12/04/2017
The Bride Of Christ
2 cor 11:2. For I have betrothed you to one husband that I may present you as a
chaste virgin to Christ
Rev 19:7,8. The marriage of the Lamb has come and his wife has made herself ready 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.
when we read the first verse we will have the hope that we are going to be his bride, and of course it is our ultimate goal too.
When we read the second verse we have some responsibilities to make ourselves ready to attain that goal, and also need the righteous acts by which the Lord will grant us the wedding robe the fine linen clean and bright to be arrayed. Before we seek what is the righteous acts which compel God to grant the fine linen to us to be arrayed; we need to understand to whom He granted to be arrayed.When we comes in the 7 chapter of Rev verse 13 one of the elder asked John "Who are these arrayed in white robs and where did they come from", and he himself gave its answer that "These are the ones who came out of the great tribulation". To recognize them more clearly we need to go back to the Sixth chapter verse 9-11 there we can see the souls of the martyrs and to them He gives the White robe and also said to them that they should rest a little while longer until both the number of their fellow servants and the brethren who would be killed as they were was completed. Here we can see an Amazing fact
that there are multitudes of saints who are dead in Christ from Adam to the initial stage of the tribulation period are in the resting place; but only the souls of
the martyrs are seen under the alter and God chooses them to give the white Robe.
"The rest of the dead" did not get that White robe. And as God said to the souls
of the Martyrs; many more killed up to the mid part of the tribulation period
and the number was completed and they also joined with them and got their white robe and they altogether came to the throne of God and worshiped God. To get the clear vision of the bride we need to go further in Rev 15; there-after the seventh trumpet (11:15) which is the last trumpet (1 cor 15:51,52), the mistry of the God has finished (10:7), the harvest reaped (14:15), those who are alive and remain (1 thes 4:17) in the tribulation period, and have victory over the beast and his mark; caught up together with the dead in Christ before the throne of God (15:2); and arrayed in fine linen and altogether come with Christ (19:14) to the earth for the purpose of thousand years reign. Here the word of God calls this group of saints-who are arrayed in fine linen white robe; who are dead in Christ and alive and remain, who are martyrs and goes through the sufferings of the great tribulation-"HIS WIFE" or the bride of Christ. And further more the word of God confirmed it again in the 20 Chapter it says in verse 4 "The souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God (Dead in Christ), and who had not worshiped the Beast or his image and had not received the mark on their foreheads or on their hand (alive and remain in the tribulation period), they lived and reigned with Christ for a 1000 years. But the "Rest of the dead" (separated from the martyrs) did not live again until the 1000 years were finished. Here the word of God also calls them "Kings And Priest". Since he is the King of Kings but lay down his life to the nations (1 John 3:16), he chooses them those who laid down their life for the sake of the kingdom of God to be the Kings and counted them worthy to reign with him for 1000 years (also the tribulation period saints who are more than martyrs) (20:4).
Since He is the high priest but surrender His body to the alter, He chooses
those who surrendered their body to the alter (6:9) as a living sacrifice,
holy ,acceptable to God to be the priest with him for 1000 years. Since the
"LAMB" is the slain-ed one, He chooses the slain-ed ones (and are willing
to be slain-ed in the great tribulation) to be "HIS WIFE" and gives them
the white robe fine linen clean and bright to be arrayed and counted them worthy
to be his bride. By his everlasting love and grace he gives a chance to everyone to become his bride, but he chooses them those who are willing to pay the price to become his bride and counted them worthy to be arrayed in fine linen.
"Many are called but few are chosen". May God give grace to all of us to pay
the price, "Make ourselves ready" and have the righteous acts which compel
the bridegroom to grant us the fine linen to be arrayed Amen.
