A Spotless Bride

Mankind exalts those who are outwardly beautiful, and seeks a beautiful bride or bridegroom in appearance. On wedding day, everything must be perfect, no wrinkle or blemish on the bride's garments or the bridegroom. This is heart of man. 

God is seeking a beautiful bride for Yeshua (Jesus) — beautiful on the inside - in thought, word, and deed. He is seeking a peculiar people, a Holy nation, that reflects His holiness and purity of heart. God looks at the inward man and knows all things, even the hidden things in our heart:

• 1 Kings 8:39 KJV — Then hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place, and forgive, and do, and give to every man according to his ways, whose heart thou knowest; (for thou, even thou only, knowest the hearts of all the children of men;)

Clean On The Outside 

Yet, many confess to be Holy Christians with outward appearances, yet their hearts and motives are desperately wicked. Christ Jesus (God manifested in the flesh) exposed the hearts of the Pharisees in like manner as he spoke these words:

• Matthew 23:25-28 KJV — Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.

A Pure Bride

The Father wants a pure Bride, a Holy people to join to Christ our beloved. However many do not purify their thoughts, actions, and intents as we ought, but instead keep up appearances as the world does, this should not be so:

• Ephesians 5:26-27 KJV — That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word (Bible), That he (Jesus) might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

In Matthew 25, a parable is presented in which only 5 of the ten virgins were wise and had oil to come out and meet the bridegroom (Jesus) in the middle of the night. This I believe is referring to those Christians who are awake and aware of the times we are in and ready for Christ Jesus to rapture them at any given moment while filled with the Holy Spirit of God.

• Luke 12:35-48 KJV — Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning; And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately.

The Bride of Christ, are the Christians who have not cheated on Christ with the world or false religion or science fiction or vain Philosophy of men or moral corruption. The 5 wise virgins have instead been redeemed and sanctified by faith through the blood of Christ, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit.

• 2 Corinthians 11:2 - For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present [you as] a chaste virgin to Christ.

A chaste virgin has not been defiled by the world, but has been faithful and loving and renewed their minds in scripture and purified their hearts, serving Christ Jesus on earth in good works of charity.

• Relationship not Religion
• Disciples of Christ?

• Matthew 28:18-20 KJV - And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. [19] Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: [20] Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

• 1 Timothy 1:5 KJV — Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned:

Let us put away dead works, false appearances, and traditions of men:

• James 1:27 KJV — Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

• True Love

What Is Love?

Let us rather walk genuinely, striving to extend the love of Christ to a lost and falling world. Even the gifts of the Spirit are in vain if not carried in love.

• 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 KJV — Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity (love), I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity (love), I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. Charity (love) suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

Being without spot or blemish also refers to living a Holy and sinless life, and putting away our former selves:

• Titus 3:2-8 KJV — To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men. For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men.

We must forgive all men who have done evil to us, and extend goodness to a blackened world:

• 1 Peter 2:1-5 KJV — Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious. To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious, Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

The Two Become One Forever 

Just as woman was made from the rib of Adam, so where we His Church made in the likeness of Christ who through His Spirit has breathed life into our lungs and formed us from the dust of the earth. He paid the price, the dowry, when He hung upon that Cross, and when He was lifted up He proposed to His beloved Bride. Yet we must be sanctified, set apart, as a pure virgin awaiting for our marriage in Heaven when the veil will be lifted and we will see Him face to face! Hallelujah! There is a happy ever after for Him a d His beloved! A new heaven, a new earth awaits those who love Him and are obedient to Him!

• Ephesians 5:22-33 KJV — Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.

Please see some of these other disciple resources:

• Who is Jesus?
• Want to Be Saved?
• A New Creature
• Grace Alone By Faith Alone?
• Not Under the Law
• The Chief Cornerstone
• God or Money?
• Unplug
• Interfaith Movement
• Identity of God
• The Church
• The Narrow Way
• Run the Race - Overcome!
• Spotless Bride
• Is Satan Real?