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EDITORIAL “Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the Word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation” (Heb. 13:7).
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t is incredible that 17 years have already passed since my grandfather experienced what he had preached and taught about with passion and desire: “willing to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord” (2 Cor. 5:8). I heard him many times personalizing the Scriptures which relate to this subject. In fact, he testified that as he was writing the study about “Death and the Children of God” he felt the desire to die so that he could be in the Presence of the Lord. He had a full understanding that “we are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body and present with the Lord. Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of Him” (2 Cor. 5:8-9). The word “remember” means exercising the memory, recalling, rehearse in your mind and mention. I not only remember my grandfather with a lot of love, affection and gratitude, but I mention him, thanking God for who my grandfather was and for what he taught from the Word of God passionately and with conviction.
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The manner in which the Spirit of God moved my grandfather to speak was not always to the liking of many. However, he stated many times that the message that God gave him was not for everybody. “The words of the wise are as goads, and as nails (strongly) fastened by the masters of assemblies (the teachings), which are given from One Shepherd” (Eccl. 12:11). This message from the Word of God goads our flesh. It is a message that is not superficially nailed. It is firmly nailed and reaches the soul, impacting it to bringing health and life to those who allow themselves to be impacted by the “hard” Word. However, for others this “hard” Word (Jn. 6:60) brings judgment to those who resist the “nails” (Eccl. 12:11), which are intended to draw us nearer to the Lord. My grandfather was a wise teacher who was moved by the Spirit of God. He was a man of God who did not hold back from being used as a hammer in the hands of the Lord. God used him as a hammer to nail the Word of God into our hearts, so that we could be fastened to the Lord with all of our hearts. The faith that my grandfather had in whom he believed (God) and what he believed (the Word of God) was firm and immovable. His steadfast faith was displayed in his life, and is something we should not just admire, but imitate. “Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ” (1 Cor. 11:1). Many times he declared: “We must not walk by
what we feel, but by what we know.” In other words, we must walk by faith and not by what our flesh feels. My grandfather “endured, as seeing Him who is invisible” (Heb. 11:27). When he did something, he did it with determined faith. When he preached, he did so with a conviction rooted in faith. When he prayed, he prayed with a fervent faith. “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much” ( Jam. 5:16). “The just shall live by faith” (Heb. 10:38). I do not want to just admire what the Lord did in my grandfather’s life, but I want to imitate it, fortified by the Spirit of God. “…Be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises” (Heb. 6:12). As I reflect on the life that my grandfather lived for the Lord, I once again realize that it was something extraordinary, just as what happens with every one of those persons mentioned in the Word of God who lived and existed for Christ. It was a conduct motivated by the main goal of seeing the Lord, being like Him and reigning and being with Him forever. He did not live insignificant nor common life, because his hope was not an ordinary one. He lived with a higher purpose because he was one of those people “who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life” (Rom. 2:7). The success of his faith was demonstrated in the life of excellence that he lived for the Lord. The truth is that my grandfather gave all that he had to God. My grandfather was neither mediocre nor lukewarm in his walk with the Lord. His life was marked by what he had learned from God: passion, intensity, commitment, surrender, self-denial, dedication, excellence, faithfulness and reverence. He lived to serve others and to do righteousness. He lived to please God in the midst of sufferings and scorn. God never departed from my grandfather and my grandfather never departed from God. As a result of all this, when my grandfather departed from his body and this world, he had “good success” and went to be in the presence of the Lord.
1st Grandson
I thank God for our first Grandson, Benjamin Valverde, son of Benjamin and Jordana Valverde. He was born well and healthy by the grace of God, on the 20th of February, 2020. The Tree continues to give fruit.
“This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success” ( Jos. 1:8). Remembering, considering and mentioning my grandfather’s life I know that not everything went well for him during his life. However, I am sure that in the end everything was a good success, because the moment he left his earthly body, he went to be in the glorious Presence of our Lord Jesus Christ! What greater success can there be than this? There is no greater success! “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Phil. 1:21). If I continued writing I know that I could easily fill all the pages of this publication and even more editions, making mention of what my grandfather was moved by God’s Spirit to speak to us through counsel, exhortations and instruction. We must remember, consider, mention and imitate the man of God who spoke the Word of the Lord to us as he walked by faith. “Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me (grandfather)…” (2 Tim. 1:8). I miss you greatly my beloved grandfather, pastor! Pastor Efraim Valverde III.
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Seventy weeks are determined upon (the Jews) thy people and upon thy holy city (the Old City of Jerusalem)…” (Dan. 9:24).
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uring the past three months God’s clock has continued marking the time and has not stopped in any way. Much has been going on in Israel without much attention being paid to it. The sources of news have placed the great majority of their attention to COVID-19. Among all the different events and signs that have occurred, what happens in and with Israel continues being the most important sign to observe. All the other signs continue being secondary to the principal sign, Israel, God’s clock. We are in the age of information and with all the information that we are flooded with daily, it is easy for the information concerning Israel to be lost and for us to lose sight of the time that we are living in. This can cause us to think that we still have plenty of time and we can even fall into a spiritual slumber. I will now point out some of the most outstanding events that have occurred in relation to the Jewish people and Jerusalem during the months of April, May and June, 2020. April 9, 2020-The Jerusalem Post reported the following: “Jordan rejects any steps that Israel takes to annex occupied Palestinian lands,” declared their Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ayman Safadi, to his French counterpart, Jean-Yves Le Drian, since the conversations of the Israeli coalition appear to maintain the door open to making such a move this summer. April 19, 2020-The Jerusalem Post published the following:
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increased by 56% in comparison to 2018 (which doubled since 2017). In total there were 2,107 incidents of anti-Semitism in 2019, an increase of 12% over Pastor Efraim Valverde III the 1,879 that occurred in 2018. The amount in 2018 was the second highest registered in this century, only being second to the “Iran displayed drones that can that the population in Israel 1,986 that occurred in 2017. reach Israel, the threat increases. increased by 171,000 persons It is a message to Israel, the last year and they projected that May 12, 2020- Israel National United States and their allies: we by the time Israel celebrates its News reported that the Muslim can reach you.” 100 year anniversary in 2048, the leaders told the head of the population will reach 15 million. Council of Samaria: “Many of April 20, 2020-The Wall 74% of the population is Jews us are praying for the Israeli Street Journal published the and 21% are Arabs. sovereignty”. following: “The new pandemic of corona virus is feeding anti- April 28, 2020-Israel National May 13, 2020-Israel National Semitic sentiments,” stated News reported about the News reported that the Prime Israeli investigators on Monday, announcement made by the Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, “meanwhile online messages and United States: “We are ready to sent a letter on Wednesday in other places falsely accuse the recognize Israeli sovereignty night to the president of the Jews of propagating the sickness over Judea and Samaria, but there Knesset, MK Benny Gantz, and and of the subsequent economic must also be peace negotiations to the president of Israel, Reuven Rivlin, announcing that he had impact.” with the Palestinian Authority.” been successful in forming a April 21, 2020-The news agency, May 1, 2020- Israel National government. The Jerusalem Post, announced: News reported that a group of ten The deal has been signed. European ambassadors, headed May 22, 2020-The news reporting Benjamin Netanyahu and Benny by the United Kingdom, made a agency AP News reported that the Gantz signed an agreement to formal protest against Israel on supreme leader of Iran declared form a unity government in Thursday, and emphasized that that Israel is a “cancerous tumor” Israel. This agreement puts an the annexation of parts of Judea that “without a doubt had to be end to the political crisis of the and Samaria would destabilize uprooted and destroyed,” during last 17 months. Netanyahu will the region and would damage an annual speech in support of remain as prime minister for 18 Israel’s position among the the Palestinians, renewing the threats against Iran’s archenemy months. At the end of that period international community. in the Middle East. he will be replaced by Gantz May 6, 2020-Israel National (the agreement calls for the May 31, 2020-Israel National annexation of Judea and Samaria News published that a missile News reported that the Jews fired from Gaza exploded in an in July). open area near the community began visiting the Temple Mount April 23, 2020-The news agency of Eshkol in Israel. The Israeli after 70 days as restrictions that Israel National News reported Defense Forces has responded by prohibited Jews to visit their that the European Union has attacking the site from which the most sacred cite were lifted. warned Israel that the “annexation missile was launched. June 8, 2020-Israel National (of Judea and Samaria)” would News informed that the be a “serious violation” of May 12, 2020-The Jerusalem Palestinian Authority is asking international rights, prior to Post reported: “Anti-Semitism the UN to condemn the Israeli forming of the unity government. reached a new historic high in sovereignty plan, and knowing the United States in 2019, and April 26, 2020-Ynet News continues increasing for the sixth that they will be confronted by a reported that the population consecutive year,” according veto given by the United States in Israel is now 9.2 million. to the annual report given by in the Security Council, the PA The annual report given by the the Anti-Defamation League. Central Office of Statistics shows Physical assaults against Jews Cotinue on page...6
GOD'S PROPHETIC CLOCK
4 “For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. For yet a little while, and He that shall come will come, and will not tarry” (Heb. 10:36-37).
