Thursday, May 8, 2025

Today’s Church

 


The following is a portion taken from chapter fourteen of my manuscript, Waiting for the Day and Hour.    

Today’s church has been commissioned to not only share the message of the atoning work of Jesus Christ and his resurrection, but also inform the world of things to come. The church is to warn the world of the prophesied torment ahead—the Tribulation Period. Pastors and teachers must reveal facts from Scripture about endtimes prophecy. If a pastor or teacher does not know the facts, they should learn them. There are no excuses. It is not enough to just preach Jesus and the Cross, as important as that is, but the rapture must be taught alongside it. This is the generation to do it. The church and the world must know how near it is and what comes after it. The truth must be revealed. The information Jesus gave to the apostle John in the book of Revelation must be taught. The church must warn the world of things to come so that unsaved individuals have the opportunity to repent before they are cast into the Tribulation Period. The ministry offices (Eph. 4:11) must teach the churches how near the rapture is so they can repent of the acts of the sinful nature and live as commanded in the writings of Paul.

The endtimes pastor and teacher must teach what the Scriptures say about the times this world is living in. This would include prophecy about the Antichrist, the global government, and the Tribulation Period. They need to stop preaching fables—fiction (2 Tim. 4:3-4). The church should know about prophecies that pertain to the nation of Israel. They should know about Israel’s 70th week and what event sets it in motion. The church should know what happens to Israel after the rapture. These are just a portion of the responsibilities of the endtimes pastor and teacher. If a pastor or teacher does not know anything about endtimes prophecy, they should study. If they are serious, God will reveal it. If they are not serious, God will keep the truth from them. The Holy Spirit has been revealing endtimes prophecy since Israel’s reestablishment to those who choose to listen. If a clergyman does not know anything about endtimes prophecy, then he is not listening. His focus is not on the plan of God—do not be deceived. Those who do not follow the direction of the Spirit of God should repent.     

Today’s Christian is commanded to encourage one another with how the rapture will transpire: “Therefore encourage [Or comfort] one another with these words” (1 Thess. 4:18, CSB)—1 Thessalonians 4:13-17. The believer should be ready when the trumpet of God sounds (4:16c; 1 Cor. 15:52).

The pastors and teachers in the endtimes church are instructed to get the church prepared for the rapture. I do not mean they have been instructed by Christian colleges and Bible seminaries to get the church prepared. Not many of these institutions have a curriculum on the rapture or endtimes prophecy. Many of the professors and teachers on staff in these institutions do not see the relevance in teaching endtimes doctrine. Some do not even believe the church will be raptured. God has instructed the church pastor through the Scriptures to get the church ready for the snatching away, as you will see if you keep reading. In the next two chapters of this book, you will see how many times the rapture is referenced by Jesus and the apostle Paul. Some pastors hear the call and obey. While others disobey. Every church should have frequent seminars to educate the believer on the rapture and endtimes prophecy. Endtimes doctrine should be a regular part of the pastor’s teaching since we are living in the endtimes.

The pastor and teacher that does not preach and teach regular messages on the rapture and endtimes prophecy rob the church of vital information. It is like starving a person of essential food and nourishment—it is an act of negligence. Some Christians do not believe in the rapture. Those who reject its validity will sometimes confess the Bible may say something about it, but they figure it is not important because their pastor does not preach on it. His preaching from the pulpit does not confirm the rapture message. The apathetic church must understand that even though God has not revealed the day or hour the rapture will happen, they must still be alert (be awake) and ready (prepared) for it when it happens.

The Lord has put every pastor and teacher in charge of feeding their church information that relates to endtimes prophecy. When something happens in the world and is relevant to what is prophesied in the Scriptures, the pastor must inform his congregation. When the believer hears this information, they can be encouraged. They can set their mind on things above, where Christ is seated. Having endtimes knowledge can be used by the believer to witness to the unsaved. Many in the world are fearful, but knowledge of the coming of the Lord can persuade them to receive Jesus.

