THE SPIRIT AND THE BRIDE SAY COME by NEVILLE STEPHENS

 

THE SPIRIT AND THE BRIDE SAY COME by NEVILLE STEPHENS

Are you ready for the Rapture tonight?          

IT IS COMING FOLKS AND IS NOT FAR AWAY NOW

We all know 1 Thess 4: 13-18;  Acts 1:11; 1 Cor 15: 51-54; Rev 12:5; Acts 8:39 (Phillip) and 2 Cor 12: 2-4 (Paul).

JESUS IS SEEKING HIS BRIDE – AND WANTS HER QUICKLY

Biblical theme – Adam and Eve; Abraham and Sarah; Isaac and Rebekah; Jacob and Rachel; and Ruth and Boaz etc.

The Father has Israel (unfaithful at present).

The Son has his BRIDE, us or The Church.

But we must be without spot or blemish

READ Eph 5: 21-27

Eve was taken out of the body of Adam – a holy mystery   (Gen 2: 21-23). This one was Adam’s help meet and the figure of the church in Ephesians 5 read verse 31:

 ³¹ For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.

MARRIAGE IS A HOLY PRINCIPLE OF GOD AND THE BIBLE

The first miracle of Jesus was at the marriage at Cana.

The last marriage in the Bible will be the Marriage Supper Banquet in Heaven of Christ to His Bride:

  

THE WEDDING SUPPER OF THE LAMB (Rev 19: 7-9)

 

⁷ 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.
⁸ Fine linen, bright and clean,
    was given her to wear.”

⁹ Then the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” And he added, “These are the true words of God.” (Rev 19: 7-9).

16. Are you “blessed and invited tonight” my friends?

TONIGHT I would like to concentrate on a passage of Scripture that is seldom even read in church let alone preached on.

Yet this small book in the Old Testament is full of references to our soon coming RAPTURE. But it is probably overlooked for it is considered racy and risqué, and even too sexy for modern day congregations even though it comes in ancient poetic and figurative language.

Yes, I am referring to The Song of Solomon with many references to the loving relationship of the Bride (US THE CHURCH) and the groom (CHRIST).

INTRO: The Song of Songs is a love story written by Solomon and abounding in metaphors and oriental imagery. It depicts the wooing and wedding of a shepherdess (Shulamite, OR US THE CHURCH) by the King (Solomon but in reality CHRIST), and the joys and heartaches of wedded love.  

Chapter 1, the Courtship Phase. They exchange loving and flattering words to each other and express their desire to be with one another.  

² Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth—
    for your love is more delightful than wine.
⁴ Take me away with you—let us hurry!
    Let the king bring me into his chambers (CLEAR REFS TO THE RAPTURE).

⁹ I liken you, my darling, to a mare
    among Pharaoh’s chariot horses.
¹⁰ Your cheeks are beautiful with earrings,
    your neck with strings of jewels.

¹² While the king was at his table,
    my perfume spread its fragrance.
¹³ My beloved is to me a sachet of myrrh
    resting between my breasts..

¹⁵ How beautiful you are, my darling!
    Oh, how beautiful!    Your eyes are doves.

¹⁶ How handsome you are, my beloved!
    Oh, how charming!
    And our bed is verdant.

In Chapter 2:10-13, The King beckons the woman to come away with Him

My beloved spoke, and said to me:
“Rise up, my love, my fair one,
And come away with me.
For lo, the winter is past (prob SPRING) now
the rain is over and gone.
The flowers appear on the earth;
The time of singing has come,
And the voice of the turtledove
Is heard in our land.
The fig tree puts forth her green figs (ISRAEL)
And the vines with the tender grapes
Give a good smell. Rise up (RAPTURE AGAIN), my love, my fair one and come away.

Chapter 3: The Bride is troubled vs 1-4, seeking her King and thrilled when she finds Him. The Promise is made, the engagement set.
The Bride finds Jesus and says,
When I found him whom my soul loves.
I held on to him and would not let him go (v4)

Chapter 4 is an expression of the King's love and adoration for His Bride and the Bride's desire for her King, for them to become one (Read vs 1,3,5,7, and 8 below from the NIV).

1 How beautiful you are, my darling! Oh, how beautiful! Your eyes behind your veil are doves.  

3 Your lips are like a scarlet ribbon; your mouth is lovely. Your temples behind your veil are like the halves of a pomegranate. 

5 Your breasts are like two fawns, like twin fawns of a gazelle that browse among the lilies. 

7 You are altogether beautiful, my darling; there is no flaw in you. 

8 Come with me from Lebanon, my bride, come with me.

Chapter 5 describes the torment of separation between Jesus and His Bride. This is the time we are in now, longing for our King and waiting for Him to come sweep us away.  We also see in this chapter that the Gentile bride becomes complacent and didn't answer the King's knock on her door. (Revelation 3:20) When she realizes she missed Him, she goes in search of Him. 

