40 Days of Prayer: The End Times – Cultivating Intimacy With The Bridegroom – Part 2

Greetings Beloved,

Cultivating Intimacy With The Bride Goom

In Matthew Chapters 24-25, Jesus taught on the end times (Matthew 24:3-31). Yeshua identified the signs of the times that will indicate the generation of His return. Then Yeshua taught four parables that emphasized how He desired His people to respond to His leadership in the end times (Matthew 24:32-25:30). These two chapters are given to prepare us to walk in victory in the end times.

Matthew Chapters 24-25 were Yeshua’s final teaching in His earthly ministry before the upper room (John. 13-17). In Matthew Chapter 25, Yeshua reveals Himself as Bridegroom (Matthew 25:1-13), King (Matthew 25:31), and Judge (Matthew 25:32-46).

Yeshua is a Bridegroom with desire for relationship, a King with power, and a Judge with zeal to remove all that hinders love. This is also the final description of Jesus in the Bible (Rev. 19-22).

The greatest revival as well as the great tribulation in history will occur in the generation in which Jesus returns. Yeshua taught that the wheat and tares mature together at the end of the age (Matthew.13:30). Yeshua also highlighted the resistance against God’s people (Matthew 24:9) and a need for endurance (Matthew 24:13).

Parable #1: The Parable of the Fig Tree – Matthew 24:32-36

The Great Tribulation will be the most difficult and also the most important 3½ years in history.

Yeshua commanded His disciples to recognize the signs of the times. He warned that most will not take time to recognize them (Matthew. 24:37-39).
Yeshua urged His disciples to watch so as to be spiritually ready in the end times.

Matthew. 24:42-44:

“Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also be ready.”

Concerning the end-times, both Luke Chapter 21 and Mark Chapter 13 includes details from Yeshua’s teaching in Matthew Chapters 24-25.

Watch and Pray: Yeshua’s counsel is to watch (inform your mind) and pray (engage your heart).

Watch: This is an exhortation to grow in understanding by watching the biblical signs unfold progressively in order to realign regularly with Yeshua’s leadership. Watching includes being an “anointed observer” of what He is doing in society, then responding to that with prayer.

Pray: This is an exhortation to grow in strength in our heart by connecting with Yeshua in comversation.

Parable #2: The Parable of the Faithful and Wise Servant – Matthew. 24:45-51

Yeshua teaches us that there are two types of believers who confess to follow Him. Yeshua challenged us to be diligent to do God’s will in the face of pressure and disappointment.

Parable #3: The Parable of the Ten Virgins –Matthew 25:1-13

In the Parable of The Ten Virgins, Yeshua emphasizes the need to cultivate intimacy in our relationship with Him, the Bridegroom. Yeshua alerted the wise believers not to neglect to maintain intimacy with God. Yeshua calls us to stay connected with His heart.

The Lamp: Each of these virgins had a lamp which spoke of God’s word that brought God’s light to others. All ten had insight of Yeshua the Bridegroom and went to meet / encounter Him.

The Oil – The oil of the Spirit touches our hearts in different ways including the following:

It tenderizes our heart, enabling us to feel more of God’s desire for us.
It enlarges our desirefor Him by encountering His desire for us.
It imparts zeal for righteousness, which helps us to overcome various temptations.
It illuminates our understanding with growing insight into God’s beauty.

At the midnight hour of history, the Lord’s messenger’s will cry out with a 3-fold message:

First, Yeshua is coming in context to releasing waves of revival that will progressively increase in the end-times until culminating by Yeshua’s return.

Second, Yeshua is coming as a Bridegroom with deep desire for relationship with His people.

Third, God’s people must go out to meet Him and make the necessary effort to position ourselves in worship, obedience, prayer, the Word, and fasting. In order to encounter Yeshua we must walk intimately with Him.

The wise took oil with their lamps. In other words, they pursued acquiring intimacy in their walk with God before anything else. Our relationship with Yeshua is to be the most important “dream of our heart.”

Give Us Your Oil: The foolish asked the wise to give them oil to “bolster” their diminishing intimacy and zeal towards the Lord. The wise understood their limitation, knowing that intimacy is not transferable. We must cultivate our own love walk with the Bridegroom.

The Bridegroom Came: Yeshua will come to His people in seasons of revival before He comes in the sky. The waves of the Holy Spirit’s activity will increase, leading to the fullness of the end-time revival.

Only those who were ready (Matthew 25:10) by engaging with the Bridegroom were called to participate in the wedding celebration.
A wedding feast might continue for seven evenings for wealthy families. Those closest to the married couple were invited to the first night and subsequently to the following nights.
I Do Not Know You: Because the unwise lack intimacy with God, they would not stand in the pressures of the Great Tribulation, and thus they fall away from the faith (2 Thessalonians 2:3; 1 Tim. 4:1-2).
Open To Us: Those without oil will miss their opportunity to be invited to the wedding feast. Doors will only be open to those with oil – an intimate relationship with God.
Watch: Yeshua’s advice is to watch and to develop intimacy with Him as our Bridegroom.

The Parable of the Talents – Matthew 25:14-30

In the Parable of the Talents, Yeshua encourages us to be faithful in our life and ministry assignments, even when it is hard. Yeshua, wants us to see the value of ministry even in small beginnings. In this parable, Yeshua defined what it means to be wise in stewarding our ministry.

Matthew. 25:23

^“You have been faithful over a few things; I will make you ruler over many…”

Teaching: Cultivating Intimacy With The Bridegroom – Mike Bickle – IHOP Kansas City – Please click HERE to view video.

Worship Experience: Kadosh – Entire CD w/ Paul Wilbur