Meditate. Are you ready for the greatest wedding feast of all time?
And from the throne came a voice that said, "Praise our God, all his servants, all who fear him, from the least to the greatest." Then I heard again what sounded like the shout of a vast crowd or the roar of mighty ocean waves or the crash of loud thunder: "Praise the LORD! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns. Let us be glad and rejoice, and let us give honor to him. For the time has come for the wedding feast of the Lamb, and his bride has prepared herself. She has been given the finest of pure white linen to wear." For the fine linen represents the good deeds of God's holy people. And the angel said to me, "Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb." And he added, "These are true words that come from God." Revelation 19:5-9 (Underlined for emphasis.)
Are you part of the bride of Christ—His church? This passage tells us that the bride of Christ has prepared herself. How have you “prepared” yourself?
Blessed are those who are
invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb. Invited to the greatest wedding
party ever. Invited. Jesus told a parable about the Great Feast.
The Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a
king who prepared a great wedding feast for his son. When the banquet was
ready, he sent his servants to notify those who were invited. But they all
refused to come! So he sent other servants to tell them, 'The feast has been
prepared. The bulls and fattened cattle have been killed, and everything is
ready. Come to the banquet!' But the guests he had invited ignored them and
went their own way, one to his farm, another to his business. Others seized his
messengers and insulted them and killed them. The king was furious, and
he sent out his army to destroy the murderers and burn their town. And he said
to his servants, 'The wedding feast is ready, and the guests I invited aren't
worthy of the honor. Now go out to the street corners and invite everyone you
see.' So the servants brought in everyone they could find, good and bad alike,
and the banquet hall was filled with guests. Matthew 22:2-10
This is not a story about the
bride or the groom…just about those who were invited to the wedding feast. Consider
another parable that Jesus told about ten bridesmaids or virgins. Again, they
were not the bride…but they were waiting with the bride for the arrival of the
bridegroom. They were to be guests at the wedding…but only five of them were
wise and were actually prepared. They got to go to the wedding banquet.
Then the Kingdom of Heaven will be like ten bridesmaids
who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were
foolish, and five were wise. The five who were foolish didn't take enough olive
oil for their lamps, but the other five were wise enough to take along extra
oil. When the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
At midnight they were roused by the shout, 'Look, the bridegroom is coming!
Come out and meet him!' All the bridesmaids got up and prepared their lamps.
Then the five foolish ones asked the others, 'Please give us some of your oil
because our lamps are going out.' But the others replied, 'We don't have
enough for all of us. Go to a shop and buy some for yourselves.' But while they
were gone to buy oil, the bridegroom came. Then those who were ready went in
with him to the marriage feast, and the door was locked. Later, when the other
five bridesmaids returned, they stood outside, calling, 'Lord! Lord! Open the
door for us!' But he called back, 'Believe me, I don't know you!' So you, too, must
keep watch! For you do not know the day or hour of my return. Matthew 25:1-13
Is there oil in your lamp today?
The Holy Spirit is often
represented by oil. In this parable Jesus is not only telling His disciples,
but us as well, that we need to keep our lamps filled with the oil of the Holy
Spirit. That lamplight emanating from us, from the center of our lives, is that
light which comes from the Light of the World…Jesus Himself. Be wise. Keep
yourself filled with the Holy Spirit…and let your light shine. Praying daily
for a refilling of the Holy Spirit is essential. Listening is important.
Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and
understand what he is saying to the churches. To everyone who is victorious I
will give fruit from the tree of life in the paradise of God. Revelation
2:7
That phrase “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit” is repeated several times in the discussion of the churches at the beginning of the book of Revelation. That should remind us to listen up—to pay close attention. Spiritually we have a great opportunity. Listen and obey. Understand. But just like when the bridegroom shuts the door in Jesus’ parable, the door to Heaven will one day ultimately be shut…and those left outside will be lost forever. Forever is a long time. You don’t want to be locked out. I don’t want to be locked out…left behind.
Prayer ~ Holy Spirit—come and fill my heart to overflowing with the light and love of Jesus. Give me wisdom to listen closely and to understand what I need to do to be ready for Christ’s return. May Your light shine through me to guide those around me…family, friends and neighbors…to salvation in Jesus.
Verse of Salvation ~ For "Everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved." But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, "How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!" (Isaiah 52:7) But not everyone welcomes the Good News, for Isaiah the prophet said, "LORD, who has believed our message?" (Isaiah 53:1) So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ. Romans 10:13-17
Friday’s Feasting at the King’s Table
What kind of oil do you have in your lamp today? As you “feast” on God’s word…light your lamp using olive oil just like they did to light the menorah in the Temple in Jerusalem.
I’ve discovered that you can actually burn olive oil in a lamp…or
even make your lamp with a jar and some fabric for a wick. The olive oil doesn’t
have to be expensive first pressed extra virgin oil. It can be pomace—a lower
grade of olive oil—but use pure olive oil as it burns clean and smokeless. Do
not use a mixture with canola or other vegetable oil. Check out some ideas on
Google or Pinterest. If you happen to have a clay lamp…add some olive oil. Let
it soak into the wick and light it up. Let your light shine for the Lord. Like
the five wise young ladies in the parable of the Ten Virgins—keep some extra
oil on hand and keep your wick trimmed.
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