The Wedding
“She is all glorious within” (Psalms 45:13).
For upward of twenty centuries the door has stood open for the completion of the Church; but the time must come when she will stand before the Son of God, adorned as a bride for her husband (Revelation 21:2, R6024).
All eyes in the celestial realm are on the bridal pair. The bride’s beauty of form, her radiance of face, the loveliness of her attire arrests the attention of the heavenly host. She “is all glorious within: her clothing is of wrought gold” (Psalm 45:13, C193).
“She shall be brought unto the king in raiment of needle work: the virgins her companions that follow her shall be brought unto thee” (Psalm 45:14, C193, R1494, F128, 121, C192, R4655).
“With gladness and rejoicing shall they be brought: they shall enter into the king’s palace” (Psalm 45:15, see Comment Book, page 94).
As yet her face is veiled. The Bridegroom lifts away the shrouding veil, the crown is placed upon her head … and the Bride and Bridegroom are face to face for the first time with no veil, no distance, no agency between … “Face to face with Christ my Savior. Face to face, what will it be?”
The Bridegroom, looking deeply into his Beloved, overwhelmed and ravished by her beauty, might joyously exclaim, “Oh, I do love you!” … and the Bride, looking deeply into her Beloved might joyously exclaim in the fullest sense, “I am my Beloved’s and my Beloved is mine!” (Song of Solomon 6:3). Yet with humility and wonder she might breathlessly exclaim, Out of all the world, you have chosen me!
Could anything surpass that first long look of love as the Bride and Bridegroom look deeply into each other knowing that they two shall be forever one?
Now the titles become the right of him who is the King of Kings.
The Bride of Christ
“The government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6, R5136, also F121, 142).
The time has come to take his great power and reign. He will not reign alone, but he will reign forever. “Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth and forever” (Isaiah 9:7, R5136).
He is the “heir of all things – upholding all things by the word of his power” (Hebrews 1:1-3, see “Comments,” page 416, Gems from the Mine, page 571-2).
His reign is not confined to earth. The vast universe is his domain. He is the great heir of God the Father, the Lord of Worlds, the Potentate of Time … and there beside him stands his beloved Bride, chosen out of all the earth, the greatest miracle of all, the Divine creation of love, formed to share these honors and companionship for all eternity.
The singing of the heavenly chorus obliterates all memories of the toilsome past, the long night, the suffering and weary waiting. It is the morning of joy, soon to overflow to a sin-sick world with healing, love, and life (Revelation 22:17).
Do we long to be with our beloved Lord Jesus; is this our sincere desire? How can we make this a reality?
– Bro. David Skein