What should we do?

This interpretation of the Rapture should encourage Christians who look forward to meeting the Lord to pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which none of us will see the Lord.[1] Is it possible that if Christians are not being purified and set apart now through cleansing and intimacy, then in God’s grace, deep love, mercy and patience, He will provide a second chance to be different when facing the Antichrist? Jesus instructs us that not everyone who calls Him Lord will be saved, but only those who do the will of His Father.[2] What is the will of the Father? “For this is the will of God, your sanctification.”[3] We are told that the Lord is not willing for any to perish but that all should come to repentance.[4] We know that no chastening seems to be pleasant or enjoyable at the time, but painful; however, later it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.[5] We need to look at this impending suffering and cleansing by fire in light of verses such as: “he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin.”[6] “For when Your judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.”[7]

   I have heard lack of holiness likened to a bride who determines to keep a few boyfriends after her marriage to her favourite one.[8] In other words, spiritual adultery. “Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God?”[9] Sanctification following salvation is a process. Some of the Lord’s people may need support and personal ministry now to let go of areas of oppression. A good starting point for some is to determine to forgive others, and even themselves, and so be set free from bad fruits such as jealousy, bitterness, anger and self-deprecation.  We may turn our thoughts once more to the Shulammite in Song of Solomon chapter 5. She was devastated when she finally opened the door of her chamber, as it was too late to be united with her bridegroom.[10] We should not be discouraged and think that every hesitancy or struggle to obey the Lord instantly condemns us to be reckoned among the foolish virgins. The Lord is looking for us to willingly agree to embark upon, and then travel along, the journey of obedience and forgiveness. When others have hurt us, we are required to resist the temptation of being entrapped in indignant self-justification. This attitude, once entrenched, leads to a drying up of the oil of intimacy, a hardening of heart, and a distancing in our relationship with God. How easy it is for us, as we lose the sense of His nearness, to seek comfort by immersing ourselves in religious duties like the foolish virgins. We must guard our own hearts, be honest with the Lord about how we are feeling, and exhort one another daily, “lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.”[11] Forgiveness is a matter of the will rather than merely reacting to our feelings: “But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”[12]

   We may want to work through the love of money, which is the root of all kinds of evil. This causes some to stray from the Faith due to greed, and in turn leads to many griefs.[13] Then, Scripture instructs us that envy and self-interest are manifested in disorder and evil actions.[14]  Again, dealing with examples such as these may take time and effort that extends beyond confessing our sins, which of course is the first step in the process. The ministries of the late Derek Prince, and also that of Mike Connell, are both very helpful in this whole area of deliverance.[15] To illustrate this point, consider my garden, where we have an infestation of the weed known as “mare’s tails.”  It is difficult to eradicate because the roots are so very deep. We too may notice sin patterns in our lives, just as we notice the ugly weeds encroaching on what we choose to grow. But just as the green growth of the mare’s tails is only the tip of the iceberg, as it were, so too sin has roots which need addressing so that we can be free. We are set apart for our heavenly Bridegroom, sealed with the promise of the Holy Spirit – whom we must take pains not to grieve.[16] Indeed, we are told in Matthew 7:20 that we each will be known by our fruits.

   Many will be familiar with ancient Jewish wedding customs associated with the parable of the wise and foolish virgins. The bridegroom would go away to his father’s home to prepare a home for his bride. This betrothal period was for one year.[17] When all was ready, the father would say to his son, “it is time for you to go and collect your bride.” The son would not know in advance when the father would announce this, just as the Son of God does not know exactly when He will be returning.[18] The bride waited with readiness with her attendants, not knowing the day nor the hour when he would come back. When the time comes for our heavenly Bridegroom to return to collect us, may we all have in mind the advice in Luke 17:32 to remember Lot’s wife. Let us purpose not to look back on unwise virgins and the unsaved, however concerned we may be for them.

