Believers want God to welcome them with open arms and greet them with, “Well done” at the conclusion of their life’s journey, just as the Lord said to his faithful servants in the parable of the talents in Matthew 25. That is an admirable and worthy goal, but it doesn’t just happen automatically. It’s not guaranteed.
In fact, there are passages in Scripture in which Jesus assures us that there will be servants of God who will be so disappointed with God’s evaluation of their lives, that “there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 24:50-51; Matthew 8:12; Matthew 7:21-23).
Even within the parable of the talents, one of the Lord’s servants so displeased him that rather than welcoming him with a hearty “Well done,” the Lord gave the command to “throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 25:30 NIV).
This was not said to an unbelieving heathen who was unfamiliar with God. This was said to a servant—one who knew and served the Lord.
Would God really treat His own people in such a way?
Yes. When we make choices that call for such a response, He does. He has in the past, and it will be necessary for Him to do so in the future. He is a righteous judge Who evaluates the lives of believers and rewards them accordingly (Revelation 20:12-13; 1 Corinthians 3:12-15). God is no respecter of persons (1 Peter 1:17).
In the book of Revelation, there is one group of believers that so sickens Him that He declares that He will vomit them out of His mouth (Revelation 3:16).
In Revelation, we are also given a glimpse into the coming wedding of Jesus to His bride. The bride is made up of many believers, but not all believers will meet the conditions to be included in the bride of Christ. We are told very clearly in Revelation 19:7 that the bride has “made herself ready.” There is a work of preparation that is necessary to be a part of the bride of Christ. We are given a clue as to what that preparation involves in the next verse:
“She has been permitted to dress in fine linen, dazzling white and clean—for the fine linen signifies the righteous acts of the saints [the ethical conduct, personal integrity, moral courage, and godly character of believers].”—Revelation 19:8 (AMP)
These are the believers who are not satisfied with salvation alone. It is not enough for them to escape hell. They go beyond the initial salvation experience and cooperate with their Lord to pursue sanctification, cleansing their thoughts, words, and actions, and being transformed into the image of Christ (Romans 8:29; Romans 12:2). They strive to live lives of purity before God, as Job did, spotless and without blemish (Job 1:1,8). This is Jesus’ bride that Paul spoke of in Ephesians 5:25-27 (NKJV):
“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.”
These are the believers who have taken to heart the exhortations of Peter and James:
“So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him.”— 2 Peter 3:14 (NIV)
“Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.”—James 1:27 (NKJV)
We see the door closed to half of the servants of God (described as foolish virgins) who wish to join the bridegroom and take part in the wedding in Matthew 25:1-13 (NIV):
“At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
“At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’
“Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’
“‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’
“But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.
“Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’
“But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’
“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.”
Those who will be counted worthy to participate in the wedding as the bride of Christ will have prepared themselves. They will be ready to meet the bridegroom. Because of this, they will be adorned with spotless garments of pure, white linen, as the bride of the king in Song of Solomon 4:7 (NKJV):
“You are all fair, my love, And there is no spot in you.”
But what will be the Lord’s response to one who did not prepare himself? How will the Lord respond to one who is not clothed with that fine, white linen that adorns the bride at the time of Jesus’ wedding? Jesus declares the fate that awaits that one in Matthew 22:11-14 (NLT):
“But when the king came in to meet the guests, he noticed a man who wasn’t wearing the proper clothes for a wedding. ‘Friend,’ he asked, ‘how is it that you are here without wedding clothes?’ But the man had no reply. Then the king said to his aides, ‘Bind his hands and feet and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
“For many are called, but few are chosen.”