The rapture is an imminent event, meaning it is near (Heb. 10:25; Jms. 5:8; Rev. 22:20). I realize this word of encouragement was written almost 2,000 years ago, and most are still waiting for the rapture to happen. But do not get caught in a deceptive snare and be a mocker, because if you do, the prophets and apostles of the Lord prophesied about you (2 Pet. 3:2-4). If you need to be reminded: “One day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day” (2 Peter 3:8, ASV). There are no predictions in the Word of God prophesying what day the rapture will happen. But Paul did prophecy it would happen before the seven-year Tribulation Period begins (2 Thess. 2:3, 6-8a). And Jesus prophesied it would happen after the state of Israel is reestablished (Matt. 24:3, 32-34, 36-44). The rapture will happen between these two events. Therefore, the season or generation is prophesied when the rapture will happen. It bears repeating: The state of Israel was reestablished on May 14, 1948. The Tribulation will not begin until the Antichrist forces a treaty between Israel and its enemies (Dan. 9:26b-27a). Some of the Jews who witnessed Israel’s statehood renewal will still be alive to see their 70th week begin and finish. As I mentioned before, the Tribulation/70th week of Israel is the time of God’s endtimes wrath, and the church is promised they will not suffer this wrath. If you are spiritually awake and your eyes are open, you can see that the Antichrist government is on the verge of being carried out. The Antichrist government is the divided kingdom made of partly iron and partly clay (Dan. 2:33b, 41-43). In chapter eight, The Evil Rulers, under the heading, The Endtimes Global Government, I mentioned that ten kings would rule the Antichrist government until they give the Antichrist their power (Dan. 7:24; Rev. 17:12-13). The 70th week of Israel is ready to commence. Therefore, the church should be thinking about how near the rapture of the body of Christ is.

 

The Faithful and Wise Servant

“Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master has put in charge of his household, to give them food at the proper time?”

(Matthew 24:45, CSB)

The faithful and wise servant in this verse, and the following three, are allusive to every pastor and teacher in God’s church during the endtimes. Pastors are assigned leadership roles in most churches in one way or another, like youth pastors, visitation pastors, and preaching and teaching pastors. The pastor Jesus has in mind is the one responsible for the congregation’s spiritual and intellectual growth. The one who preaches and teaches the Scriptures—this is why I include the teacher in the title of this chapter. The pastor and teacher are responsible for feeding the church the Word of God. The master is allusive to Jesus. The proper time refers to the endtimes.

The Greek word that most English Bibles translate as servant in this verse is δοῦλος (doúlos) slave, or bondman. A doúlos is the property of someone. In this context, that someone is Jesus, the Son of God. Even though the Christian is a son of God, they are also a slave or bondman commanded to serve the Lord Jesus. The child of God is often referred to as a servant of the Lord. The apostle Paul said the Christian, in whom the Spirit of God dwells, belongs to God; they are his possession (Rms. 14:8; 1 Cor. 6:19-20; Titus 2:14). The ministry offices; apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers, are in reality slaves of the master, Jesus. The Cambridge online dictionary defines slave as: “A person who is legally owned by someone else and has to work for that person.”[1] The apostle Paul said he was a doúlos (slave) of Christ Jesus, and appointed an apostle (Rms. 1:1). People who are called to ministry offices are fundamentally slaves of Jesus. Because they are owned by him, they are required to work or serve him. They must do as he commands. Here, Jesus calls his doúlos faithful and wise. They are faithful and wise if they do as he commands.

