Bride Of Christ Part II

The kingdom of heaven is like a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son. Matthew 22:2 

And Peter answered them, Repent (change your views and purpose to accept the will of God in your inner selves instead of rejecting it) and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of and release from your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise [of the Holy Spirit] is to and for you and your children, and to and for all that are far away, [even] to and for as many as the Lord our God invites and bids to come to Himself. Acts 2:38-39 

And the children were yet unborn and had so far done nothing either good or evil. Even so, in order further to carry out God's purpose of selection (election, choice), which depends not on works or what men can do, but on Him Who calls [them], It was said to her that the elder [son] should serve the younger [son]. As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated (held in relative disregard in comparison with My feeling for Jacob). Romans 9:11-13

When Jesus spoke this parable of the Marriage Supper, the tradition of the people that He told it to was that the father of the groom chose the bride for his son. The glorious Truth for us is that we did not first call on Jesus to be our Lord, our Father first called and chose us to be saved. We were called and chosen to be the Bride before the world ever was created.

But when He, Who had chosen and set me apart [even] before I was born and had called me by His grace (His undeserved favor and blessing), saw fit and was pleased Galatians 1:15

This is so powerful, because it means that our Father knew all of our faults and weaknesses before He ever chose us. None of that matters to Him, only the grace of our Father matters. We have been given God’s free grace as He has called and chosen us to be His Son’s Bride. We have been called to be one with our Father through Jesus. We have been called to be new creatures and serve a world that desperately needs service. 

The Bride Of Christ Part I

The kingdom of heaven is like a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son. Matthew 22:2

The King here in this parable is God and the King’s Son is Jesus. Jesus tells us n His parable that our Father is going to throw a party for Him and His Bride. The question here for us is: who is Jesus’ Bride?

Neither for these alone do I pray [it is not for their sake only that I make this request], but also for all those who will ever come to believe in (trust in, cling to, rely on) Me through their word and teaching, That they all may be one, [just] as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be one in Us, so that the world may believe and be convinced that You have sent Me. I have given to them the glory and honor which You have given Me, that they may be one [even] as We are one: I in them and You in Me, in order that they may become one and perfectly united, that the world may know and [definitely] recognize that You sent Me and that You have loved them [even] as You have loved Me. John 17:20-23 

Let us rejoice and shout for joy [exulting and triumphant]! Let us celebrate and ascribe to Him glory and honor, for the marriage of the Lamb [at last] has come, and His bride has prepared herself. She has been permitted to dress in fine (radiant) linen, dazzling and white--for the fine linen is (signifies, represents) the righteousness (the upright, just, and godly living, deeds, and conduct, and right standing with God) of the saints (God's holy people). Revelation 19:7-8

The Bride of Christ is all of us who have been chosen by God to be one with Jesus. The important thing to remember as we study about the Marriage Supper of the Lamb is that those of us who are the Bride, were chosen by God to be the Bride. Just as our Father chose Jesus to be the Groom, we have been chosen by God to be the Bride.

And this is the will of Him Who sent Me, that I should not lose any of all that He has given Me, but that I should give new life and raise [them all] up at the last day. John 6:39

No one is able to come to Me unless the Father Who sent Me attracts and draws him and gives him the desire to come to Me, and [then] I will raise him up [from the dead] at the last day. John 6:44

For many are called (invited and summoned), but few are chosen. Matthew 22:14

And He said, This is why I told you that no one can come to Me unless it is granted him [unless he is enabled to do so] by the Father. John 6:65

The Harvest Is Abundant

NOW AFTER this the Lord chose and appointed seventy others and sent them out ahead of Him, two by two, into every town and place where He Himself was about to come (visit). And He said to them, The harvest indeed is abundant [there is much ripe grain], but the farmhands are few. Pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest. Luke 10:1-3

Jesus tells us that the harvest is great, but the laborers are few. We are not told that the harvest is small, but that it is abundant. If your experience is anything like mine, you were always told that only a small percentage of mankind would be saved, meaning a very small harvest. But the glorious Truth is that Jesus told us that the harvest is great. Jesus was successful and because of what He accomplished for us as a perfect Sacrifice, there is going to be a bountiful harvest.

