For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry. Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draws back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul. Hebrews 10:37-39. Note: Is there not an appointed time to man upon earth? Are not his days also like the days of an hireling? Your rapture can be your last breath on earth today, and it can also be the sudden appearing of the great Savior our Lord Jesus Christ’s coming like a thief in the night on earth at any time from now for his living and dead saints. Therefore, look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward by living and walking worthy of our calling, to make sure of our election by him; so that, whether we sleep (dead) or awake (alive) we might be accepted of him. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18.
So many of the signs of the end time predicted to usher us for the arrival of the bridegroom such as famine, earthquakes, wars and rumors of wars, gross ungodliness and preference of sin over righteousness are fulfilled; so unfortunate that despite the multitudes of the presence and miracles of the false apostles and prophets worldwide, the gospel has not yet been preached to all the nations on earth, so that the Father should commission Christ to come for his dead and living saints on earth. Only the Father knows when he will ask the Lord to come for his dead and living saints to bring them to heaven for the marriage feast and rewards of their works. The scripture must be fulfilled, and until this particular crucial aspect is fully satisfied in the heart of God (and this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the entire world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. Matthew 24:14): maranatha, he that will come, though he will come, and will not tarry; but will not come now.
Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts; and then shall every man have praise of God. 1 Corinthians 4:5. The sheep knows him and hears his voice and follows him, and the voice of strangers they will not follow, for they do not k now him. Allows the preaching of the gospel to flow, either in pretense or in truth, Christ is glorified (Philippians 1:15-18), that it might be fulfilled which was written, yea, so have I strived to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should build upon another man’s foundation: but as it is written, to whom he was not spoken of, they shall see: and they that have not heard shall understand. Romans 15:20-21.
Here are few biblical facts to help us to overcome the dangers of the perceived lateness of the coming of the Lord Jesus for his dead and living saints on earth.
The perceived lateness of Christ should not ne seen as the postponement or cancelation of his coming, but the exercise of the prerogative and sovereign act of God to do what he likes and when he want with his creatures he has created for his pleasure. Though, in the last days scoffers shall be walking after their own lustful pride to make fun of the promise of his coming, and believers are praying and imploring let thy kingdom come because of the troubles and trials and pains of faith, but God has mercifully shortened the days of troubles on earth for the sake of his elects, so that Christ should come earlier than expected according to God’s time table. Matthew 24:22.
The perceived lateness of Christ coming for his dead and living saints on earth shows us the patience and the goodness of God. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. God is giving room for individual to prepare themselves by turning from their evil ways to meet the Lord before it is too late. 2 Peter 3:9.
And, though it seems late and unreal to some in the church and world that Christ will ever come back for the dead and living saints, the Lord affirms, Behold, I am coming quickly! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book. Revelation 22:7.
Many shall draw back from following after the Lord because they perceived that heaven is not real, hell is not existing, like the Israelites turned to Aaron to make them god to follow because it was perceived that Moses delayed to come down from the mount where he went to seek God for the tables of law, but eventually descended from the mountain to them, but the idolatrous were all destroyed. To walk with God and live for Christ, lots of patience is required to the end – in your patient take possession of your soul. Luke 21:19.
The perceived lateness of the coming of Christ for his dead and living saints is facetiousness to many: ready or not, it is going to be a surprised and unannounced day for believers as well as unbelievers. The Lord warns that it is going to be like a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth to awaken the believers and to call for their readiness to welcome and receive the ‘August visitor’ either in the day, noon or at night – to prepare the way of the Lord and to make straight the pathway of Christ in their lives in readiness for his coming; not one jot or title of our Lord’s word will fall to the ground nor pass away, till all is fulfilled: be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you suddenly like a trap. For it will come on all those who live on the face of the whole earth. Luke 21:34-35.
The perceived lateness of the Lord’s coming for his dead and living saints ought to be an opportunity for all the oppressive, disloyal, unfaithful, worldly and greedy servants of God and church leaders to change from their ungodly pursuits and course. Change from their impure motives and lifestyles; to shun ungodliness and worldliness: to repent from their dereliction or negligence of spiritual duties and of their cruel behaviors and attitudes not befitting Christ they’re representing, and stop exploiting the children of God as meat for their food, fir it is the Lord’s pasture: this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am against the shepherds and will hold them accountable for my flock. I will remove them from tending the flock so that the shepherds can no longer feed themselves. I will rescue my flock from their mouths, and it will no longer be food for them. Ezekiel 34:10.
Many shall not be faithful to the end because the perceived lateness of Christ coming will reveals the false motive of many followers of Christ in the last days. Many pastors shall become as Christ – false Christ over the heritage of Christ. Evil men of God will be oppressive and intimidating over their brethren by false spiritual authority and superiority over their brethren they are called to serve and lead by good examples – the elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being examples to the flock. 1 Peter 5:1-3.
Church leaders should amend their lives, ways and doings before the Lord by re-committing and renewing their loyalty and sincerity in conformity to gospel of the cross of Christ. But the evil, greedy and covetous servant of God will say in his heart that Christ delays his coming; and shall begin to smite his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; the lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looks not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, and shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Matthew 24:48-51.
