Behold, the Bridegroom Comes

“Then a voice came from the throne, saying, “Praise our God, all you His servants and those who fear Him, both small and great!”  And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thundering, saying, “Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns! Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for 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. Then he said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’” And he said to me, “These are the true sayings of God.” (Revelation 19:5-9).

The Apostle John wrote these Scriptures found in the last book of the Bible around 90AD, approximately 55-60 years after the resurrection/ascension of Jesus Christ. He did not write it as the last chapter of the Bible but wrote it around the same time that he wrote the Gospel of John and the three letters – 1st, 2nd, and 3rd John. Why is this important?

All of John’s writings are the unveiling of the finish work of Jesus Christ – Christ in you! (John 19:30). When we try to put a historical guideline according to the canonization of the Bible, we miss the anointing of what John was saying.

Let’s look at these verses he wrote in Revelation 19: “for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.”  

Notice the word “has” was used twice? The marriage of Jesus Christ has come. The wife of Jesus Christ has made herself ready. Most believers see this event as a future occurrence when we die and go to heaven, or if a rapture occurs and Christians are taken from earth. However, John is using a past tense in his writings – why?

John continues with his thoughts to write: “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 – blessings go to those CALLED to the marriage supper of the Lamb.”

John is writing what the Holy Spirit has unveiled from a “culture” understanding during his life journey that presents Heaven amid time for all generations. This is more than a one-time event, but a continuous “coming” of Christ through a people called by His name, His nature, His identity to take in/eat the WORD, and the WORD transforms them into the unveiling of His image already within them (John 6). 

Though this may seem to be a beautiful event in the future where humanity is literally sitting around a banquet feast, and literally eating a roasted lamb – a “someday” hope for believers, this ideology also removes the anointing of the Holy Spirit for today. It is the anointing the breaks the yoke/bondage of time for Eternity to unveil the supernatural (Isaiah 10:27). 

The culture John is writing about is the event of a wedding unveiled for ALL generations. The bride/the church has been veiled as she has made herself ready for the coming event of unity with Jesus Christ. This coming event is a coming OUT of Christ in You, individually, then corporately (Ephesians 4:7). It is a time of preparation of rejoicing and gladness putting on beautiful garments. It is a time of anticipation, hope, love, excitement, laughter, joy. 

These garments are given to those that are called to the King’s Wedding Banquet from the King’s attire, not what we have in our own. It is the King’s righteousness, the King’s joy, the King’s grace, love, peace, gentleness, kindness, mercy, hope, and laughter. It is already there in His temple, His castle, Selah! It has just been veiled.

In Matthew 22, Jesus shares a parable of what the Kingdom of Heaven is like – not will be. There is a wedding feast banquet given by the King for His Son. He invites the guest – the church that profess to know Jesus Christ – the bridegroom. The invitations are being turned down for personal reasons. This upsets the King, so He invites EVERYONE – good and bad in society. They come and are clothed with the King’s garments except one. The King’s garments would be the celebration of royalty, majesty, wealth, honor, riches, power, glory, strength, and wisdom (Rev. 5:12).

The King approaches this one man and asked, “Where is your garment? Did I not have your color, your size, your style for you to desire to come dressed for this wedding? Have you chosen instead to wear garments of sadness, depression, fear, poverty, anxiety, bitterness, and hopelessness – WHY?

The man had no answer to the King, so the King sent him into “outer darkness.” This is not a statement of going to “hell,” but confusion where the Light of God’s presence is veiled because the ego of the religious presence was dominating. 

Jesus ends this parable with, “For many are called, but few are chosen.” (Matthew 22:14). Jesus is talking about a wedding the King is giving, not a ticket into heaven someday when one dies. Notice that the King told everyone to come – both good and bad (Matthew 22:10). There is no heaven/hell connection to this invitation except what the one man brought to the banquet refusing to wear the King’s garments. The weeping and gnashing of teeth in the “outer darkness” is the comfort place of the “garment” the man had chosen to dwell in because he refused the King’s garment to the wedding. The man chose to keep the security blanket of his humanity instead of exchanging it for the clothing the King was offering (1 Corinthians 5:17).

