Keeping Our Wedding Garments Clean: A Call to Holiness

In the grand narrative of the Bible, the relationship between Christ and the Church is often depicted as a marriage, with Christ as the bridegroom and the Church as His bride. As believers, we are part of this bride, called to prepare ourselves for the return of our bridegroom. This preparation involves keeping our "wedding garments" clean, symbolizing our spiritual purity and holiness.

The Apostle Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 7:1 (NIV), "Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God." While the blood of Jesus has washed us clean from the filth of our sin, it is our responsibility to maintain this cleanliness, to keep ourselves from all spiritual defilement. This involves actively distancing ourselves from worldly pleasures and influences that can stain our wedding garments.

James 1:27 (NIV) provides a practical guide on how to live out this purity: "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." True religion, in the eyes of God, involves caring for the vulnerable and maintaining personal purity.

So, how do we keep ourselves pure and unspotted from the world? The scriptures highlight three key practices:

1. The Fear of the Lord: Psalm 19:9 (NIV) says, "The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The decrees of the Lord are firm, and all of them are righteous." Reverence and awe for God, acknowledging His holiness and our need for His grace, is the beginning of wisdom and a key to living a pure life. Proverbs 9:10 (NIV) echoes this, stating, "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding." Proverbs 8:13 (NIV) further defines the fear of the Lord, saying, "To fear the LORD is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech."

2. Being Washed in the Water of the Word: Ephesians 5:25-27 (NIV) reads, "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." Regularly immersing ourselves in God's Word purifies our minds and aligns our hearts with His.

3. Expecting the Return of Our Bridegroom: 1 John 3:2-3 (NIV) encourages us, "Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure." Living in the light of Christ's return motivates us to live pure and holy lives.

In addition to these practices, the scriptures also call us to a life of holiness. 1 Peter 1:15-16 (NIV) says, "But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: 'Be holy, because I am holy.'" Similarly, 2 Timothy 1:9 (NIV) reminds us that God "has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace." Leviticus 20:26 (NIV) also calls us to be holy, saying, "You are to be holy to me because I, the LORD, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be my own."

These scriptures remind us of our call to live holy lives, set apart for God's purposes. They also highlight the importance of fearing the Lord, which is the beginning of wisdom and understanding. This fear is not about being afraid, but about having a deep reverence and awe for God's holiness and majesty. It's about recognizing His authority over our lives and choosing to live in obedience to His commands.

As we anticipate the return of our bridegroom, Jesus Christ, let us strive to keep our wedding garments clean, living lives of holiness and purity. We want to be ready for His return, unashamed and radiant in His presence.

As in the Days of Noah

“But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. 37 But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 38 For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, 39 and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.
(Matthew 24:36-39)

Prophesying of the end of the age, Jesus gives a prophetic picture of the last days before His coming. He compares the last days as "as the days of Noah." Even though we may not know the exact time of His coming we can look for the signs of His return. He tells us that before the flood, people were carrying on like normal. They were still conducting their lives and affairs without a single concern of a flood coming up until the very end. They were still going to parties, getting married, going to those bars to drink, and enjoying all this world has to offer. What this tells me is that the end will come on a day that seems like any other day. Yes, there will be signs on the highway but people will keep driving to their intended destination. Just like Caltrans, God will be putting out the cones on the highway and putting up warning signs way ahead of the actual danger area but many will not heed the warnings.

Every year people that ignore these signs, end up on the nightly news report, being swept away in flood waters after they decided to go around what was meant to protect them. Some drown or lose their cars because they thought the situation was less critical than it actually was. Let's not forget the people who get warned to leave their homes in oncoming fires, hurricanes and tornados. We have developed a system to protect human lives and reduce casualties but people can be deceived about their ability to ride out the storm. Hurricane Katrina was a prime example of that. Many people perished unnecessarily because they did not correctly assess the seriousness of the situation.

My friends when Jesus returns we won't be able to ride out the storm. We will either be ready or we will become a casualty. If a fireman or rescue worker comes to your house, to tell you that you are in the way of impending disaster, you better listen. Don't gamble your life against the elements. Don't think you are exempted from the coming danger. As in the days of Noah, the bible tells us that God, "did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly" 2 Peter 2:4-5 Think about this, only eight people survived the floods that Noah prophesied about. Only eight gave heed to the signs and warnings. The people who were carrying on their normal lives must have thought Noah was a mad man working on that enormous ship. It must have took years of watching him build it with all the time to mock him. God's word says Noah was preaching righteousness to a world who had fallen into great wickedness. He wasn't placating them or making less of the situation. He wasn't telling them that they would be ok when clearly they were going to get swept away. He must have tried to compel them day and night to enter that ark until the very hand of God closed the doors to the ark.

Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. Genesis 6:5-6

The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. 12 So God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. And God said to Noah, “The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth. Genesis 6:11-13

What was this great wickedness that would make God destroy the ancient world?

If you read the scripture carefully the reason God destroyed the earth is mentioned twice here in Genesis. VIOLENCE! The bible says their thoughts and hearts were wicked continually. The very motivation of their hearts was evil. Everything had gotten corrupted. In the book of Enoch which is not a book in the bible says that people had resorted to cannibalism, witchcraft, and drugs. Violence had taken over and the sin of Cain had infected mankind. Fast forward to today. Just in the last few weeks there has been one mass shooting a week. In 2012 a Florida man stands naked eating a homeless man's face. In another incident, a college student in Maryland ate another fellow student that shared the dorm with him. Also in that same year I believe a neighbor ate someone else's dog in a drug induced act of animal cruelty. These acts are beyond human comprehension. In 2011 in a video called "Church on Life Support" I prophesied of an increase of violence unless we turned back to God as a nation. I warned of persecution. We have seen the increase of both since I prophesied this. Also, after the release of this word we also saw the Boston Marathon Bombings, the 12 murders in the theater, in Aurora, Colorado, and the shootings of 37 people at Sandy Hook Elementary. Schools and college campuses have become a hazardous place to be as they have become a common place of violence.

Even in the face of these signs we have not made a concerted effort to turn back to God. We have debated over gun control, enforced stricter laws and pointed fingers at one another. None of these things will stop the evil in the heart's of men. More than just seeing these things as symptoms of the increase of violence TV, video games, and media; we need to see these things as signs of His coming. The persecution and murder of thousands of Christians all over the world like Syria, Egypt and other Middle Eastern countries are also signs that we are nearing the end of age. "For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22 And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened." (Matthew 24:21-22)

Dear reader, there is a reason Hollywood is going to release a movie about the time of Noah. God inspired them. There is a reason that you feel uneasy every time you wake up. There is a reason there is a show called Doomsday Preppers. Everyone all around us feels it. We can try to ignore the obvious but the signs keep appearing on the road we are on, they say, "Caution up ahead!" Some of you know that you should be saying something but you remain silent as people race by you on their way to their destruction. How can you say you love people when you are allowing them to stay on the path that leads to death? Don't you know that we are called to be fire fighters and emergency personnel so we can get people out of harm's way? How will they know unless someone tells them? Will you wait until the flames lick their house and their death is certain? A way of escape was already made for them why not share it with them. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life! He made a way out through His son. It is time to get out there and say something because LOVE WARNS!