Mark 13:12-13: “Now the brother shall betray the brother to death, and the father the son; and children shall rise up against their parents, and shall cause them to be put to death. 13: And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.”

The church is an outpost of the Kingdom of Heaven. It is established and charged with the sole responsibility to teach people the doctrines of Christ; prepare mankind to return to heaven, their final abode. From the very first day man fell from the Glory of God, a provision for the coming of the son of man to bruise the head of serpent, defeat him and liberate man to return to heaven for eternal life was made. Our Lord, Jesus Christ, is the Son of God that is destined to liberate man from his sins and the bondage of Devil.

Fortunately, our Lord, Jesus Christ, came as a messiah to reconcile man to God and for salvation of our soul from sin.

Jesus Christ came, suffered and died on the Cross of Calvary for the sins of the world. He ascended to heaven interceding for us (sinners). He will come back to this earth, this time as a ruling king to rapture the saints.

The Church is currently saddled with the duty of preparing the saints for His second coming. And everyone is meant to accept Him as Lord and Saviour, and to abide by the legacy He had laid down for the saints to go with Him to heaven. Every Christian preparing for the second coming (rapture) must be in constant preparation of it. He/she must have high expectation of the Master.

Although, there will be some challenges, God’s children should be determined to overcome them all and get to heaven their final abode. The lead scripture notes, we must be determined to keep our faith, endure to overcome the challenges and patience to forge ahead amid difficulties. We must also be watchful at all times. This is why Mark 13:29-37, says: “So ye in like manner, when ye shall see these things come to pass, know that it is nigh, even at the doors. 30: Verily I say unto you, that this generation shall not pass, till all these things be done. 31: Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away. 32: But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. 33: Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is. 34: For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch. 35: Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning. 36: Lest coming suddenly he finds you sleeping. 37: And what I say unto you I say unto all, watch.” The key word here is “watchful,” implying being steady and carefully preparing, at all times, to ensure that one is not taken by surprise. In the course of the preparation you should never leave any stone unturned. Ensure to live a holy and righteous life. No one knows the day or the hour rapture will take place, hence we should be ready at all times. That is why Matthew 25:1-13, says: “Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten 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.11: Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. 12: But he answered and said: ‘Verily, I say unto you, I know you not.’ 13: Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.”

The parable of the Ten Virgins goes beyond signs of the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ to presenting His return in three aspects:

• We are all openly professing our faith in Jesus Christ, hence the events of this parable test the strength of that faith in Christ and in God, our creator.

• As testing service, this implies how dedicated we are in our service to God even in times of difficulties and lack.

• Testing individual gentile, this takes look at your relationship with the Lord in terms of what you do to the people in need.

The entire parable lays emphasis on real preparations and readiness for rapture. No stone must be left unturned in this heavenly race.

The five foolish virgins are no means Christians; they are in the church doing the work faithfully without spot and wrinkles, but lacked wisdom, which was why they missed the rapture by whiskers. Zeal without wisdom may cost you heaven.

On the other hand, the five wise virgins are zealous, dedicated, careful and wise. They are not the type to be pushed around by messages without validation from the Holy Bible, which is the standard of the Christian faith.

Every human being is an aspiring candidate of heaven, but only a few will be raptured. To be among the raptured ones, you must repent from your sins, accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour, and reject the Devil and all his works. You must run away from every sinful act and be ready to render faithful and selfless services to God. You must preach the gospel in and out of season. You must be courageous and determined to bear challenges coming your way as a result of your profession. You must also be wise to understand what to do at any particular time. You must never allow the things of the world to come between your profession and your heavenly race. However, it is of great necessity to be determined, faithful and prayerful, these will help make you make heaven in Jesus’ name.

Testimony Of The Lord’s Doing
Multiple Afflictions Sent Packing

MY name is Brother Emmanuel Ugwu. I joined the Lord’s Chosen Ministry in 2004 and worships at Nkanu Region. I appreciate God for His great intervention in my life. I was poisoned spiritually, which manifested in form of a foul-smelling non-healing wound in 2019. In Igbo language, the sickness is called “Acha a re” it starts with scratches and the leg will begin to swell. I was tormented to the point that I almost died, but for God’s grace I am living. The treatment was not yielding any positive result; in fact, at a stage, the man treating me requested I bring kolanuts and alligator pepper to appease my ancestors before I could be cured, but I refused it.

Quickly, I left him to worship at the church’s autonomous branch. One day after service, I stayed for four days without applying any medication to my leg. Surprisingly, the pain began to reduce on daily basis.

The last straw that broke the carmel’s back was when a new pastor was posted to the branch; I met him and he counseled and prayed for me, and that marked the end of the affliction. The lacerated portion of my leg was covered up and the pain ceased. Praise the Lord!

As if that was not enough, the devil afflicted me again and I went to hospital and was diagnosed of seven different ailments — HIV, cancer, ulcer, bladder infection, among others. I rejected the test result with faith, even though I was gradually dying. But at Mgbidi 2021, God intervened and I was perfectly healed. The doctors confirmed my healing, saying it was a miracle. Praise the Lord!

Moreover, because of the sickness, I was retired from the police force and because I could not process my papers, my retirement benefits were withheld. Throughout that period, I lived on charity. Even when I eventually processed my papers, it could not go with others because it was late. To God be the glory, two months ago, I was paid all my entitlements.

I came to this crusade with a brand new bus, which I also used to convey brethren to thank the God of Chosen on my behalf. Praise Lord!