The Groom Returns For His Bride
Kathy
Overshiner
When I was a small
child at Christmas time, I would thumb
through the pages of the Sears, JC Penny and
Montgomery Catalogues.
I was looking at the Christmas toys.
My eyes would focus on the doll section and
one particular doll. I admired the beautiful
bride doll.
My heart was set on this doll. There
was a time that I had to leave during the
middle of school as I was ill and I had to
go to my great grandmother’s for her to take
care of me until it was time to go home.
During my visit with my great
grandmother, she took me to her neighbor.
This lady made dolls. I was taken into her
crafts room and to my surprise the room was
filled completely of dolls.
It was a little girls dream.
On each wall there were many shelves
that went to almost the ceiling and on each
self, there were dolls that lined it. But
once again, my eyes and heart focused on the
bride doll. There was only one there.
A year or two later, my great
grandmother asked my parents if she could
see me. So my folks took me to her. She was
by then in a wheel chair. She told me she
had something for me that I had wanted.
She looked for it, but she could not
find it. The only thing that I remember
wanting was the bride doll.
I never was told what she had wanted
to give me.
I am left with the mystery, was it
the bride doll I had been waiting for?
There is also a mystery
foretold of the rapture of believers, Jesus
coming for his bride-the church. It is
likened to a Jewish wedding in which after
the betrothal, the groom would return to his
father’s house to prepare the wedding
chamber.
Because the groom could return for
his bride unexpectedly, the bride had to be
ready at all times.
When the groom returned, he would
take the bride back to his father’s house
and be closed in the chambers for seven
days. When they emerged, a great wedding
feast would be celebrated, Matthew 25: 1-13;
Matthew 24: 36-44; Matthew 24.
As the groom waited for his father to
prepare the wedding chamber,
and give his okay to go take his
bride, so too only the Father knows when the
time of Christ’s return for his bride the
church saints.
Jesus statements of his coming have a
double reference to his coming in the first
stage, the rapture of the church, and the
second stage his coming after the
tribulation.
John
14:3 And 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. You know
the way to the place where I am going.
Revelation 3:10 Since you have kept my
command to endure patiently, I will also
keep you from the hour of trial that is
going to come upon the whole world to test
those who live on the earth. John 14: 1-4;
Luke 12: 35-36.
The word “rapture” is
derived from the Latin word “raptu,” which
means “caught away or caught up.” This Latin
word is equivalent to the Greek word
“harpazo translated as caught up.
1 Thessalonians 4:17;
1
Corinthians 15: 51-53 Listen, I tell you a
mystery. We will not all sleep, but we will
all be changed- in a flash, in the twinkling
of an eye, at the last trumpet.
For the trumpet will sound, the dead
will be raised imperishable, and we will be
changed.
For the perishable must clothe itself
with the imperishable, and the mortal with
immortality. When the perishable has been
clothed with the imperishable, and the
mortal with immortality, then the saying
that is written will come true: “Death has
been swallowed up in
victory.”
This refers to the catching up of the
church (believers) from the earth to meet
the Lord in the air.
It involves the faithful of Christ’s
churches. Believers will be united with
loved ones who died in Christ.
They will be removed from all
distress.
2
Corinthians 5:2, 4; Philippians 3:21. Christ
will deliver us from the coming wrath.
1 Thessalonians 1: 10 And to wait for
his son from heaven, whom he raised from the
dead-Jesus, who rescues us from the coming
wrath.
1Thessalonians 4:14-18 Paul inspires us
with hope and for us to encourage each other
and tells us not to prepare for martyrdom
during the time of “the day of the Lord,”
tribulation but by telling us about the
rapture, and knowing this, we will be
encouraged.
1
Thessalonians 5: 1-6 Now, brothers, about
times and dates we do not need to write to
you, for you know very well that the day of
the Lord will come like a thief in the
night. While people are saying, “Peace and
safety,” destruction will come on them
suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant
woman, and they will not escape.
But you brothers are not in darkness
so that this day should surprise you like a
thief.
You are all sons of the light and
sons of the day.
We do not belong to the night or to
the darkness. So then, let us not be like
the others, who are asleep, but let us be
alert and self- controlled.
Like a thief in the
night is a metaphor and means that the time
of the Day of the Lord when it begins is
uncertain and unexpected.
There is no way that one can date the
timing of the Lord’s returning for the
church.
Peace and safety- it is the
unbeliever who will be saying peace and
safety. This may mean the world is expecting
hope and peace when the day of the Lord and
its world- wide distress will suddenly come
upon them dashing all hope of peace and
safety.
The day will not overtake faithful
believers like a thief.
Believers are appointed to receive
salvation, not wrath, they will be alert and
self- controlled , living in faith, love and
righteousness.
I do believe that believers will be
taken out in the rapture.
Just as Noah and Lot were protected,
so will the believers.
Enoch was raptured out and can be
likened to the church just before Noah’s
time.
Noah and Lot were protected and can
be likened to some of the tribulation saints
during the tribulation that will be
protected.
What groom would beat up his bride,
and afterwards take her for his wife? It
would not make common sense for the Lord to
abuse his bride and then take her for his
own.
Titus
2:13 While we wait for the blessed hope- the
glorious appearing of our great God and
Savior, Jesus Christ.
There
are obvious signs all about us that we have
entered the end days.
Israel is compared often to the fig
tree and on May 14, 1948 Israel became a
sovereign nation. Prophecy had come true. In
June 1967, Jerusalem was regained by the
Jews in the six day war. Jerusalem remained
under gentile rule 1,897 years and the
gentile age ended June 1967.
Romans 13: 12-14 The night is nearly over;
the day is almost here. So let us put aside
the deeds of darkness and put on the armor
of light. Let us behave decently, as in the
daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not
in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in
dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe
yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and
do not think about how to gratify the
desires of the sinful nature.
We all must be spiritually ready and
put aside our deeds of darkness and repent,
accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior for
forgiveness of sins, and enter in fellowship
with our Lord.
