<p> THE CHURCH OF GOD OF PROPHECY 47 Pine Hill Centreville, AL 35042 PASTOR: Leonard Chance (205) 926-7706 www.thegreatspeckledbird.org [email protected]</p><p>THE FLAG</p><p>Why did God put the Flag in the Church? Why does God need a Banner? Why does He need a Standard? There are two other churches besides the Church of God with a flag. The Church of God of the Bible is one of three at the moment. You need to understand the identity of all three churches called the Church of God because their banner or flag are different. Why did God have to have a Flag? The Scriptures will show you why.</p><p>EZEKIEL 23:1-5--The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying, Son of man, there were two women, the daughters of one mother: And they committed whoredoms in Egypt; they committed whoredoms in their youth: there were their breasts pressed, and there they bruised the teats of their virginity. And the names of them were Aholah the elder, and Aholibah her sister: and they were mine, and they bare sons and daughters. Thus were their names; Samaria is Aholah, and Jerusalem Aholibah. And Aholah played the harlot when she was mine; and she doted on her lovers, on the Assyrians her neighbours</p><p>There were two women, Aholah and Aholibah: sisters. In reality they were Samaria and Jerusalem. Aholah played the harlot. She committed all kinds of whoredom and angered God. She went beyond whoredom and went out into other nations and played her whoredom. Jerusalem was a highly active woman. Today The Church of God of Prophecy, like Israel, has given birth to two women. One is called the Elders Church of God and the other is called the Concern Church of God. Both came out of The Church of God of Prophecy! Neither one of them preach, teach or live this Doctrine. They don’t have God’s Banner or Flag, but they do have a flag. They also believe in the Covenant.</p><p>1 They will give you the covenant and you can join their church the same way you join The Church of God of the Bible. These two denominations, as called in the Bible are full of whoredom. The Concerners, the youngest is worst than the older one. If you wonder which one of these churches come out in the end being worst than the other it will be the Concerners. Samaria and Jerusalem are the daughters. In 1923 the Elders Church of God left The Church of God. The first thing they did was change the Doctrine on Adultery and Fornication. They began to play the whore. They knew they would have to have a banner so they came up with one as close as the law would allow to The Church of God of Prophecy Flag. They could not make the flag exact because God would not allow them. There they were playing the harlot throughout their church and leadership.</p><p>The Elders left the Church because they didn’t want Christ as the head of the Church. The Concerners, they too left the Church but not for the same reason. They left because of their ignorance of the Scriptures and the fulfillment of the work of the Church upon the earth. They too made them a banner as close as they could to The Church of God of Prophecy Flag. Let us call the Elders church Aholah. The Elders are 70 years to the date older than her sister the Concerners. On July 21, 1923 the Elders left the Church of God. On July 21, 1993 the Concerners left. They both thought they would become the real Church of God, but they failed. They are not the Bible Church nor do they have the Bible Flag. Both churches used to be in the Bible Church. They knew about the Flag and the Doctrine.</p><p>ISAIAH 59:19--So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him.</p><p>Why did God need the Church Flag? “So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west.” The Church rose in America. It is here that the bed of the Doctrine, or the Scripture, was to unfold and go out to all Nations. It is from this country that the world will receive the Gospel. It was in this country that the Church rose up on 13 June 1903. The Smokey Mountains in North Carolina is where God Himself put Fields of the Wood.</p><p>2 All men have the right to come to the Fields of the Wood and see the glorious Mountain of God. They have the right to know that they are walking on the pages of the Bible. None of these daughters have Fields of the Wood, yet they both want it. They want it because they know that the Bible Church will have the Fields of the Wood. They want it but can’t get it and never will. God put it in The Church of God of the Bible. You will know it is the right Church because of all the glorious things that the Lord has set in the Church proving there is no other. Everything God has put in the Church He made Holy. Everything in the Body of Christ is Holy.