How I love the Scriptures. My favorite ones are the ones that don’t seem to make sense. These Scriptures, once understood, are the dearest. Today we will present an explanation of one of these difficult Scriptures; this particular one gives us insight on the timing of the rapture (the taking up of the Bride of Christ).

You are probably familiar with the parable of the wedding feast in Matthew chapter 22. A king was preparing for his son’s wedding and had difficulty getting guests to come to the feast; but, finally the wedding hall was filled with guests. When the king came to greet the wedding guests, he saw a man who did not have on a wedding garment. The king called the man “friend,” and asked the man to explain why he didn’t have a wedding garment. The man was speechless, then the king had him bound and cast into outer darkness.

Obviously, what is being described here is the wedding feast which we will be attending in the very near future. But, this parable brings several intriguing questions to mind: Who was the man and how did the he get in to the feast? Why was he the only one without a wedding garment? Why was the man called “friend?” Why was the man speechless? And why was he cast into outer darkness considering the trouble the king had getting guests to attend? We will answer these questions in this blog/lesson and also show how this relates to end-time prophecy.

First of all, we need to determine who this man was. The only one who fits the role is Satan. Actually, he didn’t sneak in; he has been there since his creation. God created Satan as a guardian angel, one of the host of heaven. After sin was found in him and even after he deceived Adam and Eve, he still resided in, or, at least, had access to heaven. This can be easily proven by looking at Job chapter 1.

Satan has been the cause of much trouble for us; he is known as the “accuser of the brethren” and the “deceiver.” We have been promised that some day he will be gone. He, Satan, does not have the wedding garment (robe of righteousness) and he will not be allowed to stay for the wedding feast. His access to heaven will cease as so clearly stated in the Scriptures:

Revelation 12:9 And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world–he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.

Revelation 12:10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

It is also interesting that the king called him “friend.” This is the same term that Jesus used with Judas when Judas betrayed Him. Satan betrayed God on day 7 of the creation. To understand this more completely, please read the parable of the “wheat and tares.” The way “friend” is used here denotes the fact that they knew each other and that they had, in the past, a close relationship.

So, this parable is a glimpse into our future: We have all been invited to the wedding feast in heaven. In order to get in we must do two things: (1) accept the invitation and (2) wear our wedding garments. These garments are given to us freely by Jesus. They represent His righteousness, that was paid for on the cross. One day the trumpets will blow and we will be changed in the twinkling of an eye, and rise to heaven for the greatest feast of all history. Shortly after we arrive, God the Father, will greet the guests and cast Satan out. Satan and his angels will all be thrown to earth while we are at the wedding feast. The earth will be a very unpleasant place with Satan and all of his angels roaming freely and in total control. I personally believe that all of God’s angels will leave the earth and attend the wedding feast; they won’t want to miss out and I don’t think God will require them to do so.

This is very good news for us; not only are we the guests, but we are also the bride. The King will make sure everything is just right.

Dear friends and children, this great day is coming soon: when we will be taken up to celebrate the wedding.

Song of Solomon 2:10 My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.

We won’t have to worry about Satan anymore, because he will be cast out; his time will have run out. During this wedding feast, we will be with Jesus and we will be wearing our wedding garments, our robes of righteousness. We will be seated at the banquet table, and there will be a banner over us, and the banner will be “love.”

Song of Solomon 2:4 He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love

It is hard to imagine life without the threat of death, but that is how God created heaven and earth: without death. Death is a necessary result of sin. The Bible talks about spiritual death, physical death, and the second death. In this blog we will try to enlighten you a bit on these three types of death and how they apply to you. The key to understanding death is to understand that it is not termination but separation.

Spiritual Death

We will start with the early part of Genesis:

Genesis 2:17  but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

God told Adam “in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” We know that Adam did not physically die that day, in fact Adam lived to the age of 930 years. So, it had to be a spiritual death. We also know this by what happened the next time Adam encountered God; Adam was ashamed he was naked, and Adam separated himself from God; later Adam and Eve were expelled (separated) from the Garden of Eden. This is the spiritual death: separation from God. God is Holy, man is a sinner, therefore, there is separation. God and sin do not mix.

