THE BRIDE CHURCH'S WEDDING GOWN
Today we will learn what the bride church will wear in heaven with our Lord Jesus. How blessed to know that the church and all believers in the Lord Jesus will be clothed in fine linen forever. Revelation 19:7 says Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to Him (Jesus): for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife hath made herself ready. And to her (the bride church) was granted that she should be arrayed (clothed) in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.
Now why does Jesus clothe saints with fine linen? It's because there are so many blessings associated with fine linen discussed below that display Jesus to this world. First, next to other natural fibers like cotton or wool, fine linen is much glossier. Therefore if saints put on fine linen daily or God's righteousness, saints will have a glossy, sheen, shine, and glow for all eternity.
Get saved and let fine linen clothe you while you shine Jesus to lost sinners. Get saved, repent, decide to stop sinning, confess that Jesus is God, and believe the gospel that Jesus died on the cross for you, was buried, and rose again. Daily put on your fine linen (righteousness who is Jesus stated at 1 Corinthians 1:30) by saying I am crucified with Jesus Christ and covered by the blood of Jesus. Let the devil know that the blood of Jesus has overcome him, evil must pass over you, and that the blood of Jesus has cleansed you from all sin.
Note that fine linen does not glow of itself. It is dependent upon light shining on it. Like linen, saved saints have to let the Light of God (Jesus) shine on and from us. Put on daily your fine linen and let the light of Jesus reflect from your faces by your daily actions to this fading world. Saved saints are the bride of Jesus Christ and daily we must make ourselves ready for the return of our groom Jesus by putting on fine linen by faith in Jesus.
Jesus said at Revelation 16:15 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. When you put on your fine linen, think about and say Luke 21:34: And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting (hangover from being drunk), and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.
Note that King David wore fine linen when he danced before the ark of God. Fine linen was the clothing worn by kings of royalty throughout history. Also the high priest in ancient Israel wore a robe and a mitre (crown) made of fine linen. At the dedication of the first temple, the priests wore fine linen. Like these kings and priests of the bible, saved saints will also wear fine linen as kings and priests living forever in royalty with our Lord Jesus in the kingdom of God.
This is proven by Revelation 1:5 promising that saints will be kings and priests clothed in fine linen forever like King David and the priests. The blessed scripture says And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood. And hath made us kings and priests unto God and His Father; to Him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
Next let's see how fine linen is made. The vegetable fibers from the Egyptian flax plant are used to produce fine linen. Fine linen is defined in Greek as byssinos (byssos) or the Egyptian flax plant. Ancient Egyptians used fine linen because it is pure, ecologically safe, and an anti allergen fabric. And fine linen is very costly, delicate, precious, soft, and white. This is why our Lord Jesus clothes saints with fine linen to make them pure, clean, precious, shining, brilliant, clear, transparent, and white as snow washed by the blood of Jesus.
Note also that fine linen is strong, durable, and lasts forever like the Word of God Jesus. Psalm 119:89 says For ever, O Lord, thy Word is settled in heaven. Linen is three times stronger than cotton fabrics. When ancient Egyptians buried Pharoahs in tombs, fine linen was used to wrap their bodies for preservation. Today tombs of Pharoahs from the time of Exodus have been discovered with 3000 year old linen wrappings that are still intact. These fine linen wrappings have not been damaged by worms or germs and have withstood humidity and time.
Like the ancient Egyptians, Jesus clothes his saints with fine linen to preserve them forever in beauty as His bride. 1 Peter 1:5 says Who (the church) are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. And Brother Bob's favorite bible verse 2 Timothy 4:18 says And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto His heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Next notice that fine linen becomes softer and whiter the more it is washed over time. When fine linen is first made it does not have much elasticity and easily wrinkles. But the more the fine linen gets washed by water, the less prone to wrinkles it becomes. Like fine linen, saints need to daily wash themselves and remove wrinkles by continually meditating and memorizing the Word of God (Jesus). Ephesians 5:26 says That He (Jesus) might sanctify and cleanse it (the church) with the washing of water by the Word.
It is also said that linen needs a lot of washing because its absorbancy makes it susceptible to stain. It absorbs water and sweat easily (making it a cooler fabric to wear). Also it's easier to iron out wrinkles from fine linen when it is damp and wet. So saints remember to daily wash your fine linen and prepare for the soon return of our Lord Jesus by daily meditating on the Word of God that washes and removes the wrinkles from your fine linen. Then saints everywhere can proclaim Ephesians 5;27: 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.
