Pain Free

Revelation 21:4

There will be no more death’^[b] or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

I have known people to be miraculously healed but I have never even heard of anyone being delivered from pain for the rest of their lives, and I suspect they would not want to be.  As we touched on yesterday, pain serves a purpose. Its is a warning, and in this fallen world,  a very useful one.

When I was at secondary (High) school there were some local shops near by. One of those was a tobacconist and another a chip shop. They did great business from the school kids,  I can tell you.

And round the corner from both of these was a second hand goods shop. It worked well for the boys (I went to a single sex school) because if you couldn't afford your cigarettes or your chips,  the second hand shop would buy more or less whatever you had to sell.

The man who owned the shop was in a wheelchair

He had no legs and half an arm on one side.  His existing hand was missing fingers.

If I am entirely honest, to my shame now, he kind of used to freak me out a bit.

It turned out that he had some condition that affected his nerves and as a result he had no feelings.

When my better informed friend told me this as an explanation I did not understand immediately how this would have bought about his limbless state.

Now in the case of this individual this may be apocryphal,  but my mate pointed out to me that if his limbs had had no feelings,  then he would have had no awareness of damage to them. He speculated that infection from such injuries had resulted in amputation.

Now whatever the truth in the case of this man it illustrates the usefulness of pain.

It is also interesting that the same mechanism that brings us painful sensation also brings us much pleasure.

Pain and pleasure are closely related.  Some might even say that they occupy opposite ends of the spectrum.

Whatever, pain serves a purpose.

Bur pain can be a pain in the butt too.

There are some messed up conditions where pain itself is the problem.

I have a few friends who suffer with fybromyalgia,  a condition which can bring extreme pain for prolonged periods for no apparent cause.

This terrible illness is an awful and unseen disability which ruins many lives.

This beautiful world is also a messed up place.  Things are not as they ought to be.

But at it's best pain is a useful diagnostic tool.

I wouldn't want to be relying on my sense of smell to tell me my hand was in direct contact with the hot plate. Would you?

And the same relates to emotional pain.

And there is a spiritual pain too.

If you are thirsty you know you need a drink.  You're discomfort leads to your comfort.  That is the way it works.

Spiritually we might find the analysis a bit harder,  because we are not as acutely aware of the signals.  But spiritual dis-ease should prompt investigation. And one might say of spiritual pain that the god of this world has numbed the pain of the unbelievers so they will not seek healing! 

But in heaven my friends who suffer with Fybromyalgia will finally be pain free.

You see the warning will no longer be necessary,  because in the kingdom,  all the things that can harm you will be conspicuous only by their total and utter absence.

And when I look at the prince of glory,  when I survey his wonderful cross, I see that his pain served as a warning to the whole world of the ultimate result of sin.

He was made an example of, to be a warning for us.

And the final healing and pain free eternity that he secured for those who place their faith in him, was earned through his pain.

The physical pain of the whip, the crown of thorns,  the nails and the asphyxiation of the crucifixion.

The emotional pain of the humiliation of being rejected,  mocked and stripped naked,  literally the scourge of the earth.

The spiritual pain as he took on the sin of the world and the Godhead was ripped apart as he who knew know sin, became it. 

Yes his pain not only earned our healing (by his stripes we are healed) but it stood as a warning to the human race,  of the end destination of sin.

Shame, pain and rejection.

But for those who heed the warning, a glorious and pleasure filled pain free eternity in the presence of the one who loved us.

I for one cannot wait.  Those crippled with pain now,  skipping like children.
I long for the day,

This day,

And all days,

Amen.

No More Sorrow

Therefore the redeemed of the Lord shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their head: they shall obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow and mourning shall flee away.~ Isaiah 51:11 (KJV)

I have to confess, there are times when a really 'justified' bout of self-pitying sadness can bring me a twisted sense of pleasure.

'I have a right to feel this way'. 'No one else understands my pain?' and 'If you knew how this felt you would be sad too!'.

These are some of the kind of examples of the way I might occasionally think.

But I do like to wallow in self indulgence. Sadness can be an excuse for bad behaviour and for not playing by the rules.

And a heaven where there is some sort of Stepford-like homogenised happiness sounds more like my version of a nightmare, to be honest.

Have you ever been to a church where it seems that happiness is like some sort of enforced prerequisite emotional dress code and sadness is akin to the unforgivable sin?

But ultimately, is there any more real hell than being consigned to pretend you are happy forever?

There might be, but It would be hard to think of one, personally.

He will wipe away all tears from their eyes, and there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying, nor pain. All of that has gone forever.” 

 But imagine it wasn't a pretence? What a staggering thought.

You see, here on earth, on this side of eternity, pain and sadness are like a warning system that something is wrong and needs addressing.

C.S. Lewis said that 'Pain is God's megaphone to a deaf world'. Sadness tells us that something is wrong.

In the kingdom, in it's fullness, there will be no need for it.

My Mother died ten years ago, after a very short battle with cancer and I soon discovered then that I had never known true grief before.

Wave upon wave of it rocked me, over and over. The waves would always be present, lapping around my  legs, but then every so often there would be a swell of a wave that would cause me to have to find my balance again. And then there were waves that simply swept me away, and there was nowhere to plant my feet. Indeed I was barely able to swim.

I remember one particular time when my loss hit me so hard, maybe even 2 years after the event, that I literally fell to the floor not crying but howling.

Yeah. My mothers death ripped the heart out of me.

Some translations use the word 'mourning' rather than sorrow.

And sorrow is about the emotion, but mourning is about the loss.

I think what God wants us to understand about dwelling ultimately in his presence in this way is that there will be no loss, and no sense of loss. We will have all our hearts desire, because we will be with Jesus.

No more death and no more crying or pain.

You see these things have served their purpose in the old order.

But the old order is passing away.

There we will be complete and our God will be our all in all.

We shall obtain gladness and joy,

And sorrow and sadness shall flee away.


Lord, in this reality or the next,
You are our true source of joy, and there is no true joy outside of you,
In you we are complete,

This day,
And all days.

Amen

No More Death

 And there will be no more death~ Revelation 21:4

 

 

Quite an incredible thought.

 

Life was always God's intention.