Isn't it true of so many of us that we grow weary in waiting, become complacent about our walk with God, and go back to the world? In verse 8, the Bride even asks the Jewish people to help her find Jesus, but they refuse. I found that interesting.

“I command that you take an oath, O daughters of Jerusalem,
If you find my beloved,
As to what you tell him—
[Say that] I am sick from love [sick from being without him (v8)”


The Bride then goes on to describe all of the King's wonderful attributes to the Jewish people (vs 10-16), summed up by “HE IS ALTOGETHER LOVELY” (v16).

In Chapter 6,  the Bride and the King delight in each other with compliments and kind words. Toward the end of the chapter, we have yet another reference to the rapture and its timing.

“I went down to the orchard of nut trees
To see the flowers of the valley,
To see whether the grapevine had budded
And the pomegranates were in flower.

“Before I was aware [of what was happening], my desire had brought me
into the area of the princes of my people [the king’s retinue].” Vs 11-12

Here we see the Bride walking through the orchards seeing if things have budded, which is an obvious reference to the Spring.  Then note, that suddenly, without warning, the King brought her into the palace – THE RAPTURE!  

CHAPTER 7  - Wedding and Honeymoon!

1 How beautiful your sandaled feet, O prince’s daughter! Your graceful legs are like jewels, the work of an artist’s hands. 

2 Your navel is a rounded goblet that never lacks blended wine. Your waist is a mound of wheat encircled by lilies. 

3 Your breasts are like two fawns, like twin fawns of a gazelle. 

5 Your head crowns you like Mount Carmel. Your hair is like royal tapestry; the king is held captive by its tresses. 

6 How beautiful you are and how pleasing, my love, with your delights! 

7 Your stature is like that of the palm, and your breasts like clusters of fruit. 

8 I said, “I will climb the palm tree; I will take hold of its fruit.” May your breasts be like clusters of grapes on the vine, the fragrance of your breath like apples,

9 and your mouth like the best wine. May the wine go straight to my beloved, flowing gently over lips and teeth. 

10 I belong to my beloved, and his desire is for me. 

11 Come, my beloved, let us go 12 Let us go early to the vineyards to see if the vines have budded, if their blossoms have opened, and if the pomegranates are in bloom— there I will give you my love. 

Chapter 8 - Elevation of the Bride and Love sealed. Within this chapter there is a reference to a sister who has no breasts (V8).  I believe this is a reference to those left behind who weren't mature in Christ, both Jews and Gentiles. Words then are spoken of taking care of her and building her up in the future.
“We have a little sister
And she has no breasts.
What shall we do for our sister
On the day when she is spoken for [in marriage]?

“If she is a wall (discreet, womanly),
We will build on her a turret (dowry) of silver;
But if she is a door (bold, flirtatious),
We will enclose her with planks of cedar.”

Then the very last verse of Chapter 8 says,
“Hurry, my beloved and come quickly (THE RAPTURE) Like a gazelle or a young stag [taking me home on the mountain of spices”.

THE RAPTURE MY FRIENDS, IN BEAUTIFUL POETIC LANGUAGE.

Moving on to the New Testament and Rev 22: 12-13 and vs 18 “Look, I am coming SOON! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done. ¹³ I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.

18. “AND THE SPIRIT AND THE BRIDE SAY, ‘COME!’ And let him who hears say, ‘Come!’ And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely” (Rev 22:18).

And where is the home? Rev 19: 1-4 says

“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. ²I saw the Holy City, the NEW JERUSALEM coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. ³And 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. ⁴“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.’

ALSO:

The New Jerusalem, the bride of the Lamb

⁹One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, ‘Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.’ ¹⁰And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. ¹¹It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal” (Rev 21: 9-11). 

18. “AND THE SPIRIT AND THE BRIDE SAY, ‘Come!’ And let him who hears say, ‘Come!’ And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely” (Rev 22:17).

SO COME MY FRIENDS. PREPARE YOURSELF AS A SPOTLESS WIFE AND BRIDE, FOR JESUS THE LAMB IS COMING SOON TO TAKE YOU TO THE MARRIAGE SUPPER OF THE LAMB IN HEAVEN.

DO YOU LOVE THE LORD JESUS TONIGHT?

HE LOVES YOU SO VERY MUCH.

HOW MUCH YOU ASK? JUST LOOK AT HIS NAIL PIERCED HANDS AND CRUCIFIED BODY! THAT IS HOW MUCH!

Greater Love Has No Man Than This That He Lays Down His Life For His Friends (John 15:13)

YOU ARE HIS FRIENDS TONIGHT IF YOU DO WHAT HE SAYS (v14)

MAKE SURE YOU KNOW JESUS AS YOUR LORD AND SAVIOUR TONIGHT. IF NOT, THEN PLEASE COME SEE ME AFTERWARDS.

MARANATHA LORD JESUS –

AND PLEASE MAKE IT SOON.

MARANATHA BLESSINGS TO YOU ALL