The church of the Lord Jesus Christ is part of the greatest themes in scripture - The Bridal Paradigm. We are living in a time where Jesus is getting His Bride ready to meet Him at any moment. We are waiting for our bridegroom to come back with a shout. Prior to His Coming Jesus is drawing us closer than we've ever been to intimacy with Him. Yeshuah is looking for people who want more than a church experience on Sunday. He's wanting a passionate heart burning with desire that cares less about the world and what the world has to offer it. John the Baptist declared it well so long ago - He must "increase," we must "decrease."

By Chris McDonald

        The church is soon to enter its greatest hour I believe. Without question everyone who is hearing from God right now seems to have an urgency about them concerning harvest. The harvest foretold in scripture is one of the signs we are living in the latter days and very close to the rapture of the church. I'm not going to get into a ditch in this journal and argue over the rapture's timing with anyone. There are some who believe the church will not be taken out of this world prior to the Great Tribulation period while others teach the church will not see any of the period Jesus spoke about in Matthew. I can only respond to that simply by saying that the "Father knows the times and seasons," and it's not a wise thing to do with our time right now worrying about whether we'll be fighting the Antichrist or worshipping Jesus around the throne during this horrible time that is ahead.

        But prior to judgment falling on planet Earth the prophets saw a great outpouring of the Holy Spirit all over the world that would usher millions, possibly even hundreds of millions into the Kingdom of God prior to wrath. This harvest is starting in some parts of the world, especially Israel right now where the door to preach the gospel is opening rapidly but will close just as rapidly. In addition to Israel, millions of Jewish people are making allyah, or the journey home, to their national homeland as fulfillment of Jeremiah's proclamation that when the Jewish people started returning home "from the north" that also was a sign we were close to the Second Coming of our Master for the church.

Jeremiah 16:14-16  - Therefore, behold, the days come, says the Lord, that it shall no more be said, The Lord liveth, that brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; [15] But, The Lord lives, that brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north, and from all the lands whither he had driven them: and I will bring them again into their land that I gave unto their fathers.  [16] Behold, I will send for many fishers, says the Lord, and they shall fish them; and after will I send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain, and from every hill, and out of the holes of the rocks.

        If you notice in this passage the Lord speaks of "hunters" and "fishers." There have been times in Israel's history where men have sought to help her in establishing a safe haven from those seeking her destruction. Men like Theodore Herzl in the late 1800s who did the leg work for the powerful Zionist Conference in 1897 which paved the way for the formation of what we know today as Palestine. That land was not only developed by Jewish people but it was BOUGHT by Jewish people. The Rothschilds, a very wealthy family of Jewish people here in the United States, aided to the cause by donating millions of dollars to purchase portions of the land that is in dispute today. But more importantly, the land was given to Israel by GOD HIMSELF. It was first promised to Abraham then re-promised to Isaac, Abraham's son, and Jacob, Abraham's grandson. As we know, it was from Jacob that the 12 tribes of Israel sprang.

       But it's not been a history of comfort for God's chosen people. Men like Adolph Hitler, Josef Stalin and others have actively sought the destruction of Jewish people. Her latest battle as we enter into this new year is with terrorism from the Palestine Liberation Organization which feels it has the rights to the Jewish land that is now occupied by Israel. Jerusalem, God's holy city, is also at stake, with the PLO claiming Jerusalem as the "eternal capital of Palestine." Friend, Jerusalem is NOT the eternal capital of Palestine. Jerusalem is the eternal capital of GOD! And God has given Jerusalem to ISRAEL. The land issue may be complex when seen through biased political eyes and liberal news media, but when looking at it through God's eyes - it's plain and simple - it belongs to GOD FIRST! And He has elected to give it to the Jewish people.

        A more somber thing the apostles foretold about the last days was a great falling away. Paul warned Timothy toward the end of his life to "preach the word, rebuke, reprove and exhort with ALL longsuffering and doctrine." He told Timothy that the days would come when men would draw teachers to themselves that would tickle their ears. Many, he said, would depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils. This know also in the "last days" Paul said, PERILOUS TIMES would come. I remember hearing a preacher not too terribly long ago get up and declared  "well who says these are the last days - we're not in for perilous times - we're in for blessings." Friend, don't you believe it. Things are NOT going to get better. The events of September 11th were I hope a wake up call for many that the world we live in - even here in America - has changed. Things are moving rapidly toward the establishment of a one-world government which will eventually usher in the age of Antichrist and plunge this world into a time Jesus called "GREAT TRIBULATION." A time that is going to be so bad, Jesus said there has never been a time like it in the past and neither will there be a time like it in the future.

