—Enjoy Yourself While You Can!—It's Later than You Think! DO 1933 5/85

1. WE ALWAYS NEED TO BE PREPARED, DON'T WE?—AND I'M NOT GOING TO TAKE ANY CHANCES, SO WE ARE GOING TO MAKE SOME MAJOR CHANGES. I'm telling you all together so you'll understand what's going on. We have tried to treat you, as Jesus said to His disciples once, "as friends & not as servants". (Jn.15:15) He said the Master doesn't tell His servants what He's going to do. Jesus said that, how about that?

2. SOMETIMES WE HAVE TO SPRING THINGS ON YOU SUDDENLY WITHOUT NOTICE & WITHOUT WARNING & WITHOUT EXPLANATION, JUST LIKE WE DO WITH OUR CHILDREN SOMETIMES. Sometimes I would give one of my children orders to quickly do something & they'd say, "Why, Daddy? How come, Daddy?"—And because I didn't have time to explain it to them, I'd have to say, "Just because I told you so! Do it now! Quick!"—Otherwise, bang! Other times when I had time to explain why & reason with them & discuss it, fine, we would do it. So I want you to be prepared for some changes. Well, just remember, there's one thing for sure in this life, & that is change, & you may be next!—Who knows? At the moment I don't know, but you might be, so be prepared! PTL?

3. HAVE YOU ALL GOT YOUR FLEEBAGS PACKED? Let's be honest. If you had to grab it right this minute‚ would you have everything you needed for a trip? Well‚ I admit, there are always a few things that are out that you have to throw in at the last minute, like your clock, toothbrush & a few other things you use every day & all day. But I do hope you're always ready.

4. IN TIMES LIKE THIS‚ THIS HAS ALWAYS BEEN MY FAVOURITE PASSAGE TO READ! I bet you know what I'm going to read—the 11th Chapter of Hebrews. And one reason I am talking to you about this this morning is that I've been warning you about the Crash! You say, "Oh Dad, you've been warning us about the Crash for five or six years! You wrote that first Letter a long time ago, "The Crash is Here!" (#854) & it hasn't happened yet!" "All things continue as they were," said the people in Noah's day, in Moses' day, in the days of Jesus & the days ever since! (2Pet.3:4) The World is always saying, "Oh well, all these calamity-howlers, these prophets of doom, what are they talking about? Everything's continuing as it was!"

5. WELL, THE DAY HAS FINALLY COME THAT THEY ARE BEGINNING TO WAKE UP THAT EVERYTHING IS NOT CONTINUING AS IT WAS‚ & it's very likely not apt to continue as it was! In fact‚ even the World is beginning to see that things are coming to an end. God's Word says‚ "And they knew not until the Flood came & swept them all away. They married & were given in marriage‚ they builded, they planted, they reaped, & knew not until the Flood came & swept them all away!" (Mat.24:37-29) Well, you don't ever want that to happen to you, do you? When the flood comes‚ you want to be ready, ready with your fleebag at a moment's notice if you have to move & are told to go or come or whatever you're supposed to do, be ready! That's why I love this Chapter!

6. "NOW FAITH IS THE SUBSTANCE OF THINGS HOPED FOR, THE EVIDENCE OF THINGS NOT SEEN!" "Faith is the substance"—the title deed—"of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." (8th verse:) "By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out." To go!—Out! Someday you're going to be called to go out. We always have, haven't we? We always move. Don't get so settled you let the roots grow down & you think you're going to be there forever! It can happen any time when it's all suddenly gone & you're out maybe on your own. (See "Time's Up", No.1910.) Well, you've got the Word, so you're without excuse. It can happen any day, any time, so be ready! Like Sol Opi's old song, "Be Ready!"—Not only just for the Coming of the Lord, you're already ready for that, but time's up! It's time to get ready & time to move! The Crash is here!

7. BUT DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT! When people get upset & worried about things, you say, "Don't worry about it!" And if anybody could say that to us, it's the Lord! Don't worry about it! You're His child & He's going to take care of you no matter what happens!