The τροφή (trofí) food Jesus is alluding to in this verse is the prophecies he mentions in his Olivet discourse. If you like, you can reread chapter ten, A Sign Given at The Mount of Olives. Jesus calls it food because his teaching in Matthew 24:1-51 is essential to spiritual growth. Trofí can also be translated into English as nourishment. And to a lesser extent, as, nutrient and pabulum. Pabulum can mean: “intellectual sustenance—something that maintains or stimulates the intellect.”[2]

The Olivet discourse is a series of end-of-times prophecies. He does not go into detail about the endtimes, but he begins by revealing some events that will occur before the beginning of Israel’s 70th week (Matt. 24:4-8; Mk. 13:5-8; Lk. 21:8-11). Some people teach that the events in the previous verses happen during the Tribulation. They teach that they are part of the 1st four seal judgments (Rev. 6:2-6). I disagree. Deception, people masquerading as Christ, wars and rumors of wars, nations fighting with each other, kingdoms fighting with each other, famines, and earthquakes all over the world have been happening ever since Jesus was raised from the dead—and before. But I believe Jesus is focused on these things happening before the beginning of the Tribulation: πάντα δὲ ταῦτα ἀρχὴ ὠδίνων (pánta dé tafta archí ōdinōn) “All these are the beginning of sorrows” (Matt. 24:8, mGNT). Some English translations say, labor pains, because when the Greek word ōdinōn is parsed, it can also be translated as, birth pains or birth pangs. I assume the translators of these English Bibles that translate ōdinōn as labor pains, birth pains, or birth pangs do so because they believe Jesus is also referring to the time before the beginning of the Tribulation.

Once the Tribulation is birthed, is when the seal judgments begin. Deception, people masquerading as Christ, wars and rumors of wars, et cetera, grow with intensity up to the beginning of the time of sorrow; the Tribulation Period. Therefore, I contend Jesus was referring to these things growing with intensity, giving birth to the 70th week of Israel. The labor pains began once Israel’s statehood was reestablished (Matt. 24:32-34; Mk. 13:28-30; Lk. 21:29-32), and end with the beginning of the Tribulation—do you remember in chapter five, The Fig Tree in Endtimes Prophecy, under the heading, The Fig Tree Parable Explained, that I wrote, when Jesus prophesied Israel’s renewed statehood, he used allegorical language? Jesus also prophesies what it will be like for the Jew during Israel’s 70th week, concluding with his 2nd appearance (Matt. 24:9-31)—he prophecies the Tribulation Period only in part and not in whole. He also prophesied the rapture of the church (Matt. 24:36-44; Mk. 13:32-37).

As today’s church lives and breathes, these prophecies are in the process of being fulfilled. This is why Jesus has commanded every pastor to feed the household of God these prophecies as if they are life-sustaining bread. He is to feed this information to the body of Christ to sustain them spiritually and also intellectually. I think some pastors forget that endtimes prophecy is also the Word of God. This food, the Word of God, is to build up the body of Christ so that they will be strong until the end of the church’s salvation period. The faithful and wise doúlos has been called in this generation to feed God’s people this food; these prophecies. When Israel became a sovereign nation in 1948, that event was the sign for every pastor to start feeding God’s church these endtimes prophecies. This is the καιρῷ (kairó) time when the church is to feed on these prophecies. The faithful and wise servant will be faithful to feed the household of God this food because he is wise.

 

Blessed in Doing the Right Thing

“Blessed is that servant whom the master finds doing his job when he comes.”

(Matthew 24:46, CSB)

When Jesus comes for his church, he will be looking to see if his doúlos has done what he has commanded. He will be looking to see if every pastor and teacher has regularly taught their people endtimes prophecy. He will check to see if they have preached about the events taking place in the world today and compare them with what he taught the disciples on the Mount of Olives. He will check to see if they have warned the church and the world about things yet to come, like the events in the book of Revelation.

He will check to see if every pastor and teacher has informed the believers in their congregation about the prophecies the apostles and prophets have written in the Scriptures. Prophets like Isaiah, Zephaniah, Ezekiel, Hoshea, Zechariah, Jeremiah, Micah, Amos, and Daniel have all prophesied events that have and will occur in the endtimes.[3] Their prophecies primarily have to do with the nation of Israel, but they are essential for every Christian to know so that they can see the timeline of God. The apostles Paul, Peter, John, and James all prophesied about the endtimes as it concerns the church. The Lord’s half-brother Jude even reminded his readers that the apostles prophesied about the endtimes (Jude 1:17-19). Again, these prophecies are the Word of God.

