The Destiny of the Bride of Christ - Part 4
As Jesus ascended into Heaven after His resurrection, two men dressed all in white spoke to His disciples saying, “This [same] Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will return **in just the same way **as you have watched Him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:11 AMP)
If Jesus is going to return in the very same way that He went to Heaven, what does that mean? How did He go into Heaven? What characterized His going?
We are told in a previous verse that “He was caught up as they looked on, and a cloud took Him up out of their sight.” (Acts 1:9 AMP)
So, if Jesus is going to return in the same way as He went into Heaven, it seems that (1) people will be able to see Him as He returns, and (2) there will be a cloud involved.
As we read descriptions of Jesus throughout Scripture, that is exactly how His return is described.
“Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth shall gaze upon Him and beat their breasts and mourn and lament over Him. Even so [must it be]. Amen (so be it).”—Revelation 1:7 (AMPC)
The spiritual blindness that Paul wrote about in Romans 11 will be removed from the people of Israel and they will finally see Jesus for Who He is. They will recognize Him as they one they crucified.
“For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.”—Romans 11:25 (NKJV)
As Jesus returns in His glory as the conquering King of Kings and Lord of Lords, we will all see Him as He truly is.
“My dear friends, we are already God’s children, though what we will be hasn’t yet been seen. But we do know when Christ returns, we will be like him, because we will see him as he truly is.”—1 John 3:2 (CEV)
The Clouds of Heaven
The return of Christ has been prophesied throughout Scripture, since the time of Enoch. There were prophesies of the Lord’s second coming long before His first coming. He came first as the Servant of All. He will come a second time as Lord of All.
Many prophecies of Jesus’ return speak of Him coming with the “clouds of Heaven.”
“In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.”—Daniel 7:13-14 (NIV)
“Jesus saith unto him, ‘Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.’”—Matt 26:64 (KJV)
Jesus said, “I am; and you will [all] see the Son of Man seated [with authority] at the right hand of Power (the Father), and coming with the clouds of heaven.”—Mark 14:62 (AMP)
“And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with great (transcendent and overwhelming) power and [all His kingly] glory (majesty and splendor).”—Luke 21:27 (AMPC)
Clouds of People
But what are these clouds that accompany Jesus as He returns to earth? Are these natural clouds, like the ones we see in the sky every day, or is there something special about these clouds?
The writer of Hebrews gives us a clue about what these clouds may really be.
“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us”—Hebrews 12:1 (NKJV)
This passage describes the great men and women of faith from Hebrews 11 as a “cloud of witnesses.” This vast group of overcoming saints is described as a cloud.
Could the clouds that accompany Jesus when He returns actually be a vast group of overcoming saints? Could these clouds actually be people? Could it be that this great group of overcoming believers listed in Hebrews 11—including Abraham, Enoch, Noah, Moses, and many others—make up the clouds of Heaven that will return to the earth with Jesus?
As far back as Enoch, it has been prophesied that when Jesus returns, He will return with thousands of overcoming saints.
“Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.”—Jude 1:14-15 (NKJV)
There is no doubt that He returns with vast multitudes of people. Not only that, but as He returns, the clouds will grow as many overcoming saints are resurrected to join those who come from Heaven with Jesus, and then those believers who are still alive on earth at the end of this age will be caught up to meet Jesus in the air.
“For we say this to you by the Lord’s [own] word, that we who are still alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will in no way precede [into His presence] those [believers] who have fallen asleep [in death]. For the Lord Himself will come down from heaven with a shout of command, with the voice of the archangel and with the [blast of the] trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain [on the earth] will simultaneously be caught up (raptured) together with them [the resurrected ones] in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord!”–1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 (AMP)
This is only the first resurrection. It seems very likely that not all believers will be included in this first resurrection at the end of the Great Tribulation period. This first resurrection seems to be limited to those who are counted worthy to be included in His Overcoming Bride. These are the ones who have been found worthy to rule and reign alongside the King of Kings and Lord of Lords as His helpmate.
“And then I saw thrones, and sitting on them were those to whom judgment [that is, the authority to act as judges] was given. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had refused to worship the beast or his image, and had not accepted his mark on their forehead and on their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.”—Revelation 20:4 (AMP)
This seems to be the resurrection of the Overcoming Bride to which the Apostle Paul so desperately wanted to attain.
“if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.”— Philippians 3:11-12 (NKJV)
The foolish virgins (See Matthew 25), who did not bother to develop an intimate relationship with Jesus and who did not prepare themselves to meet the bridegroom as his bride without spot or wrinkle (See Revelation 19:7 and Ephesians 5:27), may not be resurrected until after the 1,000 reign of Christ on earth. It seems that these believers may not be counted worthy to rule and reign with Christ, and may have to wait an additional 1,000 years before they will be resurrected.
“But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. **Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. **Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.”—Revelation 20:5-6 (NKJV)
This description of the participants in the first resurrection in Revelation 20:5-6 seems to correspond to specific promises given only to the Overcomers in Revelation chapter 2:
“The one who overcomes will never be hurt by the second death.”—Revelation 2:11 (ISV)
“He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name.”—Revelation 3:12 (NKJV)
“I will give authority over the nations to the person who overcomes and continues to do what I’ve commanded to the end, and
‘He will rule them with an iron scepter; shattering them like clay pots.’
Just as I have received authority from my Father, I will also give him the morning star.”—Revelation 2:26-28 (ISV)
“I will give a place to sit with me on my throne to the one who overcomes, just as I have overcome and have sat down with my Father on his throne.”—Revelation 3:21 (ISV)
The rest of the believers may miss the 1,000 year reign of Christ on earth. This may be why the Apostle Paul so desperately wanted to qualify for the First Resurrection.
After Jesus reigns from Jerusalem for 1,000 years, Satan will be released from the bottomless pit for a short season. It will be long enough for Satan to amass armies to fight against Jesus in one last rebellion. This last rebellion will be short-lived as fire from Heaven will consume these rebels. Then Satan will finally be tossed into the Lake of Fire once and for all! This is all clearly described in Revelation chapter 20.
Then, and only then, will the rest of the dead be resurrected to stand before God’s great white throne to face final judgment. This is described in Daniel chapter 7 and Revelation chapter 20.
“I kept looking until thrones were placed [for the assessors with the Judge], and the Ancient of Days [God, the eternal Father] took His seat, Whose garment was white as snow and the hair of His head like pure wool. His throne was like the fiery flame; its wheels were burning fire.
“A stream of fire came forth from before Him; a thousand thousands ministered to Him and ten thousand times ten thousand rose up and stood before Him; the Judge was seated [the court was in session] and the books were opened.”—Daniel 7:9-10 (AMPC)
“And I saw a great white throne and Him who was seated upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them [for this heaven and earth are passing away].
“And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the Book of Life; and the dead were judged according to what they had done as written in the books [that is, everything done while on earth].
“And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, and death and Hades (the realm of the dead) surrendered the dead who were in them; and they were judged and sentenced, every one according to their deeds.
“Then death and Hades [the realm of the dead] were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire [the eternal separation from God].
“And if anyone’s name was not found written in the Book of Life, he was hurled into the lake of fire.”—Revelation 20:11-15 (AMP)
