The Bridegroom and His Bride

Back in April I had a dream. I wrote it out, but as I usually feel when I have dreams like this, I didn't understand it fully. After some time has passed, I believe that I have more of an understanding today. I'd like to share it because I believe it is a strong warning for the church as the imminent return of Christ draws nigh.

In my dream I was with a group of women and we were all in a wedding party. We were all preparing for the wedding by beautifying ourselves; toiling over our make-up, hair, etc., so we could look as close to perfect as possible. After the others finished preparing, they didn't have need to continue preparing, so they all sat around a table and were eating and carrying on as if they hadn't a care in the world. I specifically remember them playing card games.

Meanwhile, as they were playing games, I was led away and tempted to spend time with another man who was not my betrothed. Funny thing is my closest friend was okay with it and she kept telling me it was okay to spend time with him for a little while; that there was no harm in doing so.  I don't remember if I actually did spend time with this other man or not.

As dreams go I remember that I was then transported to a different place. It was here that I realized it was actually my wedding! I was so happy to discover this because I knew I was about to marry the Love of my life. At this point I was already dressed in my wedding gown -- a beautiful white gown with lace. It was very elegant. I looked down and noticed that some black mascara had somehow gotten on my dress! I was devastated and didn't know how to get it out. And then next I know, I'm in front of a mirror trying to cover up blemishes on my face with concealer and all kinds of make-up, but nothing was working. I was trying so hard to remove/cover them up, but I became extremely frustrated because I couldn't do anything to remove them or even hide them. I continued to labor in preparation for my wedding ceremony and then the dream ended.

In the first part of my dream, you see that I am with a group of women who are all in a wedding party. This immediately takes my mind to Matthew 25:1-13, when Jesus illustrates who will be welcomed to the wedding feast when He returns as our Bridegroom. The wise virgins who were prepared were the ones who were on time and welcomed into the marriage supper of the Lamb. As for the others, they were foolishly unprepared and missed the Bridegroom's arrival. And because of their foolishness, they were not given entrance into the wedding feast. This parable warns us to be like the wise virgins who were prepared and ready to meet the Bridegroom when He arrived, because His arrival was not determined. If you are unprepared, then you will not have a second chance.

I believe this first part of my dream represents many people who profess Christ and attend church, but are Pharisees. These people are outwardly beautiful and seemingly godly, doing everything "by the book", but inwardly are dead and completely lost without the true knowledge of Christ. These people will toil laboriously to cover up their imperfections so as to be sure their true nature will never be exposed. And in regards to playing card games, a wise friend of mine told me that this represents "the 'games' people play when it comes to their faith and how some people 'play' church really well when in reality they have no relationship with the Lord."

The second half of this first part represents people who have made their profession in Christ and believe that because they prayed a prayer and gave their heart to Christ, that there is nothing left to do, so they just live frivolously thinking that they took care of their salvation and can live as they please. These people are sorely mistaken. True Christians understand that they are still being saved (see 1 Corinthians 1:18) and must live in the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit -- that any good work they do flows out of a natural response to what God has done in regeneration by giving them a new heart filled with His Spirit.

I believe my temptation to spend time with another man who was not my betrothed represents our weakness as humans to be led away from the One we truly love. As Christians, we absolutely will face temptation. We must learn to recognize temptation for what it is and not be deceived. James tells us that "God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, 'God is tempting me.' God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else. Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death." Temptation will come, but learn to see it for what it is and do not succumb to the lust and deception that it truly is. Learning to see temptation for what it is takes time as we grow in the Lord. It takes power from the Holy Spirit to overcome the flesh (see Romans 6-8).

Finally, the last part opened my eyes to see the meaning of Ephesians 5:25-27. It is here where Paul describes that Jesus, our Bridegroom is preparing His bride. We see that "...[Christ] gave Himself for her [the church] to make her holy, cleansing her with the washing of water by the word. He did this to present the church to Himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or anything like that, but holy and blameless." I am so excited by this! You see, in my dream I was working so hard to remove the blemishes and stain in my wedding dress. I became entirely frustrated because I realized that nothing I could do would take away the ugliness of that stain and those awful blemishes. When I woke up, I knew that this was about Jesus. This is the gospel! Jesus is the only one who can remove those stains and blemishes.

According to the verses in Ephesians*, HE is the one who does the work to perfect His bride -- NOT the bride! There is nothing we can do to take away our sin. Jesus alone can give Himself for the church. Jesus alone can make her holy and cleanse her from sin. Jesus alone can "present her to Himself in splendor without spot or wrinkle or anything like that, but holy and blameless." Do you understand this? Sin stains us and the effects of that sin spread, creating gaping holes and blemishes that are irreversible. It is impossible for us to do anything about this, but God through His Son Jesus, makes it possible and only He can do that! My friends, this is the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ! Have you heard? Have you been transformed by the power of this gospel? I plead with you today that you will heed the warnings I spoke of above and that you would see yourself, repent of your sins and turn to Christ who alone can remove the stain and blemishes of sin. He is your only hope!

[*Side note: The context of the verses in Ephesians is Paul's comparison of Christ and the church (Bridegroom and Bride) to marriage between a man and a woman. The husband represents Christ to his wife and the wife represents the church (bride). This is one of the most beautiful passages of Scripture in understanding marriage -- its beauty and significance in God's purpose from the beginning. I intend to write more on this in the future, but I wrote a little bit about it here.]