After the Saints have been “caught out”
and “judged,” they, as the “church,” will become the “Bride of
Christ.”
The “Marriage” of the Church is prophetically referred to by
Jesus in the Parable of the “Marriage of the King’s Son” (Matt.
22: 1-14), and is consummated in Rev. 19: 7-9.
“Let us be glad and rejoice and give honor to Him: for the
'Marriage of the Lamb’
is come, and His wife hath made herself ready. And to her was
granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and
white; for the fine linen is the righteousness of Saints. And he
saith unto me, write, Blessed are they which are called unto
the MARRIAGE SUPPER OF THE LAMB.”
Notice that it does not say the “Marriage of the Bride,” but
the “Marriage of the LAMB.” That grand event will be not
so much the consummation of the hopes of the Bride, as it will
be the consummation of the plan of God for His Son,
arranged for before the foundation of the World. Eph.
1:4. The “Marriage of the Lamb” is the consummation of the joy
of Christ as a MAN It would not have been possible if
Christ had not been born in the flesh. Otherwise it would
have been the union of “dissimilar natures,” for the “Bride” is
of “human origin.” This is why Jesus took His “human nature”
back with Him to Heaven, and today we have in Heaven the MAN
Christ Jesus. I Tim. 2:5.
While the “Bride” was chosen for Christ “before the
foundation of the world,” the “espousal” could not take place
until Christ assumed humanity and ascended to Heaven as the
Man Christ Jesus. There have been many long betrothals but
Christ’s has been the longest on record. He has been waiting for
His Bride nearly 1900 years, but He will not have to wait much
longer. Soon Heaven shall resound with the cry -
“Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to Him, for the
Marriage of the Lamb is Come.” Rev. 19:7.
There have been many royal weddings of international
interest, where the invited guests and spectators witnessed a
spectacle magnificent in its appointments, and rejoiced in a
union that bound together different nations. But the wedding of
the Lamb and His Bride the Church will surpass them all, for it
shall unite Heaven and Earth in a bond that shall never be
broken, for what God (the Father) shall join together, no man
shall ever put asunder, and that union no divorce shall ever
break.
The Bride shall be “arrayed in fine linen, clean and white;
for the fine linen is the righteousness of Saints.” Rev. 19:7,8.
The word “righteousness” is plural, and should read “righteousnesses.”
Not the imputed righteousness of Christ, but the “righteous acts
and works” of the saints themselves, that shall remain after
they have passed through the “fiery test” of the “Judgment for
Works” at the “Judgment Seat of Christ.” I Cor 3:11-15. What a
contrast there will be between the purple and scarlet colored
dress, and jewel bedecked person, of he “Harlot Wife” of
Antichrist (Rev. 17:3,4), and the spotless white robe of fine
linen of the Bride of the Lamb.
During the time occupied by the “Judgment of Believers” and
the Marriage of the Lamb in the Heavenlies, there will be awful
times on the earth. The Jews will have, in large numbers, been
gathered back to their own land, Palestine. About this time ten
of the Nations occupying the territory of the old Roman Empire
will enter into a Federation of Nations. Among the “Ten Kings”
of those nations will arise the “Antichrist.” He will soon prove
himself to be a "great Ruler” and will be made
PRESIDENT. The Government will be a Democratic Monarchy.”
The President will make a "Covenant” with the Jewish
people. It may be a Covenant restoring to them their own land
and recognizing their national existence. Whatever its
character, the Prophet Isaiah speaks of it as a "Covenant
with DEATH and HELL.” Isa. 28:15. For 3 ½ years the
President of the Federation will keep the Covenant. Then he will
break it. For the balance of his reign 3 ½ years he will cause
an awful persecution of the Jews, called by Jesus “The Great
Tribulation.” Matt 24:21,22. For a description of this
period see my larger work.
In the Middle of this period, or at the time when Antichrist
shall break the Covenant, there will be
WAR IN HEAVEN,
and Satan will be cast out into the earth and he will incarnate
himself in Antichrist. Rev 12:7-9. The Antichrist will then
become known as “THE BEAST,” and a second Beast will
arise (Rev. 13:11-17) called the “FALSE PROPHET.” Rev
16:13;19:20. These three will make up the “Satanic Trinity.”
The dragon (Satan) will be the “Anti-God.” The Beast
will be the “Anti-Christ,” and the False Prophet will be
the “Anti-Spirit.”
