In the annals of Bible history we find certain notable times in which God sent a message to a certain generation. Prophets proclaimed the divine warnings. Preachers spoke the anointed words. Apostles announced the Gospel to cities and nations. These "sent ones" went with a purpose - to bring a message from God for that particular generation and age. Let us refer to some examples:

Noah was a preacher of righteousness. When God revealed His plan to him, he warned the people of a coming judgment all the while building an ark. His message came to deaf ears except to his own families. God saved them together with the species of animals on earth.

Moses was a warrior-turned deliverer. One day he stomped into Pharaoh's palace and announced God's purpose: "Let my people go!" His message came with signs and wonders that destroyed Egypt.

Jeremiah was a prophet of doom. His message always brought calamities to Israel because of their evils and wickedness.

Paul was an apostle to the Gentiles. His message brought a Gospel that is especially intended for a lost people.

Martin Luther was a protestant that sparked the Reformation movement.

John Wesley was a preacher that started the Holiness movement.

A message is a declaration from God sent with the purpose of getting the attention of man to what God wants to do at a particular age. God does this by sending a man not only to be the carrier of his message but also to be the instrument through which He will fulfill His word for that time. Thus Moses announced God's plan and brought Israel out of Egypt. This pattern can be seen throughout the Bible and history. Now you will notice that the messenger becomes identified with his message that he carries, so that we can almost say that it was Moses' Law, Jeremiah's message or Paul's gospel. But of course the word was God's.

Now a message is a word that is appropriate and fitting for the moment. In other words, Noah's message cannot be preached in Moses' time. Elijah's message cannot be applied to Isaiah's time. It just won't work. But they all make up the whole counsel of God that covers time and eternity.

So what is the Message of the hour? Simply, it is God's word for our day. But what is our day? Is our time any different from any other time in the past? Where are we exactly in the twentieth century?

A short chronology of time
History tells us that we are more or less two thousand years since time when Jesus, the Son of God, walked the face of the earth, preached the Good News, suffered died for our sins and rose from the dead. Two thousand before Him, a man named Abram (Abraham) was called of God out of his family, city and nation, to a land God gave to him for an inheritance. And still two thousand years before Abraham, two souls walked out of a peaceful and perfect home, driven away by God for their sin. They were Adam and Eve. So what do these tell us? By these rough estimates we should understand that we approximately six thousand years from the time of Adam. And we should notice that every two thousand years, approximately, big events happen. First, Abraham was called; from who came forth the nation is today a big predicament to Arab nations. (Only a few hundred years before, the earth was covered by water.) Then, the Jesus Christ came, stirred the whole nation of Israel and died on the cross to pay the price of sin. Today, as people and nations are thoroughly engaged in the advancement of science and technology, we seem to take time for granted and somehow hope that nothing's wrong. Or is it so? But how can we know? Is the Scripture not enough? Apparently, it is not. Not because it is incomplete, but because people are already coldhearted to the hearing and reading of the Word. And that is exactly what Paul said. (2 Timothy 3:1-9) Jesus Himself prophesied of the end-time and the signs that should follow His return. (Matthew 24) Doesn't it ring a bell?

So what is the Message of God for today?
Most evangelists and preachers proclaim it. It is read in newspapers and books. It is discussed in many Bible Studies. But it's more than that. It is not only about the soon return of the Lord for His people. Yes, Jesus is coming soon! But He is coming only to a people whose hearts have been restored to the faith of the apostles and been made ready and perfected by the Word!

Malachi 4:5,6
Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:
And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.

Acts 3:19-21
Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;
And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began

While John fulfilled a portion of Malachi's prophecy (Luke 1:17) the restoration of all things is a future promise that will precede Christ's coming. The message of God for our day is not judgment and condemnation. God promised to restore His people back to where we came from. Just as Israel will be restored to her Promised Land, the Church is TODAY being restored to her origin and foundation, the Word of God as it is originally proclaimed in the time of the apostles. On the other side, the Word is also being restored. We did not lose the Scriptures. But we lost the true exposition of the doctrines of the Word of God. We lost them in denominational creeds, dogmas and men's interpretations. But today the Truth of God is being unveiled like never before. Because we are in the last days, the end-time, Christ is opening up all the loose ends and opening them all to His Bride-Church! Amen.

A Modern Esther
Our time world is marked by the unparalleled number of denominations and churches who stake their claims on Jesus Christ. But certainly, Christ can only marry one woman, pure and mature. This brings us back to a time in history when a king of Assyria proclaimed a beauty pageant to replace the unfit queen on the throne. Hundreds of women grabbed the opportunity. For one whole year they did nothing but wash themselves in all the precious ointments and perfumes available in the land. When the time came for them to be presented to the king, they wore the best gowns, adorned themselves in the best way, and brought with the things they wanted to bring. But one woman, Esther by name, thought it wise to heed the counsel of the king's friend. She brought nothing, wore nothing, and adorned herself with nothing but what the friend of the king advised her. She became his queen.

Be wise, friends. If this is no ordinary time that we live in, surely there must be a Message from God that we need to hear. And if there is a Message from God, surely it must be for our perfection, so that we should be holy and blameless before Him in love.

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