Storing for the Seven Years of Famine

From the beginning, the Lord had taught us to have a faith ministry. We have never "taken collections", told people our needs, borrowed money, taken government benefits, or worked at a secular job. I am not saying this to brag but to show qualification to teach on this subject. The Apostle Paul said in Romans 15:18,19, "For I will not dare to speak of any things save those which Christ wrought through me, for the obedience of the Gentiles, by word and deed, in the power of signs and wonders, in the power of the Holy Spirit". The Lord told me, "I am sending you through a wilderness so that you can tell my people that I still supply in the wilderness". As you can imagine, this life-style put us in many situations to prove this promise. The Lord wanted me to be able to speak from experience about His faithfulness to "supply our every need, according to His riches in glory". I would not have traded these experiences for anything. We have worked diligently in the Lord's service, and He said the "laborer is worthy of his hire". My pay comes from Him. We have received only freewill offerings sent from God. This also keeps us free from the manipulations of man.

About fourteen years ago the Lord appeared to me and sent us to Pensacola, Florida. There is an advantage to knowing that you are sent by God. Always seek to be in His will. About two years after this we had a wonderful experience. We had run out of all food in the house. My wife asked me what we should do. I told her, "Let's set the table". So we did, and the seven of us sat down with empty plates. I prayed a simple little prayer, the only kind I know. I said, "Lord you sent us here and we are asking you to fill out plates or fill out tummies". In a moment my oldest son said something I had never heard out of him before. He said, "Dad, I'm full, I don't need to eat" and he got up. I started looking around at the rest, and they started agreeing with him. I was so surprised listening to them, that it was a minute or so before I noticed that I was full and not hungry either. Praise God! His name is Jehovah Jireh, I am Provider!

Now I don't want you to think that we have always lived on the edge of disaster because God has supplied abundantly. However, when we were in that place of weakness, God's power was made perfect! I did not start out with the faith that I have today either. I got in the flesh sometimes. Tribulation works patience, and patience will have it's perfect work so that you lack nothing. My children were forced to fast only once in their life, and that instance ended in a miracle.

Now I want to share with you another instance though. When we once again were running out of food, Mary made a large pot of spaghetti. We blessed the pot and ate our fill, which was about two thirds of the spaghetti. The next day I was standing by the stove when Mary pulled the pot from the refrigerator to heat it up. When she took off the lid, we both looked at the pot and then at each other. I said, "This pot was down to here yesterday". motioning with my finger on the side of the pot. She said, "Yes, I know" and we were awed at the power and goodness of the Lord. The children of Israel angered God and spoke against Him when put in this situation. In Ps.78:19-22 they said, "Can God prepare a table in the wilderness?" The answer was, "Behold he smote the rock so that waters gushed out and streams overflowed". In other words, if He can get a stream out of a rock, He can supply your needs anywhere, anyhow; and you are foolish to question Him. That didn't stop them. They said, "Can He give bread also?" God was angry when He heard this and His wrath was kindled {verse 21). These so called believers "Believed not in God, and trusted not in His salvation". (verse 22.) You see, friend, God wants you to believe for salvation every day. If He can pay taxes out of a fish's mouth, He can meet your needs in any kind of lack. They provoked God with their evil heart of unbelief when all they had to do was mix faith with the promise (Heb.3:6-4:3). Jesus said, "When I sent you forth without ...Lacked you anything?" They said, "nothing".

Consider this teaching from the word about God's supply for the coming lack.

(transcribed from taped message)

