In this sermon, the speaker emphasizes the importance of being prepared for the return of Jesus Christ. He uses the parable of the ten virgins to illustrate his point. The virgins all had the same goal of waiting for the bridegroom, but five of them lacked oil for their lamps. The speaker urges the audience to examine themselves and ensure that their lamps are burning when Jesus returns. He also highlights the need for unity among Christians, emphasizing that faith in Jesus is the only way to enter heaven.

I take this opportunity to greet you all in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. If you were with me in our parish in Ulundi, I would also speak and say, Christ our King. Firstly, Brethren, I greet in particular the director of this mission, Reverend Stegen, and all his co-workers. It astonishes me to see that Mr. Hattebe has been in the faith since 1954. Well, I was one year old then. Well, I am duty-bound to continue in the faith. If people who cannot see and are blind still are going forward with the Lord, then I must too. This is indeed, Brethren, the urgency of the faith. If those who cannot see say, Jesus saves, but they cannot of themselves go out and preach that, that Jesus saves, then there should be no restraint upon us and lack of faith. What is important is that one is truly a believer and loves Jesus. One isn't made saved by having gone to college. It is because of His grace revealed to me that I have been shown undeserved favor. And I realize fully that had Jesus not died for us, we wouldn't know each other on this level at all. So, what I have to share with you has to do with scripture found in particular in Matthew chapter 25. Now, I'm going to read it up to verse 13, but verse 5 and 6 in particular are the ones that I stress. Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Now, five of them were wise and five were foolish. Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them. But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight a cry was heard, behold the bridegroom is coming, go out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, give us some of your oil for our lamps are going out. But the wise answered saying, no, lest they should not be enough for us and you, but go rather to those who sell and buy for yourselves. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding and the door was shut. Afterward the other virgins came also saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, assuredly I say to you, I do not know you. What therefore for you know not or neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming? Now if I look at all of this which is written concerning the urgency of the hour, as the other brethren have already spoken on this, I thought I would also like to contribute to that. I was so grateful when I heard Reverend Steegan speaking last night, speaking about the times that we are facing as the church. When I received the invitation to also be one of the speakers here, I prayed and I said, Lord, here are these topics about which one can speak. Won't you also please give me a message for the conference? And then it came to me that each one needs to examine to see what it is that he or she has. All these virgins, all these young women had prepared to meet with the bridegroom. They all went to go and buy oil when they went to go and buy, but they were divided into two groups, five in the one group, five in the other group. And when they went to prepare and buy that which they needed, their goal was to wait for the bridegroom and to meet him. But there was one thing lacking with five of these virgins. Yes, they had their lamps, but their lamps had no oil. And when Reverend Steegan spoke last night, speaking about the urgency of the hour, that the church of Christ in these days needs to forget the fact or the religiosity of it and just be religious. But each one must have this goal, Lord, when you return, may it not be that my lamp is not burning. And each one needs to examine himself. This is the opportune time for doing so, that when the Lord Jesus returns, will he find you burning? Now, unfortunately, things aren't as they should be in the church, or things aren't going well. Because everybody thinks that their particular denomination has the keys to heaven. And I forget that which Reverend Steegan said last night, there's no one else who will open the gates of heaven apart from our faith in Jesus who died and rose again. All of these virgins had the same goal, that they were waiting for the bridegroom. Secondly, these virgins, they had no idea as to the hour or the time that the bridegroom would come. But they were told and they knew he is coming. Brethren, as we are seated here, we are seated here and we know that we are waiting for the bridegroom. Now, our homework, and our important homework that we need to do is this, we need to examine ourselves and see, are we ready? Are we prepared? Are we worthy to meet him when he comes? They knew that he wouldn't come during the day. That's why they had lamps, because the lamps were to give light during the night. And they took their lamps to their