The Long-Awaited Bridegroom

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The bride stood at the window gazing at the winding road before her. She squinted through the morning haze. There was no movement other than a few fluttering birds in the trees and ducks drifting slowly over a glassy pond. A labored sigh escaped her lungs.

“How long, my Lord, until you come to receive me?” She whispered softly in the stillness of her chamber.

Never had a bride been more radiant. She was cloaked in a righteous glow and the silken train of her gown flowed behind her like billowing rivers. Upon her head a decadent crown of the finest gems glistened as the sunlight streamed through the window. Though the bride was beautiful, she was also weary. Her journey had been very long and very hard.

She rested her callous-laden hands against the window frame. Endless hours of serving the needy left their mark upon her. She shifted from one sore foot to the other. Her feet had carried her to the far reaches of the globe to share the gospel with people of all tongues, races, and cultures. But it was the bride’s eyes that revealed the most. For within these deep wells the stories of countless saints who sacrificed their lives to fulfill the commands of the Bridegroom came forth.

They fed the hungry, clothed the naked, and cradled the orphans. They listened to the broken hearted and loved them into healing. They touched the untouchable.

They led the lost into salvation. They were unjustly imprisoned. They were tortured even unto death.

Even so,

Through their weariness they worshipped. In the darkness they praised.

In chains they were thankful.

And through their prayers they prevailed.

And though the world assigned many scars to the bride, her wounds only enhanced her righteous beauty.

A sense of loneliness rose within as she stood watch. She knew in her heart she and her groom were never really apart but seeing Him only in part was never enough. Homesickness was a very real experience everyday. She dreamt of talking face-to-face, of looking into His eyes, of grasping His scar-laden hand, of living blissfully for all of eternity together. Of course she felt this way. She was in love.

She thought about the tension she faced in the world in which she lived, a world that loved unrighteousness. She watched as the stubborn people around her pressed so deeply into sin that illegitimate children were born daily ~ perverted justice, truth mangled beyond recognition, and lawless practices. Oh how she wanted her Beloved to rescue her from the encroaching darkness.
It was getting late so she retired after another long day. A lamp filled with oil glowed softly on her nightstand. As the light gently flickered in the darkness sleep came to collect her. And the bride drifted off.

As she slept in peace, the measure of sin outside her window increased.

No longer did the people of the land honor God. No longer did men seek His ways. For men loved the darkness and in the darkness they forged their wicked plans.

But in the wee hours of the night a movement from heaven shook the whole earth.

A trumpet blast!

Suddenly all of Heaven erupted in praise as the Bridegroom made haste to fetch His bride. The holy elders threw down their crowns before the throne in worshipful praise. Cherubim and seraphim took to flight crying out, “The great gathering of the Lamb has come! The Bridegroom receives His bride!”

Throughout the earth the ground erupted. Tombs everywhere were unearthed as graves gave up their dead. Young vibrant bodies emerged as the saints of all ages were raised to life.

The bride having been roused by the trumpet blast stood trembling in ecstasy. The moment she had been waiting for had finally come! She watched as flashes crossed the sky in a brilliant display of colors. Deep rumblings filled the air as the Bridegroom hovered over the earth. Then a mighty wind from the four corners of the earth encircled the bride and in one fell swoop she was gone.

Friend, are you waiting? Do you stop to see if heaven’s trumpet is blasting when an unfamiliar sound fills the air? I know I do. I’m going to be very transparent for a moment. Jesus said He would be with us till the end of the age, and I discern His promised presence. But I cannot step into the full measure of God’s presence while here on earth. When I’m finally home I will experience my King fully. What a day that will be! In the meantime my heart longs. I am homesick. And this world in its current condition only makes me long for heaven more.

For a long time I have dreamt about the day that Jesus comes to receive us. But since the beginning of 2020 I have felt a paradigm shift. The rapture feels close. At times I can smell heaven. Friends, it’s breathtaking! The great day is fast approaching!

Are we ready? I believe 2020 awakened the bride who is more sensitive to the promptings of the Spirit. Oh Lord, ready Your bride! Give us hearts that beat after Your heart. May the life-giving blood you spilled on Calvary’s cross course through our veins. May your breath fill our lungs empowering our words and speaking life into others. Perfect us to receive our Bridegroom!

There will be a firstfruits prayer meeting tonight at 7 p.m. at Faith. Many small groups will also be gathering for the first session and won’t be able to attend, but if you aren’t involved in a home group please come pray. Come praise. Come bring your petitions. Heaven is waiting to hear your voice. I encourage each small group gathering to have a time of prayer as well.

Blessings friends, Lynn