THE BRIDE OF CHRIST
“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.” (Revelation 19:7).
“And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables,
and said, The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a
marriage for his son, and sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden
to the wedding: and they would not
come.” (Matthew 22:1-3).
Scripture has much to say about the Bride of Christ and
the Marriage of the Lamb. It also gives
us a clear indication of just who this Bride is, and what qualifies her for
this highly favored calling.
The king in the parable quoted above is God almighty,
and His Son, the groom, is the Lord Jesus Christ. The wedding guests are those who are called
to be heirs of salvation - the Church. The
bride is not mentioned directly in this parable, but her presence is assumed
because it is a wedding feast. She is separate from the guests, and takes
center stage, along with the Groom Himself.
She is described in many places throughout scripture. The Bride is not a single individual, but a
collective body of believers who have made themselves ready spiritually, as
opposed to those who have done nothing to purify themselves for Christ, the
Bridegroom. Jesus refers to this latter
group as those who were bidden to the wedding, but “would not come.” Every
believer in Christ has the potential to be the Bride of Christ, but there is a
purification process that is life-long which each one must go through, and many
are unwilling to endure. Jesus said, “Many are called, but few are chosen.”
(Matthew 22:14). This refers as much to the
Bride class as it does to individual salvation.
The Apostle Paul admonishes us to, “Cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of
the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” (2
Corinthians 7:1). This should be the
goal of every believer. It is God’s
intention to transform us into the image of His Son, but we must be willing participants in this work. God does not change anyone against their
will!
Scripture describes the Bride in many ways. She is “arrayed
in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of
saints.” (Revelation 19:8). It is
she who scripture describes as being “all
glorious within,” (Psalms 45:13) revealing the beauty of her character,
as opposed to being merely beautiful to look at outwardly. The Lord refers to her in The Song of Solomon
as “all fair,” “undefiled,” and
having “no spot.” He calls her His sister, and spouse. Also, in chapter 6, verses 8 and 9 of that
same book we are told, “There are
threescore queens, and fourscore concubines, and virgins without number. My
dove, My undefiled is but one; she is the only one of her mother, she
is the choice one of her that bare her.
The daughters saw her, and blessed her; yea, the queens and the
concubines, and they praised her.”
That this bride will hold a prominent position in the
Kingdom of Heaven is evident. After all,
she is the queen, the King's wife. In
such a position, she will have power with the King, and will rule and reign
with Him (See 2 Timothy 2:12; Revelation 5:10).
Jesus said, “To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with Me in My throne,
even as I also overcame, and am set down with My Father in His throne.”
(Revelations 3:21). Many believe that
every Christian will receive the same reward in heaven. They will all rule with Christ regardless of
what they have done with God’s great gift of grace in this life. This could not be further from the truth and
is a dangerous error. Paul said, “We then...beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.”
(2 Corinthians 6:1). Many of God’s
promises are restricted to “…him that
overcometh.” The Parable of the
Talents also indicates that there will be varying rewards given in heaven
according to our faithfulness in using what God has so freely given us (ruler
over ten cities, ruler over five cities, or cast into outer darkness). Paul gives us a sobering warning in 1
Corinthians saying, “Every man’s work
shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be
revealed by fire; and the fire shall
try every man’s work of what sort it is. If
any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a
reward. If any man’s work shall be
burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.”
(See 1 Corinthians 3:9-15). Even the
Apostle himself described his walk as ever reaching for a higher place in God: “I press toward the mark for the prize of
the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”
(Philippians 3:14).
Consider the following verses:
·
“And, behold, I come quickly; and My reward is with Me, to give every man according as his work
shall be.” (Revelation 22:12).
·
“Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own
reward according to his own labour.”
(1 Corinthians 3:8).
·
“For the Son of man shall come in the glory of His Father
with His angels; and then He shall
reward every man according to his works.” (Matthew 16:27).
·
“Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of
them: otherwise ye have no reward of
your Father which is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:1).
Down through history, God has sent prophets and holy
men to invite those who were bidden to the wedding of His Son. Many more refused this honor than accepted
it, and chose, instead, paths of dishonor.
The Jews repeatedly rejected God’s invitation, and accounted themselves
unworthy of eternal life. Only a remnant
believed and found grace. Many who have
called themselves Christians have likewise refused to follow in Jesus’
footsteps. Like the man that Jesus spoke
of who began to construct a tower but would not commit the resources necessary
to finish it, so are those who accept God’s call, but will not deny themselves,
take up their cross, and follow the Lord.
Jesus said of such a one, “He cannot be My disciple.”
(Luke 14:27-30, 33). For this reason,
God has sent His messengers into the highways and the byways to call strangers
to the marriage “both bad and good,” Jews
and Gentiles, because those who were first called had chosen their own
interests above the call to come. The
word says, “...they made light of it, and
went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise.” (Matthew
22:5). Man has many distractions which
take his eyes off of the One Who is calling him and died for him. The Gospel is a Pearl of Great Price, but too
many treat it as if it were cheap costume jewelry.