        The first step in the Jewish wedding system was the arrangement, in which the father of the groom arranged the match with the father of the bride and paid him the bride price. This stage could occur when the bride and groom were yet children, and often the betrothed would not even meet each other until the day of the wedding. (This was true, in fact, in the case of my own grandparents.)  The application to God’s program is that God the Father, the Father of the Groom, made the arrangement and, then, paid the bride price. The bride price was the blood of His Son. As Ephesians 5:25 states:

        But in the midst of ALL these things God is raising up a remnant of people who are drawing closer to Him than at any time in their lives. They are receiving one of the most powerful revelations in scripture - the revelation of the Bride and the Bridegroom. Some may argue that the Bride of Christ is the New Jerusalem, while others say the Bride is the Church. I believe the Bride is both. We are part of the BODY OF CHRIST, a part of the Bride that will partake in the Marriage Supper of the Lamb prior to the Lord's literal return to earth. This is not a theological discussion on terminology. It's a call to holy passion and unction in this last hour to a church that is lukewarm, unholy, unloving and uncaring in her passion for her Bridegroom. There is a clarion call going out if we will HEAR WHAT THE SPIRIT IS SAYING TO THE CHURCH right now for us to draw near to God and that will cause Him to draw near to us.

        This drawing near and intimacy is wrapped up in the bridal revelation or as a fellow well-known speaker calls it, "the bridal paradigm." Let's take a closer look and see what the Lord would say to us.

Jewish Marriage Customs--The Jewish Bridegroom Seeks His Bride

        Let's look first into ancient history to Jewish marriage customs, for in them we shall see some profound prophetic implications applying to the Lord Jesus and His Church.

        In Bible days, when a young Jewish man chose his bride-to-be, he traveled from his father's house to her home to discuss betrothal--the first major step in establishing the marriage covenant. There he negotiated with her father the purchase price he would pay (called in the Hebrew tongue the mohar) to make her his own. Once the bridegroom paid that price, the marriage covenant was established; and the young man and woman were regarded as promised to one another--husband and wife. From that moment the bride was declared "sanctified," or set apart exclusively for her bridegroom. As a symbol of this established covenant relationship, the groom and the bride would drink from a cup of wine over which a betrothal benediction had been prayed.

        After establishing the marriage covenant, the bridegroom would leave the bride's home and return to his father's house, where he remained, separated from his bride for a period of days, weeks, and months. Before he left her, however, the bridegroom made his bride this special promise: "Let not your heart be troubled . . . I go to prepare a place for you . . . and . . . I will come again.  During their time apart, the groom built a bridal chamber in his father's house, preparing for their coming marriage day. Also during this time, the bride prepared her wedding dress, gathered her trousseau, and made herself ready to be the wife in married life with her beloved groom when he returned. All through this waiting time, the bride wore a veil as a symbol of her consecration to her groom alone. She would not be seen or known by strangers.

        When all was ready, the groom, with his best man and groomsmen, would lead a nighttime torchlight procession to the bride's home, where he would receive his bride and take her to be with him. Though the bride expected her bridegroom to come at any time, she did not know the exact day or hour when he would appear. His only warning of arrival was a shout--alerting the bride that it was time at last to come out to meet and greet her groom.

Before he left her, the bridegroom made his bride this special promise: "Let not your heart be troubled . . . I go to prepare a place for you . . . and . . . I will come again." (John 14:1-3)

        Then the groom, with his bride and the entire wedding party, returned back to his father's house, where they found that the father had prepared a great marriage feast for all his wedding guests. Soon after arrival, the bridegroom and bride were escorted by wedding party members to the bridal chamber (Hebrew: huppah). The bridegroom and bride went together into the bridal chamber to enter into their first physical union, consummating their covenanted marriage. The best man waited outside the chamber, listening for the groom's prearranged signal.

During the seven-day wedding celebration,
the bride remained hidden in the bridal chamber. During the seven-year Tribulation period, the church (the Bride) will also be hidden away in the Bridal chamber

        When the marriage was consummated, the groom signaled the best man (John 3:29), who told the good news to the wedding guests; and all rejoiced and feasted in a seven-day marriage celebration. During that celebration, the bride remained hidden in the bridal chamber. When the seven days were completed, the groom brought his bride out of the bridal chamber (with her veil removed) so that all could see her.

John 3:29  - He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled.
 

