The End Time - Book

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THE END TIME

AYOMIKUN C.

ADENIRAN

FEBRUARY 2012


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INTRODUCTIONWe live in a world filled with disturbances, discrepancies and uncertainties. Yet, one thing remains

sure and certain the Word of God. Surely the grass withers and the flower falls but the Word of our

God stands forever. Everything that is built upon the sands of time will eventually be gone and

erased. Only those things that have the Word as their foundation will remain for all of time and

eternity.

In the word, we read of several men and women and how they lived their lives, either in anticipation

of their end or of the coming of the Lord, as well as the events and circumstances that surrounded

them as they sought to redeem their time on earth. The Bible declares that all these things

happened to them as examples; and it is written for our warning on whom the ends of the

world have come.We who live in the time of the end are greatly privileged yet also have a greatresponsibility. Whereas all of creation eagerly awaits this ultimate generation that will usher in the

coming of our Lord (which we are privileged to be a part of), it behoves us to discover the nature of

the times we are in and what we, the Israel of God, ought to do.

This book gives a prophetic insight into these matters. Hence, we focus on three(3) major themes in

the book:

+Discerning the state of things in the world and especially in the Lords Body.

+Discerning what the Israel of God ought to do.

+Discerning our Lords return and our place in it.

In the first chapter, we take a look at the state of things in the world as evidenced by all the

ongoings around us. The several tsunamis, earthquakes, civil unrests, political mayhems in different

nations indicate the fulfilment of several prophecies by men of God including Daniel and even Jesus

Himself. However, our concern is not with the world but with the Zion of God that dwells in her

midst. In the second chapter, we discover the present state of the church and focus specifically on

the characteristics of these times manifest in her. As we do this, we seek to discern the Lords Body,

not in order that we may stand as a ruler and judge over her, but instead that we may beware of

every unwholesomeness in her midst and alert others of this situation.

In the third chapter, we take a detailed look at the parable of the ten virgins and the implications for

the church at this present time. There are several rooms that we need to enter into by the Spirit and

allow His working in our lives. It is only then that we can be the spotless and blameless Bride, fitting

to be presented unto Him, who is both our Head and Groom. The fourth chapter is the major

emphasis in the book. The sons of Isaachar, were in their day unique, not only because they could

decipher the times and the seasons, but also because they properly interpreted these for the benefit

of all Israel. Hence, their brethren were at their command. Thus, we see by the light of the Spirit, the

expectation of God in revealing the times and the seasons to us. It is not to show off neither is it for

the purpose of oppressing Gods heritage rather it is for her awareness and edification, that she may

know the truth and live by it.


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Lastly, in the fifth chapter, we see our Lord in His return to the earth, coming on the clouds, to reign

both as King and Judge of all. Moreover, He comes with a reward in hand for every man and for

every work and deed done in the Body. It is our desire that the Lord will help us to be prepared for

His appearing and to continually look forward to it even as we live our lives in the light of His Light.

There are several reasons why books such as this are written. May we clearly state at this juncture

that this work in your hands is not a product of some mans creative thinking but rather a result of a

burden on Gods heart for the Body of Christ at this time. Thus , it should be read and treated as

such. Whereas we do not claim it to be perfect and without any errors, we make bold to say that we

are only channels of the Central theme and message of the Book, which is entirely His. It is our

prayer that, as you read through prayerfully and with an open heart, the Lord will, by His Spirit, open

your eyes to behold wondrous things and grant you the grace to see and to do what He would have

you do.

We are nothing but recipients of His mercy and channels of His grace.

In His service,

A.C. Adeniran

October 2011.


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CHAPTER 1

THE END OF THE AGE

And as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, Tell us,

when shall these things be? And what shall be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of

the world?(Matt. 24:3)

And teach them to obey everything I have commanded you. And I will be with you always,

to the end of the age.(Matt. 28:20)

The world today is characterised by a lot of events and happenings. While some are

good and healthy, others are dangerous and even disastrous. Many inventions have

come up in several fields of human endeavour. Truly, and more evidently in our days,we see the fulfilment and reality of these scripture verses:The heavens, even the heavens, areJehovah's; but the earth He has given to the sons of men.(Psa. 115:16)

The heaven of heavens is for GOD, but he put us in charge of the earth. (Psa 115:16) (MSG)Lo, this only I have found, that God has made man upright, but they have sought out many

inventions. (Eccl. 7:29)

Thus, we see that in these times, man has found a way of inventing and creating so many

things, some deliberately, others by accidental discovery. In all of these, one thingseems to stand out clearly the world seems to be moving at an increasing rate,

spinning towards an inevitable end. From the stone age, man moved to the computer(orinformation) age and now we are in the jet age. Science evolutionists postulate that man

first appeared as Homo Habilis(primitive man) from which he evolved into Homo

Erectus(upright man) and finally the Homo Sapiens (man with intelligence) evolved.

Notwithstanding the falsity of the claim, one unspoken conclusion in this theory is the

fact that man is headed for an ultimate end from which no further species will evolve.

Even in church history, there has been the Pentecostal age, then the dark ages followed,

after which the church experienced several moves, renaissance and revivals e.g. the

Welsh revival, the Azusa street revival etc. Consequently, several denominations and

denominational groups were birthed the Baptist, Methodist, Anglican, Pentecostal and

Charismatics, to mention a few. Gradually, the church is winding up her stay on theearth as she expects her Lords return and the worlds end.

Consequently, it is important that we consider all that our LORD had to say as touching

the end of the age, its unique characteristics and the implications for us all. Several

studies and approaches have been taken as touching this matter. We, however, trust

God not to do a scholarly, man-pleasing treatise but instead to receive of Him the

burden on His heart for us in this very hour.


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VARIOUS NOTIONS ABOUT THE END OF AGE

There are several groups with different notions about the future of our world and the

close of the age. Most of us have heard of theories that postulate that the world will

either be submerged by water or consumed by fire ultimately. Some Pseudo-Christian

groups talk of inheriting the earth after others have been judged. Many religions believein a day of judgement coming soon which only God knows, in which good will be

rewarded and bad judged, righteous men congratulated but evildoers condemned.

There are some however who believe in incarnation and reincarnation. For these, life is

not singular but plural, in the sense that a man who lives and dies today may tomorrow

return to live as a human or an animal depending on the nature of the previous life he

lived. This chain they believe will continue indefinitely. For this category of people, the

issue of the end of the age may be of little or no importance to them. Then, there are also

a minority who, perhaps foolishly, believe that things will forever continue the way they

are (either by their spoken words or unspoken actions and behaviour). It may be properto so address them because even nature itself, coupled with history, teaches that the

only constant thing in life is change.

Whereas several of these notions are wrong, one thing that almost all agree on is that

there is a time limit for the earths inhabitants as well as the earth itself. Since existenc e

is temporary, it is therefore imperative that we have an idea of the span and duration of

life. As Christians, if we believe in Christs second and imminent return and afterwards

the millennial reign and the judgement, we must properly discern the transient nature

of our lives and the close of the age in relation to things happening around us and what

God expects us to know and do. So, like the psalmist said, our desire is that our Makerand Owner will teach us to number our days that we may apply our hearts to wisdom.

CURRENT EVENTS AND HAPPENINGS

And Jesus answered and said to them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many will come in

My name, saying, I am Christ, and will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and rumours of

wars. See that you are not troubled, for all these things must occur; but the end is not yet. For

nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines and

pestilences and earthquakes in different places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.

(Matt. 24:4-8)

In our world today, there are several pointers and indicators to the end of the age and

the second coming of our Lord. Notice that the bottom-line to most indicators as seen in

the above passage is the fact that this concluding period is marked by sorrows. Several

of the events already occurring and others yet to occur indicate an increase in the level

of sorrow worldwide. Tsunamis and Earthquakes are no longer news. The occurrence of

these is no longer limited to some specific world zones and continents. Floods are

gradually on the increase as we see weather alterations on many sides of the globe. Fire

outbreaks are rampant alongside so many other natural disasters.


