12. The Bride meets Christ

12. The Bride meets Christ (Rev. 14:1-5; 15:2-5; 19:1-10)

12.1 The Rapture entails:

For thousands of years, the prophets and holy men of the people of God have looked forward to "the day of the Lord," when God finally comes forth to abolish evil from the earth. "The day of the Lord" begins with Christ taking his Bride home from the earth, since the Bride will have then completed her tasks, and the nations will have turned their back on God and chosen the Antichrist instead.

The rapture entails:

first, all the saints are raised up to new life who had died during either the old or the new covenant's time. (Heb. 11:40; I Thess. 4; 11 Thess. 2)
Then, all the "wise Christians" of the Bride who are still living will be changed in an instant, and raised up to the sky with the resurrected ones to meet the Lord Jesus Christ.
The resurrection includes even the wedding guests in Jesus parable (Matt. 22:1-14). As far as I can discern, to this group belong all those who accepted God's invitation during the last great revival, but who have not grown enough in holiness to be counted in the Bride.

The Bride therefore consists of saints from both the old and new covenants. The latter include an innumerable host of saved "gentiles" from all peoples on earth, and a forerunner group of saved Jews who have confessed Jesus as their Messiah. Remaining on earth will unfortunately be those who in Jesus' parable are denoted as the "unwise" Bride Christians, as well as those who have consciously fallen away.

Those who are raptured will have in common a vital love relationship with the Savior Jesus Christ.

At the first resurrection, therefore, Christ never steps down onto the earth, but the Bride meets him in the sky. Jesus doesn't step onto the earth until later, when he saves the Jews from annihilation in connection with the battle of Armageddon.

12.2 The wise and the unwise Christians

In the normal figurative language of the Bible, the Bride of Christ is collectively denoted by Christians who wait for and long for the coming of the Bridegroom. In the parable of the wise and the unwise Bridesmaids, Jesus departs from the collective term in order to instead be able to exemplify two differing types of relationships before the coming of the Bridegroom. (Matt. 25:1-13)

Traditionally, there are two interpretations to this somewhat difficult to understand text:

The unwise took only empty lamps and no oil at all. In this case, the interpretation is that the unwise had satisfied themselves with mainly a surface Christianity, while the wise had also acquired access to oil (a personal experience of the Holy Spirit)
All 10 had begun equally well at one time by accepting Christ as their Savior, and they had experienced the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of adoption. In this case, their experience represented in the parable an initial supply of oil in the lamps. This began to run out, according to the alternative explanation, when the Bridegroom was delayed. The wise, on the other hand, had also taken along with them extra oil in their vessels.

In either case, what matters is that the unwise were left outside. They could not borrow oil from the wise Bridesmaids, and neither did they have time to buy new oil.
Therefore, the parable at least implies that a personal experience of God can neither be borrowed, stored up, or transferred in any other way. True fellowship with God is only at the most personal level, and it takes time to develop. This is what makes the parable so serious, since it refers to so-called confessing Christians.

Notice that all 10 were invited, and all 10 were completely certain of their place in the wedding hall. Therefore the unwise can not denote unbelieving sinners, or conscious backsliders.

Therefore, having correct doctrine, having one's name on the membership roll of the church, and participating in their lifestyle is not sufficient. However, even the wise weren't free from sin, and they weren't completely awake, for they all had fallen asleep. The difference lies at a deeper level.

12.3 Previously spirit-baptized Christians who are excluded.

It's certainly surprising to many today that not all who once began right will enter heaven. But according to one of the parables of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount, it will likely be an even greater surprise to those who weren't prepared, and who are left outside. We will therefore now try to gain some help from other Bible passages in order to try to interpret the deeper meaning of the parable in harmony with the overall view of the Bible.

The Bible speaks of both:

The gifts of the Spirit, which can be likened to "equipment" which makes us more effective in our work for the kingdom of God; for example, the gift of prophecy, the gift of tongues, the gifts of wisdom and knowledge, etc. (I Cor. 12:4-11) These are given to all Christians who pray for them. The spiritual gifts are "free" for the recipient, and as for the disciples on the day of Pentecost, can be received "instantaneously."
The fruits of the Spirit, on the other hand, are the result of many years of being influenced by the character of Christ (signified by the color yellow in the illustrated series), and this process of sanctification costs the "daily dying" of ourselves. In exchange for the evil deeds of our flesh (the violet color), which are wrath, violence, divisiveness, etc., we receive meekness, peace, unity, love, joy, etc. (Gal. 5:19-26)

12.3.1 The purposes of God for our sanctification are: (Phil. 2:12-16)

that our personality is more and more molded by Christ's character, so that the transformation leads to unselfish good deeds instead of the evil deeds of the flesh.
that we begin to shine as lights in the dark, so that when others see us they:

begin to praise God who made it possible through Jesus Christ (Matt. 5:14-20)
develop an interest in experiencing the same thing for themselves. (Acts 13:47-49)

Now let us look at the extremely serious message in Matt. 7:21-23 about those who are left behind. (We use here an accurate translation of the Bible, rather than a paraphrase.)
Jesus said, "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day (note) many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.'"

