Can you feel it? A shift in the spiritual atmosphere? It's happening! A sense of excitement is building!
I recently watched a program on DayStar about Old Testament Jewish weddings and the traditional Jewish process a groom and his bride went through. If you have never studied Old Testament Jewish weddings, I highly encourage you to do so. It is THE most intensely romantic betrothal, extremely well thought out and exciting for all involved, and is a beautiful portrayal of Jesus Christ as the Bridegroom and us, His Bride.
For an Old Testament Jewish betrothal, the bride and groom were separated for a length of time, typically for an entire year; a year of not seeing one another, a year with growing anticipation for being together again. While they were separated, the groom was building their home and getting it ready for their new life together, and the bride was to prepare herself and be ready for when her groom returned. The father of the groom would determine when it was time for the bridegroom and bride to meet again. No one, not even the groom, knew when the father would give the go-ahead for the groom to go retrieve his bride. Does that sound familiar to you from the New Testament? Jesus said, "My Father's house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am." (John 14:2-3). He also made it clear no one but the Father knows when His Son would return for His Bride- "But concerning that day and hour, no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only (Matthew 24:36).
Just as a groom in Old Testament times waited with great anticipation for his father to tell him, "It is time. Go get your bride!", you know Jesus is waiting with greater anticipation to hear those words from his Father, only He has been waiting for much longer than a year. Can you visualize him waiting at his Father's side for this long-awaited moment? He knows the time has to be close. Our world has drastically changed just in the last few years all for leading up to Christ's return.
Are you as excited for Jesus as He is for you? Are you waiting with expectancy for His return? In the DayStar program I watched, the bride went as far as sleeping in her shoes because she wanted to be completely prepared for when her bridegroom would come for her. She did not want to miss a moment in keeping her bridegroom waiting. She had her oil lamp filled with oil because, by tradition, the bridegroom came in the middle of the night to steal her away. Had her oil lamp not been filled, she was considered not prepared.
Do you have your shoes on and oil lamp filled with oil like a Bride of Christ? Or are you more like a lukewarm Christian? Often times, our daily affairs and life in general keep us from being completely prepared. And we cannot forget the enemy and the tactics he uses to distract us and try to defeat us. Be intentional while waiting in preparing for the Bridegroom to return.
We long for Christ's return, especially now with our rapidly changing world. But the Father is not ready. There are more betrothals to be made, lost souls to be saved. We can do our part of staying pure and clean for Him by obeying Him. Did you ever stop to think that as a Bride of Christ, whenever we put anything or anyone ahead of Him, we are committing adultery? Yowsers! Stay focused on Him, anticipating His return with great excitement. Wake each morning thanking Him for His goodness and mercy. Let Him challenge you with His will and purpose for you. He is our Bridegroom, longing to be with us. He died for us. The least we can do is be thankful for His love and share His love with others.
To God be the Glory
Karla Maxwell