This conversation Jesus is having is not about a someday event, but an occurrence of Him coming daily within His temple/our humanity to fellowship with His Beloved. When people go to funerals, we often hear Christians say, “At least we know they are in a better place with Jesus.” It sounds comforting, but they are also saying that Jesus is NOT with them now, or that they have a little bit of Jesus now, and getting the rest of Jesus on the other side. 

Jesus began His ministry with a wedding (John 2). This wedding was NOT documented until around 90AD, not around 30AD when it occurred. None of the other New Testament writers told us about Jesus beginning His ministry with a wedding, so there is around 60 years of church history that the church was ignorant on how to follow Jesus. Jesus never wanted His bride/church to go out into the world and tell people how bad they are. He wanted us to invite them to the KING’s wedding banquet just as they were, and He would put on the garment of righteousness from His closet so they would not know shame, but know the Presence of royalty as a part of a Holy Nation in the earth.

“Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also, there was no more sea.  Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.  And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.” (Revelation 21:1-3).

 The first Adam has passed, and all humanity has been identified as Christ ones. “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.” (1 Corinthians 15:22). There is no more confusion of double minded ideas tossed back and forth as the sea. “There is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all.” (Colossians 3:11).

The church anticipates a “coming” future day of Jesus Christ as a bridegroom for His bride. We as a corporate body embrace that “coming,” however, it is happening daily, and we don’t know it. This English word “coming” is the Greek word “Parousia.” It means “presence.”

God’s “presence” is with all humanity dwelling in them – Christ in you (Colossians 1:27). This is what John was unveiling in the preparation of the bride. The veil upon our hearts is being lifted so that the identity and nature of Christ the bride/body is united in oneness with the head, Jesus Christ the BRIDEGROOM – GROOMBRIDE, one new man (Ephesians 4). 

The veiled bride IS the tabernacle of God – the throne room of Heaven where God is present. 

The gift of God - Eternal Life is Now, within you. 

The fullness of the Godhead -Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is in you NOW (Colossians 2:9). 

The fullness of time came when God sent Jesus to be born through a woman – the womb of humanity (Galatians 4:4). Through the trials and tribulations of the birth pains of giving LIFE, out of the belly flows rivers of living water (John 7:38), that is circumcised by the heart, for out of the heart the mouth speaks (Luke 6:4). 

“The Lord thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou may live.” (Deuteronomy 30:6). God does it ALL. He is OMNIPRESENT, OMNISCIENT, and OMNIPOTENT TODAY in you! 

Today, may we no longer be tossed as children, but growing up as brides preparing ourselves, our hearts with our new name, new nature, new image as God created (Genesis 1:27) with His garments of righteousness and holiness with the renewing of our minds with the thoughts and intents of our Beloved – Jesus Christ (Ephesians 4: 20-24).

What is the fruit coming forth from your thoughts and words? Have we taken the WORD of LIFE, LIGHT, and LOVE and produced fruit from the Tree of Knowledge that ends in death, or from the Tree of Life that carries the seed of the Holy Spirit? “Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.” (Proverbs 18:21). 

Many are called, but few are chosen…

Jesus is dwelling within humanity, but the spirit in humanity must be quickened by the renewing of their mind.

Jesus began His ministry at a wedding transforming the water that was used for cleansing and purification in six clay jars, into the best wine. He didn’t go to a chemistry lab or touch the water. He just spoke the WORD. Jesus was baptized with water in the Jordan River for the purification of ALL of humanity, His body. He said we were already cleaned. We just need our feet washed (John 13:10). 

The baptism of Jesus was not with repentance and water, but with the Holy Spirit and laying on of hands. May the bride prepare herself for the duties of here Beloved to wash the feet of His body.

“The woman stood at the feet of Jesus behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment.” (Luke 7:38).

“How should the church Be the bride of Christ Jesus to the world?

“As it is written, how beautiful are the feet of them that share the gospel of peace and bring glad tidings of good things!” (Romans 10:15, Isaiah 52:7).

After the resurrection of Jesus Christ, Peter heard the voice of the Lord say three times, “Do not call anything impure/unclean/sinner that God has made clean.” (Acts 10:15).

Do you believe that, “As He is, so are you in this world today? (1 John 4:17). When others in the world see you, do they see the King’s Presence flowing through you?

BEHOLD, the BRIDEGROOM COMES in you, Christ in you – you in Christ Jesus!