Theme:  THE TIMES IN WHICH WE LIVE 

Text: Gen. 6:13-17),2 Pet. 2:5

 We are considering this theme under:

(i) THE TIMES IN WHICH WE LIVE  

(ii) WHAT WE MUST CONSTANTLY KEEP ABREAST OF, AND ENGAGE-IN THESE TIMES

1. THE TIMES WE ARE IN

NB. Before we go detailing the critical phenomena of these times, it is advised that, as we return from this meeting, we ensure that we read through what is documented hereunder regularly, so we can keep abreast of them as we continue in ministry.

(a) WE ARE 21/2 MINUTES TO THE MIDNIGHT, ALSO TERMED, THE ELEVENTH HOUR

We have already been informed that the above information is by the word of knowledge, the former was given April 2004, while the later was given last year. In the Watchman Catholic Charismatic Renewal Movement, we do not doubt what the Lord tells us, just like other real children of God and ministers don't, once they are sure it is the voice of the Lord. Afterall, the Rapture we are believing and waiting for was communicated through the word of knowledge by Paul, apart from the Lord's own information (see 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18; 1 Corinthians 15:51-53).

From this, it's pertinent that those who may have some problem believing this information go to the Lord in prayer to check (cp. Acts 17:10-11). It is disastrous to look the other way, unconcerned on such matters like this. Remember, before the deluge, the Lord informed one man (gen. 6:13-17), who in turn informed others (2 Pet. 2:5). For the exodus, He also elected to inform one man, who informed others later (Exo. 3:5-10,14-18; 4:27-31). The same principle was adopted when He decided to judge Sodom and Gomorah (Gen. 19:1,12-14).

NB. As before stated, nobody has information or can have information as to the exact number of years, days, or months that the 21/2 minutes represent (cons. Matt. 24:36).

We have also stated that the Lord has termed this 21/2 minutes that we have before the rapture "THE ELEVENTH HOUR". The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language defines the "eleventh hour" as "the latest possible time" (before the close of business). This dictionary went ahead to quote the parable of the Lord Jesus in Matthew 20:1-16. Let us now survey this parable as to understand what the eleventh hour is all about.

From Matthew 20:2-12 we note that the house holder went out at certain points between morning and evening to hire the labourers into his vineyard. The first time was at 6.00 a.m. (Matt. 20:1-2). The second time was at 9.00 a.m. (Matt. 20:3-4). The third was at 12.00 noon (Matt. 20:5). The fourth was at 3.00 p.m. (Matt. 20:5). Lastly he went out at 5.00 p.m., the latest possible time before the close of work at 6.00 p.m., termed the "eleventh hour". It is called the eleventh hour because it is very very close to the close of work at 6.00 p.m.

Here is another illustration of the eleventh hour. At the airports, planes are scheduled to depart given locations at given times to arrive their given destinations at given times too. Let us consider a Belview Airlines plane, scheduled to depart Lagos at 7.00 a.m. to arrive Port Harcourt at 7.50 a.m. Usually, the first boarding announcement to passengers would be made at say, 6.30 a.m. (30 minutes to departure). This would be followed by a second announcement at say, 6.40 a.m. (20 minutes to departure), and a final and "eleventh hour" announcement at say, 6.52 a.m (just 8 minutes to departure). This final and "eleventh-hour" announcement at 6.52 a.m. is the latest possible because, the period between this time (6.52 a.m) and the closing of doors for departure (7.00 a.m.) is so short that no other announcement is possible.

In the light of the fore-going, it is clear that the Lord's assertion that these times are "the eleventh hour" means that there is a very brief period from these times to the Rapture – the closing point of the Church-age.

(b) THE EVIL CIRCUMSTANCES OF THESE TIMES

As those who must give account of others and the talents we have received from the Lord (Hebrews 13:17 and Matthew 25:14-29), we cannot afford to be ignorant of those circumstances militating against our christian lives, those of our families, our ministries and the church at large. Remember, the Lord laments the ignorance of His servants and people (Isaiah 42:19-20; 56:10-11; Hosea 4:6; Matthew 23:16-22).