Where Christ is found, there shall his servant be: think about being led always by the spirit of God (Romans 8:14), and be very careful not to be found at an illegitimate place such as the beach, cinema house or worldly opera and theatrical places, or be found in the company of illegitimate association of ungodly yoked with unbeliever; there is no harmony between Christ and Belial. Be careful of illegitimate activities or business, lest Christ sudden and imminent coming for his bride should found you at the wrong place in the company of wrong people while conducting wrong business or activities, and then shall you be disqualified to enter with the bridegroom.
The perceived lateness of Christ coming will cause negligence and dereliction of duty and punishments from the Lord in many church leaders- And that servant, which knew his lord’s will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more. Luke 12:47-48.
The perceived lateness of Christ coming will divide believers into two groups as wise and foolish virgins (a) the wise virgins, because of their consecration, holiness, steadfastness and watchfulness waiting for Christ: (b) the foolish virgins, because of their progressive backsliding, sinfulness, disobedient, their spiritual slothfulness and lukewarmness; their moral and spiritual degradation in the kingdom of God: then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps, but while the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. Matthew 25:5.
First, I want you to know that all the ten virgins refers to all believers who are born again of the water and spirit baptism called as the bride to be of the Lord which apostle Paul says, for I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. 2 Corinthians.11:2.
Second, to be qualified to go into the marriage feast with the bridegroom as soon as his arrival was announced, it is advised that everyone should stay awake and not sleep as others are sleeping, but to watch and be sober: but of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep do sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him. Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do. 1Thessalonians.5.1-11.
If the church leader is sleeping, his followers shall fall into sleep as well. It is the responsibility of the church leaders to see that none is sleeping: to see that believers are fed with fresh word and sound doctrine: to preach holiness and truth without compromises: not to turn the church and the altar to drama house where the cracking and jokes of fools are spoken – his watchmen are blind: they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber. Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter. Isaiah 56:10-11.
You are called to overcome slumbering spirit in the last days. What is the capacity of your prayer and bible study life? What is your eagerness and joy of personal and group evangelism to win souls? What is your carefulness to live in the and for the truth: to live in righteousness and holiness without which no man shall see God? If your pastor is sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber spiritually, what are you going to do? Is it not a foolish choice on your part, if you should continue to follow a slumbering servant of God? How can a driver of a car be sleeping on the wheel without crashing the vehicle to destroy the lives of his passengers? Iron sharpens iron, but if others irons are rotten and weak, how will they sharpens others? Think about this! You should look for a strong church and good brethren with revival fire that you might be counted among the five wise virgins who are serving the Lord with genuine spiritual fervency. Romans 12:11.
Here, the slumbering spirit is not about taken a restful physical rest, but warnings and dangers of sleeping the sleep of death. It is a spiritual laxity of the foolish virgins towards the arrival of the bridegroom.
The extra oil found with the wise virgins speaks of the devotion and consecration of the wise, looking for and hasting to the coming of the day of God, making every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with Christ. Their increase devotion in holiness speaks for them as they used their extra oil to welcome their long awaited spouse, and they immediately enter into the banqueting hall with him. The foolish virgins begged for oil to lighten their lamp and to welcome the bridegroom, but they were refused oil by the wise: though they went out to seek for oil, their entrance was denied to the banqueting hall by the bridegroom – they missed the marriage with their eternal spouse – Christ. Matthew 25:12-13.
While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:18.
What is your love in the fellowship of the spirit? As ye also learned of Epaphras our dear fellow servant, who is for you a faithful minister of Christ; who also declared unto us your love in the Spirit. Colossians 1:7-8.
The oil from the text speaks of the fire of the Lord upon your life. This fire is for service which ought to be increasing upon you as the result of your obedient life to the word of God, personal consecration to prayer and fasting, and holiness to the Lord which it’s not possible to share with anyone in the kingdom – he that is unjust, let him be unjust still, and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done. Revelation 22:11-12.
Because the bridegroom has been taken away from them for a while, and they earnestly awaits his return, the five wise virgins knew how to wait continually through constant fast to renew their strength like the eagles to receive fresh oil from the supply of the spirit of God, without seeking to ask or to borrow from those who doesn’t even have it, or looking for any strange fire, lest they be defiled and be overcome by the flesh, and be condemned by the Lord. Note: those who have no rule over their appetites and stomach has already been overcome by the flesh and are in spiritual slumbering mode, for the kingdom of God is not meat and drink (Romans 14:17), but righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost. These are the days of the bridegroom absence, while we are awaiting his arrival the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days. Luke 5:35.
Each should hold fast that which they have, lest another person should take their crown. The five wise virgins are sold out for the Lord because they know that the days are evil. They are redeeming the time by walking circumspectly; diligently occupied themselves for the Lord. Weary travelers, but their mortal bodies are quickened by the spirit of God to meet the bridegroom instantly at his arrival.
