Sermons on the Gospel of Matthew (V) - Thus Said the Believers in the Gospel of the Water and the Spirit.

By Paul C. Jong

The Apostle Matthew is telling us that the Word of Jesus was spoken to everyone in this world, for he saw Jesus as the King of kings. Now, Christians throughout the world, who have just been born again by believing in the gospel of the water and the Spirit that we are spreading, are indeed yearning to feed on the bread of life. But it is difficult for them to have fellowship with us in the true gospel, for they are all far away from us.
Therefore, to meet the spiritual needs of these people of Jesus Christ, the King of kings, the sermons in this book have been prepared as new bread of life for them to nourish their spiritual growth. The author proclaims that those who have received the remission of their sins by believing in the Word of Jesus Christ, the King of kings, must feed on His pure Word in order to defend their faith and sustain their spiritual lives.
This book will provide the real spiritual bread of life to all of you who have become the royal people of the King by faith. Through His Church and servants, God will continue to provide you with this bread of life. May God's blessings be on all of you who have been born again of water and the Spirit, who desire to have true spiritual fellowship with us in Jesus Christ.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Paul C. Jong
• Release date: Apr 25, 2011
• ISBN: 9788928210305

Book preview

The Testimony of Those Who Believe in the Gospel of the Water and the Spirit

The believers in the gospel of the water and the Spirit are saying to everyone to prepare for the day of the Lord. This whole world is now under the threat of disastrous consequences stemming from global warming. It’s said that when the remaining polar icecaps melt, the sea level will rise by no less than 6 meters. The whole world is suffering from global warming. Severe famines are said to be just around the corner, just as epidemics are breaking out all across the world.

This present age is the age of the black horse. The Bible says that there would be four ages in the end times, and of these, the ages of the white horse and the red horse have passed by, and now is the age of the black horse. As I have already explained in detail on my exegesis on the Book of Revelation, the age of the black horse refers to a time of sorrow, and we are right in the middle of it. Soon, the age of the pale horse will arrive. This age is the age of the Antichrist.

The Antichrist will stand against all who believe in God and the gospel of the water and the Spirit, and he will lead countless people to destruction. That is why the believers in the gospel of the water and the Spirit are asking you to accept the righteousness of God and His love and thus be delivered from all your sins. They are admonishing you to realize what kind of age you are now living in and recognize that the true gospel of salvation is none other than the gospel of the water and the Spirit. And they are beseeching you to preach this gospel of salvation, the gospel of the water and the Spirit, while you still can.

Do you believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit? If your answer is No, then I admonish you all to accept this gospel of the water and the Spirit and receive all the blessings of God.

Sermons on the Gospel of Matthew (V)

THUS SAID THE BELIEVERS IN THE

GOSPEL OF THE WATER AND THE SPIRIT

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2006 by The New Life Mission

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the copyright owner.

Scripture quotations are from the New King James Version.

ISBN 978-89-282-1030-5

Table of Contents

Preface

CHAPTER 24

• Prepare for the Second Coming of the Lord (Matthew 24:7-31)

• Cast away Your Selfishness in the Last Days and Keep Your Faith (Matthew 24:9-14)

• Recognize the Coming of the Tribulation and Defend Your Faith (Matthew 24:29-31)

• What Will Happen after the Tribulation? (Matthew 24:29-31)

• Serve the Lord with the Talents God Has Given You (Mathew 24:32-44)

• Let Us Have Faith about the Last Days (Matthew 24:32-51)

• Like the Wise (Matthew 24:32-51)

• Love the Lord More Than the Things of the World (Matthew 24:32-51)

• Be Watchful and Prepare for the Judgment (Matthew 24:37-43)

• Let Us Be Wise Enough to Discern the Age (Matthew 24:37-51)

CHAPTER 25

• Foolish Christians and Wise Christians (Matthew 25:1-12)

• Place Your Heart in the Gospel of the Water and the Spirit (Matthew 25:1-13)

• Do the Lord’s Work (Matthew 25:14-30)

• We Must Spread the Gospel When We Can (Matthew 25:14-30)

Preface

Across the nations, many people are receiving the remission of sin. As a result, we are in need of people to lead them and give them guidance in their walk with the Lord. We should lead those who have received the remission of all their sins into God’s Church. I strongly hope that many leaders will rise up in every country of the world. I wish I could dispatch all of my staff workers to go out in the world as messengers of God, as missionaries. However, if they were sent across the nations, who could support the gospel of righteousness here for God’s work as the ornamental knobs of the lampstand? I, therefore, hope that God’s workers will rise up in every single nation for this solemn ministry.