   “A man who isolates himself seeks his own desire; he rages against all wise judgment.”[19] As we see the Day drawing near, we must not neglect meeting together, but consider how to stir one another to love and good works.[20] Wise virgins keep in fellowship with other believers, seeking to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.[21] We need to sever our emotional ties with this world’s riches, whether property, vehicles, businesses, or anything else, so that being parted from them will be painless. This is a particular snare to the lukewarm, materialistic end-times Laodicean Church. There is a warning to heed of wailing and misery for those who have hoarded treasure in the Last Days and lived luxuriously on the earth in self-indulgence.[22] Remember the attitude of Moses in Egypt who preferred to suffer alongside the people of God, rather than enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin, because he looked for the reward.[23] As pointed out by John Bevere in his book, “Drawing Near – A Life of Intimacy with God,” Moses would rather have endured the privations of the wilderness than miss the very presence of God.[24] May the things of this world grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace![25] How much better to focus on the return of the One who has gone to His Father’s house. There are many rooms there and He has gone to prepare a special place for each of us![26]

   As a wise young friend observed, it is far more important to be ready for the Rapture than to understand all the details. Let us reflect upon the warning: “If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.”[27] Study afresh the account of Mary and Martha, in which Mary spent time at the feet of Jesus listening to and admiring Him, whereas Martha was preoccupied with service and resented her more contemplative sister. “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.”[28] Does this account have an additional end-times perspective? Could Mary represent the wise virgins investing time in being close to the Lord?  Another candidate for this group is the Apostle John, who is referred to as the disciple whom Jesus loved.[29] We may puzzle as to how John developed this especially close relationship with Jesus. We may speculate that John was drawn to spend more time alone with the Lord than, say, impetuous Peter. We know that, ultimately, John was given the privilege of taking care of the Saviour’s mother, as well as being entrusted with the visions and anointing to write the Book of Revelation as a very aged man. Our relationship with the Lord must come first in our lives as Christians – an essential requirement for effective and fruitful service for the Lord. “For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”[30] As the hymn says: “How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord, is laid for your faith in God's excellent Word!”[31] We are in the Last Days of deception, with false prophets arising to show great signs and wonders in order to mislead even the elect, if it were possible.[32]  Stay close to the Lord and be discerning, and anticipate that internet platforms such as YouTube will undoubtedly include false prophets. How essential it is to be noble-minded like the Bereans, eagerly examining the Scriptures[33] to see if the teachings and messages we encounter about the End Times are so. The apostle Peter clearly tells us “that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation.”[34] How vital it is for us to be led by the Holy Spirit in unravelling the prophetic Scriptures!

   The book of Proverbs has much to say about wisdom and foolishness: “Get wisdom! Get understanding! ... she will preserve you; love her, and she will keep you. Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom.”[35] The rest of the book of Proverbs has much to teach about wisdom. The fear of the Lord is the first step in this journey.[36] What better motivation for the virgins in these End Times than to ensure that they are eligible for the wedding feast? We are encouraged to fellowship with the wise and to keep our distance from the foolish.[37] We should be wary of simply figuring things out in our own minds rather than factoring in the advice of others.[38] We should be teachable.[39] The wise avoid needless quarrels with the foolish.[40] We need to be humble and listen to others: “A fool has no delight in understanding, but in expressing his own heart.”[41] We need to be slow to speak and slow to anger.[42] It can be summarised in the verses: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”[43] Later in the same chapter we read, “the wise shall inherit glory, but shame shall be the legacy of fools.”[44] Does this verse have eschatological significance? What deep shame to be excluded from the marriage supper of the Lamb. The sound of the trumpet blast (shofar in Hebrew) will issue forth immediately prior to the departure of the wise virgins at the Rapture.[45] Those left behind, who know their Bibles well, will understand all too clearly the awful situation into which they will then suddenly be plunged. They will know that he who restrains is then removed, paving the way for the Antichrist.[46] I have heard various interpretations over the years as to the identity of the restrainer. These vary from the Holy Spirit, to the raptured body of Christ, to the archangel Michael.  It does not take much imagination to envisage the anarchic and alarming state of an unrestrained society.

