This recent series about timelines, the rapture and the bride has been said because of my past mistakes. I allowed men, who were supposed to be respected, fill my head with many interesting mysteries. They all had their own reasons for believing the what, where and why of their answers to the conversations of the day. I got caught up in the fascination of the mysteries and began my own hunt for the truth of matters far beyond me.

Matthew 24:36-37.39,42-44.46 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.

It has been given to us to do the Father’s bidding. That being true, if we should want to hasten the coming of our Lord because we grow weary of this world and all the evil in it, then being active in doing the Father’s bidding is the way to achieve that end.

Perhaps my mistake was in treating the events of 2 Thessalonians 2 as prophecy. Perhaps I would have been better served to see it as a promise. “Not to worry son, I have your back.” Then perhaps I could have relaxed in that assurance and gone about doing my chores.

2 Thessalonians 2:2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.

2 Thessalonians 2:2 (AMPC) Not to allow your minds to be quickly unsettled or disturbed or kept excited or alarmed, whether it be by some [pretended] revelation of [the] Spirit or by word or by letter [alleged to be] from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has [already] arrived and is here.

I believe the AMPC has a better translation which matches up well with Jesus’ warning in Matthew 24 about false prophets. Even more to the point is this issue of anxiety over mysteries that you cannot solve and perhaps never will.

The rapture is one of the most talked about events in prophecy in which I have found no clear link between any prophetic event that shows us when we will be called up to be with our Lord.

So, in line with Paul’s encouragement to not get all shook up, let me speak to one more verse about the bride’s reappearance, not her rapture.

Revelation 21:2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

The bride was prepared. Are you prepared to meet your Lord?

That is not a question of salvation, this is about growing in Christ, becoming one who is worthy of standing beside Christ. This life we live right now is a proving grounds, a test track, or perhaps a training facility, to prove to ourselves that we are truly changed and ever growing to be more and more conformed into the image of Jesus Christ.

We are God’s chosen helpmates for His Son. If we chase after questions upon which hundreds of scholars over thousands of years cannot answer, we waste precious time that could be better used getting prepared.