This article by Jocelyn Andersen is a reprint that was first published by RaptureReady.com
"And at midnight, there was a cry made, Behold the Bridegroom cometh: go ye out to meet him...and they that were ready, went in with him to The Marriage, and the door was shut...Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour the Son of Man comes Matthew 25:1-13."
“And The Virgins, her companions that follow her shall be brought unto thee Psalm 45:14-15.”
In Matthew 25:1-13, it is obvious who the Bridegroom is. The text plainly says the Bridegroom is the Son of Man—Jesus Matthew 25:10-13. The context also makes it clear that The Virgins to whom the Midnight Cry is being made Matthew 25:6-7... are not The Bride.
So the question remains, Who are The Virgins?
This writer believes The Virgins do not represent the Bride of Christ--The Out-Called--but are rather the companions of The Bride we read about in Psalm 45:14.
The companions of The Bride are those who will come to Christ during The Great Tribulation, and just as Old Covenant believers are not part of that special group saved during the Age of Grace, known as The Body of Christ, neither are those who come to Christ during the Time of Jacob's Trouble [also known as The Great Tribulation].
It is generally taught that the “Midnight Cry” of Matthew Twenty-five is synonymous with "The Shout" in 1 Thessalonians 4:16 where Jesus descends from Heaven to raise the dead and snatch up the living.
But this is not the case.
The Midnight Cry, in Matthew Twenty-five, is not being made for the Bride of Christ.
Jesus is not a polygamous husband.
He has only one Bride, and he cleaves only to her. Matthew twenty-five speaks of multiple virgins, so, these cannot be God’s Bride. These virgins are the bride’s companions, those who follow after her. We read about them in Psalms 45:14-15.
Prophecy reveals that the King Christ will bring his Queen the Bride of Christ into his palace Which is being prepared for us in Heaven (John 14:2).
When it is time for the wedding to take place, the group that scripture identifies as the "Companions of the Bride" will be brought to the King as well 1 Thessalonians, 4:16-18, Psalm 45:14, Matthew 25:6-13. These are the ones we read about in the parable of the ten virgins.
Jesus is coming for his Bride, ... and he is coming for her companions as well—but not for both at the same time.
Look closely at what Jesus said concerning his coming, “...as in the days of Noah...so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be Matthew 24:37-39. Just as God brought Noah and his family into the ark before judgment fell in the form of the flood, the Son of Man is coming for his Bride before he comes back to earth to judge a world that hates him.
As in the days of Noah....
It is wise not to disregard the repeated references our Lord makes to "the Days of Noah." That statement is multi-faceted and rich, referring to much more than simply the sinful, carefree lifestyles Noah's contemporaries lived, even as devastating judgment bore down upon them.
We must be careful to observe that in the days of Noah, the righteous were brought into the ark of safety before judgment came. We must also note that the door to that ark remained open for seven days...ostensibly, others could have come on board during that time. It was entirely their choice not to do so Genesis 7:1-10.
At midnight a cry was made....
After The Bridegroom (Jesus) comes for his Bride, the door to the ark—as in the days of Noah—will remain open for a short time. This is so The Virgins, the Companions of the Bride, who will follow after her Psalms 45:14-15, can also be brought in to the King.
The Word of God is specific about every word in scripture being pure and good for reproof, rebuke, exhortation, and instruction in righteousness, ... every word. That is why we pay close attention to the words Jesus used, words like, “as in the Days of Noah,” and “Midnight.”
Midnight means halfway through the night.
In John 9:4, Jesus said he must work the works of him that sent him while it is Day, for The Night was coming in which no one could work.
In this passage, Jesus made references to Light, Day, and Night that provide us with insight into the pre-appointed times and seasons Yahweh holds in his hand. It is in John 9:4, that Jesus defines the word "Midnight" for us.
The Night, Jesus refers to, is the calamitous Night of Wrath and Judgment that he predicted will come on all who dwell upon the face of the earth. In Luke 21:35, Jesus called it a snare and warned each individual to pray that they would be counted worthy to escape all of the devastation that would be coming upon all the inhabitants of earth.
