Jesus Christ will marry the church when he returns to set up the Kingdom of God. He loved the church and gave himself for it as recorded in Ephesians 5:25-27:
"25Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; 26That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 27That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish." (KJV)
Yes, Jesus Christ wants his church to be a glorious church without any spots, wrinkles, or blemishes. He will marry the church. He wants his bride the Church of God to be holy.
Spots
What are spots? Spots are our sins. Sin is the transgression of the law of God (I John 3:4). We must ask God to remove our spots and do our part to prevent any future spots.
Linen does not come with spots. However, sin easily besets us. We must strive with God’s help to become blameless and without spot.
Wrinkles
What do wrinkles represent? Wrinkles represent our character flaws. The wrinkles must be removed from our garment if we are to attend the marriage supper of the Lamb.
The Marriage Supper of the Lamb
Revelation 19:6-9 describes how the wife of Jesus Christ, which is the Church of God, has made herself ready for the marriage supper of the Lamb:
"6And 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. 7Let 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. 8And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. 9And 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." (KJV)
All of our righteousness is like filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). We must put on the righteousness of Jesus Christ, which is typified by linen.
What are the three properties of the linen we should put on for the marriage supper of the Lamb? The linen is fine, it is clean, and it is white.
The Linen Is Fine Linen
Linen is made from the flax plant. Fine linen has always been considered a fabric of luxury. Luxury items are expensive, and we were bought with a great price through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. God is seeking excellence in quality and beauty of character.
Fine linen can be produced only through the carefully controlled use of moisture and heat. Our own efforts alone are not sufficient. Without God's help, we can do nothing. Linen is strong and highly durable. Strength and endurance are important character traits to God
Linen wrinkles easily. Likewise, sin can so easily beset us. One must set an iron at the hottest setting to remove the wrinkles. The heat symbolizes the trials that we must endure that help refine our character. However, linen absorbs water readily. Likewise, we are to absorb the Holy Spirit. The water used in the ironing process is symbolic of God’s Holy Spirit, which we need to endure our trials. Just as water helps to remove wrinkles from linen, likewise the Holy Spirit helps us remove our spiritual wrinkles.
Linen is lustrous, which means that it reflects light. We are to reflect God's light to the world.
The Linen Is Clean
Fine linen soils less quickly than cotton, and it gives up stains readily. However, any stains on linen should be removed by laundering the stains when fresh. If allowed to set, stains may be impossible to remove at a later date.
We must resist sin, and quickly repent when we do sin. The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin upon our confession and repentance (I John 1:9). We have to have faith that all means all. We have to forgive ourselves and let go of the guilt because Jesus Christ’s blood is the precious bride price. Jesus Christ wants the linen we will wear to the marriage supper of the Lamb to be clean because Jesus Christ is clean.
The Linen Is White
Fine linen must be bleached to bring out its potential pure white beauty. The finest results are produced by grass bleaching, in which the linen is spread out in the fields to be gradually bleached by the sun. Chemical bleaching is more commonly used, as it is less time consuming, but it can injure the fabric and adversely affect its durability.
God says in Isaiah 1:18 "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." (KJV)
High quality linens improve with age and become whiter, smoother, and more lustrous. Likewise, we are to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ (II Peter 3:18).
Conclusion
As we await the return of Jesus Christ and the marriage supper of the Lamb, we should prepare our garments. The marriage supper of the Lamb will be a great wedding feast. We must seek the forgiveness of Jesus Christ to remove our stains and strive diligently with the help of the Holy Spirit to remove all of our wrinkles. We should let our light shine as we reflect the luster of the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ will return to the earth, marry his bride the Church of God, and set up the Kingdom of God. That is good news.
Alan D. Campbell lives in Brandon, Florida. For more good news, please see his blog The Good News of the Kingdom of God at http://goodnewsofthekingdomofgod.blogspot.com Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Alan_D_Campbell |  |
