THE BRIDE WILL NOT BE HERE
God’s word made it quite clear, we will face tribulations in
this world, that the rain falls on the just and the unjust. The sun rises on
evil and good. We can not get through this life without troubles, suffering, natural
disasters or loss of a loved one.
45 that you may be
sons of your Father in heaven;
for He
makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good,
and
sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
MATTHEW 5:45
33 These things I
have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace.
In
the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer,
I
have overcome the world.”
JOHN 16:33
4 For, in fact, we told you before when we
were with you
that we would suffer tribulation, just as it happened,
and you know.
1
THESSALONIANS 3:4
We know Paul suffered
great tribulations before he was killed, as all the apostles did. But many
Christians realize that we are now living in the end times, the beginning of
sorrows, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. The entire planet is groaning and
laboring also. We can see this by all the volcanoes that have erupted, the
storms are stronger, and the earthquakes have also gotten stronger too.
8 All these are
the beginning of sorrows.
MATTHEW 24:8
22 For we know that the whole creation
groans and labors
with birth pangs together until now. 23 Not only that, but we also
who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves
groan within
ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption,
the redemption of our body.
ROMANS 8:22-23
God said the destruction
come on them, they will not escape. He did not say on us, His believers. His
wrath falls on all those who did not believe and but their trust in Jesus. We
will not be here. But we the saints will return with Jesus when He executes
judgment on this ungodly world.
2 For you yourselves know perfectly that
the day of the Lord
so comes as a thief in the night. 3 For when they say, “Peace and
safety!”
then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor
pains upon a pregnant
woman. And they shall not escape. 4 But you, brethren, are not in darkness,
so that this Day should overtake you as a thief.
1
THESSALONIANS 5:2-4
14 Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam,
prophesied about these
men also, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten
thousands of His saints,
15 to execute judgment on all, to
convict all who are ungodly among them
of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in
an ungodly way,
and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have
spoken against Him.”
JUDE 14-15
As evil spreads we can see God is warning us that soon He
will pour out His wrath on this evil ungodly world which He calls the great
tribulation. The seven year tribulation is only for those who have not accepted
Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. The true believers in Jesus will not be
here, Jesus came to save us from God’s wrath, so He will take (rapture) His
bride off this earth before God pours out His wrath. Only true believers in
Jesus will be counted worthy to escape the tribulation.
36 Watch therefore,
and pray always that you may be counted
worthy
to escape all these things that will come to pass,
and
to stand before the Son of Man.
LUKE 21:36
10 and to wait for His Son from heaven,
whom He raised from the dead,
even Jesus who delivers us from the
wrath to come.
1 THESSALONIANS
1:10
How do we know this?
First, if you believe Jesus is the bridegroom and the church is the
bride. God our Father will not pour His wrath on us, His Son’s bride, His
children. If you believe you will be here during the tribulation, that means
not only is God pouring His wrath on you, but also on His Son’s body. And I know
God loves His Son and us, and that He will never do that. We the bride will be
gone.
29 He who has the bride is the
bridegroom; but the friend
of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices
greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice.
Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled.
JOHN 3:29
2 For I am jealous for you with godly
jealousy.
For I have betrothed you to one husband,
that I may present you as a
chaste virgin to Christ.
2 CORINTHIANS
11:2
6 one God and Father of all, who is
above all,
and through all, and in you all.
EPHESIANS 4:6
Second, we are told that Jesus is the head of the church and
we are His body, we have His spirit living in us, we are joined to Him.
17 But he who is joined to the Lord is
one spirit with Him.
1 CORINTHIANS
6:17
24 I now rejoice in my sufferings for you,
and fill up in my
flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ,
for the sake of His body, which is the church,
COLOSSIANS
1:24
23 For the husband is head of the wife,
as also Christ is head of the church;
and He is the Savior of the body.
EPHESIANS 5:23
22 And He put all things under His
feet, and gave Him to be head
over all things to the church, 23 which is His body,
the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
EPHESIANS
1:22-23
Third and foremost the
reason we will not be here through the seven year tribulation is that Jesus
came to save us from God’s wrath. People will ask, what makes us so special we
will not have to go through the tribulation? Tell them the blood of Jesus
Christ makes us that special.
9 Much more then, having now been
justified by His blood,
we shall be saved from wrath through Him.
ROMANS 5:9
10 and to wait for His Son from heaven,
whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus
who delivers us from the
wrath to come.
1
THESSALONIANS 1:10
When we see these things
happening know that Jesus is near, at the door. He knows your name and will
lead His bride, you out by name, your redemption is near.
28 Now when
these things begin to happen,
look
up and lift up your heads,
because
your redemption draws near.”
LUKE 21:28
3 To him the
doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice;
and
he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
JOHN 10:3
That is why, not only are we
to spread His saving gospel to all nations, not all people, but all nations,
but also the churches are to keep watch for His glorious appearing.
14 And this gospel
of the kingdom will be preached
in all the world as
a witness to all the nations,
and then the end will come.
MATTHEW 24:14
Watch therefore,
for you do not know
what hour your Lord is coming.
MATTHEW 24:42
13 looking for the blessed hope and
glorious appearing
of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,
TITUS 2:13
3 Remember therefore
how you have received and heard;
hold
fast and repent. Therefore if you will not watch,
I
will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know
what
hour I will come upon you.
REVELATION 3:3
All these things are
happening now.
6 For many will
come in My name, saying, ‘I am He,’ and will deceive many.
7 But when
you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be troubled;
for
such things must happen, but the end is not yet. 8 For nation will rise
against
nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be earthquakes
in
various places, and there will be famines and troubles.
These
are the beginnings of sorrows.
MARK 13:6-8
Therefore we know the
rapture is our hope, what we are looking forward to, His appearing will be
glorious, but His return at the end of the tribulation, when He sets up His kingdom,
all people of the earth will mourn at His coming. For they will have no hope as
they stand before Jesus, their Judge.
Preach the Word
4 I charge you therefore before God and
the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and
the dead at His appearing and His kingdom:
2 TIMOTHY 4:1
Do not grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be
condemned. Behold, the Judge is standing at the door!
JAMES 5:9
7 Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him,
even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn
because of Him. Even so, Amen.
REVELATION 1:7
These are two separate
events, first, His appearing to rapture His church. Jesus Himself comes for His
bride.
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.
1
THESSALONIANS 4:16-17
And second, His return
to set up His kingdom. When He sends His angels to gather those who became
believers through the tribulation.
31 And He will
send His angels with a great sound
of
a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect
from
the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
MATTHEW 24:31
For God to pour out His
wrath on the church of believers, the bride of Christ who has His Holy Spirit
living in them would mean that God is pouring His wrath out on Himself. Jesus
made it quite clear that He is in the Father, we are in Him, and He is in us.
We are all joined together as one. We will not be here during the seven year
tribulation.
20 At that day
you will know that I am in My Father,
and
you in Me, and I in you.
JOHN 14:20
29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but
nourishes
and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. 30 For we are
members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones.
EPHESIANS
5:29-30
13 By this we know that we abide in
Him, and He in us,
because He has given us of His Spirit.
1 JOHN 4:13