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he Holy Spirit of our God, by instrumentality of the apostle Paul, speaks to us in these difficult days (which are the last days) and tells us to patiently endure all that comes our way, encouraged by the understanding that we are only a short distance from reaching the end of this race. It is not necessary for us to mention specifically each and every one of the signs that have already been fulfilled or those that are being fulfilled daily right before our eyes since the Lord through the prophet Daniel told us that the “wise shall understand” (Dan. 12:10). This means that there are people who live upon the face of the earth who are spiritually awake and who are watching, knowing that our Lord is soon returning. It is to this group of people (comprised of faithful Israel and the faithful Church) that the Holy Spirit is speaking, telling us to be patient, because it is just “a little while, and He that shall come will come, and will not tarry” (Heb. 10:37). It is also to the members of this group of “wise” people that this present message is directed. Men and women who, having entered into a relationship with the Lord Jesus, now love and serve Him, living a life marked by holiness, humility and sincerity. These are Christians who are scattered around the world across different borders and oceans and who, just as their Christian brothers before them, are experiencing
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PATIENCE, BROTHER, WE HAVE ALMOST ARRIVED! Pastor Efraim Valverde, Sr.
tribulations and unspeakable trials for displaying God’s righteousness in their lives. Sons and daughters of God, of all ages and social levels, who having learned from the Master to bless everyone and not to curse anyone, patiently endure shame and contempt, not only at the hands of unbelievers, but also from their own brothers who, having the mark of the antichrist in their lives, fulfill what is forewarned in Isaiah 66:5, “Hear the Word of the LORD, ye that tremble at His Word; Your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for My Name’s sake, said, Let the LORD be glorified: but He shall appear to your joy, and they shall be ashamed.
tell both my brothers in the faith as well as other people, that the “end is come.” It is certainly true that people who do not know the Lord do not believe this, as we see the world continue to make plans for the future, thinking that man has his destiny in his own hands. The political leaders among the nations, the scientists and men in general all speak about different projects, including future plans after the years 2020 and 2030. They do not think, much less believe, that “an end is come, the end is come: it watcheth for thee; behold it is come.” But the saddest truth, one which causes much desperation, is seeing that multitudes of professing Christians also do not believe that the end is come. However, the It is to these, my faithful brothers, Word of the Lord will be fulfilled (many who I know personally, and the undeniable reality is that and many others that I only “the end is come.” know through the connection of the Spirit of the Lord), that the The Lord moved me to continue Master has moved me to call reading in the book of Ezekiel and their attention to some portions when I reached chapter 9, I once of the Scripture that in a very again felt the same sensation as specific manner my God has before. When I read verses 4 and used to speak to me in the past 6 the Lord strongly impressed few months. upon my heart the description given about the importance of Being moved by a strong impulse the mark of God, the mark of from the Holy Spirit to read the life sealed on the foreheads of book of the prophet Ezekiel, those of us who have the mind when I read chapter 7, particularly of Christ. “And the LORD said verses 5 through 7, I had the unto him, Go through the midst sensation that the Words of the of the city, through the midst Holy Book shouting at me. At the of Jerusalem, and set a mark same time I was commanded to
upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof (among the People of God and in the world).” Much is spoken and taught about the mark of the beast (the mark of death), but very little is spoken about the mark of life, which is the mark of Christ upon each one of us who follow the Lord Jesus “denying ourselves” and walking according to the sacred mold which the Holy Spirit insistently describes in the Holy Book (please read Phil. 2:1-5; 1 Cor. 13:1-7; Gal. 5:22-26; Jam. 3:17-18; 1 Pet. 2:1-2; and others). It is only the true Christians, men and women, those who have “the mind that was in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 2:5), who will “sigh and cry” (Ezek. 9:4) continually before God as they consider the sad condition of the present generation. These true Christians have learned to feel and understand the pain and lament of their heavenly Father (Isa. 1:2) and whose lives are torches which illuminate the paths of those around them. These Christians have been able to raise themselves above the cheap level of the denominational religious environment which is prevalent and in which the Pharisaical and prideful spirit predominate. These true Christians, having their eyes set only on the Lord, walk in a way that continually demonstrates the mark of God in their lives: the unlimited love of Christ the Lord. These are the members of the people of the saints, God’s people, the Church of the Lord Jesus, who are marked in the same manner
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as the families of Israel in Egypt. When God sent the tenth and last plague, they were delivered from the death that came over all Egypt (Exodus, chapters 11 and 12). Today, in the midst of all of the worldwide commotion that presently exists, and that is increasing as it heads to a most terrible climax, is the time that we will be marvelously delivered, so that we may serve as personal testimonies of the power of God, so that many who currently do not believe in the Lord can believe in Him, that they might be saved and delivered from the terrible wrath of the Almighty God, who is shouting to us today that the “end is come” (Ezek. 7:6). This is why the Lord is exhorting those who are possessors of the mark of God to not allow the enemy for any reason to cause us to lose this marvelous privilege that we have received. We have been warned that “because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold” (Mat. 24:12). It is in this present time that this satanic operation has been working at maximum force and it has already ruined and continues to ruin the lives of many who were at one time sealed by the mark of God, but who are no longer sealed. It is certainly true that they have religion, doctrine, prophecies, even the sign of speaking in tongues and outward holiness. They have their temples, people and much knowledge, but they no longer “sigh and cry” (Ezek. 9:4) as they did before in previous times, despite the fact that before their very eyes there are the needs among a humanity which suffers hunger, sicknesses, crimes, addictions, pain, war, misery, sin, moral ruin
that “He that shall come will come, and shall not tarry” (Heb. 10:37). He that shall soon come is the same One who tells you and me: “Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, My soul shall have no pleasure in him.” Then the sacred interpreter summarizes our mindset by saying: “But we are (not) of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that However, the Lord continues believe to the saving of the soul” telling us that “the end is come” (Heb. 10:38-39). (Ezek. 7:6), and the man who had “the writer’s inkhorn by his side” Therefore, this message, as I (Ezek. 9:3), continues to place mentioned at the beginning, is “a mark upon the forehead of the directed to “the wise” (Dn. 12:10), men that sigh and that cry for all to those who, understanding the the abominations that be done Lord’s “message” (Jn. 8:43), can in the midst thereof” (among the feel the spirit with which I write People of God and in the world).” these lines. The faithful remnant, the true people of the saints, has never It is for that faithful minister of ceased to exist. After all, it was Christ the Lord who is presently many afflictions, the Lord Himself who declared enduring needs and tribulations, who, that “the gates of hell shall not prevail against her” (Mt. 16:18). because he lives and preaches Even to this present day, being the righteousness of God, is scattered around all the face suffering for the reason that he of the earth, the two witnesses is misunderstood and despised, (faithful Israel and the faithful even by his own brothers who Church) remain standing, each he loves and serves, and even to fulfilling the commission which the degree that many times he has felt the strong urge to cease has been given to them. battling and to step aside from The apostle Paul tells us that the the ministry. I tell you my brother “Lord knoweth them that are His” and companion in this sacred (2 Tim. 2:19), but he also exhorts calling: Patience, my brother, we us to examine ourselves, since have almost arrived! each person knows themselves. If within you, my beloved brother, It is for my faithful and my beloved sister, resides this longsuffering brother who feels groaning which moves you to that the tremendous pressure of weep before the Lord continually the family problems, economic as you see the need around us, problems, and so many other bless the Lord and thank Him for things that the enemy is launching giving you the supreme privilege against him, are pushing him to of being a possessor of the mark stop fighting the good fight in of God (Ezek. 9:4). Don’t allow the desert and to return to Egypt. anything or anyone cause you To you my brother, the Lord is to lose this treasure. Remember telling me to tell you: Patience, and other similar things. They live in a religious world which has an outward appearance of Christianity and are only worried about exalting their respective groups, their personalities, their doctrinal forms or their traditions, but they no longer “sigh and cry” (Ezek. 9:4) because the pain of Calvary has departed from their lives.
