We welcome all seekers who long for God’s appearance!
Have you seen? The whole world has become shrouded in disasters.
In the morning of July 30, 2025, a massive magnitude 8.8 earthquake suddenly struck Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula, triggering a tsunami and prompting emergency tsunami warnings in multiple countries. The earthquake also induced the first eruption of the Krasheninnikov volcano in 600 years, with an ash column reaching a height of 6 km. Several volcanoes have become active, leading to a dramatic increase in regional volcanic activity.
Between July 23 and 29, 2025, Beijing, China, experienced days of heavy rainfall, resulting in at least 44 deaths.
On July 4, 2025, a once-in-a-century flash flood struck Texas, USA, submerging villages and washing away bridges overnight. The flood caused over 100 fatalities.
Between late June and early July 2025, a heat dome swept across Europe, with temperatures soaring past 40°C in France, Spain, and Portugal. The temperature in many areas exceeded 42°C, and the extreme heat resulted in over 2,000 deaths and the closure of many tourist attractions.
On March 28, 2025, Myanmar was hit by a powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake, leaving more than 3,000 people dead.
On January 7, 2025, a large-scale wildfire broke out in Los Angeles of Southern California, USA, destroying or damaging over 18,000 structures and causing 29 deaths.
Disasters such as wars, earthquakes, floods, plagues of insects, famines, pandemics, and extreme weather events are becoming more and more severe and frequent, and various celestial phenomena are also occurring frequently. Are these coincidences? Absolutely not. Two thousand years ago, the Lord Jesus issued a warning: “For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines and earthquakes in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. … For then shall be great tribulation (catastrophes), such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. … So likewise you, when you shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors” (Matthew 24:7–8, 21, 33).
All these signs are being fulfilled before our very eyes. The alarm bell of the last days has sounded—the Lord Jesus is standing at our door, knocking! In this final moment, how can we be wise virgins and welcome the Lord’s return to receive God’s salvation? This is a topic of concern for all who yearn for the Lord’s return. The Lord Jesus once said: “Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened to ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps” (Matthew 25:1–4). From the scriptures, we can see that the wise virgins prepared lamp oil and watchfully awaited the coming of the Lord. Ultimately, they welcomed Him, and they attended the feast in the kingdom of heaven. Many brothers and sisters believe that as long as we consistently read the scriptures, attend gatherings, diligently undertake the Lord’s work, and await watchfully, this means we have prepared the lamp oil and are wise virgins, and that we will be caught up into the kingdom of heaven when the Lord comes. We have been practicing in this way for many years, and now all manner of catastrophes have come, but we have yet to welcome the Lord. This leaves us with no option but to reflect, and to ask ourselves: Is diligently carrying out the Lord’s work in this way truly what it means to be a wise virgin? Will we be able to welcome the Lord and be caught up before the catastrophes in this way?
Let’s think back to the scribes, chief priests and Pharisees. They were all well-read in the scriptures, and their families had served God for generations. They strictly obeyed the law, abided by the commandments, worked diligently, and even travelled all over the world to spread the gospel of God. It can be said that they did quite a lot of work, endured no little suffering, and that they watchfully awaited the arrival of the Messiah. According to our notions and imaginings, they should have been the wise virgins who prepared lamp oil, and they should have been qualified more than anyone to welcome the Lord and to receive His salvation. But what are the facts? When the Lord Jesus became flesh and came to work, not only did these people fail to recognize the Lord Jesus, but they even believed, on the basis of their notions and imaginings, that “anyone who is not called ‘Messiah’ is not God.” They could clearly hear that the Lord’s words had authority and power, and yet on the basis of their notions and imaginings, they condemned the Lord Jesus’ work and words as departing from the Scriptures. They used this as justification to deny that the Lord Jesus was God Himself, and they also seized upon this to judge the Lord Jesus and blaspheme against Him. They had no God-fearing hearts at all. They had no understanding and they did not seek or investigate. They even worked with the Roman government to nail the Lord Jesus upon the cross, and ultimately, they were punished by God. So, can it be said that the Pharisees were wise virgins? They concerned themselves only with putting in hard work, and with upholding the laws of the Old Testament, but they had not the slightest knowledge of God. They were incapable of hearing the voice of God. It can be said that they were the most foolish virgins. Then, what truly makes a wise virgin? Read on to find out more.
The Lord Jesus once said: “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me” (John 10:27). “And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom comes; go you out to meet him” (Matthew 25:6). From the scriptures, we can see that wise virgins are mainly able to welcome the bridegroom because they focus on listening for the voice of God. When they hear someone shouting that the bridegroom comes, the wise virgins take the initiative to go out to welcome him, and they seek and investigate. Ultimately, they recognize the voice of God in God’s words, and so they welcome the Lord. It is just as when, as is recorded in the scriptures, the woman of Samaria heard the Lord Jesus say: “You have had five husbands; and he whom you now have is not your husband: in that said you truly” (John 4:18). She then realized that only God could know and speak of the things hidden in her heart. Amazed, she shouted to other people: “Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?” (John 4:29). She recognized from the Lord Jesus’ words that He was the coming Messiah. And then there was Peter—during his time with the Lord, he saw that the words spoken and the work done by the Lord Jesus were not things that an ordinary man could say or do. From the Lord’s words and work, he recognized that the Lord Jesus was Christ, the Son of God. There were also Nathanael, John, Andrew, and others who all recognized the voice of God from the words of the Lord Jesus. They became certain that the Lord Jesus was God Himself, and they forsook everything to follow Him. It was these people who were wise virgins.