 

In the Garden,  before Adam fell,  there was no death. But through Adam's sin,  death entered the world.

And we, ever since that time, have all been children of Adam, born into this fallen world,  under the curse of sin and death.

 

Romans states clearly; the wages of sin is death.

 

But God is life. And in him there is no sin.

Those two characteristics of God are no coincidence.  They are intrinsically linked.

 

Death is a result of sin. It brings a separation from the God of life.

 

Scientifically that is a hard fact quantify.  But it is, none-the-less a spiritual reality. 

 

We have been harvesting the bitter fruit from the seed of Adams sin for millennia.

 

Not fair,  is it?

 

But we must take responsibility too. As my first teacher at YWAM used to say,  we take to sin like a duck takes to water.

 

No, We are not blameless.

But, if we believe in Jesus Christ it is a different story. We have a new nature, that loves to please God.

Our old nature still co-exists with us.....and at some level , always will. But now we have a choice to serve God and to sow to the spirit, to choose life rather than death.

And yes, it shall be life!

You see Jesus was the first born from among the dead.

Yes, Okay. There was Lazarus and Jairus' daughter before him...and the widow's son that Elisha raised, but none of them was a fruit of THE resurrection. They were raised in special miraculous dispensation....and the died again.

But Jesus rose from the grave, incorruptible, eternal and glorified.

And of this resurrection, all we believers will partake, because we are one with Christ.

Death is swallowed up in victory.

Death where is your sting?

And if Jesus was the firstborn then it follows that there will be others.....many others.

He's alive,
He's alive,
He's alive for evermore,
Jesus is risen from the Dead.

And because he lives forevermore, guess what?

Because we are in him, we shall live for ever.

But don't worry.

Of course I don't fully understand it, anymore than anyone else, I should imagine, but it wont be a dull life stretching into infinity. It will be FULLNESS of life. Deathless life, with new creations and new discovery and enjoyment of God's never ending goodness, day after day, after glorious day,

And in that Kingdom we shall say it lasts for ever,

This day,
And all days.

Amen.

No More Tears?

“Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ⁴ ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes.~ Rev 21:3-4

This week, (A particularly demanding schedule awaits me!) I will be attempting to write some shorter meditations from this passage.

I have called this blog 'No More tears' (which I think sounds like a kind of kids shampoo now I think about it) but it is interesting, at least here, that the passage does not actually say that.

He goes on to say that there will be no more death. He links in with that, that there will be no more mourning, no more crying and no more pain.

But even though he says there will be no more crying, he doesn't say that there will be no more tears.

It stands to reason that if there is no more pain and no more death then there will be no more tears.

But I speculate that perhaps there may be tears of joy.

Whether tears of joy will be permitted or not, or if it is as simple as us being allowed one last cry for all the sorrow that has passed, and the relief of finally being in his presence, he himself will wipe away our tears.

That is a picture of the sweetest and tenderest of intimacies.

That is something, at least in our culture, that is reserved for the closest of relationships. A parent, to start with, will do it for their child. There may conceivably be friendship so intimate that this may feature (but in my view that is rare, and usually not amongst males) and later it could be for a lover or spouse to do such a thing.

But God, more intimate and closer than all these relationships, will wipe our tears with his own hand.

This is the face to face intimacy we can look forward to.

And I think it worth noting that he does not say.....there will be no more death, no more mourning, no more crying, no more pain.....and THEN say there will be no more tears.

It is not that he will simply dry up the source of our tears. It is not because he will magically wave his hand and all the pain will vanish, therefore we will not cry as some kind of logical progression.

No.

He meets us first. He wipes our tears away. It is because we have met with him, and he has met our need in it's fullness, that we will know no more crying. He IS the source of this ultimate healing.

And it is not emotions asides. I hope you understand this. It is the healing of our emotions in meeting him, that dries our eyes.

I was known for crying easily as a child, and I was told by some less compassionate adults in my family (not parents) to 'Turn off the waterworks'. I was told 'don't be a cry baby', and 'Pull yourself together'.

But this picture is so far removed from a divine 'Snap out of it!'.

I believe the tears will flow, and perhaps flow as we sob into his chest and he will tenderly wipe them away until there are indeed, no more tears.

Lord, we thank you that you are the God of all comfort, and that we will meet you face to face and that you will wipe every tear from our eyes,

That fills us with hope,

This day,
And all days.

Amen.

Heaven on Earth

 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. ³ And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.~ Rev 21:2-3

I think the concept of heaven on earth took me a very long time to grasp. I think our mind easily grasps concepts that play to our dualistic tendencies. Good and Evil. God and the devil. Life and death. Heaven and earth.

But scripture clearly teaches that one day heaven and earth will be involved in some kind of divine merger. God is restoring all things and will renew all things, in Christ.

And here comes the painful truth. It is hard for a Christian to hear, but there is a very real sense in which God is not with us.

Don't burn me at the stake.  I am ready to demonstrate the validity of this statement.

Yes, God is omnipresent. He is everywhere, and so we are never apart from him.
Yes, he dwells within the believer and makes his home in them by the Holy Spirit, and so our bodies are his temple and we know his presence at all times (and sometimes even feel it!).

There is not a minute or a second, or even a millisecond in your life when God is not present with you. He was there at your conception, he was knitting you together in the womb, he was watching over all your ways as you grew into adulthood, and he will be as the very breath in your lungs as you draw your last. He is Yahweh Shammah. He is absolutely, the God who is there. In Joy and in despair. In sickness and in health. Through it all he is faithful, through it all he is good.

And yet, there is a sense in which he is not here.

Because, Christian, this life as it is, is not the final design. This experience of his presence is not as good as it gets.

No.

It is a foretaste, that is all. Only a foretaste. Your most intimate and mind-blowing moments with God now......they are a shadow of the things to come. They are a seeing through a 'glass darkly' in contrast to the vivid sharpness of the colourful reality of his presence that will be revealed.

Then, he says, God's dwelling place will be with the people. He will live with them.You see, even back in the garden of Eden ,the picture was established when God walked with Adam in the cool of the evening. He had a dwelling with God like no man since.

We are told that Moses had the kind of relationship where God spoke to him face to face, as a man speaks to a man.

Even these things were a foreshadowing of the glory yet to be revealed.