hands. But some of them didn't have that opportunity or they didn't use the opportunity to examine to see that which they had, whether it was sufficient or not. I don't know whether they were overjoyed at the coming of the bridegroom, that they forgot totally that their lamps had no oil. And when these virgins found out that their lamps didn't have oil, they went to the other brethren and started pleading with them. Now, I don't know if these other ones, whether it was because of the faith that they refused to help him, we have to share. So, I don't know whether those others, when the Bible was written, whether they were categorized as fools. That, as we read here, that they were fools. Brethren, it reminds me of one thing. It reminds me of the fellowship between these tick birds, those white tick birds and a crow. So, this white tick bird and the crow were great pals. And when the king of the tick birds came, the crow wanted to go and visit the husband. He wanted to visit his friend, the tick bird. And then the tick bird said to the crow, I would so much like you to come and visit us at our meeting. Your problem is, however, you are black, I'm white, and my king is also white just like me. So, they agreed amongst themselves, let's make a plan. So, they went to go and get some whitewash. Okay, we'll whitewash you so that when you arrive there, nobody will notice anything, you'll be the same as anybody else. So, when they went to this feast, so they said that everybody will sleep over there where they would have the feast. And Mr. Gwababa, that's crow, he was also there. The morning as they went to the feast, so the crow also had to wake up in the morning and preen his feathers. There was a problem, however. They unfortunately left the whitewash at the home of the lander, of the tick bird. So, when he was busy preening his feathers, everybody were preening and they were on their way now to the feast. So, the whitewash said, I'm not black, I'm white. And because there was some dew during the night, the whitewash had got wet and as the crow got up, all this cracked and it fell off. And so, by the time that the feast started, the crow had returned to its natural color. Now, the apostle John says in chapter 3 verse 1, it hasn't yet become known as to what we will be. But when he appears, we will be like him. Brethren, we do not wear and just put the Lord Jesus on the outside. We don't paint him to ourselves, but we receive him. And John 1 verse 18, it says, To all those who have received him, he has given the power to become the children of God. You cannot become a child of God just by going to church. They can even put you into a high position there, but unless you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, you will not become his child. Now, the great warning concerning these 10 sisters, 5 of them really loved going to this feast, and they didn't realize they were not fit for going to that feast. Dear brother or friend, have you prepared yourself that if the trumpet shall sound, that you are ready to meet with them? Because the Lord Jesus said, not all those who say, Lord, Lord, will enter into the kingdom of heaven. If we look carefully at all that which was spoken, which we heard from yesterday and this morning, the minister who spoke this morning spoke about the church, that it should be a center of unity, of being one, that when people seek love and harmony, they should find it in the church, amongst the members of the church. But it's amazing as to how divided the Christian church is today. And if we would expose our hearts and the hearts of everyone here would be exposed, it might be an utter disgrace. But our burden and responsibility as the church of Christ is that we should live unity, that we live doing and living a Christ-like life. Some people say, well, I'm leaving this denomination, this church, they don't preach salvation. Now I'm going to those who speak about salvation. But along the way you see that he's tired. He wants those who speak about salvation, not those who live salvation. Brethren, Salvation is not lipstick. But salvation is power. Jesus said, he who does the will of my father, he is the one who loves me. If you look in John 14 verse 23, he says, he who loves me will obey my words. He says, I and the father, the father and I will come down and dwell in him and reveal ourselves to him. So we are boards that tell people who Jesus is. We advertise who Jesus is. If people want to know Jesus, they ought to come to us. And if people fail to come to us as the church of Jesus Christ, then that which is wrong will happen, which uncle Friedel Stegen spoke about this morning. Now, yesterday, Reverend Stegen spoke about the Islamists. And those here in South Africa will know about that which I'm speaking about. And these days, it is said all religions are equal. They say no religion is more important or is lower than another. They say all religions are equal. Now brethren, what I'd like to tell you is this. It wasn't nice to me and for me the day when I parted from our culture, from our religion and our traditions of ancestral worship. If you look here on my cheek, I've got scars. Yes, there are some scars here. They say that my grandmother and my aunt had an argument at home. And then the dead got angry. And then they burnt me here. And so they went to the Sangoma, the witch doctor, to go and find out what the problem was. So he said, no, because of your argument, the deceased became angry. And then they struck him. When I received the gospel in 1968, So I forsook those. I parted from them. They went and they had out their anger on me that wasn't even involved in the argument. So I decided to accept Jesus and him alone. Friends, I don't mix Jesus and me. I don't mix Jesus with anything, not even with Vaseline. I don't mix him with salt and water. Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forevermore. If we speak about the urgency of the hour, We speak about him who's going to return, who sees everyone. And who will be seen by everyone. What you need to do is this. This hour which it said is very urgent. It doesn't go on its own. But God's plan in heaven is being fulfilled. Of whom it was said, the day that he ascended into heaven, Those angels that were there, or those angels said to their men, The same way that you see him ascended, he will return in the same way. We are waiting for Jesus who's got no supplement. Not that because Jesus has died a second Jesus. A second Jesus will arise, no. But we are looking forward to him. He who was slain. That is why we are here at this mission. So we have come here to train, to come to the gym, so to say. Because there is a great battle that lies ahead, that the church will have to face. And if the church is fast asleep, to whom will they liken themselves? Let's read from Revelations chapter 1 verse 7. Revelation chapter 1 verse 7 Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even they who pierced him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of him. Even so, amen. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. It won't help us if every year we spend some days here in March, and we just play games, we play around. And then we go back home, and we sit down, and we wait for the following March. I think that the leadership here at Crosses are bound to. It's tempting to remove its guilt that the blood of many will not be required from their hands. Brethren, you need to fill your lamp. Fill your lamp. Because it will be terrible when this conference comes to an end, that you are still exactly the same as when you came here. In 1980, when I was in a seminary there in Petersburg, in Harrisburg, one student came to me, and he said, Sidney, he said, for how long are you going to waste your time and miss out on all that which is nice, just because you say that Jesus is coming back, and now he hasn't come back. That is what a student said who had the Bible in his hands, but didn't understand the coming of the Lord Jesus. That was his final year, I was going to finish after that. If I remember correctly, he said, now, what will you do if you miss out on all the nice things here on earth, and you don't even get it up there in heaven? I said, well, I won't mind. Even if I just get into heaven, I'll rejoice. And heaven will rejoice, because they will have found a young man entering into heaven. And a young man, who is a pure young man, that has parted from the things of this world, because we don't live as we do, because perhaps we've been castrated, or because we're blind, we don't see what's going on. But we have forsaken the things of this world because of a decision that we made. And we used to sing in those years of 1980-1981, we sang, I made a decision for my Jesus, and it is that which caused me to forsake my sin. You don't leave things out of your own strength. If you take a small child, you find that child with sand in its hands. If you give something to that child, it throws down that sand, and it takes that which you offered that child. Jesus came to you whilst you had your own things in your hands. But there are things that you have thrown down and you've forsaken because of Jesus who has entered into you. Your education will not help you on this way. Your politics and being a politician won't help you. You can have all the wealth of this world, it won't help you. But one thing will help you, that you return to the rock, the rock of our salvation. In 1990, I was at Mandeni, just here on the other side of the Tugela River, there's a shop right there, and always if I would go to the shop there, and I would come to the person who helped me at the till, I would say, what do you say about Jesus? And I spoke to a man by the name of Gwala, who had quite a high position. And I said to him, Gwala, what do you say about Jesus? And he would say, Reverend Mbatha, you know what, I've got my own religion, stop targeting me and always keeping at me concerning your Jesus. He said, I've got my church. I don't need anything about that which you are always at me about. In the year 2000, I was busy with some studies at Vista University in Pretoria. When I was about to complete or finish there on the Friday, I received a phone call. The phone call said, or the message said, Reverend