Approaching
eighty-five years of age, Mrs. Wells finally decided it was time to give up her
home in North Carolina and move to Miami
Mrs.
Wells sure knew how to plan for the future.
She was convinced the Lord could call her home at any minute. Maybe that’s something the Church should
learn as well. Maybe we need to realize our time on this earth could be rather
short.
When
your Bible uses the word “Church,” it is not talking about a building; a
building is not the Church. The Apostle
Peter once described the Church as God’s very own possession; chosen people who
have become “Royal Priests” in God’s holy nation (1 Peter 2:9). The Apostle Paul described the Church as “The
body of Christ” (Ephesians 1:23), while the Apostle John described the Church
as the “Children of God” (1 John 3:1).
So, when we speak of the Church, we are talking about individuals who
have a special relationship with Jesus. The
Church is made up of those who trust in Jesus to forgive their sin. In this way, even “Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners.” This is the Good News preached by the
apostles. Those who used to be far away
from God, “come to the Father through the same Holy
Spirit because of what Christ has done. [We] are citizens along
with all of God’s holy people. [we] are members of God’s family. 20 Together,
we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And
the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. 21 We are carefully
joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. 22 Through
him, Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling where God lives by his
Spirit”[1] (Ephesians
2:18-22).
The
Church is not a building; the Church is men, women, and children from all over
this world who have been reborn because of their faith in Jesus. AND, according to the angels in Heaven, this
gives the Church a special relationship with Jesus. In the middle of Revelation 19, thousands of
voices make two significant announcements.
The first is to describe the Church as “The Bride of Christ.” And the second is to announce the time for
the “Wedding Feast” was about to begin.
6 Then I heard again what
sounded like the shout of a vast crowd or the roar of mighty ocean waves or the
crash of loud thunder: “Praise the Lord! For the Lord our God, the Almighty,
reigns. 7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and let us give honor to
him. For the time has come for the wedding feast of the Lamb, and his bride has
prepared herself. 8 She
has been given the finest of pure white linen to wear.” For the fine linen
represents the good deeds of God’s holy people.
9 And the angel said to
me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the
Lamb.” And he added, “These are true words that come from God.” 10 Then
I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said, “No, don’t worship me. I
am a servant of God, just like you and your brothers and sisters who testify
about their faith in Jesus. Worship only God. For the essence of prophecy is to
give a clear witness for Jesus.”
[2]
There it is. These voices describe a special relationship
some people have with Jesus; these people are called “The Bride.” For this reason, the Apostle Paul calls the
Church to be a “pure bride to one husband—Christ”[3]
(2 Corinthians 11:2). As the Church,
believers must be faithful to Jesus, and not allow themselves to be distracted.
The second thing announced by
these angels is that the time had come for the Wedding Feast to begin. But what does that term mean? What exactly is the “Wedding Feast?” Well, it’s not just some cute expression; the
voices of these angels teach us what awaits the Church in the future.
Weddings in New Testament times
were quite different from today. In the Jewish culture of that time, couples
were “engaged” to one another at a young age.
Their parents would agree that when the children matured, they would be
joined in marriage. So, when the time
was right, the groom would come to the bride’s house and take her back to his
place where the invited guests would celebrate a “wedding feast.” And sometimes that celebration would last an
entire week.
Since the Church has been called
the “Bride of Christ,” and Jesus is the “groom,” this wedding feast points to
the time when the Bride and the Groom arrive and celebrate their marriage with
all the invited guests. It’s kind of
like a “wedding reception;” the ceremony is over, and the guests are waiting in
the banquet hall for the couple to arrive.
Putting this in terms we can understand today, this means that one day,
Jesus is going to arrive and take the Church to be His bride – that is what is
called the “Rapture” of the Church.
Right now, we are awaiting His arrival; as we wait, Christians are to
remain faithful until the time comes when all things are ready.
When Jesus does come for the Church, He and His bride will then
begin their journey to the place where the Wedding Feast is planned. In the timeline
of Revelation, it will apparently take 7 years for the Groom and His Bride to
arrive. This is why Jesus told the
parable of the Ten Bridesmaids in Matthew 25.
He warns the Jews that when He takes His bride - the church - they are
to be alert and ready for His arrival.
This image of a “Wedding Feast”
was extremely powerful to John. What he realized is that the future of the
Church is much more than merely living in a mansion with Jesus. Christians become the Bride of Christ, and they
will have a place of honor during the 1,000-year earthly reign of Jesus. Yes, the Church will be honored during the earthly
reign of Christ. You see, the Bride does
not need to be invited to the
banquet; she has a place of honor beside the Groom. So, as the
Lord Jesus takes His place inside the new Temple, His bride will be by His
side; the Church will reign with Christ while the invited guests celebrate
their union[4]
(these are probably Old Testament saints, believers who came to Christ during
the Tribulation, and Jews who are still alive at this time).
Like John, I can scarcely
comprehend such honor. Imagine the
scene; Jesus has just conquered the vast armies of the earth. He casts out the Antichrist and the False
Prophet. He rescues Israel. Jews who have survived the Tribulation period
finally fall at the feet of Jesus in worship (Zechariah 12:10). The people of the world who have survived the
earthly judgments of God will confess
that Jesus is indeed Lord. And while all this is happening, the Church
will be by His side.
Who could have possibly imagined
that the Lord Jesus would give us such a place of honor; to rule beside Him
during His 1,000-year millennial reign?
But this is what the voices from the throne seem to imply. You and I are the Church – the Bride of
Christ. And the Lord will give us a seat
of honor by His side.
Of course, this will happen one
day in the future. For now, we are still in the “betrothal”
period. Currently, the Church is still
here on the earth awaiting the arrival of the Groom – the Lord Jesus. For this reason, we must remain
faithful. We must not give our love or
attention to anyone or anything else. We
must dress ourselves in fine linen by
loving, building, and nurturing this
community for Christ.
Since the groom could come at any
moment, we Christians must “be careful how [we] live. Don’t live like fools, but like
those who are wise. 16 Make the most of every opportunity in
these evil days. 17 Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand
what the Lord wants [us] to do[5] (Ephesians 5:15-17). We should, “Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every
opportunity. 6 Let [our] conversation be gracious and
attractive so that [we] will have the right response for everyone”[6]
(Colossians 4:5-6). In other words, as
the Bride of Christ, we must be living in anticipation of the moment when Jesus
comes to take us home. We must take
advantage of every opportunity we have to serve our Lord. We need to be living as if today is our last opportunity to make a
difference in this world; tomorrow may be too late.
[1] Tyndale House Publishers.
(2013). Holy Bible: New Living Translation
(Eph 2:19–22). Carol Stream, IL.
[2] Tyndale House Publishers.
(2007). Holy Bible: New Living Translation
(3rd ed., Re 19:6–10). Carol Stream, IL.
[3] Tyndale House Publishers.
(2013). Holy Bible: New Living Translation
(2 Co 11:2). Carol Stream, IL.
[4] Here the church, described as a bride, will be attended by angels and
by saints who are distinct from the bride - Walvoord, J. F. (1985). Revelation. In J. F. Walvoord & R.
B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge
Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 975). Wheaton, IL:
Victor Books.
[5] Tyndale House Publishers.
(2013). Holy Bible: New Living Translation
(Eph 5:15–17). Carol Stream, IL.
[6] Tyndale House Publishers.
(2013). Holy Bible: New Living Translation
(Col 4:5–6). Carol Stream, IL.
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