How does a bride prepare to meet her Bridegroom? She preps herself with a beautiful gown, adorning herself with beads, jewelry, and special hair. She gets ready to meet her groom.
“Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.” (Revelation 19: 8)
Let’s look at the prophetic literature in the Old Testament. “For your Maker is your husband–the Lord Almighty is His name—The Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer: He is called the God of all the earth.” (Isaiah 54: 5)
Here’s another prophetic image: “I will betroth you to me forever; I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in love and compassion. I will betroth you in faithfulness and you will acknowledge the Lord.” (Hosea 2: 19-20)
- A betrothal is a promise, a pledge.
Oh, The Price Jesus Paid For His Bride.
It is customary in the Middle East, still today, for the prospective groom to pay a substantial amount of money to the bride’s family as payment for her.
- Jesus our Bridegroom has paid a price for each of us, as His Bride; it was His sacrificial life on the cross.
Your Groom Is Coming On A White Horse
Here He comes, your dream man riding on a white horse. I can remember as a young gal saying we were waiting for Prince Charming to come on a white horse. Well, this Prince is a King, His name is Jesus, also named Faithful and True.
- Only Jesus can live up to that name in the fullness of faithfulness and truth.
Here’s how John describes Him. “His eyes are like blazing fire and on His head is many crowns. He has a name written on Him, that no one knows but He Himself. (Revelation 19: 12)
- This secret name has been veiled from all creation.
He has another name, “He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and His name is the Word of God.” (Revelation 19: 13)
- He’s clothed in the sin of all mankind, (red).
- Yet, His bride is clean and made pure clothed in white.
- Amazing love of our God.
As He’s riding in, behind Him are the armies of heaven, dressed in fine linen, white and clean. On His robe and on His thigh He has this name written: “King of Kings and Lord of Lords.” (Revelation 19: 18)
A Great Army Comes In Opposition
John then sees the “Beast and the kings (leaders) of the earth and their armies gathered together to make war against the rider on the bourse and His army.” (Revelation 19: 19)
The beast is then captured and then thrown into the lake of fire of burning sulfur. The rest of their army was struck with the sword–and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh. Time to eat! Ewwww!
(Shared from Revelation 19, Modified)
The Final Victory
The Psalmist declares, “His love will save us in accordance with your love. They may curse, but you will bless; when they attack they will be put to shame, but your servant will rejoice.” (Psalm 109: 26-28)
So what happens to those who accuse? “Clothed with disgrace and wrapped in shame as in a cloak.” (Psalm 109: 29)
(Shared from Psalm 109, Modified)
A Promised Vineyard
The Psalmist starts singing about the vineyard, “I will sing for the one I love a song about His vineyard on a fertile hillside.” (Isaiah 5: 1)
The Lord prepared this vineyard for His people. He, “Dug it up and cleaned it of stones and planted it with the choicest vines.” (Isaiah 5: 2)
The choicest vines were given, the ground and soil were prepared. “Then He looked for a crop of good grapes, but it yielded only bad fruit.” (Isaiah 5: 2)
The Lord asks, “What more could have been done for my vineyard, then I have done for it? (Isaiah 5: 4)
Don’t we ask the same question when things go wrong? We ask, “What more could I’ve done?”
God Then Commissions A Prophet
He commissions Isaiah to Israel to give an account of what they are doing. As He commissions Him, He lets him see into the heavens. Isaiah saw the Lord, “Seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple.” (Isaiah 6: 1)
How’s that for a commissioning? But the vision doesn’t stop there? He sees the angelic seraphs above the throne. The word seraph in the Hebrew root means burn, indicating their purity as God’s ministers.
One of these burning angels flies to Isaiah with a live coal in his hand, which head taken with tongs from the altar, “With it he touched my mouth and said, See this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.” (Isaiah 6: 7)
Then Isaiah hears the question that has reverberated throughout history when the Lord says, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us? And I said, “Here am I, send me! He said, “Go and tell this people.” (Isaiah 6:9)
The Preparations For The Bride Are Still The Same
Go and tell the people! Here’s why: The heart of the people are calloused; their ears are dull and their eyes closed. But it’s still the heart of Jesus our Groom, for the Bride to “See with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn and be healed.” (Isaiah 6: 10)
(Shared from Isaiah 5-6, Modified)
UNBROKEN LOVE SERIES
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