The Bride has made herself ready
Hello Saints,
I guess it’s hard to not talk about the big event that is happening today, for the build-up to it has been enormous. Of course, I’m talking about the solar eclipse. The hype and preparation to get a glimpse of this 3-minute spectacle has been surreal. I resisted every inkling to even mention it, but alas, I have succumbed to the hype only to get a point across. Here it is: When Jesus returns, we are told, “The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD” (Acts 2:20). It appears that there will be some kind of eclipse take place before Jesus returns (Matt. 24:29). The return of Christ will be a dreadful day for all who don’t know Him, but a glorious one for all who believed on His name, and received Him as Savior, Lord and King. Will there be a great revival? I don’t believe so…it will be too late. But, if I interpret Joel chapter 2 correctly, there will be an awakening of the Jewish people, after a great time of repentance and turning back to God. Some even believe there will be a global awakening and revival the likes of which we have never seen. Who really knows what is really going to happen? As Joel 2 flows into chapter 3, it is a day of Judgment for the nations. Here is what we can be sure of: at the return of the Bridegroom, even Jesus, to receive His bride, she (the Church) will be holy and pure and spotless, white as snow, for she will have made herself ready (Rev. 19:7; Rev. 21:2). One may ask how she does that. The Bible is quite clear – she prepares herself by the cleansing of the Word. Here is Paul’s explanation: “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish (Eph. 5:25-27). The bride prepares herself by submitting to the pruning and refining Jesus does through His word. You may ask, “what does that look like?” Well, we just happen to have a great picture in the book Ezra-Nehemiah.
Ezra, the scribe of God loved the word of God, “Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the LORD and to practice it, and to teach His statutes and ordinances in Israel” (Ezra 7:10). He was commissioned by the pagan king of Persia to return to Jerusalem to rebuild and establish God’s temple, reinstitute Yahweh worship, and teach all of the returning remnant the law of God (Ezra 7). His response was to enter into a fast, humble himself and intercede for his fellow travelers who were all headed to Jerusalem to restore the house of the Lord. God heard his cries and brought him into Jerusalem (Ezra 8). When Ezra arrives, he finds that the Israelites, including the priests, have mingled with and been influenced by the surrounding pagan nations, and worst of all, have intermarried. He is completely “appalled” by what he finds. He immediately cries out to God in repentance, acknowledges and confesses the sins of the people, and begs for God’s mercy and grace (Ezra 9). While he is confessing in prayer that the people have broken God’s commandments, the people came to him in great weeping and repentance, confessing their sins, vowing to obey the commandments of Yahweh. They agree to turn from their sins, expose the guilty, and align themselves with God’s word (Ezra 10). Now we jump to Nehemiah 8, where Ezra reads the “book of the law of Moses which the Lord had given to Israel”, from dawn till midday. At the opening of the book of the law, all the people stand up. After blessing God, all the people bow in worship, and Ezra reads and explains what is written in the word and expected from the people. The people respond with weeping. When they understood what the law of God required of them, they rejoiced and celebrated the Feast of Booths: “Day after day, from the first day to the last, Ezra read from the Book of the Law of God. They celebrated the feast for seven days” (Neh. 8:18). A great separation happened whereby the Israelites confessed their sins and set themselves apart from the foreign peoples. The word of God was read, they confessed and worshipped God, retelling their story and the love and faithfulness of Yahweh (Neh. 9). They responded to the repentance by vowing to, “walk in God's Law, which was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of the LORD our Lord, and His ordinances and His statutes” (Neh. 10:29). Nehemiah 13 summarizes the numerous social and religious reforms that took place in obedience to the word of the Lord.
Through a faithful preacher and the preaching of the word of God, a whole nation was transformed and witnessed by their obedience to God, the reality of the King eternal, immortal, invisible, one true God who alone is wise. What was the transforming agent that restored a people to their God and God to His people…it was none other than God’s written word! So, when I think of the eclipse that will happen today at 3:00pm, I think of the return of Jesus and a Bride, a Church that has made herself ready to meet Him. Just like the Israelites of old who made themselves right with their God by allowing the Word of God to convict them unto repentance, so we as a church need the fear of the soon returning Lord to motivate us unto holiness and obedience. Every eye will see the returning King coming for His bride, and all will weep – some because of fear of God’s wrath, others because of joy that their faith is realized unto salvation. Let us be ready for the great and glorious day of His appearing by submitting to the pruning of His word. Look up people of God, your redemption draweth nigh! Prepare thyself!
The joy of the Lord is your strength (Neh. 8:10).
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