The Lord understands that we can’t qualify for such a
high calling based on our own merits.
Therefore, He cleanses us with His own blood (a powerful cleansing
agent), and adorns us with “wedding
garments” of His own righteousness like clean white robes (See Matthew 22:8-14). Charles Spurgeon
wrote, “It [was]
the custom in the East for a king to provide robes for his guests; therefore this wedding garment was a
sign of grace, freely given and received.” We cannot count ourselves worthy to attend
the Wedding of the Lamb based on our own works; it must be by grace through
faith! The Lord takes from us our filthy
garments of sin and selfishness, and replaces them with His own purity. Oh, the fathomless love of God toward those
who treasure His gift of grace!
One of the richest stories in the Old Testament is the
story of Esther, wife of Ahasuerus the ruler of Persia. It reveals many of the elements of end time
events relating to the Bride of Christ, the Great Whore, the work of the Holy
Spirit on behalf of God’s elect, and Satan’s war on the saints and his final
defeat. In this story we see types and
shadows of all the main players who will take center stage in the events that
will unfold at the end of this age. King
Ahasuerus is a type of Jesus Christ, the King of kings. Vashti, his first queen, represents the Great
Whore of St. John’s Revelation. Esther
is a type of the Bride of Christ, and Mordecai, her cousin, the Holy
Spirit. Haman is representative of the
devil. As you read the story with this
understanding, it is breathtaking how relevant it becomes to this Church age
that we are living in.
In the first chapter of Esther, we read of Queen Vashti
who refused to respond to King Ahasuerus’ bidding to come and join him at his
banquet so that he could show her off.
She was ultimately cast out of her favored position. She was very beautiful outwardly; but
inwardly she was self-willed, stubborn, and disobedient. Though
she was queen, her husband was still her sovereign lord and was to be
obeyed. Anything less was rebellion and
reflected on the king’s ability to rule.
Such rebellion could incite defiance from other ladies within the
kingdom. The king’s advisors suggested
that the queen had not only transgressed against him, but also against all of
the princes and people throughout the kingdom.
That rebellious example was seen by all the other wives within the
realm. Their council was that Vashti be
removed altogether, and not be allowed to appear before the king ever
again. Her position as queen was to be
given to “…another that is better than she.” (Esther 1:10-19).
As we mentioned, Vashti is a type and shadow of the
Great Whore of Revelation chapters seventeen and eighteen. The picture that we are given in those
chapters is of a woman who, like Vashti, was once favored by the King, but then
became rebellious, backslidden, apostate, and unfaithful. She was ultimately rejected by Him.
This woman possesses an outward beauty that draws many
men to her. It is written that she “sitteth on many waters,” meaning many
people. “The waters…where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and
nations, and tongues.” (Revelation 17:15).
Therefore, her influence is universal, and her reach is great. She wields great power and control over whole
nations, and people of different tongues and cultures.
The Great Whore will hide behind the trappings of
religion and promote herself as godly in character, but she has had a love
affair with the world – that is, the world system - for many centuries. She strayed from the precepts of truth and
embraced idols and doctrines of devils instead.
“Ye adulterers and
adulteresses, know ye not that the
friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of
God.” (James 4:4).
We can easily track her descent into heresy with a
simple review of church history.
Consider how, in a few short centuries, the Church went from being
persecuted and martyred for her piety and faith to orchestrating inquisitions
that persecuted and martyred those believers who would not bow the knee or
confess them as the only true church and her potentates as the voice of God on
earth! She is described as drunk with
the blood of the martyrs of Jesus, and she is “full
of abominations and filthiness of her fornication.” She rides upon the Beast,
the Antichrist, who will make war against the saints of God in the last
days. She proved to be self-willed
because she, like Vashti, would not submit herself to her Lord and King.
For this reason, God is searching for one who is better
than her to take her place. No matter
how fair a face we may exhibit to the world, or how religious we appear to men,
it is still our obedience to our Savior and King that commends us to God. God is not looking for the called and chosen
only - but the called, chosen, and faithful. “He is
Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with Him are called, and
chosen, and faithful.” (Revelation 17:14).
Jesus condemned the religious leaders of His day for carefully looking
righteous on the outside while being full of filth on the inside. He said they were like whitened sepulchers
that appeared beautiful on the exterior, but inside were full of dead bones.
There is a lot that I could say about this woman who
John describes as the Great Whore, but I will save that for another message and
another day. Suffice it to say that
there is in the world today a system that has grown up having a form of
godliness, but which denies the very power of God. She is the antithesis of the True Church and
yet poses as the queen of heaven. The
spirit of the antichrist is already manifest in her assemblies, and she has
worshipped at the altar of wealth and power.
God will reject her, and He will eventually bring her to judgment for
her unfaithfulness. The
Great Whore is the devil’s counterfeit of the Bride of Christ, the true Church
of Jesus Christ. She disguises herself
in a cloak of religion and uses the name of the Lord to try to legitimize her
works, but it is the prince of the power of darkness who is pulling the strings
behind the scenes. Jesus warned of this
when He said, “Many shall come in My
name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.” (Matthew 24:5).