5 brother, we have almost arrived! It is for you, my sister who has been faithful to your Lord. It is to you who are living through many different painful experiences for which you have no explanation, much less a solution, and who sometimes feel that you are going to lose your mind due to all the problems and suffering you face. To you who at times feel that you are alone and defeated, I say. The Lord is there at your side and He is telling you: Patience, my daughter. You have almost arrived at the port where I am waiting for you! This message is also for you, faithful young Christian man who in the spring of your life has met the Beloved of your soul, but due to the environment that surrounds you, your emotions have confused you and at times you do not know with certainty what to think or what to do. It is also for you, young Christian girl, who love the Lord with the depths of your soul, but who has struggled with your impulses and who becomes exasperated because you cannot be what you know and want to be for your Savior. “I have written unto you, young men (and women), because ye are strong and the Word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one” (1 Jn. 2:14). In the Name of the Lord I encourage you, my young brother, my young sister, lift up your head and consider that “the end is come” (Ezek. 7:6), and there is not much time left for us to battle here, because our redemption is at the doors. The Lord loves you and is there at your side telling you: don’t faint My little one, have patience: “Behold I come
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quickly, hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown” (Rev. 3:11). Patience, my brother, we have almost arrived! There wherever you might be, my brother, whether you are in a large or small congregation, or if you are alone serving God, do not let go of your Lord’s hand. If you live up in the mountains, or in the desert, or in the midst of a large city, take note, the Lord is there at your side, always ready to help you continue going forward. If you are surrounded by many brothers, thank God for that. However, if that is not the case, remember that the Lord has promised us: “Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world” (Mt. 28:20), and He has kept His promise. In fact, in this precise moment He is at your side, watching to see how you react as you read these words He has moved me to tell you in these few pages. As I close my words, I must tell you that the last Scripture regarding what I have been mentioning in this writing and one which the Lord called my attention to is Ezekiel 12:27-28. In this passage the Lord clearly forewarns about the despairing reality that prevails today, not only among an incredulous and wicked world, but also among multitudes of professing Christians who also do not believe that “the end is come” (Ezek. 7:6). They have been deceived by erroneous doctrines called “Futurism” into believing that the Church of the Lord is not called to suffer here on the earth, and consequently will “disappear” from one moment to the next in a “mysterious rapture” without anyone knowing what happened. Then, according to this false teaching, only after the
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Church has disappeared the great prophecies and signs concerning the Second Coming of the Lord will begin to be fulfilled. Being blinded by this veil of deceit, they cannot accept or believe that the events happening around us today are the beginning of the “time of trouble” (Mt. 24:21; Lk. 21:25) which the Lord prophesied and which the people of God is called to pass through “as unto a light that shineth in a dark place” (2 Pet. 2:19), until the glorious moment that the King of the saints will appear in the clouds with power and glory. Because it is written: “Behold, He cometh with clouds, and every eye shall see Him, and they also which pierced Him, and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him. Even so, Amen” (Rev. 1:7; please also read 2 Thess. 1:3-12) Remember that even today there are two marks, the mark of Christ the Lord and the mark of the antichrist; the mark of the Eternal God and the mark of the god of this world; the mark of life and the mark of death (Ezek. 9:4; 1 Cor. 2:16; Rev. 13:15-18; 1 Jn. 3:10). I repeat. This message has been directed to those who have the mark of God. It is directed to those who understand the times in which we are living and know that the end is near. That is why they “sigh and weep” (Ezek. 9:4), feeling the pain of Calvary, because Christ lives in them. My Lord has moved me to tell you: Patience, my brother, we have almost arrived! “For yet a little while, and He that shall come will come, and will not tarry” (Heb. 10:37). May the Lord bless you
GOD'S PROPHETIC CLOCK from page...3
plans to send a resolution project against the sovereignty plan in the General Assembly. June 8, 2020-The Jerusalem Post reported that the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Fatou Bensouda, told the PreTrial Chamber of the ICC that the investigation against Israel for war crimes could continue due to the continuing application of the Oslo Accords. June 10, 2020-Israel National News informed that Daniella Weiss, an Israeli Orthodox settlement activist, spoke to Arutz Sheva news agency about her organization’s opposition to the so-called “Deal of the Century” set forth by the United States government. We are very worried about the “Deal of the Century,” but being worried is not enough. We are working intensively to completely block all of the plan, because this agreement, as explained by the ambassador, David Friedman, is highly connected to the idea of sovereignty over 30% of Judea and Samaria, including the Jordan Valley, and 70% for a Palestinian state. June 10, 2020-The Jerusalem Post published: “The churches and evangelical movements in the United States have enthusiastically supported the peace plan set forth by President Donald Trump and the Israeli plans to annex the settlements. In other nations, the majority of the other denominations and Christian churches have condemned the plan. Last month all of the major Christian churches in Israel and in the region energetically criticized the components of Trump’s annexation plan, saying that it would destroy the possibility of reaching a peaceful
agreement with the Palestinians. June 14, 2020-The Times of Israel announced that Iran is drawing closer to obtaining a nuclear bomb. The officials in charge of Israel’s defense are evaluating this information. This report stated that the minister of Defense, Benny Gantz, was presented an evaluation indicating that Teheran is only six months away from producing all of the components necessary to make a nuclear bomb and in that two years it would be able to assemble such a bomb. June 16, 2020-Ynet News published that experts in rights from the UN condemn Israel’s annexation plan and the Unites States’ support of this plan. The declaration made by a group of 50 officials warns against the “illegality” of the move planned by Jerusalem, stating that the abuses against the human rights in Cisjordan would only increase later. June 17, 2020- The Jerusalem Post reported that the minister of Aliyah and Integration, Pnina Tamano-Shata, stated on Wednesday that the latest estimates project about 90,000 new immigrants will move to Israel from different parts of the world during the next 18 months. We continue awaiting “…the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour…” (Isa. 43:3). The first part of this year has flown by. The Second Coming of the Messiah will occur sooner than we think. My prayer is that those who are slumbering spiritually will awaken, and that those who are spiritually awake will not cease watching and praying. Shalom! Pastor Efraim Valverde III
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“For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thess. 5:9). “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be” (Mt. 24:21).