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Most of us are aware of the feud and smouldering rivalry between the West and Arab

nations. Indeed, it is no longer a secret with the onset of the September 11 attacks and

conversely, the strong American presence in nations like Afghanistan and Iraq. Not only

these, there are state and cross-cultural insurrections e.g. the different wars in Nigeria,

South Africa, Liberia, and Sudan, the last one most recently concluded. Then just earlierthis year, the world witnessed such an unusual sweep of awakenings across the Arab

world. This led to the dethroning of some formerly seemingly invincible governments.

On the other hand, the world seems to be witnessing different levels of synergies across

ethnic, state, national and continental boundaries. Evidence of these abound in printing

and adoption of common currencies by several groups of nations, world bodies coming

together to tackle issues similarly affecting them e.g. financial issues, drug trafficking

and terrorism of all kinds. These all point to the eventual emergence of a one world

united government overseeing the affairs of all peoples and all nations and with just one

supreme head. This unique head from all indications will inevitably be anti-Christ and

be under the full influence and authority of theprince of this world.

For Christians and Christianity, this is one of the most crucial times in history. Firstly,

the Christian world has witnessed a lot of persecution and killings from the days of the

apostles. Even now, there are yet many places where believers are being persecuted and

killed on a regular basis for holding on to their faith tenaciously. Unfortunately

however, there are some who are denying their Lord also while others are giving up

their lives for His sake. In many developed countries and in the cooperate world, people

are daily denying the Lord by their unspoken yet obvious actions. Though some openly

deny and denounce him, others do the same by their ashamedness to identify with him,

speak for Him, stand up for what He stands up for and stand against what He stands

against. Thus, the true picture of Christ and Christianity has been distorted in the view

of the unbelieving world, leaving many confused, others unconverted and several

hardened. The other side to the church story is the proliferation of all sorts of ministries

and messages. Whilst we cannot deny the unprecedented influx of light to the church, a

lot of false teachers and false teachings have come in alongside. Some truths and even

some irrelevances have been overtly illuminated at the expense of other equally(or even

more) important truths.

All these are indicators of the times and seasons which we are in and which allude to the

truth of Jesus statement in Matt. 24:4-8. Let us bear in mind however that despite all

these, the end is near but not yet.

THE ANTI-CHRIST & SPIRIT OF DISOBEDIENCE

Little children, it is the last time. And just as you have heard that antichrist is coming, even now

many antichrists have risen up, from which we know that it is the last hour. (1Jn 2:18)


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And every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this

is the antichrist you heard is coming, and even now is already in the world. (1Jn 4:3)

In which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the

power of the air, the spirit that now works in the children of disobedience. (Eph 2:2)

Many of us have read or heard of the anti-Christ and his coming. However, the spirit ofthe anti-Christ is already at work in the world. Just like the Spirit of Christ was at work

in the world long before Jesus showed up in human flesh, so also is the antichrist spirit

already present and manifest in our world ahead of his physical manifestation. How do

we know this is so? First, in Johns day, the evidence of this spirits presence was its

denial of Christs coming in the flesh. Just as the Spirit of Christ has been working in

different ways at different times and in different generations, so also the antiChrist

spirit is not static in its working and operations. For us who live today, the antiChrist

spirit is manifest in several ways today: Turning humans against Gods ordained pattern

of man-woman sexual relationships and encouraging all sorts of perversions and lusts,

bringing false religions and sects that invert Gods order e.g satanism, pseudo-christian

cults etc. This same spirit encourages religiosity whilstdenying the power thereof . It is

one of the numerous operations of this spirit that Eph.2:2 describes as now at work in

the children of disobedience. This spirit of disobedience ensures that people(both

believers and unbelievers) no longer follow divine order and principles, despise

authorities and speak/act in rebellion. A quick summary of such men in whom this end-

of -the-age spirit operates is seen in Jude 8-16,19.

In the same way also, these people have visions which make them sin against their own bodies;

they despise God's authority and insult the glorious beings above. Not even the chief angel Michaeldid this. In his quarrel with the Devil, when they argued about who would have the body of Moses,

Michael did not dare condemn the Devil with insulting words, but said, "The Lord rebuke you!" But

these people attack with insults anything they do not understand; and those things that they know

by instinct, like wild animals, are the very things that destroy them. How terrible for them! They

have followed the way that Cain took. For the sake of money they have given themselves over to the

error that Balaam committed. They have rebelled as Korah rebelled, and like him they are

destroyed. With their shameless carousing they are like dirty spots in your fellowship meals. They

take care only of themselves. They are like clouds carried along by the wind, but bringing no rain.

They are like trees that bear no fruit, even in autumn, trees that have been pulled up by the roots

and are completely dead. They are like wild waves of the sea, with their shameful deeds showing up

like foam. They are like wandering stars, for whom God has reserved a place forever in the deepest

darkness. It was Enoch, the seventh direct descendant from Adam, who long ago prophesied thisabout them: "The Lord will come with many thousands of his holy angels to bring judgment on all,

to condemn them all for the godless deeds they have performed and for all the terrible words that

godless sinners have spoken against him!" These people are always grumbling and blaming others;

they follow their own evil desires; they brag about themselves and flatter others in order to get

their own way.

These are the people who cause divisions, who are controlled by their natural desires, who do not

have the Spirit. (Jude 1:8-16,19) (GNB)

For many are walking, of whom I have told you often and now tell you even weeping, as the

enemies of the cross of Christ; whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is

in their shame, those who mind earthly things.

(Phil. 3:18-19)


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May the Lord preserve and deliver us from this spirit already at work in the world and

even in the lives of several believers like the second passage clearly indicates. A major

index of the spirit of disobedience at work is the abundance of iniquity. Sin is at an all-

time high in our society today with so much degeneration and invention of new sins and

new methods of sinning on a daily basis. All these are but a few of the things thatcharacterize the already-manifest presence of the antiChrist prior to his physical

manifestation on earth.

Fig. 1: Diagram showing the timeline of manifestation of the Christ and the antiChrist.

BELIEVERS AND THE GREAT COMMISSION

Having seen all the foregoing, we must not go on without a final look at this all-important matter. This is due to the statement of Jesus Himself in this verse:

And this gospel of the kingdom shall be proclaimed in all the world as a witness to all nations. And

then the end shall come. (Mat 24:14)

Thus, if the end is to come, we have a major role to play. If indeed we look forward to

His return(as we ought to), then we must hasten it by taking up the responsibility of

reaching out with the whole word to the whole world. Currently, the gospel has been

heard in several nations and languages of the earth yet there are so many others who

have never heard about Jesus nor known who He is and why He came.

How is this scripture to be fulfilled? First, scripture talks of the general going-out of allbelievers on this mission as seen in the above passage. In addition, our lives as believers

is to be an example to all men wherever we are or have access and influence,

proclaiming much more than our mouths can preach. Then also, it talks of one of the

ministry gifts which He who ascended gave to men evangelists. These are called into

this office to specifically proclaim the good news through various media e.g.

loudspeakers, crusades, TV and Radio, Films, Music, Hospital, Prison, Bus, Street

outreaches etc. Every other ministry gift together with the nine spiritual gifts are

primarily for this same purpose proclaiming the gospel of the Kingdom. Dear reader,do you know this Jesus yet or are you still separated from Him? If you have received

Him, then great! However, if not, then do so today and youll have the kind of life Hegives true and eternal life!

The Spirit of

Christ at work

on earth

Jesus Christ's

physical

presence on

earth

The spirit of the

anti-Christ at

work on earth

The anti-Christ's

physical

presence on

earth


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May the Lord help us to spread the fragrance of His grace unto others all around until

the knowledge of the glory of the Lord covers the earth as the waters cover the sea and

then the much awaited end comes. Amen and Amen!


