A Deeper Dive Into the Book of Revelation - Part 36
“So wash and anoint yourself [with olive oil], then put on your [best] clothes, and go down to the threshing floor; but stay out of the man’s sight until he has finished eating and drinking. When he lies down, notice the place where he is lying, and go and uncover his feet and lie down. Then he will tell you what to do.”—Ruth 3:3-4 (AMP)
In this passage, Naomi was advising Ruth to prepare herself to be presented to her Bridegroom. This has great spiritual significance for each of us. One day, each of us will meet the Heavenly Bridegroom. Some (the wise virgins) will be ready, and they will be welcomed into the wedding ceremony. Others (the foolish virgins) will not be ready. They will be refused and rejected, and they will find themselves locked out of the wedding ceremony of the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus made this clear to us in Matthew 25:1-13. Jesus ended that passage with this solemn command:
“Therefore, be on the alert [be prepared and ready], for you do not know the day nor the hour [when the Son of Man will come].”— Matthew 25:13 (AMP)
In Revelation 19, we see that those who have obeyed Christ’s command to prepare themselves have qualified to be included in the Bride of Christ:
“‘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 19:7-9 (NKJV)
Jesus is not coming back for a bride who is stained and corrupted with issues of sin, worldliness, or agreement with demonic influences. He is returning for a bride who is without spot or wrinkle; without stain or blemish. This is the work of sanctification.
“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.”—Ephesians 5:25-27 (NIV)
“let us approach [God] with a true and sincere heart in unqualified assurance of faith, having had our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.”—Hebrews 10:22 (AMP)
It is our responsibility to prepare ourselves to be presented without spot or stain to our Heavenly Bridegroom. This was a high priority for the Apostle Paul.
“I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy because I have promised you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ.”—2 Corinthians 11:2 (AMP)
Bridal preparation is a recurring theme throughout the Bible.
God speaks of His love for Jerusalem as a Bridegroom’s love for His Bride in Ezekiel 16:8-14. In this passage God demonstrates His love for Jerusalem by helping her prepare to become His bride:
“Then I passed by you [again] and looked on you; behold, you were maturing and at the time for love, and I spread My skirt over you and covered your nakedness. Yes, I swore [an oath] to you and entered into a covenant with you,” says the Lord God, “and you became Mine.”
“Then I washed you with water; yes, I [thoroughly] washed away from you the [clinging] blood and anointed you with oil. I also clothed you with embroidered cloth and put sandals of porpoise skin on your feet; and I wrapped you with fine linen and covered you with silk.
**“**I adorned you with ornaments and I put bracelets on your wrists and a necklace around your neck. I also put a ring in your nostril and earrings in your ears and a beautiful crown on your head.
“Thus you were adorned with gold and silver, and your dress was [made] of fine linen and silk and embroidered cloth. You ate fine flour and honey and oil; so you were extremely beautiful and you advanced and prospered into royalty.
“Then your fame went out among the nations on account of your beauty, for it was perfect because of My majesty and splendor which I bestowed on you,” says the Lord God. (AMP)
Hegai began Esther’s bridal preparation as soon as she was accepted among the women who would be presented to the king:
“The young woman pleased him and won his kindness. He quickly began her beauty treatments and gave her carefully chosen foods.”—Esther 2:9 (CEB)
This speaks to us of the spiritual necessity of giving high priority to making ourselves ready to meet our Heavenly Bridegroom when He returns for us.
“this was the regular period for their beauty treatments, six months with oil of myrrh and six months with sweet spices and perfumes and the things for the purifying of the women”—Esther 2:12 (AMPC)
Esther’s preparation took an entire year! This might seem extreme to us, but she was preparing herself for her king. We often forget that we are preparing ourselves for a much higher honor. We are preparing ourselves to be presented to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords!
In the Song of Solomon, we follow the love story of a lowly Shulamite maiden as she progresses from not knowing the king at all to becoming his most beloved, most treasured, and highly valued bride and companion in life.
In the first chapter of the Song of Solomon, as soon as the Bridegroom sees potential in this young Shulamite girl, she begins to be adorned in preparation for marriage.
“Your cheeks are comely with ornaments, your neck with strings of jewels. We will make for you chains and ornaments of gold, studded with silver.”—Song of Solomon 1:10-11 (AMPC)
As their love grows and matures, so do the king’s compliments for his bride. The king expresses how pleased he is with the bride’s anointing and her lovely fragrances.
“How beautiful is your love, my sister, my [promised] bride! How much better is your love than wine, And the fragrance of your oils Than all kinds of balsam and spices.”—Song of Solomon 4:10 (AMP)
Of course, this is all a divine allegory. The journey of this Shulamite maiden represents your individual journey of preparation to enter into the bridal relationship with your Heavenly Bridegroom, the Lord Jesus Christ.
As the spiritual fruit of her life grows and matures, this Shulamite becomes a constant source of delight for the King (her Bridegroom). Everything about her pleases him. She is beautiful to look at. Her fragrances are sweet. She is a fountain of life-giving water to him.
“You have ravished my heart and given me courage, my sister, my [promised] bride; You have ravished my heart and given me courage with a single glance of your eyes, With one jewel of your necklace.
“How beautiful is your love, my sister, my [promised] bride! How much better is your love than wine, And the fragrance of your oils Than all kinds of balsam and spices.
“Your lips, my [promised] bride, drip honey [as the honeycomb]; Honey and milk are under your tongue, And the fragrance of your garments is like the fragrance of Lebanon.
“A garden enclosed is my sister, my [promised] bride— A rock garden locked, a spring sealed up.
“Your shoots are an orchard of pomegranates, [A paradise] with precious fruits, henna with fragrant plants, Fragrant plants and saffron, calamus and cinnamon, With all trees of frankincense, Myrrh and aloes, along with all the finest spices.
“You are a fountain in a garden, A well of fresh and living water, And streams flowing from Lebanon.” —Song of Solomon 4:9-15 (AMP)
All of this speaks of the Bride’s growing compatibility with her Royal Bridegroom. As she prepares herself for her coming marriage, she is being more and more conformed to the image of her Bridegroom; being made more and more compatible to Him; taking on more and more of His character qualities. His nature is becoming her nature. They are becoming one—spirit, soul, and body.
This is a powerful message to us. This is how each of us should develop in our personal love relationship with our Heavenly Bridegroom. Each of us should be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. His character should become our character. His nature should become our nature. This is God’s purpose and plan for each of us in preparation for our presentation to the Heavenly Bridegroom.
“For those whom He foreknew [of whom He was aware and loved beforehand], He also destined from the beginning [foreordaining them] to be molded into the image of His Son [and share inwardly His likeness], that He might become the firstborn among many brethren.”—Romans 8:29 (AMPC)
Bridal preparation is essential for each of us, just as it was for Ruth.
You don’t want to meet the Bridegroom unprepared. Jesus warned us what that experience would be like.
“But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment. And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ For many are called, but few are chosen.”—Matthew 22:11-14 (ESV)
**Reference: **
Cummins, D. (2021). I Am Ruth Thy Handmaid. Capitol Worship.
