Look up! There will be ingathering and reunion!

Words from the Lord: 

"Comfort one another as you keep looking to Me and fix your eyes on Me. Because I will never leave My people nor forsake My people, no matter what has become of this world. My promises for My people is not slack, and I am in the midst of preparing My bride for My glorious coming. There shall be a great ingathering and reunion of My people - for those who have fallen asleep together with those who are alive!" 

Hallelujah! The Lord says there will be a great ingathering and reunion of His people - those who have fallen asleep and those who are still alive - together!

So, will you meet your loved ones or good friends again up there in heaven? Yes! For all of us who are in Christ - Yes! There will be a reunion for all of us! 

In 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14 (NKJV), apostle Paul wrote, 'But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with him those who sleep in Jesus.'

See? Sleep in Jesus! It's not just 'sleep', but 'sleep in Jesus.' The word 'asleep' here is 'koimao' in Greek. It literally means 'to fall asleep', and in the context of our study here, it can mean 'to cease', 'to cease from this earth', or in other words, 'deceased'. So, 'fall asleep' here means a person has been brought home into the arms of the Lord.

In 1 Thessalonians 4:15-16 (NKJV), apostle Paul wrote, 'For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.'

In 1 Thessalonians 4:17-18 (NKJV), apostle Paul wrote further, 'Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.' 

Notice the word 'together' here? 'Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them'. Now, the question here is who are these 'them' here? Those who have fallen asleep, but whom the Lord will resurrect! 

Let's go to The Amplified Bible for 1 Thessalonians 4:17-18, 'Then we who are alive and remain [on the earth] will simultaneously be caught up (raptured) together with them [the resurrected ones] in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord! Therefore comfort and encourage one another with these words [concerning our reunion with believers who have died].' 

See the word 'reunion' here? Reunion with believers who have fallen asleep, i.e. those who have gone before us! Do you see that? Reunion! Ingathering for all those who have fallen asleep (who have gone before us) and those who are alive and remain! 

You know what this means? It means for those of you who have lost your loved ones or good friends who are in Christ, you are going to have a reunion with them, meeting the Lord together with them! Hallelujah! 

The word 'together' here is 'hama' in Greek. It means 'at the same time'. It means we, at the same time with those who have gone before us, will be meeting the Lord together! Another definition of 'hama' is 'closeness (in being together) with one another'. It means you will see and meet each other, together, even as you meet the Lord in the air, up there! 

Now I'm going to show you the words 'caught up' that you see in 1 Thessalonians 4:17. What is this 'caught up' here? In The Amplified Bible, there's a bracket that says 'raptured'. 

The word 'caught up' here is 'harpazo' in Greek. It can mean 'being pulled away, being seized away, being caught away, being taken away'. And in the context of 'being caught up' here in 1 Thessalonians 4:17, it means you are being pulled away by the Lord, seized away by the Lord, caught away by the Lord, or taken away by the Lord from this earth to meet Him face to face, to be in His presence, in His glory; to be in His arms, the Heavenly Father's arms. 

Now, that's how the word 'rapture' in English is derived from, i.e. from this word 'caught up'. The word 'caught up' here is 'raptura' in medieval Latin. By the way, 'medieval age' is a period between Roman empire and the Renaissance, and that's between the 5th century and the end of 15th century. And this word 'raptura' is where the English word 'rapture' comes from, which means 'an act of carrying away, carrying off, seizing away'. 

So, as you can see here, the word 'raptura' in medieval Latin has the same meaning as the word 'harpazo' in Greek. Both speaks of 'being carried away by the Lord'. It means the Lord carries you away from this earth to meet Him in the air! 

From our Bible study today, the Word of God says there will be an ingathering and reunion for those who have deceased and those who are still alive - together! It means you will be meeting your departed loved ones or good friends, even as you meet the Lord in the air! And that's good news, especially if you have lost a loved one or a good friend before (i.e. they have passed on). But if they are in Christ, you are going to meet them together! This is an assurance and comfort that the Lord wants you to receive today. And that's why the apostle Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians 4:18, 'Therefore comfort one another'. 

Another assurance you can have regarding those in Christ who have departed from this earth, is that they are merely sleeping, and are actually not dead! That's why apostle Paul wrote 'fallen asleep'. Now, the Bible says so. This is not a fantasy. This is not a make-believe. This is the reality in the spiritual realm. Those who are in Christ, who have received Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and Lord, when their spirit depart from their body, they are not dead, but they are just asleep! And you'll be meeting them again! 