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CHAPTER 2

THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE END TIME IN THE

CHURCH

Know this also, that in the last days grievous times will be at hand. For men will be self-lovers,

money-lovers, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without

natural affection, unyielding, false accusers, without self-control, savage, despisers of good,

traitors, reckless, puffed up, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of

godliness, but denying the power of it; even turn away from these. (2Tim. 3:1-5)

Having looked at the various notions about the end of the age and several happenings

on the outside showing that these times are upon us already, we go ahead to look more

specifically at the Body of our Lord Jesus Christ which is the major focus of heaven in

these times. Since our Head is in the heavens preparing a place for us, His foremost

concern is His body on the earth; her welfare in these end times, her present state and

her level of preparedness for His return.

A lot of things are evident in the church today both on the positive and negative side.

Some have been passed down from the early church fathers through the ages whilst

several others have evolved over time. Whereas we do not presume to be suitably

qualified to sit as judges over Gods heritage, we may well catch glimpses from the

perspective of heaven and evaluate our situation in the light thereof. For with You(Him)

is the fountain of life; in Your(His) light, we see light. Thus, we will look at some of both

the positive and negative characteristics of the end time as evidenced in the church.

LIGHT

But as it is written, "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard," nor has it entered into the heart of man, "thethings which God has prepared for those who love Him." But God has revealed them to us by His

Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, yea, the deep things of God.

But we have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit from God, so that we might know the

things that are freely given to us by God.

(1Cor. 2:9-10,12)

For it is God who said, "Out of darkness Light shall shine;" who shone in our hearts to give the

brightness of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

(2Cor. 4:6) (Emphasis mine)

Light here talks about seeing and knowing from a particular perspective. Different

perspectives produce different seeings and consequently different knowings. For

example, when white light falls on plants, the resultant colour we see on the leaf is thegreen pigment. However, if another colour of light falls on the same plant, then the leaf


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will reveal another colour. Though the leaf has not changed, yet our perception of it has

been altered. In these last days, light and revelation are at such an all-time high all over

the Body worldwide. Whereas light is good, yet no single man can lay claim to have

complete/ perfect light about any matter on this side of eternity. Several have also used

this good thing improperly. Many have brought forth distorted pictures and conjured

these as revelation especially as it suits their personal desires and/or philosophies.Notwithstanding this however, the light in our day is so tremendous as things

previously hidden from past generations are now revealed to us for as the writer of

Hebrews said, that they without us would not be made perfect. Notice that the things God

is revealing in and to us in this present day and hour are things the angels desire to look

into. This is the major beam holding the church today in place light and revelation

(knowledge).

DEMONSTRATION OF THE KINGDOM

And it shall be, in the last days the mountain of Jehovah's house shall be established in the top of

the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow into it.

(Isa. 2:2)

In these last days, the demonstration of the Kingdom is very paramount to the church.

Many in Jesus day were looking for a physical kingdom in which the Messiah would

come and rule like other kingdoms of this world. However, Jesus made them know

(i) His Kingdom is not of this world (ii)The Kingdom they were looking for was already

present with and among them. Like in the Lords prayer which He taught the disciples,

we see that there are 3 major areas of Gods rule and Kingdom dominion that He

emphasizes for thine is the Kingdom, the power and the glory forever. We thus evaluate

briefly the demonstration of the Kingdom in these last days under 3 sub-headings viz:

The Power of God, The Wisdom of God and the Wealth of the Kingdom.

The Power of GodFor the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power. (1Cor. 4:20)

Each time people hear about the power of God at work in some place, what comes to

their minds more often than not is the ability to heal the sick, cast out demons, and

possibly raise the dead etc. However, the power of God is that force that is at work

wherever God or His word is. It may sometimes manifest itself in such ways as

expressed earlier but several other times it may be silent. Take for example the

ministry of our Lord Jesus. On the day he raised Lazarus, the power of God was present

to raise the dead man. Likewise, when He climbed up on the mountainside and taught

the beatitudes, the power of God was equally present to enlighten the eyes of mens

hearts even though none was recorded physically healed that day. Now, in these last

days, the Kingdom of God is being fully manifest in such power like has never been

witnessed before in all of history. In all operations of ministry gifts, we see a measure of

the power. Whether in the evangelists ministry, the prophetic and apostolic, the

pastoral and teaching ministries, we see Gods power at work in reaching out to men.


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It is clear from the above verses that this king had such a large and elaborate party but

not without a fundamental and cogent reason. It was the kings desire to display His

wealth and make His subjects partakers of it. First, there was a feast for all his nobles

and princes from all over his kingdom and domain of rulership. This first feast was to

show forth the riches of his glorious kingdom and the honour of his excellent majesty. Thislasted for 6 months. Afterwards, there was a second feast for all in his palace which

spanned seven days. This second feast was primarily for the showing forth of the

internal riches and glory of the king. The first revealed His riches all over His

territories and the diversity of the honour and majesty accorded him across multi-

ethnic boundaries the world over. The second feast on the other hand, has the Shushan

palace as the primary location of its showing forth. The feast is not only held there it is

held there with the intention of showing it forth in all its beauty and grandeur. The

climax of this second feast is meant to be the showing forth of that which is most

precious to the King i.e. His Queen. Wine is freely served in different and unique goblets

without restraint. However, the only restraint to the drinking is each mans thirst and

appetite level.

The implication of all these for us is seen as follows: Christ is our King Ahasuerus.

We(His church & bride) are His most precious possession on the earth which He would

show forth last in His latter feast. All through history, God has demonstrated His power,

riches and glory to men via the display of His external, visible riches which men

appreciate. But in a shorter time frame these end times, God is set in this second feast

(to which he has called us as workers in His vineyard, ministers in His Presence and His

palace household members), to reveal to us that which Paul describes as the riches ofthe glory of His inheritance in the saints . The major means of expression here is

illustrated by the wine of the feast which symbolizes the Holy Spirit who in this second

feast is released upon all without measure. This feast far outshines the earlier one

because the riches of His palace are inexhaustible and whereas the initial feast only

revealed tangible riches and wealth, this second one reveals and releases not only the

physically tangible but also the spiritual, intangible riches with which He has blessed us

in heavenly places. Remember that as His Queen-Bride, all that He has is ours. Hence, all

that Hell be doing in these last days is revealing in us and through us all things which

are ours to the viewing eyes of the principalities, powers, rulers of this age and theentire unbelieving world. In the end, His desire is to bring forth His shining, beautifully

prepared and packaged church in the seventh day of the feast for the world to:

(i)glorify and exalt His name, manifest in the colour and beauty seen in the church

(ii)see the owner of all the things He has previously revealed in their sight(i.e. His

Bride), for as Paul says to the church All things are yours. Hallelujah!


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SICKNESS IN THE BODY

Having looked at some of the important, positive directions of the churchs

advancement in these last days, we then proceed to take an equally important look at

the negative directions and conditions we see and will yet see in these times. One of the

dictionary definitions of the word Sickness is an unsound or corrupt condition. Thus,as we view the Body of Christ in generality, we see some unsound conditions currently

manifest in her. Whereas we do not claim the position of a ruler or judge over her, for

she has only one Master and Lord before whom she either stands or falls (and He is able

to make her stand-see Rom.14:4), we however, seek to discern the state of the Lords

Body in these last days of which we are a part and hence, (1)watch out for all

unwholesomeness that the Spirit reveals in our midst and (2)sensitize others to the

unsound condition so they can watch and pray also.

False Teachers, Apostles And Prophets

And many false prophets will rise and deceive many. (Mat 24:11)For false Christs and false prophets will arise and show great signs and wonders; so much so that, if

it were possible, they would deceive even the elect. (Mat 24:24)

For such ones are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of

Christ. (2Cor. 11:13)

But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among

you, who secretly will bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them,

bringing on themselves swift destruction. (2Pet. 2:1) (Emphasis mine)

Notice the repetition of the word false in all these scriptures. This clearly indicates that

there is an original and true for each false. In these last days, as much as light has

multiplied greatly, so also has heresies and false teachings alongside the false teacherswho propagate them. False prophets are daily bombarding people with false prophecies.

