One of the Lord’s watchmen/prophets recently said, “It’s time to prepare the Bride of Christ.” What does THAT mean? I asked Mike his opinion and he began to relate to the weddings our daughters had. The soon to be bride gets herself in shape for her gown. She sends out invitations to loved ones. She plans the food and drink. She keeps focused on the day, longing to be joined with her groom.
What comes to me is that both ‘spiritual and physical’ are necessary. The Cross is both vertical and horizontal. To me, it shows how the spirit and flesh are connected in that one effects the other, one needs the other to accomplish the will of the Father. The Father needed flesh and blood to prepare people spiritually, for life after death.
“Just as we are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many (those who believe in Him); and He will appear a SECOND time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are WAITING FOR HIM.” Hebrews 9:28
Those who are “waiting for Him,” both alive and sleeping in their graves, are of His Kingdom waiting to be “with Him” as He promised His disciples; that we’d be with Him wherever He is.
The “second coming” of our Lord is after His rapture (taking off the earth) of the Spirit-filled church (bride) when we rise to meet Him in the clouds (1 Corinthians 15:51-54, 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18 and Daniel 12:7) in order to “escape the worse time on the earth” (Revelation 3:10-13 and Revelation 10:7) with the third “woe” of God’s wrath man’s wicked rebellion, (Revelation 11:14) with His “Two Witnesses” doing their assignment on earth.
This “rapture” of Christ’s Faithful Church relates to how the Lord spared His people in Egypt from His last 2 plagues on Egypt’s wicked rebellion (darkness and death – Exodus 10:21-12:13), the 9th being complete darkness over the land so that no one could see their hand in front of their face, but in the homes of God’s people there was LIGHT. If you’re paying attention to what’s happening in our world, it’s evident that complete darkness is ‘about’ to take over – with Christ’s prophecy being fulfilled of the coming of the anti-Christ and his “one-world government” and “mark of the beast.” (Daniel 8:19-10:14, Matthew 24 and Revelation 13:11-18)
The 10th plague of death that killed all Egypt’s firstborn, even animals, was not felt by God’s people because they had obeyed the Word of the Lord through Moses, and applied the lamb’s blood over their doors and windows and eating the prepared lamb together in full obedience, thus the angel of death PASSedOVER the homes (families) of God’s people. (Exodus 12:13)
Oh, how I love this time of year that is called PASSOVER because the blood of Jesus that He shed on the cross is over people with HIS faith. We don’t fear ‘physical death’ knowing we’ve been forgiven by God through His Son, and as Jesus was the “first-fruits of Resurrection” from physical death to eternal life with the Father, Jesus Christ opened the WAY for us to join Him, those who love and obey Him!
Prepare, oh bride of Christ! How do we prepare? We finish what is ours to do before the Lord calls us up to meet Him in the clouds. Each generation has a unique ‘physical and spiritual’ purpose. We testify of what Christ has done on the Cross, and has personally done for each of us, so that others might be saved. AND, we prepare provision (practical/physical survival) for those going through the worse time on earth who will call on the Lord to save them. Some will die a martyr’s death, but many will live through it – without taking the “mark of the beast” as the Lord warned. They will not be able to buy and sell without the mark of Satan. The Lord says to trust God in those days. God works through His people to prepare for His people later. We see this throughout the Bible in both Old and New Testaments.
The Holy Spirit’s work, Christ’s work through His Church, is to “make ready a people prepared for the Lord; turning the hearts of the parents to their children and turning the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous.” Luke 1:17
Wisdom knows what to do with what you ‘know’ from the Lord, and with what you’ve been ‘given’ of the Lord. This is how “the Bride makes herself ready.” Her righteous acts are her bright white bridal gown. Revelation 19:5-8
Christ’s one-thousand-year reign on the earth (His second coming) I see as the day between the Groom’s dinner (rapture of the Church at the 7th Trumpet Rev.10:7) and the Groom’s Wedding Day at the end of His 1K reign on earth. (Revelation 21) God says that a day with Him in heaven – is as a thousand years on the earth.
After the earth is prepared with our KING of kings “making all things new on the earth and in the heavens,” having done all He said would do in His 1K reign – His New Jerusalem, the Bride comes down for the Wedding Day! Is His Bride making herself ready?