & MORE LITERATURE & BIGGER MAGAZINES & MORE BOOKS & MORE KOMIX & MORE THAN WE HAVE EVER BEFORE, LORD. You've poured it all out so much there has not been room enough to hold it, we haven't even hardly begun to publish it all! There's so much more to be done & so much more to do, & we thank You for giving us the time & the wherewithal to do it.--MWM too--all this good music!
29. THANK YOU FOR ALL THESE NEW STATIONS WE'RE HEARING ABOUT, LORD, PARTICULARLY IN THE POORER NATIONS where they will really be missionary programs & reaching those who most need the Gospel & will be most appreciative & receptive & responsive & who deserve it the most. TYL! We even thank You for hardening the hearts of stations in America: If they don't want it & won't take it, Lord, they don't deserve it! If they resist & refuse & reject the Word, the message or even the music, & are too particular, then Lord, they don't deserve it, because You're through with them. So from henceforth we go to the rest of the World, Lord, like we have, & give it to those who appreciate it & are thankful for it & praise it & praise us for it & are grateful, & where it's doing a lot of good! TYJ!
30. BLESS ALL OF THY CHILDREN AROUND THE WORLD! Not only us, Lord, not only this particular Family, but all of Thy children, Lord, those who love You Jesus, those that love You & believe in You & believe in Thy Word. Even though they may be backward & in darkness about some things, Lord, at least they know You & love You & have Thy Spirit. Bless them all & keep them & we know You will until You come, Lord! TYJ!
31. YOU PROMISED THAT "HE THAT ENDURETH UNTO THE END SHALL BE GIVEN A CROWN OF LIFE!" (Re.2:10). Hallelujah! We're saved already, Lord, whether we endure to the end or not, but we'll be given special rewards & special crowns & special medals, Lord, special shining & special honour if we manage to be a special blessing & turn many to righteousness & obey Thy commandments & feed Thy sheep, to do all the things You asked us to do as faithful stewards & faithful shepherds. You said unto some, "Well done thou good & faithful servant, enter thou into the joy of thy Lord!" (Mt.25:21). TYJ! PYL!
32. MAY THAT BE OUR REWARD, LORD, WHO HAVE BEEN GOOD & FAITHFUL & DONE A GOOD JOB & DONE IT FAITHFULLY, whatever it is, Lord, whether it's cooking, sewing, sweeping floors, scrubbing, mending, typing, care of children, care of vehicles, yard, business, whatever it is, Lord, & Thy Words. Help us to do a good job, to be good & faithful, to do our best at it & to be faithful & loyal at it, & to continue it, Lord, as long as it be possible. Give us all a good night's rest, safe keeping & strength for tomorrow, Lord. Bless & keep the children. Thank You for a warm house, Thy wonderful tender care, Lord, & even luxuries, such comforts to make it easier for us to do Thy work & serve Thee & each other.
33. DO CONTINUE TO BLESS & KEEP US IN SAFETY FROM OUR ENEMIES, THOSE HORRIBLE WOLVES THAT ARE WORSE THAN DOGS!--More rapacious, more ravenous, more cruel, more terrible, more merciless than the dogs themselves, who, in a way, serve to protect us & to keep us in line. Lord, keep Thy precious sheep from those wolves! And You said the way to do it was by being "wise as serpents & harmless as doves," so help us to learn to be wise & to be harmless, Lord, so they'll not be afraid of us. Wise enough to stay out of their way & harmless enough for them to know that we're harmless so they won't be afraid of us. Help us, Lord, to do the best we can. TYJ!
34. WE KNOW WE CAN'T PLEASE EVERYBODY, WE'LL NEVER BE ABLE TO PLEASE THE WOLVES, WHO WILL NEVER BE PLEASED WITH ANYTHING EXCEPT DEVOURING US & DESTROYING US. So help us, Lord, to stay out of the way, certainly out of their way as much as we can, away from them & in the flock & in the fold & close to You & even away from the nips of the dogs. Help us not to stray one little step or fall out of the way where we get nipped. Help us to stay close to You, Jesus, in the center of Thy Will, then we know we're in the center of Thy provision & protection & blessing & usefulness & we have no problems, nothing to worry about. We can trust You utterly by faith because we know we're being obedient & doing Thy will. And that's all we can do, Lord, the rest is up to You.
35. IT'S MIRACULOUS HOW YOU'VE PROTECTED US IN THIS COUNTRY SO LONG, letting us accumulate all these vehicles & travel with them & move from place to place, Lord, without being hindered. TYL! Thank You, Lord, for this delightful place to live. We thought other places were wonderful, but this is even better & more conducive to work, peace, quiet & close meditation with Thee, & security in the little family & comfort, togetherness--so many ways this is better, Lord!
36. AND, LORD, LEAD US & GUIDE US TO THE NEXT PLACE, HELP US TO FIND IT IN THY SEASON, to know when & where & Thy time, as we have before. Each time You've made it pretty clear to us, Lord, when we were supposed to move & where to move to, so do the same again, Lord, lead & guide. Help us to make the necessary preparations. Although You haven't always led us in that direction, at least we were prepared & when the time came You showed us exactly what to do. You never failed, Lord, You've always shown us what to do & what was best & we're still here, still healthy & happy & free & busy for You. TYJ! In Jesus' name! PTL! TYJ! PTL! Amen, as we pray together the prayer He taught us to pray: (Prays) Amen!
37. THE LORD BLESS THEE & KEEP THEE & MAKE HIS FACE TO SHINE UPON THEE & BE GRACIOUS UNTO THEE, lift up His countenance upon thee & give thee peace! Amen? TYL! Hallelujah! When are you guys going to learn that prayer so even if I make a mistake you won't? When are you guys going to learn the Truth & the Word & the Way & the Lord so well that even if I make a mistake, you won't? You've got to learn, PTL? Amen? (Family: Amen!) I'm getting old & forgetful!
38. SO I JUST HAVE TO DEPEND ON THE LORD & MARIA NOW.--Maria's like the Lord, she never fails! GBH!--And she'll never fail you either! She's your faithful Shepherdess, always concerned about her sheep--you! GBY! ILY!--And I know she'll take good care of you when I'm gone! PTL! TYJ! Jesus never fails!--And He won't fail you then, just as He hasn't failed you now! Hallelujah!--In Jesus' name, amen!
Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family
Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family
