Matthew 25 Rapture Blog

Nearing Midnight – www.raptureready.com

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A CHRISTIAN LOVE STORY

The Glorious Future of the Believer!
(Understanding the Rapture, through the Jewish Wedding!)
By Zola Levitt
www.levitt.com

Our Lord was Jewish and He did things like a Jew. So often, if we consult the Jewish law and custom, we find many of the motivations for particular actions of our Lord.

In this book, we will consider the Jewish custom of matrimony. Obviously, wedding customs varied from nation to nation and from time to time. Even in today’s world we see different additions of marriage taking place at the same time

in different countries. The Jews had their own peculiar ways, based on the Old Covenant, and the Lord, as we shall see, followed those traditions in choosing a bride.

We should appreciate that the Jews had no dating or courtship as we now think of those things. Marriage to them was a practical legal matter, established by contract and carried through by exacting procedure. These customs exist in a form today in the Jewish wedding ceremony, and in Jesus’ time they were most fascinating and complex.

When the young man of Israel in Jesus’ time saw the girl he wanted (or the girl his father said he wanted), he would approach her with a marriage contract. He would come to her house with a covenant – a true legal agreement – giving the terms by which he would propose marriage. The most important consideration in the contract was the price the bridegroom would be willing to pay to marry this particular bride.

Then the groom would pay the price. It should be said that this price was no modest token but was set so that the new bride would be a costly item – that was the idea. The young man had no delusions that he was getting something for nothing. He would pay dearly to marry the girl of his choice.

When that matter was settled the groom would depart. He would make a little speech to his bride, saying, “I go to prepare a place for you,” and he would return to his father’s house. Back at his father’s house, he would build her a bridal chamber, a little mansion, in which they would have their future honeymoon.

We should appreciate that this was a complex undertaking for the bridegroom. He would actually build a separate building on his father’s house. The bridal chamber had to be beautiful –one doesn’t honeymoon just anywhere; and it had to be stocked with provisions since the bride and groom were going to remain inside for seven days (7 years for the bride of Jesus!). This construction project would take the better part of a year, ordinarily, and the father of the groom would be the judge of when it was finished. (We can see the logic there – obviously, if it were up to the young man, he would throw up some kind of modest structure and go get the girl!). But the father of the groom who had been through this previously and was less excited, would be the final judge on when the chamber was ready and when the young man would go to claim his bride.

The bride, for her part, was obliged to do a lot of waiting. She would take the time to gather her trousseau and be ready when her bridegroom came. Custom provided that she had to have an oil lamp ready in case he came late at night in the darkness, because she had to be ready to travel at a moment’s notice. During this long period of waiting, she was referred to as “consecrated”, “set apart”, “bought with a price”. She was truly a lady-in-waiting, but there was no doubt that her groom would return. Sometimes a young man would depart for a very long time indeed, but of course he had paid a high price for his bride; even though there were other young women available, he would surely return to the one with whom he had made a covenant.

The bride would wear her veil whenever she stepped out of her house so that other young men would realize she was spoken for and would not try to approach her with another contract. (Today, the Bride of Christ wears a veil – those not understanding of our covenant try to make other contracts with us that would violate the one we have with our Bridegroom. We are to resist those other offers and wait only for the One Who paid for us.)

As the year went on, the bride would assemble her sisters and bridesmaids and whoever would go with her to the wedding when the bridegroom came, and they would each have their oil lamps ready. They would wait at her house every night on the chance that the groom would come, along with his groomsmen, and sweep them all away to a joyous and sudden wedding ceremony.

Meanwhile, the bridegroom would be building and decorating with all that he had. His father would inspect the chamber from time to time to see if it were ready. If we came along the road at this point and saw the young man working on his bridal chamber, we might well ask, “When’s the big day?” But the bridegroom would answer, “Only my father knows that”.

Finally, the chamber would be ready and the bridegroom would assemble his young friends to accompany him on the exciting trip to claim his bride. The big moment had arrived and the bridegroom was more than ready, we can be sure. He and his young men would set out in the night, making every attempt to completely surprise the bride.

And that’s the romantic part – all the Jewish brides were “stolen”. The Jews had a special understanding of a woman’s heart. What a thrill for her, to be “abducted” and carried off into the night, not by a stranger but by one who loved her so much that he had paid a high price for her.

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2009 Rapture Watchman Article 🙂

Watch For Jesus To Return Bible Verses 🙂

Mathew 25:1-13 — The Parable of The Ten Virgins —

Is Perhaps the Greatest Depiction in The Bible of Proclaiming The Truth of The Rapture

The Rapture = Mark 13:33  — Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.

Versus:

The Second Coming at Armageddon when Jesus Feet Touch Down at the Mount of Olives = Daniel 9:27: Jesus Returns 7 Years from the Peace Treaty confirmed by the Anti-Christ – Where Every Pre-Mil/Pre-Trib Bible Prophecy Christian would know exactly when Jesus would be Arriving, I would venture to say 🙂

Philippians 3 and the Rapture
Ron J. Bigalke Jr.