Christ and His Bride: The Heavenly Bridegroom Seeks His Bride

        These customs give us an exciting "wedding portrait" of our blessed Saviour and His Bride-the Church! No less than ten major statements in New Testament Scripture refer to Jesus Christ the Son of God as the "Bridegroom," and to the Church as His "Bride." It is the most magnificent and beautiful love story anywhere in the pages of prophecy. And we who belong to the Saviour, who are part of the "Bride of Christ," eagerly and expectantly await the return of the Bridegroom.

To begin with, let us establish that Jesus Himself is the Bridegroom.

Matthew 9:15  - And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bride chamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast.

Mark 2:19-20  - And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bride chamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them? as long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. [20] But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days.

Luke 5:34-35  - And he said unto them, Can ye make the children of the bride chamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them? [35] But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days.

        We wee in John 3:29 that John the Baptist refers to "the bride" and "the bridegroom." In another passage in the New Covenant, Ephesians 5:23 speaks of the marriage relationship as a picture of Christ and His Church. Notice: ". . . the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the Saviour of the body." This is one of the most powerful revelations about to be unleashed upon the whole church in the coming days. It's a revelation that is some have already received a portion of anointing on but it will spread to ALL who are truly hungry for God soon. Those who just want to continue to play church and have Sunday and Wednesday night religion will not hear the voice of the beloved to His body!

        Just as the Jewish bridegroom left words of comfort prior to his first leaving the bride after the engagement, so did our Heavenly Bridegroom just hours before His Cross leave us the SAME WORDS!:

John 14:1-3  - Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. [2] 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. [3] And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
 

        Jesus made that great and precious promise of the Heavenly Bridegroom to His Bride. His promise is the "blessed hope" of the Church. "In my Father's house are many mansions," is used quite a bit at FUNERALS, but friend what we are going to part of one day in the not too distant future is NOT a funeral! It's going to be one of the most festive, joyous times that NO HUMAN can express in mortal words. We are going to a FEAST! Of course, some churches we see today are more like a funeral than a feast, but if we are intimate with our Bridegroom, His Spirit lives inside of us BEARING WITNESS to the fact that He has gone away but He is coming back. Oh glory to God. Hallelujah. I feel the anointing of the Holy Ghost as I write this. Jesus is coming back! Jesus is coming. Jesus is coming! He said it. "I WILL COME AGAIN" and receive YOU unto myself. Who is the "you" He is talking about? It's the BRIDE! It's the BRIDE. It's the BRIDE! Mercy you should be shouting if you are reading this.

        I want to say it right here and now. Some parts of the church have stopped preaching His imminent return. But the rapture of the church is STILL a valid reality. We can argue till they're putting locks on the doors but it's not a time to be worrying about the Antichrist. It's a time to be falling in love with THE CHRIST. It's a time to be drawing near to THE CHRIST, the Bridegroom, the one John The Baptist looked at one day and shouted, "BEHOLD THE LAMB OF GOD, WHICH TAKES AWAY THE SINS OF THE WORLD!" He is the Bridegroom that John knew so intimately that without Jesus introducing Himself at the river Jordan John looked up and said, "I don't need to be baptizing you, you need to be baptizing me." It's the same bridegroom John proclaimed that caused his heart to jump for joy each time he heard his voice. John knew that voice well. Even when John was in Elizabeth's womb he would jump when Mary came into the room because of the spirit of God on Mary and INSIDE Mary on the CHRIST. That's where the Holy Spirit is taking the church. He's taking us back to simple love for Jesus. He's taking us back to a simple devotion and passion for the Son of God. He's taking us back to humility of purpose and simple servant hood. The days of big-time ministry are over. There are not going to be any "superstars" in this coming move of God. No, those who want to be superstars will have their reward from the applause of men. Those who want to know God will be locked away in a private prayer closet weeks and months upon end seeking God's face and His HEART and listening to that wonderful voice......waiting, waiting, waiting,....for the return of the Bridegroom who has spoken and said, "Don't let your heart be troubled."