8. SO WHAT ABOUT ABRAHAM?—"HE SOJOURNED IN THE LAND OF PROMISE AS IN A STRANGE COUNTRY." Here he'd been promised a whole country & it was full of a bunch of enemies & aliens & Blacks & cruel creatures! He must have thought, "My Lord, I don't know if I even want this country, it's a mess! And what do we do with all these terrible people that hate us & fight us & try to kill us?" But there he was, "dwelling in tabernacles"—that means tents—"with Isaac & Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise." In fact, Abraham, Isaac & Jacob dwelt in tents all the days of their lives, God's Word says so!

9. AND WHO ELSE WAS IT THE LORD PROMISED IF THEY WOULD ALWAYS LIVE IN TENTS & be ready to move at a moment's notice, go wherever God called, that He would always spare them & they would never lack a man to stand before the Lord? (Fam: The Rechabites.) (Jer.35:7,18-19) And who did the Lord show us those were?—The Gypsies! And you'll find Gypsies, almost like the Jews, in almost every country on the face of the Earth, still living in modern mobile vehicles.

10. SO ABRAHAM BECAME A GYPSY, HE STARTED WANDERING! He'd apparently lived in Ur of the Chaldees all of his life, & then all of a sudden his Daddy said, "We've gotta move! God's called me to Canaan!" So they up & moved & started on their way to Canaan. But they only got about a third of the way there, & I guess poor old Terah was getting old & tired & sick, so they settled down there to rest him up & he up & died. So after his father was dead the Lord said to him, "Abraham, come get thee up & out of thy father's tents & come to a land that I will show thee & give thee!" (Gen.12:1) So Abraham the Gypsy carried on.

11. "WITH ISAAC & JACOB, THE HEIRS WITH HIM OF THE SAME PROMISE."—WHY?—"FOR HE LOOKED FOR A CITY WHICH HATH FOUNDATIONS, WHOSE BUILDER & MAKER IS GOD!" Hallelujah! I used to have a very hazy idea of what that City was & what it was like, but we know now! It says "which hath foundations"—how many foundations has it got? 12 foundations it says, think of that! (Rev.21:14) "Whose Builder & Maker is God."

12. (13TH VERSE:) "THESE ALL DIED IN FAITH, NOT HAVING RECEIVED THE PROMISES, BUT HAVING SEEN THEM AFAR OFF." Just think, one after the other of the Patriarchs & Forefathers died without ever even getting there, without ever receiving the promise, without ever receiving the Promised Land, much less the City of God! Think of it! But they all believed & they kept travelling & they kept on going for God & spreading the Message‚ evangelising the World, witnessing! The Jews in those days‚ those old boys were witnesses to faith in God & His Word! Amen?

13. "BUT HAVING SEEN THEM AFAR OFF!" Probably some of them never dreamed they were 2500 or 3000 years away! When were the days of Abraham? About 2000 is the date most set for the time of Abraham. So he was still how far away from that City he was travelling toward? That was 2000 B.C. & we're almost to 2000 A.D.! He was nearly 4000 years away from that City, & yet he was travelling for it. That took a lot of faith!

14. "THESE ALL DIED IN FAITH, NOT HAVING RECEIVED THE PROMISES!" He hadn't even received the Promised Land yet‚ it was full of enemies. "But having seen them afar off, & were persuaded of them, & embraced them, & confessed that they were strangers & pilgrims on the Earth." There's no place on this Earth that we can go without being strangers & pilgrims! We have no home country! We have no land that is ours! We have no hometown or home city! "For this World is not our home, we're just a-passing through, our treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue"—the old song goes. "The angels beckon me from Heaven's golden shore!"—It's not ocean shore, it's those golden streets Up There, praise God? "And I can't feel at home in this World any more."

