I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision (Acts 26:19). Paul’s heavenly vision came suddenly. At the time he was not serving God and he certainly wasn’t expecting a vision from Him. Paul was zealous in upholding the law; he thought Christians were heretics who deserved death or imprisonment. Paul had determined in his heart to wipe the name Jesus of Nazareth off the face of the earth. But, as he was on the road to Damascus, a light suddenly blazed down from Heaven revealing Jesus, and the experience changed Paul so completely that even his name was changed by God. Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? asked the Lord (Acts 9:4). He didn’t ask why Paul was persecuting the Christians: when people are persecuted for the sake of Christ, it is as though Christ Himself is being persecuted. If you undergo persecution, leave it in the hands of God: in due season He will take care of it.

Paul, surely, was in a state of shock as he lay on that road. Who art thou, Lord? he asked. I am Jesus (verse 5). In such a glorious way Jesus revealed Himself that never again did Paul doubt His reality.

God’s Reality Must Be Accepted

Be aware of the realness of God in your personal life. If you are His child, He holds you close whether you feel it or not. Many people do not accept this reality; they have a form of godliness but deny God’s power. The power of the Lord came upon Paul, blinded him and then opened his eyes to the path he was to take. THE POWER OF GOD IS REALITY! The power of God showed Paul what to do. Realize that the Lord will show you what to do, but you must be willing. This is an hour of sacrificing. The Lord is giving His own a heavenly vision of His soon coming and of the work that must precede it. Over twenty years ago the Lord told me about the great outreach for souls that is taking place now. He told me to establish His work in Akron and then to go forth to the ends of the earth to carry His miracle power to the multitudes. God has promised me millions of souls in this final hour, and with the help of the Lord and those who support this ministry, these souls will be won. God said it would happen. ALL that God prophesies will come to pass. The vision was made clear to me; the experience I had with God left no doubt in my mind that those souls would be won. The Lord carried me away in the Spirit those many years ago and showed me this hour. I know the greatness of the Lord that is being poured out. I know that that vision is no longer something in the future, but it is now a reality. I am in the flesh walking now where I once walked in the vision, going ever deeper into the greatness of God. The anointing of the Lord daily grows greater. Soon the Rapture will take place in the outpouring of the miraculous power of God. In order to see what God is doing and to hear His voice, you must have His anointing.

The Call of God

During these many years that have elapsed from the time of my vision until now, the Lord has worked on me, getting me ready for this hour. Often during those years I felt the urge to travel and evangelize, but the time was not right, and seldom did the Lord allow it. I was in His training, like being in school. The call of God was upon my life and in this hour, as never before, I must give myself to Him day and night to fulfill His divine mission.

The fact that the Lord had called me on this mission was for years kept hidden in the hearts of my wife, Angel, and me. Angel knew that this hour would come and she looked forward to it with great anticipation. Little did Angel know that her work would be finished ahead of mine and the Lord would call her home. She thought we would be caught up together in the Rapture. Even at that time the Lord had tried to warn me that my mission would be completed without her, but I did not understand. Angel was a part of me; she was like my hands, my eyes. I could no more imagine life without her than I could picture life without my hands or my eyes. Angel and I were one in the Lord. God had planned our lives; our path was a divine one directed by God because we wanted only the whole will of God above everything else in the world. Before we married we had the understanding that God would come first, that nothing could be allowed to hinder us from doing the whole will of God. We stepped out entirely on faith. We traveled wherever God wanted us to go. Angel never questioned the direction of God in my life. She was always willing to go where God sent me, always right there to do all she could: sing, play the piano, pray, fast and to help hold up my hands.

