The bride is going to be perfected before Christ's return: 'Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for it that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word, that He might present it to Himself as the glorious church, without spot or wrinkle or any such things, but that it should be holy and without blemish'. (Ephesians 5:25-27).

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Why is God taking 10 Days to accomplish this, the ultimate of God's will for the church? God has an elaborate plan to be rid of Satan and his evil hordes, and it will have to involve the perfected church (Revelation 12:5-11). God has been waiting for us!  It is mankind that has been unable to respond appropriately so God has had to mold his people in the furnace of affliction. Abraham would have dearly loved to be in this number, but the privilege is to be ours.

 

In Bible numerology, 10 is the number of testing to reveal the heart and true nature of men (people). The purpose of the 10 commandments was to demonstrate that this can only be accomplished by the Spirit of God not by any might of our flesh. Hence, it is by grace through the blood of the lamb.  Our surrender has to be voluntary and complete (Revelation 12:11).

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How can I be so confident about the time frame of world history? There is a comparable type in the scripture that runs in parallel (See the Christian Courier on biblical types). Abraham, called the Father of all who believe, sent his servant to Haran, the land of his beginnings, to find a bride for his son Isaac. Isaac was a type of the "Word of God" who prefigured Christ. The story of Abraham, taking Isaac to Mount Moriah for sacrifice, parallels the journey of Jesus from the Garden of Gethsemane to the cross and ultimately to His resurrection. God provided a ram before Abraham could plunge his knife into the submissive Isaac.

 

In the biblical record of Abraham finding a bride for Isaac, we see the type of the Father finding a bride for Christ through events that were actually lived out by the persons involved. Abraham's servant is a type of the Holy Spirit.

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'And the servant took ten camels of the camels of his master and departed. For all the goods of his master were in his hand. And he arose, and went to Mesopotamia, to the city of Nahor' (Genesis 24:10). The ten camels were used to identify and simultaneously to test the heart of Rebekah who was the bride to be. She was prepared to serve willingly and water all ten camels of her own accord.

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What else can be used to verify God's pattern and timing for the spiritual marriage of Jesus to His bride? We can point to one of the Feasts of Israel, the Feast of Tabernacles, which is the last of the three major feasts in Israel. Tabernacles was, and is, a very solemn occasion, but ends with joy and feasting on the harvest in booths. The Feast of Tabernacles is actually comprised of three 'Feasts' in one. Tabernacles is an overarching term. In contrast to Tabernacles, which has never been fulfilled in the church, the feasts of Passover and Pentecost were fulfilled literally on the day in the crucifixion of Christ and in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the 120 disciples in the upper room respectively (Acts Chapter 2).

 

Timing is absolutely crucial to God. Note the scripture that says: 'and when the Day of Pentecost had fully come'. God doesn't just act when He feels like it. He is following a pre-determined plan which was settled before the creation (1Peter 1:20). The last of the three Feasts is celebrated in the 7th month, the Feast of Tabernacles. This Feast has not been fulfilled in the church yet for obvious reasons; The Day of Atonement speaks of maturity, total purity and perfection achieved through the grace of God (KJ Conner, Feasts of Israel, Acacia Press, 1980).

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'Yom Kippur occurs on the 10th day of Tishri, the seventh month in the Hebrew calendar, and is the most solemn day in the whole religious year. ... It is significant that the cleansing of the Day of Atonement is preceded by the repentance of the Feast of Trumpets and is followed by the rejoicing of  the Feast of Tabernacles' (Wikipedia). The Messianic interpretation is from the time that the voices of sent messengers are raised in unison heralding the imminent 2nd coming of the Lord Jesus it will take 10 symbolic days to complete cleansing on the Day of Atonement. This day is called the Sabbath of Sabbaths. The ten days were provided by God for people to examine themselves and repent in preparation for their complete atonement. Remember that the bride of Christ will be without spot or blemish or any such things. She will be perfect in God's eyes. Then she will be comparable enough to Christ to be married to Him.

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The day of complete atonement is still ahead of us. Although we have been saved, there is a final touch still required - when we sense events signalling the approach of end-times. Jesus said: 'And when these things begin to happen then look up and lift up your heads for your redemption draws near.
(Luke 21:28). He spoke to those who were already Christians.

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The bride of Christ appears in Revelation 12:1 (V. Hall, An Introduction to Bible Prophecy, Visionone, 2014). Remembering that chapter divisions are a recent invention, the preceding verse is: 'And the temple of God was opened in Heaven, and there was seen in His temple the ark of His covenant, and there occurred lightnings and voices, and thunders, and an earthquake, and a great hail'. (Revelation 11:19). She comes forth as a result of His very presence revealed from heaven, the Ark of the Covenant in heaven. God has glorified her and crowned her with 12 stars. It is on the Day of Atonement, the symbolic one day in the history of Israel that a priest was allowed to enter beyond the veil, into the Holy of Holies, to sprinkle blood on the mercy seat between the cherubim on the Ark. The people waited outside and when the priest appeared from the Holy Place they knew that their sins, including their sins of ignorance, were forgiven. All of Israel was forgiven on that day together with restoration of their earthly goods at the end of the Feast.

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So, all of creation has had to wait for ten of God's Days to reveal the bride of Christ. This is comparable to the ten days that Jesus told the 500 believers to wait in Jerusalem to receive power from above. Of course, the realization that they only had to wait for ten days didn't dawn upon them until much later. God doesn't tell us everything at once because He is always testing hearts, which we can also gather from the parable of the ten virgins:

 

'Then shall the kingdom of Heaven be likened to ten virgins, who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. The foolish ones took their lamps, but took no oil with them. But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made, "Behold, the bridegroom comes! Go out to meet him". Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, "Give us some of your oil for our lamps have gone out". But the wise answered, saying, "No, lest there be not enough for us and you. But rather go to those who sell and buy for yourselves". And while they went to buy the bridegroom came. And they who were ready went in with him to the marriage, and the door was shut. Afterwards, the other virgins came also saying, "Lord, Lord, open to us". But he answered and said, "Truly I say to you, I do not know you". Therefore watch, for you do not know either the day or the hour in which the Son of Man comes' (Matthew 25:1-13). This is why we need to wait on the voice of the Spirit: 'The glory of God is to hide a thing, but the honour of kings is to search out a matter' (Proverbs 25:2). God does not hide things forever. There is a time for revelation and illumination to come, in God's timing.
 

So how many received power from on high by waiting? Only 120 on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 1:15). Where were the others? The 120 present signifies that these were ones who had come to the end of themselves - see the significance of the number 120 and the Day of Atonement on this website (the Age of the Earth and Solomon's Temple).

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My point is this: The time-chart is harmonious with the scriptures and with bible numerology. Therefore' we can be confident by faith that Christ will return to claim His bride at the end of the 16th day of world history. Therefore, add approximately 37 years (4 + 33 years of the ministry of Jesus) to 2000AD to get a ball-park figure since no one will know the exact timing. But He will reveal to us the season of His coming. He did it also at His first advent to two old people who ended up prophesying over baby Jesus when He was brought to the Temple (Luke 2:22-38). If you are close to Him in your daily walk don't glibly shrug your shoulders pleading ignorance, as many Christians do, by quoting Matthew 24:36, 'But of that day and hour no one knows, no, not the angels of Heaven, but only My Father'.
 

Two video presentations by Pastor Derek Walker of Oxford Bible Church, UK, strongly support the time frame of world history as I have proposed:

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