of the gospel feast are invited to the marriage-supper. If you would attend that supper, you must be a member of the bridehood. You enter that
bridehood in the experience of sanctification. Then and there your spirit is married to the Spirit of Christ. This must take place before the Lord comes to take up His bride, if you would ascend with Him.
The marriage here spoken of is that of transfigured humanity after the body has been raised from the dead, or translated, and reunited with the soul, never again to be separated. Reader, are you washed in the blood, robed, and ready for the marriage-supper?
Are all the saved members of the bridehood? Negatively do I opine. The parable of the ten virgins (<402501>
Matthew 25:1-13) confirms this conclusion.
The English says, “Our lamps have gone out;” but the Greek says, “Our lamps are going out;” i.e., are burning low, and need replenishing with oil.
Hence we see they are still virgins, and have their lamps burning, though low and feeble. The true solution is, they are all Christians. The wise have received a second work of grace — i.e., been sanctified — while the
foolish, so called because they did not have their vessels fill with oil — i.e., get sanctified — like all other Christians who neglect sanctification, have much depreciated in the grace of regeneration. Consequently, they forfeited their place in the bridehood, the door being closed against them;
but not their place in the kingdom, since they have not forfeited their virginity, neither have their lamps gone out. This scene transpires at the rapture, when the Lord comes and takes away His bride, leaving the unsanctified Christians to pass through the tribulation. Doubtless millions will be saved who have no qualifications for the offices of the bridehood.
This explains the constant enthusiasm of the Apostle Paul to “attain unto the resurrection which is out from among the dead;” i.e., a special and extraordinary resurrection. Evidently, the degrees in the bridehood will be infinitesimal, according to the diversified gifts, graces, attainments, and qualifications of the members. We should all emulate Paul and other apostolical saints in their irrepressible enthusiasm, not simply for a place in the bridehood, but for pre-eminence in the same. We see the constant scramble for offices in the petty governments of the present age. Oh, the wonderful honors and emoluments which await the members of the bridehood in the coming kingdom, when our glorious King will rule the whole world through the instrumentality of His transfigured saints!
Reader, be sure that you are under the blood, sanctified wholly, so you will be called to the marriage-supper of the Lamb.
10. Evidently, in this case, John mistook the angel for God, and fell down to worship him. This is a withering condemnation of all idolatry in every land and age; not simply paganism, Islamism, and Romanism, but the multitudinous forms of idolatry — i.e., creedisms, fine edifices, human institutions, and great men — which fill the apostate Churches of the Protestant world. “For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”
God has ordained preaching the instrument of the world’s salvation.
Prophecy is the generic word for preaching. Here we see the synonymy of prophecy and testimony. Hence you see the wonderful simplicity of the gospel economy. God wants to sanctify all of His children and impart to them the spirit of prophecy, thus loosening all tongues and setting them on fire. A collegiate education is not the qualification to preach the gospel;
but a tongue of fire, ringing out a red-hot testimony.
“I saw the heaven open, and behold a white horse, and He that sitteth on him is called faithful and true, and in righteousness He doth judge and make war.” This is a plain statement of the descension of our glorious King to reign in righteousness. During the tribulation the bridehood has been adjudged and regulated. The long-anticipated nuptials of Christ and His bride have been celebrated. Now He descends, accompanied by His beloved, to take the world’s government into hand. “White horse” signifies the gospel of sanctification, the divine conception of a preacher being a sanctified circuit-rider. Reader, brother or sister, will you not put on the white robe of holiness, mount the white horse of entire sanctification, and go out preaching the everlasting gospel? Multitudes of people in all nations will survive the tribulation, and remain on the earth till our Lord descends with His transfigured bride to set up His millennial kingdom and reign forever. All these people must be converted and sanctified at the inauguration of the King. This will be the first great work of the bridehood.
12. “His eyes a flame of fire,” indicate His omniscience. “Upon His head many diadems,” is anticipatory of His triumphant supersession over all the kings of the earth, whose crowns are to be placed upon His head. The name written is conqueror, known only to Himself, as He conquers purely by His own omnipotence.
13. Encircled with a garment sprinkled (not dipped) with blood. It is the symbolism of a triumphant warrior on the battle-field, his garment
sprinkled with the blood of his slain enemies. “His name was called the word of God.” Word means revelation. The incarnate Christ is Himself the greatest of all God’s revelations to the world. This statement is a positive confirmation that the person here described is none other than our glorious King coming down to reign.
14. “Armies follow Him in the firmament on white horses, clothed in linen white and clean.” These are the members of the glorified bridehood; i.e., the transfigured saints, coming down with Christ to conquer the whole world with the gospel sword; i.e., to preach the gospel to all nations, and get them converted and sanctified. Under the ministry of this mighty host,
“a nation shall be born in a day.”
15. “Out of His month proceedeth a sharp two-edged sword, that with it He may smite the nations.” This sharp sword going out of the mouth of the glorified Savior simply means His word — i.e., the gospel — by which the whole world will be speedily evangelized and saved at the beginning of the millennium. “He will shepherd them with an iron rod.” An iron rod in the hand of a devil or a wicked man would be awful, but in the hand of the infallible God it is blessed and glorious, calculated to transform this world into a paradise. “He treadeth the wine-press of the indignation of the wrath of the Omnipotent God.” Throughout these prophecies, as especially elaborated in chapter 14th, the gathering of the good is symbolized by the harvest, and that of the wicked, for their destruction, by the vintage, the copious gushing of the red grape-juice typifying the immense flow of blood when the terrible divine retributions shall come upon the wicked in their utter destruction.
16. This verse is a perpetuation of the forcible military symbolism, so