Our times are filled with a myriad of evil circumstances with which Satan wants to stop as many as possible from making the rapture. These are times when the Devil's high-tech is in operation to ensure the ruin of the unwary, the insincere, the unteachable, the seekers of all things but heaven, and the presumptuous. These are times of iniquity upon iniquity, causing great depreciation and outright backsliding from the things that were held before. (Matt. 24:12; 2 Thess. 2:1-3). Our times are the times of doctrines of the devils in divers forms ( 1 Tim. 4:1-4; Matt. 24:24; 2 Peter 2:1-3). We are in times when gain has become godliness (1 Tim. 6:3-12); when brotherly love and friendship among brethren have disappeared into the winds (contrast Jn. 15:12,17; 13:35; heb. 13:1), when materialism and capitalism have taken over the lives of many a minister; when many are sinning and yet "serving and hearing from the Lord"; when competition, envy, criticisms and murmurings abound; when Church leaders, workers and whole congregations cannot see their sins and shortfalls and amend; when the word hardly works on people; when ministers serve empty dishes from their pulpits, howbeit with eloquence. Moreover, these times are the times of many masters (James 3:1-2); the times of raising ministries or churches on polluted and sinful foundations; the times of complete worldliness and concentration on the things that pertain to the flesh; the times of multiplicity of churches/ministries by the self-called and by those called by some businessman or woman; the times when diligently listening to God's word to search and correct our lives are things of the past; the days of Pentecostal rascality; the times when multitudes ( ministers and flocks) presume they have reached heaven already, behaving as if there is no possibility at all of being lost eventually, even though one had been saved before (cons. 1 Cor. 9:27; 10:2). What shall we say more? These are times when mentioning sins in the course of preaching is now an obsolete aspect of homiletics; when every message is crafted to satisfy the needs of the people in this world. We are in times of stiff opposition, antagonism against the Church from within and from without, the days when every person is right in his/her own eyes, having nobody to listen to; the times when the Spirit is "leading" every body; the times when everybody wants to teach, preach, counsel and minister to others but never wants to be taught and counselled first; when everybody wants to tell others how God is using him/her; when the things that lead to heaven have been abandoned (2 Thess. 2:3); when becoming a christian, worker and pastor have been made easy, even with the load of lies, malice, immorality, anger, pride, love of money and the like hanging on their necks. It is the times when most preachers preach to stark sinners as though they are preaching to Cornelius, telling them to receive Jesus without mentioning repentance from dead works (cp Acts 20:20-21; Heb. 6:1-2; Luke 13:1-5).

Men and brethren, our times are the times when the minority are asking for the old path (Jer. 6:16), and the majority (but ignorant) have headed speedily down the broad way, yet "being sure" of making heaven at last (cons. Matt. 7:13-14).

Now, having gone through this myriad of the cankerworms, the palmerworms, the locusts and the caterpillers our times are replete with, is there any hope at all? Can the stones be revived out of the heaps of the rubbish? (Neh. 4:2). Will there be balm in Gilead? (Jer. 8:22). Can the dry bones live? (Eze. 37:1-3). I can hear the Lord God saying, "the stones will be revived out of the heaps of the rubbish and will be built into the walls again"; "there is surely balm in Gilead"; "the dry bones shall live and shall form a formidable army and that very very shortly" (Eze. 37:4-10). Since this is the case, let us see an outline of what He wants to do and then conclude our treatise with what he would have IGMC of the hour ministers keep abreast of constantly and engage in, to achieve the task He has set for Himself.

WHAT THE LORD HAS ELECTED TO DO

Men and women of God, inspite of the numerous evil circumstances of our times which we have reviewed, the Lord is bent on making up His jewels, the bride of Christ, the wise virgins, that glorious bride without spot and without wrinkle for the soon-coming D-day, even in times like these (cons Eph. 4:11-15; 5:25-27; John 10:16). Remember His unfailing promise, "upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of hell (the Devils and all these evil circumstances) shall not prevail against it" (Matt. 16:17-18; 24:35). Remember that He pictured this long ago when "the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed" (Exodus 3:2).

