Becoming the Bride of Christ - Part 2
Traditional belief is that the whole church will be the Bride of Christ, but it seems obvious from Scripture that those who are accounted worthy to be included in this bridal company will only include those who have prepared themselves to meet the Bridegroom.
“Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready.”—Revelation 19:7 (NIV)
The Bride is responsible for making herself ready. No one can do this for her. Others may help her, but ultimately, it is the Bride’s responsibility to prepare herself to meet the Bridegroom. The parable of the ten virgins should make that truth very clear to us.
In Esther’s time, in preparation to spend only one night with the King, a woman would receive six months of beauty treatments with oil of myrrh, and then *six more months *with sweet spices, perfumes, and other beautifying and purifying treatments before she would ever be allowed to enter into the king’s presence. (See Esther 2:12-14.)
The preparation that these women received in Esther’s time far exceeded any beauty treatments that most women might subject themselves to today. The original language describes this preparation more as “purification” and could also translated as “cleansing.” This cleansing has been defined as a scouring with soap or perfumery for the bath that is more like a detergent. These women had to be thoroughly cleansed and purified in order to be prepared to enter into the presence of their king.
If all of this preparation was required in order to be presented to an earthly king for one night, why would we think that we can enter into marriage with the King of Kings without preparing ourselves?
In truth, we will all be held accountable for how we prepare ourselves to meet the Bridegroom. Scripture is clear about this.
“That servant knew what his master wanted him to do. But he did not make himself ready or try to do what his master wanted. So that servant will be punished very much!”—Luke 12:47 (ERV)
“You must be like servants that are waiting for their master to arrive. When he returns home from the marriage party, he will knock on the door. His servants should be ready to open it for him immediately.”—Luke 12:36 (EASY)
