Category Archives: Bible Study

MARK’S GOSPEL…THE MEW COVENANT – 35

Bible Study, ,

Mark‬ ‭14‬:‭22‬-‭26‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take it; this is my body.” Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, and they all drank from it. “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many,” he said to them. “Truly I tell you, I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.” When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.”

Just another Passover celebration in the life of Jesus…or was it?

I wonder if the disciples ever realised what a life-and-world-changing event was about to happen at that moment. Centuries before, Jeremiah had predicted that what Jesus Christ was about to do, to make a new covenant between the Father and Himself, was God’s solution to His people’s dismal failure as His own covenant nation. 

“The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah.”

‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭31‬:‭31‬ ‭NIV‬‬

A New Covenant? Why? What was wrong with the covenant God had cut with Israel at Mount Sinai? Centuries of disobedience, lawlessness, and idolatry defined the Israelites despite God’s pleading, patience, and expressions of love and mercy towards His people. Israel’s history was stained with defiance and betrayal. 

There was nothing wrong with the covenant but everything wrong with the people. Their hearts were hard and incurably wicked. A new covenant, based on what God could do rather than on what they could never do, was the answer. 

Included in the promise of a new covenant was the promise of new hearts. 

“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.”

‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭36‬:‭26‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Now, at this moment, in the Upper Room, in the presence of His eleven closest companions (Judas had left the company), Jesus set up His New Covenant, not another ceremony signed in animal blood but an eternal agreement between Himself and the Father, to be signed in His own blood. 

So significant was this covenant for the eternal redemption of the human race that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit could not entrust to sinful humans the honour of being in covenant with God. The only perfectly obedient human who was eligible to be in covenant with Father was Jesus Himself. 

“While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take it; this is my body.” Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, and they all drank from it. “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many…”

An ordinary, everyday event…eating bread and drinking wine…was elevated, in this moment, to an eternal truth. Bread, the staff of life…wine, the blood of the grape, speaking of life and death…so, in symbolic simplicity, Jesus revealed the heart of God in the inauguration of His New Covenant…a covenant between Father and Son signed in His blood…with us, condemned sinners, as His beneficiaries. 

What so many of God’s people have sadly missed is that the New Covenant is not an addition to the Old but completely replaces it. 

“By calling this covenant “new,” he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear.”

Hebrews‬ ‭8‬:‭13‬ ‭NIV‬‬

According to Google, 

“Obsolete” means no longer used, in general use, or useful because something newer or better has been invented. For example, an old model of a cell phone might become obsolete when a new smartphone is released, or an old programming language might be deemed obsolete when it’s replaced by a more efficient one.”

God’s people need to get the impact of this word “obsolete”! If the Old Covenant is obsolete, outdated and discarded, why do many of God’s people still observe some of its laws, rituals, and practices as though they still apply…for example food taboos, Sabbath observance, holy festivals, even prayer rituals? 

This little scene in the Upper Room is a line in the sand, a deciding moment in history, a new dispensation in God’s dealings with humanity…law as a way of acceptance with God forever declared redundant…grace, the new way forever because mercy, redemption, and forgiveness are freely given through the body and blood of Jesus. 

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth….Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”

‭‭John‬ ‭1‬:‭14‬, ‭16‬-‭17‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The only safe place in which we can take shelter from God’s wrath against sin is in the body and blood of the one who is in covenant with the Father on our behalf. No law, ritual, tradition, or sacrifice can add or substitute for what Jesus has done for us. 

Paul issued a serious warning…

“Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.”

‭‭Galatians‬ ‭5‬:‭2‬-‭4‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Law and grace can never live in peace together because the one cancels the other. 

In this breathtaking scene in the Upper Room, history stood still, then made an about-turn, retracing its step to the moment when the Lamb of God was slain in eternity and the magnitude of that sacrifice cast its shadow across time. Instead of the covenant at Sinai, with its exposure of humanity’s evil heart, the cross of Jesus will always be the defining moment for every sinner…”Yes!” Or “No!”