15. (TONGUES: ) "I HAVE GONE TO PREPARE A PLACE FOR THEE‚ THAT WHERE I AM, THERE YE MAY BE ALSO‚ THAT YOUR FATHER & YOU SHALL DWELL WITH ME SAFELY FOREVER!" Hallelujah! TYJ! PTL! Amen! TYL! Hallelujah! TYJ! PTL! Isn't that wonderful? TYL! The Lord loves us so. He knows we're not at home here, He knows we have no certain dwelling place‚ no resting land, no place where we can really be sure that we're going to be able to stay even for a little while, much less Eternity. You never can tell when the day will come, that warning knock at the door or a phone call or whatever it might be that will mean we have to move. We'd better be ready, we'd better be prepared.

16. SO ENJOY IT WHILE YOU MAY! EAT, DRINK & BE MERRY, FOR TOMORROW YOU MAY HAVE TO MOVE! PTL? I believe we ought to enjoy it while we've got it! I don't think we ought to be like some religions where they can't even enjoy what they've got. Even a lot of Christians can't enjoy what they've got for worry about tomorrow.—Like the old lady, when they asked her how she felt, she said, "Well, I feel pretty good today, but oh, when I feel good I always feel bad because I know it's not going to be long before I feel bad again!" That's the way some people are! But I believe in just getting out of each day as much as we can! We should enjoy life, do our job‚ do our work, enjoy it, enjoy each other, enjoy our beautiful home, enjoy our comforts, good beds, plenty of food, luxuries, pleasures! God will give you anything as long as You put Him first & love Him & worship Him above all & put His work first & you seek Him with your whole heart, He'll give you the desires of your heart! If you seek Him first, all these other things shall be added unto you! (Psa.37:4, Mt.6:33)

17. LOOK AT THE THINGS GOD HAS ADDED UNTO US!—Things we didn't even ask for, in fact, a lot of things I didn't even want! Hasn't He been good to you? As Jesus said to the Disciples, "Lacked ye for anything?" They said, "No, Lord, we had more than enough." (Luk.22:35) He sent the 70 out by faith & they came back shouting & praising the Lord for the marvellous victories, the healings God gave & the souls won! They said, "Even the devils are subject unto us!"—Much to their surprise! (Luk.10:17) Jesus had told them that they would be, but I guess it was hard for them to believe. But they tried it, casting them out in the Name of Jesus, & it worked, He worked, & even the devils were subject to them. Amen? Hasn't the Lord been good to us?

18. "ENJOY YOURSELF, ENJOY YOURSELF! IT'S LATER THAN YOU THINK!" You might as well enjoy it while you have a chance. Some people can't enjoy what they've got now for worrying about the future! Some people can't enjoy the present for worrying about the past!—And the future! We children of the Lord ought to be able to enjoy every day to the full! We don't have to worry about the past, the Lord has washed that away in His blood & cleansed us from all guilt & shame & sin! And we don't have to worry about the future, He's going to take care of that too! PTL?

19. THE WORLD IS ON A CRASH COURSE TO DESTRUCTION!—Not only the U.S., but the Dollar & the economy of the World & all the rest! It's only the mercy of God that's He's staved it off—in mercy I believe to us—to help us get this job done & these posters out & these books out & all the rest & get it done before it happens, because after it happens we'll be doing well if we can get out a GN or even one Letter at a time like we used to. Remember those days of one little old Letter at a time folded up in a letter envelope? We'll be thankful if we can do that & if the postal system is still in existence!

20. (VERSE 14:) "THEY THAT SAY SUCH THINGS DECLARE PLAINLY THAT THEY SEEK A COUNTRY!" They're not satisfied with this one. If you're satisfied with this one, God will give it to you! He'll give you the desire of your heart & send leanness to your soul. (Psa.106:15) If you get settled down & complacent & self-satisfied in any one place & would just like to stay there the rest of your life, God may let you! Like most Christians & most churches, they build for this life like they're going to live here forever, build church buildings to last for millenniums, & are doing literally nothing to win souls to go to Heaven to last forever! They're building for this life & this Earth as though it were going to last forever, & building for Heaven as though it were never going to come.—In other words, sending little or nothing Up There in the way of souls won.