After this I looked and a vast host appeared which no one could count, [gathered out] of every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages. These stood before the throne and before the Lamb; they were attired in white robes, with palm branches in their hands. Revelation 7:9

I want you to think about this question: are the laborers the same as the grain? Jesus tells us that the harvest is great, but the laborers are few. The laborers are not the harvest, the grain is the harvest, the two are not the same. What am I getting at? The Parable of the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, Matthew 22:10. Jesus’ parable shows us that when our Father comes to the earth it will be filled with guests. The laborers are called the Bride of Christ, Revelation 22:17. The Bride is not a guest at her own wedding. This parable ties in with the Truth that Jesus told us that there are only a few laborers, or a few who are the Bride. Many are called to be the Bride, but only a few of us are chosen to be, Matthew 22:14. What this means is that many of us are called to serve, but only a few are chosen to serve. However the harvest, which are the guests, is great. One farmer can harvest a ton of grain and our Father can use a few of us to harvest many.

I hope you see the grace of our Father in these verses. What we are shown is that most of humanity will not be thrown into the Lake of Fire. There will be some who are, there is a Hell. But far more of us will not be thrown into Hell then who will be thrown into it. When our Father returns to dwell on the earth it will be filled with people. Some of us as the Bride, we will be transformed to be just like Jesus is and we will serve with Him for all of eternity, Revelation 20:4. Some of us will be the guests who have been raised up from the dead and some of us will be the guests who never died. The glorious Truth is that most of us will be able to participate in eternity in one form or another.

Philippians 4:1

1 Therefore, my brethren, whom I love and yearn to see, my delight and crown (wreath of victory), thus stand firm in the Lord, my beloved.

Here is a good test to see who is filled with the Holy Spirit and truly called to be the Bride of Christ and who is just playing around. When someone talks about Heaven, or eternity, do they talk about what they will have and what they will receive, or do they talk about what others will have and what they will be enjoying.  

For what is our hope or happiness or our victor’s wreath of exultant triumph when we stand in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming? Is it not you? For you are [indeed] our glory and our joy! 1Thessalonians 2:19-20

You see, we are the Bride of Christ, which means that we are one with Him. We are actually Jesus’ body and His flesh, Ephesians 5:30-32. So at the Wedding Feast we will be one with Jesus and that means that we will act just like Jesus. We will be more happy to see the victory of others when the New Jerusalem arrives, Revelation 21-2. Our very purpose as the Bride is to serve others, so at the Wedding Feast our joy will continue to be to serve.  

Be weary of those who talk and get excited about the mansion waiting for them, or for the crowns that they will receive. Our joy is to see the glory of others. Jesus is not celebrating His Own salvation, but the salvation of others and we are now one with Him.    

Galatians 4:30-31

30 But what does the Scripture say? Cast out and send away the slave woman and her son, for never shall the son of the slave woman be heir and share the inheritance with the son of the free woman.

    

When Ishmael was cast out from Abraham was he killed and destroyed, or was he just not permitted to be an heir of Abraham’s? Our Father gave Ishmael a promise of great power, yet not the power of being a son who was an heir, Genesis 21:18. Our Father told Hagar that He was going to make Ishmael a great nation. Far too many think that just because a person is not chosen to be born again and become the Bride of Christ, that they are thrown into the Lake of Fire. This is not true at all, it only means that they are not called to be the Bride. Yet they are chosen to be the guests of the Bride and Groom at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, Matthew 22. They will be a great nation, just as Ishmael. 

Look at Jesus’ parable of the Kingdom of Heaven, there are guests there and only one of them was found unworthy and wasn’t allowed to stay, Matthew 22:11-12. Only the one who commits blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is thrown into the Lake of Fire, Matthew 12:31. The Truth is that there is only one unforgivable sin. The rest of the guests are permitted to stay and celebrate for all of eternity the Marriage of the Bride and Groom, which is the saved and Jesus. These guests will be served by us and taught by us and they are a great nation, Revelation 3:9!

