TEXT: 1 CORINTHIANS 11: 23- 31 23 For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread:

24 And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.

25 After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.

26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he comes.

27 Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.

28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.

29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eatheth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.

30 For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.

31 For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. (KJV)

Today I would like to deliver a message entitled “TWO TOPICS.” I think those who read the Bible attentively become aware of those two topics that are repeatedly mentioned in the Bible. It is none other than bread and wine of the Holy Communion.

Lord has mentioned only these two things at the Holy Communion. He did not say anything else. Therefore, it can be expected that the blessing to the Church are coming through these two. And the issue and judgment of the Church will arise in relation to these two. Furthermore, the restoration of the Church will also arise. We would like to learn about it.

It is written about the bread - the Word on the text as below.

“That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread.”

“He was betrayed” means that he was delivered to the enemy to death, which means to show the life of Lord is on the Word.

It is written concerning the wine, the Holy Spirit, as below.

“After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying.”

The same manner tells the life of Lord is on the wine as well as the bread. We know it is of weight and we should take it seriously.

27 “Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.”

These two are the blessings of God. But there is another aspect that if we are unworthy for them we would be guilty and bring judgment on ourselves.

29 “For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eatheth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.”

It is told that these eating and drinking would in fact bring damnation to himself.

30 “For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.”

What it mentioned above is what would be the kind of judgment that would be upon the people. There are spiritually weak and sickly. If we cannot see, hear or walk spiritually, we may well be having judgments. And it is written, “Many sleep.” Probably what it means is that physical death of entering into the grave, but it also refers to spiritual death as a metaphor.

When Egypt was judged in the days of Moses, the judgment began first with the rivers to be turned to blood. It is clearly supposed to show the judgment on the sin on the body and blood of Lord. As the Church becomes Egypt and profanes the Holy Spirit, river Nile turns to blood and the work of the Holy Spirit is changed to devils as a result. And the last tenth judgment on Egypt was the death of the firstborn. This corresponds to the word, “Many sleep.”

Well, like this, the two topics concerning bread and wine tell blessing and judgment on those who receive them unworthily.

In spite of such warnings by the Word, the “bread” (the Word) and “wine” (the Holy Spirit) that the have the life of Lord have been attacked and profaned in the actual church history. As the parable of leaven says, the leaven (sin) spread over three measures of wheat (the Word) by the woman.

But Lord also tells about the restoration of the two topics, bread and wine, in the end time.

The descriptions of the sign for the restoration of the Church in the end time are written on the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. Ezra rebuilt the Temple, and Nehemiah the City. The symbolic things among the descriptions are the professions of these two persons. Ezra was the scribe and Nehemiah was the king’s cupbearer. The scribe is the metaphor of the person who restores the Word from the false doctrines. And cupbearer has relation to wine and is the metaphor of the person who restores the work of the Holy Spirit, that is, who pours the wine of the Holy Spirit, as the woman who poured the ointment of spikenard very precious, the Holy Spirit.

Therefore we know these two topics are mainly written concerning the restoration of the Church in the end time.

Well, the judgment will come down on God’s people because of the profanity of these two topics, bread and wine. The book of Revelation tells us this message repeatedly in various ways. The following description is one of them.

REVELATION 6: 5, 6 5 And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand.

6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and wine. (KJV)

A horse is a metaphor of a church according to the book of James. Black is opposite color of white and represents sin. White shows righteousness, as it is written the people who are given white robes. And black represents sin in opposite of white. Therefore, a black horse shows a church filled with sin.

It is written here, that wheat is the material of bread which can cause harm upon the Word, and oil and wine which are the work of the Holy Spirit can also cause harm. It is suggested these will be done in the end time.

Numerous times Bible has mentioned these two things - bread and wine (the Word and the Holy Spirit) that God has specially given. Let’s grasp that God’s people would be judged because of the profanity of these in the day of judgment of the end time.

Let us do the will of the Lord in the end time.

End.