A Beautiful Bride! Part 1

For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth...Eph 5:9

A Beautiful Bride! Part 1

A woman's beauty is unsurpassed on her wedding day. Likewise, the church will be beautiful beyond description at her marriage supper.

The wedding is a special moment for the groom. Friends try to joke with him, but he does not laugh as he normally does. He might not even hear what they say. His focus is on this special event and on the special one who is also preparing herself.

Oddly a group approaches the groom and his bride, ignoring the bride, they attempt to position themselves between the groom and the bride. They start to put down the bride. They announce that they came only to see the groom, believing that it is not necessary to associate with the bride. All the friendship they need, they claim, they get from the groom. They attempt to make future plans with the groom, but do not want the bride present. However, what God has joined together, let no man separate!

There is a great marriage supper coming. Do not attempt to exclude the bride. If you want the bride excluded, the groom will exclude you, because He adores His Beautiful Bride. He even sacrificed greatly for her.

Consider the fourth of seven beatitudes in the book of Revelation. “And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, "Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns!" (Rev.19:6). How does the voice of a great multitude sound? The sound was like many waters. Obviously not still waters, but rushing, moving or falling waters. It was loud. The sound was like mighty thunderings. You know how thunder can sound. In this case, there is more than one boom or crack; there are many.

This is an awesome sound, almost frightening. The multitude announces, “Praise the Lord,” which is what alleluia means. Why should we praise the Lord? The Lord God Almighty reigns! This multitude has another announcement, “Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready" (Rev. 19:7). It is time for celebrating, for rejoicing and for giving God glory. Two additional reasons are given for this celebration. 1. The marriage of the Lamb has come. 2. His wife has made herself ready. How has she made herself ready?

Verse 8 answers that question, “And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints” (Rev. 19:8).

Like any woman on her wedding day, she wears the finest garment. Much care goes into what she wears. These things were granted to her, implying that Someone else paid the bill. If you have ever paid for a wedding, you know the significance of this! By the way, does it not seem that the Father of the groom is paying for what we see in Revelation 19? Some of the other passages later in this article show the same thing!

John says in Revelation 19:8 that the Bride’s garment is clean and bright. Has any bride arrayed herself in dirty linen? Not only is the linen clean, it is bright or white, showing the purity of her life. What was the material of this linen? Silk? Satin? It is the righteous acts of the saints. The linen is not the saints, but what they do and what they do is beautiful.

Think of it this way. Are you not impressed with a congregation that is filled with good works? Matthew 5 shows that is the response. Have you not seen congregations that are sound in teaching, but dead in righteous acts? What did you think? Have you not seen congregations that are sound in teaching and filled with righteous acts? What did you think? “Let your light so shine before men,” Jesus said, “that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Mat. 5:16).

This is similar to what is happening in Revelation 19. To be the Bride of Christ, to be at this wedding, to have part in the fine linen, to be in heaven, one must be a saint. Some Christians say, “Well, I’m no saint.” Oh, yes you are. You better hope that you are. Despite the claims of man-made religions, the Bible defines a saint as a child of God (Rom 1:7).

Then He said to me, “Write: 'Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!...’” (Rev. 19:9a). I think that I can say with all confidence that we have never been to a wedding reception like this. In 1989, I performed the wedding for the daughter of a well-known businessman. Her dress I am sure was at least $2,000 even in 1989.

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