The “Tribulation Period” of 3 ½ years will be the “Judgment
of the Jews.” As all of God’s promises to the Jews are earthly,
their Judgment must be earthly. This Judgment is a “National
Judgment.” For all their national sins God is going to make them
Pass Under the Rod.” Ez. 20:34-38. He is going to cast
them into his “MELTING POT.” Ez. 22:19-22. Malachi 3:1-3.
In the midst of their “fiery trials” in this time of “Jacob’s
Trouble” (Jer. 30:4-7; Dan. 12:1), they will cry to the Lord
as they did amid the brick-kilns of Egypt and God will send them
Him of whom Moses was a type, even the Lord Jesus, who shall
then come “with” His Saints in the “Second Stage”
of His Coming, the Revelation, and as He shall descend
upon the Mount of Olives (Zech. 14:4), they shall look upon Him
whom they “pierced” and a nation, the Jewish Nation, will be
re-born in a day. Ezek. 36:24-27. Isa. 66:8.
When Christ comes for the Saints at the Rapture, He
will be the “Morning Star.” Rev. 22:16. When He comes
with His Saints at the Revelation He will be the “Sun of
Righteousness.” Malachi 4:2. When Christ shall come back at
the Revelation He shall find the armies of Antichrist gathered
together at Armageddon (Rev. 16:13-16), and He shall destroy
them with the “Sword of His Mouth” (Rev. 19:15,20,21),
and the “Beast” and the “False Prophet” shall be
cast alive into the “Lake of Fire.” Then all the
Gentile Nations will be summoned to the Valley of Jehoshaphat
for judgment, and the “Son of Man” shall sit upon the
“THRONE OF HIS GLORY
a throne erected on the earth, and He shall judge the Nations
for their treatment of His brethren - the JEWS,
during the “Great Tribulation,” and those nations that fed and
clothed them and visited them when in prison will be known at
the “Sheep Nations,” and He will say to them – “Come, ye
blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from
the foundation of the world.” That Kingdom is the “Millennial
Kingdom.” But to the “Goat Nations,” the nations that
neglected the Jews during the Tribulation, He will say – “Depart
from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the
Devil and his angels,” and “these shall go away into everlasting
punishment.” Matt. 25:41-46. That is, the “Goat Nations” as
nations will be destroyed, not one of them shall exist as
a nation during the Millennium, and the wicked individuals
that compose them will perish and be eternally lost. For a more
full treatment see my book on “Dispensational Truth.”
THE REVELATION
At the “Second Stage” of Christ’s Second Coming, the
“Revelation,” we shall behold His “Glory.” When Jesus
came the first time He was disguised in the flesh. The
“Incarnation” was the hiding of His Power, the veiling of His
Deity. Now and then gleams of glory shot forth as on the Mt. of
Transfiguration; but when He comes the Second Time we shall
behold Him clothed with the glory He had with the Father before
the world was. The “Revelation” will be as sudden and as
unexpected as was the “Rapture.” The sun will rise on that day
strong and clear. Gentle breezes will waft themselves over the
earth. There will be no signs of a storm or of the coming
Judgment. The people will be buying and selling, building and
planting, eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage.
The statesmen will be revolving in their minds new plans for the
world’s betterment. The philanthropic will be devising new ways
to help the people. The pleasure-loving will be seeking new
sources of pleasure. The wicked will be plotting dark deeds; and
the unbelieving will be proving to their own satisfaction that
there is no God, no heaven, no hell, no coming judgment, when
suddenly there will be a change. In the distant heaven there
will appear a
“POINT OF LIGHT,”
outshining the sun. It will be seen descending toward the earth.
As it descends it will assume the form of a bright cloud, out of
which shall stream dazzling beams of light, and flashes of
lightning. It will descend apace as if on the wings of the
whirlwind, and when it reaches its destination over the brow of
the Mt. of Olives it will stop and unfold itself to the
terrified and awestricken beholders, and there will be revealed
to them Jesus seated on a “White Horse” (Rev. 19:11-16) and
accompanied with His Saints and the armies of Heaven. Then shall
be fulfilled what Jesus foretold in His Olivet Discourse – “Then
shall appear the sign (a cloud) of the Son of Man in heaven; and
then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see
the Son of Man coming in the clouds of Heaven WITH POWER AND
GREAT GLORY.” Matt. 24:30.