My interpretation can be summarized in the following points:

In order to be wise and prepared, we must be born again. All of the Bridesmaids fulfilled this condition. In the illustrated series, therefore, they all wear the white robes of righteousness.
False prophets, who have never been Christians, can both prophesy and perform miracles through the power of the devil, but they can never cast out evil spirits. According to Jesus' own words, evil spirits can only be cast out by those who belong to the kingdom of God. (Luke 11:14-22) Therefore, these people were at one time Christians who were baptized in the Spirit, and were clothed with the power of the Spirit.
These Christians had consequently experienced the reality behind steps 1-5 in illustration 3.3 of Series 1. As long as it didn't cost too much, they all followed along. The disobedience of the unwise first came when they began to have to "pay the price" for sanctification.

Instead of being lights in the darkness, their carnality had brought dishonor to God. Jesus, therefore, calls them evildoers, (or "workers of lawlessness"), and directs them out into darkness.

Through wanting to remain selfish, "carnal wilderness Christians", they had stopped growing, just like the early Christians in Corinth. Consequently, they had not taken seriously enough their need of sanctification and of deepened fellowship with God:

Jesus emphasized that eternal life primarily implies learning to know"God and Jesus Christ whom he has sent." Mary understood this, and sought to be near Jesus when opportunity allowed, while Martha, being irritated, felt that kitchen preparations were more important. (John 17:3; Luke 10:38-41)
Paul writes about sanctification: "Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires." (Gal. 5:24) "Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry…intolerance, wrath…scheming, rivalries,….Those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God." (Gal. 5:19-23)

Even Paul was forced to confess with tears that, "many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction …Their mind is on earthly things." (Phil. 3:18-19)

12.3.2 More on the wise and the unwise "Bride-Christians"

Presumably, the unwise Christians had more or less unconsciously become backsliders. A reason which could have contributed to their falling away could be that they were lulled into a sense of false security by having their spiritual gifts continuing to operate. (Other possible reasons are given along with illustration 2.24 in Series 1.)

The promises in the Book of Revelation to the 7 churches, that they would be with Christ and reign with him in the Millennial kingdom, are only given to the overcomers. To those who have learned to overcome their own flesh and the world, Jesus says, "I will never take his name out of the book of life." (Rev. 2 and 3, especially 3:3).

God does not demand complete sanctification or perfectionism. However, we must at least "desire to have the right heart" to cleanse and sanctify ourselves from everything that the Holy Spirit shows us is sin in our lives. Our long-term goal must in any case be to learn to live a life of increasing holiness, as it is written, "Be holy, for I am holy." (I Pet. 1:15-16)

Therefore, Paul strove to "be able to present everyone as mature in Christ." (Col. 1:28) The driving force for this is then automatically an ever-increasing bridal love. The one who has been forgiven much also loves much.(Phil. 2:12-16; Luke 7:47)

Unfortunately, the love of many Christians will grow cold in the end times, due to hearing teachers who promise a false grace, which allows those who hear to continue to be lax about sanctification. As a result, they can continue to live exactly like unconverted people in the world. (I Tim. 4:1-2; Phil. 3:17-21; I Pet. 1:13-25; I Pet. 2:1)

In Summary: The unwise only wanted to have that which they could enjoy and receive for "free". The wise have gone further in sanctification and have begun to "pay the price" through giving up more and more of their self-life. Only those who live in victory - overcoming daily the flesh and the Devil - are promised to be included.

Both in Matt 25:1-13 and in other passages, we are exhorted to buy treasures such as oil and eye salve, so that we can see our situation as God sees it. (For example, Rev. 3:18) How, though, does this mesh together with the fact that salvation is to be free, by grace, and not something which can be bought for money or with good deeds? The price which we "pay" is, as stated earlier, a daily crucifixion as we let the Spirit put to death the deeds of the flesh.

The way to heaven, therefore, goes through a deeper experience of the cross in our own lives.

Comments:
The unwise Christians who are alive on earth at the time of the rapture immediately receive their judgment, in that they are left behind and end up in the judgments of wrath. The rest of the unwise Christians who have died over the years are not resurrected then, and will not learn the truth of their lives until the final judgment, along with all the rest of mankind. (See illustration 4.8)

12.3. 3 God's plan, and the Devil's counter plan

The purpose of God for the Church has always been that before the rapture the Bride will have become so strong that she no longer lives defeated in the wilderness, but conquers victoriously in the Promised Land. (Eph. 3:10) Through the victories of the Church in the end times, even evil spirits will get to see and know the power and authority in Jesus' victory on the cross - through the sick being healed, the demonized set free in the name of Jesus, and every type of demon being driven out.