WHAT WE ARE TO KEEP ABREAST OF AND ENGAGE IN CONTINUALLY IN THESE TIMES

It is not an overstatement if we assert here that all the people in attendance at this meeting know that our God is a God of rules or principles. Apart from the vast array of such rules and principles seen in the Old Testament, we remember readily the Lord's sermon on the mount which was a catalogue of rules, to mention but a few (Matt. 5-7). Now, for us to be used of the Lord to achieve what He has elected to achieve, we must learn of, and keep some rules which He has termed, "September Rules". Let us now see how the rules came about.

In September 2000, before the 1st IGMC, the Lord had suddenly spoken to the host-pastor to gather the Watchman Christians in Lagos together and deliver a teaching titled "September". On hearing this he was both excited and uneasy; excited because he knew that such mysterious topics will always yield land-mark messages and results, but uneasy because he could not readily decode the meaning of September.

Relying on the fact that it has been given to the apostles to know the mysteries of the kingdom, he went ahead to pray Matt. 13:10-11; 1 Cor. 2:8-9; Amos 3:7; Psalm 25:14, as well as search some records and illumination came, and September was decoded.

SEPTEMBER DEFINED

There is a season between summer and winter (for those living within the northern hemisphere) called autumn. This season comes between September and November. So, the month of September is the beginning of autumn.

However, autumn has another meaning which is, "period of maturity". Therefore September, being the beginning of autumn implies "the beginning of the period of maturity". It follows that if we must partner with the Lord for the execution of what He has elected to do in these times, we must henceforth keep the rules of the period of maturity (in other words , the rules of September). These rules are embedded in each letter of the word "September"; as follows:-

S       "Speak no more empty or evil words (Ps. 34:12-13; Eph. 4:2a; Col. 3:8; Prov. 6:2; 12:13; Matt. 12:36).

E       Enter His chariot. A Chariot is a two-wheeled vehicle drawn by horses. They were used of old by kings as their royal means of movement (1 Kgs. 18:44; 2 Kgs. 9:16;Acts 8:27-28). God has chariots too (Ps. 68:17; 104:3). To enter His chariot in this context means getting very close to Him (cp Ps. 91:1; John 1:18; James 4:8).

P      Praise Him at all times; in times of plenty and lack; in times of gain or loss; in times of health and sickness; in the morning afternoon, evening and night (Ps. 33:2-3; 34:1; 145:2-4; 147:1; 150:2).

T      Teach your house, your church and all those who are willing to listen the whole Counsel of God (Acts 20:20,27).

E      Empty your treasury into His treasury for His treasury to return into yours (Lk. 6:38; Mal. 3:10-11; Eccl. 11:1).

M     Membership of the elders' forum. There is an elders' forum that is described in Heb. 11. This forum is that of the people of implicit faith in God's promises, word generally, ability, etc. They disregard the voices of men, including their own minds, knowing that all men are grass (Ps. 103:15; Is. 40:6); they disregard the voice of devils, knowing they are liars ( John 8:44).

B      Browse into the word, that is, eat His word daily (Ps. 1:1-3; Joshua 1:8; Col. 3:16), and also share and listen to testimonies of His doings (Mal. 3:16; Ps. 107:2; 26:7).

E      Examine yourself always, so as to be qualified to examine, teach and counsel others (1 Cor. 13:5).

R     Remember Lot's wife (Lk. 17:32; Jude 5-6). All those who are truely heaven-bound are cautious, unassuming (1 Cor. 9:26-27).

In conclusion, if we begin hereafter to keep the September rules and continue without breaking them, within a few months of this meeting, news will break out from here and there as to what the Lord is doing with IGMC of the hour ministers. Who is there among His servants who wants to engage effectively in all the aspects of our Lord's business, thereby being a contributor to the great times we are expecting, let him not depart from these rules.