The Preparation of the Church for the Rapture - Part XXXI

Sunday Bible School

April 21, 2024

The Preparation of the Church for the Rapture

- Part XXXI

The Preparation of the Church for the Rapture - Part XXXI

Summary of the President’s Message

The Sunday Bible School on April 21, 2024, was held live, directly from the Communications Center of the Maranatha Christian Church, city of Vila Velha, in the state of Espírito Santo, with Pastors Gedelti Gueiros and Gilson Sousa participating.

Pastor Gilson Sousa’s Message:

We greet all the brethren with the peace of the Lord Jesus! We are beginning the Sunday Bible School. The topic to be discussed is the Church and its

mysteries, prophesied in the book of the Song of Solomon.

Pastor Gilson Sousa presented responses from various brethren to the questions posed. Pastor Josias Junior reported several experiences related to Sunday Bible School.

Pastor Gedelti Gueiros’ Message:

I greet you all with the peace of the Lord. Let’s answer the questions posed.

Question:

Reading the book of Song of Solomon, considering that the Book presents God’s Project for

the Church, highlight the phases of the “Prophetic Day of God”. Quote the verses.

Answer:

a. Dawn.

“I am dark, but lovely, O daughters of Jerusalem, like the tents of Kedar, like the curtains of Solomon. Do not look upon me, because I am dark, because the sun has tanned me. My mother’s sons were angry with me; they made me the keeper of the vineyards, but my own vineyard I have not kept.” Song of Solomon 1:5-6

b. Noon.

“Tell me, O you whom I love, where you feed your flock, where you make it rest at noon. For why should I be as one who veils herself by the flocks of your companions?” Song of Solomon 1:7

Dawn

It is important to remember that at Dawn, the sun shines upon the life of the Church (“the sun has tanned me”). The Church thus began its activities, and there was an outpouring of the Holy Spirit. This outpouring took place at Pentecost, and God’s prophetic day begins. The Church, therefore, starts its

Pr. Gilson Sousa conducting the Sunday Bible School

The Preparation of the Church for the Rapture - Part XXXI

journey with the shining of the sun, with the revelation. The Bible says, “Do not look upon me,” showing a Gentile church, a mixture of peoples with a universal character. The revelation started to reach various peoples, nations and languages.

We’ll learn in the next Sunday Bible School that the shining forth is not static. The believer and the Church go through phases, steps, and moments in the presence of the Lord. It’s like the “curtains of Solomon,” these phases open up to the full knowledge of the Lord Jesus.

The Pentecost occurred at the third hour of the day. The first hour pointed to the Father, the second to the Son, and the third to the Holy Spirit. At this hour, the sun shone, and the revelation came into the life of the Church.

Noon

This Church loved the Lord Jesus, but was scattered at the time. It was a small group, and there was no established institution. The Church had no name nor place to meet. There was also a great persecution. When the dispersion came, everyone moved away because of the persecution. The question was: “Where is this Gospel? Where is this Christianity?

What kind of Jesus is this?” But the Church loved the Lord Jesus. It was not a poetic or philosophical knowledge, but it was the Holy Spirit himself who was operating. And the Church did not deny what it was being taught.

In the catacombs of Rome were the marks of the Church’s persecution. The testimony was being left on the crosses, in the

Pr. Gedelti Gueiros leading the summary of the Sunday Bible School

The Preparation of the Church for the Rapture - Part XXXI

fires and in the arenas. And the question was: “Where do you gather your flock?”

When we started, we had no idea what God wanted. There were criticisms and struggles with various situations involving people. The question was: Are we going to continue this way? We lived through struggles (not to the same degree that the early Church experienced), but we were given the victory.

a. The afternoon

“Like an apple tree among the trees of the woods, so is my beloved among the sons. I sat down in his shade with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste.” Song of Solomon 2:3

b. The evening (sunset).

“Until the day breaks and the shadows flee away, turn, my beloved, and be like a gazelle or a young stag upon the mountains of Bether.” Song of Solomon 2:17

c. The night.

“By night on my bed I sought the one I love; I sought him, but I did not find him.” Song of Solomon 3:1

d. Midnight.

“I have come to my garden, my sister, my spouse; I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk. Eat, O friends! Drink, yes, drink deeply, O beloved ones!” Song of Solomon 5:1

e. Dawn - the breaking of a new day.

“Let us get up early to the vineyards; let us see if the vine has budded, whether the grape blossoms are open, and the pomegranates are in bloom. The-

re I will give you my love.” Song of Solomon 7:12

The afternoon

“Like an apple tree among the trees of the woods, so is my beloved among the sons. I sat down in his shade with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste.” Song of Solomon 2:3

In this passage, we see the Church’s period of rest. The Church sees that the time is coming. It had faced various struggles with philosophy and other oppositions and saw that it needed rest. It was the period that came after the religious reformation. In this period, the Church understood that it was necessary to trust in the Lord. It was a time of great revival in Wales, North America, and other parts of the world. The shadow was all she wanted (“I sat down in his shade with great delight”).

“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” Psalm 91:1

The Evening

After the revival, there was a desire to leave. But the trials persisted. Then comes the plea:

“Until the day breaks and the shadows flee away, turn, my beloved, and be like a gazelle or a young stag upon the mountains of Bether.” Song of Solomon 2:17

The night

It was nighttime. One cannot be complacent.

“By night on my bed I sought the one I love; I sought him, but I did not find him.” Song of Solomon 3:1

The church then sets to its final stage, its great mission, to work

towards salvation.

Midnight and the dawn of a new day

The night will pass, midnight will come and the church will be raptured. The world will remain, but the church will be with the Lord for eternity.

May the Lord bless us.

Pr. Gedelti Victalino Teixeira Gueiros President of the Maranata Christian Church

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