This publication is one of my spiritual growth series for the future leaders of the redeemed. As I serve the Lord, I believe that God’s people will rise up. In anticipation of the future leaders, I have prepared these sermons on tape, which I present to you now. The sermons, which have been edited and translated for the purpose of training the leaders of tomorrow, will bring the soul-nurturing messages to your hearts.

I believe that these sermons will be spiritual food indeed for all people. Because it is impossible for all of us to have fellowship face to face with believers and God’s workers from other nations, I hope that through sharing this book, I can have spiritual fellowship with them, who have already believed in the gospel of the water and the Spirit. We are all thankful that God has made us His workers, by feeding us the Food of Life.

We have, so far, published over 20 books in English. And we have found that many of those who have read the books are thankful for their receiving the remission of sin by believing in the gospel of the water and the Spirit. Now, through the sermons for spiritual growth, I will once again testify to them that the gospel of the water and the Spirit is the only Truth that gives life. I am sure they, after perusing this book, will come to realize all the Scriptures are filled with the Truth of the gospel of the water and the Spirit. And eventually, all people in the world will deeply understand that the gospel of the water and the Spirit is the only Truth. Once they realize the Truth and throw away their emotion-oriented faith, their hearts will be filled with the gospel of the water and the Spirit, which is the only way to the everlasting redemption. And they all will live as the disciples of Christ; become His instruments that save the lost souls; and do His work for the lost sheep across the nations by placing their faith in the power of the gospel of the water and the Spirit.

As every plant blooms and then bears fruit, I believe the power of the true gospels not only blesses those who believe but also allows them to lead their lives as God’s workers. They will be blessed in body and spirit. Now, God’s workers in all nations will sow the seeds of the gospel of the water and the Spirit, and save countless people from their sins. As we preach the gospel of the water and the Spirit, we will continue to win. We will bear more fruits of God with the belief in this true gospel. We are living in the time of harvest and we shall have a greater yield of fruits of salvation. Now, we believe in His Word, are thankful to Him, and glorify Him.

If God permits, we will continue to do these things and more. And I believe He will bless every one of us. May God give abundant spiritual and physical blessings — the blessings of the holy faith from Heaven and the fatness of the earth — to everyone who believes in the gospel of the water and the Spirit.

PAUL C. JONG

CHAPTER 24

Prepare for the Second

Coming of the Lord

< Matthew 24:7-31 >

For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come. Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (whoever reads, let him understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened. Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand. Therefore if they say to you, ‘Look, He is in the desert!’ do not go out; or ‘Look, He is in the inner rooms!’ do not believe it. For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together. Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

A thought occurred to me, How much time from this moment on will be left for the righteous to gather together and offer worship? I think about 10 years should be sufficient. And, I worry over how we, the righteous, will endure when the tribulation truly arrives until the time of the rapture. However, on the other hand, a feeling of thankfulness also arises. It is because I have thought about the fact that if we were to stay alive until the rapture we would be able to taste the glory of getting raised before the Lord and having been changed without having suffered death. By saying, "Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed — in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet" (1 Corinthians 15:51), the Apostle Paul told us that if we were to stay alive until that moment, we shall all be changed in the twinkling of an eye, be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:17). Therefore, I don’t know whether to say to you that you and I have been born into good times or to say that you and I have been born into bad times. It is because a life of faith isn’t a theory but rather a reality.

How Will the Righteous Endure for 10 Years

It is of great importance how we, the righteous, will live by faith for about 10 years from now. What I am saying to you is that even if our Lord does not come within 10 years from now, it is very important for us whether or not we live out our faith for about 10 years in this world which is headed toward destruction.

