In the 25th chapter of the Book of Matthew, the Savior taught His apostles about a wedding feast yet to come. In the parable of the wise and foolish virgins, He warns that not everyone who has been invited to the wedding will be prepared with oil in their lamps. It has always interested me that He doesn't call them the 5 wicked bridesmaids, or even the 5 naughty bridesmaids. He calls them foolish. They were invited to the feast, but they were all-mosters and procrastinators. The bridegroom in this story is Jesus Himself and the bride is His Church. Prior to His Second Coming and before the final wiping clean of the wicked from the earth, Christ will come for those who are prepared to greet Him; those with clean hands and pure hearts, dressed in spiritual white and with oil in their lamps and to spare.
Think about the image of a bride preparing for her wedding, then translate all that joy and purity to the image of Christ's Church. More importantly, think of that image in terms of each individual who has a relationship with Jesus Christ. I ask myself: do I have oil in my lamp? Am I worthy to be dressed in white? (see Revelation ) Do I have clean hands and a pure heart? If not, I'd better work on that so that I won't be shut out of the wedding feast of the bridegroom. It may be more difficult for a man to see himself in this image of the bride, but think about the kind of bride you would want to have look at you across the altar. You must be as pure as she. I have never believed in a moral double standard.
Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.
Thou hast a few names . . . which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy.
He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels. (Revelation 3: 1-5)
Then in Revelation 17, we meet another kind of woman all together. He is called a harlot, the great whore of the earth, with all of the images that go with that title. She is drunk with the blood of martyred saints. The world is drunk with the blood of her fornication. I have always had a problem with our society's attitude of acceptance - even embracing - of fornication, adultery, and homosexual activities as being natural, normal, and all right. It's not about having a desire: it's about what you do with that desire that makes the difference. If you act on it in a morally unclean way, then it is not all right. All through the scriptures and especially in the Book of Revelation, the wickedness of the world is depicted as a morally unclean woman.
If the bride is the Church, then the harlot is Babylon:
Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:
With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.
And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:
And upon her forehead was a name written, Mystery, Babylon the Great, the Mother of Harlots and Abominations of the Earth. (Revelation 17: 1, 2, 4, 5)
How do I want to be described by God? I think that's a no-brainer, don't you?
Text copyright Gebara Education March 2013
Picture of bridegroom from www.myspace.com
Picture of bride from www.boosisteralert.wordpress.com
Picture of scarlet woman from www.home.earthlink.net
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