The reality, the scripture tells us, is found in Christ.

And that is why, even though our delight is in God, our hearts still yearn for more, yearn for our eternal dwelling, and the spirit interprets our yearnings, not into words but into moans and groans that words cannot express. Yes, we yearn and long for this final redemption along with all of creation (see yesterday's blog).

So do not be discouraged if this day your walk with God is not all it could be. it is not a bad thing to want more, not at all, but I think we need at times to rid ourselves of the burden of perfection. This will never be all it should be until our we reach this day....when our Journey home is finally complete.

And just think how good it will be, if the goodness of God that we have tasted so far, was just the sampler plate? Wait until you see the full menu!

Oh Lord, we have tasted and seen that you are good, and we thank you that our souls delight in 'the richest of fare' , but we continue to long and yearn for you, until we arrive in our eternal home, when we shall see you face to face, and be changed in an instant, in the twinkling of an eye, we shall see you, and be like you.

For this we yearn, Our eternal home with you,
We yearn in holy restlessness,

This day,
And all days.

Amen.

All Things New

Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. ² I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. ³ And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ⁴ ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

⁵ He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”



I will most likely write a few meditations from this passage. It really is a stunner.

Today though, I will focus on the cosmic aspect.

I have genuinely heard some Christians justifying behaving in an ecologically irresponsible way by saying that it does not matter because this earth will pass away.

Firstly, that is a shockingly cavalier  attitude to take with the prized creation that God has entrusted us with. Creation, like all good gifts, should be cherished and nurtured. We have the responisibility of a steward towards this earth and it's inhabitants.

Secondly, for me, I feel it is based on a wrong interpretation of this text.

Paul asserts that God was, in Christ, reconciling the world to himself.

And elsewhere he states that all creation is groaning, as with birthpains, for it's redemption.

Listen;

¹⁸ I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. ¹⁹ For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. ²⁰ For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope ²¹ that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.

Why would God be reconciling something to himself, in order to do away with it?

He made the world and said 'it was good'.

Incidentally, he also said that about mankind.
And, although man is fallen, and creation as a result too, he will not do away with either, but rather renew them and liberate them.

The key for me is verse 5. Behold, I make all things new, as the KJV has it.

I have to hold my hands up and say that this is a mystery. How can something at once pass away, and yet be renewed? But then, this is God we are talking about. We haven't even begun to understand or know him. But look at the complexity of the original creation....look at all the natural laws in place, look at the diversity and interconnection of all things....can you not see a mind and a power that can do anything?

I can.

And, although I don't like to speculate as to what heaven on earth will be like....it can be a great thing to imagine.

I heard a radio program once where a comedian talks about her loss of faith as a Jehovah's Witness. In part the unravelling of her belief system was centred around this idea of animals such as Tigers, as she says, 'becoming vegetarians'.

And yes. Logically, it is unbelievable.

But I don't think she really had a view of God (or really a real faith in him) big enough to encompass this mystery.

But for some of us, it is not such a stretch.

All my life I have wanted to pet a tiger.
In the new earth, I will be able to.

I do believe.


In the new earth, I will be able to scale mountains.

I love mountains.

As a child I went on holiday to the Lake District every year and climbed the 'Mountains' with my Father.

When I got divorced about 8 years ago, (and this almost requires it's own blog to explain) almost as a celebration of liberation (think of it more of a making the best of a bad situation, not of my choosing) I returned to the Lake District, for the first time in twenty or so years, with my brother for a long weekend of Fell walking.

After a few months of planning and a long car journey, day one came. We decided to walk up Cat Bells, one of the smaller peaks. But I hadn't counted on two things.

First, although it is a small mountain, it has an extremely steep ascent.

Second was my health. At that point I had recently quit smoking after twenty or so years on and off (Mostly 'on') and I have a knee injury that gives me a mild bit of grief in day to day gentle exercise. Mild but perfectly tolerable.

But it did not like that Mountain. Not one bit. It screamed at me to stop the whole way up. And it screamed at me all through the next three days of climbing.

I hadn't counted on that.


I still enjoyed the amazing beauty of those mountains, and the achievement of the ascent, and drank in thirstily all the views from their peaks. 

But it was enough to make me think twice about doing it again.

In the new earth I wont have to think twice.

There will be no more pain.

Imagine a restored world to explore and enjoy, more beautiful than it's former state, with it's population living on it in harmony with it, with themselves and with their creator?

No, you can't?

Me either really.....

But you know what?

He is able to do more (So much more) than all we can ask or imagine.

That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him."~ 1 Cor 2:9

But it doesn't hurt to use your imagination.

God gave you an imagination,

So use it to get inspired,
by and for his glory,

This day,
And all days,

Amen.

A Matter of Life and Death

And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books.~Rev 20:12


I started this piece, originally, with the whole passage on the judgement of the dead, but I think now, that I want to assume we are all on message with the concept of the final judgement, (it is given for a man to live once and then to face judgement) and take a slightly different tack.

 Two Books

1. The Book of Deeds

Although technically books (I wanted to simplify the image) let us assume that are our own lives do not exceed 1 book, and therefore the singular could apply.

I am imagining the opening of the book of Matthew Joseph (me) and it is not necessarily an easy read. Certainly not in the company of my friends and family (and isn't it telling that that occurs to me before I am worried about what the judge will say!).

And this book will contain my every deed, my every word and my every thought and motive.

It is a history book.

Now before we have even got to the bit about God's holiness and his standards about sin, I am already feeling shame about the opening of this book.

Presumably it will contain all of my finest moments too ( I am probably fortunate if it fills a few pages, let alone a whole chapter.) but somehow, even then, the weight of it's words, I have no doubt, will condemn me.

And it is this book that the deeds and words and thoughts of all the dead, all who have ever lived, are recorded.

God has a good memory.

And if your name is written in this book only, than you are  in big trouble, even if you are a selfless philanthropist (if such a thing exists).

Big trouble.

Muslims believe that (I am told) that all their deeds will be weighed, both good and evil, and if the balance tips in the favour of good, then they will be permitted to enter paradise.

But we believe even the presence of any undealt with sin, is reason for exclusion.

And the definition of sin is broad, but lets just say, have we loved the Lord our God with All our hearts, souls, strength and mind? And have we loved our neighbour as ourselves. That would be a good litmus test.