A Valley of Horror

There have been many valleys leading into this great hour of sacrifice. The winter of 1970 marked the darkest hours of my entire life; never again will I face a valley so deep as the one in which I lost my Angel. As I entered that valley I was conditioned so that nothing could stop me. That time of sheer horror over losing my precious Angel put the finishing touch on my life in preparation for the hour we are now in. That valley took everything out of me that could have hindered me in any way from doing the Lord’s divine will. Never again, since the Lord took Angel, have I counted my life dear; its only value is in living for the Master. Only that which is accomplished for God has meaning.

What Have You Done?

Each of us must give all in this final hour. At the end of the day ask yourself, “What have I done today to win more souls? What have I done for the outreach? What have I done to inspire someone else to give all?” Never underestimate the power of your prayers for the lost in this hour; pray for them night and day. My cry for the lost has gone up before God each day. I am a messenger of His in the land. My voice, through the anointing of the Holy Spirit, will be heard to the ends of the earth, saith the Lord, in this, the final hour of the Gentiles. I know without a shadow of a doubt that this is the final hour, and nothing must be counted dear but souls, souls.

Let the Holy Spirit help prepare you to be ready when the catching-away hour comes, because after the Rapture takes place, the judgments of God will begin to fall. Woe to those who find themselves left on the earth when the judgment hand of God starts to move, measuring out destruction and chaos. For thousands of years God has held back those judgments, but they will not be contained much longer; great tribulation is almost here. God, however, has promised to keep those from the hour of temptation who put their trust in Him, those who walk with Him, who are blameless before Him.

As I was tracing the life of the apostle Paul, his sufferings and persecutions, his words and his faithfulness to his calling, I know that we, too, will not walk an easy path. Jesus was persecuted and we can expect persecutions. In this day the persecutions and tribulations will be in the battles and the pressures of the mind. Paul said that nothing could separate us from the love of the Lord. He was totally possessed by that love and God’s anointing.

How Great Is Your Anointing?

You cannot have a great anointing from God until you first feel the need for it. The anointing is more powerful than the sword. It is fantastic and yet so very real and available. Without the baptism of the Holy Spirit it is impossible to keep the anointing in your life each day. You must have a Pentecost in your life as well as a Calvary. Paul, Peter, James and John had to have the baptism and so do you. If you want the anointing in your life you must also have the One who anoints, the Holy Ghost. Be wholly and totally possessed by the Holy Spirit; then the fruit of the Spirit will be in your life. The the power of God will work for you in a glorious way, and the love of God will be shed abroad in your heart. Lay aside all the weights that would hinder and let the Holy Spirit move in close to you. God made Himself available to be reached by us as easily as we reach for a glass of water. He intends for us to be brought into His wisdom, knowledge and greatness. Through the anointing of God the Bible becomes alive.

How great is your anointing? Is it strong enough so that you can clearly see this end-time hour, or do you still harbor resentment and rebellion at the amount of self that must be yielded to the Lord? The anointing of God removes the selfish spirit. The anointing of God gives vision, helps you use the faith, love and the humility of God. It helps you put yourself on the altar of sacrifice to be used in any way the Lord chooses. Some of you have come to the place you are willing to sacrifice everything; you would die for the sake of Christ. For others of you it will take more consecration, saith the Lord, more fasting, more hours of living in His Word, of prayer, of yielding to God and of staying away from people before you will be willing to pay the supreme sacrifice. Just as the Early Church suffered all kinds of persecutions and paid the supreme sacrifice, we, too, will be called on to pay that price. The battles of the mind will take a great toll of suffering. Some of you now are so tormented in your minds that you are unable to overcome. Don’t allow the devil to torment you in this way. Several years ago the Lord warned of this hour, He said it would be Lucifer who is tormenting you, that mental devils would come against you to destroy you. Now that time is here, and yet some of you have not recognized the battle to come from Lucifer. You keep searching to see what you have done against God, or what others have done against you. Wake up! Remember what the Lord has told you. Study His prophecies; many of them have already been fulfilled. The Lord has told of the greatness of this hour for this ministry. Every hour brings us closer to the catching-away of the Bride of Christ.

