The Next Great Event

As people look around today at the events that are happening all over the world, there is a concern about what the future holds for mankind. People read their horoscopes and go to fortune tellers, physics, and palm readers to try to find out the future and what it holds for them. We that are believers in Christ look to God's word. Our future is already determined by the Heavenly Father. God wants us to know and understand His plan for us. God's plan for us Christians follows the example of a Jewish betrothal and wedding ceremony. First, The Father would choose the bride for His son. God chose us.                                                                                   1 Corinthians 1:9
⁹ God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

The groom would come to the home of the bride with a legal covenant giving the terms of the marriage and the price He would pay to marry the bride. This is the terms for marriage to Christ. Romans 10:9-11 If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰ For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.¹¹ For the Scripture says, "Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame." Then the groom would pay the price for the bride. It was a costly price. It proved how much he loved her. Jesus paid the price of all He had. He left the glories of heaven and gave Himself on the cross to save us from the penalty of our sins which would lead us to Hell. His blood He shed on the cross paid the enormous price for our sins to be forgiven and gives a home in Heaven to all whosoever would believe in Him.                                                                                                       Luke 23:33-34 (NKJV)
³³ And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left. ³⁴ Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do."                            Lk. 23:46 (NKJV) ⁴⁶ And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, "It is finished!" "Father, 'into Your hands I commit My spirit.' " Having said this, He breathed His last.

After the price was paid, The bride would then agree to the terms of the covenant. After the covenant was made, they were betrothed [engaged promised] to each other until groom returns for her. 2 Corinthians 11:2 For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. The couple would seal & celebrate the covenant between each other with a cup of wine shared together.

The Lord's Supper seals and celebrates our covenant with Him. Luke 22:19-20 (NKJV) ¹⁹ And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me." ²⁰ Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.

Then the groom would leave saying “I go to prepare a place for you and when it's ready, I will return for you. Then the groom would go and add a bridal chamber to his father's house to be used for the honeymoon. Jesus made us a promise that He would prepare us a place and then return for us.

John 14:1-3 (NKJV)
¹ "Let not your heart be troubled; you 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 to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.

Jesus said the way to the Father's house comes through our marriage covenant with Him.                                                               John 14:6 (NKJV) 
⁶ Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

 There are two times when Jesus receives the believer unto Himself.

1.  There is death or the passing of the believer into heaven. Death is a private escort or a private entrance into the presence of the Lord (2 Cor. 5:8).

 "We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord." 

2. Then there is the return of Jesus Himself to gather all His true followers unto Himself. It is this return of which Jesus is referring in to in this passage of John 14:1-3. While the groom was away building the bridal chamber, The bride was to prepare herself during this time making herself as attractive as possible. Revelation 19:8 (NKJV) And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.

While we wait for our Groom Jesus, we are to be making ourselves attractive by doing righteous acts.

Many people ask, When will Jesus return for us to take us to the Father's house? Here's a very interesting fact about Jewish wedding tradition: While the groom was building the bridal chamber and someone asked, “When will the wedding take place?” The groom would say “Only my Father knows.” The groom's father determined when the bridal chamber was ready and when the wedding would take place.

When the father determined the chamber was ready, he would give the command for the groom to go get his bride and bring her back to the Father's house.

When the groom came for the bride He was accompanied by His “best man” who would blow the [shofar] ram's horn and announce the groom's coming for His bride. The bride must have her things ready to go with groom!                                Matthew 25:6 (NKJV)
⁶ And at midnight a cry was heard: 'Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!'

This is where we are in God's plan for mankind. This is the next great event in God's plan for His people.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 (NKJV) ¹³ But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope.
¹⁴ For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.
¹⁵ For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep.
¹⁶ For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.
¹⁷ Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.
¹⁸ Therefore comfort one another with these words.
 Believers are to be glorified in the Father when Jesus returns with the souls of those who have died in Him. There will be a shout and a trumpet blast. The dead bodies will come out of their resting places and be reunited with their souls first and then we who are alive at that time will be caught up in the clouds to be with them and the Lord Jesus forever more. We are to comfort one another with these scriptures.

INVITATION: The time is drawing ever so near for Jesus' return and the catching up of God's saints will be the next great event in the history of mankind. God always lets His people know what He is going to do before He takes action. Paul wanted the believers in Thessalonica to know the truth about Jesus' return and what would happen to those who have already died. God let them and all Christians know thru His word what He is preparing to do next in His plan for mankind. Jesus will return soon! Are you ready for Jesus to return right now? Don't be left behind. You can be ready by confessing your sins to Jesus and asking Him to forgive you and inviting Him into your life. Then be baptized and live for Jesus to prove your salvation is real. Faith without works is dead. Saints, are your looking for His return or are you more concerned about the things of this world. We Christians are to be preparing ourselves as Jesus' bride by doing righteous acts, expecting His return for us soon. Remember, everything here is temporary. It will soon fade away. Only what you have stored up in heaven will count.