Article | - 3:51 pm
On Wednesday, October 16th, The Universal Church began a series of Bible studies and prayers titled ‘Warnings of the End’—a preparation for those who love God for the difficult times ahead and for securing the salvation of their souls.
… those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut. (Matthew 25:10)
The above is a portion of the Parable of the Ten Virgins, which today represents those who gave their lives to the Lord Jesus—His holy church that awaits His return. Five were wise, and five were foolish. The day came when the foolish virgins found the door shut.
“How did they find the door? The door was closed, but one day, the same door was open. That’s why they went out to buy the oil. The door was always open. But one day, they found the door shut. Whose mistake was this? The bridegroom? The five wise virgins? Were they selfish? No. The mistake was of the five foolish ones because they took it for granted. They knew that sooner or later, the door was to be closed. They knew that sooner or later, the bridegroom would come. But they took it for granted,” said Bishop Bira Joshua during the Wednesday service in Brooklyn, NYC.
Many people today, when hearing about the end of times and the return of the Lord Jesus Christ, laugh and say, “Where? How? It has been hundreds and hundreds of years since He said that. He is not coming; let me live my life.” However, we see increasingly the warning signs and the Word of God being fulfilled. Nevertheless, many behave as the foolish virgins in the parable; they do not concern themselves with the salvation of their souls.
“Do not fool yourself. Jesus is coming. If He does not come in your generation, when He comes, you are going to be resurrected. You are going to be before the Throne for Judgment, either to be saved or condemned,” warned the bishop.
Then the kingdom of heaven will be comparable to ten virgins, who took their lamps and went out to meet the groom. (Matthew 25:1)
The Scripture mentions the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven. The Kingdom of God is on Earth in the lives of those who surrender to the Lord Jesus wholeheartedly and receive deliverance, salvation, and the Holy Spirit. They are healed, saved, blessed, and are used by God to reveal His love, be His witness, and make a difference wherever they go. “However, the Kingdom of Heaven is about eternal life,” mentioned the bishop.
But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’ Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’ (Matthew 25:5-9)
This oil mentioned in this parable is the Holy Spirit. This biblical passage shows the distinction between those who prioritize the Holy Spirit and those who do not. “All of them were sleeping. However, five of them were sleeping with their oil, the Holy Spirit, and five were sleeping without the Holy Spirit,” said the bishop.
“And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.” (Matthew 25:10)
“So they had the money. Why didn’t they buy it before? Because they did not care. They didn’t prioritize the Holy Spirit,” warned Bishop Bira Joshua.
“Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.” (Matthew 25:13)
“You do not know! I do not know. What do we need to do? Prepare ourselves. And beginning today, every Wednesday, we are going to have these signs that show that we are near the end. God is warning us,” said the bishop. Watch the following video, the first of the ‘Warning of the End’ series that will be shown in every location of The Universal Church during the Wednesday Bible study:
“Everybody’s heading somewhere to heaven or hell. Pray for your soul. Pray for your soul. ‘God save my soul. Take my soul to Jesus’ bosom.’” Bishop Joshua conducted a prayer for salvation and encouraged all those who were present to continue to pray for their souls throughout their journey of faith. The bishop mentioned that although we have many challenges in our physical lives, upon death, everything stays behind, leaving us only with our souls—the most crucial and our number one priority.
“Next Wednesday, we will have another video about the ‘Warnings of the End,’ bring your Bible. Let us prepare ourselves. We don’t want to find the door closed,” Bishop Bira Joshua makes this special invitation to everyone. All are welcome regardless of religion, background, or circumstances. Come as you are.
Wednesday at 10 AM, 4 PM, and mainly at 7:30 PM at The Universal Church. For more information on locations, please call 1-888-332-4141 or text 1-888-312-4141. You may also contact us via our contact form (click here). For those who live in areas without a location of The Universal Church, you may also connect to our Virtual Church via Zoom Conference.
