A Bride Prepared
Introduction
From the very beginning,
Jesus Christ has made known to us His intention to marry a most
exquisite Bride. The marriage of the Lamb to His spouse will commence
the eternal covenant longed for by Jesus Christ from time immemorial.
From the days of Israel’s espousal in the wilderness (Jeremiah 2:2) up
until the marriage of the Lamb, Jesus Christ has loved His Bride-to-be
with a perfect love that surpasses anything we can remotely imagine
(Ephesians 3:19). Their wedding will be the most superb ceremony the
heavens and earth have ever witnessed. Though this may sound like a
dream or a fable, it is, in fact, a magnificent reality.
Brethren, we have only a
short time to prepare. Many of those who consider themselves to be a
part of the Church of God are not prepared to be the Bride of Jesus
Christ. The seventh doctrine of Jesus Christ is, “Go on to
perfection;” this is what the Bride must be doing (Hebrews 6:1-2).
It should go without saying
that Jesus is going to be extremely selective when taking His wife for
ever more. Though the world prefers to believe that Jesus accepts us in
our current condition –“just as you are”– it is obvious from the
Scriptures that His Bride will be arrayed in the purest white wedding
gown – symbolizing her perfect love for Him, her spotless spiritual
condition, and her eternal faithfulness in marriage.
Are we absolutely certain
that we meet that criteria – in other words, are we as ready and
prepared as we can possibly be? Anyone who assumes that they have
attained to the perfect measure of the stature of the fullness of
Christ, underestimates the supreme perfection of Jesus Christ
(Ephesians 4:13). To what degree of excellence must the Church brethren
attain in order to be ready?
When comparing the unity of
mind and heart within the marriage relationship to the bond of unity
that exists between Christ and the Church brethren, the apostle Paul
called it a great mystery. What is the significance of the wedding of
Jesus Christ to the Church? Who is the Bride? Remarkably, it is
revealed that not everyone will participate in the marriage supper.
Blessed are they who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!
What can we do to ensure that we will be invited to take part in
Christ’s wedding?
Prophetic Scriptures bring
to light the splendor of the ultimate nuptial ceremony. We do not wish
to miss out on the most splendid wedding of all time. What an
incredible truth that our Lord and Master has chosen to make us His Wife
by entering into an eternal pledge with us. Mere words fail to portray
the most glorious ceremony ever, which Christ has reserved for His Bride
alone. Divine music will reverberate across the heavens, and gleaming,
brilliance will illuminate the throne room, as the Bride is presented to
her Lord. She will be accepted by Him, adorned in her radiant white
silk wedding gown – and upon her head she will wear a beautiful
sparkling crown (Ezekiel 16:12).
We are Betrothed to Christ
Even now, we are engaged.
This is the only time of preparation for us to become a pure virgin
betrothed to Jesus Christ our Bridegroom. “I have espoused you to
one husband, so that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.”
(2 Corinthians 11:2) He is going to enter into an eternal new
covenant marriage relationship with spiritual Israel – the Church of God
– which will never be broken. “Behold, the days come, saith the
Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with
the house of Judah.” (Hebrews 8:8, Jeremiah 31:31-32)
“Let us be glad and
rejoice, and give honour to Him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come,
and His wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she
should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is
the righteousness of saints. And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are
they who are invited unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he said
unto me, these are the true sayings of God.” (Revelation 19:7-9)
The Church of God is not
ready for the wedding. The lack of concern and
respect of brothers and sisters in Christ for one another shows that we
have a ways to go. The split and scattered state of the Church attests
to the fact that the Bride of Christ is not yet prepared. After years
of Christian living sermons explaining how we must let our light shine
– the fruit of our lives is hardly
distinguishable from those in the world. We are not living according to
the rules of the Kingdom – now –
as we should be. If we did, we would be,
“A light to the world – and our
light would so shine before men… that they would be glorifying our
Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew
5:14-16) There are reasons that this is not happening. This booklet
describes what remains to be done by those who have been called and have
begun to follow through on God’s plan of salvation.
The True Sayings of God
When we read, “These are
the true sayings of God,” we are to understand this prophecy of the
marriage of the Lamb to be real and factual – not merely
allegorical. It is our purpose to demonstrate the validity and reality
of Christ’s words, and to alert the brethren to the critical need to
make themselves ready – His wife has made herself ready. Christ
has fulfilled His part, but the question remains – what part of the
Church is ready now? The readiness of the Bride is the very
thing we must be most concerned about because our eternal salvation is
at stake and depends on it.
What will the Bride of
Christ be like? How can she be spiritually pure? The Bride will be
arrayed in fine linen, clean and white – meaning that she will be an
innocent, virgin Bride. Jesus has done His part in washing His Bride to
make her righteous. She will be perfect and spotless – her attributes
matching Christ’s own perfection and glory – because He has made her
spiritually pure.
“Christ loves the
[Bride], and gave Himself for her; that He might sanctify and cleanse
her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to
Himself a glorious Church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such
thing; but that she should be holy and without blemish.” (Ephesians
5:25-27)
What an exceedingly
beautiful ceremony it will be for the select Bride who looks for
Christ’s coming. “The glorious Bridegroom will come; and [only]
those who were ready went in with Him to the marriage: and the door was
shut.” (Matthew 25:10) The reality of God’s promise will far
exceed the most sublime expectation of the Bride. We do not want to
miss out! Let us make ready, and ensure that we are among those whom
Jesus Christ will choose to be His Bride.
Chapter 1: Is the Bride Ready? |