The Sounding of a cry in the Midnight wakes up the
sleeping virgins, and positions the ten virgins to start trimming their lamps.
It is important to Review your stand in line with the letter Christ wrote to
the seven churches as the ministry of The High Priest whose Job in the Old
Testament is to trim the Seven lamps on the golden candlestick so that it will
burn brighter and brighter
Leviticus 24:1-4(KJV)
And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Command the children of Israel, that they bring unto thee pure oil olive beaten
for the light, to cause the lamps to burn continually.
Without the veil of the testimony, in the tabernacle of the congregation, shall
Aaron order it from the evening unto the morning before the LORD
continually: it shall be a
statute for ever in your generations.
He shall order the lamps upon the pure candlestick before the LORD
continually.
The Church as part of Her getting prepared for catching away of the saints, it important she reviews her beliefs and practices in line with the Letter Christ instructed Apostle John to send to the Gentile Churches in Asia minor which is a representation of all the Seven Church Ages from Pentecost to Fulfilment of Feast of Trumpet which is popularly called Rapture. The Churches are Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea. The Book of Revelation Chapter 2 to Chapter 3 Contains the trimming instructions which the 10 Virgins reviews when the midnight crier began to blow his trumpet and began to sound an alarm in the Holy mountain.
Matthew 25:5-7(KJV)
While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.
And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out
to meet him.
Then
all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.
We shall be doing a concise summary of the Seven Church Ages and see where we need to trim our lamps if we are going to be part of the nuptial flight which will happen at the close of the 7th Church Age.
Trimming Instruction Ephesian Church Age:
Revelation
2:1-7(KJV)
Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that
holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the
seven golden candlesticks;
I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear
them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and
are not, and hast found them liars:
And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name’s sake hast laboured, and
hast not fainted.
Nevertheless I have somewhat
against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.
Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first
works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick
out of his place, except thou repent.
But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitanes, which I
also hate.
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To
him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the
midst of the paradise of God.
The above letter is an instruction handed to the First Church which is believed to have stated in 33AD and reached sometime in 100 AD, the church was perfect in Doctrine, but her devotion to Christ in terms of her love or her husband was no longer, what it used to be at the beginning. Ephesus is part of the modern day turkey. If we are to measure our self in terms of doctrinal belief that church, Christ has no query about, it is the Ephesian church age.
Christ commended the Ephesian Church for hating the deed of Nicoliatanes. We must understand what Nicoliatanes is before we can hate it or not. It is from two Greek words Nikao and Laity, meaning victory over the people. The Deeds of Nicoliatanes is a system of Leadership in the body of Christ the Clergy use her position to exploit from the people laity. Two words come to mind when Nicoliatane is mention. Dominion and Control kind of Leadership, and most often Christ headship of the Church is only a mere mention. Christ set an example when He was on earth by washing the disciples’ feet Jn13:13-14. Church Leadership should be for an example to the flock and not Lordship 1Pet5:3. Bureaucratic Kind of Leadership should not be in the body of Christ. It is worldly and copied from pagan religion: boss and servant kind of relationship. In fact Lordship is not a word to be used to address any office in the body of Christ. If you are designated as my “Lord Bishop” in Church today refuse to accept such accolade.
Devotion/first love was one rebuke Christ mentioned to this Church. Jesus and him crucified is the foundation of the gospel, and if any other thing comes in between devotion is in doubt. There are three tares Satan sowed in the first Churh age.
- Legalism: This was brought by the Jews that one needs to obey and observe the law before you can be completely saved, and thus making Christ sacrifice on the cross in complete to save.
- Imperial Worship: During the first Church century worship of Ceaser is a common thing. It was a common sentiment and uniting factor in the Roman Empire, thus making Christ not the Ultimate Lord. Believers of that age were actually persecuted for not publicly worshipping Ceaser.
- Gnostic Doctrine: This doctrine teaches that Christ did not come as a human form. This is what Apostle John rebuked as the spirit of Anti Christ. 1Jn4:3
These three tares are what Satan sowed in the first Age Church Challenging the foundation of the Gospel Jesus Christ and Him Crucified. So what is the confidence of your salvation today? Do you have any other thing you call in between apart from Jesus only as you Lord and Savour and reliance on the perfect sacrifice on the cross? Remember as many that call on the name of the Lord shall be saved Acts2:21 and there is no other name given among men by which they can saved. All the Old Testament sacrificial system is only a type and shadow of the real thing. The Real thing is Jesus Christ and Him Crucified. 1Cor2:2