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The Amish Voice 15
elect’s sakes, that they may also obtain
the salvation which is in Christ Jesus
with eternal glory” (2 Timothy 2:10).
“(I) now rejoice in my sufferings for you,
and fill up that which is behind of the
afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his
body’s
sake,
which
is
the
church” (Colossians 1:24).
“And shewing mercy unto thousands of
them that love me and keep my
commandments” (Deuteronomy 5:10).
It was John the Revelator who saw and
heard from the Throne, the marriage of
the Lamb and His Bride. She had
prepared and made Herself ready for this
monumental event (Rev. 19:5-9). This
marriage will be taking place after She is
taken out, or caught up (1 Thess. 4:16-
18).
Many today believe in a collective
catching-away of the Church (which
traditionally has spawned long-standing
trust in various doctrines) to save them.
However, the Lord is presently preparing
a Remnant whose hearts and affections
are fully hidden in Him—
having shaken themselves
free from the bondages of
false security found in formal
denominational
affiliations
and “party lines.”
In light of this, we are told by
the
Lord
Himself
to
“remember Lot’s wife” (Luke
17:32).
It is important to note that He
does not say that she was a sinful
woman; she simply had her affections
misplaced—disqualifying her from being
delivered when judgment fell on the city.
To remember Lot’s wife is perhaps one
of the most critical messages of this hour.
Some of us may still have our affections
misplaced. It may be that we are still
resting securely in our favored doctrines,
which could fail us at the moment of
crisis.
This is amplified in Luke 17:30-31:
“Even thus shall it be in the day when the
Son of man is revealed. In that day, he
which shall be upon the housetop, and
his stuff in the house, let him not come
down to take it away: and he that is in
the field, let him likewise not return
back.”
In light of these scriptures, with many
others relating to this event, it is
paramount that we prepare our hearts, for
it is what is in our hearts—not in church
doctrines—that will be the deciding
factor in the moment of crisis.
To be ready will depend on at least two
things:
Number One:
having a per sonal and
trusting relationship with the Father, Son,
and Holy Spirit, without which we will
miss it (Matt. 25:13).
Number Two:
guar ding our hear ts
with daily repentance, to be able to stand
at the moment of His coming (Luke
21:34-36 and Rev. 3:10).
It is widely understood that the Great
Tribulation will be for the purification of
the Church; but for the Bride herself, She
already is transparent, prepared, and
waiting, as exemplified by the
“five wise
virgins” (Mathew 25).
In a marriage between a man and woman
there is total transparency; so it is with
Christ and His Bride—there is no room
for hidden agendas or broken
relationships. She is therefore not
destined for the Great Tribulation, but
will enter into her reward with her
Bridegroom.
In Revelation 6:5-6 we get a further clue
of the Bride’s status as these global
events begin unfolding, when the “rider
on the black horse” speaks of the scarcity
of food during this time, while at the
same time commanding not to harm the
oil or the wine. The five wise virgins
carried with them an abundance of oil,
together with purified hearts (wine)
enabling them to bypass these judgments,
for she is already judged (1 Cor. 11:31).
It is also important to note that the five
foolish virgins nevertheless were virgins,
which speaks of purity; they were not far
from the Kingdom, yet they missed the
critical moment of redemption, not
because of a sinful lifestyle, but by
trusting their church doctrines, and
allowing the cares of this life to deplete
their oil—the oil of holiness and
watchfulness, together with an intimate
relationship with the Lord, which failed
them at the moment of crisis.
We are all aware of His coming,
but few are tangibly preparing for
it, which could very well catch us
off guard. It is true, in all ages
they looked for His coming, yet to
this day He has not come. Perhaps
we have now become indifferent
and numbed to this reality, and
saying,
“Where is the promise of
his coming? for since the fathers
fell asleep, all things continue as they
were from the beginning of the creation.
For this they willingly are ignorant of (2
Peter 3:4-5a).
In any event, global conditions today
strongly point to His imminent coming
like never before in history--the time is
now to prepare.
Even so, come Lord Jesus!
End of the Age, cont. from back cover