The one thing we do have to be careful of when looking at types and shadows, which we have been told are types and shadows, is that we don't look at the letter, but look at the spirit, because the letter kills but the spirit gives life. When we look at the Old Testament and look at the letter and transfer it into the New Testament in the letter, you don't do anything but kill. You kill the truth that God really wants to reveal there, because the letter was spoken to God's letter people. The spirit that is beneath that letter was spoken to God's spirit people. The things that happen unto them are for our admonition upon whom the ends of the ages are come. For instance, when we read the story of Joseph, we need to see a parable in that and see what the revelation is to us. When Joseph stored up in the seven years of plenty for the seven years of famine, what does that mean for us? That is not a question you should answer quickly. People tend to look at the letter there and not the spirit. There are many parables in the story of Joseph - even parables on top of parables. One should be careful not to tangle them up. If you are not careful you will take the bits and pieces that are scattered about and you will take the other bits and pieces that do not belong there and add them. What we should do is to go through there carefully and look and see. I'm not alone in believing that Joseph was one of the clearest types of Jesus in the scriptures (in the Old Testament scriptures). You can go through the life of Joseph and see the whole New Testament story of Jesus. There is also another story in there of the man child in Revelation 12. Joseph was a clear type on the man child. I want to steer around that one right now because there is another parable there. There are many parables there. What I would like to see is who did Joseph mainly represent? The main person he represented was Jesus Christ. When we look through there, we will understand what is meant by "storing up". I'll pick out a few places here so that I can help you to see who Joseph represents. When Joseph was sent by his father to his brethren in Genesis 37:14, this was a type of Jesus being sent to his brothers the Jews. He was sent first to the lost sheep in the house of Israel. In Genesis 37:14 his father said to him, "Go now, see whether it is well with thy brethren, and well with the flock: and bring me word again". As you know, even according to Jesus' parable of the Father sending the Son, the caretakers of the vineyard decided here is the heir we will take the heir and we will have the vineyard. Remember Jesus' parable about that? Well here it is. The father sent the son to find out how it was with the flock. According to the scriptures in Genesis 37:4, we see that his brothers hated him. They couldn't speak peaceably unto him. Which is exactly the truth. They had no peace with him because he was in the spirit, and they were in the flesh. They were rebelling against God. They rebelled against every prophet that came to them because they were in rebellion. Also you can see that in verse 8 . "His brethren said unto him, 'shalt thou indeed reign over us or shall thou indeed have dominion over us?'" Remember Jesus was the stone that the builders rejected. In one of Jesus' parables he said, "We would not that this man reign over us". They did not want Jesus to reign over them. Again you can see it in this parable in verse 18. "And they saw him afar off, and before he came near unto them, they conspired against him to slay him [just like Jesus' brothers, the Jews]. And they said one to another, Behold, this dreamer cometh. Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into one of the pits, and we will say, An evil beast hath devoured him: and we shall see what becomes of his dreams". That is exactly what happened. The pit has been called all over the New Testament Sheol. They conspired against him to cast him into the pit. That is exactly where Jesus went - into the pit. The scriptures teach that. Joseph's brothers conspired against him. He was the stone that the builders rejected which was made the head. When his brothers conspired against him, he was made the head. That is exactly what happened in the book of Genesis from chapter 37 on. They cast him into a pit and they said an evil beast devoured him. That is the truth. Remember the Roman beast is the one that devoured Jesus. In verse 27 it says, " Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites (to the Gentiles), and let not our hand be upon him; for he is our brother, our flesh". The Jews said that it was not permitted in their law for them to put a man to death. So what did they do? They turned Him over to the Gentiles. They had the Gentiles do their dirty work. And that is exactly what this story is about. The brethren of Jesus turning him over to the Gentiles to be cast into prison, or to be cast into the pit. Can you see how closely this follows the story of Jesus? If you can look in between some of these verses that I am looking at and say this doesn't fit and that doesn't fit, you're right. You can go through there and find places where it doesn't fit. The way a parable works in the Old Testament is you have to go through and pick out the parts that fit. Believe me, before you get to the end of the book of Genesis and the story of Joseph, you will see so many parts that fit. You will say the story of Jesus is in there. The parts that do not fit are not made for that parable they are made for another one. You will be surprised how many times you can meditate on these parts that don't fit and they do fit, or meditate on them and you see another story in there entirely. Have you heard about the Bible code? There has been a Bible code in there all along. People have been searching it out and enjoying looking at it since the time the Bible was written. We are looking at that code right now. Hidden in there is another story. It is a revelation of the end times. Not only of the time up to Jesus but also of the time past Jesus. It is like the story of the scapegoat. In verse 33 they tell their father an evil beast devoured him. That was their excuse when actually they had sold him into the hand of the Gentiles. He was given over to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and captain of the guard according to Genesis 37:36. In verse 36, your Bible might say, "captain of the guard", but it really doesn't say that. It says, "chief of the executioners". Isn't that amazing? You might have a footnote that say, "Hebrew, Chief of the executioners". Who was the chief of the executioners? It was Pilate. Pilate was the chief of the executioners in Jesus' day. He was delivered over to Pilate. After chapter 37, there is a break in the story because God wants you to see a major theme. Genesis 38 goes back and talks about Judah, and in Genesis 39 it starts talking about Joseph again. God wants you to have a break in your thinking here; then he wants you to start thinking again. How many times in the scriptures have you seen the beast married to the harlot. A good example is in Kings where Jezebel was married to Ahab. Ahab perfectly symbolizes the beast with the ten horns. Jezebel, obviously even in the book of Revelation, symbolizes the harlot. Those two were married. Also the harlot comes in riding upon the beast in Revelation chapter 17. What is wrong with the harlot? The harlot is in love with the world. The world is the beast. The harlot is committing fornication with the world and the world is the beast. Isn't it peculiar that Potiphar here is married to a harlot who lies about Joseph? This is exactly what happened to Jesus. The harlot lied about Jesus. God wants you to see how exact this parable is. Look what happened to the harlot who was the wife of Potiphar. She, obviously in this text, falsely accused Joseph of having relations with her. That is exactly what the harlot wanted. The harlot wants us to have relations with her. If you disagree with the harlot, what they want to do is to get you into the same fornication with the world that they are into. They are not comfortable with you until you are. You see in the spirit and they see in the flesh. The flesh permits people to live comfortably in the world. Of course that is not God's plan. The thing about Jesus is that he made people so uncomfortable about living in the world. You either had to listen to Him and come out from among them, or you had to denounce Him and stay among them. It says in 39:12, "She caught him by his garment saying, 'lie with me'. He left his garment in her hand and fled and got him out". She wanted him to commit fornication in the same way. In the New Testament the harlot church was Judaism. They wanted Jesus to submit to Judaism. The leaders of Judaism wanted Jesus to come into agreement with them. Their anger against Him was the same kind of jealousy and enmity that the brothers of Joseph had against him. Because they were jealous of him and they saw God's favor upon him, they sought to kill him. The same thing with Jesus. God's favor was upon Him. In verse 17 she falsely accused Joseph. He was falsely accused by the wife of his master. Jesus was falsely accused by the wife of His master. The exact same thing happened to Jesus. In verse 21 it says, "But the Lord was with Joseph, and showed kindness unto him, and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison". He got grace in the sight of the keeper of the prison. The keeper of the prison committed into Joseph's hand all the prisoners that were in the prison. The Bible says that Jesus took captivity captive. What is the scripture talking about? It is saying that those souls that were in Sheol were under the hand of Jesus. The Bible