Are today’s pastors and teachers regularly teaching the church endtimes prophecies? They should be. The translation above (CSB) said it is their job. Jesus encourages them that it will be good for them if they do: μακάριος ὁ δοῦλος ἐκεῖνος (makários o doúlos ekeínos) “Blessed is that slave” (Textus Receptus). The Greek term makários can also be translated as blissful in English. Blissful can mean: Complete or extreme happiness, joy, jubilant, and euphoria.   

 

Put in Charge

“Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions.”

(Matthew 24:47, CSB).

When the Lord comes for his church, the doúlos who have been faithful to do as they were commanded will be happy that they obeyed their master’s instructions. They will be euphoric. Jesus said his servants who do their job, by teaching and preaching the people of God, endtimes prophecy during the time that is appointed, will be given a position of power regulating the master's possessions. Remember, Jesus is referring to himself in these verses. Those called to teach the church endtimes prophecy during the final generation of the church on the earth, and do it, will be given control of the property of the Son of God in eternity. Once they receive the promised eternal inheritance (Eph. 1:11, 14, 18; Heb. 9:15; 1 Pet. 1:3-4). This is why Jesus called them wise, because they were faithful to obey his instructions. The church must know about endtimes events so they can be awake and prepared for the day the rapture happens.  

 

The Wicked Servant

“But if that wicked servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delayed,’”

(Matthew 24:48, CSB)

Jesus transitions from praising the servant who obeys his command to the servant who does not. Instead of calling them a faithful and wise servant, he calls them a κακὸς δοῦλος (kakós doúlos) bad slave or wicked servant. Kakós has a variety of meanings in English: Bad, wicked, ill, evil, and mischievous. To a lesser degree: Spiteful, awful, sinister, vicious, and maleficent (working or productive of harm or evil—baleful[4]). The wicked servant is unfaithful. He is not just confused about the master’s command to teach endtimes prophecy—No, he is not. His mind does not suffer from the shifting sands of endtimes. Rather, in his heart, he has decided not to teach the prophecies that correspond with the endtimes. If he so happens to use a prophecy that coincides with the endtimes, he misinterprets what the prophecy means, because he does not know that it is an endtimes prophecy that pertains either to the church, Israel, or the world. The wicked servant’s excuse for not teaching and preaching endtimes prophecy is that he believes the Lord Jesus is delaying his coming. The New Living Translation (NLT) writes of the wicked servant: “My master won’t be back for a while.” The Amplified Bible (AMP) writes of the bad slave: “My master is taking his time [he will not return for a long while].” The NASB95 (New American Standard Bible) writes of the awful slave: “My [or, lord] master [literally: lingers] is not coming for a long time.” The evil servant has made up his mind. It is a decision grounded in his heart. He refuses to preach and teach endtimes prophecy. His view on the rapture is, it is not important.     

Jesus knew there would be ministry leaders in the endtimes who would refuse his instructions. They refuse to preach about the rapture and endtimes prophecy. They choose not to prepare God’s people to meet Jesus in the air. The Lord calls them evil. These servants may preach messages regularly from the Bible. Some preach fables regularly, as Paul prophesied. But because the world is living in the prophesied endtimes, preaching from the Bible and telling stories without teaching endtimes prophecy, especially the rapture of the church, is like feeding a child only carbohydrates and purposely leaving out protein. A child cannot grow and be healthy without protein. Endtimes prophecy is the protein in the gospel message today.

The gospel message for today is:

Jesus of Nazareth is the Lord. He bore the sins of the world at his crucifixion, but God raised him from the dead on the third day. Therefore, believe this truth and you will be saved. Today is the day of God’s favor, today is the day of salvation. Shortly, Jesus is coming to rapture those who believe in his name and are faithful to that name. Then God will judge the world for rejecting Jesus, Lord and Savior. God’s wrath will be released upon the inhabitants of the earth for seven years. Having faith in Jesus and being obedient to his word is the only way of escaping the wrath of God.