MARK’S GOSPEL…BETRAYAL – 34

Bible Study, ,

Mark 14:1, 10-11, 17-20

“Now the Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread were only two days away, and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were scheming to arrest Jesus secretly and kill him. Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Jesus to them.”

“They were delighted to hear this and promised to give him money. So he watched for an opportunity to hand him over… When evening came, Jesus arrived with the Twelve. While they were reclining at the table eating, he said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me—one who is eating with me.” They were saddened, and one by one they said to him, “Surely you don’t mean me?” “It is one of the Twelve,” he replied, “one who dips bread into the bowl with me.”

The plot thickens! Talk about a Hollywood murder mystery…the Bible story can rival any scriptwriter’s imagination, except that this drama is all about the truth. 

The focus shifts to the one shady character in this eternally conceived “stage production”. Strange that Jesus should have chosen Judas Iscariot as one of His closest associates, and that after a night of prayer! Did He know who this man really was? 

Since Jesus never did anything without the Father’s instruction and direction, grace offered Judas the opportunity, either to have an integral part in the disciples’ participation in Jesus’ mission on earth, or to be the one to drive the story forward to its inevitable conclusion. The choice was up to him. 

Imagine that! Jesus knew, from the beginning of His association with the Twelve, that there was a rotten apple in the box. Strangely enough, the other eleven were completely unsuspecting. So good was Judas at hiding his true colours that he had them completely fooled. When Jesus was about to disclose what was about to happen in the next few hours, and who would betray Him, they had no idea who among them would commit such a dastardly deed. 

What shaped Judas’ final decision? We don’t know except that there are pointers to his inner workings, probably more than one of his character traits, that drew him towards his action, and his expectations that Jesus had failed to fulfil. 

First, Judas loved money. It seems that, in his choice of master, he chose money. 

“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭24‬ ‭NIV‬‬

It was obvious to the rest of the gang that Judas was a thief…they knew that he periodically rifled the purse, but he always wanted more. The promise of money…lots of it…lured him on to do the dirty deed.

Second, Judas probably had political aspirations. Like his fellow disciples, he wanted Rome gone. His early experiences of Jesus perhaps fired his hope. Here was  a man of power and authority like no other. Even demons fled at His command. So, what about the Romans?

Perhaps his expectations were intensely personal. As a part of the disciple band, he was close to the top. Did he aspire to a position of power and influence in this new government he anticipated? Even a staggeringly astronomical salary to go with it? 

This is all conjecture but, judging by his behaviour and decisions, these suggestions are quite possible. 

It seems to me that the final straw that broke the camel’s back was Jesus’ humiliation of Judas, in public, not intended to destroy him but to warn him about his greed and hypocrisy. Hidden in the variations of the story of the woman who poured out her perfume on Jesus, was Judas’ hypocritical protest and Jesus’ stinging rebuke. 

“Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.” He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it. “Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.”

‭‭John‬ ‭12‬:‭1‬-‭8‬ ‭NIV‬‬

John recorded in more detail how Jesus revealed the identity of his betrayer, and the deciding moment when Judas acted. 

“After he had said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified, “Very truly I tell you, one of you is going to betray me.”… Leaning back against Jesus, he (John) asked him, “Lord, who is it?” Jesus answered, “It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.” Then, dipping the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him. So Jesus told him, “What you are about to do, do quickly.” …As soon as Judas had taken the bread, he went out. And it was night.”

‭‭John‬ ‭13‬:‭21‬, ‭25‬-‭27‬, ‭30‬ ‭NIV‬‬

This was not a case of “the devil made me do it.” This final decision, clinched by the devil according to John, was the end result of years of thought processes driven by  greed and deception. Judas has a narrative he believed and followed, despite the truth of Jesus’ life and teachings played out before him in real time. 

So, when it came to his final decision, the door to his heart was wide open for the devil to walk in and take control. 

Unfortunately for Judas, the truth of what he had done only hit him after it was too late to stop the inevitable. Not even the money he had acquired could silence his screaming conscience, so, true to the predictions of Scripture, he ended it all by his ignominious  death by suicide.