says that he went and preached to the souls in prison. In chapter 40 the two people that were in prison (in the pit) with Joseph were the butler and the baker. After three days one of them went to serve the king and one of them lost his head. Jesus was three days and three nights - like Jonah - in the bowels of the earth. Jonah was a symbol of Jesus. Jesus went there to preach to the souls in prison. Let me show you two verses on that. I Peter 3:19 is a clear verse on that. Verse 17 says that suffering for good and not for evil is okay. That is exactly what Jesus and Joseph did. Verse 18 says, "Christ also suffered for sins once, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God; being put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit. In which he also went and preached to the spirits in prison". That is obviously where Joseph and Jesus were. "That aforetime were disobedient, when the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah". Spiritually speaking, according to the type and shadow, these were dead. Joseph went there to judge - to see who after three days was going to be taken up to see the king and who was going to lose his head. Genesis 40:9 on tells us the story of that. Another one I want to show you is in Ephesians 4:5,6. It says that there is "one Lord, one faith, one baptism and one God and father of all, who is over all"... Of course, Joseph was given authority over all. Not only in prison but also when he came out of prison. He was given authority over all. Jesus did go to prison. Ephesians 4:8 says, "Wherefore he saith when he ascended on high he led captivity captive and gave gifts unto men. Now this He ascended what is it but that He also descended into the lower parts of the earth. And He that descended is the same also that ascended far above all heavens that He might fill all. And then he went and gave gifts unto men". Do you see how closely this is following the pattern of Jesus? This is not a hidden thing. That is why most theologians think that Joseph is a type or a pattern of Jesus. I don't see how they could miss it really. He preached that after the third day the butler was going to be taken up to be with the king and to serve the king. He preached that after three days the baker was going to lose his head. Not only that he would lose his head but also that the birds would eat the flesh from off him. Do you know who the birds are? According to Revelation 18:2, they are the demons because they torment the people that are in the prison. As you know after the three days in Genesis 41:14, "Pharaoh sent and called Joseph and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon. And he shaved himself and changed his raiment and came in unto Pharaoh". Who was Pharaoh? Who was Pharaoh to the Egyptians? He was god. He was God's representative on earth. They called him the sun god. When Jesus came out of prison, who did he go and submit to? He submitted to God. Who brought Jesus up out of prison anyway? It was God. Also, when Jesus came out of prison, he changed his raiment didn't he? He received a new body. Do you see the spiritual type there? Joseph shaved. What did to shave mean? In I Corinthians 11 it says the hair is a sign of submission. I have discovered through the scriptures that it can be a sign of submission to the world or submission to the kingdom. For instance, Samson's great strength was because of his long hair. When they cut his long hair he lost his great strength. Why? Because his hair was a symbol of his submission to God. When he lost his submission to the kingdom of God he lost his strength. In this case the parable is just the opposite. Jesus lost all submission to the authority of the world because he didn't have a body anymore. This body is trouble. When you get out of this body, you will know what I am talking about. There is no more submission or connection to the world anymore. To shave himself when he came out of the dungeon meant to lose his submission to the world. Not only that but he also changed his raiment because he received a new body. What did Pharaoh do with Joseph after he came out of the prison? What did God do with Jesus after he came out of the prison? The same thing that Pharaoh did with Joseph. He set him over all of his kingdom. He set him over everything. If you are following along with me you will see something. You will see something in the spirit here. This is not talking about an earthly ruler or an earthly man anymore. It is talking about Jesus who came up out of prison and was in the kingdom of God. He was given authority over all of God's kingdom and over all the earth and all the heaven. Jesus said that. If you can see that, maybe you can see a little bit more about this grain. In chapter 41:40 Pharaoh says, "Thou shalt be over my house, and according to thy word shall all my people be ruled". That is exactly the truth about the Father and Jesus. Pharaoh says, "Only in the throne shall I be greater than thou". That is still true of Jesus and the Father. "And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, 'See I have set thee over all the land of Egypt'". What is Egypt in the scriptures? The world - Egypt is the world. God's people had to come out of Egypt to go to Canaan's land. We have to come out of the world (spiritually speaking) and go to the promised land. Pharaoh set Joseph over all the world (spiritually speaking), and the Father set Jesus over all the world. This Jesus (Joseph as a type of Jesus), who is now resurrected before the Father ruling over the world, is the one who collected in the seven years of plenty in order to pay it back in the seven years of famine. We are putting things into the kingdom that we are going to receive back. We are sowing a seed into the kingdom that we will later receive back in the famine. This is what the Bible teaches. When hard times come who gets blessed the most? When the good times came they sowed into the kingdom; they are going to reap what they sow. This is not talking physically. If you are going to take this literally and the rest of it spiritually, you will just destroy the whole parable. What you must do is to see this as a spiritual revelation. All of what happened in the letter has to be discerned in the spirit. It is a spiritual revelation. If we are going to take it in the letter we have to find Joseph. Then we had better find Pharaoh and go to Egypt. If you are going to take it in the letter then take it all in the letter. What people want to do is to just take a little piece out and take it in the letter and the rest of it take in the spirit. No, that is just not rightly dividing the word of truth. What you are going to see here is what you are going to see in the New Testament. If in the New Testament this was true in the letter, it would be spoken of in the New Testament. It is not. It is not spoken of in the New Testament that you are supposed to store up - just the opposite. It is defeating God's whole purpose. The things that Israel had when they came out of Egypt is what they took with them, and they lost all of it within the first two days in the wilderness. They spent it all up, and they needed food and water. God's whole plan is in the wilderness was that they would not be supplied by Egypt - the power of Egypt, the strength of Egypt, the thinking of Egypt. Instead they had to totally depend upon God. This is God's plan. I don't care if you store up; you are not going to keep it. Genesis 41:35,36 says, "Let them gather all the food of these good years that come, and lay up grain under the hand of Pharaoh [who is God] for food in the cities, and let them keep it. And the food shall be for a store to the land against the seven years of famine, which shall be in the land of Egypt; that the land perish not through famine". Joseph gathered up that which he later was to restore in the drought. Did you know God is doing that right now? The Bible says that he is. God is gathering up right now in the seven years of plenty for the seven years of famine. This is what Christians need to be thinking about: how to store up for the seven years of famine; how to store up under the hand of Pharaoh which is God, and also under the hand of Joseph which is Jesus Christ. This is what we need to be doing. This is the only thing we can do to prepare for what is coming. I will prove that to you in the New Testament in a moment. Storing up can be several things. It is putting the word in your heart. It is your good works toward God's kingdom. It is your good works towards the poor. We can prove all of this in the scriptures. Everything you do as far as being obedient to God's word is going to come back to you in the days ahead. Let me give you an example. I will give you several verses. Think about them and see them in the spirit. If the New Testament, which is the covenant that God made with you, teaches against it then you can not take this in the letter. What I am going to prove to you is that the New Testament teaches against it, but it does prove the exact same thing. God is taking what you store up under the hand of Pharaoh ,which is God, and he is going to restore that in the time of your need. James 5:1-6 says ",Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you. Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth eaten. Your gold and your silver are rusted; and their rust shall be a testimony against you, and shall eat your flesh as fire. You have laid up your treasure in the last days". Who is he talking to? He is talking to us here. It says, "You have laid up your treasure in the last days. Behold, the hire of the laborers who mowed your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth out". Did you know America is just like this? America is living off the fatness of the whole world. The people who are on the bottom end of this chain are not being treated very well. There are people who are in misery all over this world who are supporting America's lust and greed. There is deeper truth to this, but I wanted to point out this thing. It says, "The hire of the laborers who mowed your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth out: and the cries of them that reaped have entered into the ears of the Lord of the Sabbath. You have lived delicately on the earth, and taken your pleasure; you have nourished your hearts in a day of slaughter. You have condemned, you have killed the righteous; he doth not resist you". One thing you can see here is that in the last days people are going to be living pretty high off the hog in a lot of places. The thing that is going to condemn them is the things that they have stored up. He says that. The treasures that they have stored up are going to condemn them. God means this. He is talking to believers here. He is not talking about all believers just some believers. America has lived very high off the rest of the world and at the expense of the rest of the world in a lot of places. Let me prove what I am saying to you about the storing up in heaven. Do you know in Exodus 16, where the manna was given, what the manna was? Actually, the word given in Exodus chapter 16 for manna is the word man. Look at the bottom at your footnote. The footnote says man. Do you know who that man was? The man that came down out of heaven and gave life to the world. The one that we have to eat in order to have life. It is Jesus. How do you eat Jesus and have life? You have to consume Him. The word has to go into you and become a part of your being. How does it do that? You have to obey it. This is exactly what the word says. Exodus 16:4 says, "Then said the Lord unto Moses, 'Behold I will rain bread out of heaven for you'". Jesus said, "I am the bread that came down out of heaven for you". Exodus continues, "And the people shall go out and gather a days portion everyday that I may prove them, whether they will walk in My law or not". What is it to eat your portion everyday? It is to walk in God's law. He is proving them to see if they will walk in his law. The manna was grain. Did you know that? In verse 31 it says, "it was like coriander seed, white. And the taste of it was like wafers made with honey". Coriander seed - it was seed; it was grain. In Genesis the original manuscript doesn't say corn. It says grain, because it was not only corn it was also wheat. It was seed. All of that was seed. He was talking physically to them but spiritually to us. The Jews were only Jews according to the letter, but we are Jews according to the spirit. If you, as a spiritual Jew, thrive on the letter is is going to kill you. That is what Paul said. "The letter kills, but the spirit gives life". We need to partake of Jesus Christ everyday. He said I am going to give you a day's portion everyday to see if going to obey My law. We are supposed to eat a day's portion of Jesus everyday. We are supposed to partake of God's word and life everyday. Did you know that for six days they went out and gathered the manna. When they tried to store it up, it bred worms; but when they gathered it for the seventh day, it did not breed worms. What does six mean? Six means man, and what is earthly and worldly. The number 666 has a numeric meaning. It is whatsoever that is of the earth, of the world, and of man. We have come to the end of 6,000 years which is the works of man. What are we coming to now? We are coming to the rest - the day of the Lord, the day of rest. What is that? The kingdom of God - the Bible says the kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. When is the kingdom of the world going to become the kingdom of Jesus Christ? On the seventh day. God rested from his works after the sixth day - on the seventh day. Man is going to rest from his works after the sixth day. We are coming to the seventh day - the seventh thousand year period. If you store up for the seventh day, it won't breed worms. When you store up during the six days, it will breed worms. What does that mean? It means when you store up in a worldly way (in the world, of the world, for the world) it will breed worms. If you store up in the kingdom, it is not going to breed worms. The New Testament tells us what it is to store up in the kingdom. You can store up in the kingdom. This is the most valuable thing you can do. What you store up on earth is going to breed worms. It is going to be taken from you. Did you know this happened in the early church? The Bible says they took joyfully the spoiling of their possessions. It happened to the early church. What was the first thing the early church did? They obeyed the rule about the manna. Anybody who had houses or land above what they needed sold or distributed them to meet everybody's needs, to have equality. God never changed this principle. Men and religion changed this principle, but God never changed this principle. This is God's plan. Paul used the manna for more than one parable. One parable he used it for was equality. Now Paul is going to use this for another parable. This is what Paul preached in II Corinthians 8:13, "I say not this that others may be eased and you distressed; but by equality: your abundance being a supply at this present time for their want, that their abundance may also become a supply for your want; that there may be equality: as it is written, He that gathered much had nothing over; and he that gathered little had no lack". How can you store up if you have got nothing over? When they went out and gathered their omer of the manna, they wiped the top of the omer off and whatever fell out went into another's omer until everyone had equality. It goes on to say, "And he that gathered little had no lack". Look around. Has that happened yet? No, that has not happened yet. It is God's plan, and He is going to make sure it happens. In Acts 4:32, when the church was formed, the first thing God instituted was this plan. God has not changed his mind about this. The people who believe in prosperity may try to change God's mind about this, but God will not change his mind. Acts 4:32 says, "The multitude of them that believed were of one heart and soul, and not one of them said that any of the things which he possessed was his own". Remember Jesus said, "Except you renounce everything that you have you cannot be my disciple". Jesus was very firm on that. That is a condition for discipleship. Acts continues, "They had all things in common, and with great power the apostles witnessed to the resurrection". Acts 4:34, "For neither was there among them any that lacked, for as many as were possessors of land or houses sold them and brought the prices of the things that were sold, and laid them at the apostles' feet and distribution was made unto each according as any had need". Do you know what is going to happen in the tribulation? What happened to the Israelites when they went into the wilderness? God instituted the manna. How long did the manna last? It lasted until they went into Canaan's land. The manna ceased when they went into Canaan's land. God's plan for the manna was all the time they were in the wilderness. God is about to put the church into the wilderness. He is about to institute this plan. The church is going into the wilderness, and everybody is going to get their omer. Nobody is going to have any left over, and nobody is going to have any lack. If nobody is going to have anything over, how is God going to do this? The same way that He did in the book of Acts: there was a redistribution of their wealth. This is God's plan, and He is going to do this. What Jesus instituted by grace was to do this out of the heart of man. You did not notice the disciples commanding this. They did this out of their hearts. To have everybody's need met that nobody have anything over and nobody have any lack. God's got a gift for His people. There are people who have gifts of help and supply. Look at what happened to Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5:1-11. Here were some people who were not going to give. What happened? They died. There are people who are not going to do this. God was angry with the people who stored up in Exodus 16. God wanted to know why these people had rebelled against Him. This was rebellion against God. He gave them the manna, but they cried about the manna. They did not want the manna. Then what did He give them? He gave them flesh. For the people who do not want the manna, He is going to give flesh. The Bible says, "While the meat was still in their mouths they died of a plague". God said He gave them the manna in the morning, but He gave the quail in the evening. Which means that you eat the quail in darkness, but you eat the manna in the light. The quail is flesh, and the manna is Jesus Christ. If a person does not want to partake of Jesus Christ, they are going to partake of flesh. The Bible says that He granted their request, but He sent leanness to their soul. If a Christian in these days cries out to God for flesh, do you know what He is going to give them? He is going to give them more flesh than they can handle, but it is going to bring them death. The people who are crying out to God for flesh are getting flesh. I am not talking about just physical flesh. They are running after the lusts of their flesh. God is giving them all the flesh they can handle. How are we going to store up under the hand of God? These people who are commanding us to store up are disobeying Jesus Christ. They are proving their ignorance to the word of God. If you