Sunday Bible School
January 19, 2025
The Preparation of the Church for the Rapture - Revelation - Part XXXIII
Sunday Bible School
January 19, 2025
The Preparation of the Church for the Rapture - Revelation - Part XXXIII
Summary of the president’s message
The Sunday Bible School on January 19th, 2025, was held live, directly from the Communications Center of the Maranatha Christian Church, Vila Velha, Espírito Santo, with the participation of pastors Gedelti Gueiros, Gilson Sousa and Josias Junior.
Message from pastor Gilson Sousa:
We greet all our brethren with the peace of the Lord Jesus! We are starting the Sunday Bi-
ble School. The subject to be presented is the book of Revelation: the message of the Holy Spirit resonates in the midst of the Faithful Church, in relation to the prophetic markers that are being fulfilled in our day, in the preparation of the Church for the rapture.
Pastor Gilson Sousa presented the answers given by various brethren to the questions posed, as well as various experiences and testimonies
Question
Answered through a video contribution
Reading Matthew, chapter 13,
The Preparation of the Church for the Rapture - Revelation - Part XXXIII
3:2a
“Now to you I say, and to the rest in Thyatira, as many do not have this doctrine, who have not known the depths of Satan, as they say, I will put on you no other burden.” Revelation 2:24
Question
Answered through a video contribution
Reading Revelation, chapter 3, verse 3a, what characterized the behavior of the church in Sardis?
verse 44, what do you understand by the expressions:
a. “…treasure hidden…”?
b. “…hidden in a field…”?
c. “…a man found…”?
Answer:
a. The Word of God.
b. The field of religious interest.
c. The reformer Martin Luther.
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.”
Matthew 13:44
Question
Answered through a video contribution
Comparing Revelation, chapter 3, verse 2a, with Revelation 2:24, which confirmed the rest of Thyatira in Sardis?
Answer: The promise of the Lord Jesus that he would not put another burden on them, because they did not have and did not know the false doctrine of Thyatira.
“Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die...” Revelation
Answer: The discovery of the Word, the treasure that was hidden in a field.
“Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent...” Revelation 3:3a Message from pastor Gedelti Gueiros:
We could talk about many subjects in relation to the letter from Sardis, but let’s give it some initial context.
In Ephesus, there was an operation of the seven Spirits of the Lord. In this first letter, which corresponds to the first period of the church, there was a complete operation of the Spirit of the Lord. What did the Spirit of the Lord care about? The doctrinal position of the church in relation to the understanding of the world around it. It was Judaism and Hellenism (Greek philosophy). There was no way to assimilate Judaism into the life of the church, because worship was liturgical, it was different: it had nothing to do with what the Lord had prepared for the church.
On the other hand, both the Greeks and the Romans had their own religion. Then there was philosophy. All Greek phi-
losophy converged on the first century.
The questions were: How would the church survive? How would it begin its journey? It had to be something completely different.
The whole project rested on Jesus, on the Gospels. The four Gospels spoke prophetically for the life of the church: the healings, the messages, the miracles, the mysteries, everything was for the church. The Lord Jesus himself said:
“He answered and said to them, ‘Because it has been given to
you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given’.” Matthew 13:11
That’s because it was the Holy Spirit who was going to do the Work. From that moment on, it would be the Holy Spirit.
In his letter to Sardis, the Lord Jesus shows the need for vigilance. From that moment on, the church would live in extreme vigilance.
For each period, there was a special operation of each Spirit of God. Thyatira began to live out what had been put in
Pr. Gilson Souza conducting the Sunday Bible School
Pr. Gedelti Gueiros conducting the summary of the Sunday Bible School
The Preparation of the Church for the Rapture - Revelation - Part
XXXIII
place in Pergamos. It was the deviation. That’s why, at a certain point, the Lord was already saying: “Adjust yourself, repent, or else I will take away your lampstand”.
“Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place – unless you repent.” Revelation 2:5
The Lord left everything ready for the church’s journey. However, during this time, a detour took place. The Word was taken away and the church was put in its place. Thus, the Word was hidden during this time.
When the Word was discovered by Martin Luther, he became aware of the situation that was happening and placed the theses on what had been abandoned, that is, the center of the project, of the revelation.
Those theses placed in the cathedral in Wittenberg were intended to reposition the chur-
ch to the apostolic doctrine. And so, the Word will be repositioned from the time of Sardis. Sardis means “remnants that were about to end”. It was necessary to return to doctrinal teaching. The treasure that was hidden in the field was found again. What would they find in that treasure? The pearl of great price that is Jesus.
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.”
Matthew 13:44
Today, there is a very small group, but it represents the rest, “the remnants that were about to end”. There is a Christianity that is finished. You were a remnant that was about to end.
The Word will remain.
“Heaven and earth will away, but My words will by no means pass away.” Matthew 24:35
From Sardis onwards, a new
The Preparation of the Church for the Rapture - Revelation - Part XXXIII
“Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent. Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you.” Revelation 3:3
There’s no point in studying the book of Revelation if you don’t understand some things. You need the body, the revealed Word, discipline, government and everything the Holy Spirit wants to accomplish. We are telling the world that Jesus is at the door. What will be raptured is the body.
operation takes place, and the Word takes on a new scope: the revealed Word.
We are currently living in a time when the Word needs to be hidden in our hearts because we don’t know until when we will have the Bible available for our use.
Click here or scan the QR Code below to watch the entire sunday bible school session.
The great revivals have come. And now we are a remnant. We have no value to the world, but we have a mission: to announce that Jesus is coming back. The Work will continue and the Spirit of the Lord wants to prepare the church for this moment.
May the Lord bless us.
Pr. Gedelti Gueiros President of the Maranata Christian Church
Sunday Bible School
January 19, 2025
The Preparation of the Church for the Rapture - Revelation - Part XXXIII