Read in Revelation 21 and you will see the glory that the nations will bring to us when the New Jerusalem and new earth have come into being. The people of the nations will be those who weren’t chosen to be the Bride of Christ and who did not commit blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. How cool is that? The Truth is that because of what Jesus did for man, not many of us will be lost. Every knee will bow to the Truth that Jesus is Lord and that will set them free, Romans 14:11, and that will bring great praise to our Father. Our Father’s desire that all men be saved and come to the knowledge of the Truth will be satisfied through the power of Jesus’ love for us, 1 Timothy 2:4. 

31 So, brethren, we [who are born again] are not children of a slave woman [the natural], but of the free [the supernatural].

We are the Bride! Jesus has born us into freedom and that gift will never be taken away from us. I love Galatians, I just love it! 

For God’s gifts and His call are irrevocable. [He never withdraws them when once they are given, and He does not change His mind about those to whom He gives His grace or to whom He sends His call.] Romans 11:29

So if the Son liberates you [makes you free men], then you are really and unquestionably free. John 8:36

Galatians 4:12-13

12 Brethren, I beg of you, become as I am [free from the bondage of Jewish ritualism and ordinances], for I also have become as you are [a Gentile]. You did me no wrong [in the days when I first came to you; do not do it now].

In Christ we are free from all of these beggarly things. Here is a great Truth, Jesus is our Shepherd 100% of the time, Hebrews 13:5. So Jesus will absolutely cause His Bride to become free from all of the bondage of fake religion. He will lead us to the Truth and it will set us free, John 8:32. Our Husband will not allow us to be hurt in any way by anyone or anything.  

13 On the contrary, you know that it was on account of a bodily ailment that [I remained and] preached the Gospel to you the first time.

Look at what we are told here: a bodily ailment gave Paul the ability to preach the Gospel to the Galatians. 

So for the sake of Christ, I am well pleased and take pleasure in infirmities, insults, hardships, persecutions, perplexities and distresses; for when I am weak [ in human strength], then am I [truly] strong (able, powerful in divine strength). 2 Corinthians 12:10

The Truth will set us free and the Truth is that even in infirmities the called and chosen of God are blessed. Paul was sick and it gave him the opportunity to be used by our Father to glorify His Kingdom in Galatia. All things work out for good for those who are in Christ, Romans 8:28. Faith comes from hearing the Truth, Romans 10:17, and the Truth is that even if we get sick, our Father will use us greatly. We have been empowered by the Holy Spirit to put no faith or trust in our flesh and our flesh will in no way enable or limit our ability to be used to serve the world and the Kingdom.

For we [Christians] are the true circumcision, who worship God in spirit and by the Spirit of God and exult and glory and pride ourselves in Jesus Christ, and put no confidence or dependence [on what we are] in the flesh and on outward privileges and physical advantages and external appearances— Philippians 3:3

Little children, you are of God [you belong to Him] and have [already] defeated and overcome them [the agents of the antichrist], because He Who lives in you is greater (mightier) than he who is in the world. 1 John 4:4

I do not ask that You will take them out of the world, but that You will keep and protect them from the evil one. John 17:15

Our Lord is always greater in us and He will always keep us powerful, in sickness and in health! 

Galatians 1:6

6 I am surprised and astonished that you are so quickly turning renegade and deserting Him Who invited and called you by the grace (unmerited favor) of Christ (the Messiah) [and that you are transferring your allegiance] to a different [even an opposition] gospel.

There is something very powerful about what the Holy Spirit has Paul write here and it is that these Galatians who are turning away were invited and called by Jesus, but the Holy Spirit does not tell us that they were chosen by Him. 

For many are called (invited and summoned), but few are chosen. Matthew 22:14

The Truth is that salvation is a free gift from our Father.

For it is by free grace (God's unmerited favor) that you are saved ( delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ's salvation) through [your] faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [of your own doing, it came not through your own striving], but it is the gift of God; Ephesians 2:8

The Truth is also that our Father never withdraws His gifts once they are given.

For God's gifts and His call are irrevocable. [He never withdraws them when once they are given, and He does not change His mind about those to whom He gives His grace or to whom He sends His call.] Romans 11:29

It is also true that Jesus will receive and keep all who the Father gives to Him.