But the foolish virgins, though they are called virgins, but the label of their folly reveals unusual and strange behaviors about them, namely their playfulness with sin – the fools makes a mock at sin. Proverbs 14:9. They willingly ignored the warnings to awake to righteousness and to stop sinning in Christ Jesus. 1 Corinthians 15:34.
They refused to separate themselves from sinners, against the word of God- have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret. But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light. Wherefore he says, awake thou that sleepiest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give you light. Ephesians 5:11-14. The fact that they were left with no fire in their lamps – vessels before the Lord’s return shows that they’ve completely been swayed over by the flesh and the world around them; but the scripture says whoever lives in pleasure of the world is spiritually and eternally dead while he lives.
The foolish virgins are the class of spiritually dry believers pretending to have fire and operate false spiritual gifts. They are copying others in the ministering of spiritual gifts by setting up strange and diabolical fire: but their foolishness was marked and judged by the Lord’s rejection of them. Delusional, they were overtaken by the spirit of complacency which brought upon them, not only the slumbering spirit, but also the spirit of spiritual blindness, spiritual wretchedness and closed the door of eternal inheritance against them by the bridegroom: because thou says, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knows not that thou art wretched and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou may be rich; and white raiment, that thou may be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that thou may see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. Revelation 3: 17-19.
Slumbering sprit from this passage also reveals the worst case scenario of certain people in the church having lost the treasures of Christ deposited in them (2 Timothy1:14): they have lost the oil, they have quenched the spirit.
The word of God is like hammer and fire, but if the spirit of God is quenched, what shall be left behind shall be lifeless word or preaching without the quickening power that gives life to eh hearers; the absence of fire that purifies, and fruitless spiritual life.
The foolish virgins has of a long time sidetracked the spirit of God; though it was thought that they were sealed by the spirit of God unto the final day of the redemption of their bodies, when they shall be gloried with Christ at his second coming, but because the spirit is gentle and will not strive against anyone, their friendship with the world has made him to forsake his house, for he lusts to envy; and when the arrival of the bridegroom was announced, though they woke up from their sleep to meet him, and they went out to look for oil, but the door was shut behind them by the very bridegroom they thought they’ve been expecting and represented in the world; just like Samson, upon hearing the arrival of the Philippines, woke up from his bed to fight, but he knew not that the Lord has departed from him.
Now is our salvation nearer than when we first believed, but if we failed to be conformed to Christ death in our daily life, to walk as he has walked; but to walk as the other scoffers in their lusts are walking because of their presumed lateness of Christ second coming, why should we hope or expect our vile body to be changed according to his glorious body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, even according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself?
Elisha received the double portion of Elijah (2 kings 2:15) not on finger click, but by his intense desire and determination to receive the oil against all odds of ridicule and mockery of the sons of the prophets until he received the double portion of the oil (anointing) he desired from God through dedication and determination.
Elijah bluntly and categorically answered Elisha that neither a single drop nor the double portion of his anointing he requested for was in his power to give; but if he is willing and able to pay the price to witness the event leading up to his departure to heaven, the double portion of the oil shall be his. It is the Lord that pours and anoints oil on individual’s head according for the position of authority he placed them in the kingdom, but from the altar of consecration and devotion, the oil can increase: otherwise, if not maintain, it can also dry away, and there will be no oil in their lamp.
Moreover, oil can be transferred by the instruction of the Lord from one person to another for the continuation of work from the first carrier of the unction – Moses to Joshua as example; but to seek to borrow another’s oil is like trying to mimic or take away their ministry from them by trick, – or seek to steal their glory away from them, – or seek to rob them of the position of their authority and assignments, like seven son’s of Sceva thought they can be Paul and the oil upon his head shall work for them by trying to cast out demons in the name of Jesus whom he preached. Acts 19 14- 16.
The oil is not something to be wasted like dirty water thrown into the sewer or to be borrowing from others like the foolish virgins requested to borrow from the wise virgins. Christ, when he discerned that a virtue has left him because the woman with the issue of blood touched his garment by faith for her healing, contended for the precious oil, to teach us that though the anointing is free, but it is not something to distribute or give anyhow: but to cherish, keep, refine and appreciates its presence in your life. It is a holy anointing oil of God which should not be given to the dogs, or rob it on pigs, lest they trample it under their feet and turn again to rend you.
God will reprove, rebuke and avenge any unjust or any cruel dealing against his anointed ones. He places great value on them because of the precious oil of consecration upon them. He would not hesitate to fight against and to punish any confrontation and rivalry against his anointed ones just as he punished Miriam with leprosy for her unjust and envious rebuked of Moses when he married the Ethiopian woman: and just as he overthrew Dathan, Koran and Abram who envied Moses and Aaron because of the oil upon their heads for ministry.
Touch not my anointed because God values their lives by the reason of his holy anointing oil upon them: they should have to position themselves to live and walk justly in the consciousness of the anointing in righteousness for good testimony and accountability.
What about the cursed and dubious pastors who are deceiving the people by selling oil for them in the name of holy annointing oil for healing? Simeon offered Peter money to buy his anointing, but was rebuked and cursed to perish with his money. Acts 8:20.