REPORT OF THE FEAST FOR MONDAY DECEMBER 17, 2018
HAS GOD EVER ORDAINED ANY WOMAN AS HIS WINTESS? –
By Brother Joseph Afonughe, Station Minister, GKS Agbor Branches.
To ordain means to set apart, to appoint and to consecrate. Witness means means to testify on what one has heard or seen. God Almighty had from time of old ordained men as prophets, priests and kings. These include Moses, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Amos, John the Baptist. – Jeremiah 1:5-10, Ezekiel 1:3; Amos 7:15; 2:11; John 1:1-3.
Jesus Christ and His body members numbering 144,000 are Jehovah’s Witnesses. – Isaiah 55:4; John 18:37; Revelation 3:14; Isaiah 55:4; Isaiah 62:2; Matthew 24:31,14.
They are called true pastors (Jeremiah 3:15) “sons and daughters of Zion” (Joel 2:28) “chaste virgins” (2 Corinthians 11:2; Revelation 19:7) It is by virtue of the anointing spirit that the apostles are taught by God in spirit, strengthened and comforted to enable them do the work of God as His Witnesses. – John 14:16,17; 15:26,27.
Our Lord Jesus Christ told the apostles that when they receive the anointing they would then be his witnesses. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)
Apostle Paul confessed his commission or appointment as an apostle of Christ in 2 Timothy 1:11. “And he said, The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldest know his will, and see that Just One, and shouldest hear the voice of his mouth. For thou shalt be his witness unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard. (Acts 22:14-15)
Any woman who claims to be a witness is a counterfeit witness. She must must take note of what happened to Jezebel where it is said that she seduced some people of God to serve idols and for which reason Christ pronounced adverse judgment on her. – Revelation 2:20-22.
He said St. Gideon Urhobo of blessed memory is a Jehovah’s Witness. He so testified in his to Rutherford saying that he is a true and sincere follower of Jehovah and that God had visited all nations to choose the remaining ones of the saints and that by God’s grace he is one of them.
“The Purpose of Christ’s Second Presence” – Brother Emmanuel Ogechukwu Oriaku,
It is an indisputable fact of the Scriptures that during his first advent, our Lord Jesus Christ promised to come again. – 1 Timothy 6:14; Revelation 22:20; John 14:1-3.
But how and when he would come had been issues of contention. However it is not true that his presence would take place in a day of 24 hours or that he would appear in a bodily form to take believers to heaven.
These wrong notions are due to wrong interpretations of what the Saviour said in Revelation 1:7 to wit: “Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him.” The book of revelation is written in coded on symbolic language. (Proverbs 25:2) The clouds mean invisibility. It therefore means that the second presence of Christ would not be visible to the ordinary eyes. Compare Exodus 23:9,10; 33:5; Matthew 17:5.
It should be noted that Acts 1:9-11 shows that the apostles were seeing him until a cloud received him out of their sight. The angels then explained that he would so come in like manner as he ascended. At that time he was seen by the 11 apostles only. There was no fanfare. So it would also be at his second coming.
Furthermore, the word “see” in Revelation 1:7 means to comprehend, to understand. This will be through the preaching of the anointed servants which will enable people to understand that he had come the second time. Those who will wail are the opposers of truth and righteousness in the last days
That apart, the Saviour clearly stated in John 14:19: “Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.” (John 14:19) This declaration prompted the question in verse 22 to wit: “…Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world?” It is a manifest truth therefore that it is only the apostles who will see him. Apostle John buttresses this fact thus: “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.” – 1 John 3:2.
During his first advent Christ came to die for the sins of men. But at his resurrection, he rose as a spirit. (1 Peter 3:18) Christ has been glorified. (John 17:4,5; Philippians 2:9-11) It is the glorified Lord that appeared to St. Paul and he became blind. It is thus not possible for him to appear physically for the world to see. In 2 Corinthians 5:16,7 St. Paul states, “Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more.” “(For we walk by faith, not by sight:)”
What of when he would come? The apostles of Christ, knowing that his presence would not be visible, asked for signs which the Lord gave in Matthew 24:7,8 thus: “For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.” The word coming in the text is not in a continuous sense but is from the Greek word parousia which means arrival or presence.
The purpose of Christ’s second presence as outlined by St. Peter in Acts 3:19-21 is for him to do the work of restoration and restitution. This begins with the resurrection of the dead saints. (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17) Then the choosing of the remnants of the saints to preach the gospel. (John 12:48; Matthew 24:14) It is by the preaching of the truth that Christ would and is separating the sheep from the goats and gathering the children of God into His organisation. When the preaching work is done Christ will execute vengeance on the wicked in a battle known as the battle of the great day of God Almighty. – Revelation 20:1-3; 16:13-16; Matthew 24:21.
After this Christ will reign for 1000 years and thereafter, the devil will be brought to life with his hosts before they would be devoured finally. Then Christ will hand over the kingdom to God. – Revelation 20:7-9; 1 Corinthians 15:24-48.