21. "AND TRULY IF THEY HAD BEEN MINDFUL OF THAT COUNTRY FROM WHENCE THEY CAME OUT, THEY MIGHT HAVE HAD OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE RETURNED." Have you ever been homesick? Come on, be honest now. Sometimes you have a little qualm of nostalgia & you think about those good old days & those beautiful places.

22. IT REMINDS ME OF THAT OLD VERSE: "TURN BACK, TURN BACK, O TIME, IN YOUR FLIGHT & MAKE ME A CHILD ONCE AGAIN FOR THE NIGHT!" (Dad weeps) Everybody gets nostalgic sometimes. Everybody remembers happy memories & you think how wonderful it was then, some time. You're going to be looking back someday, children‚ & think this was really Heaven on Earth, the most wonderful time in your whole life‚ so enjoy it! There's just something about human nature that you look back through rosy-coloured glasses & it all looks like Heaven—it was Heaven! It's wonderful how God made you to remember the good memories & forget the bad.

23. WELL‚ SOMEDAY I'M GOING TO GO BACK, PRAISE THE LORD, BUT THINGS WILL BE DIFFERENT THEN! THEY WON'T BE RUNNING ME OUT ANY MORE‚ I'LL BE RUNNING THEM! Some day maybe the Lord will let us go back to Tenerife. I want to go back to Tenerife, I want to go back to France, I want to go back to all those places I've been! Those were days of Heaven on Earth, happy times, I loved them!—Where we had our children! Just think what a thrill it will be to take the children back & show them where they were born & where they used to live & meet all of our good old friends who won't be afraid of being friends with us then. We'll be the authorities! The ones that are going to fear & tremble are the judges & police & enemies & the Bishop! They're going to fall down on their knees & beg us to have mercy on'm!

24. WE ALL FEEL A LITTLE NOSTALGIC SOMETIMES, WE ALL GET HOMESICK FOR HAPPY TIMES & HAPPY PLACES WHERE WE'VE BEEN, RIGHT?—Some time, times of your childhood perhaps. Maybe not so much you, I don't know, because you weren't Christians or your parents weren't Christians & you didn't have a very happy life. But I had a very happy life‚ really, most of my life. We suffered a lot, we went through lots of agony & lots of pain & deprivation & some poverty & all, but we were never starving. We always had a place to lay our heads. We were usually happy & we were always in the Lord's service. That's what keeps you happy. Even if you have nothing, you're happy to have the Lord.

25. THESE PEOPLE IN HEBREWS 11 HAD NOTHING, THEY NEVER GOT IT! THEY NEVER EVEN RECEIVED IT! You're already enjoying a little bit of Heaven on Earth, happiness, fulltime work for the Lord.—Not only your needs‚ but your wants, even luxuries! I mean you've got everything! What else could we have? I can't think of a thing we need‚ except time!—Amen? God has supplied everything we need, & He's even supplying us with a little more time to try to get these things finished. God help us!

26. MAYBE THE CRASH WILL BE NEXT YEAR, I don't know. It seems to me like it would almost have to be this year if the Antichrist is going to arise next year. Who knows? Maybe the Lord will give us even more time if we're faithful & work hard & do a good job. If we keep working hard doing such a good job, the Lord doesn't want to stop us, He can hold back the Antichrist Kingdom for maybe a little longer. But I don't see how it can be much longer, because if He does too long, they could destroy the whole World! God can't keep on postponing the End too long or man would bring things to an end himself! God's gotta stop it before man ends it! Amen?

27. "BUT NOW THEY DESIRE A BETTER COUNTRY!" We're not satisfied with this World! We're not satisfied with all that we have here & now. Watch out if you get satisfied with it. We're trying to make you look forward to a better country—Heaven! Even the World is singing this new song now, "There must be a better place than this—Heaven! I'm tired of this, there must be a better place than this!" Well, we're showing them, & we're showing you how much better place there is than this!