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y this time much has been spoken and written about the “rapture,” the antichrist, the “great tribulation,” and all of the other false teachings related to end time prophecy. For many years now I have focused on refuting these teachings which I have called “biblical fantasies.” On the other hand, I have strived to teach what is solid and truthful in the Word of God. The school of prophetic interpretation known as “Futurism” has been a special instrument used by the deceiver to cultivate in the minds of multitudes of professing Christians the many highly popular “biblical fantasies” which are prevalent today. One of these erroneous teachings is that “the Church will not pass through tribulation.” It is about this particular subject that I would like to focus my attention on in this article. The Bible verses that I cite at the beginning are the verses which are used in a very special way by the Futurism teachers to teach that Christians are not called to suffer. The message contained in these verses, as well as in many others which are connected to them, is very clear and correct. However, what is neither clear nor correct is what they DO NOT say, but what the men who “wrest the Scriptures” (2 Pet. 3:16) are determined to make them say, and this is: “That the Church has God’s promise that
THE TRIBULATION OR THE WRATH OF GOD? Pastor Efraim Valverde, Sr.
There are basically two principal ways in which the Bible uses the term “tribulation.” One is the tribulation that will come upon the unbelieving, unrighteous world that neither knows nor serves God. The other is the tribulation of the children of God. The tribulation against the unrighteous world has always come from and will continue to come from God as a chastisement and judgment for condemnation. But no matter the manner in which this tribulation comes upon the children of God, it has always been and will always be for their own good, for their spiritual wellbeing (read Romans 8:28).
it will not suffer nor go through tribulation.” The influence of this false interpretation has been so strong that presently there are many Christians who, despite seeing the reality of the contrary, close their eyes and continue believing this ephemeral illusion that is preached and taught by the school of prophetic interpretation known as Futurism. This subject is certainly very extensive and profound, and it would be materially impossible to discuss it in an ample and complete manner in a few paragraphs. In fact, there are many other subjects and things which are invariably related to the expression “the tribulation.” But there is something here, which is generally the case in many other situations and which is the root of the problem that we are dealing with in this article. This problem lies in the failure to understand the difference between the biblical terms “tribulation” and “wrath of God.” Not having the correct understanding concerning these terms has produced a tremendous confusion in the minds of multitudes of Christians who are sincere, but who have been deceived by those who “wrest the Scriptures” (2 Pet. 3:16). Let us therefore examine the root of the problem.
7 more than 30 times in the Bible. In addition to this its many other derivatives and synonyms are used so extensively throughout the pages of the Holy Book that it would be extremely difficult to count them all. Furthermore, this term does not apply to only one thing or situation, but to many different situations. The second verse that I cited at the beginning is a typical example of what I am explaining here since it mentions “great tribulation” (Mt. 24:21). This is the verse that is most commonly used to try to prove that a future “Great Tribulation” (Rev. 7:14) exists after the “rapture.” However, as we examine God’s message, when we use the term “tribulation” it is imperative that we understand in what sense we are using it. Otherwise, we also can contribute so that confusion increases, both in our own minds and in the minds of those who are influenced by our words. There are basically two principal ways in which the Bible uses the term “tribulation.” One is the tribulation that will come upon the unbelieving, unrighteous world that neither knows nor serves God. The other is the tribulation of the children of God. The tribulation against the unrighteous world has always come from and will continue to come from God as a chastisement and judgment for condemnation. But no matter the manner in which this tribulation comes upon the children of God, it has always been and will always be for their own good, for their spiritual wellbeing (read Romans 8:28).
Concerning this type of tribulation the Holy Spirit continually speaks to us throughout the Sacred The word “tribulation” is used Scriptures, but in a specific and
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clear manner in the following declaration: “My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of Him: For whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement whereof all (of the children) are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons…Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised (in the chastisement, in the tribulation) thereby” (Heb. 12:5-11). The apostle Paul perfectly describes the two kinds of tribulation when he states: “Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you; and to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels…” (2 Thess. 1:610). In summary, I am trying to clarify, using the same Word of God, the two principal meanings of the word “tribulation” as they relate to the eschatological subject we are discussing. “THE TRIBULATION” (2 Thess. 2:16) that comes against the wicked world is the “WRATH OF GOD” (1 Thess. 5:9; Rev. 6:17) and brings judgment and condemnation. However, “THE TRIBULATION” (2 Thess. 1:7; Rev. 7:14) that comes against the “PEOPLE OF THE SAINTS OF THE MOST HIGH” (Dan. 7:27) is “THE GREAT WRATH OF THE DEVIL” (Rev. 12:12) and of the
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world against the children of the last week in the prophecy of Most High and brings spiritual the 70 weeks mentioned by the blessing and wellbeing to them. prophet Daniel (Dan. 9:24) will not take place until after the Therefore, the first Sacred Text I “mysterious rapture.” cited at the beginning declares a great truth, because it is certainly They teach that this week occurs true that “God hath not appointed during the “last days,” as they us unto wrath” (1 Thess. 5:9), arbitrarily divide “the day of the but only if we read it correctly, Lord” in to two parts and place without the “wresting” of the the so-called “Great Tribulation” false Futurism interpretations. during the invented literal week, After all, the “wrath of God” (1 which by the way would result Thess. 5:9) is already descending in two consecutive resurrections. upon the unrighteous world, but It is here that the play on words it will be manifested in all of its operates so that they can teach fury “when the Lord Jesus shall that “the Church in not called to be revealed from heaven with pass through great tribulation.” His mighty angels, in flaming The truth is that the Church is fire taking vengeance on them not called to suffer “the wrath of that know not God, and that obey God” on the “day of the Lord,” not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus as we previously noted in the Christ: who shall be punished Scriptures we cited. with everlasting destruction The apostle John saw the immense from the presence of the Lord, multitude of the redeemed. No and from the glory of His power, matter how much they try to do (when?) when He shall come to so, the Futurists cannot evade be glorified in His saints, and the truth and must accept the fact to be admired in all them that that the multitude that John saw believe” (2 Thess. 1:7-10). were redeemed “by the Blood “The wrath of God” (1 Thess. of the Lamb” (Rev. 12:11), and 5:9) that the apostle Paul states it is written about them: “These that the faithful servants of the are they which came out of Lord will be delivered from is great tribulation (not the wrath precisely the one we just read of God), and have washed their about that will come upon the robes, and made them white in unrighteous on “that day” the Blood of the Lamb” (Rev. (which the apostle also mentions 7:14). This is the same group in 2 Tim. 4:8), which is no that the prophet Daniel mentions more or no less than the Second when he declares that “many Coming in glory of our Lord. shall be purified and made white, But the propagators of Futurism and tried…” (Dn. 12:10). have invented a “mysterious I repeat that the purpose of rapture,” which does not exist in this present article is not do a the Word of God and which will complete study about this subject supposedly occur seven years and all of its ramifications. Such before the Second Coming of the a thing would be impossible to Lord in glory. This week of one do in a few short paragraphs. year per day was also invented The main purpose of this article by the Futurism teachers. They is to provoke the sincere, erroneously interpreted that the
serious Christian to think about this subject so that they will understand that if we confuse the expressions, “the wrath of God,” with the “tribulation of the saints,” this will bring about three consequences: 1. It will confirm the error taught by the deceivers. 2. It will cause a person to continue to deceive himself. 3. It will help create more victims of this deception. I will conclude this brief commentary, which was written as a “spiritual appetizer,” reaffirming the undeniable truth which is repeated many times in the Word of God: The Church is called to suffer tribulation (affliction, persecution, martyrdom, death, etc.), but it has the Eternal One’s promise to be delivered from “the wrath to come” (Mat. 3:7), and from the “great day of His wrath ” (Rev. 6:17), and from the “wrath of God” (1 Thess. 5:9). If any of our readers, being a faithful defender of the Futurism teachings, is daring enough to deny the truths I have mentioned here, that is a problem that you will have to reconcile, not with any man, but to the Lord and to His Word. My petition before God is that He will use this brief explanation to awaken the pure understanding of some of our brothers who, sincerely and with a clean conscience, seek the truth in the Word of God. It is the Lord who will teach them the difference between “the tribulation” and the “wrath of God,” so that they can put everything in its rightful place, so that they won’t be confounded with the “confounders.” May God bless you
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WOMEN OF GOD
YOUTH SECTION Aridai Sanchez
Sister Teresa Llamas
is near. We are witnessing the fulfillment of His Word in these last days (Lk. 22:37) during which wickedness has multiplied and there is no compassion one for another (Mt. 24:12). And as Pastor Efraim III has counseled us to do, let us be a living sanctuary that is consecrated to seek God at all times and in every situation, being thankful to the Lord in all things.