This trend is not altogether new, for in the Old Testament we see God speaking

concerning such as in the following scriptures:

And Jehovah said to me, The prophets prophesy lies in My name; I did not send them, nor have I

commanded them, nor did I speak to them. They prophesy to you a false vision and a worthless

divination, and a thing of no value, and the deceit of their heart. (Jer. 14:14)

Jehovah says, Behold, I am against those who prophesy false dreams and tell them, and cause My

people to go astray by their lies and by their lightness. Yet I did not send them nor command them;

therefore they shall not profit this people at all, says Jehovah.( Jer. 23:32)

There are also false apostles, workers of darkness who are, like their master the devil,

transformed into agents of light. For all these false workers and ministers, their end is

sure doom as pronounced by the Lord. For they are wild waves of the sea, churning up

the foam of their own shame. They are wandering stars for whom the deepest darkness has

been reserved forever. (Jude 1:13)

The most important thing to us now is how to discern all these false men along with

their false messages and practices and contend earnestly for our most precious faith.

The book of Jude says, For certain men crept in secretly, those having been of old

previously written into this condemnation, ungodly ones perverting the grace of our Godfor unbridled lust, and denying the only Master, God, even our Lord Jesus Christ. (Jude 1:4).


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Thus, we see that the mode of entry of such men into the Body is highly subtle and done

in such an inconspicuous manner. Their acts and doctrines also come into the church in

a similar way. As the days go by, the gap between the false and the true is gradually

closing up and there is even some level of intermingling of the false and the true. That

way, it becomes hard to discern the true from the false. However, thanks be to God for

His Holy Spirit, for He is the one who leads us into all truth. Also, we have the true wordof God which is a unique worker as described in Heb. 4:12. Thus, the only solution we

have is to get deeply soaked in our communion and interaction with these two. That

way we are sure to walk in high-level discernment and thus be able to distinguish

between that which is of God and that which is otherwise.

Divisions But I say this, that every one of you says, I am of Paul, and I of Apollos, and I of Cephas, and I of

Christ. Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you, or were you baptized in the name of Paul?

(1Co 1:12-13)

One other very evident sign of unwholesomeness in the church these last days is thedivisions that are manifoldly manifest within our ranks. Several today have one special

pastor or apostle they are so much in love with at the expense of Christ. Some, like Peter

in the Transfiguration scenario, are already constructing tabernacles for Christ along

with their General Overseers and Senior Pastors. Indeed, it is sad to note that some of

the spiritual leaders who are the subject of such divisions in the fold, are actually those

fuelling and encouraging such fleshly divisions in the Body of Christ.

It is important to note that Christ who is the Head of the church is not divided neither is

His Spirit the Author of confusion. We must be careful what we follow and beware of all

such divisive tendencies. Like the Apostle Paul says:

You were running well. Who hindered you that you do not obey the truth? This persuasion is not

from Him who calls you. A little leaven leavens all the lump. (Gal 5:7-9)

Empires and Do-it-all-alone ministries

Just like in the case of divisions above, we see that there is also a wave of churches,

fellowships and ministry establishments which are nothing other than empires built

around some men. Several of these men go by different titles e.g. Pastor and Founder,

General Overseer, Senior Pastor etc. This is not to condemn those who bear such titles

but to expose the wave of such empirical ministries. More often than not, there is a man

whom the people see more than they see Jesus and it is this head that runs the whole

show. Another similar case is the existence of several do-it-all and do-it-alone

ministries. Though these ministries have a measure of Gods call, grace and giftings, they

take it upon themselves to be all-in-all to their members, either preventing them from

feeding alongside other sheep in other pastures or not allowing other people with

different callings and ministries from other places access to their sheep. One important

thing to note in all these is: No single member of the Body has full right over another

members life. Whatever we have was received from above. Also, though we have all

received of His fullness, no single member of the Body can claim to have access to all His


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fullness. It is only as we walk in union with other believers that we have access to the

full supply of the Head to the Body.

Hence, we see God calling us to a point of appraisal. Am I walking in union with the

Head and the whole Body? Am I enjoying the full supply of the Body or am I caught up in

a Do-it-all-alone group/ministry? Is Christ lord over my denomination/fellowship/

church/ministry or is it someone else? Etc. Handling such questions as these sincerely

under God will help reveal our true state and set us right as we ought to be.

THE SLEEPING CHURCH

While the bridegroom tarried, theyallslumbered and slept. (Mat 25:5)

The state of the church in this parable Jesus gave is likened to that of sleep. Because

there was a delay in the Bridegrooms coming, as there is today an apparent delay inour Lords coming, all the expectant virgins became drowsy and went to sleep. Notice

thatall were involved with the exception of none. Hence, this is a very serious matter

because we all are involved in this late-hour sleep. One may ask, How are we all

involved? The characteristics of sleep are many-fold. First , there is the issue of

unconsciousness as regarding things and people. Many important events that are

supposed to be looked forward to eagerly are hardly anticipated nor mentioned in our

fellowships and assemblies e.g. the second coming of Christ, the Judgement Seat of

Christ, the subject of heaven etc. Also, in sleep, a man forgets things issues he would

naturally hold as important when awake are all removed from him. This secondcharacteristic is easily seen in the way we have often, and even now, forgotten several of

the ancient landmarks of our faith. Several important matters are no longer considered

important in the church or in some cases outrightly forgotten. The third characteristic

which we can note amongst several others is the fact that sleep implies partial death.

Several altars today have become ash heaps and the fire almost gone out. Several

churches and fellowships that once were red hot are now barely surviving.

As a result of this sad state, we are seeing two things in the church like never before:

(i)sin and carnality (ii)worldliness(Babylon in the midst of Zion). The good news is that

the sleep only tarried till the midnight hour when the wake-up cry was sounded and all

ten virgins woke up. Thus, as all slept, even so also must all wake up. Later, we will look

at this cry and its implication in some detail but for now it is comforting to know that

the sleep is temporary and will soon be over. Amen.


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MOCKERS & SCOFFERS

First, knowing this, that there will come in the last days scoffers walking according to their own

lusts and saying, Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things

continue as they were from the beginning of creation. (2Pet. 3:3-4)

They kept telling you, "In the last times mockers will appear, following their own ungodly desires."

These are the people who cause divisions. They are worldly, devoid of the Spirit. (Jude 1:18-19)

The above scriptures clearly indicate the appearance and manifestation of such men.

Notice that the basis of their scoffing at holy things is in the fact that Christs coming

seems delayed and to many, now looks like a wild dream and so anything goes.

However, the Apostle Peter debunks this in this way:But, beloved, let not this one thing be hidden from you, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand

years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow concerning His promise, as some

count slowness, but is long-suffering toward us, not purposing that any should perish, but that all

should come to repentance. (2Pet. 3:8-9)

Let us therefore be careful lest we walk in the counsel of the ungodly, stand in the way ofsinners or sit in the seat of the scornful. Let us be discerning so that we do not follow

ungodly desires nor ungodly men. Rather, let us walk continually in the Spirit, keeping

the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. As we do this, let us keep our eyes focused in

looking up, for now is our salvation nearer than when we first believed.

BEWARE OF ELDERS

Be imitators of me, even as I also am of Christ. (1Co 11:1)

Brothers, be imitators together of me, and mark those who walk this way, for you have us for a

pattern. (For many are walking, of whom I have told you often and now tell you even weeping, asthe enemies of the cross of Christ; whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose

glory is in their shame, those who mind earthly things.) (Php. 3:17-19)

In every society, some level of respect is accorded to elders. Actually, we are all brought

up to honour those ahead of us one way or the other. Indeed, we all are supposed to

learn from those who have gone ahead of us in several spheres of life and imitate good

examples. An adage says that a child who is carried by an elder sees farther than he

would have seen, standing on his own feet. Whereas this is good and must both be

taught and encouraged, in these last days however, we need to be careful of what we

learn/imitate and from whom we learn them. In these last days, we see men who have

been idolised by other men as infallible and as such are followed in to-to. We mustremember the statement of Paul even as we look up to our elders(pastors, fellowshipleaders, overseers, senior brethren in the faith etc): Imitate me as I imitate Christ.

