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Behold, the bridegroom cometh

By Pastor Lazarus Muoka
03 April 2022   |   3:50 am
There is no doubt that while the church is waiting for the trumpet to blow, the prophecies of the signs of His second coming are gradually coming to pass in our very eyes.

Mummy Joy Muoka presenting trophy to the Divine House Coker that came first during the Inter-house<br />Sports Competition organised by Chosen International Schools, Alaba, Lagos

There is no doubt that while the church is waiting for the trumpet to blow, the prophecies of the signs of His second coming are gradually coming to pass in our very eyes. The second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Bridegroom, is near and would come without notice. Christians all over the world should as a result of this be serious, preparing for this special day.

It is only God that knows the exact time and day. So, a little mistake could make one lose eternal life in heaven. This means losing everything one has been preparing for, all his/her lifetime, to get to heaven. The pathetic case of the five foolish virgins that went to meet the Bridegroom is a quintessential example to urge any Christian to diligently prepare for the waiting. The Bible presents it clearly in Matthew 25:1-10: “Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto 10 virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. 2: And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 3: They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: 4: But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 5: While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. 6: And at midnight, there was a cry made, ‘Behold, the bridegroom cometh;’ go ye out to meet him. 7: Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. 8: And the foolish said unto the wise, ‘give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.’ 9: But the wise answered, saying, ‘not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.’ 10: And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.”
As earlier stated on this page, this part of the Mount Olivet discourse goes beyond the ‘sign’ questions raised by the disciples. It rather presents our Lord’s return in three aspects:
• Test of Belief: This tests one’s practical profession in Christ.
• Test of Service: This challenges a believer’s service to Christ.
• Test of Individual’s Gentile: This simply tests one’s approach to the things of God in relation to his/her preparation for the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The five virgins had all it takes to prepare for the rapture. They did their best waiting for the Bridegroom, but missed Him as a result of poor preparation. They were in Christ and evangelised the word with passion and their resources. Unfortunately, a little mistake of omission cost them to lose heaven. We should pray that nothing should distract our focus from this heavenly race. The fulfillment of the signs must be complete before the coming of the Lord. That is why the Bible argues in 2Thessalonians 2:1-4: “Now, we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him. 2: That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. 3: Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 4: Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that, he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.”
Prior to the coming of the Bridegroom or the rapture of the saints, the order of events will be as follows:
• The working of the mystery of lawlessness under the divine restraint, which had already begun in the apostles’ time and has been expanding throughout the church age.
• The removal of that which restrains the mystery of lawlessness (v6-7). The Holy Spirit has been identified as the restrainer of iniquity. The Holy Spirit will be taken out of the way; note, not to be taken away. This simply means that the Holy Spirit will no longer restrain lawlessness.
• There will be the manifestation of the lawless one, the man of sin, whose activities will result to apostasy or the falling away. The falling away is the act of professed Christians that deliberately reject the revealed truth of the deity of Jesus Christ and the redemption work through His atoning and sacrificial death. It is after the falling away that our Lord Jesus Christ will return to the earth in glory. His return will mark the overthrow of the man of sin and then the establishment of the millennial reign.

It is essential every Christian should know all these signs at his or her fingertips to allow for flawless preparation. It is only when we are abreast with the signs that we will be able to know when they come. The Bible says in 2Timothy 3:1-5: “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. 2: For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy. 3: Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good. 4: Traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; 5: Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.”

The Bible is sounding a serious warning to all Christians still having these attributes to turn away from them, now there is still room for repentance. There will be no time for amendment when the Bridegroom comes for the saints.

The work of grace is now ongoing on earth, as our Lord Jesus Christ is at the door of the heart of every sinner, knocking and asking for permission to come in. The Bible in Luke 19:9-10 says: “And Jesus said unto him, this day is salvation come to this house, for so much as he also is a son of Abraham. 10: For the Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

Now that our Lord Jesus Christ is seeking for the lost, it is important and easier to meet Him. He is our Saviour and the Messiah. Whosoever that fails to meet Jesus Christ now He is seeking for the lost, will eventually meet Him later, as a Judge by the time He will come as the Bridegroom of the Church. Take your decision now to meet Him before it is too late. He will come, but nobody knows the time.

The Mystery Working God

MY name is Brother Chukwuma Okeke. I joined the Lord’s Chosen Church in 2011. By the special grace of God I just returned from Ukraine. Last week, after our service on Friday morning, I had a dream where I saw an old man who said to me: “Pack your bags and follow me.” I was like, follow you to where?

As l was delaying in that dream to follow him, he quickly packed my bags for me and told me to enter a vehicle, which I did. And on our way, I saw that the road was very lonely; it got to a point and I began to see people and also greeted them. But the old man cautioned me against greeting anyone, saying we are in the enemy’s lane. He took me to a safe place and handed my bags to me. He said, I should make sure that I return to Nigeria between February 24 and 26, 2022. Immediately after this, I woke up. Waking up, I went for my flight ticket. I told my coordinator my dream and on Tuesday of it, I returned to Nigeria. Immediately I left Ukraine, the Ukraine-Russia war began.

Brethren, our God is a mysterious God. I appreciate Him for what He has done. May His name be glorified forever in Jesus’ name … Amen!

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