28. "BUT NOW THEY DESIRE A BETTER COUNTRY, THAT IS AN HEAVENLY!" There it is clear as day! It's quite a Country Up There, that Pie in the Sky floating around!—1500 miles square. That's 2-1/4 million square miles! Think of that! That's quite a Country, bigger than a lot of countries in this World today, much bigger!—Almost as big as all Europe, at least as big as half the United States & all those States. I mean, that's a Country! It's not just a City‚ it's a whole Country! Think of that!—Millions of square miles!—Plus altitude!—Billions of cubic miles!

29. "WHEREFORE GOD IS NOT ASHAMED TO BE CALLED THEIR GOD!" Boy, that is one of the most amazing statements in the whole Bible to me! What does that mean? If God's not ashamed of you, what is He? (Fam: Proud of you!)—Why? He just got through saying why, because you're not satisfied with this World, you're not settling down here. This World is not your home, you're just a-travelling through! You're willing to be a Pilgrim & a Stranger & have no certain dwelling place, never know where you're going to go next, living by faith just as the Lord supplies. You're willing to be a Traveller, a Gypsy, a Stranger, a Pilgrim, because what?—You're seeking a better Country, a better City, that hath foundations, a better Land!

30. YOU'RE NOT SATISFIED WITH THIS EARTH & THE WAY IT IS, THIS WORLD, NOT ANY COUNTRY OR CITY ON EARTH THE WAY IT IS, IT DOESN'T SATISFY YOUR HEART, it doesn't fulfil your longings, your desires for the Heavenly, & as a result you're willing to move from country to country & flee when you have to flee, always a Stranger. (Sings:) "I am a stranger here within a foreign land. My Home is far away, upon a Golden Strand. Ambassador to be, of realms beyond the sea, I'm here on business for my King! This is the message that I bring, a message angels fain would sing. Oh, be ye reconciled‚ thus saith your Lord & King, Oh, be ye reconciled today!" PTL?

31. WE'RE AMBASSADORS OF THE GREATEST KINGDOM THE WORLD IS EVER GOING TO KNOW, THE GREATEST COUNTRY, THE MOST BEAUTIFUL! We are Ambassadors of the greatest Government not on Earth! Amen? It's not an Earthly government. It will be on Earth some day, but I couldn't say we're Ambassadors of the greatest country on Earth because it's not on Earth yet! So we're Ambassadors of the greatest Government not on Earth! Praise God!—And greater than any government on Earth‚ the best Country in the World.

32. "THEREFORE GOD IS NOT ASHAMED TO BE CALLED YOUR GOD!" Therefore He's proud of you because you're not satisfied with this World! You're working hard & willing to be Pilgrims & Strangers & to travel & drop everything & move at a moment's notice, grab your fleebag & go wherever God calls, forsake all!

33. AND BECAUSE YOU'RE WILLING TO DO THAT, you're willing to be reshuffled whatever way God designs, whatever way God can best use you‚ God's proud of you! Sometimes we don't like to use that word "proud" because you say we're not supposed to have pride. Well, this is a different kind of pride‚ it's well-justified! God is thankful for you! I just don't hardly know what other word to use to express it that is common to people to understand, but He's proud of you!—Just like you're proud of your children when they do well.

34. WE'RE PROUD OF THEM BECAUSE THEY'RE PASSING THROUGH & THEY KEEP ON PASSING! When you're in school you call it passing when you go from one grade to the other. Our kids are passing all the time, they're making progress! When you're travelling along in a car, how do you know when you're moving? You know you're moving because you're passing things! You know you're making progress because you're passing things. Maybe in your spiritual life the same is true, when you start letting it pass. You don't worry about it, you don't hold it against somebody for some idle remark or something foolish that they did, something they said, you don't get hypersensitive & all upset about it & hold it against them‚ you just let it pass, you forgive them. You're passing things.