Presence with a true heart, so that we might please Him (Ps. 139:23-24).
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od bless all those who read this publication, Maranatha. First of all I thank God for the life He has given me and for His blessings and the marvelous works He has done in my life, even though I do not deserve it. In these last days I know that I am not the only one who has felt oppositions and battles trying to keep me from praying, reading, fasting and doing the work of the Lord, but that does not mean that I should put my guard down. I have a preferred saying which I use quite often on myself: “Never give up.” As I am writing this I realize that God has fulfilled this expression in my life and He has not allowed me to give up. “And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He heareth us” (1 Jn. 5:14). It is the Lord’s will that we walk with Him, and in the midst of our affliction we ask Him to help us walk with Him, and that He help us to love and serve Him with all of our heart and understanding, and that He help us overcome the difficulties that present themselves as we try to serve Him better, I am sure that the Lord will answer us, because that is His will. He will not ignore us, especially if we come before Him with a “humble and contrite spirit” (Ps. 51:17). May we go before His
I also would like to mention something that Pastor Efraim Valverde III told us during the “Video Conference for the Youth” in days past: “Be strong and of a good courage” (Josh. 1:69). He told us that in the moments of uncertainty, fear and discouragement, God tells us: “Be strong and of a good courage.” He told us that be strong implies that what we are being asked to do is not easy, but that it requires effort, and that effort is not only taking action, but it means believing before taking action. After all, if we do not believe, then how are we going be strong and strive? He also mentioned the verse which states: “…that thou mayest observe to do according to the law, which My servant Moses commanded…” (Josh. 1:7). I thank God for my father, who is a man of God, who has inspired me and motivated me to press forward, and for my mother, who has been a great example to me in many different aspects of my life. I also thank God for brother Nestor Quintanar who has always encouraged me to do the will of the Lord and who has inspired me to study the Word of God. I also thank God for my pastor, Taurino Quintanar, because he has never ceased praying for my family and me. I also thank God for Pastor Efraim Valverde III who has been a blessing in my life through the Word of God that God has given him to speak, and for his wife, Sister Claudia Valverde. The Lord knows that they have been a blessing to my life for many years. May God bless you. Sincerely, Aridai Sánchez. San Martín del Estado, Silacayoapam, Oaxaca
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My beloved sisters, “the hour cometh, and now is” in which the true children of God are going to seek Him “in spirit and in truth” (Jn. 4:23). Not only when we have the opportunity to seek Him Sisters, in these days that are in temples made by hands, but in difficult for the whole world, not the temple which is our own life, only because of the surge of the as we do righteous works. COVID-19, but also due to many things that have come against our May the Lord have mercy on us so lives, for me it has been a great that at all times we can obtain His blessing to be continually listening Grace and mercy, and so that we to the messages from the Word of can be pleasing before the eyes of God these past few months through our Lord and our Father. May God our pastor, Efraim Valverde III, help us to press forward in His and through his grandfather, Pastor path, because we can do nothing Efraim Valverde, Sr., of blessed with our own strength (Jn. 15:5). It is only His mercy that sustains memory. us each and every second of our I have found peace, comfort and lives. my faith has increased as I meditate on this promise: “all things work May our Lord Jesus keep you, together for good to them that love and fill your homes with His God” (Rom. 8:28). As I learn to blessings. Let us not cease praying trust even more in the Word of our for one another. come what may, Lord Jesus Christ given by these I encourage you to press forward men of God. After all, “the words with the help of our God in this of the wise are as goads, and as journey, with the goal of obtaining nails fastened by the masters of His promises. Let us also continue assemblies, which are given from supporting the work the Lord has commended to our husbands in one Shepherd” (Eccl. 12:11). this ministry of service. Let us strive to obey the counsel from the Word of God and walk Your sister in Christ Jesus, in the narrow way, seeking to Teresa Llamas (wife of Pastor keep our flesh under subjection, Elías Murillo). and seeking His mercy each day, because the time of His Return Guadalajara, Jalisco ay the Lord Jesus, God, bless you sisters, and may peace of the Lord be in every of you.
our my the one
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TESTIMONIES CONCERNING THE LIVE ONLINE SERVICES FROM MARCH 16, 2020
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uring the most difficult times of my life God has His sent angels and His Word by using the preaching, comforting my soul and giving me peace. I thought of dying many times, but now I live by faith, and each passing day I give God thanks for His mercy and for the fact that He continues being the same yesterday, today and forever. I strongly cling to the Word of God each day. I have cried hearing the songs of praise and I end up praying and giving thanks in the midst of the storms. Thank you for transmitting the live services each day. May the Lord bless Pastor Efraim Valverde III and may He continually bless you. Sis. Alyss Moran, Guatemala.
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od bless you. I am a member of the congregation where Bro. Jose Covarrubias is the pastor. My husband is not a Christian, but from the time the transmission of the live services began, he has been watching them with me. Previously, he could not attend the services because of his job, but now he has been hearing the Word of God daily. The day that we were told to anoint the entrance to our home, I had the oil in my hands, and I thought to myself: “If I ask my husband to do it and he does not want to, then that will offend God. However, if I don’t tell him, I am not giving him his place.” I took the risk and decided to tell him that he was the man of the home and asked him if he wanted to anoint the doorway into our home. Something beautiful happened! He began to pray and anoint the entrance and we began feeling the presence of God in our home. From that day forward God has blessed us in a very special way. We have not lacked food and have been in good health. Even though my husband has not been working, the Lord has given us much more than when he was working and now my husband spends this special time with me as we watch the daily preaching together. I thank the Lord Jesus Christ for this. May God bless you. Sis. Ana Ovalle, Tijuana, Baja California Norte, Mexico.
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he only reason I entered Facebook about three months ago was for the purpose of hearing the preaching of my pastor, Efrain Arreola and Pastor Efraim Valverde III. My spirit has been continually filled by the teachings, prayer and fasting. I made an altar in my room just as the pastors encouraged us to do. I began writing short Biblical articles and sharing them with others. My time has been consumed more and more by God. My family has not wanted to join me in this but the pastors have encouraged me to continue and to not stop doing what I have been doing! Honestly, I get excited as I anticipate the worship and teaching every night. This has helped me to not watch television. Please do not stop ministering to us in this way. I share this with you because God has used it as a blessing to me and to others. Thank you and God bless you. Sis. Becky Medina, Tulare, California.
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he Lord has been working in my life and primarily in my marriage, since on the days of the service the Lord has been working in the life of my husband to make changes in his life, to be a leader and to draw closer to God. Maybe this change is not significant to many, but to me it is immense. I know that the Lord is renewing all things and I try to not be impatient. Please continue to keep us in your prayers because I know that in due time we will reap if we do not faint (Gal. 6:9). I am also aware that the enemy is increasing his attack, but with the Lord’s help we will be victorious in His Holy Name! God bless you. Sis. Edith Gutierrez, Tototlan, Jalisco, Mexico.
