"And at midnight, there was a cry made Behold the bridegroom comes go ye out to meet him...and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage and the door was shut...Watch therefore for you know neither the day nor the hour the Son of Man comes Matthew 25:1-13."
In Matthew 25:1-13, the bridegroom is Jesus. The text says the bridegroom is the Son of Man—Jesus --Matthew 25:10-13.
The context also tells us that it is the virgins--not the Bride--to whom the Midnight Cry is being made --Matthew 25:6-7.
So the question is, Who are the virgins?
A companion verse that interprets Matthew 25 is Psalm 45:14-15: “And the virgins her companions that follow her shall be brought unto thee.”
The virgins are the companions of The Bride!
The companions of the bride are those who will come to Christ during The Great Tribulation. Note that Psalm 45 says the Bride's companions will follow after. Old Covenant believers are not part of that special group saved during the Age of Grace--the time of Christ In You--known as The Church, and neither are those who come to Christ during the Time of Jacob's Trouble/The Great Tribulation.
It is often, but erroneously taught that the “Midnight Cry” of Matthew Twenty-five is synonymous with the “Shout” in 1 Thessalonians 4:16 [where Jesus descends from Heaven to raise the dead and catch up the living]. But the Midnight Cry is not being made to the Bride--the Church. It is being made to her companions who follow after.
Jesus is not a polygamous husband. He has only one bride--one Church. And he cleaves only to her. Matthew twenty-five speaks of multiple virgins. These are not Christ's Bride --Psalms 45:14-15.
The King (Christ) will bring his daughter (his Bride/Church--Believers are both Children of God and the Bride of Christ) into his palace which is even now being prepared in Heaven --John 14:2. The companions of the King's Daughter/Bride will be brought to the King later --1 Thessalonians, 4:16-18, Psalm 45:14, Matthew 25:6-13.
Jesus is coming for his Bride. And he is coming for her companions as well...but not for both at the same time.
Look closely at what Jesus said concerning his coming, “...as in the days of Noah...so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be --Matthew 24:37-39.
Just as he brought Noah and his family into the ark before judgment fell in the form of the flood, the Son of Man is coming for his Bride before he sends judgment on a world that has rejected him.
As in the days of Noah....
It is wise not to disregard the references our Lord makes to "the Days of Noah." That statement is multi-faceted and rich, referring to much more than simply the sinful, carefree, lifestyles Noah's contemporaries continued in even as devastating judgment bore down upon them.
We must be careful to observe that in the days of Noah, the righteous were brought into the ark of safety "before" judgment came. We must also note that the door to that ark remained open for a short time...it seems that others could have come on board during that time (??) though they did not. And then the door was shut. --Genesis 7:1-10.
At midnight a cry was made....
After the bridegroom (Jesus) comes for his Bride, the door to the ark—as in the days of Noah—will remain open for a short time. This is so the virgins, the companions of the bride, who will follow after her (Psalms 45:14-15) can also be brought in.
The word of God says that every word of scripture is pure and good for reproof, rebuke, exhortation, and instruction in righteousness...every word. That is why we pay attention to words Jesus chooses, words like, “as in the days of Noah,” and words like “midnight.”
Midnight means "halfway through the night."
What is significant about this? In John 9:4, Jesus said he must work the works of him that sent him while it is day. For the “night” was coming in which no one could work.
In this passage, Jesus made references to light, day, and night that provide us with insight into the pre-appointed times and seasons the Bible speaks of. It is in John 9:4, that Jesus defines the word "midnight" for us.
The “night,” Jesus refers to, is the calamitous night of wrath and judgment that is coming on all who dwell upon the face of the earth. In Luke 21:35, Jesus called it a snare and warned everyone to pray that they would be counted worthy to escape all of the devastation that would be coming upon the inhabitants of the earth.
Jesus said that he is the light of the world, and in Matthew 5:14 he told his followers that we are the light of the world. Jesus is the light of the world through his followers. When Jesus is no longer in the world through his followers, the inhabitants of the earth will find themselves trapped in the season he calls night.
So, has the night already come? The time when Jesus said no one can work? If that is the case, then why are all who name the name of Christ working right now? It is because he is here. Jesus is still in the kosmos (the earth and its systems), because he dwells within all who belong to him, and we are still here. Our bodies are his temple.
It is because of this, that his followers are also the light of the world Matthew 5:14-16. Isn’t that amazing?
It is still day. Jesus still lives in those whose bodies are his dwelling place here on earth.
So, when will the "night" begin?
The “night” will begin when Jesus exits earth...by removing his followers.
He entered the world when he was born of a virgin --Hebrews 1:6. He remains in the world because he lives in those who belong to him --John 14:16-18. And he will leave the world when he descends from Heaven, with a shout, to raise the dead and catch up the living bodies of all those who are "in Him"—His Bride/His Church --1 Thessalonians 4:16-18, 1 Corinthians 15:51-52, Romans 8:23, 2 Thessalonians 2:6-7.
After those whose bodies are his temple have been brought to King Jesus (at the harpazo: 1 Thessalonians 4:17, 1 Corinthians 15:51), he will no longer be in the world in the way described in Acts chapter two and in the way he described in John 9:4-5. By his own definition, night, will have officially begun.
So, when is midnight?
Midnight is halfway through the night—which Jesus said would begin the moment he was no longer in the world—that means, that by midnight, his Bride will have exited with him --John 9:4-5, Matthew 5:14-16,1 Thessalonians 4:16-18, 2 Thessalonians 2:6-7.
But the exodus of Christ’s Bride does not signify the end. He will return for the virgins her companions who will follow after. At the mid-way point, half-way through the night—midnight—Jesus says a cry will be made to the virgins--the Bride's companions.
These virgins will come to Christ after the Bride is caught out at the resurrection and catching up. They will be redeemed out of the Time of Jacob’s Trouble at or just before its inauguration, which will be heralded by the appearance of the "Abomination of Desolation" that will be set up in the Holy of Holies in Jerusalem --Daniel 9:27, Matthew 13:13, Matthew 24:15 John 3:29, Revelation 14:1-4, 7:4.
At this time, the companions will follow after and go with the bridegroom into Heaven where the marriage but not the reception (the marriage feast) will take place.
After the virgins--the Bride's companions--join her with the Bridegroom, the door to the wedding will be shut (Psalm 45:14, Matthew 25:6-13, Genesis 7:16).
The inhabitants of earth will be trapped in that horrendous time Jesus called "Night" and Joel called a Day of Clouds and of Thick Darkness. All who hope to survive without losing their souls must endure to the end to be saved (Matthew 10:22, 24:9-13).
This devastating time is called by various other names, including the Great Tribulation, the Time of the Nations, and the Time of Jacob's Trouble (Ezekiel 30:3, Joel 2:1-2)
Jesus is coming for his bride. And he is coming for her before the night begins. When he returns to earth, at the battle of Armageddon, His Wife will be coming out of Heaven with him. The virgins, her companions, will be returning with them as well. And after that, a reception--a marriage feast—the likes of which this world has never seen—will be held here on earth --Matthew 22.
You do not want to miss it.
If you haven’t received one yet, consider this your invitation to the wedding. It will be the biggest event in the history of the universe.
Romans 10:9-10,13 tells how to send your RSVP. Better look it up in a King James Bible though, most other versions tamper with the instructions.
Author and speaker, Jocelyn Andersen, is an eclectic Christian writer. She is a Bible teacher who writes about many subjects including Bible prophecy and equality of the sexes. She is best known for her advocacy in domestic violence awareness. Her book, Woman Submit! Christians & Domestic Violence, has been a staple in the library of resources on that subject.
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