And to be weighed in the balance and found wanting is a fearful thing.


2, The Book of Life

"Another book was opened, which is the book of life."

Now, for my own sake, I wish the judge would have started with THIS book. Perhaps all that unnecessary awkwardness could have been avoided.

There is a sense in which the book of life is a list of names for salvation.

In the film , 'Schindlers List' Oscar Schindler, a wealthy German entrepreneur has a turn of conscience when he sees what is happening to the Jewish workers he is exploiting, as the ghettos are liquidated and they are deported to concentration camps.

Knowing the fate of those who would go to the death-camps like Auschvitz, he decides to spend all his money on buying workers from the Nazis. The ones he manages to buy have their names put on a list (hence the title of the film) and these are spared from the horrors of the gas chambers.

This harrowing film, based on real events, has a powerful and lasting effect on most who watch it.
The scene that stands out for me is after the war is over and the Schindler Jews (as they come to be known), melt down some gold from their own fillings, to make him a ring to say thank you. As he is given the ring he is overcome with emotion and drops it from his trembling fingers. And, stooping down to retrieve it, he breaks down into tears as he realizes the value of it, and of the little Nazi pin he wears to ingratiate himself with the German guards. The monetary value of these items could have been used to purchase more names for his list. 'I could have saved more' he laments.

Earlier in the film, when his aide , Itzhak Stern, realises what Oscar is doing he says to him, 'the list....is life'.

I tell you of this film to remind you that this book is such a document. The names in the book are on the Lambs list of life.

And though it is easier to identify with the film, the purchase of Souls with Christ's blood is just as emotive.

But Schindler connects all the more because of his flawed humanity. It is both in his compassion and in his weakness we most sorely feel the rawness of his pain. We identify with him.

But let me tell you, it cost Christ far more. And he saved far more. And his blood is effectual and powerful to save all those who come to him. Not one drop was wasted. Not one more drop was needed.

And his blood purchased the souls of those who would come to him....securing them in the book of life.

Schindler saved from death. But all that he saved died in the end.
Jesus saves us from hell, and all he saves live forever.

But this book of life is not just a list.

I believe it is the book of all true life.

Jesus says, 'I am the way, the truth and the life'  (John 14:6)

Jesus says, 'I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die' (John 11:25-26)

And Jesus says, 'I have come that they may have life....life in abundance' (John 10:10)

You see those that live now, even though they live, can still be dead.

But the abundant and true life is found in Jesus.

And this abundant , eternal, life does not start on the first day in heaven.

It starts, rather, in the moment that you place your faith in Jesus and are born again, into new and abundant richness of life, with God himself at the very centre.

the book is a list of all those who are already truly alive.

On the day of Judgement they won't be granted life.

They already have it.

Their life will continue into the next and most abundant degree of glory.

Most unenlightened people think that the book of deeds is the place that you earn the right to have your name put into the book of life. That you justify your place in one by your good actions in the other.

But the truth is that those who have their names in the book of life will really live the life of good deeds. But we don't have to justify our place there.

That has already been done.

We simply have to enter into that eternal abundant life,

This day,
And all days,

Amen.

King Of All Kings

On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:

king of kings and lord of lords.
~ Rev 19:16


What is there to say about this title? It contains within itself, the description of it's function.

But in the context of the scripture, Jesus is not only a Sovereign authority that these kings are in someway deferential to.


In the context of this scripture, it is a title he has earned by besting all comers in battle.

It is not only an inherited title but one that has been earned and paid for in blood.

And this authority that stretches out from his throne and touches every corner of eternity and infinity, supersedes all rules and rulers.

As the apostles asserted that 'you would not have any power over us unless it was granted to you' and so nothing happens that he has not either purposed or permitted.

You have no boss that Jesus is not the boss of.
You have no king that Government that Jesus is subject to.
You have no sovereign that Jesus is not sovereign over.

That is why I was so touched to see the title of our Monarchs book, here in the UK, "The King I serve".

And he is sovereignly working, in all things for the good of those that love him and are called according to his purposes.

And he doesn't just stand apart, bidding that you do his will, and suffer for his cause like some tyrant moving people as though they were sacrificial pawns in his master plan. No.

The King we serve is the Servant King.

And he served us by becoming one of us, and washing our feet, and laying down his life. And he doesn't only refer back to this 33yrs on earth as some sort of divine leverage with us. No. He is human forever. He bares the scars forever. And he is Yahweh Shammah. God who is there. He is with us, in our defeats and victory, in our joy and despair.

The King of Love my shepherd is.

Oh Yes, and amen.

Oh how he loves us.

I will leave you with the words from one of the few hymns, as magnificent as many of them are, to come close to putting into words the multifaceted nature of Jesus' Kingship.

Crown him with many crowns,
The Lamb upon his throne.
Hark! How the heavenly anthem drowns
All music but its own.
Awake, my soul, and sing of him
Who died for thee,
And hail him as thy matchless King
Through all eternity.

 

Crown him the virgin's Son,
The God incarnate born,
Whose arm those crimson trophies won
Which now His brow adorn;
Fruit of the mystic rose,
As of that rose the stem;
The root whence mercy ever flows,
The Babe of Bethlehem.

 

Crown him the Son of God,
Before the worlds began,
And ye who tread where he hath trod,
Crown him the Son of Man;
Who every grief hath known
That wrings the human breast,
And takes and bears them for His own,
That all in him may rest.

 

Crown him the Lord of life,
Who triumphed over the grave,
And rose victorious in the strife
For those he came to save.
His glories now we sing,
Who died, and rose on high,
Who died eternal life to bring,
And lives that death may die.

 

Crown him the Lord of peace,
Whose power a scepter sways
From pole to pole, that wars may cease,
And all be prayer and praise.
His reign shall know no end,
And round his piercèd feet
Fair flowers of paradise extend
Their fragrance ever sweet.

 

Crown him the Lord of love,
Behold his hands and side,
Those wounds, yet visible above,
In beauty glorified.
No angel in the sky
Can fully bear that sight,
But downward bends his burning eye
At mysteries so bright.