Mbatha, come back quickly. That Gwala whom you always spoke to, Mr. Gwala, he's very ill in hospital. He had a stroke, and he wants you. He needs you. And I left by plane. I left by plane at three o'clock from the Johannesburg airport to arrive at half past four here in Durban. And they met me there at the airport. They came to fetch me. And I was in a hurry to get to his bedside to hear, why was he asking for me? You know, when I spoke to the security at the gate of the hospital, it was half past seven. He died three minutes He died three minutes prior to half past seven. Brethren, this hour is an urgent hour. It's an hour that is important and urgent. It will happen to many. Many say, well, the coming of the Lord Jesus, he's taking such a long time in coming. Now, this matter of Jesus doesn't belong to just a particular church denomination. It belongs to the children of God and those who have not yet received this grace to whom we should go and offer this grace. I say those, we don't need those to rise from the dead. We don't need Jesus to come back before he comes to save us. Finally, but you and I, it is our responsibility to pass on this message. May the Lord's name be praised. Hallelujah. Let's read from 2 Peter, chapter three. Verse eight. Chapter three, brother. Verse eight. 2 Peter, chapter three from verse eight to ten. Verse eight. Remember that young man that I told you about that was studying at the college that said, what would you do if Jesus doesn't come back? In 1999, he passed away. And so I went up to the northern parts of Zululand in our area. He was my neighbor. When I arrived there, I was told that he had passed away. When I spoke to him the last time, he said he can't waste his time with this Jesus of mine who is not coming back. But this painful hour arrived in his life and he passed away. When I got there the morning of his funeral, nobody else was there at his funeral apart from his close family. Only they were there to bury him. Nobody else was there. Before he was buried, I opened his coffin to have a good look at him. And I spoke as if he heard me. I said, Albert, Jesus hasn't yet come back, but you have passed away. Where have you gone? Because the thing that troubles the church in these days is that it plays around with the truth. Because when a person has passed away at his funeral, everybody will speak well of him and say, you know, he was actually a good person. He wasn't so bad. We think that he's also going to heaven. No, brethren, we can't go about things like that. You can only enter heaven through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as we are here. We are here as the church of Jesus Christ. Jesus made a promise, took an oath. He said, the gates of Hades, of hell, will not prevail against the church. The church of Jesus Christ has been given power, authority to stand boldly and to face the world. Just look, very soon now, the 22nd of April, I was so glad when Reverend Friedel Stegen addressed the issue of voting where many say, no, as Christians, we don't vote. I made a note of that. He said that before I had the opportunity to say it, but other things that people have said, which I was also going to say, I just omitted those things. We have voted on the 22nd. Everybody is busy getting ready and moving about and canvassing as they're preparing for the elections on the 22nd of April. And many Christians say, you know, we don't vote. We have voted for Jesus. We're not going to vote in the elections. We have voted. You know, if you just refrain from getting involved, then those who say that abortion should be committed or that people should have abortions, they will increase. And those people that say that those of the same sex should get married with two on another. And whilst the Christians are in church and say, well, we just pray in church. We won't get involved in those things. The earth outside and the world outside are being destroyed. Let me tell you, don't make a mistake. When South Africa is destroyed, you'll be part of their destruction. I remember the words written by a certain American lady. And that lady said, if God did not let Sodom and Gomorrah get away, so will he not allow the United States of America to get away. If we look at an ostrich and if people are like an ostrich, if a danger approaches them, then it buries its head in the sand. Because it thinks it's only attacking its head, the danger. It's not attacking the head. It's attacking the head. The ostrich doesn't realize that his whole big body is remaining outside, and if that body is struck, the rest of it will die as well. And as the world is being destroyed by filth, so Jesus said, if you see that abomination in the temple of God, then you must realize that time is close by. Do you think that condoms, that is the solution to our problems? Do you think that premarital sex is the answer to the world's problems? This hour is an urgent hour. Friends, this hour is an urgent hour. This is the time when the church should stand up. And as Reverend Stiggins said here, that the church loves the world so much. And worldliness, they love worldliness. Today, girls want