What is the End-Time Message?

Introduction

Series Introduction

Series Title - Bible Answers Series: On the End-Time Message

Purpose - Help people understand the Message that we believe and proclaim

Part 1 Introduction

Title - What Is The End-Time Message?

Objective

to help the church understand the purpose of the end-time message

Sermon Points

Q1 - What is the end-time message? [ano ang mensahe sa huling panahon]

What is a ‘message’?

in O.T.

Heb dabar - word, matter, message,

Heb malakut - a message

in N.T.

Grk aggleia - message,

Grk logos - message, word

a message is the content of a communication delivered through a messenger

What is ‘end-time’?

the Bible speaks of the the end of the (present) age and the coming of a new age

Matthew 12:32 NKJV

32 Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.

Luke 18:29–30 NKJV

29 So He said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or parents or brothers or wife or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, 30 who shall not receive many times more in this present time, and in the age to come eternal life.”

Galatians 1:3–4 NKJV

3 Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,

Titus 2:11–13 NKJV

11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, 12 teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, 13 looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,

the present age began with Adam and will terminate in the second coming of Christ

the new age begins with the reign of Christ in the millenium and will have no end

[see illustration no 1]

end-time means the “time of the end” or “end of time”

by ‘time’ we mean “this present age”

it refers to the end of the present age

What is the “end-time message”

it is a word from God for the end-time generation, revealing His plans and works His end-time people, and delivered through a His end-time messenger.

it is a word from God

it is for people living in the end of the present age

it speaks of God’s plans and works for that age

it is delivered through a messenger

Q2 - How does the ‘message’ compare with the ‘gospel’? [paano ihahambing ang mensahe sa ebanghelyo]

Grk. evaggelia - good news

a good news is a news of favorable news about something (e.g. victory in battle, etc.)

the gospel is the good news about the arrival and presence of the kingdom of God which is made available and accesible through Jesus Christ to those who will believe in Him

the good news speaks of the whole plan of salvation through Jesus Christ

the message is the communication of a specific message from God to a particular people in a particular time.

Examples

the message that God is light

1 John 1:5 NKJV

5 This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.

the message that we should love one another

1 John 3:11 NKJV

11 For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another,

any word that God sends to a specific person, or to israel, through a messenger

Q3 - Does the Bible give indications or examples of a message sent to a particular time and people? [mayroon bang halimbawa ang Biblia tungkol sa isang mensaheng ipinadala sa isang panahon]

God’s message to Noah and his generation

Genesis 6:13 NKJV

13 And God said to Noah, “The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth.

God’s message to Moses and his generation

Exodus 3:5–8 NKJV

5 Then He said, “Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.” 6 Moreover He said, “I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God. 7 And the Lord said: “I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows. 8 So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites.

God’s message to John the baptist and his generation

Matthew 3:1–5 NKJV

1 In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, 2 and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” 3 For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying: “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; Make His paths straight.’ ” 4 Now John himself was clothed in camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey. 5 Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him

Christ’s message to the Seven Church Ages - Rev 2-3

Revelation 1:10–11 NKJV

10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet, 11 saying, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last,” and, “What you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia: to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea.”

the 7 churches in Asia represent the 7 ages or times in the history of the church leading to the end-time

the Book of Revelation is an end-time book

the Book of Revelation contains Christ’s message for the church in the end-time

Q4 - Did the Bible speak of the end-time message? [nangsap ba ang Biblia tungkol sa mensahe sa huling panahon]

The O.T. spoke of the ministry of John the baptist in prophetic forms, and spread through various authors.

Similarly, the Bible (OT and NT) speaks of the end-time ministry in prophecy, and requires the illuminating work of the Holy Spirit to be clearly understood.

the Bible spoke of the last days

the Bible spoke of the end of the age

the Bible spoke of an end-time ministry in the last days

the ministry of Elijah in the end-time

Malachi 4:5–6 NKJV

5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. 6 And he will turn The hearts of the fathers to the children, And the hearts of the children to their fathers, Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.”

part 1 - turning of the hearts of the fathers to the children - FULFILLED BY JOHN

part 2 - turning of the hearts of the children to their fathers - NOT FULFILLED BY JOHN

Luke 1:17 NKJV

17 He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

Matthew 17:10–12 NKJV

10 And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” 11 Jesus answered and said to them, “Indeed, Elijah is coming first and will restore all things. 12 But I say to you that Elijah has come already, and they did not know him but did to him whatever they wished. Likewise the Son of Man is also about to suffer at their hands.”

Acts 3:19–21 NKJV

19 Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, 20 and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, 21 whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.

The finishing of themystery of God

Revelation 10:7 NKJV

7 but in the days of the sounding of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, the mystery of God would be finished, as He declared to His servants the prophets.

The Midnight Cry

Matthew 25:6 NKJV

6 “And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’

What is the end-time message about

it is about the restoration of all things to the church

it is about the finishing of the mystery of God

it is about the preparation of the bride of Christ for the rapture

Q5 - What is the connection between the message and our salvation? [ano ang koneksyon ng mensahe sa ating kaligtasan]

When Israel was under the covenant of law, God sent them prophets to bring them back to God during their times of backsliding.

Israel was made a people of God according to election, then placed under covenant with God.

Israel’s backsliding affected their covenant relationship with God.

God sent messengers from time to time, with a message to warn them and bring them back to God.

Since the time of the apostles, the church has experienced numerous backsliding and failures. God sent messengers to the church to keep them in line with the gospel.

the church was made Christ’s own people by election, under the covenant of grace.

the church experienced backsliding, hence the sending of the 7 star messengers through history

The “end-time message” addresses the spiritual condition of the church at the time of the coming of Christ.

it calls the church to return to its biblical foundations.

it calls the church to get ready for the coming of Christ.

those who will ignore or reject the end-time message will miss the coming of Christ, if it happens in their lifetime.

Conclusion

What is the end-time message?

The end-time message is a word from God for the church living in the end of time.

The end-time message addresses the spiritual condition of the church at the time of Christ’s coming

it points the church back to true apostolic faith

it prepares the church for Christ’s return

The end-time message is the final message of God for the church.

Key events in the life of William Branham:

1909 - born

1933 - “As John the Baptist was sent to forerun the second coming of Christ, you are sent with a message which will forerun the second coming.”

1947 - commissioning to preach the message to the world with sign of divine healing and discerning of spirit

1963 - revelation of the seven-sealed book

1965 - died