Absorb daily Gods Spirit and let His Spirit permeate the fabric of your being. Let God's loving Holy Ghost heat press out your spiritual wrinkles while you become saturated with the spiritual water of His Word and Spirit. Then like fine linen, the more we are washed by remembering the Word of God, the softer, whiter, shinier, and less wrinkly we will become. And Jesus can present His saints to the Father without fine linen's two most prone flaws; not having any spots or wrinkles. What a glorious time when God's church is showcased in its clean, white, brilliantly glowing, unwrinkled wedding gown. This is the type of righteousness that Christ's bride must daily wear.
THE PROPHECY ABOUT THE EAST GATE
After Jesus clothes His saints with fine linen at the wedding of the Lamb to the bride church in heaven, Jesus will return to this earth with His saints ruling on white horses to the Mount of Olives and enter through the East Gate of the temple pictured above to be King of this earth for 1000 years. In the first picture above we see the Mount of Olives overlooking the Kidron Valley that is before the shut East Gate of the temple in the second picture above surrounding the city of Jerusalem.
Notice in the picture above the prophecy stated by Ezekiel about the East Gate of the temple at Ezekiel 44:1 that says Then he brought me back the way of the gate of the outward sanctuary which looketh toward the east; and it was shut. Then said the Lord unto me; This gate shall be shut, it shall not be opened, and no man shall enter in by it; because the Lord, the God of Israel, hath entered in by it, therefore it shall be shut. It is for the prince (the Prince of Peace Jesus); the prince, He shall sit in it to eat bread before the Lord; He shall enter by the way of the porch of that gate, and shall go out by the way of the same.
The Lord Jesus fulfilled Ezekiel's prophecy by causing the East Gate to be shut to this day after He (the God of Israel) entered into the East Gate during His triumphal entry into Jerusalem over 2000 years ago. This is proven by Luke 19:37-45 when the Lord Jesus descended down the Mount of Olives through the Kidron valley into the East Gate of the temple during His triumphal entry.
First Luke 19:37 tells us that Jesus descended down the Mount of Olives saying And when He (Jesus) was come nigh, even now at the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen; Saying, Blessed be the king that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest. Next Luke 19:41 tells us that Jesus went through the Kidron valley saying And when He (Jesus) was come near, He beheld the city (Jerusalem), and wept over it. Then in the first picture above Luke 19:45 tells us that Jesus entered into the East Gate of the temple saying And He (Jesus) went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold therein, and them that bought.
After the Lord Jesus went through the East Gate fulfilling Ezekiel's prophecy, the East Gate has been shut to this day. According to Ezekiel 44:1, the East Gate will remain shut until the Prince of Peace (the Lord Jesus) opens the East Gate when He returns to the Mount of Olives on this earth to rule and reign as King of kings for 1000 glorious years during the millennium. The Prince of Peace (King Jesus) will soon enter and open this East Gate to eat bread before the Lord and celebrate his millennial reign. And all the saved saints will follow Jesus through the East Gate to rule and reign on this earth as kings and priests for 1000 years during the millennium.
The East Gate was walled up by the Ottoman Turks with great stones. The East Gate (also known as the Golden Gate or Gate of Mercy) was sealed shut in 1541 A.D. by order of Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent. Suleiman sealed the East Gate to prevent the entry of the Jewish Messiah (Jesus) because Ezekiel 44:1 says that the Messiah Lord Jesus will enter the East Gate when He rules this earth during the millennium. The Ottoman Turks also placed a graveyard in front of the East Gate, believing that the Messiah High Priest Jesus would not walk over unclean graves. These Muslims were trying to prevent the prophecy of Ezekiel 44:1 that Messiah Jesus will enter the East Gate after the seven year tribulation.
Note that every Muslim that's tried to dig under the East Gate or blow it up has died. Anyone with plans to blow up the East Gate before Jesus returns should fear God and leave the East Gate alone. When God says something is going to remain shut, it's going to remain shut. I fear God's Word and wouldn't even try to touch the East Gate. Only the Lord Jesus can open the East Gate.