If the church is not teaching this, they are not obeying the instruction of the Lord, according to the Olivet discourse.

Once the church entered its final generation on the earth (1948), endtimes prophecy must be preached frequently alongside the salvation message. Because the generation that witnessed Israel’s reestablishment must be prepared to meet the Lord in the air. Raptured into eternity. The endtimes church must be awake and ready for the day that happens. If this were not so, Jesus would not have warned the church to be alert and prepared (Matt. 24:42-44, 25:13). Therefore, the people of God must be prepared at all times. Preaching endtimes prophecy teaches the believer to know what day they are living in. This revelation motivates the church to live for Jesus and not for the world. Preaching endtimes prophecy warns the unbeliever of what is coming, thereby allowing them to get saved before it is too late.  


Church Abuse

“And starts to beat his fellow servants, and eats and drinks with drunkards,”

(Matthew 24:49, CSB)

What did Jesus mean by this statement? Is this literal? What he has expressed is concern for his people. Jesus prophesied that the endtimes pastor who does not preach about the rapture and teach endtimes prophecy, because he believes the rapture of the body of Christ is far in the future, is like a guide who ill-treats those he is in charge of leading. He is a shepherd who brutalizes the sheep he is tending. Jesus describes the pastor who refuses to follow his instructions as being abusive to the church. He is a church abuser.  

Jesus also accuses this servant of being worldly. Eating and drinking with drunkards is worldly. It is common for worldly managers to eat and get drunk with partygoers. They booze it up and get tipsy with the carousers in the office. Because of frequent intoxication, the worldly manager lets his work slip. He becomes an ineffective manager. Jesus compares the pastor who will not preach endtimes prophecy to the intoxicated worldly manager. 

 

The Trumpet Sounds

“That servant’s master will come on a day he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know.”

(Matthew 24:50, CSB).

Nobody knows the day and hour the rapture of the body of Christ will occur. However, the Scriptures do reveal the generation that will witness it. The Word of God reveals when the endtimes will begin. As said, it began with the reestablishment of the state of Israel, and will end with the 2nd coming of Israel’s Messiah. Sadly, many in the church do not perceive the time they live in. They are spiritually blind. Their blindness is largely due to their pastor and the teacher of their Bible studies. The pastor and teacher who cannot perceive that the world is in the endtimes and that the rapture can happen any hour are willfully blind. In most churches, the blind are leading the blind.

With the execution of one-world government policy happening right before our eyes, every pastor should be motivated to preach what is going on.[5] They should be teaching the church from the Scriptures' endtimes prophecy.[6] The problem is that many pastors refuse to learn and understand endtimes prophecy. They have many excuses, why they refuse. Many think that if they do not preach it, the rapture will not happen while they are alive.  


Placed With the Hypocrites

He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

(Matthew 24:51, CSB).

Immediately after the rapture happens, the servant whom the Lord refers to as wicked may not understand what has just happened to all the people who have suddenly disappeared. They will be in a state of confusion. I suggest the wicked servant may not be snatched away with the rest of the body of Christ. Rather than be raptured into the heavenlies, he will be assigned a place with the hypocrites, in the Tribulation Period.

Jesus just got done prophesying that the minister who does his job, regularly teaching the church endtimes prophecy at the appointed time, once Israel’s statehood is renewed, will be given the job of overseeing the Lord’s possessions in the eternal realm after the rapture happens—likely after the wedding feast. This is why these pastors are called faithful and wise. They are faithful to the Word of God and wise to obey it. But the pastor who is not faithful has decided in his heart that he will not preach about the rapture or endtimes prophecy. He rationalizes his refusal by saying the rapture will not happen for a long time. He thinks it is a waste of time to preach endtimes because he believes the world has not entered the endtimes. Jesus refers to his actions as similar to church abuse. He abuses the church because he does not feed the church the food that can get them ready to be raptured. He is a wicked servant.