When you find yourself sinking into your own weaknesses and strengths, it is time to realize that you have stopped pulling on the anointing of the Lord that’s available to you. Stop struggling with the problem in your own strength and give it over to the anointing of the Lord. The anointing of the Lord is greater than all problems. The Spirit of God draws you to Him, making you different. You’ll want to spend time with Him as His Holy Spirit flows over you. When the anointing of the Lord is upon you, your mind is not tormented nor your spirit frustrated. At the feet of the Master, His presence is yours. Feel His drawing you into His arms of love, giving you peace of mind as well as peace of soul. Use the anointing of God available for your mind and He will make your path a plain path. Stay with the anointing of God—it’s the anointing or fail.

You Belong to God

How willing are you to sacrifice? When God calls people He calls them to complete willing obedience regardless of their family or social standing. In the Bible, when God laid His hand upon the ones He called, they were used because of their willingness to leave all behind and follow Him. You belong to God. If God lays His hand upon you to do something, you are to do it. God will never ask you to do anything without giving you the anointing and the capacity to do it. Others may try to discourage you because they haven’t the anointing in the matter. The important thing is that when the Lord anoints you for a task you’re expected to do it. Count it a privilege to be a part of God’s great outreach for souls in this final hour, and encourage others in His work in every way you can. The will of God must come before your family, friends or commitments. When you give yourself to God, you belong to Him first of all. God was not created for you; you were created for God. You are His property before any part of you belongs to anyone else. The Lord bought you with a great price. He has the right of ownership; you owe all to Him. After God there’s a part of you that belongs to your family, a part that belongs to mankind; but ALL of you belongs to God. An opportunity is knocking on the door for you to do something for God. If you fail Him in this hour, you will not have another opportunity to do His divine will. The time is so precious, the day so far spent that God doesn’t have the time to spend coaxing you. He will raise up someone else to fill your place. Don’t push against His calling, don’t be rebellious to Him. Be grateful God has chosen you to support His outreach for souls. It is not easy to walk in God’s will. Certainly there will be tears, but if you are obedient to Him, dry your tears. The anointing of the Lord is upon you and your journey is with Him. You can’t afford to be stopped now; you cannot fail to hold up the hands of those the Lord is using in this hour. If you choose not to believe the prophecies of God it will be to your own sorrow. Never neglect your calling of the Lord, whatever it may be; never neglect doing what the Lord has raised you up for.

No Time for a Second Chance

This is the hour of deliverance: use the anointing of God or fail. Without the anointing you will live for self. Paul left everything behind—prestige, family, friends, home. He had had great zeal for the law, but when he met Jesus and found Him to be the Redeemer of Israel, Paul left all to follow Him. He counted everything of the world that had been important to him as loss that he might win men to Christ. “It’s not I that lives,” he said, “but Christ that liveth within me.” When you have the complete miracle anointing, you can say that it isn’t you that lives, but Christ that lives in you, Christ living and breathing in you, through you and pouring Himself out to you.

Stay in the presence of God; live in that presence and have the holy anointing of God. If you fail now, failure will be yours forever; you will never succeed. This is the day of grace. God is moving upon you, yield to Him. Soon the Tribulation Period will be here, and those in it will look back to this hour, frantically regretting the chance to use the anointing they turned their backs on. You are now being tested, sifted and made ready to be taken in the Rapture—you needn’t fail. The Holy Spirit is working to remove the spots and wrinkles from your garment that you might present yourself blameless before the Lord. How can you be blameless before the Lord? It is not within yourself, but through Calvary your sin and guilt can be washed away.

God Prepares the Instrument

John the Baptist, the forerunner of Christ, that great voice crying in the wilderness came through parents that really loved God and taught him about the Lord. He was filled with the Holy Ghost from his mother’s womb and was chosen to be a vessel of God all the days of his life. Away from people he stayed in the wilderness, living on locusts and wild honey as he dwelled with the Lord. Think of the grooming, the conditioning that went into preparing the instrument for the time he would cry, “Prepare ye the way of the Lord! Make your crooked path straight!” He was one that compromised in nothing, one who surrendered completely.

