FromNowUntilForeverBook8.5x5.5 REV.indd

“I’m headed back to Heaven for now, but you will hear from Me again.” In those final days before Jesus went to the Cross, He told a parable centered on His Second Coming. Examining this text (Matthew 25:1-13), note that the setting for this story is a special occasion, specifically a wedding. In those days among the Jews, “the wedding was preceded by a betrothal, which is a very solemn affair and much more binding than is an engage- ment with us.To break an engagement in modern times is not, as a general rule, much more difficult than simply returning the ring.” 39 The wedding day began with the bridegroom and his friends going in procession to the home of the bride.This gen- erally took place at night so torchlight would add spectacle to the occasion. The bridegroom and those closest to him would actually go into the bride’s home while the others waited out- side. After the ceremony, which took place in the bride’s home, a procession made its way to the bridegroom’s house. The fact that Jesus uses a wedding setting for this and another of His parables (chapter 12) should come as no sur- prise, considering the importance God places on marriage. He created the institution of marriage, performing the first ceremony in the Garden of Eden. The closest thing on earth to the eternal bond between Christ and His church, marriage is a prominent theme in the life and teaching of Jesus. His first miracle, one in which the Lord turned water into wine, took place at a wedding (John 2:1-12). All of the above points to the joining of Christ the Bridegroom to His bride the church in the EndTimes. Diving deeper into this story, observe the ten virgins that are a part of it.The fact that they are identified as virgins indicates they must be honorable people. No doubt, their

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