And this is the will of Him Who sent Me, that I should not lose any of all that He has given Me, but that I should give new life and raise [them all] up at the last day.  John 6:39

These Galatians were called and invited to be the Bride of Christ, yet they were not chosen by our Father to be, this is why they could leave Jesus. If we are called and chosen, the gift that is given to us will never be taken away and Jesus will never lose us. Jesus is our Shepherd and He will not allow us to wonder off from the flock. Jesus will keep us and He will raise us up on the last day. Jesus is not a hired Shepherd, He owns us and He will never loose a single one of us who have been given to Him as His Bride. 

The question often comes up: can we reject the gift of salvation? The answer is no. The Bible teaches us that to be saved means to be born again, John 3:3. Does a child choose to be born or is he chosen to be born? The Bible teaches us that we were wild branches that were chosen to be grafted into Jesus, Romans 11:17. Does a branch choose to be grafted into the vine or does the gardener choose the branch to be grafted? Does the clay decide what it will be or does the potter decide what it will be, Romans 9:21? There is a reason that the Holy Spirit used all of these examples to speak of us and it is because our Father’s will is what drives everything, it is not our will.

For it was in Him that all things were created, in heaven and on earth, things seen and things unseen, whether thrones, dominions, rulers, or authorities; all things were created and exist through Him [by His service, intervention] and in and for Him. Colossians 1:6

The Truth is that our Father chose what He was going to do with us before He ever created the world and who can withstand His will?

But when He, Who had chosen and set me apart [even] before I was born and had called me by His grace (His undeserved favor and blessing), saw fit and was pleased Galatians 1:15

There is great peace with the Truth that our Father’s will is being done. There is great joy and hope when the Holy Spirit empowers us to accept that our Father knew what He was going to do before He ever said let it be. True humility, humility empowered by the Holy Spirit, allows us to rejoice in our Father’s will and it sets us free from glorying in believing in free will. A hand does not have free will over the head, a branch does not have free will over the vine, clay does not have it over the potter, and the sheep do not have free will over the shepherd. Whether people like or or not we were created by God and He has the right and the only power to do what He will’s. We that are created do not rule or dictate to the Creator. God is not reactive to our desires, He is active in directing them and inspiring them. All things, whether seen or unseen are controlled by our Lord and Savior.

He is the sole expression of the glory of God [the Light-being, the out-raying or radiance of the divine], and He is the perfect imprint and very image of [God's] nature, upholding and maintaining and guiding and propelling the universe by His mighty word of power. When He had by offering Himself accomplished our cleansing of sins and riddance of guilt, He sat down at the right hand of the divine Majesty on high, Hebrews 1:3

End of Times Matthew 24:45-47

45 Who then is the faithful, thoughtful, and wise servant, whom his master has put in charge of his household to give to the others the food and supplies at the proper time?

Ask yourself: who is in charge of all of God’s stuff, us or Jesus? Jesus is the Head right, He is the Shepherd, He is the Lord of Lord's, He is the Master, He is the Vine, He is the King of Kings, and He is the Alpha and Omega. The Truth is also that we are now one with Jesus, the One Who is in charge of everything, amen!

For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother and shall be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. This mystery is very great, but I speak concerning [the relation of] Christ and the church. Ephesians 5:31-32

At that time [when that day comes] you will know [for yourselves] that I am in My Father, and you [are] in Me, and I [am] in you. John 14:20

Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, Because we know that Christ (the Anointed One), being once raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has power over Him. For by the death He died, He died to sin [ending His relation to it] once for all; and the life that He lives, He is living to God [in unbroken fellowship with Him]. Even so consider yourselves also dead to sin and your relation to it broken, but alive to God [living in unbroken fellowship with Him] in Christ Jesus. Romans 6:8-11

But the person who is united to the Lord becomes one spirit with Him. 1 Corinthians 6:17

Our Father has placed Jesus in charge of everything and our Father has also made us one with Jesus. So the glorious Truth is that we cannot help but to be used by our Father to give food and supplies during the time of need of the last days. Jesus will cause us to be faithful in this act of love, Hebrews 12:2. The Holy Spirit will cause us to be wise to do it, 1 John 2:27. Jesus will Shepherd us to give to those who hate us and who are despitefully using us, Hebrews 13:20. 