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t has been a great blessing having found these messages which are transmitted daily through this ministry. It has been a great blessing to my life. God gives me much peace and strength as I hear the messages from His Word using Pastor Efraim Valverde III. Amen. Sis. Gladis Maldonado.
first of all thank God for giving me the opportunity to send my testimony. For me, this time that we have been going through has been difficult, since in my country the congregations were closed. But since the time that Pastor Efraim Valverde III began transmitting live daily, it has been a great blessing to me. God worked to clear our minds and to get to know Him better. During the time of prayer I have been able to shed my tears in my office and in my home. I am grateful. We can see that the nations became aware how God can use such a small action to cause the world to tremble. The great day is coming very soon in which all of the saints will be glorified. Greetings and may God bless you. Bro. Henry Noe Flores Rivera, Honduras.
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thank my God greatly for the marvelous blessing of the online services. Through this medium my children and I have been united in seeking the Lord every day, meditating on and discussing what we have learned. It has helped dedicate time in our home to the study of God’s Word and to not lose the (habit) of seeking God in these days that it is not possible for us to gather in our congregations. Thank God for this ministry. My prayer is that the Lord bless Pastor Efraim Valverde III and his family. Shalom! Bro. Ivan Alvarez, Tijuana, Baja California Norte, Mexico.
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halom! It is truly difficult for me to express in words the immense blessing these daily live transmissions have been to my wife, my family and to me. It is with great desire that we anxiously wait for the broadcast to begin so that we might receive strength, instruction through the Word of God. We receive comfort and encouragement through the daily prayer. It is a blessing to be able to share these transmissions with other brothers, with family and with friends with the total security that it will be a blessing to their lives. My desire is that the Lord Jesus continue blessing my brother, Pastor Efraim Valverde III, his family and all those who support this ministry in Salinas, California. God bless you. Bro. Jose Estrada, La Junta, Chihuahua, Mexico.
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od bless you. There has been a great change in me and in my family these past days. The living room in my home has become a sanctuary for us to hear God’s voice and to worship Him during the live services. It has been almost three months that we have been hearing the Word of God daily. I do not want the daily transmission to stop because I am sure that now many others are seeking our great God in these days. Since the 16th of March (the day that the transmissions began) I began sharing the services with my friends and family who are Catholics. At first they did not want to hear about my Lord Jesus Christ, but now many of them respond to me making comments about the service saying that they have never heard the Word of God spoken in this manner. The Lord Jesus Christ is performing great miracles in the lives of many people who previously did not want to know anything about God. I thank the Lord greatly for our pastor, Efraim Valverde III and for his beautiful family. May God bless all of you. Sis. Maria Sampson, Wood burn, Oregon.
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hese teachings have been a great help. The Lord has made changes in my life and in the lives of many of my companions. Bro. Orlando Fernandez, Comayuga, Honduras.
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have many reasons to thank God because I have been watching the daily live preaching and it has been a great help and blessing to me, to my children and to my husband. I have been in a great struggle with my husband for the past four years. He is baptized and was a man who loved the Lord but a time came that the enemy used him. He strayed away from God and had to be interned in a psychiatric hospital in Puebla, Mexico. Finding myself in that situation without knowing what do to I, on several occasions I considered not going to church and straying from God. The enemy placed in my mind that God was no longer with me. But I thank God for His great mercy toward me because I began tuning in to the live services and began watching them every day. It has been a great blessing in my life and in the lives of my children because God puts words in the mouth of our pastor, and it is the Lord Himself that speaks to us through our brother, especially when he speaks about married couples. It has helped me a lot and has been a great blessing. I thank the Lord Jesus Christ that my husband returned to our home and we are together again. God bless my brother, Pastor Efraim Valverde III and his family. Sis. Silvia Hernandez Alfaro, Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico
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“Elias was a man subject to like passion as we are…” (Jam. 5:17).
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s the reader can observe, I am only citing the first part of this verse. The reason is that on this occasion I do not want to speak about this and other miracles performed by the prophet Elijah, that powerful man of God, known to the students of the Bible as “the prophet of fire.” I want to emphasize the declaration made by the apostle James that describes an unpleasant, yet undeniable, truth: The presence of the negative passions which reside in the humanity of each child of God, including in those vessels that were used by the Lord in an outstanding fashion in the past and in those whom He is using presently. It is no secret that among our present religious environments the attitude that prevails is one of “a form of godliness” (2 Tim. 3:5), which marks the lives of a great majority of believers and preachers. These persons insist on convincing themselves, and all those whom they influence, with a message of an outward appearance only. This outward form is in reality a vile hypocrisy. The erroneous, yet common, interpretation that they teach is that a sinner, after he has believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, and has been baptized in His Name, and has received the gift of the Holy Spirit, and has spoken in other tongues, is now immune from the sinful passions. It would be impossible in this brief commentary to cite all the Scriptures, reasons and cases that refute the false, illusory interpretation I alluded to. Therefore, I will limit myself to mentioning a few key verses that are very pertinent to this study. One of them is: “The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), by the resurrection of Jesus Christ” (1 Pet. 3:21). In this
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THE NEGATIVE PASSIONS IN THE CHRISTIAN BELEIVER Pastor Efraim Valverde, Sr.
Scriptural portion, the Holy Spirit, through the apostle Peter, once again emphasizes the fundamental importance of water baptism. But at the same time in this same verse he, in a concrete and sufficiently specific manner, declares an unpleasant, yet undeniable, truth. This undeniable truth which God confirms to us through the instrumentality of the apostle consists in the fact that the presence of “the filth of the flesh” (1 Pet. 3:21) continues to reside in the humanity of the sinner, even after he becomes a believer in the Lord. And, there is no exception to this. This Scripture is prominently used by all of us who understand that baptism should be administered by immersion in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and that this is basic for salvation and the forgiveness of sins (Mk. 16:16; Acts 2:38). However, when dealing with the undeniable, unpleasant truth mentioned above, this Scripture is ignored. What has moved me to once again write about this subject is seeing many of my brothers (and among them companions in the ministry) suffer as they experience the presence of the passions and filth of the flesh. Certainly, they struggle against them, but in an erroneous and futile fashion, because they try to ignore them, behaving as if they do not exist in their lives. I clarify that this message is not directed toward filthy Christians and ministers, and much less to those who teach the ridiculous idea that the believer in the Lord no longer has sin. It is not worth our trouble to even spend time
discussing such a foolish teaching. What I am writing here is directed toward faithful and sincere Christians who, in the intense desire to serve and please the Lord, suffer because they see that they cannot be the child of God that they would like to be. The Sacred Scriptures deal with this problem more than any other problem, but due to limited space I will elaborate on the Scriptures that I have already cited: The declaration made by James the apostle concerning the passions that were in the prophet Elijah, and the statement made by the apostle Peter that BAPTISM DOES NOT REMOVE “the filth of the flesh” (1 Pet. 3:21). I invite my readers to also read what the apostle Paul declared concerning this truth in Romans 7:15-25. The apostle James, as one of the faithful and prominent ministers in the Church of the Lord in its beginnings, was fully aware of the problem of the negative passions residing in the lives of the children of God. It is precisely for this reason that he mentions this problem in his brief universal epistle. He was conscious of a common tendency among the people of God, one that is prevalent even today, particularly among the Gentile Christians. This consists in believing that the men of God who are used in special and prominent ways by Him, both in past centuries and at the present, were part of a “superior caste.” In other words, believing that they are a type of super humans who lived and live immune to the negative passions