As we look at what should be our attitude to elders, we also take a look at the other end

How should an elder behave in relation to younger ones? Let us quickly examine two

stories in the Bible and consider their implications as relating to this subject.

(1) Luke 15:11-32 tells the popular story we have so often read and even termed as the

parable of the prodigal son. However, it appears from the context of the passage that

there are several other things on Christs mind as He related this story. One of th ese is

the role of the elder son in the Fathers house and his reaction as relating to his youngerbrother. Obviously, he wasnt happy that his brother had gone off wasting the fathers


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wealth. However, he was also yet unhappy that the erring son returned home and

obtained the fathers forgiveness. Hence he refused to enter the feast. Let us rememberlike Paul said, that as Brothers, if a man is overtaken in a fault, you the spiritual ones

restore such a one in the spirit of meekness, considering yourself, lest you also be tempted.

The attitude of elders must be that of the Father, who though he knew where the son

had been and what the son had done, yet accepted him and got him restored to hisproper place and position.

(2) John 9 also tells of another set of people. This time, we see a man who was born

blind get healed by Jesus. Afterwards, he is quizzed by the Pharisees council. Our majorconcern here is not the Pharisees but rather his own parents. The glory of the fathers

(parents) is supposed to be their sons(children) and vice-versa. However, we see

something faulty in this particular parenting which we need to be careful of. Though the

parents knew quite well what had happened to their son, they chose to be silent about it

and maintained the regular status quo. Whereas the man who had never seen Jesus but

was healed of Him was ready to take his stand for him even without adequately

recognizing Him, the parents who had both heard of Jesus and knew Him better stood

aloof rather than lend credence to their son's belief. Eventually Christ revealed Himself

in person to the one who stood unashamedly for Him. Hence, what do we see here? As

the Lord moves in fresh ways doing a new thing and laying His hand upon 'younger

ones'(Joel 2:27-28), it is imperative that the older ones should give all the support

needed for the younger ones to find their feet and thus be a blessing to them such that

they would climb up on their shoulders and thus see farther. However, by standing aloof

from what God is doing or criticising it unduly, the older ones (in trying to maintain

friends, relationships and external ministry/career standing before men) may end up

losing that which matters most - the revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ. Remember, He

is no respecter of persons. Let us learn from Peter, James and John who after Paul's

conversion and introduction to ministry, gave him, together with Barnabas, the righthand of fellowship(see Gal. 2:9). That way the gospel multiplied, Christ was further

revealed and God the Father was ultimately glorified. Amen.


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CHAPTER 3

BELIEVERS IN THE END TIME

Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, who took their lamps, and went forth

to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were foolish, and five were wise. For the foolish, when

they took their lamps, took no oil with them: but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.

Now while the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. But at midnight there is a cry,

Behold, the bridegroom! Come ye forth to meet him. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed

their lamps. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are going out. But

the wise answered, saying, Peradventure there will not be enough for us and you: go ye rather to

them that sell, and buy for yourselves. And while they went away to buy, the bridegroom came; and

they that were ready went in with him to the marriage feast: and the door was shut. Afterward

came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say

unto you, I know you not. Watch therefore, for ye know not the day nor the hour. (Mat 25:1-13)

Though the above scripture is a little long, it nevertheless captures the major part of

what well be looking at here. Even though this parable -story seems to have been

narrated casually by our Lord, the depth is quite profound and the story loaded with

spiritual, prophetic insight. However, it takes that same Spirit of Christ by whom it was

given to decode that which is embedded therein. Hence, our part is to yield to and listen

to the Spirit for as the Son of Man says in Revelations over and over again, Let him who

has an ear, hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches.

Let us start by saying that there a number of key issues well be highlighting and

discussing as much as the Spirit will permit us to. From the above passage, we see a

number of key words: oil, lamps, midnightcry, amidst several others. Beyond the

superficial meaning of these words, there seems to be some certain spiritual and

prophetic connotations they each carry.

With regard to discovering what the Lord is saying and revealing to us as believers

living in the end time, we take a look at the following:

The Preparation Room The Waiting Room The Oil The Midnight Cry The foolish virgins


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THE PREPARATION ROOM

Let us be glad and rejoice and we will give glory to Him. For the marriage of the Lamb has come,

and His wife has prepared herself. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen,

clean and white. For the fine linen is the righteousness of the saints.

(Rev 19:7-8)

From the above passage, we can infer that there is a unique garment for the wedding

occasion and the bride has to be clothed in a particular attire. Hence, there is a definite

need for preparation on her part and consequently, a major need for a dressing/

preparation room, especially since here we are talking about ten virgin-brides. In our

various times and cultures, we have all seen brides fully arrayed in the traditional

(white) wedding garments. Some of us have also seen where the bride is being prepared

or made ready for the wedding service. One who has seen this will testify to the fact that

the preparation of a bride is no small matter.

In the case of Christ and the church which is our focus, we see that there is a place that

the Lord and Groom has prepared for us to get into and come out looking ready.

Actually, what He is looking for is His own Image. His desire is that He will present to

Himself and to His Father a Bride that is without spot nor wrinkle and is in every way

like Himself who is the Head of the Body.

He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his garments became as white as

the light. (Mat 17:2 WEB)

His clothing became glistening, exceedingly white, like snow, such as no launderer on earth can

whiten them. (Mar 9:3 WEB)

You have a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments. And they will walk withMe in white, for they are worthy. (Rev 3:4)

These verses are examples of the characteristic appearance of our Lord and Groom.

Hence, in order that we may be like Him, He has made provision for us in a major way:

Therefore He says, "When He ascended up on high, He led captivity captive and gave gifts to men."

And truly He gave some to be apostles, and some to be prophets, and some to be evangelists, and

some to be pastors and teachers, for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for

the edifying of the body of Christ. And this until we all come into the unity of the faith and of the

knowledge of the Son of God, to a full-grown man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of

Christ; (Eph 4:8, 11-13)

Hence, what do we see here? Christ has made provision for the church by releasing

upon her the five-fold ministry gifts, callings and offices. Each of these offices have a

specific assignment ofpreaching and teaching for the eyes of mens hearts to be openedto see and be transformed to become like our Lord by the instrumentality of the Word

and the Spirit. The eventual result He expects to see is seen in the following verses:

And I said to him, Sir, you know. And he said to me, These are the ones who came out of the great

tribulation and have washed their robes, and have whitened them in the blood of the Lamb.

(Rev 7:14)

Let us be glad and rejoice and we will give glory to Him. For the marriage of the Lamb has come,

and His wife has prepared herself. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen,

clean and white. For the fine linen is the righteousness of the saints. (Rev 19:7-8)


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Thus, we see from the above that the job of preparing the Bride is not for angels nor for

some other external beings. It is for the Bride to prepare herself using the Cosmeticsand Make-up kits provided by the Groom. In order to see this picture, let us take aquick look at the analogy in the book of Esther.

And it happened when the king's command and his order was heard, and when many young

women had been gathered to Shushan the palace, into the hand of Hegai, Esther was also brought

to the king's house, into the hand of Hegai, keeper of the women. And the young woman pleased

him, and she received kindness from him. And he quickly gave to her purifiers and her portion. And

seven young women who were fit to be given her, out of the king's house. And he moved her and her

servant women to the best place in the house of the women. Esther had not revealed her people nor

her kindred, for Mordecai had commanded her that she should not show it. And Mordecai walked

every day in front of the court of the women's house in order to know how Esther did and what was

to become of her. And when the turn of each young woman had come to go in to King Ahasuerus,

after she had been purified twelve months, according to the law of the women (for so the days of

their anointing were done, six months with oil of myrrh, and six months with sweet odors, and with

the perfumes of the women). And in this way the young woman came to the king. Whatever she

desired was given her to go with her out of the house of the women to the king's house. She went in

the evening, and on the next day she returned to the second house of the women, into the hand of

Shaashgaz, the king's officer who kept the concubines. She did not come in to the king any more,

unless the king delighted in her, and she was called by name. And when the turn of Esther, the

daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai who had taken her for his daughter, had come to go in to

the king, she asked nothing but what was chosen by Hegai the king's officer, the keeper of the

women. And Esther had favour in the sight of all who looked on her.