46 Blessed (happy, fortunate, and to be envied) is that servant whom, when his master comes, he will find so doing.

We will be found giving to those who hate us and who are in need because our Groom will insure that we are. In Christ we are always blessed beyond expression, 1 Peter 3:14. Jesus always causes us, His Bride, to be more then conquerors. 

47 I solemnly declare to you, he will set him over all his possessions.

Jesus will insure that we are one with Him in all of His Authority.

And You have made them a kingdom (royal race) and priests to our God, and they shall reign [as kings] over the earth! Revelation 5:10

I have given to them the glory and honor which You have given Me, that they may be one [even] as We are one: John 17:22

End of Times Matthew 24:21-22

21 For then there will be great tribulation (affliction, distress, and oppression) such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now—no, and never will be [again].

Now Jesus is back to the last 3 1/2 years of this age in earths history, the Great Tribulation. 

22 And if those days had not been shortened, no human being would endure and survive, but for the sake of the elect (God’s chosen ones) those days will be shortened.

Why do the last days need to be shortened for us, the elect? Paul tells us that to be absent from the body is to be present with Christ, 2 Corinthians 5:8. Death has no victory over us and the grave has no sting for us, 1 Corinthians 15:55, so why would the days need to be shortened for us? Jesus tells us that He will never leave us or forsake us, Hebrews 13:5. The Holy Spirit has Paul tell us that we cannot loose our salvation, Romans 11:29. So once again, why would they need to be shortened?

The answer is to keep people alive who will not take the Mark of the Beast and who will not be killed. These people will be around for us to serve for the Millennial Reign of Christ, Revelation 20:4. There is going to be millions of people left who will not be destroyed at Armageddon. These people will not be the Bride, they will be the guests of the Bride. This is why the days are shortened, to keep people alive so that we can serve them.

These people who are left after Jesus’ return will not all be good people. We know this because Jesus reveals to John that He will rule them with an iron rod, Revelation 2:27. We also know that some will actually follow satan when he is released from the abyss at the end of the 1000 years, Revelation 20:7-8. But the glorious Truth is that there will be a ton of people left on the earth that our Father will use us to serve.   

Ephesians 5:27-30

27 That He might present the church to Himself in glorious splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such things [that she might be holy and faultless].

  

Only Jesus will cause us to be glorious and holy, without spot, wrinkle, or blemish. He will use us, we will have a part to play, but our part is always played by being one with Him. Jesus never leaves us or forsakes us and without Him we can do nothing. Amen, we are never without Him, so we will be used by our Father to produce much abundant and glorious fruit.

People always seem to be wondering when the end times will be, this verse holds the clue. When we see the Bride of Christ being used to do the works that Jesus did and even greater works, John 14:12, then look for the end times to begin. Just before the Great Tribulation begins people will be saying peace and safety, 1 Thessalonians 5:3. They will be saying this because the Body of Christ will be glorious as our Father is using us to powerfully show His Will. The sick will be healed, the dead will be raised, the blind will see, the weather will do what we say, and we will be one, just as our Father and Jesus are one, John 17:20-22.  

28 Even so husbands should love their wives as [being in a sense] their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself.

    

29 For no man ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and carefully protects and cherishes it, as Christ does the church,

    

30 Because we are members (parts) of His body.

We are Jesus’ flesh, He does not hate us. He cherishes us and He nourishes us. Jesus keeps us and He is solely responsible for us. He knows what we need and what we want and He provides for us. Nothing happens to us that He is not in complete and total control of John 15:5. We are one with the Alpha and Omega, the Great I Am, and the King of King and the Lord of Lord’s. Today is the day of our salvation and now is our appointed time to be one with our Father through Christ, 2 Corinthians 6:2. We are perfectly united with Him so that the world will know that Jesus is real and that they are loved, just as Jesus is loved. Anything that is required for us to do will be done through us by Jesus, Who is greater within us than anything that is in this world, 1 John 4:4. We are now and forever more victorious in Christ, Romans 8:37, because as He is, so are we in this world 1 John 4:17. 

