“And it was given to her (the Church, the Bride of Christ) to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. And he said to me, ‘Write, “Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.”‘” (Revelation 19:8-9a)
WEDDING AT A LAKE
My kids and I like to go to a lake near our home.
One time we were there I noticed a wedding taking place across on the other side of the lake and as I could see all the chairs there.
Oh, I don’t know. Maybe there were about 150 guests sitting and watching as the bride and groom were standing in the front. It was the moment in the ceremony where they both had turned and faced the audience. (Preacher: “Allow me to present to you, Mr. and Mrs. fill in the blank.” Applause.)
BRIDE’S WEDDING DRESS
And I guess one of the things that especially struck me as I was taking this whole scene in was the bride’s wedding dress. It was just so white and just so perfect for the occasion. And I don’t know what kind of material they use in them, but even from way across on the other side of a lake, you could still just see the dress’s brilliance.
BRILLIANCE OF THE BRIDE OF CHRIST
And when it comes to the brilliance of the wedding dress that the Church, the Bride of Christ will wear in that day when she is married to her Lord – I think it’s interesting to note that the verses above in the book of Revelation indicate that it is made up of “fine linen” which “is the righteous acts of the saints.” Did you notice that?
Certainly we don’t do anything to earn our salvation (place in heaven) and forgiveness of sins. (Ephesians 2:8-9) But on the other hand, it seems that the good things we do in this life once we are saved will not be forgotten. (Ephesians 2:10) They will be part of our “clothing” in eternity.
And as Christ will look upon us, beloved, and upon the things we’ve done in His name out of love for Him, all the more we should continue to sacrifice and serve our Lord where we find ourselves in vocation while we still have the opportunity that His gaze might be satisfied all the more. (Hebrews 13:16)
Come, Lord Jesus!
(Bride in wedding dress, 1929, Minneapolis, Minnesota picture above is under the GNU Free Documentation License: click here.)
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