        We are living in troubled days right now. Some of you reading this are walking in worry and anxiety and you need to hear the Rhema word of God to you today - "Don't let your heart be troubled." If you believe in God, believe in HIS SON JESUS CHRIST, Yeshuah. He is the WAY, the TRUTH and the LIFE. No man cometh to the Father but through HIM. In HIM we breath and live. In HIM we find the light that lights our path and keeps us from darkness. In HIM we find the only real purpose of all creation - that ALL THINGS MADE WOULD BE WRAPPED UP IN HIM and HIS BEAUTY and HIS GLORY and HIS PERSON. In HIM we see the peace (SHALOM) that the world will never give us. In HIM we see the powerful arm of God extended to a lost and hurting world that if they will but believe on Him and repent of their sins they would see eternal life and experience the delivering power of His touch. HE MUST INCREASE, we must decrease. He MUST INCREASE, we must DECREASE. I can't say it enough. Oh God help us in this hour to humble ourselves and remove pride far from us as Your people. It's not about us - It's about HIM! Preacher, it's not about your big church or big choir or big Sunday school or big bank account or big Mercedes you drive. NO NO NO. It's about JESUS. It's about Yeshuah. It's about the one they call THE BRIDEGROOM. He must INCREASE, we must decrease. And He said before He left...."don't let your heart be troubled.. if you believe in God, believe also in me...." (John 14:1-3).

The Price For The Bride

        Paul told the Corinthian believers:

". . . I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ" (2 Cor. 11:2).

        Another passage in James says the "Spirit 'lusts' to envy."

James 4:4-7  - Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. [5] Do ye think that the scripture said in vain, The spirit that dwells in us lusts to envy? [6] But he gives more grace. Wherefore he said, God resists the proud, but gives grace unto the humble. [7] Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.


        The church has committed fornication and adultery on her Bridegroom while He is away. But those He is coming back for will not have one foot in the world and one foot in heaven. No, the BRIDE Jesus is looking for and purchased is a "CHASTE VIRGIN" washed clean by the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. This leads us to our next point in this paradigm. The Jewish groom paid a PRICE to purchase his Bride AND JESUS PAID A PRICE TO PURCHASE HIS BRIDE AS WELL. The price He paid was His own life and HIS BLOOD in which He cut the marriage covenant the Church enjoys today.

        Jesus said..."I lay down my life for the sheep" (John 10:15). Matthew and Peter also give us insight on the price that was paid for this marriage supper that has been ordained for His BRIDE:

Matthew 20:28  - Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

1 Peter 1:18-19  - Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; [19] But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:

        I want to make it clear here, it's only the BLOOD that cleanses us and washes us. Some denominations have walked away from this. We are ashamed to tell people that their sins can only be cleansed through the blood of Jesus. Some denominations are tearing songs out of their songbooks that contain lyrics that make reference to such "vile" acts as some put it. But friend, without the blood, you don't have a marriage! Without the blood, we don't have a covenant! Without paying a price for the church, Jesus don't have a bride. That blood is what separates us from the heathen. That blood is what separates us from Islam. That blood is what separates us from Orthodox Judaism. That blood is what separates us from Hinduism. It's what separates us from Buddhism. It's what separates us from the world and the devil. The BLOOD of JESUS can set the sinner free. The blood STILL sets men free! Praise God. It STILL sets those free who will put their faith in it and repent of their sins. You see the price that was paid had to be paid by the BRIDEGROOM, not the BRIDE! There is nothing WE DID to merit this wedding invitation. He saw us, loved us, washed us and PAID A PRICE FOR US. And as a result we are to set apart unto HIM. Why? Because once the marriage covenant was established, the Jewish bride was set apart exclusively for her groom. Likewise, the Church has been sanctified, or set apart exclusively, for Christ

Ephes. 5:25-27  - Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; [26] That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, [27] That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

1 Cor. 1:2  - Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:

1 Cor. 6:11  - And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

Hebrews 10:10  - By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

Hebrews 13:12  - Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate.
 

The Cup Of Wine

        At the Jewish wedding they would also drink a cup of wine. That cup of wine  was symbolic of the marriage covenant by which the Jewish groom obtained his bride. It represents "joy in the Holy Spirit." The first miracle Jesus did was turn water into WINE. And He is turning the water of the Word of God into WINE to those who are intimate with Him. You ever notice that intimate with people with Jesus are very content people. They are people who don't grumble and complain a lot. They are people who no matter what is happening to them on the outside they are bubbling up with joy on the INSIDE. Why? Because the wine that their Bridegroom has given them in covenant relationship as a token of His love for them is something that only HE CAN GIVE. The old song says it best - "the world didn't give it to me, and the world can't take it away."  And the cup of communion that we drink is symbolic of the New Covenant through which Christ has obtained the Church (1 Cor. 11:25).

1 Cor. 11:25  - 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.
 

The Period Of Separation

        Just as the Jewish groom returned to his father's house after the marriage covenant had been established, so Jesus left the earth and returned to His Father's house in Heaven after He had established the New Covenant and rose from the dead (John 6:62, 20:17). Just as the Jewish groom and bride were separated for a time, Christ has been separated from the Church for over 1,900 years. The Church is now living in that period of separation.