(Est 2:8-15)(all emphasis mine)

It is clear that Esther being a bride to the king Ahasuerus, is a type of the church-bride

of Christ. Her entering into the house of the women was the beginning of her preparationfor the marriage to the king. Notice that there was a unique purification and preparation

process for all who came to that house which lasted a full year. Though this seemed

long, it had its implications any lady-virgin who was to meet the king must be

prepared to meet his taste. The result of this process is that the Bride is presented

perfect, complete and lacking nothing to her Lord and King.

Epaphras greets you, he being of you, a servant of Christ, always laboring fervently for you in

prayers, that you may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.

(Col 4:12)

Make sure that your endurance carries you all the way without failing, so that you may be perfect

and complete, lacking nothing.(Jas 1:4 GNB)

Whom we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, so that we may

present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.

(Col 1:28)

Thus, this is the sole aim of all the ministry gifts distributed to the Body to present

every man perfect in Christ Jesus. Note that Christ did not give these gifts to all in the

church but he gave them for the benefit of all in the church. The five-fold ministry

workers however have no cause for pride. Why? Firstly, all they have was received from

above. Also, their choice is a product of mercy and grace and carries with it great

responsibility. A very good illustration is this: Picture a man trying to set up a charcoal

fire. There are a selected few which he initially concentrates upon and fanning them


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We now take a quick look at two stories in line with what God will have us know

concerning some other implications of the oil.

(a) Worshipping and Wasting: In John 12:1-8, we see a familiar story of Jesus visit to

the home of Mary, Martha and Lazarus. As he sat at table, we see a unique thing whichMary did. From the natural perspective, we could conclude that what Mary did was a

wastage. This is rightly so even from the spiritual perspective! What we need to see

here however is the essence and direction of the wastage. First, whereas others are

either standing to serve Him or sitting to feast with Him, we find one person kneeling in

awe of Him and pouring her utmost to anoint His body. What a unique wastage! The

Lord does not condemn this woman but rather commends her because hers was a waste

with a meaning. The only reasonable place to waste is at His feet. Hence, we see the oil

here being released from the cask in order to anoint the Lord. This makes it evident to

us thatOur Treasure is for His Pleasure.

(b) The third day morning & the anointing of the Body: The second story we take a lookat is found in Mark 16:1-4. On the third day (otherwise called the resurrection

morning), three women awoke and went up early to the tomb of Jesus. They took along

with them spices( or oils) they had previously purchased to use in anointing the Body of

the Lord. Whereas, prior to His death, the Mary of Bethany had pre-anointed his body

before burial, these ones were going for a post-burial anointing. The understanding of

the Spirit in this seemingly casual story is this: there is a generation God is raising who

will be willing to go all the way, despite all inconveniences, to anoint the Body of Christ in

these last days. On that day, these women had a number of challenges and limitations

that should have stopped them from achieving their aim e.g. the early, dark and

probably cold morning, the officials and guards posted at the tomb mouth, the huge

stone covering the tomb etc. Nevertheless, they surmounted all these and in a figurative

way achieved their aim. Presently, the Body of Christ seems to be in such a fragmented

state that poses a lot of hindrance to the flow from one part into another. However,

since the anointing is poured upon the whole Body for all to be partakers, God is raising

a set of seemingly inconsequential people, like these women, who will not mind all the

cost and price to be paid but will go all the way until they reach the whole Body and

anoint her with the measure of the oil they have received from the Head. Are you willing

to be used of God to reach the entire Body of Christ? Are you a part of this company?

May the Lord stir our hearts to find our place in this move and be used of Him to anoint

and bless the Body. Freely it has been given to you, freely give.

THE MIDNIGHT CRY

And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom comes! Go out to meet him.

(Matt. 25:6)

Having seen all the other factors in the equation, we now consider the last major

universal event of that night. Universal in the sense that this was the last thing that

happened both to the wise as well as the foolish. As the virgins all waited, they all fell

asleep. But the Groom had yet set a voice in the dark, who would break the chilly

silence of the night with an all-important cry. We can look at this Voice/Cry from severalperspectives:


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remain unraptured, the Lord in His mercy, has provided a path, howbeit a hard one, for

them to meet the Lord again.

Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is the one who watches and keeps his garments, lest he walk

naked and they see his shame. (Rev. 16:15)

And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire. And those who had gotten the victory over thebeast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of

glass, having the harps of God. (Rev. 15:2)

And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of

those who had been beheaded for the witness of Jesus and for the Word of God, and who had not

worshiped the beast nor his image, nor had received his mark on their foreheads, nor in their

hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. (Rev. 20:4)


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For it is as if a man going abroad called his own servants and gave them his goods. And to one he

gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to each according to his ability. And he went

abroad at once. And going he who had received the five talents traded with them, and made

another five talents. And likewise he who had received two, he also gained another two. But he who

had received the one talent went and dug in the earth and hid his lord's silver. After a long time the

lord of those servants came and took account with them. And so he who had received five talentscame and brought another five talents, saying, Lord, you delivered five talents to me. Behold, I have

gained five talents above them. His lord said to him, Well done, good and faithful servant! You have

been faithful over a few things; I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your

lord. He also who had received two talents came and said, Lord, you delivered two talents to me.

Behold, I have gained two other talents above them. His lord said to him, Well done, good and

faithful servant! You have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things.

Enter into the joy of your lord. And he who had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew

that you were a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not

scatter. And I was afraid and went and hid your talent in the earth. Lo, you have yours. His lord

answered and said to him, Evil and slothful servant! You knew that I reaped where I did not sow,

and gathered where I did not scatter, then you should have put my money to the exchangers, and

coming I would have received my own with interest. Therefore take the talent from him and give itto him who has ten talents. For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will abound. But

from him who has not, even that which he has shall be taken away from him. And throw the

unprofitable servant into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

(Matt. 25:14-30)

The above passage is a familiar account of the parable of the talents. The story comes

just right after the Master narrates the parable of the ten virgins(which has been our

major focus in the previous chapter) and then he just continues right into this story,

hence its suitability at this time in our study. Occupation has to do with work,

assignment, study or business. The Master, having finished His assignment on the earth

and leaving for the Throne from whence He came, assigned to each of His servantstalents and tasks commensurate to those talents. Whereas our focus is not on the

current implication of this amount in our present monetary system, it is quite clear to us

that the amount given out by the Lord here is quite appreciable with respect to the

assignments each man was given. Notice this unspoken yet salient issue: Though the

same words were used by the Master to each of the servants, yet His yield-expectation

from each of the three servants was different. In other words, divine investment

determines divine expectation. Let us begin then to examine ourselves. First, what gifts,

talents, physical and spiritual endowments has God released upon my life? Or, better

put in business terms, what is the level of capital that has been invested by the Lord into

my life? Consequently, what level of profit is the Lord expecting from my life? Thisevaluation will help us to know where we stand as regarding the Lords expectation ofus as His servants.

Whereas there are specific requirements for each servant in the Lords vineyard, thereare however general expectations. Let us take a look at the following as relating to our

general requirements concerning talents usage i.e. the things that are required of us all.

(a) Priests and Kings: In Rev. 1:5-6, we see a very important and, I believe, a well-knownscripture.even from Jesus Christ the faithful Witness, the First-born from the dead and the Ruler of the

kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and made


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us kings and priests to God and His Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever.