How much have you surrendered? What percentage of yourself are you holding back? Are you influenced by your neighbors and family? Well-intentioned loved ones will hinder you if you’re not careful. Have enough of God’s anointing that you can ignore their pity rather than add it onto what you already feel for yourself. If you have yielded all to God, you are a fortunate person, indeed. Take your stand for God in this final hour remembering that many of those around you do not have His anointing and consequently view things from a different vantage point than you. Dare to be a Daniel; dare to stand in the fiery furnace as did the three Hebrew boys. That same anointing is falling today. Don’t compromise. You must have the anointing of God. Know that the grace of God is sufficient, that your God will supply all your needs—that’s the anointing of God. The anointing of God gives clear vision for your finances, your mind and soul. If your direction is confused, the anointing is not strong enough in your life. The anointing of God makes your path clear and your mind at peace knowing the Lord will take care of you when you’ve done all you know to do.

How Can You Possibly Improve God’s Will?

We today are walking the same spiritual path that Paul walked: the dark valley, the need to surrender all to the Lord is here for us, too. Present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God—those words ring true today just as they did in Paul’s life. Paul’s journey was long and hard before he gave his life. The giving of his life was the easy part. With joy Paul told Timothy that the time of his departure was at hand and he was ready. Paul’s life was in danger again and again, but God did not let him die before his time. At one time more than forty made a covenant like a common criminal (Acts 23:12-14). Paul had to have the anointing or he would have failed.

There will be many trying experiences you will undergo, and without the anointing of God you will lose everything of value to God in this final hour. This is a crucial hour of all-out sacrifice, the hour of yielding completely. You will either yield to the Holy Spirit completely or you will be a reject and miss the Rapture. Being accepted by God is worth any price. Yield to the things of God, go into His greatness. Don’t feel you are nothing because you are not doing the same works as someone else; God does not intend everyone to have visions or to preach. Know what God wants of you. If you have yielded all to Him you are a precious jewel in His hand. The way He chooses to use you may not seem at all spectacular, but if you are in His will it is sufficient—how could you possibly improve His will? Fast, pray, seek God for His anointing in your life and for the harvest of souls that must be won in this late hour.

Lack of the Anointing Brings Lack into Your Life

Love covers a multitude of sins in others; love holds back the gossiping tongue. Don’t let words go forth from your life that would hinder or tear down another. Let the Lord cleanse you of the need to put others in a bad light. Lack of the anointing also brings a lack of love and concern for others. As you judge others, God will also judge you. Read in the first chapter of Romans what the Bible says about whisperers and backbiters: it classified them with murderers and those who commit the vilest of sins. Talk about Jesus; there is no fault to be found in Him. In Philippians the Bible tells us what to talk about: things that are lovely, that are of a good report. All these things can be found in the Word of God, in the anointing, in the presence and the power of God.

Part-Time Anointing

Make your yielding to the Holy Spirit be a steady process, not yielded one day and careless the next. Don’t be in and out, up and down with God like a barometer. Carry the anointing of God all the time, not part-time. There are those baptized in the Holy Spirit, and yet the Holy Spirit cannot speak through them any time He wants because only at times are they yielded to Him. Then there are those who feel they are justified in wrong attitudes simply because the Holy Spirit spoke through them—He probably was pleading that they change their ways. Perhaps they did gossip but then they got “prayed up,” the Holy Spirit witnessed through them, and they felt what they had said was all right. It was not! They fall back into the same old pattern and the Lord cannot use them. Perhaps the Lord wants to give a message through you but He has to wait until you come back into the proper attitude, into the right spirit. Live so that the Lord can use you at any time, in any way He wants without first having to waste time conditioning or reconditioning you. Stay under the anointing of the Lord daily so He can use you anywhere at any time. You are not all right just because the Lord used you if you are in and out with the anointing of God: many wrinkles lie folded in that need to be ironed out.