Let me explain the word 'asleep' here in the context of what apostle Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians chapter 4. We actually have a glimpse of eternity while we are on earth. Imagine you have been running around and you have been so busy the whole day. By the end of the day, you are so tired. And say, you sleep at 10pm. You're so exhausted, so tired, and the moment you lie down on the bed, you fall asleep. And the next thing you know is you wake up and it's already 6am! From 10pm to 6am, 8 hours passed by just like that! Now, you have just experienced a glimpse of what it is like in eternity. In the spiritual realm, in eternity, we are not time-bound anymore. Just with a twinkling of an eye, and just like that, 8 hours! 

Just as when you sleep while you are on earth, it is the same with those (your loved ones or your good friends) who have departed. They are now fallen asleep in Christ, and the moment they wake up, we shall all meet again! That's what the Bible says in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18!

Therefore, be comforted if your loved ones or good friends have gone home to be with the Lord. Recently even for me, a good friend and a fellow minister of God of mine has gone home to be with the Lord. God brought him home after he has fulfilled His purposes on earth. Surely I will miss him. But I can be comforted because it's actually not a permanent loss, because as the Scripture says, there will be a reunion one day!

Isn't this a deep comfort and assurance for all of us who are in Christ? Yes, we may have missed some of our loved ones or good friends who have departed, but that is just temporary. Now, this is not my idea. Check it out in the Bible yourself. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 says so!

That is why it is so urgent and important to share about Jesus to your loved ones, to those whom you care, to those whom you love. You want to see them in eternity together. So, this is the time to share the love of Jesus, pray for them, pray for their spiritual eyes to be open, so that they will see that Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Let them see that Jesus is the Lord, and only Jesus, the Salvation, can save them from this fallen world! And that's how we all can be together in eternity! 

After all, the earth is only a temporary place. You know it very well. We are just sojourners or pilgrims on this earth. The Bible says so in 1 Peter 2:11. Our permanent place is up there, where we will see no more pain or suffering. And we will all be in the loving arms and embrace of the Lord. Indeed, once we have fulfilled our God-given purposes on this earth, He will bring us home. There will be a homecoming! 

So, take heart, be encouraged, and stay strong, no matter what happens in this world. Keep running this race of faith. Keep fulfilling all that God has purposed for you to be on this earth. Keep focusing on the Lord. Keep fixing your eyes on the Lord. Keep trusting the Lord. Keep putting your hope in the Lord.

In John 14:1-4, Jesus Himself said, "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know." 

It is then written in John 14:5-7, 'Thomas (one of His disciples) said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?" Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him."'

It means Jesus was saying, "If you see Me, you would have seen My Father as well." Because Jesus and the Father are One! You see, God the Father was being revealed through Jesus who came!

Let us pray: 

"We thank You Lord God that You have reminded us of all these verses, that we will be together with those who have 'fallen asleep', to meet You in the air, according to 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. Therefore, we receive Your assurance, we receive Your comfort, as we keep looking to You and fix our eyes on You, till the day of Your glorious coming. We thank You Lord God that You have shown us there will be a great ingathering and reunion of Your beloved, for those who have 'fallen asleep' together with those who are alive and remain. In the name of Jesus. Amen." 

So there you have it, today's message is a message of comfort for you to keep running the race of faith and keep fulfilling all that God has purposed for you on this earth! 

Encourage one another, comfort one another, and continue to share about Jesus, about the love of Jesus. When everything else on this earth fails, the Lord's love, Jesus' love, never fails!

Click here for the full teaching in TiC YouTube Channel

Let the shackles be broken!

Words from the Lord:

"Let the shackle be broken in My anointing! Let My people be set free from their bondages and oppression! Even the bondages in their minds and of the enemy’s influences! For whatever that is not of Me shall be destroyed in the anointing!"

Oppression be broken! Depression be broken! Obsession be broken! Every sorrow be gone! Every yoke be destroyed! And every burden be lifted away!

People of God, in a time when the enemy is trying so hard to put a 'shackle' or 'chain' on you, this is a time to receive His anointing to set you free! Nothing (of the enemy) shall by any means be able to stop God's purposes from being fulfilled in your life!

