REVELATION 19:7-8 NKJ

REVELATION 19:7-8 NKJ

7 "Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the

marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself

ready."

8 And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean

and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the

saints.

These verses hold an answer to the question often asked by

humans facing difficulties and troubles: "Why?"

Since Jesus has already defeated the devil and gained for us

all the blessings the Bible tells us about, why is the devil

allowed to continue to attack us and steal those blessings?

Does any bridegroom desire to marry a bride he cannot

communicate with? Certainly not!

Surely, no highly educated person would prefer marrying a

spouse who cannot even read or write. No one would prefer

marrying someone unable to speak their language.

Jesus is no different in this regard. His desire is also to

have companionship with those who understand Him.

So you are being prepared to be a fit companion for the Lord

Jesus Christ for eternity. This means you need to have

opportunity to overcome and to walk in love in the midst of

difficulty. Otherwise, you would never be able to truly

appreciate all Jesus has done.

Does this mean Jesus will throw out those who do not perfectly

overcome in this life? Absolutely not! Jesus promised that

anyone who came to Him would never be rejected or cast out

(John 6:37). But the closest fellowship will only be enjoyed

with those who overcome as He overcame.

Revelation 19:8 says the fine linen adorning the Lamb's

companion is righteous acts. What makes her so beautiful to

Jesus is not that she is clothed in His righteousness, which

was a gift, but in her own righteousness.

No, we are not saved by our righteous acts, but when we allow

Jesus to live and love through us, our acts of loving sacrifice

are very beautiful to the Lord.

Verse 7 says His wife has made herself ready. She was not born

ready. She was born righteous, but not ready. She had to grow

up and learn to walk as Jesus walked in order to become ready

to be His most intimate companion. She received right standing

with God as a free gift. But the righteous acts she is wearing

are her own.

This is why the devil has not been incarcerated yet. God

believes every one of His children can overcome, so we are

being allowed the opportunity to do so.

The wife of the Lamb is meant to have the opportunity to

overcome evil with good -- just as Jesus did -- so she can

fellowship with Him on a level of understanding that would not

be possible otherwise.

Our wonderful Lord Jesus is worthy of companions who understand

(at least somewhat) the difficulties He suffered, because of

His love for us.

So let us ask Him to continue His work in us, making us what He

desires us to be -- similar to Him.

Then we will be ready for that wonderful, privileged position

of intimate fellowship with Jesus.

SAY THIS: It is a great privilege to know Jesus Christ, and to

become like Him.