 

Crown him the Lord of Heaven,
Enthroned in worlds above,
Crown him the King to whom is given
The wondrous name of Love.
Crown him with many crowns,
As thrones before him fall;
Crown him, ye kings, with many crowns,
For he is King of all.

 

Crown him the Lord of lords,
Who over all doth reign,
Who once on earth, the incarnate Word,
For ransomed sinners slain,
Now lives in realms of light,
Where saints with angels sing
Their songs before him day and night,
Their God, Redeemer, King.
 

Crown him the Lord of years,
The Potentate of time,
Creator of the rolling spheres,
Ineffably sublime.
All hail, Redeemer, hail!
For thou has died for me;
Thy praise and glory shall not fail
Throughout eternity.

And He is our sovereign,

This day,
And all days.

Amen.
 

Word Alive

He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God.~ Revelation 19:13


Welcome back. Yes it's Monday, and there is mercifully not a Clint Eastwood reference in sight. It could be a good day.

Now for once I have to involve myself in speculation when I look at this verse and it's description of Christ as wearing a robe dipped in blood.

The robe dipped in blood is could be a reference to the blood of his enemies (and there is no escaping the violence in this prophecy) which seems reasonable as he is also described in this passage as treading the aforementioned winepress of God's wrath (v15).

Or the dipped in blood bit could be referring, of course, to his own precious blood, shed at Calvary for the forgiveness of sins and the purchase of souls.

I will come back to this in a moment.


This title and name 'The Word Of God' does not only appear here in revelation. In fact it is something of a theme in John's writings.

And I do so love John's writing.

At Christmas we sometimes start the story in either Matthew or Luke, with the Angelic announcements about the birth of Christ and with Joseph or Mary's reactions.

And on a superficial level, that is where the story of Christ starts. It is the very first mention of the name 'Jesus the Messiah'.

But I love to start Christmas (and apologies here for mentioning it in August!) with John's own gospel. It reminds us, so profoundly, of the story that was written before the foundation (or creation) of the universe. It tells us that when God 'spoke'. That 'word' was himself. And the darkness became ablaze with light;

 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.


Yes. the 'beginning' was not The beginning. The logos (word) of God was eternal, and it was personal. You see, because God is all truth and all powerful, his word is as good as he is. If he speaks, it passes, it goes forth, it creates....it lives. There is no disconnect between him and his living word.

And the most profound truth in the universe is that this word became human. It took on flesh.
In the cradle wrapped in swaddling, he who could never be restrained, lay otherwise naked before us, as vulnerable as you or I. And John testifies to this. this same Apocalyptic and  Messianic General, fearsome and warrior-like, is this same man, who was born as  a baby to Mary and Joseph.

 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.


And yes, this General, with blazing eyes of fire and a sword in his mouth, is our Jesus.

But this image could also be a personification of  the testimony of Jesus, in a similar fashion to the way that wisdom is personified as a woman calling out in the street, in the book of proverbs.

And I am drawn back again to the saints who, overcame the devil by the blood of the lamb and the word of their testimony.You see, John is very keen on recurring themes. During the prophecy we are almost continuously seeing central messages being repeated and reinforced.

And perhaps this mention of the blood and the word are both an allusion to John's central message about the power of the testimony of Jesus and his blood (His main purpose in writing being to encourage besieged Christians to remain faithful under the threat of persecution and even death itself) and also  a future prediction of Christ's return as the conquering King of all kings.My opinion about the robe dipped in blood, is that it is almost certainly an allusion to the blood that was shed on the cross and that he is marrying it to the notion of the power of the testimony of Jesus once more.

But that does not mean it cannot do both things, and just perhaps, that is why the ambiguity exists in the first place.

Never forget that revelation is written in a code that the early believers would have been able to decipher.

You see, we who have not yet resisted to the point of shedding our blood,  can never really grasp the power of this, I suspect. But Jesus means everything.

And when we are so compromised by our worldly allegiances, we cannot always see how valuable a thing this is, and how precious it is to God that we are faithful to his Son, the Word of God.

We only need to look at the way the Martyrs who did not love their lives so much as to shrink back from death are honoured in heaven in order to see just how valuable that is.

“These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. ¹⁵ Therefore,

“they are before the throne of God
    and serve him day and night in his temple;
and he who sits on the throne
    will shelter them with his presence.
¹⁶ ‘Never again will they hunger;
    never again will they thirst.
The sun will not beat down on them,’^[a]
    nor any scorching heat.
¹⁷ For the Lamb at the centre of the throne
    will be their shepherd;
‘he will lead them to springs of living water.’^[b]
    ‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’^[c]”

It is fair to say that our testimony matters. And the principle of making known the one who made himself known to us is at the heart of Christianity, and revelation such as this is at the heart of God himself. It is literally, for him, the word becoming flesh. And the word of God is living and active, (like a double edged sword).

And John was all about testifying to the Word.

In 1 John 1 he says;

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. ² The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. ³ We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.
And the best thing of all is that this is not some drudgery or command that we have to enslave ourselves to. No. We are to be full to overflowing with joy, so that what we share can bring others to enjoy the same thing. And the end result of this?

John says he writes this (or should I say shares this) ....To make our joy complete (1 Jn 1;4).


Eternal Word, we thank you for taking on flesh and knowing us in our suffering, and even suffering for our joy. We pray that the testimony of who you are and what you have done will always be on our lips, that we may bring others to fellowship with you through our words,
and that you make our joy complete as we do this,

This day,
And all days.

Amen

The Man With a Name No-one Knew

 His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. ¹³ He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. ~ Rev 19:12-13

Today's blog leads me back once more, rather surprisingly, to Clint Eastwood.

Clint made his name, somewhat ironically, by playing a character, in a series of low budget westerns who was called (or rather, wasn't) The Man With No Name.

The ambiguity surrounding Clint's character's name, reflected the moral ambiguity of the movie itself. The spaghetti western (So called because they were shot in Italy to save money) , and Clint himself, gave rise to the movie anti-hero, who featured in films where the moral line between the 'Villain' and 'hero' was especially blurred.

The Man With No Name was a rather clever device to bring in a sense of brooding mystery to the character. He kept you guessing, and that kept you interested.

And it is this, and this (pretty much) alone that Clint's character has in common with Jesus; Mystery.