Ephesians 4:25

25 Therefore, rejecting all falsity and being done now with it, let everyone express the truth with his neighbor, for we are all parts of one body and members one of another.

Look at what our Father tells us: that we are all members of one another. Now many Christians will limit that to, we are only one if we are saved. But is that true? Did our Father create all men and then separate the vast majority from being one with Him?

And this is the will of Him Who sent Me, that I should not lose any of all that He has given Me, but that I should give new life and raise [them all] up at the last day. John 6:39

So the question is how many has Jesus been given?

[Just as] You have granted Him power and authority over all flesh (all humankind), [now glorify Him] so that He may give eternal life to all whom You have given Him. John 17:2

For it was in Him that all things were created, in heaven and on earth, things seen and things unseen, whether thrones, dominions, rulers, or authorities; all things were created and exist through Him [by His service, intervention] and in and for Him. Colossians 1:16

All things have been given over into My power by My Father; and no one knows Who the Son is except the Father, or Who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son may choose to reveal and make Him known. Luke 10:22

We can clearly see that our Father has given all things to our Husband, our Lord, our Head, and our Savior, Jesus. All flesh is Jesus’. All mankind is Jesus’ All men exist by Him, for Him, and through Him. Jesus will not loose any that He has been given and He has been given all! We are all part of one body. There are those of us who have been empowered to know this and there are those of us who have not been empowered to know this, yet all of us are one body.

This is why the parable of the Marriage Supper of the Lamb is so great. Jesus just plainly tells us that all, both good and bad, will spend eternity with Him.

And those servants went out on the crossroads and got together as many as they found, both bad and good, so [the room in which] the wedding feast [was held] was filled with guests. Matthew 22:10

Not everyone has been chosen to be the Bride of Christ, only a few of us have. But that does not exclude all of the others that Jesus has been given to spend eternity with us. Eternity is filled with guests, just as with a Wedding. A Bride is not a guest at her own wedding, but the Bride does plan and take care of all of her guests. That is what we will do for eternity, take care of our guests, both the good and the bad ones. 

And You have made them a kingdom (royal race) and priests to our God, and they shall reign [as kings] over the earth! Revelation 5:10

Think of Israel, there were twelve tribes, yet only one priestly tribe. Yet they were still a united country. Think of a church. There are pastors, evangelists, teachers, prophets, and apostles, not all have been called to be in leadership, yet all are part of the church. There are both good and bad people in churches, yet all are part of the church. The same holds true for eternity. Our Father would that all men be saved and through Christ they will, 1 Timothy 2:4. Every knee will bow and every tongue will confess Jesus as Lord, Romans 14:11. 

Revelation 22:13-15

13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last (the Before all and the End of all).

Jesus is the End of it All. Which means that Jesus, our Groom, is the completion of love. He is the completion of sacrifice, of faith, of hope, and of interceding on the behalf of others. Jesus ever lives to intercede for all that He has been given, so that they might be saved to the uttermost, Hebrews 7:25. This is not just Jesus being arrogant here, this is Jesus telling us that He will cause all things to come to pass to carry out our Father’s will of Grace. This is our peace that regardless of what we think, Jesus is in complete and total control. 

14 Blessed (happy and to be envied) are those who cleanse their garments, that they may have the authority and right to [approach] the tree of life and to enter through the gates into the city.

We were just shown that the Tree of Life is for the healing and restoration of the nations. The Bride does not need restored. So blessed are those who are not the Bride of Christ, who are allowed to eat of the Tree of Life and live with our Father forever. This is a blessing for the guests of the Bride, Matthew 22. These people who are raised up at the end of the Millennial Reign of Christ will cleanse their garments with the Blood of Christ and be allowed to stay. 

15 [But] without are the dogs and those who practice sorceries (magic arts) and impurity [the lewd, adulterers] and the murderers and idolaters and everyone who loves and deals in falsehood (untruth, error, deception, cheating). 

