Truth Matters-52

The Bible is filled with more than 3,500 promises from Genesis to Revelation, and more than 1,800 prophecies concerning the past, the present, and the future. Today on Truth Matters with Dr. Cheryl Davis, she speaks of three promises and three prophecies, the rapture, the white stone, and the marriage supper of the Lamb.

Here's Dr. Davis. As I continue with my teaching on the signs of time, today I would like to point you to a key message in the Bible that signals the ending of this present era, the resurrection of the church, and the white stone invitation to the marriage supper of the Lamb. In Matthew 25, verses 1 through 13, we read Jesus' parable of the ten virgins, also known as the parable of the wise and the foolish virgins. The parable is a prominent symbol and metaphor used in Scripture to describe Jesus' relationship with his beloved bride, the church. It is also believed that when the Scripture is fulfilled, it will be the shifting of a dynamic spiritual and geopolitical paradigm on earth. At this time, the church age will end with the rapture of believers, and the judgment of nations will begin. In the parable of the ten, Jesus tells the story of a gathering of virgins that have been chosen to participate in a wedding.

Because the time of the arrival of the bridegroom is not known, the ten virgins are instructed to bring a lantern, so if the bridegroom does not arrive in daylight, they will have light for the long night ahead. This, of course, is symbolic of the delay from the time Jesus spoke these words to his disciples as he prepared to ascend back to heaven 40 days after his resurrection. It has now been 1987 years since this prophecy was spoken by our Lord Jesus. In Habakkuk 2.3, we read, For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak and not lie. Though it tarry, wait for it, because it will surely come, it will not tarry. God's people have waited for thousands of years for the fulfillment of the rapture, the second coming of Jesus, and for the millennial reign of Jesus to begin. The parable of the ten is an insightful look at the church as we near this appointed time in the future. As the ten wait for the arrival of the bridegroom, the hour becomes late, and five of the ten fall asleep.

At midnight, voices are heard, the groom has arrived, the groom has arrived. Because it was dark, the ten rushed to light their lanterns, but five of them discovered that they had forgotten to bring oil. So they turned to the ones that had oil and said, May I have some of your oil? But the five with oil told the others to go and purchase their own fuel. These words are symbolic to the point that we must each acquire our own salvation, the oil, as we cannot get to heaven on grandma's salvation.

We must each have our own ticket. Jesus tells Nicodemus, a prominent Israeli political and religious leader in the first century, that he must be born again in order to inherit the kingdom of heaven. Just as you and I must repent of our sins and receive Jesus as the Lord of our lives. The parable of the ten is truly a sign of an appointed time that when Jesus raptures the church, it will come at a very dark and perilous time in history, as did the deliverance of Noah and his family. The oil in the parable is symbolic for the Holy Spirit, as the Spirit of God illuminates the lives of believers with the light of Christ. These are the wise in the parable. The foolish are those who are Christians by name, by tradition, by church membership, or by pretension, and not having the experience of being spiritually born again, baptized, and filled with the Holy Spirit.

They are lamps without oil and do not have the light of God within their heart. God loves every one of us, but only the redeemed, those who have been washed in the blood of Jesus through the experience of conversion and the transformation of the Holy Spirit, will one day disappear from earth to meet Jesus in the clouds. At this time, according to Revelation 2 17, the faithful will be given a white stone, which is symbolic of a verdict of being found innocent. The stone is an invitation to the marriage supper of the Lamb. On the stone will be written your new name that Jesus has given you. Only you and Jesus understand the meaning of your new name because it will most likely identify your position and purpose during the millennial reign of Christ. In Luke 14 verses 7 through 14, we can read of this great gathering of the marriage feast of the Lamb where the faithful will have escaped the coming tribulation and receive their reward at the marriage supper of the Lamb. With all the hostility, hatred, and lawlessness in the present world, the rapture of the church seems more imminent than ever.

It could literally happen at any moment. If you have not accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior or have been drifting away from Him, today is the day to return to God. If you need spiritual help, Dr. Davis is available. You can reach her by email at CherylDavis at ProjectTruthMatters.com or connect with her on Facebook at Truth Matters with Dr. Cheryl Davis. Truth Matters is a production of The Truth Project.