Whereas Clint's character refused to divulge his name, I strongly suspect, because his birth name was probably something like Howard (A fine name , I am sure, but hardly the name of a cold killing gunslinger, although that may explain all the rage and bitterness) Jesus' Name that no-one knew hides a true mystery.

The prophecy is very explicit about who Jesus, who has no moral ambiguity whatsoever, really is. 'The Lamb who was slain and yet lives' and 'The Lion of Judah', for example even to the extent that, at the end of this passage, it is revealed that He has, inscribed on his thigh, his great title, King of all kings and Lord of all lords.

Yes, scripture is very explicit about Jesus.

And although in places his presence throughout the biblical narrative, is covert, ultimately it is about the Revelation of Jesus, indeed, that is the purpose of this very book. It is The testimony of Jesus Christ.

Everything in revelations screams out the identity and true nature of our saviour, and yet, we are reminded here, so as to not start to think we have a monopoly on him, or that we have somehow contained him within our understanding, rather tantalisingly, that we cannot begin to know everything about him. he is unassailable in his mystery.

When John wrote these words he had no idea of the scientific knowledge we have now. He had no idea of galaxies and black-holes, or red and white dwarves or of supernova. He had no idea of what an atom was, or that it breaks down into 3 components, or what would happen if you split one. He had no idea of micro-bacteria or DNA or of the intricacy of something as basic as photosynthesis.

And yet, we are told, In HIM, all these things hold together and live and have their being.

And think of all the scientific discovery yet to be made? If we know the tip of the iceberg, what is there that remains unknown?

And yet all mysteries and all knowledge are contained within the supremacy of Christ.

He is indescribable, unknowable, unfathomable, eternal and infinite.

And he is love.

Yes.

We have not begun, not even close, to understand or know this Jesus.

And yet he has revealed the heart and substance and character of Father God, a vast mystery in itself, when he lay down his life, the righteous for the unrighteous...to bring us to God.

And we are promised, as glorious as this is, that now, this; all this, is like looking at a reflection in a dirty shop window. But one day we shall be invited in. we shall know fully, even as we are fully known.

And we will have forever to explore that, with him.

And we will see him face to face, and be changed. And he will be with us and be our God.

Yes. We haven't even begun to grasp.


And let us live with this hope, in awestruck and humble worship,

this day,
And all days,

Amen

Faithful and True

Revelation 19

 Then I saw heaven opened, and a white horse was standing there. Its rider was named Faithful and True, for he judges fairly and wages a righteous war. ¹² His eyes were like flames of fire, and on his head were many crowns. A name was written on him that no one understood except himself. ¹³ He wore a robe dipped in blood, and his title was the Word of God. ¹⁴ The armies of heaven, dressed in the finest of pure white linen, followed him on white horses. ¹⁵ From his mouth came a sharp sword to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod. He will release the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty, like juice flowing from a winepress. ¹⁶ On his robe at his thigh^[e]was written this title: King of all kings and Lord of all lords.

You don't have to know much about The Lord of the Rings (but a little helps) to know that J.R.R. Tolkien intended the Wizard Gandalf to be a Christ like figure.

He went to the depths of 'hell' as he sacrificed his life saving his friends,  and then comes 'back from the dead',  as it were, to rescue them yet again. 

Now forgive me LOTR nuts if I get the chronology wrong here,  but I believe it is the battle of Helms Deep where Gandalf comes to the rescue in spectacular fashion,  bringing reinforcing armies with him and riding down the hill, in blazing light, on a white horse,  just as the battle was looking to be lost. He turns everything around.

If you watch the film you will be reminded,  it is a powerful image.

And when I watched it for the first time,  my mind was drawn immediately to  Christ and this description of him.

Talking movies again,  another favourite movie of mine is 'Pale Rider'.  It's a western directed by (and starring)  Clint Eastwood.

He plays a gunslinger 'turned preacher'
And his character's entrance into the small besieged mining community (that he is later to save) is both at once understated and dramatic.

A mother and her daughter are reading in their kitchen from the book of Revelation, after taking a particularly nasty knock from the marauding hordes of the corporate mining company, who have raided the prospectors camp.  They are both distraught and at a loss as to how to go on.  The daughter has prayed for help in the scene before but has no idea where it will come from.

As they read aloud from the scripture the girl is looking out of the window and her mother's voice says 'behold I saw a pale horse,  and his rider's name was death', just as Clint/preacher passes the window on his pale horse. And then come the words 'and hell followed with him'.

The preacher becomes a symbol of hope to the community,and their talisman, but soon it becomes clear that his skills as a gunman are equally needed.

But the message of the film is self empowerment.  They just needed someone to show them that all they needed was a bit of backbone. Christ's message is more empowering and yet is one of of complete reliance on him.

And 'the preacher' is certainly a flawed character.

But Jesus is, you will be grateful,  so unlike Clint's character.

His name was 'death'.
At best an avenging angel.

And vengeance has its place.

Jesus will be coming again not like the meek Lamb,  laying down his life,  but in victory and for war.  He will vanquish all his foes and cut swathes  through the demonic ranks.

He will come in brilliant radiance,  like Gandalf (but much, much better),  and none will stand at his coming.

Yes the day of vengeance is coming.

But his name is not death.

His name is 'Faithful and True'.

There is an awful lot of imagery here in this passage and I will attempt to unpick some of it over the next few days,  but mostly I wanted to focus on the names,  as they seem to be given special significance. 

And this name,  faithful and true, tells us a whole other story to the one of revenge. 

Jesus isn't coming to get his own back.  

The second coming is not simply a divine 'I told you so'.

No doubt they there will be some retribution and justice,  but there is much more to this than that. 

We are told,  he judges fairly and wages a righteous war.

He comes with truth and faithfulness.  He comes to end injustice and oppression,  he comes to restore God's creation and people to a loving,  peaceful communion,  with himself and with echother. 

He comes to establish The Kingdom. 

And he who we put our trust in,  and wait for, is not a mere man that he should lie,  nor merely a son of Man that he should change his mind. 

He is faithful,  and all his promises are YES and AMEN in Christ Jesus. 

Put your trust in him, 

This day,

And all days. 