        Furthermore, just as the Jewish groom spent time preparing living accommodations for his bride in his father's house, Jesus has been preparing living accommodations for us in His Father's house in Heaven (John 14:2). As the Jewish groom came to take his bride to live with him at the end of the period of separation, so Christ will come to take the Church to live with Him at the end of this Church Age (John 14:3).

        I want to say something again I said earlier. Jesus is coming! Jesus is coming. Friend, no one knows the hour or the day but we would be wise to be getting our hearts and lives ready to meet Him. The rapture is not a fairy tale. I cannot believe the utter foolishness that is taught at times concerning the rapture of the church. Men have tried to wiggle this doctrine to fit their own little pet movements. But I remind you as well as them of the warnings Jesus gave to those who were not looking for His coming:

Luke 21:34-36 -  And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. [35] For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. [36] Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.


Matthew 24:45-51  - Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? [46] Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. [47] Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods. [48] But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; [49] And shall begin to smite his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; [50] The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, [51] And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

        I want you to hear the words of Jesus. He doesn't pull punches. He says that three things will keep us from looking for the rapture- His coming. (There are two comings of Jesus - the first FOR THE CHURCH (Rapture) and the second WITH THE CHURCH (the Second Coming):

• Surfeiting

• Drunkenness

• Cares Of This Life

        In Matthew He carries it further. He says that those that say in their heart - "MY LORD DELAYS HIS COMING" and begins to smite his fellow-servants and then eats and drinks with the drunken - he too is in danger of missing the rapture. Both peoples in these stories have one huge thing in common - THEY ARE NOT LOOKING FOR HIS IMMINENT RETURN! And friend to hear many if not MOST in the Body of Christ today we have stopped warning those who are part of the "BRIDE" to get ready for HER BRIDEGROOM. I want to say that again but in a more blunt manner. If you are not hearing the SPIRIT SAY "COME LORD JESUS" through your pastor or the teacher you're listening to - friend you're listening to the devil! The devil is wooing the church to sleep by getting it to think it can prepare itself for the Tribulation period later without repenting of its sins NOW to get ready to meet the Bridegroom. Friend, if we can't live for God NOW when it is a time of general prosperity and peace - believe me if the elements of heaven start melting and saints start dying as a result of martyrdom - it won't change us later. That is not to be taken as drawing a line in the sand with my "mid-tribulation" friends (coughing here - including my brother Todd----love ya bro) but an observation that our views on the imminent return of Christ usually dictate how we are living our lives! If we are an expectant BRIDE believe me we are doing EVERYTHING in our power to get ready to MEET THE LORD IN THE AIR! We are doing EVERYTHING urgently with a sense that at any moment Jesus will split the Eastern skies with a SHOUT. But those whose hearts are tied to THIS WORLD (even in the church) are not getting ready for the rapture and they're telling others that Jesus isn't coming for the church as He said. If we say "MY MASTER DELAYS HIS COMING" we are lining ourselves up to be cut asunder when He comes and appointed with the hypocrites. That's not MY words, they are Jesus'

        The Torchlight Procession And The Shout

        Just as the coming for the Jewish bride began by a torchlight procession of the groom and groomsmen from the groom's father's house to the home of the bride, so the taking of the Church will be accomplished by a procession of Christ and an angelic host from the Father's house in Heaven to the earth (1 Thess. 4:16).

1 Thes. 4:14-16  - For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. [15] For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. [16] For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
 

        Oh what a time it's going to be when we hear the sound of the SHOFAR, the TRUMP OF GOD and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we which are alive and remain will be gathered together with them in the air and so shall we EVER be with the LORD. Paul said to "comfort" one another with "these words." Friend, if we are preaching to others that we don't need to be looking for this before the Tribulation, I don't find much comfort there. It all depends on where you are putting your stakes! Where our treasure is our hearts are also. We can be trying to build bigger homes, build bigger churches, build higher steeples to God, but the heart of God right now for the church is to get ready to meet HER BRIDEGROOM! Just as the Jewish bride did not know the exact time of the groom's coming, the Church does not know the exact time of Christ's coming. In the same way that the Jewish groom's arrival was preceded by a shout, so Christ's arrival to take the Church will be preceded by a shout (1 Thess. 4:16).

