SATURDAY DECEMBER 19, 2020
Assembly opens at 5.00 p.m.
Opening TSP 86
Current world instability is a vindication of Jesus Christ and his word
By Brother Michael Tariola Ekiseowei, General Secretary,GKS
It was as a result of sin that imperfection and death came into the world and mankind lost the right to life. Satan the devil became the unseen ruler of mankind. From the fall of Adam, sorrow, pain, torment, death came to mankind. The devil has succeeded in causing mankind to kill and hate and destroy themselves. He is a murderer and liar from the beginning. – John 8:44; 2 Corinthians 4:3,4; Luke 4:5,6; John 12:31;14:30
Christ gave us some signs to mark the last days – natural disasters, diseases, wickedness in the world, instability in government, etc., but especially the World War of 1914 – 1918. – Matthew 24:3-8.
Apart from the estimated 10 million soldiers who died during the First World, many others died from famine and diseases. The war was followed by the Spanish Influenza, which led to the death of between 25 million to 50 million people, (some give higher estimates). Our Saviour made us to understand in Matthew 24:8 that the troubles, instabilities and sorrows will continue to increase. In Matthew 24:11, 24, Christ gave another sign of the last days, the multiplicity of false prophets. (Matthew 24:11, 24) It is said that whereas India and China produce 10 million scientists yearly, Africans produce 10 million false prophets every year. It is a big shame. We have had Jesus of Oyigbo, of France, They deceive many people, misrepresent God and lead many to destruction. Jesus Christ’s words are being vindicated.
Then there is gross moral degeneration. Homosexuality, lesbianism, bestiality, lying, stealing, killings, cultism, terrorism, religious, bigotry, hatred, as it was in the days of Noah and Lot. – Luke 17:26-30.
In 2 Timothy 3:3-5, apostle Paul listed other evils which would make the times perilous. He said people would be “Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.”
With COVID 19, many businesses are crumbling, people are confused, the rulers and the ruled are at loggerheads, (#Endsars protests in Nigeria, the black lives matter in Europe and America). Because of lack of spiritual education, people in this age are gripped with fear. All these vindicate Christ and his word, as he stated in Luke 21:25,26. The troubles will continue until God will punish the wicked at the great tribulation which will be climaxed by the battle of Armageddon. “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.” (Matthew 24:21) Thereafter the earth will be reconstructed during the 1000 years reign of Christ.
We can see that other signs about the last days have fulfilled and are fulfilling; the prophecy about the destruction of the world will also fulfill. At the time of God’s vengeance, the rich man cannot save himself. (Zephaniah 1:14-18) Those who do not have the mark in their foreheads will not be saved. (Ezekiel 9:4-6,9); The dead will not be buried but would be like dung upon the earth. -0 Jeremiah 25:30-33.
In Luke 21:34-36 our Saviour warning: “And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.” We should not allow personal concerns to allow the day to take us unawares, for it will come suddenly as a trap catches a prey. We must study to understand the signs of the times so as to comport ourselves in ways that would make us get salvation by His grace. – 1 Thessalonians 5:1-3, 9.
Apostle Peter exhorted: “But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer. – 1 Peter 4:7.
The great vision of St. G. M. Urhobo
By Brother Felix Adedokun, Vice President, GKS
The man that God used to found the GKS is a saint; God anointed him with his holy spirit. The saints of God are chosen and known in their lifetime. Compare Galatians 1:1: “(Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead;)”
How did Christ chose the saints in this time? The example of the call of the apostles is given in Matthew 4:18-22. In Luke 6:12,13, it is recorded that Christ chose 12 men whom he called apostles or saints. Because they have a special duty to perform they left all and followed Christ. When Apostle Paul was called, God said of him: “…Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel: For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake.” – Acts 9:15, 16. See also Acts 22:12-19.
This confirms that God calls people to sainthood while they are alive, not after their death. Can a man who is dead preach and see vision as some people teach today?
Those who are called to be apostles do not engage in any secular work to subsist. “Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called”, said St. Paul: “For he that is called in the Lord, being a servant, is the Lord’s freeman: likewise also he that is called, being free, is Christ’s servant. Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men.” – 1 Corinthians 7:20, 22, 23.