What does this whole saga tell us about Jesus? Never for one moment did any detail of this unfolding drama take Him by surprise. On the contrary, the story clearly show us, from its beginning, that He was fully involved in driving it forward to its predetermined conclusion.

Peter, on hindsight and by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, laid the blame for Jesus’ death squarely where it belonged…on the shoulders of everyone who was involve, not only Judas who initiated and all those who carried it out but also all sinners including you and me. 

“This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross.”

‭‭Acts‬ ‭2‬:‭23‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Planned by the Father before time and carried out by every category of humans, Jesus’ death was God’s masterpiece of mercy, crafted by His love, to rescue His crown of creation from self-destruction, and He chose to funnel the event at the appointed time, through Judas. 

MARK’S GOSPEL…WASTED – 33

Bible Study, ,

Mark. 14:3-9

“While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head. 

“Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, “Why this waste of perfume? It could have been sold for more than a year’s wages and the money given to the poor.” And they rebuked her harshly. 

“Leave her alone,” said Jesus. “Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.””

What a waste! A whole year’s wages, a dowry, an investment, a life’s savings…gone! Soaking into a man’s hair, clothing, down His face, onto His hands, feet…dripping onto the floor, all that wealth only a spreading stain on the ground! 

(In another rendering of the story, it was the disciples who had a lot to say about her action). 

The people were aghast! What was she thinking? What was she doing? One spokesman protested, this time probably Judas Iscariot, since he usually had money on his mind, measuring everything in terms of silver and gold. They all joined in. What a waste! What about the poor? Why didn’t she do something about “the poor” seeing she was so willing to part with her wealth?

Jesus saw right through their hypocrisy. What did they really care about the nameless, faceless “poor”? They had every other day to do something about the poor. Did they do anything?No! 

This is was an opportunity to go on the attack, especially on a woman who was a nothing in society. Perhaps this was even a subtle way of insinuating that they were better than her. 

Anger rose up in Jesus’ heart, intense sadness at their cruel, heartless indifference to her real motive. These were His people, but all His years with them, painstakingly teaching them about love and mercy, went up in smoke in a moment. Their hearts were exposed. Remember…what you say is what you are!

He retorted with a stinging rebuke. “What do you really care about the poor? Leave her alone. She has done something so great that history will mark her deed as special, to be remembered until the end of time!”

Jesus saw both their hearts and her heart, not with criticism, judgement, measuring actions by worldly standards but reading her love and their absence of love that directed their responses to Him. 

This woman had no name. She was just a woman off the street. Some even wrote her off as wicked, a sinner, an undesirable! What did she want in that company anyway? How had she managed to gatecrash the party? 

It seems that she has crept in with one overriding intention. Armed with her greatest treasure, she suddenly stood up, took the lid off, smashed the priceless alabaster, box and doused Jesus with its contents. 

As the oil slowly dripped from His head to His feet, its fragrance began to fill the room. The odours    of bodies, the memories of toil and hardship, the feelings of loneliness, emptiness, frustration…the things that occupied the thoughts and took up the lives of the onlookers were momentarily drowned by the subtle perfume, enfolding them all in a quiet calm. 

Jesus read even deeper into her action. She had no idea what she was doing, but He did. Always with His mission in mind, with its encroaching suffering He was to endure for all mankind, He saw her deed as an act of pure worship, a celebration of the mercy that would touch everyone who believed, herself included. 

In that moment of intense spiritual interaction, Jesus accepted her sacrifice and the woman received His gift of grace. She would return home a new person despite whatever anyone else thought or felt. Her past was gone, her future bright with hope because of this man whom she had honoured by her faith, knowing deep in her heart that He was who He said He was, the Son of God and the Saviour of the world. 

MARK’S GOSPEL…THE RAPTURE – 32

Bible Study, ,

Mark 13: 23-31 NIV

“So be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time. “But in those days, following that distress, “ ‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’ “At that time people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens. “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that it is near, right at the door. Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.”