Amen 

Christ Alone

 At this I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers and sisters who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For it is the Spirit of prophecy who bears testimony to Jesus.” ~ Rev19:10


Have you ever noticed how easy it is to fall into idolatry?

When, as the Christian tradition has a long history of doing, you remove the definition that limits idols to literal statues of deities, but broaden it to mean anything that that can take the place of true worship to God in heart and in outward expression, then we can see just how easy this is.

As the Pharisees were so focused on the outward observance of law (and the thought of idolatry to them was abhorrent) they failed to notice that they had made an idol of the law itself.

And Jesus told us that our righteousness should exceed that of the Pharisees.

How?
He says, 'you have heard it said, "You shall not kill" but I tell you that anyone who hates his brother in his heart is guilty of murder'.

So we see that it is the heart that God regards in the human condition, above all things.

Man looks to the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.

But we are also told that out of the overflow of the heart, so speaks the mouth.
It is impossible to have a truly good heart and bad actions. One flows from the other.

And so it is with worship.

It is in our hearts that we are to set apart Christ as Lord.

If Christ is not Lord here, at the seat of our being, he will not be Lord in wherever our feet take us.


And here is the shocking thing we see in revelation; John, who has spent time with Jesus, seen him perform miracles and eat fish, who was there at the crucifixion, resurrection and ascension, even John, who should know better,  is tempted to idolatry by this experience of the angel.

And what prompts him to worship the angel?

Then the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” And he added, “These are the true words of God.”

 At this, John says, I fell at his feet to worship him.

He is in gratitude for the salvation that the gospel has bought humanity, it may even be supposed that it is gratitude 'to god' that elicits this response. And on one level, one can understand. This Angel came from God, this Angel speaks the words of God, this Angel is a mighty and powerful heavenly being.

If one were to worship anything apart from God, one might think that an Angel would not be that bad?

But absolutely and unequivocally not.

And I think that sometimes we ourselves are tempted to idolise good and Godly things or good and Godly people. Perhaps  harkening back to good times given by God.

When our past glories hold us back from our future goals in God, when we unfavourably compare ourselves to 'better people' when we allow ministries or gifts to inflate our ego, or become a source of affirmation outside of God. All could be conceived as idolatry.

Yes even good and Godly things can become idols.

There is one name that matters and one loyalty, above all things, that will last. For there is no name that higher than the name of Jesus.

If the Spirit of prophecy inspired and wrote the entirety of scripture to point us to Christ, and the Spirit of Prophecy that confronts us with God's truth then we ought to know and acknowledge his supremacy in all things and before all beings....even mighty angels.

And the Spirit's very role is to glorify and honour Jesus. And Jesus reflects the Father and the father sends the Spirit. But Jesus has been given the name above every other name. And in mind-blowing conclusion, I have to say that, although it is not distinct from or apart from him, Jesus is the highest name in the Godhead too.

And anything that steals his glory or takes his place is idolatry.

Even your best experiences. Even your most productive of gifts. Even your most trusted and oldest friend.

In Christ alone we stand.

No one can add to him,~
No one can take away from him.

Let's give him all the glory and honour and praise,

This day,
And all days,

Amen

Wedding Invitation

Then the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” And he added, “These are the true words of God.”~ Rev 19:9

Imagine receiving a posh looking envelope in the post one day, the envelope is addressed to you personally on cream paper with an italic script and the letter starts,

"Dear sir/Madam.

You are cordially invited to attend your own wedding...."

But that is effectively what an invitation to the wedding feast of the Lamb is.

We are invited....but not as guests....as the bride!

Jesus told this story in Matthew 22

22 ^1-3 Jesus responded by telling still more stories. “God’s kingdom,” he said, “is like a king who threw a wedding banquet for his son. He sent out servants to call in all the invited guests. And they wouldn’t come!

⁴ “He sent out another round of servants, instructing them to tell the guests, ‘Look, everything is on the table, the prime rib is ready for carving. Come to the feast!’
^5-7 “They only shrugged their shoulders and went off, one to weed his garden, another to work in his shop. The rest, with nothing better to do, beat up on the messengers and then killed them. The king was outraged and sent his soldiers to destroy those thugs and level their city.
^8-10 “Then he told his servants, ‘We have a wedding banquet all prepared but no guests. The ones I invited weren’t up to it. Go out into the busiest intersections in town and invite anyone you find to the banquet.’ The servants went out on the streets and rounded up everyone they laid eyes on, good and bad, regardless. And so the banquet was on—every place filled. (MSG)

 

 

I like this a lot. The good and the bad....regardless. I liked the message version but, for the last verses
 I have decided to return to the NIV;

 

¹¹ “But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. ¹² He asked, ‘How did you get in here without wedding clothes, friend?’ The man was speechless.
¹³ “Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
¹⁴ “For many are invited, but few are chosen.”

This parable (and let us not forget it IS a parable rather than straight doctrine) seems to play fast and loose with all kinds of concepts.

But what I like about it is that it seems to address universalism and election. 

Firstly the Gospel is broad.  It is an open invitation to all people,  regardless of background or gender,  regardless of sins,  all are to be invited. 

And we cannot suppose it is a genuine invitation unless all are able to come.
 

And yet it is not for every. There is no back door into this party. 

The person who seeks to sneak in will be spotted and ejected. 

Seems strange to eject a guest on the basis of their attire,  when the king sent his servants out to literally drag people in off the street. 

But the wedding clothes we will need to be wearing are those we spoke of yesterday,  the robes of Christ's righteousness that cannot be earned but only bestowed on us by the wedding host himself. 

There are no short cuts to heaven.  

All will not be welcomed regardless of Jesus. 

If you received the invitation you were notified of the dress code. 

And what's more,  the clothes are freely provided! 

But many are invited. Not all are chosen.  Only those are chosen who are in Christ.  There will be no chancers,  no crashers.  

The time to choose is now. 

And we are encouraged,  even commanded to invite folk in,  wherever we may find them.  They need nor be model citizens or even models... They don't need to buy a wedding present.... They simply have to come... The table is ready and waiting,  loaded with good things. 

Jesus help us to live for the broad gospel,  fill us with your spirit and place your words in our mouths,  be reflected in our lives and personalities,  that you may make your appeal through us, 

And we thank you for our free invitation to the wedding,  for including us in your great salvation, 

We are eternally grateful, 

This day, 

And all days, 

Amen. 