The facts above make it evident that not all people who read the scriptures, attend gatherings, diligently undertake the Lord’s work, and watchfully await are wise virgins. Above all else, wise virgins are those who focus on hearing the voice of God, and when they hear others spreading God’s gospel, they are able to lay down their own notions and imaginings, and investigate God’s work with humble, seeking hearts. Ultimately, they gain the enlightenment of God, recognize God’s voice, and welcome the Lord. As for those who do not focus on listening to God’s voice, who do not seek even after hearing the truth being expressed, who lack discernment, who keep stubbornly clinging to the literal words of the scriptures, and who believe that by laboring, expending themselves and making offerings, they will be able to welcome the appearance of God—these people are all foolish virgins, and ultimately they will lose the salvation of God.
To avoid becoming foolish virgins and being abandoned and eliminated by God amid catastrophes, in this crucial moment for welcoming the Lord’s return, we should be wise virgins and focus on hearing the voice of God. It is written in the Book of Revelation: “He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches” (Revelation 2:7). “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hears My voice, and opens the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me” (Revelation 3:20). These prophecies show that when the Lord returns in the last days, He is to utter words. So, how can we discern the voice of God? Let’s carry on by fellowshipping on a few principles.
As we all know, in the beginning, God used His words to create the world. God’s words possess authority and power. As soon as a word of God is spoken, it is fulfilled. Just as God said in the Book of Genesis: “Let there be light: and there was light” (Genesis 1:3). “Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together to one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so” (Genesis 1:9). Jehovah said to Moses: “Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say to them, You shall be holy: for I Jehovah your God am holy” (Leviticus 19:2). Also, the Lord Jesus said the following which exposed the Pharisees: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for you neither go in yourselves, neither suffer you them that are entering to go in” (Matthew 23:13).
Once we hear God’s words, we become aware that no ordinary human could speak them. The words of God can command all things, making them stand fast and fulfilled. His words can also curse all those who resist and rebel against Him. Hearing them is awe-inspiring, and we can feel that God’s disposition does not tolerate offense from any human. God’s words fully represent His identity and authority. In the last days, if we want to recognize whether or not what we hear is the voice of the Lord returned, this is the way to discern it.
As we all know, the Lord Jesus incarnate unveiled many mysteries during His work. There was “Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17) as well as “Not every one that said to Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that follows the will of My Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21). It is only because the Lord unveiled the mysteries regarding entry into the kingdom of heaven that we know that only those who truly repent and become people who follow the will of the heavenly Father are able to enter the kingdom of heaven. This is something we never would have known if the Lord Jesus had not unveiled this mystery to us.
Moreover, God scrutinizes the depths of people’s hearts. God has a thorough understanding of us, and only God can expose our corruption and the things that reside in our hearts. For example, the Lord Jesus spoke of the matter of Nathanael under the fig tree, allowing Nathanael to recognize that the Lord Jesus was the coming Messiah. There was also Matthew the tax collector, who recognized that the Lord Jesus was God because the Lord Jesus spoke of the content of his prayers. In these matters we can see that the words of God not only unveil mysteries, but also expose mankind’s corruption and secrets. This too is one way we can discern whether something is God’s voice.
The Lord Jesus said: “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes to the Father, but by Me” (John 14:6). God Himself is the truth. God is able to express the truth for mankind’s sustenance in accordance with their needs, at any time and in any place. During the Age of Law, mankind did not know how to live or how to worship God, so God promulgated the law through Moses to lead people in their lives. Just as is said in the Ten Commandments: “I am Jehovah your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. You shall have none other gods before Me” (Deuteronomy 5:6–7). “You shall not kill. Neither shall you commit adultery. … Neither shall you bear false witness against your neighbor. Neither shall you desire your neighbor’s wife” (Deuteronomy 5:17–21). After hearing the words of God, people at that time knew how they should live and how they should worship God. Then, when the Lord Jesus came to work and preach the gospel of the kingdom of heaven, He began teaching people that they must confess their sins and repent, that they must be tolerant and patient, that they must love their neighbors as themselves, that they must be the salt and the light of the earth, and more. Just as when Peter asked of the Lord Jesus: “Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?” (Matthew 18:21), Jesus told Peter directly: “I say not to you, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven” (Matthew 18:22). After hearing these words from the Lord, Peter understood that forgiveness is something we should abide by, and that it is not conditional or limited to a certain number of times. Thus, Peter gained a path of practice.
Thus, if someone preaches to us the gospel of the Lord’s return and testifies to the Holy Spirit’s words to the churches, we can listen and discern whether what they preach can provide for our current needs. We are living in a state of sinning and confessing, a state from which we cannot extricate ourselves. If the way they preach can give us a path to cast off sin and be cleansed, this means that the Lord Jesus has returned. We can discern the voice of God based on this principle.
Has this fellowship provided you with a path by which to become a wise virgin and welcome the Lord? I hope that you will share this with others if it’s been helpful for you. My wish is that all of us may become wise virgins, and that we may all pour our hearts into seeking and listening attentively for the voice of the Lord. May we soon welcome the return of the Lord and attend the feast with Him!
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Now is the end of days. Catastrophes are a frequent occurrence the world over, and the prophecies of the Lord’s arrival have been fulfilled; the various signs and omens indicate that the Lord has returned, so why has He not been seen returning in a cloud? And how can we welcome His arrival? This text will tell you how.
By Jian Mo, U.S. Today, catastrophes around the world are becoming ever-more severe. The news is filled with stories of plagues,...
The Prophecies in the Bible Concerning the Lord Jesus’ Return Have Been Fulfilled. So, how can we welcome the Lord? How can we be saved and enter the kingdom of heaven? Read this article and you’ll find the way to welcome the Lord’s return.
Now disasters have become a common occurrence all over the world.The biblical prophecies of the Lord’s second coming have basically been fulfilled. Read this article and you’ll find the way to welcome the Lord’s return.