Amen.(Rev. 1:5-6)

God, who through Christ, has redeemed us to Himself by washing us in His own blood,

has made a great and eternal investment over our lives making us both kings and

priests unto Himself. What a glorious destiny! However, with this honour and privilegecomes the great responsibility of pleasing Him in these offices. As priests, we have the

duty of both bringing men before and unto God as well as presenting God before and

unto men. Each believer has been made a new creature by the washing in the blood of

the Lamb. Though the salvation of each mans soul lies with the Spirit of God, wehowever, like Paul says in 2Cor. 5: 17-20, have the responsibility of reconciliation. So

again, we ask ourselves How faithful am I in reaching men for my Lord? Notice that

each one was given a unique talent(s). Hence this implies we are all to reach men

through various means e.g. through singing, preaching, teaching, helps, giving,

dramatizing etc. The most important thing is that we all achieve the same result of

bringing men to God.

As kings, we are to rule and reign upon the earth. The implication of this can be seen in

Ps. 110:1-3. The Lords rod of rulership is to be sent forth or extended out from Zion.

Hence, though the church is in the world, she is meant to reign and extend the Lordsdominion over all His works. So wherever we find ourselves, we are not supposed to be

the tail but the head. In other words, we are meant to take charge and dominion over

matters and situations as the Lords emissaries for as He is, so are we in this world.

Again, we need to evaluate our lives in light of this: Am I truly taking charge where I am?

Am I a true leader in word and in deed? (Each believer is a leader in at least one area of

life or the other) Is the rod of the Kingdom being extended through me i.e. Am I

enforcing the Kingdom of God(the uncontested rule of Gods word in any and every

situation) where I am? Our kingship is now needed to be demonstrated more than everbefore, for we are in the day of His power in which His people shall be willing. May the

Lord help us to be true kings and priests using our various gifts and talents to draw men

to Him and enforce His Kingdom at every time and in every place.

(b)Arise and Shine: In Isaiah 60:1-3, we see a very important yet familiar scripture. Weare the sons of God and of light. Notice that scripture refers to God as the Father of all

lights. Hence, since like He is, so are we on the earth, we can conclude that we are lights.

Indeed, our Lord Jesus is the Sun of Righteousness talked about in Mal. 4:2. Hence, we

may safely say that we are also suns of righteousness for all of us who are sons. The

implication of this is that we are to also rise up and shine as suns with healing in our

wings over our land and over the lives of men all around us. Now, God is counting on usto bring forth his light, truth and healing in every place via our shining as suns. Notice

that though Christ shined in His day, He yet shines in His night which is our own day on

the earth, through His shining forth in our hearts to give the knowledge of the glory of

God manifest in His face. Hence, let us evaluate our lives in this light and at this time:

Am I shining in the midst of the darkness all around me? Is my presence felt wherever I

am privileged to be? There are two sides to our operation as sun-lights just as there are

two sides to a coin. In Acts 3, we see a popular story of how Peter and John were used to

raise a lame man at the Beautiful Gate. In raising him up, Peter applied these 2 things the Word, in addition to works. He did not stop at speaking the word of faith necessary

for the mans healing, he also held him by the hand and pulled him up. Put in another


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form,prayermust be accompanied with corresponding action. The apostle James puts it

this way: faith without works is dead.

(c) The Treasure and the Field: Notice the following scriptures:Again, the kingdom of Heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which when a man has found it, hehides it, and for the joy of it goes and sells all that he has, and buys that field.

(Mat 13:44)

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the excellence of the power may be of God and

not of us. (2Cor. 4:7)

These passages refer to a very important principle for us in the end times as we seek to

occupy/do business till He comes. Christ likens the Kingdom to a man who goes forth

and then expectedly or accidentally discovers some unique treasure hidden in theground of some field which is not his originally. He then covers it again with wisdom

and goes to do all it takes including selling all he has just to buy the field and thus freely

have access to and own the treasure. In the recent past, we have heard of people whostruck oil or some other natural resource and then did just like the man in this story and

became wealthy overnight. There is a spiritual principle in operation which we want to

briefly examine: First, we need to be deliberate in seeking for something in order to talk

of finding. Matt. 6:33 talks of seeking first the Kingdom and then all other things being

added to us. Hence, we must be ready to seek if we will find. Next, is the field itself. For

each one who has been saved, we are called into the field of service to labour alongside

the Lord. It is in this field that we are to be fully occupied. In other words, all of the

christians sphere of operation whether secular or spiritual is within this field frame

with one unique end in mind the Kingdom. Unknown to us, the Lord and Owner of theField has hidden all the treasure we need for life and godliness in this same field. Hence,

He says we should seek first the Kingdom. The reason is that only as we seek in thatfield do we find not only the Kingdom and its righteousness which is our primary aim,

but in addition we get unquantifiable treasure which our Lord has embedded in the field

for seekers only. Just like we see the demonstration of this principle in Gen. 43:19-23, the

Lord through Joseph had hidden treasures for the sons of Jacob in their sacks. Notice

that in coming to buy grain, this was not their expectation, yet in addition to the grain

they got, they also received silver, each mans portion in his sack. Thus, as we seek Godfor His kingdom and righteousness, all the good things that others go outside to get willbe freely added to us at no extra cost. Indeed, we will gladly sell all we have because the

possession of true riches will give us exceeding great joy. May the Lord help us to gladly

give up our all as we seek Him, His Kingdom and its righteousness and to thereindiscover all the embedded treasures of life and godliness with exceeding great joy all

embedded for us in the field. Amen.

(d) Prosperity and Wealth: When the Master committed the talents to His servants, Hehad this very important issue in mind the prosperity of the Kingdom and of Hisservants(Psa. 35:27, 3 Jn. 2). Hence, it is only natural to look at the prospects of wealth

handling in the process of our occupation with the divine business and assignment of

the Master. First is the issue ofNeeds Vs. Wants. In Ps. 23:1, we see that it is Gods desirefor us to be blessed & to have all our needs met. Once He is your own Shepherd, He will

see to this. However, He further desires that we are blessed so we will not only have all

our necessities met but that we will help supply the necessities of others also.


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Gods desire is for the attention of all to be focused on the Son. However, His desire willonly be accomplished first in the church, and then through the church. While on earth,

we see examples of this desire manifest. First, at Jordan, as soon as He came out of the

water, the heavens opened and the Spirit descended upon Him like a dove and then God

the Father declared Him before men as His Beloved in whom He was well-pleased(Luke

3:22). On the Transfiguration Mount when the Father wanted to glorify Him before theeyes of the disciples, He again caused the two men that appeared with the Lord in glory

to be swallowed up in the cloud and again declared Christ as His Beloved in whom He

was well-pleased and to whom they must listen. Thirdly, in John 12: 28-30, we see God

the Father interrupting the Sons teaching to declare that He will glorify His Nameagain even as He has done before. Lastly, on the cross when He cried out and breathed

His last, the Father caused unusual darkness, earthquakes and resurrections that

indicated He wanted all attention focused on the man of Calvary.

Look and Live

Having seen that it is the Fathers desire to catch and capture our attention fully onJesus, we consider in some detail a number of reasons why God is asking us to look and

keep looking unto the Son. In the times in which we are, there are several directions to

which men look or are made to look by people and/or situations. Sometimes people

look to the left and right things and people around them e.g. friends and colleagues,other times we look back at our past and history/background. Also, another direction

men look is down at their present status or situation and all that is encompassed

therein. One other direction which we all look is forward things and programs aheadof us, people ahead of us e.g. bosses, mentors, leaders etc. However, whilst all these are

not wrong in themselves, they are only our secondary directions of attention. Our

primary direction of focus must be LOOKING UP.

