Revelation 19:6-8 New International Version
Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting:
“Hallelujah!
For our Lord God Almighty reigns.
Let us rejoice and be glad
and give him glory!
For the wedding of the Lamb has come,
and his bride has made herself ready.
Fine linen, bright and clean,
was given her to wear.”(Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people.)
God did not choose any other metaphor in the whole universe to depict his love for us except marriage. There is no mountain, no waterfall, no galaxy—nothing can show how much Jesus loves us as can a married couple who are filled and controlled by the Holy Spirit.
If you have children and you want them to see how much God loves them, let them see it in your relationship. If you want unbelievers to believe that Jesus Christ came to earth and died for them, sacrificing His own best interests for their well- being, then it’s a whole lot easier if they see it operating in a marriage. If a couple is selfish, controlling, and going their own separate ways—others will never see the metaphor God wants them to see. Instead, they will think that God’s love is just a fairy tale, way too good to be true.
. . . And it is sort of is a fairy tale isn’t it? Can anybody who is a Christian deny the amazing love they feel from a Savior who has swept them up into his arms and is carrying them to an eternal, heavenly home where they will live happily ever after?
There is a longing in the heart of every human for the old tales to really be true—that love truly does conquer all— and that longing is there for a reason. Why have men and women of so many cultures written stories with a happily ever after? It’s because they are, unconsciously, tapping into an eternal truth that God actually has a happily-ever-after planned for those He loves. Truly, Christ resurrects us from our spiritual deadness with a kiss, but the journey to eternal bliss is not an easy one.
As a bride, the church tends to be stubborn and want its own way. Sometimes we stop talking to Him as we pout; we whine and complain. Sometimes we’re angry that He doesn’t do things our way. Jesus is an ardent lover, however, and will not allow us to wander too far away. Our honeymoon in the Heavenly City is a reality more solid than our sinfulness by the grace of God through the sacrifice of His son, Jesus Christ. God did not choose any other metaphor in the whole universe to depict his love for us except marriage.