Ezekiel 44:1 says that no man will be able to open the East Gate before Jesus returns to this earth. But when Jesus splits the Mount of Olives on his return to this earth, Jesus will split and remove the Muslim graveyard not touching any dead body and enter with the saints of God through the East Gate. Do a search on google for East Gate in Jerusalem and you will discover that the East Gate exists today and is shut (with the Muslim graveyard before the East Gate).
Zechariah 14:4 says And His (Jesus') feet shall stand in that day (when Jesus returns to this earth) upon the Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south. When Jesus' feet divide the Mount of Olives, it will remove the Muslim's graveyard before the East Gate and bust open the shut doors of the East Gate, fulfilling Ezekiel's prophecy about the East Gate. King Jesus will enter the East Gate and eat His bread before God the Father proclaiming to this earth that He is King of kings during the millennium.
Several attempts have been made to open the East Gate to deny that the bible is true. Twice in the last century an attempt to open the sealed East Gate has failed. I found the following in Grant Jeffrey's book "Heaven, The Last Frontier." The first attempt was on December 9th 1917, when the Grand Mufti, the Arab leader of Jerusalem, tried to open the East Gate. He had ordered the other gates to Jerusalem sealed to deter the approaching allied Expeditionary Army led by the British General Edmund Allenby. This was back in the early 1900s when the British were dismantling the Ottoman Empire, that had ruled over the land of Israel for 400 years.
But the Grand Mufti did need to have one gate remain open, so he ordered his workmen to open the sealed East Gate. As the workmen picked up their sledgehammers, Allenby's airplane flew over Jerusalem, dropping thousands of leaflets telling the Arabs to flee. Miraculously, without a shot being fired, the opposing soldiers fled from Jerusalem. Jerusalem was delivered into the hands of the British, who one month earlier had promised the Jews the right to reestablish sovereignty over Israel, via the famous Balfour Declaration. The workmen fearfully put down their sledgehammers and the East Gate remained sealed fulfilling Ezekiel's prophecy.
Then in 1967 the ancient prophecy was fulfilled again. But first, a little history. In 1948 the Jews declared sovereignty over a portion of their ancient homeland. In retaliation, King Hussein of Jordan, who had control over the ancient city of Jerusalem, including the Temple Mount, forbade the Jews from worshipping at their sacred Western Wall. This was the first time in centuries that the Jews did not have access to the Western Wall, that is a remnant of the wall around the second Temple, that was destroyed by the Roman general Titus in 70 A.D.
King Hussein decided to build a hotel for Arab pilgrims on this section of the Western Wall, closing off this area to Jewish worship forever. The planned hotel was to be built over the Mughrabi Gate, that Muslims used to enter the Temple Mount. So the King needed to open another gate so that Muslims could get to the Al Aqsa Mosque, that was built by Muslims on the site of the Jewish Temple Mount. The Al Aqsa Mosque is the compound of Islamic religious buildings that sit atop the Temple Mount in Jerusalem including the Dome of the Rock and the Mosque of Omar.
In violation of Ezekiel's prophecy, King Hussein ordered his workmen to open the sealed East Gate. But during this time, President Nasser of Egypt was also preparing to attack Israel, hoping to wipe out the Jewish state. And the Jews were about to preemptively respond to this planned attack. On June 5th of 1967, while the workmen prepared their sledgehammers to shatter the huge stones sealing the East Gate, an intimidating array of Israeli aircraft flew overhead. The Six Day War had begun and the workmen put down their tools and fled.
At the end of the Six Day War, the workmen were unable to resume their project because the Jews had managed to recapture their ancient capital of Jerusalem. This was because Jordan joined the war with Egypt against Israel, thereby allowing Israel to reclaim Jerusalem and preserve the sealed East Gate. True to Ezekiel's prophecy, The East Gate remains sealed today. The East Gate will remain sealed until the day when our Lord Jesus enters into it to establish the kingdom of heaven for 1000 years during the millennium.
A BLESSED THOUGHT
In the old testament sheep died for the shepherd
In the new testament the shepherd died for the sheep
I pray in Jesus name that this bible study blesses multitudes everywhere with great joy, peace, and strength. Feel free to email Brother Bob anytime at rz9tlm@gmail.com or write to Brother Bob Malkin, 2233 Pinetree Lane, Apt. N., Reynoldsburg, Ohio 43068. (614) 746-7071. Till we all meet again soon to lift up our Lord Jesus, everyone have a blessed day in Jesus name.