Planning, Anticipation, and Realization

In the 1970s, a television commercial pictured a young boy waiting for his ketchup to slowly inch out of the bottle. The background music plays “Anticipation” by Carly Simon emphasizing the positive of waiting for good things.

Over the last few months, we have been planning a trip to New England and Canada, investigating hotels, transportation, and restaurants, and making reservations for our vacation along the Eastern Seaboard.

While waiting, we sometimes watch a countdown clock, an exercise similar to watching grass grow! However, the day finally dawns; we travel via plane to our destination and start our adventure.

Often obstacles impede reaching the destination: delayed flights, missed connections, etc. The flight to Dallas began with a delay, then another delay, but finally, the plane was ready to board. Once the delays were over; we were on our way to our special vacation.

Plans fulfilled are wonderful things, but we had little control over those schedules.  We make plans hoping everything falls into place without a hiccup, but invariably, something pops up that changes the schedule or activities available.

God has made plans for all mankind but in contrast to our ideas, His plans will be carried out. God’s timeline began before Creation.

When God created the heavens and the earth, placing all living things on the earth, fish, birds, animals, and man, He gave man charge over the earth to subdue and tend its gardens. But the first woman and man (Eve and Adam) chose to disobey God by desiring to become their own god. For this, Adam and Eve and their descendants were given a nature that continually strove to exalt itself over others, causing disagreements, strife, and even murder. See, Genesis 1-11.

But God had a plan, from the beginning, He knew He would send His only Son, to be born of a virgin, to become like man, live a perfect life, die on the cross for humanity’s pride, spend three days in the grave, and hell, and on the third rise from the dead (Genesis 3:15). This is incredulous if God is not the Creator of everything, but God is superior to all created beings and natural laws. To carry out a comprehensive rescue plan for humanity is not difficult for God because nothing is impossible for the God of all creation (Luke 1:37).  

God’s only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, revealed the next step of God’s plan at His Last Passover when He instituted what we call the Lord’s Supper.  At that meal, Jesus spoke to the disciples about leaving them to go build a home for them in heaven. The disciples recognized this statement as a proposal by a bridegroom to a bride. Jesus promised that as the disciples’ Bridegroom to build a home and return for His bride (the church) and take her to their wedding feast in heaven where He would cement a permanent relationship with those who believe. He would be our Bridegroom with a loving, listening, compassionate, and intimate relationship.

Let me explain why this marriage proposal of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, is so important, and what the words of John 14:1-6 mean.

“Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. ² In My Father’s house are many rooms; if that were not so, I would have told you, because I am going there to prepare a place for you. ³ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I am coming again and will take you to Myself, so that where I am, there you also will be. ⁴ And you know the way where I am going.” ⁵ Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going; how do we know the way?” ⁶ Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.

In the Galilean wedding ceremony, the groom would offer his intended bride a cup of wine. If she drank it, the marriage contract, ketubah, was signed by the fathers, and the couple was engaged. The groom would tell the bride he would construct a house attached to or near the father’s house and return for her so that they could be together forever.

In most Jewish weddings the date was set for a year later. However, in Galilee, the date was only known to the Father. He would tell the Son when the house was ready and the Groom could retrieve His Bride for the wedding to be performed.

At any point, believers (the Bride of Christ) will see their Bridegroom returning to take them to their new “house” in heaven. Are you ready for this event or are you still trying to decide whether to accept His betrothal offering, the gift of eternal life?

Why did His Son, Jesus Christ, agree to die and become engaged to those humans who believed? He died because He loved mankind. His love drove Him to be our substitute and pay the penalty for all sin, defined as separation from God to a solitary tortuous confinement in hell.

This offer of salvation is extended to you. Mankind can be divided into two groups one has believed God and received His free gift of eternal life. The other has not accepted the gift of eternal life but may deny God’s existence or think he or she is a “good person” and doesn’t need God’s salvation gift. We each have a choice to make.

Do you believe in God and accept the gift of eternal life, or will you refuse to accept that God exists?

God has said, “There is a way that seems right unto a man but the end thereof is death (Proverbs 14:12). Wide is the way that leads to destruction but narrow is the way that leads to life (Matthew 7:13-14).” Will you choose life, the narrow way? Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No man comes to the Father but by me (John 14:6).”

The Apostle Paul stated … “Now, is the accepted time, now is the day of salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2).” Don’t put off your decision. Time is running out!

Maranatha!