Are You a Roller Coaster Christian?

Each one of you in this final hour must check your life in complete honesty. “Holy Spirit, do I gossip? What kind of spirit do I have? I must know.” Let the Holy Spirit bring to your attention the things in your life that hinder your being used, and use the anointing of the Holy Spirit to overcome them in gladness. Don’t feel depressed if you see something in your life that needs fixing; feel depressed if you see it and refuse to fix it! We must go forth to open the eyes of others to the power of God. Bridle your tongue, be careful; and do not deceive your own heart by thinking you’re all right when you’re not. You must know you’re all right. Just because the Holy Spirit speaks through you does not necessarily mean you are pleasing God in a divine way—it may be an up and down thing. What manner of person are you in this final hour? Are you a roller-coaster Christian? What if the Lord comes in one of those “down” times and you’re left? It’s time to stop indulging yourself and to get down to business with God. Live in His presence and walk and talk with Him; His anointing is becoming greater daily. Do all for Him you know to do; be a valuable instrument for Him in this final hour. Know the Spirit and the way of your God. You cannot afford to fail; you cannot be disobedient to the heavenly vision.

Everyone Has a Heavenly Vision Available

You have a heavenly vision—it’s the coming of the Lord and what you must do to prepare yourself and others. Without that heavenly vision you do not have the anointing. Some of you in your heart do not believe that Jesus is coming in your day; it is not reality to you. Others of you believe that His coming won’t be until many, many years in the future. In reality, time is very short and the devil wants to make you doubt what the Lord has told you through the Word of God. This generation [Jesus is referring to the generation who sees the signs take place] shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled (Matthew 24:34). These signs the Bible speaks of are being fulfilled in our day: the Jewish people have become a nation, their deserts are blooming like the rose. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered the ark, and knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. Then two shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left (Matthew 24:38-40). That second coming is “near, even at the doors,” as the signs are being fulfilled in our day. We have very little time left. The Lord told us we would not know the exact hour of His coming, but that His people would know the season. The anointed ones know they are living in that season. The Bible tells us that men would be lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God, and today much time is spent in the pursuit of pleasure. Those who put pleasure first will be spewed into the Tribulation Period. Without the anointing of God, you will not be on fire for Him.

Paul said, “I was not disobedient.” He couldn’t answer for others but only for himself. It is the same with you: you cannot answer for friends or loved ones; you can only answer for yourself. Some spend so much time trying to get their children to do right that they fail to keep the anointing flowing as it should in their own lives. Put those children on the altar and refuse to worry. Seek the face of God and do His will. Decide that you’ve done the best you could in rearing your children; and if you haven’t done your best, it’s too late now to rear them over—they’re already grown, you can’t go back. Put them in God’s hands, live close to God and let your light shine so they might see Him in you, glorify God and come to the Lord. If you intend to make the Rapture, it’s all or nothing now.

The Whole Loaf Offered to the World

The Lord is coming in our day. The anointing of the Lord is great and mighty in the land. The glory of the Lord is coming down to direct your path in the footsteps of Jesus. Many of you are already in step with Him, and you must stay in step, day after day. Take the anointing of the Lord daily. Tribulation and persecution may come your way, but you cannot afford to fail. In order to withstand persecution and tribulation, take on the Spirit of the Man of Galilee. He loved the souls of those who came against Him. The world may hate you and say all manner of evil against you, but go on making sacrifices, fasting and praying for them and giving them the Word of God. The world must have the opportunity to receive the whole loaf, and then the decision to accept or reject it rests upon them.

