As stated last week, the imagery of the husband and wife is used in the Bible to illustrate the relationship between the Lord and His Bride, the Church. At Revelation 22:17 and 20, we read as follows:
The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires, take the water of life without cost…. He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming quickly.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
So, if you truly love the Lord, you will routinely pray for the Lord’s return. With the Lord’s return, every aspect of your life and humanity will be better. We should eagerly pray for and eagerly anticipate the Lord’s return. The Apostle Paul encouraged and described the Corinthian believers as “eagerly await[ing] the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 1:7).
There are many verses that emphasize the theme of “eagerly awaiting” for the return of Jesus Christ. At Philippians 3:20, the Apostle Paul wrote, “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.” At Titus 2:12-13, the Apostle Paul instructed us “to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously, and in a godly manner in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.” At 2 Timothy 4:7-8, Paul wrote, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing” (Emphasis added).
I suspect that many Christians do not routinely pray for the return of Jesus Christ. Most believers are preoccupied with the here and now. Both the First and Second Coming of Jesus Christ are vitally and incredibly important for humanity. Whether or not we routinely pray for the return of Jesus Christ to Planet Earth is an indicium of whether or not we love the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Parable of Ten Virgins teaches us about the importance of anticipating and being prepared for the return of Jesus Christ. At Matthew 25:1, we read, “Then the Kingdom of Heaven will be comparable to ten virgins, who took their lamps and went out to meet the groom.” Matthew’s phrase “Kingdom of Heaven” is equivalent to the often used “Kingdom of God.” The Kingdom of God is both a present spiritual reality of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Rom. 14:17) and a future reality of God’s Kingdom on Planet Earth and throughout God’s creation. There will be no more sin or rebellion. Every knee will bow, and every tongue will swear allegiance to God. All will live under God’s Kingdom and authority (Isa. 45:23).
In the Parable of Ten Virgins, there were five foolish virgins and five wise virgins (Matt. 25:12). The five wise virgins took extra oil to light their lamps, but the five foolish virgins did not (Matt. 25:3-4). The oil was symbolic of the inner spiritual life. Without an inner spiritual life, we cannot see God’s will for our lives. Christianity is divided between the wise and the foolish. The wise continue to pursue the inner spiritual life, and therefore, they are prepared for the return of the Lord to Planet Earth and for the Final Judgment.
At Matthew 25:5-6, we read: “Now while the groom was delaying, they all became drowsy and began to sleep. But at midnight, there finally was a shout: ‘Behold, the groom! Come out to meet him.’” In my opinion, these verses describe the Rapture. I believe that the Rapture will include only faithful and wise believers. Then, we read, “Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps. But the foolish virgins said to the prudent ones, ‘Give us some of your oil, because our lamps are going out’” (Matt. 25:7-8). Please note that both the wise and foolish wanted to be with the groom, but the foolish did not make the necessary preparations. They did not have an appropriate scale of values.
In response to the foolish virgins’ request for oil for their lamps, the prudent virgins answered, ‘No, there most certainly would not be enough for us and you too; go instead to the merchants and buy some for yourselves.’” Each believer has the responsibility to live the Spiritual Life. At the time of the Rapture, some will be prepared; others will not be prepared. We should make living the Spiritual Life a priority. If we do not, there will be negative consequences. Finally, at Matthew 25:10-13, we read:
But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the groom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast; and the door was shut. Yet later, the other virgins also came, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open up for us.’ But he answered, ‘Truly I say to you, I do not know you.’ Be on the alert then, because you do not know the day nor the hour.
(Emphasis added.)
Only faithful followers will be a part of the Wedding Feast. In my opinion, only faithful believers will be raptured. To be faithful, we must make living the Spiritual Life our highest priority.
In my opinion, the Rapture will precede the return of the Lord by 3½ years, but no more than 7 years. At His return, the Lord will “repay every person according to his deeds” (Matt. 16:27). The Lord will come in His glory with all the angels, “then He will sit on His glorious throne” (Matt. 25:31).
The Lord will “[deal] out retribution to those who do not know God, and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus” (2 Thess. 1:8). “Every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on the earth and under the earth, and… every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil. 2:10-11).
As to this unique generation, Paul explained, “Behold, I am telling you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed” (1 Cor. 15:51-52). So, given this imagery, we can imagine a generation in which a certain number of faithful followers will be raptured. Then, at the moment of Jesus’s return, at the last trumpet, the remaining dead will be raised, and great numbers will be transformed without experiencing death. We should be praying for and looking forward to “the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus” (Titus 2:13).