Further words from the Lord:

"And I will be like the overflowing river that washes away every work of the enemy and make an utter end of the work of the enemy! I am a God of covenant, and I remember My covenant with My people! Therefore, don’t allow yourself to be held back from chasing your God-given dreams. Focus on Me and focus on running towards the prize of the upward call of God!"

Nahum 1:7-9 (NKJV) says, 'The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; And He knows those who trust in Him. But with an overflowing flood He will make an utter end of its place, and darkness will pursue His enemies. What do you conspire against the Lord? He will make an utter end of it...'

By the way, 'Nahum' ('Nekhuwm' in Hebrew) means 'the comfort or consolation (of the Lord)'; from the word 'nakham', meaning 'to comfort, to ease, to console'. 

Even though the context of this book of Nahum is for the people of Judah those days, this message applies to you too, because you too are God's covenant people - through Christ! 

God used prophet Nahum to proclaim for His people 'the shackles are broken', and to proclaim the destruction of Nineveh (the capital city of Assyrian empire at that time), which was notorious for its cruelty, violence, idolatry and pride. This book of Nahum is therefore a message of comfort and consolation to God’s people in a time when they were living under the cruelty and bondages of the Assyrians those days.

Nahum 1:13 (Expanded) says, 'Now I will free you from their control [break his yoke from you] and tear away your chains [shackles].'

Indeed, the time is now for your 'shackles be broken', and you are being set free to be who God wants you to be!

Zechariah 9:9-12 (NKJV) says, 'Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey. I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the horse from Jerusalem; The battle bow shall be cut off. He shall speak peace to the nations; His dominion shall be 'from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth'. As for you also, because of the blood of your covenant, I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit. Return to the stronghold, you prisoners of hope. Even today I declare that I will restore double to you.'

Not only your 'shackles are being broken' in the anointing, the Lord also wants you to remember your covenant with Him through the blood of Jesus Christ shed for you on the cross. When everything else on earth falls apart, the Lord wants you to know His covenant with you will not fall apart. His covenant with you cannot be broken. This covenant is the very foundation of who you are in Him. As long as you remember and hold on to this covenant He has made with you the moment you received Him as your personal Savior and Lord, nothing in this world will be able to shake you!

I have explained the name 'Nahum' just now. Now, I move on to the name 'Zechariah' ('Zekar Yah' in Hebrew), which means 'the Lord remembers, or the Lord has remembered'. You know what this means? The Lord remembers you, His beloved! You are blessed because He remembers the covenant He made with you! 

Why is this covenant so important? 

And what are the promises in His covenant with you?

- He saves you and rescues you! (Zechariah 8:7)

- He makes a way of escape for you in times of trouble! (Zechariah 9:11) 

- He causes you to be a blessing! (Zechariah 8:13)

- He prospers you and gives you increase! (Zechariah 8:12)

- He restores double to you! (Zechariah 9:12)

- He gives you peace in the midst of turbulence! (Zechariah 9:10) 

- He sends a fire wall of protection over you! (Zechariah 2:5)

Therefore, fear not! Because you are a people of His covenant! And whatever happens in this world or whatever the enemy tries to do, if God is for you, who can be against you? (Romans 8:31)

Click here for the full teaching in TiC YouTube Channel

Fear not the 'adversity'! Your 'promotion' time is coming!

I heard and released these words from the Lord recently:

"Fear not! Even when you are faced with opposition, persecution, or 'storms' in life! Though you walk through the valley of the shadow of death, you will fear no evil! Because I am with you, and My grace is sufficient for you! When you are weak, that's when I am strong! I have been there for you, and I will still be with you! Those 'storms' will pass away, and your promotion time is coming!"

In Psalm 23:4, David wrote, 'Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me'. The expression 'the valley of the shadow of death' here speaks of 'the darkness (or challenges) one walks through in life at times', and the word 'evil' here is 'rah' in Hebrew, literally meaning 'adversity, trouble'.

People of God, if you are faced with any 'adversity' or 'trouble' in the world right now, fear not, because the Lord your God is with you; and His rod and His staff, they comfort you. He uses His rod to chase away your 'predators', and His staff to lead (and guide) you to the right direction. Like sheep to the shepherd, keep looking to Him and trusting in Him, your Good Shepherd (Psalm 23:1-3), no matter what happens around you. He has been there for you, and He will still be with you! Be rest assured. David knew this very well, and no wonder he wrote at the beginning of this psalm, 'The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not be in want' (Psalm 23:1).