obey what Jesus says in Mathew 6:19, you will be in the wilderness where the world can not help you and you have to depend upon the word of God. Do you know what the word treasure means? The word treasure in Aramaic is the word mamonas, which means that which is trusted in. Do you know what the word mammon is in this chapter? Everybody thinks it is money. It is not money. The word mammon comes from the same word, and it means that which is trusted in. If you are going to serve mammon, you cannot serve God. If you are going to trust in the things of the world, you cannot serve God. The word mamonas means confidence or that which is trusted in. If you trust in the arm of the flesh, you are going to get cursed. The Bible says this in Jeremiah 17:5. Jesus says in Matthew 6:19, "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon the earth where moth and rust consume and where thieves break through and steal". Actually, it says where thieves dig through and steal. This does not just mean physical thieves here. There are all kinds of thieves. It can be inflation. What you store up is going to get stolen. It may be that things around you start breaking down. The Devil comes to steal. In Malachi what did God say he was going to do if you are faithful? He said, "I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he will not destroy the fruits of your ground". We are to lay up a store for the time to come. The Bible is plain about storing up for the time to come. I heard someone say that a treasure is not food. Yes, treasure is food. Grain is treasure. This word treasure is also used in the Old Testament in Genesis 43:23. Remember when Joseph's brothers came to him to get grain. They got grain in their sacks. The money, which they paid to Joseph for their grain, he also put in their sacks. They got nervous about this because when they opened their sacks they not only had grain but their money. They spoke to Pharaoh's chief officer who said, "Peace be unto you fear not, for your God and the God of your father hath given you treasure in your sacks". There were two things in the sacks. There was money and grain in the sacks. Jesus said don't lay up treasures on this earth. That includes money and food. Luke 12:15 says, "He said unto them, 'Take heed and keep yourselves from all covetousness, for a man's life consists not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth'. And He spake a parable unto them saying, 'The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully, and he reasoned with himself saying, "What shall I do? I have not wherewith to bestow my fruits. He said this will I do. I will pull down my barns and will build greater. And there will I bestow all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, 'Soul thou hast much goods laid up for many years. Take thine ease. Eat drink and be merry'. But God said unto him, "Thou foolish one. This night they require thy soul". What requires thy soul? What he stored up required his soul. The footnote in my Bible says, "Thy foolish ones. This night is thy soul required of thee". Is thy soul in the Geek says, "They require thy soul". This means that all the treasures that he had stored up required his soul. The rich man's ransom is his riches. A ransom is a price that has to be paid for your life. In Luke 18 what happened to the rich young ruler when he came to Jesus? Jesus said to him, "You lack one thing. Sell what you have, give it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven". How do you get treasure in heaven? Treasure which doesn't fail, thieves can't steal it, nothing can take it out. If you put your money in the bank, it can get stolen, but if you put it in heaven you can get it any time you need it. It will never get destroyed. The rich young ruler was asking, "What must I do"... Jesus told him the truth. The Bible says that in the New Testament in James chapter 5 and in I Timothy. It may be that you have been hearing too much materialism. Riches is relative. You can be rich in some lands and not have what people have in the United States. Look what the Bible says in I Timothy 6:17. "Charge them that are rich in this present world, that they be not high-minded, nor have their hope set on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy; that they do good, that they be rich in good works [A person that is rich has to be rich in good works], that they be ready to distribute, willing to communicate; laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on the life which is life indeed". He is saying what you store now you will be able to get back in the time of famine. The woman with those two mites gave more than all those rich Pharisees who gave their ten percent. She is going to be blessed more that all of them. In Luke 12:20 a man laid up a store of grain. It says, "But God said unto him, 'Thou foolish one this night they require thy soul of thee. And the things which thou hast prepared, whose shall they be?' So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God". He laid treasure up on the earth. Notice that He is calling grain treasure. The revelation of the Old Testament parables is in the New Testament. He is going to give you the keys to understand what is written over there. If you are going to see it in the letter, you will never understand. If you see Joseph's taking up of the grain in the letter, this is diametrically opposed to it. If you see Joseph as being the Son of God, you will understand it. Joseph was laying up under the hand of God, and laying up a store that people are sending ahead for the wilderness. Do not see it in the letter. The letter killed Ananias and Sapphira. "So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God". A person who layeth up treasure for himself is not rich toward God because he is not sending it ahead. These are eternal riches that you are sending on ahead. In Luke 12:22 it says, "And he said unto his disciples, 'Therefore I say unto you be not anxious for your life, what you shall eat; nor yet for your body what you shall put on. For the life is more than the food, and the body more than the raiment. Consider the ravens, that they sow not, neither reap; which have no store chamber, nor barn; and God feedeth them: of how much more value are you than the birds!'" They do not store anything up and God feeds them. That is what happened in the wilderness. They did not store anything up, but God fed them. "Of how much more value are you than the birds! And which of you by being anxious can add a cubit unto the measure of his life?" That is what a lot of these preachers are doing. They are seeing these things coming, and they are making people anxious. They are getting people into the works of the flesh. That is salvation by works, and God will not have it. You are not going ot be saved by your works. This is totally the flesh. They are laying up treasure for themselves, and it is not going to work. It is not Biblical either. He went on to talk about God clothing the grass of the field and the flowers. Luke 12:29-31 says, "Seek not ye what ye shall eat, nor what ye shall drink, neither be of doubtful mind. For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: but your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things. Yet seek ye His kingdom, and these things shall be added unto you". For you to have these things, what does He say to do? He says to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. That is the preparation He tells you to do in order to have these things. When you are seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, you will be storing up eternally in the kingdom of heaven where nothing can take it away. Nothing can destroy that storehouse. That is a seed that you have stored up in the kingdom, and that grain will be there. Verse 32 says, "Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom". I am not making a law. Everyone can walk with the Lord according to their faith. I am trying to stretch your faith so that you can walk closer and closer to Jesus. God is going to see to it that the physical treasures people store up are not going to get to use. If God comes to you and speaks to you about a need, will you say, "No Lord, this is my store". He says that no it's not your store; it is my store. How do you make money? What way did God give for Christians to make money? Do you want to make more money? The Bible says, "Give and it shall be given unto you, good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom". Do you need a storehouse if you are sowing bountifully? If you are sowing bountifully, the Word of God has to come to pass: meaning men are going to give into your bosom. Does that mean you are going to go without? No, you will never go without for men will continue to give to you and multiply your seed for sowing. God wants you to keep on sowing. If you just keep sowing bountifully, He says you are going to reap bountifully. By giving you are storing up treasure in the kingdom of God. You can get it anytime you need it. It is not going to spoil. Why did they store up under the hand of Pharaoh? Because in the time of drought, when they needed it, it would be restored unto them. Jesus Himself would give it to them. Remember Jesus was Joseph. It can be your good works to your neighbor or your obedience to the Word. It can be many things. When you do not store up, you are dependent upon God. This is what He wants and desires. He desires that we be totally dependent upon Him. Who did God say would grow in faith? He chose them that were poor to the world to be rich in faith and heirs to the kingdom. The poor always look to God; the rich have no need to look to God. They have their treasures. A treasure is that which is trusted in. The world teaches that you have to store up your treasures for a rainy day. If you do that, you are going to get a rainy day. Jesus said that it is going to be stolen and its going to rust. The principle in the scriptures is that whatever was stored up was eaten by worms. If you do not want the thieves, worms, taxes, or inflation to get it, then sow it into the kingdom. It will not be lost there. Luke 12:33 says, "Sell that which you have, and give alms; make for yourselves purses which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief draweth near, neither moth destroyeth. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also". Jesus says to give "if you see your brother in need" Many say, "I can't do that. I have to bring my tithe into the storehouse". If you see your brother in need, that is the Holy Spirit talking to you. Some people are waiting for a voice in their ear, but it is spoken already in the Word. We learn these principles to please God in His kingdom and to be blessed. Jesus is going to judge His people by what they did for His people. Remember the parable about the wheat and the tares. The most important thing is not the world, but God's people. We have a principle in the scriptures that says to use your money so "that they may receive you into eternal tabernacles". That principle means that you should use your money to get people into the kingdom. We are not to throw God's money away on pagans that we don't even think are going to come to the kingdom. Luke 16:8,9 says, "And his lord commended the unrighteous steward because he had done wisely: for the sons of this world are for their own generation wiser than the sons of the light. And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends by means of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when it shall fail, they may receive you into the eternal tabernacles". Money is going to fail. God is not going to fail you : "For I have never seen the righteous forsaken nor his seed begging for bread". Money is going to fail. Why not do something with it now so that it won't rust and thieves won't get it? It will be lost if you do not sow it into the kingdom. It cost you to have faith. When you are in the position of having a need, then you are going to pray to God and trust God. When you are in the position of not having a need, because you have your storehouse, you are going to run to your storehouse. That is why treasure means that which is trusted in. No one who has a storehouse runs to God. God says, "Make to yourselves friends". That means friends that come out of the world. We know that the wicked and the world are not our friends. Jesus said, "I call you my friends". Because we are Christians, He calls us His friends. We make to ourselves friends by means of the mammon of unrighteousness. Which means that we use our money, which the Lord has nothing good to say about in the New Testament, to promote the kingdom: to bring people into the kingdom so that they will have an eternal tabernacle. These people do not have an eternal tabernacle, but if we gain them by the money of unrighteousness, they will have an eternal tabernacle. Luke 16:10,11 says, "He that is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much: and he that is unrighteous in a very little is unrighteous also in much. If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?" God is not going to commit to us the true riches unless we are faithful with the unrighteous mammon. If you are not faithful with the unrighteous mammon, He is not going to give you that which is your own. Your money does not belong to you. Luke16:12 says, "And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another's, who will give you that which is your own?" You are going to be tried to see if you are going to be faithful with that which is God's. Jesus said that you have to renounce everything you have or you are not going to be His disciple. God is trying us to see if we are going to be faithful with something that belongs to Him, so that He can give us something that belongs to us. There are riches that are more important that the houses and the money and the cars. There are riches that the Bible talks about in the New Testament. God promised righteousness for being a liberal giver. God promises to give righteousness if we are faithful in what belongs to him. II Corinthians 9:6-10 says, "He that soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he that soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Let each man do according as he hath purposed in his heart; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound unto you; that you, having always all sufficiency in everything, may abound unto every good work; as it is written, He hath scattered abroad, he hath given to the poor; His righteousness abideth forever. And he that supplieth seed for the sower and bread for food, shall supply and multiply your seed for sowing, and increase the fruits of your righteousness". He is talking about the cheerful giver who sows bountifully. The promises in the New Testament are not for tithers. They are for bountiful givers. Sometimes we may be perfectly obedient to God to give ten percent. We are supposed to be listening to the Word of God, and the principles that He laid down. If we are not doing that, then we are not handling His money for Him. We are thieves. In the New Testament, a tither is a thief because he considers ninety percent to belong to himself and ten percent to belong to God. Jesus said in Luke 14:33, "Whosoever he be of you that renounceth not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple". The New Testament church did not consider anything they possessed to be their own. They had this revelation. The New Testament does not say anything about giving to your church. Jesus separated the sheep from the goats by what they did for His people. The church building is not the temple. The people of God are the temple. Many people are not being faithful stewards because they are supporting a religion that is not a faithful steward. Many apostate churches just need to fall because they are not teaching the word of God. If you are under the tithe, you are under the law. the Bible says, "He that seeks to be justified by the law is cut off from Christ". Give according to the principles that you see in the scriptures. Give if you see your brother in need, or if your brother asks from you turn him not away. We need to start looking at what Jesus did say, and stop looking at what he did not say. Read the gospel and you will find out what He did say. He did say to meet the needs of your brother, and make sure that there is equality. We have supported a Babylonish religious system that is not a good steward of God's money and is not teaching God's word. In many cases we are not being good stewards by doing that. If we are supporting God's ministers, and they are teaching the word of God, then that is good; but if they are not, then we just should not support them. We should not support Babylon. It will not last, because God is not going to let it last. We need to support the truth. Then we will have treasures in heaven. Treasures in heaven do not come from supporting Babylon. Treasures in heaven come from obeying the Holy Spirit. We read three verses about storing up in the kingdom of heaven. All of them were talking about giving where the Holy Spirit tell you to give. If you read Psalms and Proverbs you will see principle on top of principle about how to use your money wisely. He made tremendous promises in Proverbs for the person who considers the poor. Psalm 41:1 says, "Blessed is he that considers the poor. The Lord will deliver him in the day of evil". This is not necessarily talking about the people of God, but the brethren are supposed to be first. The Bible says, "Especially them of the household of faith". The Levites are also supposed to be first. According to the type and the shadow, the first ten percent went to the Levites. They were the ministers of God. Every jot and tittle is not going to pass away until it is fulfilled. You have to give according to the Spirit, and the Spirit is going to speak to you through the word. Psalm continues to say, "The Lord will preserve him, and keep him alive. He shall be blessed upon the earth, and deliver not thou him unto the will of his enemies". This is a good promise for the days that are coming. We do not want to be delivered into the hands of our enemies. The beast is going to make war with the saints. Proverbs 19:17 says, "He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord; and his good deed will he pay him again". You are putting it into the Lord's bank. When is God going to pay it back? When you need it, in the famine. Philippians 4:19 says, "And my God shall supply every need of yours according to his riches and glory". Many don't consider the verses that come right before Philippians 4:19. Philippians 4:14-19 says, "Howbeit you did well that ye had fellowship with my affliction. And ye yourselves also know, ye Philippians, that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church had fellowship with me in the matter of giving and receiving but ye only; for even in Thessalonica ye sent once and again unto my need. Not that I seek for the gift; but I seek for the fruit that increaseth to your account. But I have all things, and abound: I am filled, having received from Epaphroditus the things that came from you, and odor of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well-pleasing to God. And my God shall supply every need of yours according to the riches in glory in Christ Jesus". That is not true of everybody. Some are not sowing, and they can not reap.