to be like women. And mature women want to be girls again. And old men, they want to be like young men. And the young men want to be like old men. Friends, everything is back to front. But you are here in this building today. If you would speak once, or if you would sing, This message, that there is no name like unto His name, but when people cry out to Him, they will be saved. And it is only through His name that there is salvation. No other name will bring true freedom and liberty. Then, thus, your yesterdays will be forgotten. For this world and its desires will pass away. As we stand here, we stand upon that promise. Let's read from Acts 2.27 Let's read from Acts 2.27 Let's read from Acts 2.37 Let's read from Acts 2.37 Let's read from Acts 2.38 Let's read from Acts 2.37 Let's read from Acts 2.37 Let's read from Acts 2.38 Let's read from Acts 2.39 Because it is said that this Christianity and the Gospel has just come to brainwash us. And if we speak as we do, many politicians will fight against us. But the Lord Jesus of whom we speak, He is the answer to all these problems that we speak about. We don't preach this Gospel for our stomach's sake. But this Gospel is of the Eternal Kingdom. Of the One who dies in faith. He does not die eternally. Today you get people that have idol worship. They paint people's faces and then they wear it on their shirts. And then they say that's our God. Let me tell you, you'll perish with that person. Even if that's your father or your grandmother. But you'll perish with that person. I'd like to read you from Job 20. Even though your father might be very famous. And so famous that his head can reach the sky. Even though he's so famous that his head will reach the sky. But when he dies, he will die like anybody. He will die. Alright, let us read Job 20 verse 4. Job 20 verse 4. Yes, from Job 20 verse 4, 5 to 7. It says here, do you not know? This of old, since man was placed on the earth. That the triumphing of the wicked is short. And the joy of the hypocrite is but for a moment. Though his haughtiness bounce up to the heavens. And his head reaches to the clouds. Yet he will perish forever like his own refuse. Those who have seen him will say, where is he? He will fly away like a dream and will not be found. Yes, he will be chased away like a vision of the night. Jesus said, he who believes in me, though he dies, he will live. Our hope says, Jesus is our light. It's only for a short while that we will suffer. But the day we see him, when he appears to us, we will be like him. Reverend Steegan spoke about the Islamists. Now repeat this. People say, it's the same. It's not. We don't dream about Jesus. We believe in him. There in John it says, he who believes in him. As the scriptures have said, streams of living water will gush from his innermost being. And Jesus said, when the Jews accused him. He said, don't you know that you are like God? Let's go to John chapter 10 verse 33 and 34. Examine your lamp, brother, sister, to see. Has it got that oil inside? John chapter 10 verse 33, 34, 35. The gospel. Jesus answered him saying, for a good work we do not stand, but you, but for blasphemy. And because you being a man, make yourself God. Jesus answered them, is it not written in your law? I said, you are gods. If you call them gods, to whom the word of God came and the scripture cannot be broken. I said, we don't just dream about Jesus. But we speak about someone who is real. Who guides us in the way that we ought to walk. His Holy Spirit. He leads and guides us and shows us whether the way is right or wrong. And the Holy Spirit causes us to be sanctified. He sanctifies us. Can there be anybody whom you can just put untouched for five years like in a deep freeze? That you don't speak to, you've just put him there. And if you meet with somebody you don't like, that person's past comes back to you. Jesus said, if you love one another, Jesus said, then people will know you to be my disciple. We believe in the Lord Jesus, brethren. We don't need to go to Mecca. We don't need to go there to Ntagagazi. Or to go to Moria. We can get our matter right with God right here, right now. If you say, Lord Jesus, I receive you now. Things won't come right even at home. It comes right here. May the Lord's name be praised. You don't need to go and to slaughter a goat for your sins. You don't need to wait until Good Friday for your sins to be forgiven. No, if you say yes to Him now, your sin can be taken away. May the Lord's name be praised. Now he says, if God be with us, who can then be against us? Let me go to the end. To the close. The hour is an urgent hour. It is on God's heart that the church should be victorious. When my brother spoke this morning, he said the church of Christ, this center, he said it is a center of hope. The church of Christ, it's the fountain where those who are thirsty come to drink. The church of Christ is like a hospital where people come to for healing. When they come, they say, Lord Jesus, here am I. Jesus doesn't say, where do you come from? He's not like those who do fortune telling. And those who say they are prophets, that are not true