of the flesh. After all, if a faithful, sincere Christian ignores this truth, he is vulnerable to the hypocrites who might present themselves to him “having their conscience seared with a hot iron” who may deceive him, making him believe that he is part of a “superior caste.” The faithful Christian who has been imprisoned in this erroneous impression becomes an easy target for the “accuser of our brethren” (Rev. 12:10). He will work on this sincere, but unwary, child of God and, taking advantage of his ignorance, make him believe that the presence of the negative passions in his flesh is proof that he is not part of the people God has chosen or that God has already abandon him. I repeat. The child of God who tries to ignore or hide the negative passions of his sinful condition will never be able to overcome them with that mindset. Those impulses are an innate part of our humanity, therefore it is impossible to get rid of them, they are the inheritance of sin we received from our first fathers. Throughout the past centuries, Christians have tried many different methods in an attempt to free themselves from the “body of this death” (Rom. 7:24), but all of them have failed. Many have isolated themselves completely so that they can see, hear and speak only to God. But, even so, no one has been successful in freeing themselves completely from the filth of the flesh to the degree that they no longer think any evil thoughts neither feel absolutely none of those passions, which, as faithful Christians, not only do not want in their lives, but they hate them. The undeniable reality is that not only Elijah, but also Abraham, Moses, Samuel, David, Isaiah, Daniel, Peter, Paul, John and others “were (men) subject to like passion as we are (this ‘we’ included James, you and me)” (Jam. 5:17). These men I named, as well as many others I did not mention, were not used by God because they were part of
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w w w. e v a lverde.com / w w w.e v angelio eter no.org a “superior caste” or because they possessed a perfect human nature. They were used for the simple, yet tremendous, reality that God does not choose someone because they are worthy or because they deserve it. He just chooses those He desires to choose. In fact, sometimes He chooses someone who has failed the most, such as in the case of the apostle Peter. That is why He says: “Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated (even before they were born)” (Rom. 9:10-13). Anyone who has read the Bible knows that it openly bears witness of this undeniable truth. This is precisely what the apostle James wanted the Christians of his time to understand. This is also what God wants us to understand. Any person among us, who claims that during the time they are living in this humanity they do not sin, or that they are completely free from all the different passions and filth of the flesh, is a hypocrite, a liar and a fake. There has only been one Human who was perfect and without sin: Jesus Christ our Lord. “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. (However) If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned (even while living as Christians), we make Him a liar, and His Word is not in us” (1 Jn. 1:8-10). “But if we walk in the light (if we are walking in truth), as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 Jn. 1:7). This is precisely the reason for the apostle Paul’s cry of victory: “I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Rom. 7:25). The Sacred Scriptures are completely clear in this respect, especially in the New Testament. No one can be saved on their own. No one can be justified by their own works or merits (neither before nor after becoming a Christian) no matter how many they
may have done and how good these may be. We know that it is only by the redemptive Grace of our God and Savior Jesus Christ, and by His infinite mercy, that we can obtain the blessed privilege of being accepted by Him, and that He would use our lives. Any Christian who does not acknowledge and accept this, whether he is a member or minister of a congregation, is wasting his time miserably because his Christianity is in vain.
to something bad, and the pure into something impure. It also transforms positive courage into wrath and rage. It turns a passionate determination into stubbornness and whim. It turns normal desire into an unbridled lust and ambition. It turns the normal appetite for food into a repugnant gluttony. It turns normal fear into horror and bewilderment. It turns the positive jealousy into a murderous jealousy. It easily turns a profound love into a bitter hatred, etc.
I have mentioned here that the negative passions continue being an inevitable reality in the humanity of every faithful child of God and they must accept the ugly, unpleasant fact that they will have to endure them as long as they live. But I have also mentioned, although laconically, with the Word of God, how we can legitimately battle these passions so that we can have a “good conscience” (1 Pet. 3:21). The key is in not trying to hide, ignore or much less deny this chronic ailment, but to behave in the exact opposite way. In this manner, with a sincere acknowledgement and a “broken and contrite heart” (Psa.51:17) we can demand from God a “good conscience” (1 Pet. 3:21) and believe that by His Grace we can be victorious every day.
Among all the human passions and appetites that can be transformed into something negative, the one which has always tormented faithful children of God the most has been sex. In fact, for the sincere Christian (man and woman) it is the most difficult and embarrassing one to confess about. Having a problem with one of the other passions is less embarrassing, but when the problem is sexual, everything changes. There does not exist one human (including the believers in the Lord Jesus) who is not affected, in one way or the other and to one degree or another, by the passions of a sexual nature. No one can truthfully claim that throughout the course of their lifetime they have been completely exempt and immune to thoughts and impulses of a sexual character (this includes every Christian, no matter what temperament they may have). All we humans are originated in sex and each one of us has sex in us. Our Creator Himself stated this reality when He declared: “He which made them at the beginning made them male and female” (Mt. 19:4). That is why I have insisted that trying to evade or ignore this reality does not help any child of God. On the contrary, in trying to do so he is simply making his own life more miserable.
I have insisted here on naming the “negative” passions, for the reason that it is precisely in their negative forms that these passions cause the faithful child of God to suffer. It is an undeniable fact that it was the Creator who put these passions in our being so that we can use them in a positive manner. The greatest proof of this is the fact that He Himself demands from His children that we love Him with a deep, intense and passionate love. He Himself loved us in this manner. We can come to the conclusion that our depraved, natural human condition (with the help of the prince of darkness) transforms the positive appetites and passions into negative ones. It transforms that which is honorable into something dishonorable. It changes the good
I repeat, what I have written here is not directed toward those who live in unbridled passions and appetites. These words are directed, by inspiration of my God, to my brothers in the faith who fear and serve the
Lord, and to whom it is important to please Him. And more particularly to those (of both sexes) who are in the time of their lives, and in certain conditions, where the fire of sexual passions burns in them in negative ways, to the point of causing them to desire even death itself. Throughout the course of my ministry, and primarily in these last years of my maturity, there have been many children of my God who, with shame and embarrassment, have sought me out to ask for counsel, spiritual help and prayer. Just as I have said and written on previous occasions, I once again tell these Christians who walk in the fear of the Lord (men, women, young people, adults, married people, single people, and even faithful ministers of the Lord): Let us not live dreaming that one day our flesh will be completely free from all of these passions. As long as it is alive, our flesh is going to cause every one of us children of God to suffer in one way or another. On the other hand, let us not accept the devil’s accusation who is constantly whispering in the ear of the sincere child of God who fears God: “Look at your passions, your feelings and your sinful impulses. See how you cannot be freed from them. This is proof that God has left you and that you no longer have a place with Him.” Do not waste your time trying to deny before Satan the reality that the “filth of the flesh” (1 Pet. 3:21) lives in you. Let the hypocrites do that. You tell the devil that it is true that all that ugliness and negativity is in you, but that you are not accepted by the Lord because of your own merits and righteousness, but by His Grace. Tell the devil that God by His mercy has saved you, and that you know that as long as you are living in humility and communion, then “the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 Jn. 1:7). God bless you
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he doctrine of baptism is a subject of supreme importance, and has been considered to be so throughout the centuries which have passed since the Church was founded by our Lord Jesus Christ. He himself demonstrated the prominence of this sacrament when he issued the following command: “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned” (Mark 16:16). He also commanded His apostles to: “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost” (Matthew 28:19). He also emphasized the importance of being baptized, when He traveled to the Jordan River where John was baptizing, and asked John to be baptize Him, saying: “Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness” (Matthew 3:15). Many present-day religious leaders teach that baptism is not truly important; thereby contradicting the same Lord they claim to obey and serve. They are following the example of the Pharisees and lawyers who “rejected the counsel of God against themselves” by refusing to be baptized by John (Luke 7:30). Nevertheless, this tract is not directed to those who oppose the Word of God, but to the sincere Christians, who, having a pure and sincere heart, want to obey the Word of God. These Christians are willing to obey God’s commandments, whether they come directly from the Lord or through His apostles, since the Lord bestowed upon them His authority when He declared: “He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me” (Matthew 10:40). I must clarify here, that I am not
Inter nat iona l Per io dic a l Maranat ha
BAPTISM IN THE NAME OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST Pastor Efraim Valverde, Sr.