I am not intimidating you. Right now, the world has agreed on the Uruguay Round and is moving toward the direction of worldwide economic integration under the banner of free trade. All countries of the world are now bullying Korea to relinquish protective trade policy at this time and to open up for agricultural products. Looking at such events, I started thinking, They are really putting up quite a show. Soon, they won’t even have food for themselves, yet they are making all that commotion to have Korea purchase their food. With a worldwide famine for about 2 to 3 years, the food supply will hit the bottom and all will starve to death. But despite such circumstances, why would they come to a weaker nation and make threats and commotions to have it purchase their food?

At one time, Gorbachev, a political leader of the former Soviet Union, pushed forward with opening up the former Soviet Union and its reform under the banner of perestroika. At the time, Gorbachev was in the midst of high popularity, but I was sure back then that Gorbachev would surely be toppled and his policies would never receive support. The Bible says that the king of the North will invade Israel at the end of the age (Daniel 11:9). It doesn’t make sense for Russia, a country soon to be like that, to be shouting out for any democracy and political reform. That country is fundamentally very violent and bellicose. Even though the country had dissolved the union and divided itself into various independent nation-states, and even though it shouts for reforms, the nations will fight with each other later on, and in the end they will be united once more. Those nation-states will come together as one once more, and then make war against the entire world. A country that could do so is the former Soviet Union.

And so, when the popularity of Gorbachev was soaring, I had said mockingly, Ah, soon that man will step down from his office. Right now, he is enforcing policies that do not make sense. And, when I said it people who hadn’t been born again that were around me pointed to me and said that I was a crazy man. They said cynically, What do you know? The United States is cooperating with the Soviet Union’s open-door policy and the entire world is applauding. Yet, what do you know to say a thing like that? I said to them, Let us wait and see if it really happens. Wait just a little more and Gorbachev’s reform policies will become quite unsatisfactory. And soon, he will step down from his office.

Incidentally, after a little while he did step down from his office. By then, the sinners looked up to me somewhat. They were saying, That man is surprising. Wow, how did he predict that? Dear fellow believers, am I smart? Did I say those words because I was smart? No, that is not the case. Because it is shown in the Bible, I had said those words by believing in the Bible as it is. Because I believe in the Word of God in which He says faith is the substance of things hoped for and because I believe in things turning out according to the Word, I was able to speak out those words by faith. In a country where there is freedom of religion, can’t a man speak out of his faith? If a man can’t, then it would just be a communist country. Whatever the case, because of that happening, my popularity was raised a bit among the sinners.

A Grave World

Dear fellow believers, please take a look at how the world is turning out. You might be in a very good mood, but once you ponder how the world is turning out, your hearts can never be just jovial. When you come here to Chuncheon from Sokcho, you will be following the upper stream of the Han River. As I go back and forth from Sokcho several times every year, I have noticed that the water level is declining. At first, when I was going back and forth from Sokcho to Chuncheon, I noticed that the water level was high, nearing the riverbank. But, year after year, the water level shrunk little by little up to the point now where it is no longer a river. It is just ditch water trickling down the middle of that wide riverbed. It is said that the Amazon River, which is the largest river in the world, is drying up like that, and truly, this world has become a place where one has to be concerned more and more about water shortage due to drought.

Because of the shortage of snowfall this winter, it is said that the shortage of drinking water will be severe next spring in the southern region of Korea. It is said that immediate drinking water will be in absolute shortage, let alone that for industrial use, as well as that for agricultural use. Later, water coming from the bathroom will seem too precious to just let it go to waste, and so we might even have to drink that water by collecting it and then purifying it. There is a strong possibility for that to happen. Thus, I am truly thankful for living in the northern region where there is a lot of snow. I was born and raised in Busan, but if I had been down there I would have been collecting and purifying water mixed with urine and feces of people up the river and then drinking it. However, I am living here in the northern region and I am so thankful for not having had to do so.

When Will the End of the Age Mentioned in the Bible Begin?