prophets because they want to find out what is your problem from you. When you come to them, they don't tell you your problem. In our black cultural nation, you have these certain prophets, so-called prophets, but they say, no, the problem is there back at home at the back of the hut. No, friends, the problem is not at the back of the hut. No, it lies at Calvary. That is where the answer is, where Jesus hung on the cross. And that is where we can lay down our burdens so that we can be saved by grace. It is on God's heart to see the church swallow up the world in victory. And you and I, we need to examine that which we have been given. Because the hour is urgent. And if you are not urgent in what you do, the sun will set and people will die. The Lord Jesus said in the Gospel of John chapter 17, I read from verse 14 to verse 18, chapter 17 I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not pray that you should take them out of the world, but that you should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them by your truth. Your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. The hour is urgent. Let each one examine their works. Let each one place themselves at the correct position. Brethren, you are here. Jesus no longer, when he worked in this world, you are here because of eleven men that remain behind. Why is it that we, who are so many, cannot shake South Africa and the world? The whole world can be shaken. And then it will be said, they had gathered together on the mountain there at Kronskop. Because Jesus said, those who have been called by my name, if they humble themselves, they will be heard in heaven. Let me end by reading from the first letter of John, chapter 5, from verse 18 to 20. 1 John, chapter 5, verse 18 to 20. We know that whoever is born of God does not sin, but he who has been born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him. We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one. And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding that we may know him who is true, and we are in him who is true, in his Son, Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life. Rise up, you are asleep. The time has come. As this is an urgent hour, it hasn't come alone. But it comes with him who was there since before the foundations of the earth. The author of the book of Revelation said, All the eyes, every eye shall see him. Even those who renounced him. And those who pierced him. And every knee shall bow. Every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Brethren, friends, we belong to the promise. Peter said, this promise is yours and your children's. And it is sufficient even for those who are far off, who will hear the word. We were not saved because Jesus was conceived by Mary. But we were saved so that one day. We weren't saved just by the fact that Simon of Carin or Cyrene carried his cross. But we were saved by one thing. He who knelt there in the garden of Gethsemane. Crying tears. You and I as well. We got a place in heaven. Friend, the hour is urgent. The time is evil. And if you don't get up now and do something, the Son will set, the Lord bless you. Thank you very much, Reverend Mbatha. We've heard. It is said, one day when the Lord Jesus was preaching. One called out and said, blessed is the womb that carried thee and the one who gave you suckle. But Jesus said, I'll tell you the one who is blessed indeed. It is the one who has heard my words and does them. Now we've heard about the urgency of the hour. We thank you very much, Reverend Mbatha. I'll ask Uncle Elo, Reverend Stigin, the director of the mission. If he'd like to close the meeting for us. Let's pray. We thank you for what we've heard, Lord. May it be written. Deep down in our hearts. That this matter is not to be taken lightly and superficially. But is to be deeply rooted in our hearts. That this matter is not to be taken lightly and superficially. But is to be deeply rooted in our hearts. Lord, grant that as we leave here now, this which we've heard would not leave us. But that we would be kept by it and be kept by you till the last moment. When you come or when our soul departs. Our final breath. We ask. Lord, that each one here would attain to that and reach that which you have decided and purposed for them. That they would be driven by it. That they would be fulfilled by it. So that when everyone goes home. That they would be fulfilling their commission. That which you've given them. That they would be driving it and be driven by it. Lord, you have said that it's urgent. And woe, Lord, to us if it is found when you return that our lamps are not full. And if you come back and you find us asleep, then we start to try and shake ourselves awake, but it is already too late. We thank you, Lord, that we can now be woken out of our sleep and be reconciled with you. Lord, work in a wonderful way, above what we can ask or expect or imagine. Hear your servants and those who serve you, male and female. Lord, we've heard it, we've been told that we need to examine ourselves. That before you, we are found wanting, or whether we are as you want us to be. Amen.