Jesus went on to say that he was the Light of the World and that he would continue to be the Light of the World as long as he was in the world John 9:5. When Jesus is no longer in the world (kosmos in the Greek), the inhabitants of the kosmos will find themselves trapped in the season he calls Night.
So, has the Night already come? The time when Jesus said no one can work? If that is the case, then why are those who name the name of Christ continuing to work?
It is because he is here, isn't it?
Jesus is still in the kosmos, because he dwells within all who belong to him. Our bodies are his temple. And because of this, Jesus said that his followers are also the Light of the World Matthew 5:14-16.
Isn’t that amazing?
It is still Day. Jesus is still working in the kosmos through those whose bodies are his dwelling place here on earth and through those he called "The Salt of the Earth."
So, when will "Night" begin?
“Night” will begin when the Light of the World and The Salt of the Earth exit the kosmos at the Resurrection of the Dead in Christ and the Snatching Up of those In Him who are alive and remain.
Jesus entered the kosmos when he was born of a virgin Hebrews 1:6. He remains in the kosmos because he lives in those who belong to him John 14:16-18, and he will leave the kosmos when he "descends from Heaven with a shout," to raise the dead and catch up the living bodies of all who are "in Him"—His Body. His Bride 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18, 1 Corinthians 15:51-52, Romans 8:23, 2 Thessalonians 2:6-7.
After all those whose bodies are his temple have been brought to the King, Jesus will no longer be in the kosmos in the way he described in John 9:4-5. And by his own definition, the season he called Night, will have officially begun.
So, when is midnight?
Midnight is halfway through the Night—which Jesus said would begin the moment he was no longer in the world—that means, that by Midnight, his Holy Spirit indwelled Bride will have been absent from the kosmos for the same length of time that Jesus has been absent from the kosmos John 9:4-5, Matthew 5:14-16,1 Thessalonians 4:16-18, 2 Thessalonians 2:6-7.
But the exodus of The Bride of Christ does not signify the end.
At the mid-way point, half-way through the Night—Midnight—Jesus says a cry will be made. This cry is being made to The Virgins. These virgins will come to Christ after the Bride is caught out at The Resurrection and Catching Up. They will be a certain group who were "left behind" at the time of the Resurrection and Rapture but will afterwards be Redeemed out of the Time of Jacob’s Trouble at [or just before] its inauguration, which will be heralded by the appearance of the Abomination of Desolation [spoken of by Daniel] being set up in the holy place. This will be The Man of Sin demanding worship for himself as God in God's Holy of Holies Matthew 13:13, Matthew 24:15 John 3:29, Revelation 14:1-4, 7:4.
An open door will remain for a time for those who are ready, and Jesus said they will hear the call--the Cry that comes at MIDNIGHT--and the Companions of The Bride will join the marriage party, and then, like in the Days of Noah, the door will be shut Psalm 45:14, Matthew 25:6-13, Genesis 7:16.
Jesus is coming for his Bride. And he is coming for her before the Night begins.
When he returns to earth at the Battle of Armageddon, His wife will be coming out of Heaven with him. The Virgins, her Companions, will be returning with him as well. And After that, a marriage feast—the likes of which this world has never seen—will be held here on earth Matthew 22.
You do not want to miss it.
If you haven’t received one yet, consider this your invitation to the wedding. It will be the biggest event of the universe—Ever.
Romans 10:9-10,13 tells how to send your RSVP. Better look it up in a King James Bible though. Some versions tamper with the directions.
The book, Redemption: Bible Prophecy Simplified, presents us with a panoramic and chronological overview of God's plan of redemption for our souls, bodies, and this earth as revealed in scripture. The day The Towers Fell was prophesied in the Bible. The basket of currency connected with the Euro is found in the Bible. Details concerning the Rapture, The Great Tribulation, and the first 1000 years of Christ’s reign on earth are looked at from the unique perspective of the seven prophetic feasts of the Lord found in the book of Exodus. Bible Prophecy Simplified is simple enough for beginning prophecy students, but there is plenty to intrigue intermediate and advanced students as well. The Bible reveals methods the antichrist will use in his rise to power and the location of his home base.Request a free PDF copy when you follow Jocelyn Andersen's author page on Amazon.
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