Precisely, when is the day that this world will completely come to an end? When will the rapture occur? This is the biggest concern for all people. The greatest matters that the entire humankind is concerned about are these three questions: When will the tribulation begin? When will this world come to an end? And, when will the rapture occur to the righteous people who have been born again of water and the Spirit? The Bible often says that at the end of the age, there will be tribulation. It is written that the nation of Israel will fall into tribulation and suffer tribulation for three and a half years. Also, it is said that those among the people of God who endure to the end times will receive salvation. And the Bible says that the end of the world is near.

The nation of Israel had lost its country for about 2,000 years and was rebuilt just recently. That country has sprouted once more and now puts forth leaves in abundance. And the Lord has said that when that country becomes a bit more exuberant, it will be invaded by enemy troops once more until it recognizes and accepts the truth that Jesus who had come in the past is the Savior that they have been waiting for. Then it will live in the midst of tribulation. A conceited person will sit on top of a place where the ark is laid, inside the Temple of the nation of Israel, and the person will proclaim, I am God. From this moment on, I completely prohibit your offering sacrifices to God. The Lord has said that for three and a half years, there will be tribulation upon the people of Israel as well as the entire world. The Book of Daniel says that hence, three and a half years after the nation of Israel has gone under tribulation, the end will fall upon this world.

Then, What Point in Time Should We Consider as the Beginning of Sorrows?

When does the Bible say will be the end of this world? Today, we are going to think about this and how we will live from now on.

The Gospel of Matthew chapter 24, in its entirety, speaks about the end of the nation of Israel and the end of this world. And so, this chapter is referred to as the chapter of the end times. The disciples first asked the Lord, Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming and the end of the age? And the Lord answered and said to them, Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.

With the Word, the Lord spoke of the end of the world in a long series as if it were a novel. Also, the Lord spoke of the things that will happen in the end times repeatedly. Thus, the born-again righteous can understand this passage by reading it once. In other words, it is said that destruction shall overtake the sons of darkness as a thief, but all sons of light, not sleeping, shall watch and be sober for that day (1 Thessalonians 5:4-5). People of this world cannot understand the Word of Christ concerning the end of the world.

First, the Lord spoke of when the tribulation will begin. It is shown in verse 6, And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. There will be so many wars and rumors of wars. However, it is said that that will not yet be the end.

In verse 7 and 8, it is said, For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. Dear fellow believers, in the future, nations will rise against nations, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes. Soon, worldwide famine will worsen. And countries will create alliances and fight each other. In order to defend one’s country, it would have to possess nuclear weapons. When wars pervade, weaker nations that do not possess nuclear weapons will be crushed to destruction by stronger nations.

Also, even if the powerful nations do not use military force through trade wars, they will devour those nations that are weak. Using the WTO system established through the Uruguay Round, all the powerful nations will make pacts that are favorable to them and try to dominate weaker nations. People say that globalization is beneficial, but it isn’t always good. With the finalization of globalization, the world will become one, and an absolute king will come to rise. Then, at the end, he will coerce every one into receiving the mark of 666. In other words, this world is right now crying out for globalization in order to head toward the end.

Wars rising from countries and nations fighting against each other are categorized as an artificial calamity, but what can we do about the two calamities brought on by nature, that is, famines and earthquakes? All over the world, the number of famines and earthquakes are on the rise. Currently, there are so many people dying because of famine. Not long ago when Ethiopian refugees and Somali refugees were shown on TV, you must have seen images of children in starvation with their belly bulging out due to abdominal dropsy. When I saw those children with bulging bellies I was reminded of my younger days.

When I was young, I barely had anything to eat due to a food shortage, and so I had a figure similar to those children. It was right after the Korean War (1950~1953) and the entire nation was in ruins. And, it was very difficult to survive. When you pick out some edible grass from the field and boil it in a pot for a long time along with a handful of rice, you get a grass gruel that is thin and light. My mother would take some of that, put it in a bowl, and stir it. You were able to count the number of rice grains in them. There are a few grains of rice and some leaves of wild edible greens, but the rest is just water. And so, no matter how much you would eat them, you could not help but feel hungry. You would eat and eat trying to satisfy hunger, but when you tried to get up, you were unable to do so because of so much water filled inside your stomach. And so, in order to stand up, you had to do so by just barely getting support from the legs of the dinner table. The bulging stomach looked full, but because it was filled with water, which lacked nutrition, you were in so much hunger. That is why, when I see those Somali children with their bellies bulging out, I am able to understand how hungry they must be.