St. Urhobo is the second son of a gentleman in Agbassa in Warri Nigeria. Born in 1903 at Oghareki. He worked as a teacher in Government School Warri and also in Catholic schools. It was while he was working at P and T in Benin City that he saw this bright light where he was, but people did not see it, and he was pointing “see this great light, suddenly he was quiet”. They thought he was mad, when he rose, he wrote his letter of resignation. People were surprised as to what has come over him. But he was fulfilling 1 Corinthians 7:20, that he should be the Lord’s freeman.
In 1934, he founded the GKS. He suffered a lot. He told us that the vision he saw, was always encouraging him, to go ahead. Keep in mind this charge by Christ: “Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.” (Revelation 2:10) This was a motivating force to Saint Urhobo. He had a job to do, which was to preach the gospel.
In his book “My 18 Years Kingdom Service” he wrote “I was in the Government Service, Warri, as a Third Class Clerk and Telegraphist in June 1930, when after three and half years diligent and prayerful studies of the Holy Bible, Jesus Christ revealed himself to me and commanded me to go and preach the “EVERLASTING GOSPEL” OR the “GOSPEL OF PEACE” to all nations and kings as the only remedy for all the human sufferings and woes, and to expose all the false doctrines which Satan had used to deceive the whole world and to keep the people in ignorance of GOD’S ESTABLISHED KINGDOM or GOVERNMENT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS and PEACE. I gladly left the Government Service in February 1933 and fully devoted all my life to the Kingdom service of the Lord. Before this time I was a staunch member of the Roman Catholic Church, I was baptised but not confirmed, and I was totally ignorant of the Holy Scriptures.”
St. Urhobo preached the truth which is a mark of the apostles. And he was anointed. (1 John 2:21.) apostle John also states: “But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.” – 1 John 2:27.
During the Second World War, 1939 -1945, when some were saying it was the battle of Armageddon, St. Urhobo came out to say no, what they were seeing was the continuation of First World War. He then delivered a lecture, “Present war not Armageddon” stating that Armageddon was the time that God would put a final end to all unrighteousness through Christ Jesus. Also, he gave a lecture, entitled: “Hitlerism must be destroyed” as reported in the West African Pilot of April 8, 1940. This made several prominent people, including the colonial masters to take notice of him as the saint of God. In the political arena he was active. When the NCNC made a distorted version of the Lord’s prayer, St. Urhobo rose and opposed them sternly. The Bible says a faithful witness will not lie. – Proverbs 14:5, 25.
In the heat of persecutions by elements of the Watch Tower Bible Society in Nigeria, he wrote an open letter to Judge Rutherford dated October 2, 1937, saying: “Please note that I am not following you nor any other man on earth. I am a true and sincere follower of Christ Jesus and a witness to JEHOVAH’S holy name and truth. JEHOVAH GOD visited all nations to take out a people for His name and by His grace I am one of these – John 15:18-21; Acts 15:14; Isaiah 43:10; Hebrews 5:4; Matthew 24:31.”
In his book, 18 years kingdom service, he wrote: “In spite of all these persecutions and prosecutions, the Lord continued to bless me and the God’s Kingdom Society continues to grow from strength to strength until the foundation was laid on December 17, 1950. By God’s grace, the BETHEL HOME of the God’s Kingdom Society has been built at the SALEM CITY, Mile 2, Warri-Sapele Road, P. O. Box 90, Warri. Here is the Headquarters of the Society where all the Kingdom servants with their family (46 in all) now reside to praise JEHOVAH the true Almighty God of the whole universe and which serves the training ground for all the Kingdom ministers.”
Bible understanding shows that the work will continue to grow, as we have been seeing since then. – Isaiah 60:1, 2; Isaiah 60:1, 2; Job 8:7.
If others say St. Urhobo is not a saint of God, doubtless, he is to us, as Apostle Paul declared: “Am I not an apostle? am I not free? have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? are not ye my work in the Lord? If I be not an apostle unto others, yet doubtless I am to you: for the seal of mine apostleship are ye in the Lord. Mine answer to them that do examine me is this,” 1 Corinthians 9:1-3.
When St. Urhobo died, the heavens showed a sign: there was an eclipse of the sun. This was published in the Daily Times of February 26, 1952.
We should abound in the work of God. “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. – 1 Corinthians 15:58.