What causes fear in us at times regarding the Rapture? Does our apprehension arise from its abrupt nature or its unexpected timing? Does the unknown or the supernatural cause anxiety to rise within us? Perhaps we do not want our dreams for this life to end so soon.
I suspect many of us can identify with a least a few of the above reasons. Does Scripture give us any help to relieve our apprehensions and hesitations? Is there a way to look at the Rapture that sparks delight and hopefulness rather than dread or even disdain? I believe there is.
One of the most comforting pictures of the Rapture in Scripture is that of the Bridegroom coming for his Bride. Both Jesus and the apostle Paul purposely used language to invoke images of the Jewish wedding customs of their day when speaking of Jesus' return for His Church.
The Marriage Covenant
Jewish marriages in the first century AD began with the groom making a covenant with his bride. The groom "would drink a cup of wine with her which sealed the covenant and he would pay the bridal price for her to the father."[i] The bridal price ensured that the groom would follow through on the covenant. Do you see the similarities with what Jesus did for us in purchasing our salvation on the cross? He paid the price with His blood so that we, His church, might become His bride.
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