Revelation 19:1-10
What a change in tone as we move into Revelation 19:1-10. Now that "Babylon" has been destroyed, the mood becomes one of rejoicing because the King is coming. I found myself getting more and more excited as I read through these verses just trying to imagine this incredible scene. We've seen quite a bit of worship and praise up to this point, but now we get to the marriage supper of the Lamb. Think about it. As followers of Christ today, we'll be right in the middle of it all. I can't wait.
"'Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.' And he said to me, 'These are the true words of God'"(vs. 9).
What does being the Bride of Christ mean for you today? How can we use the knowledge that we will be part of this marriage feast to motivate us in the here and now? Tami W.
As the Bride of Christ, I interpret that to mean that we are among His chosen ones and as Christians must prepare/be ready. We must always be on the 'look out' (via Bible reading, prayer, and worship) and live worthy of feasting at His table. I recall the parable in Matthew 25 of the Ten Virgins and I want to be ready by having the lamp of my life shine on others and never running empty on the love of Jesus because He is coming back to rescue those who follow Him.
Being the bride of Christ means that I am special and chosen. It is vindication for following the instructions of God which are in the Bible, it is as Paul said, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing" 2 Ti 4:7-8. The simile to a race winner is appropriate, the laurels of victory are awarded, but in this case all believers are winners. All believers are special. We all wear fine linen, bright and clean. We are all fellow servants who hold to Jesus' testimony.
well call me old fashioned but i see a bride as a virgin . pure . through the blood of Christ we will have no sin . but i want to be presented to him as pure as possible knowing i need His Spirit to help me. my faith is in the Lord and salvation through believing that Jesus died for my sin . but my part is to remain pure and holy to Him and present myself to Him in that way. Revelation 14:4
"These are those who did not defile themselves with women, for they kept themselves pure. They follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They were purchased from among men and offered as firstfruits to God and the Lamb."2 Corinthians 11:2
"I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him." Phillipians 2"14Do everything without complaining or arguing, 15so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe"
I remember the preparation required before my wife and I were married. We made a lot of decisions such as assembling the list of people who would join us in the celebration and sending them formal invitations. We went through premarital counseling to perform self-evaluation to make sure that we were ourselves ready and fit to embark on the journey of a lifetime together. I remember my wife picked out the most beautiful gown she could find and had her hair and makeup done to accentuate her God given beauty. I also remember receiving the replies to our invitations and as expected, with all the people I invited many were not able to join us in this happy occasion because of the distance to our ceremony.
I believe the preparation that it took for us to have a successful wedding and marriage, which while it was imperative, does not compare with the preparation that we as Christians have to see Jesus at this feast. Just as we went through premarital counseling and continue to prioritize communication, I must continually seek God’s face in prayer and in His Word so that we can grow closer to Him through Holy Spirit in me. In the renewing of my mind and obedience to His word I become beautiful and pleasing to Him. Seeking God’s face in reading the bible daily helps me to do a daily self-evaluation on where my life and actions compare to where He is calling me to be so that I are ready for Him. Jesus has invited all mankind to repent of their sins and accept His redemption through His death, burial and resurrection (all mankind is invited to this feast). And we are commissioned by Jesus to spread His gospel throughout the earth(Matt 28:18-20), so to some people I become a formal invitation to Christ; however, sadly similar to my wedding invitation responses, all the people I invite are not going to accept Christ. Nevertheless, this should not be an excuse for me to not continually invite everyone I come in contact with to accept and let Christ be the Lord of their life. The passage is motivation to me to draw closer to God, walk in the Holy Spirit and to invite all that I can to Christ. Where the marriage here on earth will end at death, our joyful marriage with Christ will last in eternity.
The first thing called to my mind regarding marriage and becoming the bride of Christ, is the call to commitment, faithfulness and, of course, love.
No marriage should take place without these characteristics. Often they do take place without these, but failure is inevitable. Without saving faith, and (thankfully) Jesus knows who has received this, there will be no marriage for us, either. This marriage is the one we do NOT want to miss!
I enjoyed all your comments so far. I believe Christ has called us to purify ourselves by following his laws, statues and commandments. I believe He leads us in just that once we accept Christ as our LORD and savior. And if we continue to seek HIM, He will lead us in purifying ourself to become the bride of Christ. Oh how wonderful. leo f, I believe you are one of the 144,000 very elect who will worship GOD for all eternity. I will keep you in prayer. I know it says that those undefiled with women will be beheaded in this life. Thank God for the resurrection. Oh there are so many ways Christ saves and how great is that. Thank you for listening and sharing. I truly enjoy P4. Janice
Being the bride of Christ is incomprehensible to me. It is wonderful and makes me want to live each day with Christ. It is such a motivation to look forward to, that I just do not want to mess up and for me not to do that I have to walk, talk and be in His Word everyday -obeying Him and sharing His Word with others. Although it is a great responsibility I know that He will be my guide. I personally know I cannot do it without Him and I also pray for your prayers.
May Jesus be in our hearts and may we continue to pray for each other and our families and friends because Jesus' Second Coming is not a myth it is sure. We just do not know the day or time. What a day of rejicing it will be for us.
It is uplifting to read all your comments. Please keep P by 4 alive.