Dear Friend,

In ancient Jewish wedding customs, during the period of the betrothal (engagement), a young bridegroom proved his love for his wife by building a room for them in or adjacent to his father's house.

His betrothed bride, meanwhile, proved her faithfulness to him by living celibately and refusing suitors during the betrothal.

Thus, love and faithfulness, or faithful love, was at the center of their marriage union. If the groom failed to prepare a place for his bride, he was unloving, and unworthy of marriage. If she, on the other hand, flirted or had affairs with other men, she was unfaithful, and unworthy of marriage. And since Jews considered betrothal as sacred and binding as marriage, she would be divorced, or even stoned, as an adulterer.

When a bridegroom's work was finished, he returned for his bride - his faithful bride - and took her away to be wedded to him in his father's house. By choosing this, the Jewish wedding custom of His day, to describe this church age (the betrothal) and His Appearing (the Bridegroom's return), Jesus was plainly teaching us some key lessons.

He was letting us know He expected us to do the duty of any faithful Jewish bride: live faithfully! And, conversely, He explicitly promised to do the duty of a loving Jewish bridegroom: prepare a place for us in His Father's house (John 14:1-3). I'm concerned, however, that the implications of Jesus' instruction haven't sunk in on this generation of Christians.

Some otherwise excellent Bible scholars and ministers teach when our Bridegroom appears (1 Corinthians 15:49-52; Philippians 3:20-21; Colossians 3:1-4; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18), all born-again Christians will be caught up to be with Him due to their justification (legal standing of righteousness) - regardless of their actual living.
But think with me, now, can this be true? Is it biblical teaching or wanna be teaching?

Will Jesus come back for Christians who have consistently lived unfaithfully? Who have given themselves to the things of this world that Jesus despises and shed His blood to free us from, "the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life" (1 John 2:15-17)? Believers who are not pure but impure, not faithful but unfaithful, not committed but carnal?

No Jewish bridegroom would dare do such a thing! Upon discovering his betrothed had been unfaithful to him, he would have refused to take her to his father's house to be his wife. Why? He expected a faithful bride, a pure bride, not one who had been sleeping with every suitor that passed her way. And, as stated above, many bridegrooms would have divorced such brides, or worse!

Will our Lord Jesus, then, who chose this metaphor of Jewish wedding customs, when He appears, catch away Christians who have been living in a long, illicit love affair with this world? Will such "un-bridelike" Christians receive the honor of being by His side at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:7-9)? Not a chance.

The rapture of the church is not a grace-given gift but a test-won privilege. It is reserved for those who faithfully stay close to Christ and trust and obey Him in their tests of faith, loyalty, and endurance. Scripture confirms this.

Jesus promised His disciples they would "escape all" the events of the Tribulation if they lived a spiritually worthy life by watching and praying "always" (Luke 21:36) and warned if they gave themselves to "surfeiting" and "drunkenness" or the "cares of this life," they would not qualify (Luke 21:34-35). If all Christians are automatically taken in the rapture, He would not have placed these conditions on readiness for the event.

He promised the Philadelphian Christians that because they had obeyed "the word of my patience" (Revelation 3:10), or, "Since you have kept my command to endure patiently" (NIV), or "persevere" (NLT), He would keep them from the Tribulation. If He intended to take all Christians in the rapture, He would have said, "Because you are born-again Christians, I will keep you from the coming hour of testing." But He didn't say this. Why?

No Jewish bridegroom would even think of such a thing! Take home an unfaithful bride? Become "one flesh" with a polluted bride? Give his heart to one whose heart belonged to others? Hope to enjoy life with a bride whose manner of life was unlike his? Not a chance.

What, then, will happen to carnal Christians when Jesus appears? They are not automatically lost or doomed to hell. Their salvation by grace alone holds firm, thanks to Christ's imputed righteousness in their lives and God's faithfulness to His covenant. But they will be left behind - in God's mercy - so they may prove themselves faithful in the first half of the Tribulation and be caught up with the vast Jewish harvest at the mid-point (Revelation 7:9-17).

My fellow Christian, we should thank God for positional (imputed) righteousness given us by grace alone when we repent and call on Christ to save us! But, after salvation, yes, it matters how we live, what we love, and that we live faithfully committed to Christ, His Word, and His call on our lives. Any Jewish bride would know this is expected of her.

And our Jewish Bridegroom expects it of us! In Paul's words, "That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish" (Ephesians 5:27). So, be of good cheer. Let's live faithfully - and watch confidently and joyfully for our Bridegroom.

Maranatha!

Greg Hinnant
Greg Hinnant Ministries