And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying,
“Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns!
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.”
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.
(Revelation 19:6-8)
In the book of Revelation, John is experiencing a vision. He has been transferred into the future, seeing things as they are happening there. In this scene, the marriage of the Lamb has come. It is the beginning of the wedding, and this is why the words "and His wife has made herself ready" are in the past tense.
Jesus didn't come to make her ready. At this moment in the vision story, His wife, has made herself ready. And this is a most important point here.
I am trying to make this clear because the prevailing teaching out there in Christianity is that we are waiting for Jesus to come and fix everything, but that is not the way it goes. The Bridegroom does not come to take His bride until she has finished making herself ready, and has been arrayed in her fine linen wedding dress.
So now back to our time, this book, Revelation, is a look into the future, that is a primary function of prophecy, it lets you know what will happen in the future.
So now, here in 2026, has the bride made herself ready? Do you see that anywhere? What should that look like?
Now let's consider that these words are in the New Testament book called Revelation which has 22 chapters. This vision is in chapter 19. But way back in chapters 2 and 3 are "the letters to the seven churches", and the first of the seven churches was Ephesus. And what does it say her condition was?
So, after commending her for a number of things they are doing right, it says in verse 4; "Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love."
Ouch! That doesn't sound like a bride ready for marriage!
And there is a progression through the seven churches, a pattern alternating back and forth between degradation and improvement, every other one, til we get to the last one, the seventh, Laodicea. And what does it say about Laodicea?
14 “And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write,
‘These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God: 15 “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. 16 So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. 17 Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked.
Look at that again! "you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked." -- "and do not know" it!
Who would marry a lukewarm bride who didn't know she was "wretched, ... and naked." Do you want to be seen with her on your wedding day, with all your friends and relatives there to watch her walk down the isle, not knowing she neglected to put her dress on?
Now let's look at another place in the Bible... (we'll come back to Laodicea, because there is something fantastically amazing hidden in Laodicea.)
Let's take a peek into "Song of Songs which is Solomon's"!
Song of Solomon 1:15
Behold, you are fair, my love! Behold, you are fair! You have dove’s eyes.
Song of Solomon 4:1a
Behold, you are fair, my love! Behold, you are fair! You have dove’s eyes behind your veil.
Song of Solomon 4:7
You are all fair, my love, And there is no spot in you.
Song of Solomon 6:4
O my love, you are as beautiful as Tirzah, Lovely as Jerusalem, Awesome as an army with banners!
But at the end of chapter 6 it seems that something happens and she disappears. Where did she go? And the cry of the beloved is:
Song of Solomon 6:13a
Return, return, O Shulamite; Return, return, that we may look upon you!
It does, however, look like there is a recovery, because she is praised again after that in chapter 7:
Song of Solomon 7:6
How fair and how pleasant you are, O love, with your delights!
It is widely understood that Song of Songs, a love story, is a shadow picture of Jesus and His bride. So here in Song of Songs, the beloved is calling for His bride to return!
So you see how Song of Songs aligns with Revelation. In each of the seven letters to the seven churches, in each one is a call to be "overcomers", to return to your first love and make yourself ready to meet your bridegroom!
Now, in modern Christianity, it seems that everything is so very individualistic. It's all about you. - "Believe in Jesus" so you get to "go to heaven."
But the Bible throughout, paints a very different picture. Just think about all the places and all the ways that the unity between the members is spoken about: "there is one body" (Ephesians 4:4), "that there be no divisions among you" (1 Corinthians 1:10), "all the members are necessary" (1 Corinthians 12:12), "and that you all speak the same thing" (1 Corinthians 1:10), and many, many more.
The bride will be made up of all her members completely joined, and beautifully built together, "without spot or wrinkle." (Ephesians 5:27)
It is my estimation that she is nowhere to be found. I think it is safe to say that she had already disappeared by the time John wrote this letter to the seven churches; remember Ephesus had already left her first love, and from there to Laodicea it was a few steps away and one step back, steps away, one back, etc. until at the end it is "... you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked.
Okay, if the bride will make herself ready, then that should be something we do. That should be VERY important to us!!
So what does it mean, and how could we do it?
@@@ Notes for the rest @@@ Need to finish this article.
[Man of sin -- that which restrains - taken out of the way]
[The man of sin would be foreshadowed by Adonijah who wanted Abishag for himself.]
[Abishag means "my father is a wanderer" ... going astray, ignorant ..."]
There is a very interesting mention of Laodicea in Paul's letter to the Colossians. Laodicea, Colossae, and Hierapolis were referred to as the tri-cities in Asia Minor. Paul wrote three letters which were carried by Tychicus to these tri-cities churches; Philemon, Colossians and one to Laodicea. And he instructs Colossae and Laodicea to read each other's letters. Read these parts in Colossians:
2:1 For I want you to know what a great conflict I have for you and those in Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh,
and
4:13 For I bear him witness that he has a great zeal for you, and those who are in Laodicea, and those in Hierapolis.
...
15 Greet the brethren who are in Laodicea, and Nymphas and the church that is in his house.
16 Now when this epistle is read among you, see that it is read also in the church of the Laodiceans, and that you likewise read the epistle from Laodicea.
There is significant Greek manuscript evidence that verse 15 should read; "Greet the brethren who are in Laodicea, and Nympha and the church that is in her house."
This name Nimpha is a feminine name. And the Greek word nimpha (νυμφη) is translated "bride" in John and Revelation:
He who has the bride (νυμφη) is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled. (John 3:29)
2 Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride (νυμφη) adorned for her husband. ... 9 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to me and talked with me, saying, “Come, I will show you the bride (νυμφη), the Lamb’s wife.” (Revelation 21:2,9)
Now think about this amazing "hint" here in this last of the seven letters to the churches in Asia. Many scholars understand these seven churches, in this order, as a prophetic description of church history, with Laodicea as the church at the end of this present age. It is lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, but wretched, blind and naked. But even in this last church is a woman named "Bride" and a church in her house!