About five years ago, I decided to do something I had never done before. All my Christian life I have spent time reading the scripture, but I had never gone from cover to cover. I decided to sit down and listen from beginning to end.
There were many things that struck me. One of the first was the difference between what God’s word said and what men say it says. As a result of my time spent listening to God’s word, I have really spent a lot of time reevaluating many of my old positions.
Growing up in the Church in the late sixties and the seventies, I had my fill of end time prophecy and eschatology, so there were some passages that I tended to omit in my regular reading, but this time when I went through the book of Revelation, I was struck by something in Chapter 19.
"A voice came forth from the throne, saying, "Give praise to our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, the small and the great!" I heard something like the voice of a great multitude, and like the voice of many waters, and like the voice of mighty thunders, saying, "Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns! Let us rejoice and be exceedingly glad, and let us give the glory to him. For the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his wife has made herself ready." It was given to her that she would array herself in bright, pure, fine linen: for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints."
Here we see that the Church has made herself ready to be joined to the Lamb and it was granted her to clothe herself in the righteous acts of the saints.
Many Christians are so concerned about figuring out when Jesus will return for His bride, but I saw the importance of what we should be when He returns. We should make ourselves ready for His return. Jesus deserves a pure spotless bride, full of faith and standing firm in her resolve to bring Glory to His name. Sadly, when I look at the Church in America this is not what I see.
I am sobered by what I see, and it is on my heart to encourage everyone I know who considers themselves to be Christians to pursue Holiness and Sanctification. I have never been an “eminent return†kind of Christian, but I can tell you this, we are 2000 years closer to His return than we were when the angels told His disciples that He would return in like manner. The time is short, and we must make ourselves ready for His return.
Over the next few months I intend to write some blogs aimed directly at this purpose. Please feel free to comment on my blogs as I would love to generate discussions on God’s purpose for His people.
In the Lamb,
Armchair