Jesus said he will διχοτομήσει αὐτὸν (dichotomísei aftón) bisect him, or cut him in two. This may mean that the wicked servant will be separated from the faithful and wise servant—literally from the body of Christ. The Lord will divide the two. The faithful will be raptured, but the evil servant will be put with the hypocrites into the time of God’s endtimes wrath. It may be similar to what the Lord said about the false prophets of Israel. Just like the false prophets prophesied from their own heart instead of what the Lord had commanded, some endtimes pastors preach from their hearts instead of what the Lord has instructed—he calls them foolish (Ezek. 13:2-3). The Lord was against Israel’s false prophets who saw lying visions and then spoke falsely (Ezek. 13:8). The language Jesus used in Matthew 24:45-51 is similar. The God of Israel prophesied against the false prophets saying they would not be included in the number of the house of Israel, or enter the land of Israel (Ezek. 31:9). Here he is prophesying that the wicked servant will not be included with the body of Christ when they are raptured into the eternal realm.

Jesus says the wicked servant will be assigned a place with the ὑποκριτῶν (ypokritón) hypocrites. Luke recorded that he will be assigned a place with the ἄπιστος (apistos) unfaithful. Apistos can also be translated: Unbeliever, disloyal, and infidel. Today’s pastor and teacher of the church have been instructed to teach endtimes prophecy to encourage believers to live holy and righteous. To get the church ready for the day the rapture happens. But if they do not, they will be placed among the unbelievers. After the rapture happens, the people left behind will be cast into the Tribulation Period. This is the place of weeping and gnashing of teeth. The apistos (unfaithful and disloyal) will be given another opportunity during the time of Tribulation to repent. I believe these are some of the people written about in the Revelation, who repent and wash their robes, making them white in the blood of the Lamb (Rev. 6:9-11; 7:13-17).


Picture: Should We Go From Two Worship Services to One?

https://www.churchleadership.com/leading-ideas/should-we-go-from-two-worship-services-to-one/



[3] Ancient Prophecies Revealed (Modern Israel-Future Event) pgs. 89-110, 111-120

Written by Ken Johson, Th.D.

[5] Some indications that the one-world government is ready to be implemented: The leaders of the Western World are forging ahead to destroy national sovereignty. The destruction of national borders. All governments must follow globalist mandates. The elimination of cash and its replacement with digital currency is impending. Contact tracing is being used to monitor people’s movements. In 2020, the world witnessed the implementation of COVID-19 vaccine mandates issued by various governments. People were fired from their place of employment for not getting the COVID-19 vaccine. Governments across the West have become tyrannical, modeling themselves as precursors of the one-world government.  

[6] Matthew 24:4-8 (signs that precede the Tribulation Period); Matthew 24:32-34 (the rebirth of the nation of Israel); Matthew 24:37-39; Luke 17:26-30 (indication that the rapture is about to occur); 2 Thessalonians 2:3 (a falling away from faith in Jesus just before the Antichrist coming to power); 1 Timothy 4:1-2 (during the generation the rapture occurs Christians will begin to fall away from Jesus and begin to follow doctrines of demons. Christians have been abandoning faith in Jesus throughout the church-age, but as the church gets closer to being raptured the falling away will get significantly noticeable); 2 Timothy 3:1-5 (The evil mentioned in these verses gets intense right before the church is raptured); 2 Timothy 4:3-4 (This deception intensifies right before the rapture occurs. More teachers are saying what worldly Christians want to hear than ever before); 2 Peter 3:3-4 (Christians are scoffing the doctrine of the rapture, and mocking other Christians that are waiting for the Lord to come); Daniel 9:27 (Modern Israel is ready to sign a treaty with their enemies, enforced by the Antichrist, which will begin the Tribulation Period—Israel’s 70th week. This will happen in this generation, but the rapture of the church happens before.

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