</p><p>People will slander the Church and cast it down. They don’t believe in it but they can’t change the Church. God Himself put everything in The Church of God of the Bible. They can’t have what The Church of God of Prophecy has. You can see the picture of the Flag in the Bible. Stay with that one. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the spirit of the Lord shall lift up a Standard against him. There is a Standard in The Church of God of the Bible: a Standard we must live up to in and out of the Church. Jesus Christ Himself holds the Flag: also known as a Standard or Banner. He holds up the Standard of The Church of God of Prophecy.</p><p>PSALM 60:4--Thou hast given a banner to them that fear thee, that it may be displayed because of the truth. Selah.</p><p>Thou hast given a Banner, not to everybody; not just anybody. This is why the Bible said the Church needs a Flag, a Banner, Ensign and the Standard. There is no “S” on the word Truth. There is only one Truth. If it is not True it is a lie. Anything not the Truth is a lie no matter how sweet you sugar it up. There is only one Truth and one Banner. That Banner is given to them that FEAR THE LORD! It is your job to display the Flag. If you fear the Lord you will display the Banner. If you have Salvation and see the Bible Banner in the Bible Church, you will come to it’s light. It has a Standard: hold onto that Standard. You will know when the Devil is trying to turn you against the Truth. You will know this is the Body of Christ. Other birds or denominations are teaching their believe as the Truth but if all these other birds had the One Truth then we’d all be one. We wouldn’t need all these different religions or believes. We’d all be one Church with one Doctrine.</p><p>3 JOHN 3:16--For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.</p><p>God didn’t say He loves all men. He said He loves the world. He didn’t say anything about loving everybody in the world. “For God so loved the world,” He gave Christ to the world. He didn’t say He gave Christ to man or to all people. If He had said that Christ would have to save everybody. Then no one would go to hell. He didn’t say that because He knew that everybody was not going to Heaven. God said, “Hell hath enlarge itself”, and opened her mouth without measure. Their multitude and their pomp shall descend into it.</p><p>God knew the only people going to Heaven were the people that follow the Truth of the Scriptures. You can’t make paper dolls out of the Scriptures. You can’t cut out what you don’t like and keep that which you do. Many people are doing just that today and have done so, even before Christ was born. They kept what they wanted to believe and cut out what they chose not to believe. Whosoever called on the name of the Lord: God will save them if they are under Conviction and sincere in their heart and prayers. If they would spill some tears on the altar, see their wrongs and turn from them. Aholah and Aholibah didn’t choose to do that. They didn’t return to their mother; the house of Israel.</p><p>The Elders and the Concerners will not return to The Church of God of Prophecy. Like Samaria and Jerusalem they will continue in their unbelief and evil ways. Whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. If you repent of your sins and are born again you will not go to hell. There is real fire and brimstone down there. Nothing but darkness and you are chained: nothing but weeping and gnashing of teeth. Any day could be the end of your life.</p><p>ISAIH 13:2--Lift ye up a banner upon the high mountain, exalt the voice unto them, shake the hand, that they may go into the gates of the nobles.</p><p>There is no “S” on the word Mountain. The Mountain is The Church of God of Prophecy. Exalt the voice unto them. God wants the Banner preached: cause people to see and believe in it.</p><p>4 You must be established in this one Truth or someone will come alone and convince you otherwise. The Banner was only given to one Church. Exalt means to preach this Banner, exalt the voice unto them: open the doors to the Church and give them the Covenant. Shake the hand: bring them into The Church of God of Prophecy. That they may go into the gates of the nobles where Holy people are worshipping God. That’s God’s people. God’s people are not just SOME people or ANY people they are HOLY people. They have been washed in His blood. They have been Born again.