The Destiny of the Bride of Christ - Part 2
After the wedding of the Lamb, Heaven is opened, and we see Jesus as we have never seen Him before. No longer does He appear as the slain Lamb of God that took the sealed book from the hand of His Father in Revelation chapter 5. Now He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords who asserts his authority and finally takes his rightful place as judge and ruler over all.
“Then I saw heaven open. There before me was a white horse. The rider on the horse is called Faithful and True.”—Revelation 19:11 (ICB)
So far in Scripture, we have seen Jesus in many of His roles. He has appeared as Creator, Savior, Son of God, Son of Man, Lamb of God, Servant of All, and other roles. But just as the Bride is not fully revealed for who she is until we see her in the book of Revelation, neither is Jesus.
The full title of the book is The Revelation of Jesus Christ. This title tells us that we have not fully seen Jesus for Who He is until we see Him as He is revealed in this book.
John was given an extraordinary glimpse of Jesus in His glory in the very first chapter:
“Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the seven lampstands One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band. His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire; His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and His voice as the sound of many waters; He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength. And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, ‘Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.’”—Revelation 1:12-18 (NKJV)
For the rest of the Church, and the Jews, and the world, it happens at the sounding of the seventh trumpet, which is the last trumpet. At that time, the mystery of God is finished, and Jesus is finally revealed as the reigning King of Kings and Lord of Lords in the glorious fullness of His authority and might.
**“**Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, ‘The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!’ And the twenty-four elders who sat before God on their thrones fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying:
‘We give You thanks, O Lord God Almighty, The One who is and who was and who is to come, Because You have taken Your great power and reigned.’”—Revelation 11:15-17 (NKJV)
“And to Him (the Messiah) was given dominion (supreme authority), Glory and a kingdom, That all the peoples, nations, and speakers of every language Should serve and worship Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion Which will not pass away; And His kingdom is one Which will not be destroyed.”—Daniel 7:14 (AMP)
Prelude to the Seventh Trumpet
In the timeline of the book of Revelation, seven seals are opened before the Great Tribulation, then seven trumpets are sounded *during *the Great Tribulation, and then seven bowls (or vials) containing the wrath of God are poured out at the end of the Great Tribulation, as it was revealed to Daniel:
”… even unto the full end, and that determined, shall wrath be poured out upon the desolate.”—Daniel 9:27 (ASV)
The seven seals are on a book. This may be the same book that was sealed in Daniel’s time (Daniel 12:4). These seals are opened, one by one, by the Lamb of God. These seven seals began to be opened in John’s time and have continued to be opened since John wrote about these revelations.
We are currently waiting on the sixth seal to be opened. This sixth seal will set things in motion for the Great Tribulation to begin as the only obstacle preventing the rise of the Antichrist is removed when the Overcomers (the Man Child) are caught up to the throne of God in Revelation 12:5.
“And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time. For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming.”—2 Thessalonians 2:6-8 (NIV)
Then the seventh seal will release seven trumpets that will be sounded during the Great Tribulation period.
Finally, the seventh trumpet will release seven bowls that contain the final wrath of God that will be poured out upon the Earth immediately after the Tribulation period.
For a more complete timeline of the events of the book of Revelation, you can click here to download a Revelation timeline by my former pastor, Dan Cummins.
But the seventh trumpet causes many other things to occur. With the sounding of the seventh trumpet at the end of the Great Tribulation period, the mystery is finished!
“The angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised up his hand to heaven and swore by Him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and the things that are in it, the earth and the things that are in it, and the sea and the things that are in it, that there should be delay no longer, but **in the days of the sounding of the seventh angel, **when he is about to sound, the mystery of God would be finished, as He declared to His servants the prophets.”—Revelation 10:5-7 (NKJV)
The Mystery is Finished
Until now, the Bride of Christ has been hidden. The whole relationship between the Bride and her heavenly Bridegroom has been shrouded in mystery.
“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her,** that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones. ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.”—**Ephesians 5:25-32 (NKJV)
With the sounding of the seventh trumpet, the mystery is finished and we finally see the unveiling of the Bride of Christ for who she is.
”Behold**, I shew you a mystery**; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”—1 Corinthians 15:51-52 (KJV)
“He made known to us **the mystery **of His will according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Christ, with regard to the fulfillment of the times [that is, the end of history, the climax of the ages]—to bring all things together in Christ, [both] things in the heavens and things on the earth.”—Ephesians 1:9-10 (AMP)
The Revelation of the King of Kings
After the wedding of the Lamb, Heaven is opened and we also see the King of Kings and Lord of Lords revealed in His glory!
“Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written:
KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.” —Revelation 19:11-16 (NKJV)
This time, Jesus is revealed—not as the sacrificial Lamb of God—but as the all-powerful King of Kings and Lord of Lords Who will rule all nations with a rod of iron. The sight of the Son of Almighty God returning to the Earth having all power and all authority will strike terror into the hearts of even the greatest of men.
“And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;
“And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:
“For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?”—Revelation 6:15-17 (KJV)
Those who only thought of Jesus as the meek Lamb of God Who extended grace and mercy to sinners for so long may be shocked and terrified when the time of extended grace and mercy comes to an end and Jesus personally returns to administer the wrath of God on a rebellious world.
“Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.”—Revelation 19:15 (NKJV)
“But as for these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slaughter them before me.”—Luke 19:27 (ESV)
