The Wedding Dress
In 2017, tennis legend Serena Williams drew headlines when she reportedly paid $3.5 million for her wedding dress.1 As of 2023, a wedding gown costs about $2,000 on average,2 a hefty price tag for a garment worn only for a few hours on one day. Yet, most brides willingly splurge for their wedding dresses and savor the process of selecting one.
The Lord calls the church, consisting of all born-again believers between the day of Pentecost (around AD 30) and the future Rapture, His bride. The apostle Paul taught that Christ “loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word”; and He “nourishes and cherishes” her (Eph. 5:25–26, 29). Paul also told the Corinthian church, “I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ” (2 Cor. 11:2).
So, as His joyful bride, we who place our faith in Jesus Christ enjoy the awesome privilege of clothing ourselves for our magnificent wedding for His glory.
This wedding will commence after the Rapture, either during the seven-year Tribulation or after it draws to a close. (For a detailed analysis of the two views, read “Feasting at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb” in the September/October 2024 issue of Israel My Glory.) A great multitude in heaven will rejoice, saying,
“Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns! Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints (Rev. 19:6–8).
Jesus is purifying His bride so “that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish” (Eph. 5:27). But the church clothes herself for this heavenly symbolic event. Her apparel consists of “fine linen, clean and bright,” which is “the righteous acts of the saints” (Rev. 19:8). These acts must occur prior to our departure from this earth.
So, what must we do in order to dress as beautifully as possible on that day?
Embrace God’s Word
Believers must absorb God’s Word, as Jesus cleanses His bride “with the washing of water by the word” (Eph. 5:26). Paul instructed Christians,
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God (Rom. 12:1–2).
Studying and applying Scripture brings about the renewing of the mind so that those who are brought into God’s family through their new birth are transformed from their old manner of life. Since God’s ways and thoughts are higher than our ways and thoughts, we need to be saturated in His word to change and avoid being conformed to this world.
This transformation may be illustrated by the story of Eliza Doolittle, the protagonist of the musical My Fair Lady. Once a cockney flower vendor on the streets of London, Eliza is transformed dramatically into a genteel society lady by Professor Henry Higgins. Similarly, those who are saved and brought into Jesus’ church must be transformed and made suitable to be His bride, fit for the Kingdom of heaven.
Embrace the Spirit
As believers, we were once dead in our trespasses and sins. But God has made us alive by His grace and raised us up with Jesus: “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them” (Eph. 2:10). We are not saved by good works; we are saved for good works. The Holy Spirit dwelling in us is ready, willing, and able to maximize our transformation and service.
One day, our works will be tested and earn us either reward or loss:
But let each one take heed how he builds on it. For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire (1 Cor. 3:10–15).
The difference in these results depends on whether the believer is spiritual or carnal. Whatever is done in the flesh amounts to wood, hay, and straw and is burned up at the Judgment Seat of Christ. Since there are no tears or sorrow in heaven (Rev. 21:4), this cleansing will be a relief for those of us who stand in Jesus’ holiness and witness the wood, hay, and straw disappear from our lives. That which is done in the Spirit is recognized as gold, silver, and precious stones and will survive this evaluation. This kind of building leads to the rewards Jesus has promised.
These rewards appear to be directly related to “the righteous acts of the saints” (19:8) that contribute to the beauty and glory of the bride’s dress—which, in turn, glorify the Bridegroom. While all those who are born again in the Church Age will enter heaven as Christ’s bride, individual contributions to her final attire will vary. Just as Eliza Doolittle practiced great concentration and determination to refine and develop her speech, manner, and skills, believers must walk faithfully by the Spirit’s leading.
Embrace Jesus
God’s ultimate purpose for us is to “be conformed to the image of His Son” (Rom. 8:29).
On the evening before Jesus died, He told His disciples, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (Jn. 13:34–35). Thus, the ultimate criteria for the bride’s righteous acts is the expression of the love that Jesus Himself manifested.
Jesus then elaborated on His new commandment:
By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you (15:8–12).
If we are willing to pay dearly for an earthly, corruptible wedding gown, should we not be even more delighted to work and sacrifice to provide for our heavenly wedding dress? Even so, we prepare for our great marriage to the One who loved us while we were yet sinners and died for us (Rom. 5:8), that He might transform us into citizens of His Kingdom.
ENDNOTES
-
-
- Blair Donovan and Tess Patek, “The 20 Most Expensive Celebrity Wedding Dresses of All Time,” Brides, November 22, 2022 (tinyurl.com/WilliamsDress).
- Sarah Hanlon, “This Is the Average Cost of a Wedding Dress Today,” The Knot, March 13, 2024 (tinyurl.com/DressCost).
-