Be a yielded vessel so that others can see the power of God moving in your life. It’s your responsibility to give all to the Lord, He will pour Himself out to you so that you can pour yourself out to others. From your innermost being will flow rivers of living water. Now the glory of the Lord is coming down, bringing a drastic change, a spiritual quickening on the face of the earth. The work of the Lord is being speeded up faster and faster. It’s because the time is so late. The Holy Spirit is moving on His own day and night, calling you to prayer and consecration and away from anything that would stand between you and the Lord. There isn’t the time for the pleasures you once enjoyed, for the Lord must have you so He can teach you and mold you. He wants your dedication, your yielding, your life.

“Awake!” Crieth the Spirit

Daniel and the Hebrew boys dared to be all His. Those men are types and shadows of what the Bride of Christ is to be in this final hour. Study the type and shadow of the Bride in the Old Testament. See the anointing the Bride can have and determine in your heart to be part of that Bride, to have that anointing. We are in all-out war: it’s either please God completely or fail Him. Without the anointing of God, you will fail Him and be left behind in that great catching-away hour. How you will rebuke yourself then? The tears you shed will fall hot and bitter. I’d rather cry my bitter tears now for the lost than later because I missed the Rapture. Cry before God day and night that you are ready to be taken. The hour is late, it won’t be long. If you expect to escape the tribulation coming on the earth, you must prepare now—your life is at stake. Move for God; the presence of God is coming down and His power is moving. “Awake,” crieth the Spirit. “Awake, my children, and know the hour is late! Awake and know your Lord cometh! Awake, awake and know that your hour of grace is here; this is the hour of His greatness being poured out. Awake! Pray, fast and live in the Holy Word of God. Be a testimony in this hour and cry to the lost, ’Repent, repent, before it’s too late!’ Cry to the lost, ’You can be delivered! You can have the whole loaf in this your final hour.’”

Hold to the Horns of the Altar

Our voices will be lifted up until they will be heard to the ends of the earth in this our final hour. The Spirit, the love of God is upon you. The faith of God is yours; the whole armor of God is yours. You need not fear the devil or the power of Lucifer; you do not have to fear anything. This is your hour of deliverance. Awake and know that it is! Don’t be sleepy and drowsy; it’s almost midnight. It’s true it takes something special to stay awake now, but just a few minutes longer hold onto the grace of God. Hold to the horns of the altar—hold on, it won’t be long now. Our Lord cometh! Run after Him. Shake yourself with the Word of God, and through fastings, consecration and dedication, keep telling yourself, “My Lord doth come! My Lord doth come and I must help get the harvest in.” Don’t stop now, arise and do the whole will of God. Arise with a sacrificial spirit saying, “Lord, here am I, use me.” Casting aside everything unlike God, put your whole family on the altar of God. Say, “There they are, the seal of God’s promises of love are upon them,” and then go forth to do the whole will of God. The hour is late, and without the anointing of God you will not make it. There is too much to do and you cannot do it without the anointing. You’ll never be able to give unto the Lord all that He wants—no one can—unless self is wholly anointed twenty-four hours a day. The Master came to show you how to live in prayer, fastings and living in His Word. All you need do is walk in His footsteps. Hear the call of the Master reaching out to you, “Come, follow me and I will make you fishers of men. Come, follow me!” Don’t think you are helpless with Jesus; you are helpless without Him. Turn yourself completely over to the Lord, anything for Jesus.

Count it a joy to suffer for His name’s sake; count it a joy to be of service to Him in any way; count it a joy to be able to speak His name with faith and power. Count it a joy that you can call Jesus any time and the anointing of God will be upon you to pray, to fast. The Holy Spirit will teach you the Word of God. He will help you to have a heavenly vision and to be obedient to that vision. Let your eyes be clear under the anointing of God; let your ears hear what the Spirit is saying unto His children today. The anointing will tune you in on Heaven and will lead you to say the things of God with faith, nothing doubting. The anointing of God is a most precious possession available to you—yield to it. Use it to make you a vessel of honor in this last and final hour.