Many Sinners Will Die of Famine

In the future, Somalis won’t be the only ones dying of famine, but rather there will be many people all over the world dying of famine. Earthquakes will also occur everywhere. Yesterday, a strong earthquake occurred in Japan. I heard some news from Pastor Kim, and it is said that at least 2,500 have died and the number of the injured is over 4,000. This earthquake was a strong one, measuring over 7 on the Richter scale; there were many losses, houses crumbled, roads were destroyed, and railroad tracks were cut apart. Japanese pride themselves on building the sturdiest building structures in the world. Yet, so many buildings came down because of the earthquake. Rev. Kim said that the number of dead would rise higher because they haven’t been able to dig up people buried under the rubble.

About this time last year, there was a strong earthquake in Los Angeles, California, USA. US geologists are predicting that a super-scale earthquake will be occurring in the western part of the US in the near future. Geologists can find out how large of an earthquake will be occurring and approximately when, by basing it on information concerning structures of the continental plates and their moving speed. The recent earthquake in Japan was made up of three continuous shocks. There were much more losses because strong aftershocks had shortly followed the initial tremor.

Thus, what we fear the most is the coming of famines and earthquakes on a worldwide scale. Famines and earthquakes are scarier than wars. Dear fellow believers, even though there isn’t anyone shooting guns, when a famine continues for a few years people turn feeble and die. What I am saying is that there will come a tragic time when people will just die because there isn’t any food, even if they were to struggle restlessly to live. Right now famines have already begun all over the world. And unusual changes of weather are accelerating all over the world. Not too long ago, I heard that Los Angeles issued a state of emergency because of a winter tornado. Such events will occur more and more in the future. Please know that such natural disasters will continue to occur more and more.

Korea is a country that has a water shortage. Most people don’t understand the seriousness of water shortage. However, as I watch the television, I see how serious it is. And, when you see reservoirs getting dried up around you, you would probably understand its seriousness. We view it more seriously because it is written in the Bible that such things will be occurring in this world at the end of the age. Our Lord has said that there will be such things happening at the end of the age. He says that once the calamities start, nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. He also says that famines will occur and earthquakes will break out in various places. What is more, He says that these are the beginning of sorrows. Because the Lord said that these are the beginning of sorrows, they are very serious.

Of course, there have been earthquakes on the earth since the beginning, and they still exist today. In other words, earthquakes have always occurred. However, the thing is that from now on, earthquakes will be occurring all over the world at the same time. As of recent, there have been earthquakes even in Korea, a region that supposedly had hardly any occurrences of earthquakes. There are magmas flowing underneath the earth’s crust, and it is reported that there has been a change in their flow. There are so many abnormalities in weather that typhoons are occurring even in winter.

Just in Korea alone, there were many great abnormalities in weather. The Lord has said that when there are frequent famines and earthquakes on earth, be warned that they are the beginning of sorrows. What it means is that that would be the beginning of the tribulation. Frequent occurrences of calamities are the warning signs of the tribulation to come. God turns up the warning siren saying, From this moment on, there will be the tribulation, and that time is when there will be occurrences of famines and earthquakes in various places and many outbreaks of war. When the calamities occur, an alarm will ring, signifying that the tribulation has come upon this world.

All living creatures have the power to know beforehand the coming of natural disasters and to cope with them instinctively. When you go to seashores, there are worm-like creatures called sea-slaters. They seem somewhat odd. Sea-slaters are creatures that live on seashores feeding on dead animal flesh. Those creatures live between rocks along the seashore or on a bed of pebbles. But on some days, you can see that these sea-slaters have crawled their way up into fields that are about 10 m high up from the seashore. When adults see this phenomenon, they say that there will soon be a tidal wave. They say, Listen to me child. Starting today, do not go into the sea. There will be a tidal wave at the seashore. "No, what do you mean by tidal wave? The waves are so calm, yet how could you say there will