‭‭Mark‬ ‭13‬:‭23‬-‭31‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The rapture…another “hot potato”!

It’s funny, strange…how a few Biblical scholars present an interpretation of Scripture, often out of a modern worldview, and everyone, that is, many if not most of the Christian world, run with it as though it is the absolute truth. I think that this is what has happened with our understanding of the “rapture”. 

Three major interpretations occupy the attention of many believers…pre-tribulation, mid-tribulation, or post-tribulation…all focusing on the time of Jesus’ return rather than what the rapture might be. 

That Jesus is coming back is not the issue but when He is coming depends on what we make of a combination of pieces of information. So, let’s examine what He had to say about the “rapture”.

First, there will be signs such as an increase of deception and wickedness, an escalation of natural disasters, and polarisation between believers and unbelievers with persecution gathering momentum. There will also be unnatural signs in the cosmos, all pointing to the nearness of Jesus’ return, like the signs of coming summer in the  new growth of the fig tree. 

Was Jesus referring to something specific happening in Israel, since He had shortly before spoken of Israel as the “fig tree” that had been cursed? Is “new growth”, that is, new spiritual life that is blossoming in God’s people, one of the signs that Jesus’ appearing is imminent? The Apostle Paul echoed this idea in his letter to the Romans. 

Second, there is no evidence in Scripture that there will be two “comings”, a secret rapture when believers disappear off the earth, then an interval before Jesus returns to set up His kingdom. This idea comes from the notion of a separation of time between Daniel’s thirty-nineth and fortieth “week”. 

The New Testament, in every reference to Jesus’ return, speaks of only one event…and it will not be secret or quiet! Paul wrote…

“For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.”

‭‭1 Thessalonians‬ ‭4‬:‭16‬-‭17‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“Now, brothers and sisters, 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.”

‭‭1 Thessalonians‬ ‭5‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.”

‭‭2 Thessalonians‬ ‭1‬:‭6‬-‭8‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Second, when heaven invades earth, time will cease, and the coming of Jesus will herald the eternal “now”when everything will merge into one instantaneous event. For us now, this is mysterious because we are bound by time and the sequence of events. 

Now let’s look at the idea of being “caught up”. The Greek words convey the idea of being snatched or seized, at the same time, into a close association with Jesus, and into cloudiness. When we connect this idea with the Jewish marriage protocol, after the ceremony, the bridegroom snatches up his bride and “raptures” her into the bridal chamber to consummate their marriage.  

It’s this symbolism of the rapture that should dominate our thinking rather than timelines and  mechanisms. When Jesus returns, He will complete the union He began on earth when He chose His bride. He betrothed her to Himself, both to separate her from all other men and for her to prepare herself for their wedding day. 

“Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: “Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.” (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people).”

Revelation 19: 6-8 NIV

On more than one occasion, Jesus used the language of a Jewish wedding to refer to the preparation for the wedding, for example…

“My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if 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.”

‭‭John‬ ‭14‬:‭2‬-‭3‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The groom had no idea when that would be. His father alone would know when to send him to claim his bride once he was satisfied with the groom’s preparation of the bridal chamber. 

“But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”

‭‭Mark‬ ‭13‬:‭32‬ ‭NIV‬‬

So, how important it is that we understand the rapture in the context of a wedding rather than in our own non-Jewish imposition!

Jesus did not tell His disciples what would happen when He returns. We assume, from the combination of relevant Scriptures, that He will purify the earth of all evil and establish His eternal reign on earth together with His people. Revelation 21 describes the moment when heaven joins earth and God fulfills His dream  of dwelling forever with His people. 

“Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

‭‭Revelation‬ 21:1-4 NIV

So, our concern should not be with events and timelines. Rather, we are to be ready by using the betrothal period to prepare for His coming by faithfully and lovingly serving His people, adorning our robe of righteousness with the jewels of good deeds. 