By the time David wrote Psalm 23, he must have already seen much in life. He was no more a youngster. How do I know? In Psalm 23:5, he wrote, 'You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies...' This means he's old enough to have enemies. I mean, real enemies in this world! In the same verse, he also wrote, 'You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over'. This means he's old enough to have experienced abundance in providence. In Psalm 23:6, he wrote, 'Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever'. This means he's old enough to have tasted much of the Lord's goodness and mercy for him to write this way!

He must have also reminisced how the Lord had been there for him in his earlier days, even as far back as the time when he faced Goliath! He was still in his youth when Goliath came out from the camp of the Philistines and challenged Israel to choose a man to fight him (1 Samuel 17:8). However, all the men of Israel fled from him (Goliath) and were dreadfully afraid (1 Samuel 17:24), for he was a giant, and his height was 'six cubits and a span', equivalent to 'nine feet and six inches' in modern-day measurement!

But David 'stepped up to the plate', even though Goliath was about twice his size, and as 'intimidating' as can be! David knew the battle wasn't his, but the Lord's (1 Samuel 17:47), and he prevailed (1 Samuel 17:50-51). When king Saul heard about it, he sent Abner, the commander of the army of Israel, to inquire about him (1 Samuel 17:56-58).

You see, what the enemy meant as an 'opposition' against Israel, the Lord turned it around as a 'promotion' time for His beloved, David!

The name 'Goliath' comes from the Hebrew word 'galah', meaning 'to shame, to strip (in a disgraceful sense), to remove'. So, if your 'Goliath' comes against you in order to shame you, strip you (in a disgraceful sense), and remove you (from God's plan and purposes in your life), fear not, because just as He was with David those days, the Lord is now here with you, fighting the battles for you. In fact, the Lord has a good news for you: "Your 'promotion' time is coming!"

The final victory is already assured!

Psalm 31:19 (NKJV): Oh, how great is Your goodness which You have laid up for those who fear You, which You have prepared for those who trust in You in the presence of the sons of men!

The word 'goodness' here in Hebrew is 'tuwb', which means 'beauty, gladness, welfare (toward us)', from the word 'towb', that is 'to make well, to make good'. In other words, the psalmist David was declaring the greatness of God's welfare toward His beloved! And yes, He does make good His promises for you too! 

The word 'fear' here is 'yawraw' in Hebrew, which simply means 'revere'. 'To revere Him' is to humble ourselves under His mighty hand (1 Peter 5:6) and to continue learning from Him (John 15:1-7). The truth is what we all know on earth (even collectively) is just a mere 'bucket' of water in the midst of His vast ocean. That's how great He is, even in His infinite wisdom. And the Bible says 'the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom' (Proverbs 9:10).

Psalm 31:20 then says, 'You (the Lord) shall hide them (the goodness of the Lord) in the secret place of Your presence from the plots of man ('pride of man' in KJV). You shall keep them secretly in a pavilion (shelter) from the strife of tongues'.

The word 'plots' here is translated in Hebrew as 'snares, traps, trickeries, plans, or conspiracies', from the word 'rawkas' which means 'to tie up', which is the opposite of 'to be set free'. Indeed, the plots of man 'ties us up', so that we will not be set free 'to be what God wants us to be', or 'to do what God wants us to do'. 

The word 'strife' here is translated in Hebrew as 'contest, adversary, chiding, or contention', from the word 'ruwb' which means 'to strive against, to hold a controversy, or to lay wait'. The Bible says 'the adversary walks about like a roaring lion, (laying wait) seeking whom he may devour' (1 Peter 5:8). 

But God! Psalm 31:20 says the Lord shall keep and preserve all His goodness for you (including His plans, His dreams, and His visions He has put in your heart) from such works of the enemy!

Let's look now at the life and ministry of Nehemiah as a good example of the above verses. The name 'Nehemiah' literally means 'the comfort or consolation of the Lord'. In fact, what God did through Nehemiah was actually prophetic of our 'church age' in the dispensation of God's times.

In Nehemiah's days, the Lord put in his heart to build the wall of Jerusalem. 'Wall' here speaks of 'salvation' (see Isaiah 60:18), whereas 'Jerusalem' speaks of 'God's city, or God's people'. And with the comfort of the Lord, and with much perseverance on Nehemiah's part, the 'job' was eventually completed. 