35. YOU'RE PASSING THROUGH THIS WORLD TOO‚ THAT'S ANOTHER SIGN OF PROGRESS. You're passing things, going from one city to another, one country to another‚ one job to another, one house to another! That's a sign of progress! You're willing to pass in & pass out & pass on!—Right? Ready to go, ready to stay, ready to do His will! So God's proud of you! He says it right here, He's proud of you! "So God was not ashamed to be called their God!" Isn't that wonderful?

36. SO PRAISE THE LORD, ARE YOU READY TO PASS ON? I'm sure you'd even be ready to pass on to Heaven if the Lord would let you loose! Some people are getting so thrilled with our posters they want to go now. But don't go yet, we've got a lot to do & a lot to finish yet, a lot of souls to be won & a lot of witnessing to do‚ a lot of wonderful people to save for that wonderful City that you're going to be wonderfully happy to see when you get There, that you were instrumental in saving from Hell & from the Devil & from this hellish old World.

37. GOD'S PROUD OF YOU! NOW DON'T MAKE HIM ASHAMED OF YOU, AMEN? That's a little warning. While we're at it, don't forget to keep Him proud of you. How do you keep Him proud of you?—Keep passing! Keep passing on, passing things, progressing!—And that means what? Keep being a Pilgrim & a Stranger, He said! He said He was proud of them because they desired a better country. Well, sometimes I wonder how we could have anything better than this, we never had it so good!

38. HOW COULD WE HAVE ANYTHING BETTER?—WELL, WE'VE GOT A BETTER COMING! You've seen pictures of it, praise the Lord?—Your Country, your City, of which you're a full-fledged Citizen & you've got a Passport that will never die, Salvation! Thank God! You won't have to worry about visas in any country on Earth, because you'll own the World & run it! Anybody that says we need visas, we'll turn around & make them have visas, we'll make them get passports! Things are going to be pretty rigidly controlled! I believe we're going to really control'm with an iron hand, travel & all the rest, just like they tried to control us.

39. BUT THE ONES THAT WERE GOOD TO US, WE'RE GOING TO BE GOOD TO THEM! Nice countries where they let the Family stay a long time, aren't we going to be good to them? We'll be good to the leaders & all the good people that let us stay & the people that let us rent their houses & people that make & produce the food that we are able to get out & buy & eat. So be thankful! Amen? Be thankful for everything & we're going to bless the dear people that blessed us, & we're going to curse those who cursed us! That's the way it's going to be.

40. SO THANK GOD, GOD IS THANKFUL FOR YOU, HE'S PROUD OF YOU, BECAUSE YOU ARE WILLING TO BE A PILGRIM & A STRANGER! He might even let you settle down for awhile if you're still willing to go.—If He knows you're willing to go & ready to go & would go if He asked you to, like Abraham was asked to sacrifice Isaac, He might just let you stay awhile instead.—Because He knows you've got the right spirit, He knows you seek a better Country, & you're not satisfied & you don't want to go back to the one you came from. So He might even let you settle down awhile. Thank God when we can settle down a little while to get some more work done!

41. (PRAYS: ) AMEN! PTL! THANK YOU JESUS FOR THY KINGDOM WHICH IS GOING TO LAST FOREVER! We've already got it in us, Lord‚ & we're in it as far as You're concerned already. Wherever Thy children are‚ it's Thy Kingdom. You said You'd give unto us the uttermost parts of the Earth for our possession, & the heathen for our inheritance, Lord! (Psa.2:8) So we're conquering the World, we're conquering the Earth, we're conquering souls for Thy Kingdom! We're taking it over, Lord, until that day when we're going to have the final takeover completely. It'll be all ours‚ our country then‚ not the Devil's kingdom any more, but Thy Kingdom Come! Hallelujah! God bless you all & keep you & give you a good day of good hard work to accomplish a lot for Jesus! In Jesus' name, amen!

Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family