In Revelation 19:7 we read, “His wife has made herself ready.” Although this comment refers to the church, in this connection the term bride would not be an appropriate one. Now there are two sorts of fitness, and the church is the subject of both. First, God in the exercise of His sovereign grace makes us fit for heavenly glory, as we read, “Giving thanks unto the Father which hath made us meet [fit] to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light” (Col. 1:12). Second, believers have to make themselves ready before they enter on their eternal glory. Our lives have to be reviewed at the judgment seat of Christ (2 Cor. 5:10). The light of the throne will examine every moment of our lives, discovering the hidden, and bringing out the true character of act, word and service. The enigmas of life will be explained, unsolved problems cleared up, and all mistakes and misunderstandings rectified. This, and more, is the application of the judgment seat of Christ to the heavenly saints and precedes the marriage. “His wife has made herself ready.” The light of the throne has done its blessed work, bringing out into bold relief the whole story of her history on earth.
What would it be if in glory we remembered one incident of a painful kind which had not been set right? The thought would be intolerable. But all will come out at the judgment seat as a matter between each saint and God. Nor must this be understood as signifying judicial judgment, for all that has been settled on the cross. We appear before the judgment seat of Christ crowned and glorified, “raised in glory” (1 Cor. 15:43), to have the light of the throne cast upon the past. We shall then pass from this review and judgment seat with its searching light into the loved presence of the Lamb as His bride and wife forever.
Bridal Robes
“It was given to her that she should be clothed in fine linen, bright and pure; for the fine linen is the righteousnesses of the saints” (Rev. 19:8 JND). The harlot was gorgeously arrayed, but her pomp, splendor and ornaments were claimed as a matter of right. With the bride it is different; she is arrayed as a matter of grace, for “it was given to her.” Undoubtedly there are rewards for service done, as Matthew 25:14-23 clearly shows. “God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love” (Heb. 6:10). It might be well for us to forget, but He never will.
There is, however, another side to this question which should always be borne in mind, namely, the sovereignty of God. His right it is to give or withhold. Many an eminent servant of God has made shipwreck of true life and service by neglect of the great balancing truth—God is sovereign. The parable of the talents in Matthew 25 shows the grace of God in rewards, while the parable of the householder in Matthew 20 is a demonstration of the sovereignty of God in giving to all alike, irrespective of toil or length of service.
The garments of pure linen in which the angels are arrayed—those who hold the vials of judgment (Rev. 15:6)—express the righteous character of their mission—it is a mission of judgment. The pure and lustrous fine linen of the Lamb’s wife is her righteousness, or “righteous acts,” done on earth. But she claims no merit, for these righteous acts were wrought by the power of the Holy Spirit in her. The gaudy colors in which the harlot is arrayed present a sharp contrast to the pure, white and bright linen of the bride. Her garments speak of her practical character. She can now enter on the enjoyment of eternal companionship and union of the closest nature (that of wife) with her husband, the Lamb. Her deeds on earth have been appraised at their true value in heaven. She is arrayed in them, or, in the expressive words of our text, “has made herself ready.” She passes from the judgment seat of Christ to the marriage, and from thence to her place in the kingdom.
W. Scott (adapted)