Consider the death of Jesus: on the cross, He experienced separation from God the Father. Because Jesus bore our sins on the cross, He was necessarily separated from God the Father. Again, sin and holiness don’t mix. Jesus actually experienced spiritual death; separation from God the Father. It is important to point out that Jesus did not sin, but He suffered the consequences of our sins.

Revelation 1:5  and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, . . . To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood

 Anyone who has sin is spiritually dead, they are separated from God. How can they get back into fellowship with God once they are spiritually dead? The above scripture (Revelation 1:5) shows us that the key is Jesus. He is the only way we can be freed from our sins. He is the “firstborn of the dead” and we have the opportunity to follow Him. We also need to be born from the dead, or “born again.” 

Physical Death

 Considering physical death, please read:

Genesis 5:5  Thus all the days that Adam lived were 930 years, and he died.

Adam died physically at the age of 930 years. His physical death was a separation too: The separation of his spirit and his body. In the beginning God created man from dust. Physical death is also a result of sin. Please read:

Genesis 2:7  then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.

After Adam sinned, God said:

Genesis 3:19  By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

Jesus also died a physical death, because of our sin: His Spirit was separated from His body.

Luke 23:46  Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last.

The Second Death

 The second death is like the other two; it is a separation. However the second death is eternal separation from God. Please read:

Revelation 20:14  Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.

Revelation 20:15  And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

The second death is frightening, but, by faith, we need to accept that God is just and merciful and His desire is to be with us forever. Jesus has the Book of Life and He writes the names of those who accept God and God’s grace. Jesus is the resurrection and the life and whoever believes in Him will live. All the instructions are in the Bible. If you aren’t sure if your name is the Lamb’s Book of Life, go to Him directly and work it out.

Fossil Fuel is a problem. It is polluting our environment: air pollution, soil pollution, water pollution, all of which are destroying the earth, our quality of life and jeopardizing our very survival. So, how does fossil fuel fit into the Bible and why did God create it?

In the Beginning, God created the heaven and the earth and everything was “very good.” There was no death, at all, until sin entered the world. Fossil fuel is the result of death. Generally, coal is the remains of dead plants and oil is the result of dead animals. We believe that these plants and animals died in the flood. Therefore, it was never God’s intention that fossil fuel be deposited in and on the earth: His will was for no sin, no death, and no fossil fuel.
As of the writing of this blog, it is estimated that millions of gallons of crude oil are leaking into the Gulf of Mexico every day. This is a catastrophe for the environment and the economy.

This catastrophe gives us a glimpse into the future and a reminder of end-times prophecy. The oil is coming from a 20 inch pipe, but imagine if we had an earthquake that opened up this entire oil deposit in a single day.  Please read the following end-days prophesy.

Revelation 8:8  And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood;

Revelation 8:9  And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed. (KJV)

I have often wondered how the sea could turn to blood, I reasoned that maybe the Bible means that a third of the sea turned red, possibly from algae or erosion. However, as I have learned again and again, the Bible is always exact and precise: fossil fuel (oil) is blood; it’s the blood of those who died in the flood (people and  animals).

So, if this reasoning is correct, in the last days, oil reserves in the sea could open up and cause tremendous pollution, killing one third of sea creatures. The prophecy goes on to say that the “third part of the ships were destroyed,” I now realize that many oil reserves contain a significant amount to methane gas; this gas could either explode, destroying ships, or reduce the density of the water sufficiently so that the ships would sink.

We may be living in the last days and the calamities may have already started. We, at www.jecrois.com want you to be informed and ready. If you want to know how to be ready see our Lesson 3-3 The ten Virgins http://www.english.jecrois.org/?p=2. When we study prophecy, we need to rejoice that the Bible is true; that our names are written in the Book of Life; and that Jesus has gone to prepare a place for us, so we can live with Him forever in peace and safety.