Friends, there are famines coming soon. Jesus said that famines would be the beginning of travail or sorrows (Mat.24:7-8). If you will examine the seven seals of Rev. 6, you will see that seals 3 and 4 are famine directly and almost all the rest will bring about the result of famine. Contrary to popular opinion, once these seals are opened they will not be closed until the kingdom of God is fully manifest. When the Lord opens a door no one can close it. If this is true, what good is your meager supply of food? You will ultimately end up in the same position or worse. You may end up in the beast's concentration camps because it is against federal law to hoard food, water, or fuel (punishable by imprisonment). God is bringing us to this wilderness to separate us from Egypt and to show us his miraculous provision. For those who have faith, it will be manna from heaven and water from the Rock. Since God feeds the birds, that don't sow or reap or store up in barns, won't he feed you who are of much more value (Mat.6:26)? O ye of little faith, why are you worried about food and water? Let the heathen worry about these things. Your Father knows you need these things. Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and He will give them to you. Do not worry about tomorrow; just seek His methods and ways today (Mat. 6:30-34). If you fear the Lord and trust Him, famine will not be a problem (Ps.33:18,19). God will see to it that you are satisfied in famine (Ps. 37:19). The one who trusts in the strength and provision of self is cursed while the man who trusts in the Lord does not even have to be careful in the year of drought (Jer.17:5-8). "My God shall supply every need of yours according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus "(Phil. 4:19). Are you a believer or not? That is what the trial of your faith is to prove.