There will be no more sin after Judgment Day, so there will be no more sinners. Our Father will make everything new and all of the pain, sorrow, and misery that came with sin will be gone. This does not mean that people who did these things are in Hell suffering as we are partying. It means that the world, the nations, the sinners, those raised up from Hades have been restored and healed. Jesus’ sacrifice is that strong and it is that powerful. Think of the worst person that you know of and yes, even that persons sin’s are covered by Jesus’ Blood. 

Revelation 21:18-27

17 He measured its wall also--144 cubits (about 72 yards) by a man's measure [of a cubit from his elbow to his third fingertip], which is [the measure] of the angel. 

18 The wall was built of jasper, while the city [itself was of] pure gold, clear and transparent like glass. 

19 The foundation [stones] of the wall of the city were ornamented with all of the precious stones. The first foundation [stone] was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony (or white agate), the fourth emerald, 

20 The fifth onyx, the sixth sardius, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst. 

I am sure that there are very significant meanings to the kinds of jewels that our Father shows John here. He just has not given me those meanings yet. I have read many different accounts of them and what they mean, but nothing really ever has ministered to me. When I think about all of it, the gold streets and jeweled walls, don’t really mean that much to me. Because it will still be just streets and a walls. What I think it is all about is for our guests. They will have a place to visit and it will be glorious for them. Just like with a wedding cake. Cake is great, it can look like a total mess and still be great, some of the best cake that I have ever had doesn’t look all that nice. Yet for a wedding, you make the cake look great and it taste great.  

21 And the twelve gates were twelve pearls, each separate gate being built of one solid pearl. And the main street (the broadway) of the city was of gold as pure and translucent as glass. 

22 I saw no temple in the city, for the Lord God Omnipotent [Himself] and the Lamb [Himself] are its temple. 

23 And the city has no need of the sun nor of the moon to give light to it, for the splendor and radiance (glory) of God illuminate it, and the Lamb is its lamp.

24 The nations shall walk by its light and the rulers and leaders of the earth shall bring into it their glory.

Once again John is shown that nations, people, and rulers are around to bring glory into the New Jerusalem? The Bride of Christ will not be divided into nations. We are one body, one mind, and one spirit with Jesus, Ephesians 5:30. The last are now first and they are allowed to rule and lead, Matthew 19:30. They were not chosen to be the Bride, but our Father has placed them into positions of glory and splendor. Jesus is still Lord and we are the Lord’s Bride. But that doesn’t mean that there are not others who were last on this earth who are also allowed to have positions of authority in the new one. The lost will have been forgiven and they will love much, Luke 7:47. 

25 And its gates shall never be closed by day, and there shall be no night there.

26 They shall bring the glory (the splendor and majesty) and the honor of the nations into it. 

The glory that they bring has to be themselves and their fellowship, what physical possessions would our Father or us need?

27 But nothing that defiles or profanes or is unwashed shall ever enter it, nor anyone who commits abominations (unclean, detestable, morally repugnant things) or practices falsehood, but only those whose names are recorded in the Lamb's Book of Life.

Notice that all who enter have to have had their names written in the Lambs Book of Life. There are people who have their name written in it, who are not rulers and kings with Jesus. These people will bring in the glory of the earth to us, because they will bring in themselves. There is no evil any longer, so these people names have to be written in the Book of Life, even though they are not transformed to be just like Jesus. John is shown here is that there is no more abominations in existence. The lost have been cleansed. They may have suffered loss during their cleansing, but they themselves have been saved as those who have passed through the fire, 1 Corinthians 3:15. I honestly believe that Jesus' sacrifice was so great that it totally and completely overcame mans sin and every last shortcoming that we have ever had. 

Revelation 20:1-4

1 THEN I saw an angel descending from heaven; he was holding the key of the Abyss (the bottomless pit) and a great chain was in his hand. 

2 And he gripped and overpowered the dragon, that old serpent [of primeval times], who is the devil and Satan, and [securely] bound him for a thousand years. 

3 Then he hurled him into the Abyss (the bottomless pit) and closed it and sealed it above him, so that he should no longer lead astray and deceive and seduce the nations until the thousand years were at an end. After that he must be liberated for a short time. 