However, spiritually mature and sanctified Christians who also operate in the spiritual gifts are needed for this. (See illustration 6.4)

One of the counter-moves of the Devil at the end of the 1800's was to get pastors and people to believe that the spiritual gifts are no longer needed. The Bible passage was misinterpreted which said that only love remains forever, while the spiritual gifts pass away, (however, they do not pass away until mankind's time on earth is over. I Cor. 13:8-10) Through the charismatic revival movements of the 1900's, this is now being set right in Christianity.
The counter-move of the Devil during the 1900's has been to lure Christians who have received the gifts of the Spirit to be content with these, and to be lax about sanctification. As a result, altogether too many Christians have fallen into self-contentment and pride, and will be left outside unless they repent. See Jesus' own words in section 12.3.1. In the holiness revival which began in the 1990's, this has thankfully begun to be corrected.

12.4. The judgment seat of Christ - examination and celebration

For thousands of years, the prophets of the people of the kingdom of God and the saints have looked forward to the "Day of the Lord". On that day, God will finally come forth and deal with evil on the earth, and with the Devil who is behind it all. Since God has given all judgment into the hand of the Son, it will be Jesus Christ who steps into the role of the king of the whole universe and the righteous judge. The judgment occurs in two simultaneous chains of events, one in the sky and one on the earth. Christ begins by letting his angels cast the Devil down to the earth. Afterwards, he takes his Bride up to himself in the sky.

In the sky, those who are part of the Bride will be gathered before Christ:

First, the judgment takes place before the judgment seat of Christ, where every individual will receive a just reward for his good deeds and his labor for Christ on earth. Simply expressed, this could be called the final exam in the School of Life. (As seen in illustrations 2.11 and 2.27 in Series 1) The reward will likely also determine what responsibilities each and every one will receive in connection with the reign of Christ during the Millennial kingdom. (See illustration 4.7, samt and note.) )
Afterwards, the greatest celebration in the history of the world takes place between the Bridegroom, Jesus Christ, and his faithful Bride, saved from the world. In order to sufficiently demonstrate Christ's final victory over the Devil, the celebration is not held in heaven itself, but in the sky, which had until then been the Devil's headquarters over the earth. (Eph. 2:2)

Note:
The wise Bride-Christians therefore never need to fear an eternal judgment of divorce from God. This is only sentenced against ungodly people and the unwise Bride-Christians at the final judgment after the Millennium. For this reason, the Bible says that the second death has no power over those who are wise Bride-Christians. (See illustration 4.8 and Rev. 20:6)

12.5.God's triumph - a Christlike Bride

The Bride now sees with admiration how the Bridegroom, Christ, and his host of angels judge and overcome evil on earth and in the spiritual world. Thereafter, the Bride and Christ establish a righteous spiritual dominion over people during the Millennial kingdom. In the Bible, this is symbolized by the new city of Jerusalem replacing the evil dominion of the Devil.

From the beginning of creation, God had the following goals in mind:

God did not want to just form replacements for the angels which fell with the Devil. The successors would also become more developed morally and more stable than their predecessors.
Furthermore, God wanted to strengthen the base for his kingdom's rule (consisting of the trinity itself) with the help of the Bride of Christ. The model for the Bride's training would be the same schooling which the Bridegroom, Jesus Christ himself, went through during his life on earth. Those who here have learned to have victory in temptations and trials will therefore then even be able to judge angels. (Rev. 20:4-6, 21; I Cor 6;3)
Instead of the Garden of Eden, there is now the New Jerusalem, which symbolizes the extended seat of power for the kingdom of God. (Rev. 21,22, and illustration 4.7)
The power which holds everything together will be an extension of the love relationship within the trinity, symbolized here by the Bride's love relationship with the Bridegroom, Christ.
In order to be able to rule justly, man's mind and nature must be developed and sanctified to become like Christ's. The mind of the Bride has been trained in the School of Life to be able to distinguish between good and evil. The Bride's nature has been sanctified to Christlikeness through suffering. Her adornment of gold and precious stones has something in common with the refining process, which every genuine sanctification implies.
The precious stones were once worthless coal which has been transformed into something valuable through intense pressure and great heat. The gold is purified from the slag through a glowing-hot refining process. (Mal. 3:3; Rom. 5:3-5; Rev. 3:18)
The Bride-Christians had victory crowns on their heads. These symbolize that they became overcomers in the temptations, and that they had won others for God. (James 1:12; Rev. 7:13-17; Phil. 4:1; I Thess. 2:19)