The Old Testament is the 'shadow', and the New Testament is the 'substance'. Today, in the New Testament (the 'church age'), our main call on earth (whatever your vocation or ministry may be) is likewise to build the 'wall' too, that is to 'proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day, declare His glory among the nations, and His wonders among the people' (see Psalm 96:2-3).

Notice that before the successful completion of the wall, Nehemiah had to go through several rounds of 'persecutions'. Here's the chronology of what happened:

1. Ridicule & despise (see Nehemiah 2:19)

2. Mockery & reproach (see Nehemiah 4:1-3)

3. Conspiracy & confusion (see Nehemiah 4:7-8)

4. Threats & fear tactics (see Nehemiah 6:6-9)

Likewise in the 'church age', since the days of the early apostles in the Book of Acts till now, the 'church' (as a whole) has also gone through the above rounds of 'persecutions'. I believe we are currently in the last 'epoch' of 'persecutions' (i.e. 'threats & fear tactics' of the enemy) before the full completion, and culminating in the celebration of Feast of Tabernacles (see Nehemiah 8:14-17, Zechariah 14:16), the end-time assembling and in-gathering of the 'called ones' (i.e. the believers).

Indeed, we are a generation living in the end-time! Take heart, God's people, and ‘keep running the race’ and let's not give up (or grow weary) while doing good (Galatians 6:9). As you build what God is building, and do what God is doing, He will be with you till the end (Matthew 28:18-20). Whatever spiritual gift (or gifts) He has given you (Ephesians 4:11-13, 1 Corinthians 12:4-10), use it (or use them) for the glory of the Lord! And the comfort of Yahweh is with you, just as in the days of Nehemiah! You will see 'the good work that God has begun in you, He will also bring it to full completion' (Philippians 1:6). Amen!

As you can see above, the book of Nehemiah actually speaks of the leading up (building up) towards Jesus' coming again! If chapters 1 to 6 speaks of 'the church age', then chapters 7 and 8 speaks of 'His coming again'!

Watch now what happened upon the completion of the wall of Jerusalem in Nehemiah's days. Nehemiah 6:15-16 says, 'So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth day of Elul, in fifty-two days. And it happened, when all our enemies heard of it, and all the nations around us saw these things, that they were very disheartened in their own eyes; for they perceived that this work was done by our God'. 

Nehemiah 8:1-2 then says, 'Now all the people gathered together as one man in the open square that was in front of the Water Gate; and they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded Israel. So Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly of men and women and all who could hear with understanding on the first day of the seventh month'.

See the words 'one man' here? This speaks of the one Body of Christ (Ephesians 2:15-16). If 'Nehemiah' speaks of 'you and I (i.e. the believers)', 'Ezra' (from the word 'Ezer' meaning 'aid, help') the priest speaks of 'our great High Priest, Jesus, who has fulfilled the Law perfectly (Matthew 5:17)'. Notice Ezra took over there on, and in turn declared to the people 'not to weep nor mourn, but to rejoice' (Nehemiah 8:9-12).

I don't know about you, but it's very comforting to know and be assured of what comes in the end, in spite of the present persecutions suffered by some of our brethren in Christ in some parts of the world, and even in the midst of 'threats and fear tactics' being plotted by the 'adversary'.

In 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18, the apostle Paul wrote, 'For the Lord (Jesus Christ) Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words'. 

The word ‘comfort’ here is ‘parakaleo’ in Greek, which means ‘to call near’. By the way, this word ‘parakaleo’ comes from two words - ‘para’ (meaning ‘near’) and ‘kaleo’ (meaning ‘calling, or call a name’). Indeed, you have a God who always calls you near to Him, and a God who knows you by name. Interestingly, this word ‘kaleo’ is the root word where the word ‘ekklesia’ (the Greek word for ‘church’, meaning ‘a calling out, or a gathering of the called ones’) comes from.

I heard these words from the Lord the other day as I was praying:

“No matter what happens, and even in the midst of chaos on earth, look to Me, lean on Me, and learn from Me. This is a time to comfort one another, not to condemn one another, put down one another, or put fear in one another.”

To ‘comfort one another’ is therefore to ‘call near to one another’, i.e. accepting one another, considering one another, encouraging one another, and exhorting one another, so much the more as you see the Day approaching (Hebrews 10:23-25).

People of God, wherever you are, together as one man, we’ll get the ‘job’ done, and see the ‘wall’ completed! The final victory is already assured. In Jesus’ name. Amen!