4 Then I saw thrones, and sitting on them were those to whom authority to act as judges and to pass sentence was entrusted. Also I saw the souls of those who had been slain with axes [beheaded] for their witnessing to Jesus and [for preaching and testifying] for the Word of God, and who had refused to pay homage to the beast or his statue and had not accepted his mark or permitted it to be stamped on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived again and ruled with Christ (the Messiah) a thousand years.

When this all happens the dead in Christ will have been raised up and transformed and those who were still alive in Jesus will have been transformed to be like Christ. We will now rule and reign with our Lord, Jesus! 

Beloved, we are [even here and] now God's children; it is not yet disclosed (made clear) what we shall be [hereafter], but we know that when He comes and is manifested, we shall [ as God's children] resemble and be like Him, for we shall see Him just as He [really] is. 1 John 3:2

When we are transformed to be just like Christ we will have the authority of Christ. We will act as judges and we will rule and reign with Jesus. This is why it is called the Millennial Reign of Christ, not just the Millennial reign of Jesus, because we are all part of Christ and we all rule together. We will rule because we are members of Jesus body, flesh of His flesh, bone of His bone, Ephesians 5:30. We will be doing what our Head is doing. There has to be people left after the Great Tribulation who weren’t killed and who never were chosen to be saved. These are the people who we rule and reign over. We rule and reign because we are one with Jesus, Who rules with an iron scepter during these 1,000 years. If there were only raptured people, only the Bride, alive during the Millennial Reign, would Jesus rule us, His Bride, with a rod of iron? 

We were shown that satan will be released and we will see that when he is, that he will lead astray a lot of people. So there has to be people left alive who are not the bride of Christ. If there isn’t, then our Father would have had to create some more unrighteous people for us to rule over, or we would have had to birth them. 

Revelation 9:13-15

13 Then the sixth angel blew [his] trumpet, and from the four horns of the golden altar which stands before God I heard a solitary voice, 

14 Saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, Liberate the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates. 

15 So the four angels who had been in readiness for that hour in the appointed day, month, and year were liberated to destroy a third of mankind. 

The spiritual powers from the Abyss were not allowed to kill men. They were only permitted to vex men. Here we see something different with these four angels. These Four Angels, who were appointed by our Father for this specific day, month, and year, were liberated to destroy a third of mankind. Jesus did not show John that they were liberated to kill a third of mankind, but to destroy a third of mankind. These people are destroyed by being overtaken with such a great weight of war, terrorism, and the depression of it all. The evil spiritual possession of the beings of the Abyss, recession, inflation, and a far over reaching government, a government that allows nothing to happen that does not first go through it, these things will destroy men from being able to do anything. 

Think of the Middle East today and the message that is coming from it. People are told that killing others will lead them to Heaven. They are told to kill their children if they do not like what they are doing. They are told to hate all who are not like them. Many of the governments of the Middle East are dictators and tyrants. They wish to control every aspect of peoples lives. The foundation of the message of these four angels is already being laid. The Truth is that all men, wether bond or free, will reap what they sow. Our Father is having the leaders of the Middle East sow a message of hate and un-forgiveness and that is what they will reap. But remember this Truth, Grace much more abounds where sin abounds.The flesh of these people is not our Father‘s ultimate end goal, it is these peoples spirit’s. Their flesh will suffer, but their spirits will be set free and they will be united with eternal flesh that will never die. Many may not be the Bride of Christ, but that in no way means that they cannot and will not be the guests of the Bride!

These Four Angels are released; they are liberated by the power of our Father, from the area of the Euphrates River, the Middle East. Once again, we can see that Jesus shows John that these angels are liberated, our Father is in total control, and this is the time of His wrath. Our Father is the Gardener, He is the Potter, He is in control today and He is in control during this time. He created good and evil, and all things exist by Him and for Him and through Him, Colossians 1:16. Our Father is in total control of His body, His flesh, His Temple, which we are, and there is not one of us who will be asked to go through or do anything that our Father has not empowered us to do with faith, hope, and love.