It is remarkable that one of the seven judgment angels is now able to show John the bride, the wife of the Lamb. They had poured out the last ‘bowls’ of God’s wrath upon mankind,1 and one of them had also shown John the ‘whore’ of Babylon.2 Was it perhaps also one of them who had said to John at the beginning: “Come here, climb up here?”3 It is as if the Lord, by sending this angel to John immediately after His last words, wants to say: ‘Just don’t think too much about the ‘lake of fire’, John, about all those people who consciously wanted nothing to do with Me. Look rather at the prize of God’s calling.4 Just turn your eyes away towards the Glory of God’s children. Do not think so much about the people of the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but think about the thousands who love Me.’5
The angel can now show them to John as the bride, the Lamb’s wife. Set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. “Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in Glory. Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. For it is because of these things that the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience, and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them”.6 Where Christ is, you will be, John, as well as all those millions of people whom God has destined to be there. The ‘bride of Christ’ consists of many members. The Heavenly bridegroom sacrificed His life for them. His love has gone out to them to such a large extent that they could not but say ‘Yes’, and yet He is nevertheless waiting for them to so do, and every man and woman has to say ‘Yes’ to Him personally, before he or she may belong to the ‘bride’, the ‘Queen” on the side of the King. God always asks us to make a choice. That began already in Paradise. This is not to make it difficult for us, but to give us the opportunity to love Him out of our own free will. Forced love is not real love. That’s rape. Robots and computers can and will do everything you tell them to. They are perfectly obedient. But they cannot love. Love does not allow itself to be forced. God’s unwavering love is always there. The Saviour’s heart is continually reaching out to us. This is why the Holy Spirit was poured out on Jews and proselytes (Gentiles who had converted to Judaism) on the Day of Pentecost, and, later; on half-Jews (the Samaritans), and, finally, on the Gentiles as well, on Cornelius, the Roman, and his family and friends. For this is the order in which God reaches out to ‘mankind’ – to the Jew first and then also the non-Jew, the Gentiles. The Holy Spirit encourages people to make haste, to reach out into the world, like Paul and many after him. The Holy Spirit is knocking at the door of people’s hearts and saying: ‘Open up to Me, let Me come in.’ So many have very nearly done so, like King Agrippa, who says: “You almost persuade me to become a Christian.”7 Paul replies: “Short time or long—I pray to God that not only you but all who are listening to me today may become what I am, except for these chains.”8 Chains in this world for suffering for Christ, but soon true believers will see the Glory of the marriage of the Lamb.
• The God of the Bible is not like Allah in Islam. There is no question of fatalism, whereby a person can simply allow himself to be carried along by the currents of pre-determined events. The Bible constantly calls us to make choices.
• “Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve.”9 That choice may be made prayerfully, and the Lord will then go along with it. And we can be sure:“…the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words…” Romans 8:26. And: “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10.
• This ‘walk of life’ with the necessary choices must take place every day, so that we do not walk in our own ways. That is not an option for mankind. “Lord, I know that people’s lives are not their own; it is not for them to direct their steps.”10
• Jeremiah longs even to be disciplined, to be corrected so that he will not simply walk in his own ways. “Discipline me, Lord, but only in due measure— not in Your anger, or You will reduce me to nothing.11
• The ‘Song of Songs’ in the New Testament is 1 Corinthians 13 – NLT: “If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it: but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing. Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever! Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete, and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture! But when the time of perfection comes, these partial things will become useless. Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.”
Bible References:
1.Revelation 16:1–21 2.Revelation 17:1 3.Revelation 4:1 NIV 4.Philippians 3:4 5.Exodus 20:5–6 6.Colossians 3:2–7 7.Acts 26:28 NIV 8.Acts 26:29 NIV 9.Joshua 24:15; Deuteronomy 30; Psalm 25:12 NIV 10.Jeremiah 10:23 11.Jeremiah 10:24