MARK’S GOSPEL…THE RAPTURE – 32

Bible Study, ,

Mark 13: 23-31 NIV

“So be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time. “But in those days, following that distress, “ ‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’ “At that time people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens. “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that it is near, right at the door. Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.”

‭‭Mark‬ ‭13‬:‭23‬-‭31‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The rapture…another “hot potato”!

It’s funny, strange…how a few Biblical scholars present an interpretation of Scripture, often out of a modern worldview, and everyone, that is, many if not most of the Christian world, run with it as though it is the absolute truth. I think that this is what has happened with our understanding of the “rapture”. 

Three major interpretations occupy the attention of many believers…pre-tribulation, mid-tribulation, or post-tribulation…all focusing on the time of Jesus’ return rather than what the rapture might be. 

That Jesus is coming back is not the issue but when He is coming depends on what we make of a combination of pieces of information. So, let’s examine what He had to say about the “rapture”.

First, there will be signs such as an increase of deception and wickedness, an escalation of natural disasters, and polarisation between believers and unbelievers with persecution gathering momentum. There will also be unnatural signs in the cosmos, all pointing to the nearness of Jesus’ return, like the signs of coming summer in the  new growth of the fig tree. 

Was Jesus referring to something specific happening in Israel, since He had shortly before spoken of Israel as the “fig tree” that had been cursed? Is “new growth”, that is, new spiritual life that is blossoming in God’s people, one of the signs that Jesus’ appearing is imminent? The Apostle Paul echoed this idea in his letter to the Romans. 

Second, there is no evidence in Scripture that there will be two “comings”, a secret rapture when believers disappear off the earth, then an interval before Jesus returns to set up His kingdom. This idea comes from the notion of a separation of time between Daniel’s thirty-nineth and fortieth “week”. 

The New Testament, in every reference to Jesus’ return, speaks of only one event…and it will not be secret or quiet! Paul wrote…

“For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.”

‭‭1 Thessalonians‬ ‭4‬:‭16‬-‭17‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“Now, brothers and sisters, 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.”

‭‭1 Thessalonians‬ ‭5‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.”

‭‭2 Thessalonians‬ ‭1‬:‭6‬-‭8‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Second, when heaven invades earth, time will cease, and the coming of Jesus will herald the eternal “now”when everything will merge into one instantaneous event. For us now, this is mysterious because we are bound by time and the sequence of events. 

Now let’s look at the idea of being “caught up”. The Greek words convey the idea of being snatched or seized, at the same time, into a close association with Jesus, and into cloudiness. When we connect this idea with the Jewish marriage protocol, after the ceremony, the bridegroom snatches up his bride and “raptures” her into the bridal chamber to consummate their marriage.  

It’s this symbolism of the rapture that should dominate our thinking rather than timelines and  mechanisms. When Jesus returns, He will complete the union He began on earth when He chose His bride. He betrothed her to Himself, both to separate her from all other men and for her to prepare herself for their wedding day. 

“Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: “Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.” (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people).”

Revelation 19: 6-8 NIV

On more than one occasion, Jesus used the language of a Jewish wedding to refer to the preparation for the wedding, for example…

“My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if 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.”

‭‭John‬ ‭14‬:‭2‬-‭3‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The groom had no idea when that would be. His father alone would know when to send him to claim his bride once he was satisfied with the groom’s preparation of the bridal chamber. 

“But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”

‭‭Mark‬ ‭13‬:‭32‬ ‭NIV‬‬

So, how important it is that we understand the rapture in the context of a wedding rather than in our own non-Jewish imposition!

Jesus did not tell His disciples what would happen when He returns. We assume, from the combination of relevant Scriptures, that He will purify the earth of all evil and establish His eternal reign on earth together with His people. Revelation 21 describes the moment when heaven joins earth and God fulfills His dream  of dwelling forever with His people. 

“Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

‭‭Revelation‬ 21:1-4 NIV

So, our concern should not be with events and timelines. Rather, we are to be ready by using the betrothal period to prepare for His coming by faithfully and lovingly serving His people, adorning our robe of righteousness with the jewels of good deeds.