🔥The Church Age and the Coming Rapture

🔥The Church Age and the Coming Rapture

• Living in the End Times - Signs from 2 Timothy 3 Verses 1-17
  • Pastor Jose opened the Sunday service by directing the congregation to 2 Timothy 3 verses 1-17, framing it as part of an ongoing prophetic series meant to help believers understand unfolding future events.
  • Read aloud were the characteristics of people in the last days, including being lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, and unholy.
  • Also enumerated were traits such as being unloving, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, and lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.
  • Highlighted was the warning about people having a form of godliness but denying its power, with Paul instructing Timothy to turn away from such individuals.
  • Social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram were cited as modern evidence of self-centeredness and boastfulness, directly reflecting the prophetic description of last-days behavior.
  • Ministers were specifically called out for publicly announcing personal acquisitions such as new homes and cars under the guise of divine blessing, which was identified as a form of boasting condemned in scripture.
  • Concern was raised about ministers filming individuals during deliverance sessions and posting the footage publicly, which was described as a violation of the sacred and private nature of God's work.
• The Church Age and Prophetic Timeline
  • Pastor Jose explained that humanity is currently in the church age, which is a period of grace lasting approximately 2,000 years during which individuals have the opportunity to receive Jesus Christ as their personal Savior.
  • Clarified was that prophetic time is measured by God's calendar rather than human timekeeping, referencing the biblical principle that a day is like a thousand years to God.
  • Forecasted on a visual display were five future prophetic events, situating the current moment within the broader arc of biblical prophecy.
  • Emphasized was that societal conditions will continue to deteriorate, with wickedness in the near future expected to far surpass anything witnessed in previous decades.
• Perseverance and Steadfastness in the Faith
  • Matthew 24 verse 13 was referenced to establish that salvation requires endurance to the end, not merely an initial confession of faith.
  • Described was the concept of perseverance as the act of continuing to pursue godly goals despite difficulties, setbacks, obstacles, and discouragement.
  • Acknowledged was that the Christian walk will challenge believers spiritually, emotionally, and physically, and that discouragement is a real and common experience.
  • Warned was that false teachers, false prophets, and false apostles will rise, making it essential for believers to remain planted where God has placed them and to be nurtured by the Holy Spirit.
• Corruption and Compromise in Contemporary Church Culture
  • Pastor Jose expressed deep concern about the erosion of reverence in modern church practices, citing examples such as waterslide baptisms, tattoo parlors operating within church services, people vaping inside churches, and a gay worship leader publicly proposing to a same-sex partner during a service.
  • Described as a dangerous trend was the prevalence of emotionalism in preaching, where theatrical performances and musical accompaniment are mistaken for genuine moves of the Holy Spirit.
  • Distinguished were private tongues, which are between an individual and God, from public tongues, which require interpretation so the congregation can understand what the Spirit is communicating.
  • Criticized was the practice of auctioning off blessings during services, where congregants are pressured to give specific financial amounts in exchange for divine favor, which was compared to witchcraft practices.
  • Identified as a systemic problem was the infiltration of manipulative financial practices into the church, described as a bewitching of the body of Christ.
• The Lukewarm Believer and the Risk of Missing the Rapture
  • Revelations 3 verses 14 through 22 was cited to describe the lukewarm believer as someone in a state of self-satisfaction who is neither spiritually hot nor cold, whom Jesus declares he will vomit from his mouth.
  • Characterized was the lukewarm Christian as someone who does not reflect God's character, contradicts God through their behavior, constantly complains without taking action, remains ungrateful for blessings, and is never content.
  • Galatians 5 verses 22 through 23 was referenced to establish that a true believer must bear spiritual fruit including love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
  • Stated clearly was that lukewarm believers, regardless of church attendance or outward religious activity, will miss the rapture if they do not pursue genuine transformation.
  • Addressed was the tendency of believers to deflect accountability by pointing to the failures of well-known ministers rather than examining their own spiritual condition.
• The Busy Believer as a Second Group at Risk of Missing the Rapture
  • Revelations 2 verse 4 was cited to describe the busy believer as someone who has abandoned personal intimacy with God and replaced it with religious works, mirroring the church of Ephesus which had forsaken its first love.
  • Matthew 7 verse 23 was referenced, in which Jesus declares to workers of iniquity that he never knew them, illustrating that performing works in God's name without a genuine relationship with him leads to spiritual rejection.
  • Identified as a warning sign was the habit of believers constantly announcing their religious activities and volunteer roles, which reflects a performance-based faith rather than a humble, God-directed one.
  • Stressed was the importance of maintaining order in one's personal life and household before taking on ministry responsibilities, with the home described as the first and primary ministry of every believer.
  • Encouraged was the practice of seeking God's approval before committing to any volunteer role or ministry assignment, as not every opportunity that feels good is divinely sanctioned.
• God's Judgment and Exposure of Hidden Sin Before the Rapture
  • Explained was that God's judgment begins in the house of the Lord, and that the widespread public exposure of ministers in recent years is not the work of the enemy but rather God's deliberate act of correction.
  • Described was God's pattern of warning individuals privately before exposing them publicly, with the exposure serving as an act of love intended to bring repentance before it is too late.
  • Illustrated was the concept of public shame as a divine corrective tool, drawing on the biblical imagery of nakedness being revealed as a consequence of unrepentant sin.
  • Conveyed was that God will remove from individuals whatever they are holding onto in disobedience in order to get their attention, particularly as the rapture draws near.
  • Referenced was Hebrews 13 verse 17 to affirm that pastors are entrusted with the spiritual oversight of their congregations and are accountable to God for the condition of the people under their care.
• The Nature and Timing of the Rapture
  • Clarified was that while the word rapture does not appear in the Bible, it is used to describe a future event that will occur at the end of the church age, before the Antichrist is publicly revealed.
  • Described was the rapture as happening in the blink of an eye, with young children believed to be included among those taken.
  • Identified as groups who will miss the rapture were atheists, LGBTQ individuals, Satan worshipers, and all who have not given their lives to Christ, as well as lukewarm and busy believers within the church.
  • Warned was that those left behind will face a seven-year tribulation period described in the book of Daniel as the 70 weeks and referred to by Jacob as the time of trouble, during which the Antichrist will rule the earth.
  • Described were the tribulation conditions as including demonic persecution of believers, the removal of death from the earth, the ministry of the Holy Spirit to the Jewish people, and the appearance of two witnesses believed to be Elijah and Moses who will prophesy against the Antichrist.
• Prophetic Responsibility and Boldness in Ministry
  • Emphasized was that pastors and prophets who receive divine revelation about individuals living in sin are obligated to deliver that message regardless of the person's status, influence, or potential reaction.
  • Referenced was God's instruction to Jeremiah not to be intimidated by the faces of the people, as a model for how ministers should approach difficult prophetic assignments.
  • Warned was that a minister who remains silent about known sin out of fear or political calculation is as guilty before God as the person living in that sin.
  • Affirmed was that a prophetic word delivered by another person should serve as confirmation of something God has already spoken directly to the individual, cautioning against the practice of church-hopping in search of new prophetic words.
  • Cautioned was against false prophetic declarations such as annual theme proclamations, noting that ministers who declared 2020 the year of vision failed to foresee the COVID-19 pandemic, undermining the credibility of such pronouncements.