I believe that we are living in a day in which the Lord is preparing His Bride. Furthermore, I have the full assurance that we are presently undergoing this process of preparation. Otherwise, when, where, and with whom will Revelation 19 have its fulfillment? This chapter is in the process of being fulfilled among us in the Lord’s recovery.
We need to connect Revelation 19 with Ephesians 5. Apart from Ephesians 5, there is no way for the Bride to be prepared, and hence no way for Revelation 19 to be fulfilled. It is very significant that the Lord has spoken to us about ordinances, doctrines, the old man, and the spots and wrinkles. It is crucial that we experience the nourishing, cherishing, sanctifying, and purifying riches of Christ to remove our oldness and defects. When all such things have been removed, we shall become a church that is holy, glorious, and without blemish. Then we shall be the Bride in Revelation 19. When the Bride has been prepared, Christ will come as the Bridegroom. Praise the Lord that we are in the process of becoming a holy and glorious Bride for Christ! How we praise the Lord for showing us the way to be prepared as the Bride, made ready for His coming back! Christ will have a church without ordinances, doctrines, the old man, and the spots and wrinkles. Such a church will be the beautiful Bride to satisfy the desire of His heart.
In chapter one we have a general sketch of the church, and in chapter two, the creation, birth, and formation of the one new man. Then in chapter four we have the growth of this new man for functioning. Also in chapter four we see the daily life of the new man. Then in chapter five we come to the presentation of the church to Christ. At the time of this presentation, the church will be the Bride, not the new man. As the new man, the church needs the functions. But as the Bride, the church needs beauty. The growth in chapter four is for the function of the new man, whereas the beauty in chapter five is for the presentation of the Bride.
The spots and wrinkles do not affect the function of the church. However, they very much detract from the beauty of the church. What a man looks for in a bride is not firstly ability; it is beauty. The church as Christ’s Bride must also be beautiful. For this reason, Paul goes on from the function and daily living of the new man in chapter four to the presentation of the Bride without spot or wrinkle in chapter five. If we grow in the Lord, eventually our functions as members of the Body will come forth. However, we may function properly and have an excellent daily living according to the spirit of the mind, but still not be beautiful in the eyes of the Lord because of our spots and wrinkles. After saying so much about the church in chapters one through four, Paul goes on in chapter five to speak about the church as the Bride. In this chapter he says nothing concerning the creation of the church, the growth of the church, or the daily living of the church. Instead, he speaks of the beauty of the church. When Christ presents the church to Himself, the church will not be a strong man; she will be a beautiful Bride. Christ is the universal Man. As this universal Man, He needs the church to be His Bride to match Him. In order to be the Bride of Christ, the church must become beautiful and have all the spots and wrinkles removed.
We have seen that with respect to the creation of the new man, the function of the new man, and the daily living of the new man, we face problems with ordinances, doctrine, and the old way of life. But with respect to the presentation of the church as the Bride, we have the problem of the spots and wrinkles. The crucial question is how these blemishes can be removed. Any bride would want to have a healthy, radiant complexion on her wedding day. If she is concerned about blemishes, she should begin long beforehand to prepare herself for her wedding by eating nutritious foods that will give her a healthy complexion. In the same principle, today we must prepare ourselves to be the Bride by taking in the element of Christ’s riches as our nourishment. Christ is the food for the church. Therefore, as she prepares herself to be presented to Christ, the church must eat Christ. There is no other way to be prepared. Eating Jesus is the way. By eating Him we become a beautiful and even glorious Bride.