        Just as the Jewish wedding party found wedding guests assembled in the groom's father's house when they arrived, so Messiah and the Church will find the souls of Old Testament saints assembled in Heaven when they arrive. These friends of the bridegroom will serve as the wedding guests. Just as the Jewish groom and bride entered into physical union after they arrived at the groom's father's house (thereby consummating the marriage that had been covenanted earlier), Jesus and the Church will experience a great spiritual union after their arrival at the Father's house in Heaven.

The Bride's Hiding In The Bridal Chamber For Seven Days Upon Arrival - The Lord Hides Us From Tribulation

        Just as the Jewish bride remained hidden in the bridal chamber for a period of seven days after arrival at the groom's father's house, the Church will remain hidden for a period of seven years (the Tribulation) after arrival at the Father's house in Heaven. While the seven-year Tribulation Period is taking place on earth, the Church will be in Heaven--totally hidden from the sight of those on the earth. Just as the Jewish groom brought his bride out of the bridal chamber at the conclusion of the seven days so that all could see who the bride was, so Christ will bring the Church out of Heaven at the end of the seven-year Tribulation Period, so that all can see the identity of the true Church (Col. 3:4).

Col. 3:4  - When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.

        The world may not miss us when we are taken but friend they will SEE THE GLORY OF THE CHURCH when we come back with JESUS! Our Heavenly Bridegroom will NOT BE ASHAMED of His Bride when He brings her back to earth to live with Him in the New Jerusalem:

Rev. 21:9 - And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will show thee the bride, the Lamb's wife. [10] And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, [11] Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal; [12] And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: [13] On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates. [14] And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

       Friend as we bring this journal to a close, I ask you today  - are you ready to meet the Bridegroom? Are you as John wrote in his first epistle, "unashamed" should Jesus come today? Only foolish people try to set dates but I can tell you this. The events of this world - just over the past 12 months - are rapidly developing the stage on which the worlds superman and "false" messiah is going to be announced very soon. Forces within our own government are drawing this once proud nation into coalitions that will ultimately cause us to lose our nation's soverignity and enter into a one-world government. I am very proud of President Bush and the stand he has taken to this point on the side of Israel (at least verbally). But I fear that as those around him continue to advise him to push us into these alliances that we are going to find ourselves opposed to Israel more and more and as a result opposed to God.

        Syria was admitted in October to the 15-member United Nations' Security Council. That friend sent cold chills up my spine because 99% of all Bible prophecy teachers believe the Antichrist is going to be a Syrian Jew. Isaiah called him "the Assyrian." He will blaspheme the god of his fathers (Abraham, Isaac and Jacob) but first will make worthless peace treaties with Israel. Yes, the signs of the imminent return of Christ are upon us and they are rapidly increasing each day. Each time I go to bed I can't help but wander what the next morning's headlines are going to be.

        This holiday season I think it would do us all very good to not worry about how many gifts we have under the tree but how much of JESUS we have in our hearts. How much does our love burn for Him? How much are we tied to this world's system and how much is this world system tied to us. We are part of the BRIDE. The Bride's call is to make herself ready to meet her bridegroom. The Lord is that bridegroom. And it's time to make Yeshuah LORD OF ALL, not just an object of our attention 30 minutes a week if then. Friend, it's getting late. It's getting late. I say it often at the end of these journals and I'm saying it again - it's getting late. Are you ready for the rapture? Are you ready friend? Like Sid Roth says so powerfully at the end of his radio broadcasts - "if you don't know God here on earth, what makes you so sure you'll know God when you die." And as the Church applies that statement to us - "if we don't love our bridegroom NOW when there is really no persecution (at least here in the Western church) - what makes us think that persecution will make us love Him more later?" It won't! NOW IS THE DAY OF SALVATION and NOW IS THE TIME AND HOUR FOR INTIMACY WITH GOD. We need to take inventory of our lives and ask God to ignite again the passion in our hearts if it has died because of sin and rebellion. Our bridegroom is waiting! And it's getting late. And He's coming and coming soon............... God bless.

For more on the bridegroom and bride paradigm we encourage you to go to www.Threemacs.org. My brother Todd has excellent teachings on this subject. We are going to be entering into a study of Song of Solomon which we believe is a picture for the end-time church to experience fresh intimacy with God as Solomon did with the Shulamite. That is coming soon to Spirit journals. We also encourage you to visit www.FOTB.org the "Friends Of The Bridegroom" website. They too have some excellent teaching material on this subject. We just touched the surface here in this journal but we hope it ignited a fire in your heart to learn more. God bless - and be looking and waiting for the bridegroom - every second counts!