According to Acts 16:11-40, the Apostle Paul visited Philippi on his second missionary journey. He traveled from the island of Samothrace to Neapolis (modern Kavalla), which was the seaport utilized by the Philippian residents. The city of Philippi was approximately nine miles northwest of the seaport. The city was named in honor of King Philip II of Macedonia (the father of Alexander the Great). Philippi became a Roman military colony in 42 BC, following the defeat of Brutus and Cassius in battle by the triumvirs (Antony, Lepidus, and Octavian). The citizens benefited from an autonomous government, immunity from taxation, and conduct as if living in Italy.1 The first convert of the missionaries in Philippi was “a woman named Lydia,” whose heart was opened graciously and sovereignly by the Lord “to respond to the things spoken by Paul” (Acts 16:14). The church at Philippi was founded through the faithful ministry of Luke, Paul, Silas, and Timothy (16:1, 10, 12, 19; 20:6).

The Epistle to the Philippians was written during Paul’s first Roman imprisonment. Epaphroditus was sent from the church at Philippi to bring a monetary gift to the Apostle, which occasioned the writing of Philippians as an expanded letter of thanks (Phil 4:10-20; cf. 1:3, 5; 2:25, 30).3 Epaphroditus became “sick to the point of death” in Rome, which was cause for the Philippians’ expression of concern. Consequently, the Apostle informed the church with regard to Epaphroditus’ return to Philippi (2:25-28). Paul also reported the status of his trial before the Roman imperial court (1:7, 13-17), and even attempted to reconcile a church conflict (4:2). The theme of Philippians is “joy,” which is used 13 times. Christ is also mentioned 38 times, and therefore, “rejoicing in the Lord” is a prominent emphasis. The epistle contains significant revelation concerning Christ’s kenosis (2:7), which means His self-emptying of the prerogatives and powers that were His eternally by virtue of His divine attributes. The passage concerning His humiliation explains that by not asserting His divine prerogatives and powers,the Lord Jesus took the form of a servant (while never emptying Himself of His divinity) to become true humanity (2:5- 11). The epistle may be outlined quite basically as follows:

* Rejoicing in prison (1:1-30);
* Rejoicing in others (2:1-30);
* Rejoicing in the future (3:1- 21); and,
* Rejoicing in all things (4:1- 23).

The focus of this article will be upon section three (“rejoicing in the future”), especially Philippians 3:20-21.

The Context of Philippians 3:20-21

Philippians 3:15-21 focuses upon an attitude of life that is pleasing to God. Paul urged his readers to know the truth of what had been written previously. Moreover, he promised that those who were not living as they ought (i.e. “forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead,” 3:13) would have this “different attitude” revealed to them by God. Christians should always live consistently with an understanding of the truth and not postpone a life of maturity. The immature, for instance, were not living maturely; rather, as the result of incomplete understanding of what God has revealed, they were postponing maturity as opposed to living in accord with the truth that they did understand. Therefore,the Apostle urged his readers to pursue maturity in Christ (3:15-16). 4 The life that pleases God must always focus attention upon the Person and work of Jesus Christ, as the believer is transformed into His likeness.

Paul concluded his admonition by exhorting believers to watchfulness (3:17-19) and hopefulness (3:20-21). For a second time (cf. 3:15), Paul exhorted his readers to follow his example. Not only was it necessary to pursue maturity in Christ, but it was also crucial to be watchful because many live “as enemies of the cross of Christ,” whose “end is destruction” (3:18-19). These false teachers are described threefold:

1. Their “god is their appetite” (i.e. fleshly and sensual);
2. Their “glory is in their shame” (i.e. disgraceful living); and,
3. They “set their minds on earthly things” (i.e. the material and physical as opposed to the eternal and spiritual) (3:19).

Therefore, the believer is to be watchful (observant) of those who live according to the standard of Christlikeness and to imitate such behavior, in contrast to those whose lifestyle indicated them as enemies of God (cf. Gal 4:3, 9-11; Col 2:21-22).

The reason to pursue maturity in Christ and to be watchful is related to the hope of the believer (Phil 3:20-21). Christians do have citizenship on earth, but also have citizenship in heaven (3:20). Maturity in Christ is the goal of the Christian life because heavenly citizenship is eternal, as opposed to the earthly life that is but a vapor (Jas 4:14; cf. Gal 4:26; Heb 11:10). Paul’s exhortation is an obvious contrast to those whose minds are focused upon “earthly things” and whose destiny is destruction. One challenge of the Christian life is learning to live as “strangers and exiles on the earth” (Heb 11:13; cf. 1 Pet 2:11).5 Consequently, the believer is to “eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Phil 3:20).

The Coming of the Savior in Philippians 3:20-21

Philippians 3:20 first asserts that the believer’s “citizenship is in heaven.” Regarding the meaning of the Greek (to politeuma), The Expositor’s Greek Testament is noteworthy.

“This world has a characteristic spirit of its own. Worldliness is the common bond of citizenship in it. There is another commonwealth,6 not of the world (John xviii. 36), which inspires its members with a different tone of life. They ‘seek the things above where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God.’ . . . The stability and security of the pax Romana (one of the most favorable influences for Christianity) filled the thought of the time with high conceptions of citizenship and its value. This would specially appeal to thePhilippians,” who would have greatly esteemed the right to possess all the privileges of Italian citizens (i.e. jus Italicum) 7 (Acts 16:12, 21).

The believer eagerly waits for the Savior’s return from (ex ou) heaven. The believer’s citizenship is in heaven; (continue reading…)

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This Message is like a Pearl of Great Price 🙂
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