After Vashti was put away, the councilors of King
Ahasuerus suggested that young ladies from every province in the empire be
gathered together at the king’s palace at Shushan and placed under the
supervision of Hege, the king’s chamberlain, to go through a period of
purification (Esther 2:1-4). The king
would then select one of them to be his bride and queen. The qualifications for the young ladies were
simply that they be fair, young, and virgins.
The most important factor that would determine the selection of a new
queen, however, was that she please the king!
It is essential for believers to learn to please
God! Faith is the one key element that
we must have if we are to please Him.
Scripture tells us that without it “…it
is impossible to please Him.”
(Hebrews 11:6). It is important that we
have an inner beauty of character and are virgins in the sense that we have not
been defiled by the doctrines of men and by the lusts of the flesh. Our beauty and our purity is just a
by-product of our relationship with Christ Jesus. Once we receive Him, and learn to walk in Him by faith, the Lord will
purge us from all past defilements. This
is part of our purification
process. We are cleansed from our past
sins, and we are given power through Christ to overcome the temptations of the
flesh as we follow Him.
Esther is said to have “neither father nor mother,” for they both had died when she was
younger. Mordecai, her older cousin,
took her in and raised her as his own daughter. Mordecai is a type of the Holy Spirit. In the story we find him never too far from
Esther, and always there to council, guide, and comfort her through the
difficult decisions of her life.
Mordecai was always there for Esther just as the Holy Spirit is always
there for us, comforting, teaching, and guiding us through this life. “And
Mordecai walked every day before the court of the women’s house, to know how Esther did, and what should
become of her.” (Esther 2:11).
What tender care God has for His
children as well! He is always there for
us, and He is never far off!
Esther accomplished twelve months of purification
before she was allowed to appear before the king. If the virgins were not purified, then they
could not appear before the king to be considered for his bride. We must also go through a purification
process. “And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as He [Christ] is pure.” (1 John 3:2, 3). This purification that we go through as we
walk with the Lord is a process. His
Spirit trains us, chastens us, and comforts us in the things of God as He
fashions us into the image of our Savior.
“Whom shall He [God] teach knowledge? and whom shall He make to
understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the
breasts. For precept must be upon
precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little,
and there a little.” (Isaiah 28:9, 10).
This process takes time – so be patient!
God knows what He is about.
In the end, King Asasuerus loved Esther above all
of the other fair, young maidens. He
chose her to be his queen. To celebrate,
the king threw a great feast and released everyone in all the provinces from
working during the feast, and he also gave many gifts. Even though Esther was now queen over the
Medes and the Persians, she did not forget her roots, or become proud and
independent. Scripture says, “Esther
did the commandment of Mordecai, like as when she was brought up with him.”
(Esther 2:20). No matter how God may
bless us or our ministry, we must remain humble, giving glory to God for any
success in life, and always remain obedient to the
Holy Spirit’s direction.
The story of Esther does not end here, but goes on to
tell of Haman who sought to destroy all of the Jewish people out of the
kingdom. God wonderfully delivers the
Jews because of Esther’s intercession and Mordecai’s guidance. Haman is,
himself, brought to judgment. There is
much that can be said of this portion of the story. It reveals Satan’s hatred for the people of
God, and the effort that he will put forth in the last days to destroy
them. God will, however, bring
destruction upon Satan and deliver His people through the intercession of the
Bride. Yes, the Bride will have a great
work to accomplish in the end times. No
wonder she must be holy and pure before the Lord in order to be worthy of such
a ministry. It is noteworthy that in order
to deliver her people, Esther had to place her own life in jeopardy. As Paul reminds us, “...we which live are alway
delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal
flesh.” (2 Corinthians 4:11).
The small sacrifices we make for Christ’s sake make it possible for
others to see Jesus’ life in us.
Those whom Christ chooses as His Bride will not be
aware of their selection beforehand. It
is the Lord Who chooses us; it is not we who choose Him. We will likely never know until, and if, it
happens. Instead, like the Apostle Paul, we will never feel that we have
attained, or apprehended that high calling.
We will simply keep reaching for the mark, striving to become more like
Jesus, and seeking to please and honor Him with our lives and our example. Paul said, “Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but
I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of
Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing
I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those
things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high
calling of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:12-14). Those who are invited to the Marriage of the Lamb will be considered blessed indeed. “And he
saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage
supper of the Lamb.” (Revelation 19:9).
Therefore, as wise virgins, we need to always be ready for the Lord’s
call and have our lamps trimmed and full of oil.
"And after these things I heard a great voice of much
people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and
power, unto the Lord our God: For true and righteous are His judgments: for He hath judged the great whore,
which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of
His servants at her hand...And I heard as it were the voice of a great
multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty
thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. 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 which are called unto
the marriage supper of the Lamb.
And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God." (Revelation 19:1, 2, 6-9).
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