Prophecy Given by Melanie Emmory 5/31/97

"The church doors are closing. Come Ye out from among the world. Be ye separate. Come out from denomination. Come into me. For as I and My Father are one so must we be. Come out from man's system. Come out from man's ways. I have My hand on this home, on this very meeting this night; and there will be more all across the land for the church doors shall close. The Christians shall go underground but I will be there in the midst. I will be there during the trouble. I will be there when you plate is empty and you bow your head and you give thanks for nothing and food will appear. I'll be there! Trust in Me! Trust in Me! Trust in Me! I'll never fail you!"

Supernatural Provision
1 Dream & 2 Visions of Supernatural Provision
by Bryan Hupperts June 20, 1997

I had a vivid dream where I was somewhere in the northern United States or Canada running through a snow-covered field. I was in unfamiliar farmland and was running in a jacket but had no shoes or socks on. My feet were blue, numb, and bleeding. I was being hunted for some kind of political crime and was running for my life. In the dream, I staggered into a farmhouse with no electricity and was taken in by an elderly couple. They nursed me back to health.

When leaving the farmhouse (wearing borrowed socks and shoes), I told the farmer that the Lord was going to regard his sacrifice and risk for helping me. I went outside and raised my hands to heaven and began worshipping the Lord. A flock of Canadian geese were flying overhead and they swooped down and flew in a circle around my head perhaps 12 to 15 feet off the ground. The farmer kept shooting at them until the ground was covered with goose flesh. God rewarded his faithfulness. And I turned and began to run again. Then I woke up.

In my first vision I saw a young mother standing in the snow with a young baby. She was famished and crying out to God for food. Though it was snowing, she was praying for a miracle. She was standing next to an apple tree in hibernation which suddenly began to blossom and grow apples. It took perhaps 15 minutes and she ate and fed her baby. Then she worshiped the Lord.

In the second vision I saw a farmer in winter with only a little seed telling his neighbors that God had told him to sow and he would reap a harvest. They all looked hungry. His neighbors mocked him and all walked home. The farmer sowed his seed and threw himself on the ground and prayed through the night. He fell asleep and when he awoke, the field of grain had grown to maturity overnight. He called for his shocked neighbors and told them to help themselves and he stood joyfully proclaiming Jesus to them. Many came to faith!

There are dark and terrible days ahead as God continues to humble our nation. He is working to bring us to a place of godly sorrow to work real repentance in us. In spite of whatever happens, God knows how to care for those who are His and for those who will believe Him. He is still in the business of multiplying loaves and fish.

We serve a mighty, wonderful Savior!

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