</p><p>Anyone that will not support the Standard of The Church of God by supporting the Truth of the Flag will not remain in The Church of God of the Bible. They will come to that Flag, see the Truth and lift it up. They will stand for it. They will not let that Truth touch the ground. They will not drop that Banner. The Commandment is: If you are The Church of God of the Bible you will lift up the great Standard of the Bible Church.</p><p>You will display the Flag as proof that you fear God and that you highly respect and regard the Banner or the Flag because it is the Truth. Remember, the Flag must be displayed for the people to see. If you don’t display the Flag, you don’t fear the Lord. The Lord wants this Flag to be displayed because of the Truth. This Flag has Power in it! We must listen to the Lord. It is our responsibility to defend and display the Flag of The Church of God of the Bible.</p><p>ISAIAH 11:10--And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious.</p><p>Jesus Christ is the Banner. When you look at that Banner you see the Red: His blood. Devils fear it. If you hide behind it the Devil won’t touch you. He will not touch that Flag because it is Jesus Christ. You can rest if you have that Flag. The Blue is the Truth.</p><p>When you find The Church of God of the Bible there is rest. Everything in The Church of God of the Bible shall be made most Holy. If you meet the requirements listed in the pages of the Bible and its teachings you too will remain Holy when it comes time for you to die and leave this world. I want to introduce you to the King of Glory.</p><p>5 He is wrapped up in the Banner. People will tell you today we are wrapped up in this and we are wrapped up in that. Well God is wrapped up too. He is all wrapped up in the Banner. Wherever that Banner is, He is wrapped up in it. You can’t separate God and the Banner. God is the Banner and the Banner is God. The Savior is in the Flag. In the Flag He has Power and Glory. Wherever that Old Flag is there is Glory. Wherever the Savior is that Flag is.</p><p>Did you know it was the Banner that brought the respect from God Himself on this big old pine tree standing in the Fields of the Wood? Even God respected that Banner? Lighting struck and spilt it down to the Flag, jumped the Flag and went on down to the ground. If God Himself respects that Banner woe be unto the people who hate, despise and belittle it. Remember this is His Flag! Even the Father showed He respected the Banner. The Redeemer came to Fields of the Wood. The Flag is still on that tree and still respected.</p><p>There is a lot of God in the Fields of the Wood. It is Holy Grounds. There is a lot of Power in Fields of the Wood. There is a lot of Power in the Redeemer. The Holy Ghost will see to it that the Glory remains in the Fields of the Wood: that it remains in The Church of God of Prophecy. It will remain in the people of God and God will remain in His people. To it shall the Gentiles seek, and His rest shall be glorious. Wherever that old Banner is the Savior is and you can rest. We talk about old Glory and how many men died to give you freedom. But only one man died so that you can have rest forever. His Glory will never fall to the ground. He will rise in victory and all the evil workers will fail.</p><p>I am going to tell you something you have never heard before. If you read it you wouldn’t know what it was. But it is time for you to know. I want to rightly divide this. This is what Jesus said. This is unbelievable, read:</p><p>MATTHEW 5:48--Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.</p><p>6 They are preaching today that nobody is perfect, that you can’t be perfect. Well I’m preaching that you must be perfect and sinless if you are to get to Heaven. You must be perfect, people. Jesus didn’t bite His tongue when He said, “Be ye therefore perfect.” I know why people don’t like perfect. I know why they don’t like to be told tell you have to be perfect. ‘Are you perfect?’ Yes, I have been washed in the blood. If I wasn’t perfect, then I have sinned.</p><p>Now Jesus doesn’t wash out sin and then wash it back in again. So if I have been washed in the blood then I have no sin. If sin goes to Heaven then Christ died for nothing. The Sermon is still true and is still perfect. Jesus is a perfect King and this is His Glory. Be ye therefore perfect. Why do people hate that? You can read these 48 verses and see why nobody believes in being perfect.</p><p>You must live this Salvation, you must walk in this Word and you must obey it. They don’t want to live it therefore they say nobody can be perfect. The Church of God is perfect. The Saints of God is perfect. We have a perfect Covenant. We have a perfect Holy Ghost. We have a perfect Vision and a perfect Altar. All you must do is live this Word. Come before God, repent and be Born again: live this Word.</p><p>7</p>