The Dress Dichotomy

Let us be glad and rejoice,
    and let us give honor to him.
For the time has come for the wedding feast of the Lamb,
    and his bride has prepared herself.
⁸ She has been given the finest of pure white linen to wear.”
    For the fine linen represents the good deeds of God’s holy people.~ Rev 19:7-8

Think of this as a part two to my Friday blog about the bride making herself ready.

The dichotomy of the title to today's blog arises from the age old interplay between faith and good works.

Friday's blog gave it's primary attention to the works side of the image of the bride.  The garments she is to wear to her wedding are the good deeds of the saints (v8).

And in Some cases the bride can take sole responsibility and credit for her dress.  Some brides design and make their own dress and pay for the whole thing. 

In my experience they are few and far between,  and they deserve all the credit.

But here we must look at the imagery with the eye of a theologian rather than the eye of a wedding guest.

Our good deeds,  apart from the grace of God are like dirty rags.

As a bride it is as if we walked backwards through a hedge and then rolled in a muddy puddle just before entering the church.

Indeed we do not deserve to be wearing white.  We are no shrinking violet,  no blushing bride,  We have a history.  We have been 'damaged goods'.

No we are not here on the merit of our moral integrity or our virgin purity.

But that purity is bestowed on us.

We are given the dress to wear.  It is a gift.  We are made pure by The groom and the Father of the groom. All our past sins atoned for.  Our slate wiped clean.
We are in a state of grace.  Praise God.

And just like many brides have the dress made for them,  the Father has prepared our wedding dress for us.  Just like so many brides have their dress paid for (but not all!) He has paid for ours with his life.

And just as a bride is helped into her dress on the day,  he has  dressed us in his own righteousness.

This kind of radiance and purity you cannot buy with all of human wealth.  This kind of beauty you cannot achieve with any amount of human effort,  no matter how hard you try.

This makeover is a gift.

And it's not just external.  It's not,  as many brides experience,  the pretense of purity.

No.

He changes our very nature and purifies us from the inside out.

Amazing grace.

But we must not overlook the deeds themselves.
For with grace they are an adornment,  more glittering than jewellery.

They are our love gift to our Lord from a grateful heart.

You see grace does not just clean us,  but it changes us.

God's grace is given that our hearts be transformed,  as much as that we be forgiven.

Where sin abounds,  his grace abounds more. Hallelujah.

But shall we go on sinning that grace may abound more? 

By no means.

This is the paradox.

Our good deeds are dirty rags.
Yet we are saved for good works.

For we are God's workmanship,  created for good works in christ.

So although we can do nothing to add to our righteousness yet our deeds,  (faith expressing itself in love) will bring pleasure to our grooms heart,  and will beautify us on the big day.

I love this.

We can not get too comfortable with either grace or works apart from each other. They go hand in hand.

Today,  may we live as forgiven. With the weight of sin lifted but with the easy yoke of good deeds in place,  to please you lord.

This day,
And all days.

Amen

Wedding Preparations

⁶ Then I heard again what sounded like the shout of a vast crowd or the roar of mighty ocean waves or the crash of loud thunder:

“Praise the Lord!
    For the Lord our God,^[b] the Almighty, reigns.
⁷ Let us be glad and rejoice,
    and let us give honor to him.
For the time has come for the wedding feast of the Lamb,
    and his bride has prepared herself.
⁸ She has been given the finest of pure white linen to wear.”
    For the fine linen represents the good deeds of God’s holy people.

⁹ And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb.” And he added, “These are true words that come from God.”~ Revelation 19

There is a bit on (one of my favourite films)  Muppet's Christmas Carol, just before the ghost of Christmast future meets Scrooge, where the Narrators excuse themselves because this bit is too scary. (if only we could do that in real life). They then reappear foe the happy and touching finale.

Well folks,  having skipped the last three chapters we have done something similar here.  From now on it's pretty much all good.

The Bride

Now the bride in Revelation,  which of course is the church,  the prize for which Christ laid down his life,  is presented as someone who has made herself ready.

There is so much to say about this but I don't have the time to go into too much detail. But she,  the bride at the wedding of the Lamb,  will not be an apathetic,  disinterested bride.  This is not an arranged marriage where the bride comes with either indifference and resignation,  or in defiant reluctance.

This is a bride who wants to look good for her beloved fiance.

I was not party to the preparations of the bride at my own wedding,  but I know I took about half an hour. Including the shopping for a suit and a haircut about a week before the day,  my preparation time probably totalled to about 3.5 hours. Its my understanding that this for a man is not untypical. 

Not so for my bride. 

Weeks and months of planning,  not just of her own attire but of the whole event  in excruciating detail,  dress fittings and refittings and hair and makeup... I am clueless as to the final tally of hours but...

You get the picture. 

And when a bride prepares herself,  yes for those invited guests,  to an extent,  but when she walks down the aisle, her eyes are for her husband,  and what she really wants,  what she really,  really wants,  is that Wow moment when the groom sees her for the first time in her dress looking like a million pounds. 

And his heart just stops for a beat,  and his jaw hits the floor. 

That,  I believe,  is the desired effect. 

But none of that happens by accident.

That moment has been planned, in the case of some girls,  from the time they were children. 

Yes. I don't think anyone is more prepared for something than a bride. 

And here,  at the end of the ages,  the bride is shown as someone who has made herself ready. 

Jesus isn't coming back for a bride who slept in. 

The church will be in a glorious state of readiness. 

As the church,  and as members of the church,  we too must be readying ourselves for the bridegroom at his coming. 

I do believe personally that the church is crying out for a revival.  I can't speak with authority on the world wide state of the bride,  but the church in my experience, and in the West, could definitely do with a bit of heating up. 

Are we ready. Or have we slept in? 

Wake up, oh sleeper,  rise from the dead,  and the christ will shine on you. 

Lord make us ready adorning ourselves with good deeds and acts of kindness,  as a bride adorns herself for her wedding. Jesus,  it's you that our hearts adore  and all this we do now is so that we can see that look on your face.

We so look forward to that day,  and we long for you, 

This day, 

And all days, 

Amen.