Posted on 05/07/2024 7:35:01 PM PDT by Roman_War_Criminal
In my last article, I spoke about the bride of Christ – the church. But did you know that unlike Western countries where the focus is on the bride, in Jewish weddings, the focus is on the groom? And that is certainly the case in the heavenly scene (Revelation 19) when the focus, the glory, the honour and the majesty all belongs, as it should, to our Beloved Bridegroom – Jesus Christ. But when!? That is the daily cry of our heart. Many of us have looked forward to that wonderful promise for so long. Our anticipation grows and perhaps, so does our impatience.
It seems that as our excitement for the rapture grows, so also does opposition to it, particularly amongst those who are of the household of faith. In fact, many Christians have long doubted it; many scholars have long debated it and many sceptics have long denied it. But the truth is that the Scriptures have long declared it and therefore it will happen – in His time.
The Jewish bride did not doubt that her bridegroom would return because, at the time of betrothal, they were considered to have entered into a contract of marriage and the bridegroom was duty bound to return. So church, we can cling to that wonderful promise just as a Jewish bride would have clung to the expectation that her bridegroom would return for her. And just as the bride did not know the day nor the hour, the phrase “I will come” reinforces the imminency of the rapture because it indicates a present tense in the Greek. In other words, it is so certain that Jesus can speak of it in any age in its present, not future tense.
You see, we often get into the habit of thinking of the rapture as a future event but it is one that is ever imminent and always at hand. Just as the Jewish bride was to expect her bridegroom at any moment, so too must we expect Jesus at any moment. But while we wait, we should not let the enemy rob us of our joy or permit him to seduce us into spiritual adultery. As we await His upward call, it should be a purifying hope. 1 John 3:2-3: “Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.”
That is why I am currently preaching a series on holiness. During the betrothal period of Jewish weddings, the bride was being observed for purity. Don’t you expect that Jesus is doing the same!?
Now, when that moment arrives and Jesus comes to get His bride, I want you to note an important principle: He does not simply send for us, He said “I will receive you unto Myself”. Let me explain. Because it is all tied up in the Greek word paralambano which is related to the concept of betrothal and the personal nature of it. In the New Testament, we first encounter the word in Matthew 1:20: “But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take (paralambano) to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.”
Also in Matthew 1:24: “Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took (paralambano) to him his wife.”
Nobody else received Mary – it was Joseph, her bridegroom, who received her personally. We see this same word used in John 14:3: “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive (paralambano) you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.”
So, when we understand some of the context of the use of the word “paralambano”, in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, we can see a distinct harmony with John 14 (emphasis added): “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trump of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.”
In both passages (John 14 and 1 Thessalonians 4), we see Christ personally receiving His saints; in both, we see the relocation of believers from earth to heaven (from the bride’s home to the Father’s home); in both, we see truths that ease the troubled hearts of believers; and in both, we see the permanence of the union with Christ forevermore. Hallelujah!
But there is growing opposition to the doctrine of the rapture within Christian circles. One American preacher I know of is becoming increasingly exasperated that we are not actively doing anything to prepare the bride of Christ to face the Tribulation Period.
As a pastor who believes in a pre-Tribulation rapture, let me say this: I am not preparing the bride for wrath; I am preparing the bride for a wedding. I am not preparing the bride to have her garments stained by the wickedness of the world, I am preparing the bride to hold onto the purity and hope of Christ. I am not preparing the bride to live alongside the apostate church, I am preparing people to be counted amongst the raptured church. I am not preparing the bride to meet the Antichrist, I am preparing the bride to meet her Beloved – Jesus Christ!
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Maranatha!
AMEN!!! EVEN SO come quickly Lord Jesus... Your Bride is waiting.....
Amen 🙏🏻!!!!
[Pastors: Don’t Prepare The Bride To Meet The Antichrist, Prepare The Bride To Meet Her Bridegroom]
Generally agreed. However, I’m trying to leave some information behind to be read by Tribulation Saints, too.
Educating (hopefully) some in the Word of God. So many are still calling the last book....Revelation(s). I’m hoping I can teach a few chapter and verse.
Noting the Signs of the Times for the Church AND looking for a future harvest as well.
When the reality of the Tribulation and the Great Tribulation finally come.
AND BTW, YouTube has been cutting off Scripture I leave on videos - they’ve gone around deleting much of anything past the first line - I’ve seen this in a few places lately.
Hindering the Word of God? Good luck to them...
Your efforts will not be for nothing.
The Word of God always comes back with dividends.
The scoffers, mockers, and censors will have a very hard time justifying what they did and stood for on Judgement Day.
“Purifies Himself as Jesus Is Pure”
.
That Should be Our Main concern as it is a Major Work that will dog us until we Are ‘Raptured.’
.
Work out your salvation
In Fear and Trembling!
[Your efforts will not be for nothing.
The Word of God always comes back with dividends.]
Thank you. I definitely believe so. Had it not been for the Word of Knowledge given directly to me (by the Lord) over 30 years ago, I don’t think I would have survived the past few decades.
I continue to fight, though it often seems hopeless, I’ve been through tougher scrapes before.
As I was programming IBM mainframes decades and decades and decades ago, it was quite obvious that eventually every person could be controlled via an economic system that only had direct deposit, credit cards and (eventually) debit cards. At that time, we were all carrying ATM cards beside credit cards.
So, I wondered, how could I spread the Word of the Lord regarding the coming Mark of the Beast and the Antichrist to the far ends of the Earth? Well, the answer came ....
ouch, though.... :)
God bless you
[“paralambano”]
Jack van Impe would often conflate two different passages not understanding this word vs. “airo” - eventually I couldn’t stand to watch him - and that was over 20 years ago.
Of course he passed away many years ago.
[The scoffers, mockers, and censors will have a very hard time justifying what they did and stood for on Judgement Day.]
I think of the church group I used to work with. They Scoffed and Mocked the very notion of these things coming.
I watched “A Distant Thunder” a couple of weeks ago - of course it’s old and terribly-acted but it was Christians donating their time.
In the end they were betrayed by those they thought were believers.
Of course the ending was really stupid with Patty (I think it was this one - maybe the next one - Patty was about to be excuted for rejecting the Mark of the Beast and...(dumb)
Amen!
AMEN!!!!
More so than ever these evil days.
The part with her in the guillotine?
I thought that was a very wrenching part of the movie.
I could easily see someone on the fence being in that situation of uncertainly, deciding to take the mark and then, too bad for you.
bkmk
It will be only then that they will realize their pastors/leaders have led them down the wrong path, that they were lied to. They will also realize that they will have to die a physical death if they, then, truly want to follow Christ.
This will accomplish two things. 1 - It will galvanize true believers to hold onto their faith, even in the face of certain death. 2 - It will also weed out those who will be so angry they will deny Christ and those will be some of those who will shake their fists in the face of God Almighty.
I think we are closer than we have ever been before.
I agree! Thanks for the post!
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