(a)Our Citizenship is in heaven:For our citizenship is in Heaven, from which also we are looking for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus

Christ. (Phil. 3:20)

As people on the earth, there is a great tendency to mix with the on-goings here below

that we virtually forget our real parentage. Hence, the Lord tells us to look up because

we are not children of the bondwoman but of the free which is JerusalemandJerusalem

which is above is free, which is the mother of us all. In other words, we are born fromabove and thus we carry the identity card of heaven here on earth. Hence, the best way

to live is to keep in touch with our King, our Melchizedek who is the King of this new

Jerusalem. With our sights fully focused on Him, we will live to His pleasure here on

earth. Notice that it is impossible for a man to focus on two different places

simultaneously, hence as we look to Him all of earths beauties and glories diminish in

our eyes and heavens glories sparkle brighter. Also, in looking up to our Country of

Citizenship, we receive directions, instructions, commendations, provisions, protections

and alerts from there. Our economy is not driven by this present worlds Babyloniansystem which is passing away. Rather, we are financed by the treasury of heaven and

are influenced only by her rates of exchange. So, where do you stand in this? Are you

fully set on heaven or are your sights on the earth? Whereas we must yet do business

here and occupy till our Lord comes, ours is that of businessmen who trade but do not

hold on tightly to their profits or losses, for they look forward to the True Riches yet tocome. Someone once spoke about three types of believers the 12 oclock, the 6 oclock


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understood the location and placement of his help from God, up above. It seems thatthe use of the hills here is not arbitrary. In actual fact, one can see God wherever he/she

chooses to look. But in this case, it is clear that the location of hills with respect to man

is up and above. Thus, in the same way, the location of our Help and our Helper is above.

We are naturally inclined to look to some particular directions in several instances but

our primary Source of help must be the Lord. There is a philosophy that says that whenall fails is the time to look up to God, the One who cannot fail. Although this statement is

not wrong in itself, it emanates from a wrong perspective of life that emphasizes all

other things prior to God. For us however, it ought not to be so. For our God is no. 1 and

must have the pre-eminence in all things. He is not supposed to be an after-thought

when other helpers have failed. Our God is not to us our last resort but our very first. Let

us take a quick look at Isaiah 31:1 and see what God expects of us.

Cursed are those who go down to Egypt for help, and who put their faith in horses; looking to war-

carriages for salvation, because of their numbers; and to horsemen, because they are very strong;

but they are not looking to the Holy One of Israel, or turning their hearts to the Lord; Though he is

wise, and able to send evil, and his purpose will not be changed; but he will go against the house ofthe evil-doers, and against those to whom they are looking for help. For the Egyptians are men, and

not God; and their horses are flesh, and not spirit: and when the Lord's hand is stretched out, the

helper and he who is helped will come down together. (Isa 31:1-3 BBE)

Notice here that God is Jealous over His people Israel and will not share His glory with

anyone, no matter who such a person is or what he or she has. He is the Help and the

Helper of Israel and all her help must come from Him and from Him alone. So, are you

looking to Him for your help or are you looking or going elsewhere? Note that God

watches over His people, neither sleeping nor slumbering as He watches their every

way and censors their every move. When He is sidelined and He is not given His proper

place as Help and Helper, He will rise against both the helper and the helped and causeboth of them to fail and fall together. Oh that we may learn to rely on the Lord alone for

He is our Help and our Helper in the midst of lifes situations.

(d)Our Salvation is nigh and from above:And when these things begin to happen, then look up and lift up your heads, for your redemption

draws near. (Luke 21:28)

We all know, I believe, that Christ is our Saviour. First, He saved us when we came to

Him, causing our spirits to be regenerated with the Breath of God. But then Hes stillworking on and in us to save our souls. Lastly, we believe He will, on the last day, also

save our bodies. However, in another sense, we see that Christ Jesus is not only the

Saviour of those who believe but of all men (see 1Jn. 4:14 and 1Tim. 4:10). The

implication here is this the solution to our world today is only UP ABOVE. Just like the

Israelites bitten by the grave and deadly serpents sent amongst them by the Lord, so

also are the vicious issues of life we see, experience and will yet be experiencing in these

latter days. However, the solution to these is not with us nor amongst men in this

present worldly system. It is that UP ABOVE and AHEAD that was symbolized in the

Brazen Serpent. The lifting up of the Son of Man in His second coming/appearing is not

just for the sake of rapture alone. Actually, it is for the sake of our total salvation in

these last days! But even as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the

Son of Man be lifted up, And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all to Myself. By

looking up and permanently looking there, not only are our worries diminished;solution to our snake bite situations will occur. For as we look up and see Him lifted up,


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one said, 'I have just gotten married, and for that reason I cannot come.' The servant went back

and told all this to his master. The master was furious and said to his servant, 'Hurry out to the

streets and alleys of the town, and bring back the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.' Soon

the servant said, 'Your order has been carried out, sir, but there is room for more.' So the master

said to the servant, 'Go out to the country roads and lanes and make people come in, so that my

house will be full. I tell you all that none of those who were invited will taste my dinner!' "(Luke 14:16-24)

It is quite important to note that all these excuses were quite legal and even all look

tenable and acceptable before men. Indeed, it is most likely that all of these

breakthroughs and expansions in life and ministry that these people of the kingdomhad were all products of the Kings benevolence. Hence, we would say the King shouldunderstand. However, the Kings furiousness indicates that there is something which

all these His subjects dont seem to understand that what matters most is the Kingscall. Do you see what the Spirits emphasis here is? THERE IS NOTHING AS IMPORTANTAS TO TAKE US AWAY FROM ANSWERING THE KINGS CALL. His call must be answered

with all urgency, with every other thing left behind as inconsequential. May we say,soberly and with all seriousness, that this is the singular major reason many people in

the Kingdom will yet miss the coming of the Lord Jesus busyness at the expense of the

Kings call. No matter what we may have been doing, irrespective of our calling andpeculiar giftings, irregardless of what we are currently achieving in life and the several

breakthroughs and open doors set ahead of us, the King deserves and demands our

attention. Hence, we must be ready to put aside everything on our hands at any given

time in order to answer His call and meet His demands. Let us remember that we are no

longer our own but that it is He who bought us at a price and owns us that we may

glorify Him both in our spirits and in our bodies which are His.

Elishas Example:And he left there, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, and he was plowing; twelve pairs of oxen

were before him, and he was with the twelfth. And Elijah passed by him and threw his mantle on

him. And he left the oxen and ran after Elijah, and said, Please, let me kiss my father and my

mother, and I will follow you. And he said to him, Go back again, for what have I done to you? And

he turned back from him, and took a yoke of oxen and killed them, and boiled their flesh with the

instruments of the oxen, and gave it to the people, and they ate. And he arose and went after Elijah,

and ministered to him. (1Ki 19:19-21)

The life of this servant of God is an example for us to follow. Whereas he was obviously

busy with his twelve yoke of oxen, as soon as he sensed the call of God via Elijah, he

responded immediately and followed. Within that short period of time, he killed a yokeof oxen and not only did he butcher the oxen, he also destroyed the oxen instruments.

Having burnt his bridges behind him, he set out to follow his master, never to return to

the oxen business anymore. How many of us are ready to leave all that is in our hands

presently, no matter how precious they are to us, and follow our King, answering His

call? This seems quite difficult. However, Jesus says in Luke14:26:

If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother and wife and children and brothers

and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. (Luke 14:26)

Hence, we sense the lord saying here to us that whosoever is not willing to forgo

everything for His sake at any time is not worthy to be in His feast. May this not be our

lot. After serving Him faithfully in our various places of ministry and assignment, may

our seats at the Marriage Table never be taken over from us. Let us remember however


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the nature of our Lord that With the faithful You will show Yourself faithful; with the

upright man You will show Yourself upright. With the pure You will show Yourself pure;

and with the perverted You will appear perverse.


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CHAPTER 5

MARANATHA COME LORD JESUS!

He who testifies these things says, Yes, I am coming quickly, Amen. Yes, come, Lord Jesus.

(Rev 22:20)

As we draw the curtains on this study, it is important that we look up and see the One

we are expecting. It is necessary for us not only to anticipate His coming but also to see

Him in the offices in which He will be manifest at His appearing. In other words, our

major focus here is to discover the Lord through the eyes of the Spirit so that when He

will be made manife

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