Jesus used espousal and the wedding feast to help us understand the Rapture, i.e., Him coming for His bride! Before reading this letter, you may enjoy reading Jesus’ teaching in John 14:1-4.
The end-time scriptures are often very misunderstood because we conflate His teaching about His second coming and the Rapture, making it seem very confusing! These two separate events are designed to fulfill two completely different objectives. The Rapture is Jesus calling His bride, the Church, to leave this world behind and meet Him for the wedding feast. However, the second coming is the fulfillment of every prophecy about establishing His worldwide Kingdom in Israel, where we will rule and reign with Him for 1000 years. But this letter is for us, the Church.
As the bride of Christ, we have one objective, to prepare for the wedding feast and the consummation of the wedding. Until He calls us away, we are to spend our time here on earth, functioning as the Virtuous Bride described in Proverbs 31. In the parable of the talents, in Luke 19:13, He tells us to Occupy till I come. One source defines the word “occupy” as doing business and gaining ground! The virtuous wife of Proverbs 31 is doing business that benefits her husband! We are called to do the business that is most important to our husband.
In Matthew 22:1-14, we have the parable of the wedding feast, which reveals how the Father invited an elite crowd to His son’s wedding. Not only did they refuse to come, they persecuted and murdered those who delivered the invitations, the prophets, and even the Son. He then famously sent them out into the highways and byways to invite those who were completely undeserving. (Matthew 22:8-9)
These poor people would not have the resources to purchase the proper apparel (robes of righteousness) for such an event. So the Father ensured their wedding garments were available (salvation). Yet, some attempted to attend the wedding feast without the courtesy of adorning the robes that had been provided.
In this parable, we are the servants tasked with the responsibility of delivering the invitation to all mankind to receive their garments as a gift from the Father and attend the feast! This is the preparation the Father has called us to share in!
In the parable of the talents, (Matthew 25:14-30) we discover that the Father provides the resources we need to do business for Him. This is not something we have to “come up with” ourselves. The Master provides all we need. This parable reveals such a beautiful picture: we are only responsible for that which the Father/Master provides. Additionally, it seems that we are not accountable for the degree of “profit” we generate for the Master; we are only responsible for the legitimate effort we put into attempting to use the provided resources.
It seems that the one resource we all have is our testimony. In the parable of the ten virgins (Matthew 25:1-13), all the virgins needed was to have oil in their lamps. Oil tends to be a type of the Holy Spirit. The resource that every born-again believer has in abundant supply, is the Holy Spirit. We all have the power; we all have the resources of God. We have been entrusted with the resources for the benefit of those who have not yet been prepared to attend the wedding feast.
Our one responsibility is to let our light shine before men so that they can see Christ in us. As the world gets darker and darker, as religion obscures God’s true character and nature from those who desperately need Him, we are the only ones who have a testimony to share, the needed resources, and a light to shine!
The one servant rebuked by the Master was the one who didn’t even try to bring benefit to others. He pretended that he was afraid of failing to do the job properly, so he didn’t do anything. But the Master points out the real problem: he was called wicked and lazy.
The word “wicked” implies that he not only brought no benefit to others, he actually hurt the cause. Interestingly, the way he hurt the cause was his lack of virtue and integrity! Loving others, treating them fairly, and modeling how Jesus Himself would treat them is our testimony. It is the one thing that never fails to touch the hearts of others.
The Greek word translated as “lazy” basically means he wasn’t inclined to put any effort into the one task given to him by his Master. In other words, he was apathetic and indifferent to the spiritual needs of others!
In Matthew 25:30, the Master says, “Cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Many think this is referring to those who do not go to heaven. I don’t think so! When the New Testament talks about adoption, that is not a reference to getting born again; it is a reference to the time when we step into our role as “sons” and “heirs” who have the responsibility to manage our inheritance, i.e., resources, for the benefit of the Kingdom.
We will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. This is not to determine whether we go to heaven or not. It’s the time when all our works will be tested by fire. In other words, this is when we give an accounting for how we managed our resources (talents).
The things we did for the benefit of others are gold, silver, and precious stones. They are made even more pure by the fire. Those things we did that were selfish, unkind, unloving, i.e.; those things that brought reproach to our testimony are like wood, hay, and stubble. They are burned so we never have to present them to our Lord and Master. (2 Corinthians 5:9-10 & 1 Corinthians 3:9-15)
As I have shared on many occasions, we are called to be stewards of the mysteries of the Kingdom, we are ambassadors of the King! (Watch my CyberChurch series, The Spirit of Adoption: A Study of Rewards and Inheritance, to learn more.) How we manage our lives for the benefit of the Kingdom determines our role as we rule and reign with Jesus during the Millennium. We don’t know, but it could determine our standing in eternity!
On this day, many will realize they squandered their responsibilities here on earth. The momentary wailing and gnashing of teeth may be that instant where we, like Esau, realize we traded our inheritance for something worth no more than a bowl of soup.
There are those among us who seem to emphasize how little we need to do for God, how little we need to serve Him, follow His leading, or bring benefit to others. Like the wicked and lazy servant, they are indifferent to the needs of the world. It seems they are satisfied with the fact that they will go to heaven, with little concern for the eternal well-being of others. It’s almost like their one task in life is to prove how little they need to lay down their lives.