   Some of the foolish virgins surely will know that they deserved to miss out. There may be heartfelt cries from the bitter disappointment of being excluded from the Lord’s reaping of the righteous: “Harvest is past, summer is ended, and we are not saved.”[47] The exhortation of Jesus is most relevant: “Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame.”[48] If we are not wakeful, watchful, prayerful and suitably attired in readiness for One who will come when we are not expecting Him, like a thief, then we will be deeply ashamed. Instead let us be wisely prepared in readiness in order to enjoy the marriage supper of the Lamb: “Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching. Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them.”[49]

   We can look in the Scriptures for other mentions of the wise and foolish. We read in Matthew 7 of the wise man building his house upon the rock and that house surviving the ravages of savage weather. By contrast, the foolish man’s house collapses under the same conditions because it was built on the sand. Does this parable have special end-times significance? May each of us be able to discern between the rock and the sand! We must evaluate our personal stock of oil. In ancient Bible times, olive oil had many uses other than lighting and heating. It was also used for healing wounds and, generally, for protecting and nourishing the skin and scalp.[50] We see the former use in the parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10. If we have wounds which still hurt because of bad experiences in the past, or if we feel spiritually dry, then this is a nudge to immerse ourselves more in the oil of the Holy Spirit and to bring His light to our problem areas in life.

   We need deep courage and commitment to the Lord to face these days ahead, and this applies to both the wise and also to the foolish virgins who go on to overcome during the Tribulation. These are days, as mentioned, when many will be offended.[51] We must avoid the trap of feeling offence towards the Lord about the special challenges presented to us as last-days believers. We are obliged to trust God’s plans for the winding up of the age: “blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.”[52] We need to ponder on Mordecai’s advice to Esther: “who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this.”[53] We are surrounded by the great cloud of witnesses,[54] and this includes Christians from Ancient Rome who suffered gruesome deaths under Nero, and those like the Ten Boom family who willingly sacrificed their lives to protect Jewish people in World War II, as well as a multitude of modern-day martyrs. “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”[55]

[1] Hebrews 12:14

[2] Matthew 7:21

[3] 1 Thessalonians 4:3a

[4] 2 Peter 3:9

[5] Hebrews 12:11

[6] 1 Peter 4:1

[7] Isaiah 26:9

[8] You Tube video: “Why you are not Experiencing the Presence of God” John Bevere

[9] James 4:4

[10] Song of Solomon 5:6

[11] Hebrews 3:13

[12] Matthew 6:15

[13] 1 Timothy 6:10

[14] James 3:16

[15] Both have websites and a presence on YouTube. For example: Mike Connell “Overcoming the Root of Bitterness” YouTube

[16] Ephesians 1:13, 4:30

[17] Dr. Renald Showers “Jewish Marriage Customs”  www.biblestudymanuals.net/jewish_marriage_customs.htm

[18] Matthew 24:36

[19] Proverbs 18:1

[20] Hebrews 10:25

[21] Ephesians 4:3

[22] James 5:1-5

[23] Hebrews 11:25-26

[24] Exodus 33:15-16

[25] Hymn “Turn Your Eyes upon Jesus” Helen Lemmel 1918

[26] John 14:2-3

[27] John 15:6

[28] Luke 10:42

[29] John 13:23, 19:26

[30] See 1 Corinthians 3:11-15

[31] R. Keen 1787

[32] Matthew 24:24

[33] Acts 17:11

[34] 2 Peter 1:20

[35] Proverbs 4:5-7

[36] Proverbs 1:7

[37] Proverbs 13:20

[38] Proverbs 12:15, 18:2, 28:26

[39] Proverbs 9:9, 15:2

[40] Proverbs 20:3, 29:9

[41] Proverbs 18:2

[42] Proverbs 14:29, 29:11,20

[43] Proverbs 3:5-6

[44] Proverbs 3:35

[45] 1 Thessalonian 4:16

[46] 2 Thessalonians 2:7

[47] Jeremiah 8:20

[48] Revelation 16:15

[49] Luke 12:37

[50] Bibletools.org – Forerunner Commentary “What the Bible says about Olive Oil”

[51] Matthew 24:10 KJ, NKJV, Amplified, Darby, Webster etc

[52] Matthew 11:6

[53] Esther 4:14

[54] Hebrews 12:1

[55] Hebrews 4:16

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Scripture taken from the New King James Version®.