discussing the subject of water baptism with the purpose of obtaining members for a certain religious denomination or organization. Rather, my goal is that the obedient Christian, whoever and wherever he is, will receive from God the fullness of His salvation. Now that we are aware of these basic truths, let us now continue in our discussion by considering the following questions. What is the purpose of water baptism? The Lord stated that “he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved” (Mark 16:16). On the Day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit, through Peter’s lips, declared: “Repent and be baptized, every one of you…for the remission of your sins…” (Acts 2:38). Paul, referring to the Lord’s sacrifice, declares that the Lord gave Himself for His Church “that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water (baptism) by the Word” (Eph. 5:26). Peter, referencing the fact that Noah was saved by water in the ark, states: “The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now SAVE US…” (1 peter 3:21). . How should water baptism be administered? Paul explains to us that baptism is a symbol of the burial of one who has died. For this reason he poses the following question: “Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were
baptized into His death? Therefore we are BURIED with Him by baptism into death” (Rom. 6:3). On another occasion he explains to us that we are “BURIED with Him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with Him” (Col. 2:12). According to these Scriptures, baptism is a symbolic burial through which the believer, now dead to the world (repented) is buried in the waters of baptism and emerges from them, ready to live a new life in Christ. For this reason, baptism should be administered through immersion, submerging the body of the penitent completely in water, according to the example given by the Lord Himself when He entered into the Jordan River to be baptized: “And Jesus, when he was baptized, WENT UP STRAIGHTWAY OUT OF THE WATER” (Matt. 3:16). Likewise, when Phillip baptized the Ethiopian eunuch, the Scriptures tell us that “THEY WENT DOWN BOTH into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him. And when THEY WERE COME UP OUT OF THE WATER…” (Acts 8:38-39). What Name should be invoked during baptism? The Lord commanded His disciples to baptize the Gentiles “in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit” (Matt. 28:19), and when the apostles carried out the Master’s commandment, they baptized thousands upon thousands of
believers in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ. They did not disobey the Lord, as some have had the audacity to say. On the contrary, they faithfully executed His commandment, because they had understood that the “Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit” is JESUS the Lord, and that He is ONE. They understood when the Lord told them: “He that hath seen me, hath seen the Father” (John 14:9). They understood that “God was manifest in the flesh” (1 Tim. 3:16). They understood that the Lord Jesus was Israel’s Messiah, and that He could be none other than God Himself, because there is only one God (Deut. 6:4, Isa. 44:6). They understood that only the God, YHWH, can save, and they were given revelation to understand that the Lord Jesus is that same God, because the Name of God given to men that they might be saved is JESUS the Lord (Acts 4:12). This is the Name “which is above every other name” that Joel mentioned when he prophesied: “That whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered (saved)” (Phil. 2:9, Joel 2:32). The following Scripture verses bear witness that the original believers in the Church were all baptized calling upon the Name of Jesus Christ, and never with the titles Father, Son and Holy Spirit: Acts 2:38, Acts 8:16, Acts 10:48, Acts 19:5, Acts 22:16, Rom. 6:3, Gal. 3:27, 1 Pet. 3:21. The baptism invoking the titles of Father, Son and Holy Spirit was not utilized in the apostolic era or in the first centuries of the Church. It was an interpretation which came later as part of the package of many other false doctrines, fruit of the apostasy, which were accepted and confirmed by the Council of Nicea in the year 325 A.D.
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To whom does the baptism by immersion, invoking the Name of the Lord Jesus, apply? You, the reader, can find the answer in the Word of God. It is for the Jews (Acts 2:36-38). It is for the Samaritans (Acts 8:1416). It is for the Gentiles (Acts 10:45-48). It is for believers who have already been baptized with other baptisms (Acts 19:15). “For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, EVEN AS MANY AS THE LORD OUR GOD SHALL CALL” (Acts 2:39). In conclusion: My beloved brethren and friends, if you love the Lord and are one of those who are interested in being sure of the salvation of your soul, we sincerely invite you in the love of Christ to meditate on this important doctrinal subject. The message contained within this tract is not merely a denominational point of view, but is a very specific commandment given by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, who declared: “He who believeth and is baptized shall be saved.” Note: If you were enlightened by reading this brief tract or if it awakened an interest in you to know more about this fundamental doctrine in the process of salvation, we invite you to visit your brethren at the address listed on this tract or write to the editor of Publicaciones “Maranatha.”
WHAT MUST I DO TO BE SAVED? Pastor Efraim Valverde, Sr.
“Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, and brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house” (Acts 16:29-31).
I
must inform you that this message is not for everyone. It is only for those who are convinced of the fact that none of the many things that this world has to offer can give the peace that their soul desires. Neither is it written with the intent of obtaining followers by attempting to convince someone to leave their religion to accept a different one. On the contrary, it is for those who have already experienced the fact that no religion can change their lives. This message is intended to help those who, because of the miserable circumstances in which they presently live, whether it is a sickness, marital or family problems, addictions, traumas, prisons or similar situations, have arrived at the conclusion that only God can deliver them. It is for those who have come to the point in their lives in which they are compelled to ask the same question that the jailer at Philippi asked Paul and Silas: “What must I do to be saved?” If you find yourself in this category, through the love of Christ the Lord, I will explain to you God’s plan of salvation precisely as it is described in the Holy Bible.
FIRST STEP: You must acknowledge and confess your misery and need before God, and you must sincerely repent from your sins. Without this fundamental step, everything else you do will be in vain (Acts 3:19).
children the power of His Holy Spirit to help us to overcome and to give forth the “fruit of the Spirit” (Galatians 5:22). Ask the Lord to give you this gift together with the evidence of “speaking with other tongues” (Acts 2:4).
SECOND STEP: You must now accept the Lord Jesus as the Savior of your soul. You must believe that by His Grace and His Blood that He shed on the cross, He is able to cleanse all your sins, no matter how filthy they might be (Isaias 1:18).
SEVENTH STEP: Exercise yourself in reading the Word of God so that you might grow spiritually and become grounded in your faith. Occupy yourself as much as possible in serving others, thereby doing God’s work.
THIRD STEP: You must believe that by doing the previous step, this is proof that you have become a partaker of the miracle of having been “born again” (John 3:3), which is the same miracle as having been “born of God” or “begotten of God” (1 John 5:18).
FINAL STEP: now try to live the rest of your life in peace and in holiness, loving everyone, and being in communion with those who love the Lord as you love Him now. Seek out as much as you can the fellowship of those who live “looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great FOURTH STEP: It is now God and our Savior Jesus Christ" imperative for you to be immersed (Titus 2:13). in the waters of baptism just as the Lord was, making certain that CONCLUSION: Even though when you do so, the Name of our we may not know you, the Lord Lord Jesus Christ is invoked upon knows who you are, and our you (Acts 2:28 and 4:12). prayer is that He will bless you. We also ask our Lord Jesus that He FIFTH STEP: Being now a will work in your life, praying that “child of God” (1 John 1:12), a “new the plan described in this tract creature in Christ” (2 Corinthians will bring the change in your life 5:17), allow the Lord—who now that you greatly desire. If the Lord lives within you—to direct you places in your heart the desire to in how you must live, what you receive help from us in any way must do and what things are not that we can, please contact us. We beneficial to you. are here to serve you SIXTH STEP: The Lord has promised to give each of His
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