If we take Jesus’ teaching about stewardship literally, and if we actually believe the words of the Apostle Paul, we may want to rethink the way we manage our life and resources. I don’t want anyone to be motivated by guilt and fear, but the Scripture does reveal that if the love of God is perfected in us, we love others, and we become a beacon that manifests Jesus in the darkness.
Paul gave us these sobering thoughts inspired by the Holy Spirit:
Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. 10For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. 11Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are well known to God, and I also trust are well known in your consciences. (2 Corinthians 5:9-11)
For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; 15and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again. (Corinthians 5:14-15)
…Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, 19that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. 20Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. (2 Corinthians 5:18-20)
While we are preparing for the Wedding Feast here on earth, the Father and the Groom are preparing for the Wedding Feast in Heaven! It saddens me that this aspect of the Gospel has been so sensationalized, twisted, and even neglected. In this time of darkness, we should not see ourselves as victims waiting to die; we should see ourselves as a bride who will soon be rescued from the violent plans of the wicked one!
We know that Jesus can’t come back to deliver Israel until they desire Him and invite Him as their Deliverer and Messiah! Remember, God never violates our will. I have often wondered if this will be the case with the Rapture. I know God wants to deliver us from evil. I know He wants as many to come to salvation as possible. But there are millions of believers who do not believe Jesus will call us away to the marriage feast, and there are millions who will not have oil in their lamps. In other words, they are not willing to yield to the Holy Spirit when the time comes and we are called away!
Some will want more time to make their lives count. They will be taken by surprise like those who sleep and are not watching and praying. They will want time, but there will be no more time to invest in the eternal.
But here is what I think is the greatest drawback: Those who have not won their friends, family, and children to the Lord will not be ready to abandon them to the horrors of all that is coming on Planet Earth!
I’m not saying we should get into what I call the “soul-winners syndrome.” But I am saying it’s time for us to take a more eternal perspective on life. We can just give up all our issues, criticisms, and self-judgments and be who we really are in Jesus.
Here’s the greatest truth about stepping into our new identity: We don’t need a grand revelation; we don’t need a major breakthrough. We just have to decide this is who I am. This is how I choose to feel about people. This is how I choose to live my life. In any aspect of our new identity we choose to live before the Lord, we get the grace to live.
I can’t thank you enough for making this journey with me. Please continue your most generous financial intentions. We are spending massive amounts of money taking the Gospel to the ends of the earth.
Let’s continue to be a light to everyone we encounter. Every day, help prepare others to meet Him, and every day invite Him to come and take us away!
And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely. (Revelation 22:17)
P.S. Be sure to check out my current CyberChurch series, The Power of Perfect Love along with the accompanying audio series for deeper study.
Please enjoy the following testimonies. Thank you for helping
I am so thankful for all the teaching Dr. Jim has recorded for us. I did all the free stuff as soon as I found his site. I am two-thirds through “APOCALYPSE” for the FOURTH time! Each time, I ‘get it’ more in my heart.
When I was 6 years old, my mother went to a conference on the end times and had to take me. She plied me with candy, a color book, and crayons. There was no need. I listened and knew I would live to see these things come to pass. In 1968 she gave me a Scofield bible and I read Revelation first thing.
But this last time I am reading “APOCALYPSE” there is something I have just really felt in my heart in a new way, the understanding that I am the ultimate conspiracy theorist! LOL I really perceive the plan to create a one world government and allow the man of sin to come to power, and that most of the world is just ignorant of the evil cosmic plan coming to completion in the near future. But we can look up! Our redemption is drawing near.
Read Dr. Jim’s books. If you’ve read them, read them again! Especially “APOCALYPSE.”
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Whenever I go on a mountain hike, I find it very encouraging to stop every so often to look back, when a clear view opens, to get perspective on the progress of the journey. To always be looking ahead, looking up at how much of the climb remains, can get overwhelming.
I find myself at one of those “looking back” moments in regard to the “Put Off/Put On” series. I first purchased the series eight years ago when I was still new to the whole Heart Physics system. At that point I struggled to feel any sense of progress using the Put Off/Put On system. I did not feel confident in the process. I was not confident that I was doing it correctly in a way that would lead to effective results. But at this point, I realize by looking back over the past few years that, even though there is still quite a journey in front of me, I have made much progress utilizing the Put Off/Put On system.
The pendulum in the POPO process is simply responding to the energy being given off from what is really hidden in my heart. Once these hidden truths are revealed through the POPO process, the real work of transformation can begin. That process is the sending away of limiting heart beliefs and emotions and replacing them with promises and truths from scripture.
The process for building new, positive heart beliefs is the same as the process that developed the old, destructive beliefs that had become our hidden GPS system. Information combined with strong emotion creates a guiding heart belief, positive or negative. Once the old, negative beliefs have been revealed, the process for developing new, healthy beliefs is simple. Send away or release the old beliefs and meditate with positive emotions on the new belief.
No longer is dealing with the limitations in our life a huge mystery causing us to engage in battle with an unseen enemy – as Paul refers to it, shadow boxing. It becomes a comfortable, definitive process releasing us from the limiting beliefs of the past and opening our lives to the fullness of His promises as they become our new defining heart beliefs.
So yes, the journey continues forward, but looking back over the past eight years of discovery, there is a sense of joy, release, and accomplishment for the victories that this process has afforded me to this point on the mountain.
– L.C.