His Wife Has Made Herself Ready.

Well, good afternoon, everyone. Great to be here with you. What a beautiful song. Thank you so much, Choir, for that beautiful selection for the solo by Katherine Larson. She's a member of our Ann Arbor congregation. She sometimes also does special music in Flint, so we really, really are blessed to have her with us to do special music. I really enjoyed the wonderful contribution that the whole choir made here for that special music. It's just so inspiring. We're very glad to be back with you here again to observe this piece of tabernacle with you. This is actually our third time in Branson. We were here back in 2013. That was our first time. I guess that was here at Presley's, first time in present. We were here in 2013, and we were back again two years ago in 2015 as well. Last year we were in Gallenberg, but this were back in Branson. Somebody mentioned a while ago, they said, I looked a little bit like Dr. Ward. I said, well, that's a good compliment for me. I'm not sure about Dr. Ward if that's a good compliment for him or not. But anyway, I was born in 1941. I'm reason I'm bringing it out because it was about eight months prior to the bombing of Pearl Harbor, which propelled us into World War II. A year prior to that, my father actually was offered a job. We lived in Washington, Seattle area. But my father was actually offered a very, very good job in Hawaii. In fact, he originally took the job. Then when he thought about how to be so far away from family in such a distance from Hawaii to Seattle and the rest of the family, he decided to turn it down, even though it was quite a lucrative job. But if you'd taken that job, I would actually be born in Hawaii at the time Pearl Harbor was bobbed by about that time. If he'd taken that job. But what is a lesson that we can learn from the bombing of Pearl Harbor? Well, we can learn that in one day an event can occur that can suddenly change the course of history in a way that impacts everyone. It impacts all of our lives. Now, another such event, in addition to Pearl Harbor, took place less than four years later, when on August 6, 1945, when I was four years old, they had the bombing. First atom bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. And three days later, on August 9, 1945, the second atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, leading to the end of World War II. In that second event, the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki brought two scriptures to the forefront of our minds. First scripture is found in 2 Timothy 3. I'm going to reuse a couple of Dr. Ward's sermons. I hope he doesn't mind if I do that. First one is 2 Timothy 3.1. He says, But know this, that in the last days, perilous times will come. And we can certainly look at what's going on in the world, the news and different things that are happening, both natural and unnatural, that we are living in very, very perilous times. And we were all absolutely shocked and dumbfounded about what happened last week in Las Vegas. Fifty-nine dead. Fifty-eight, I think, the killer killed fifty-eight, and then he took his own life making fifty-nine. I believe that's the way it was. But the worst mass murder in the history of the United States. And it just breaks your heart because, you know, the news goes on. They learned those people. They put some of their pictures. A lot of them were young people at that concert, outdoor concert.

And they're just out of submachine guns, what it was. A rifle had been modified to be like an automatic weapon, and just kept firing for like ten or eleven minutes into the crowd and picking off innocent people. A lot of families were absolutely devastated by that. We can't even imagine. Unless you've lost a son or a daughter or a husband or wife that way, you might have a little bit of a sense of what they went through. But what a tragic way that they go to a concert just to have fun and they end up, 58 people lost their lives because of a madman.

Why are we now living in perilous times?

What makes the times we're living in now so perilous? Going on in verse 2, it says, Remember we lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, no respect for their parents. A lot of parents are absent. A lot of absent fathers. A lot of children grow up without their natural parents. In fact, the majority, I think, just about, grow up without their natural parents or without their natural father, with a stepfather or stepmother.

Unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanders, without self-control, brutal, despises of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure, rather than lovers of God. And this is having a form of godliness, but denying its power from such people. Turn away.

But some don't even have a form of godliness, like this man that killed these 58 people. That was pure evil. I don't know if Satan got to his mind or what.

But all these things now permeate much of our society.

How perilous are the times in which we are now living? Again, I'm borrowing another scripture here from Dr. Ward, but this is the second scripture that Obama here, Shimon Nagasagi, brought to the forefront of many of our minds. And that's in Matthew 24, the Olivet prophecy.

Matthew 24, verse 3, And he said, And what will be the sign of your coming at the end of the age? As you read these things, you see all these things are happening. And they've happened before, some of them, but they're all happening right now. They're coming to forefront. And they're all going to be happening at the same time. And it's escalating. We're dropping down again to the verse that Dr. Ward read, verse 21. Then there will be great tribulation, such as not been since the beginning of the world until this time, nor in their evils shall be again. Unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved. In other words, no flesh would be saved alive. But for the elect's sake, this is a positive sign of Scripture. It shows how important all of us are to God. For the elect's sake, those days will be shortened.

In other words, not the sign leading up to Christ's return and to the end of the age would be that technology would advance to where all life on earth could be destroyed by man. And that became a reality after August of 1945 with the advent of the atomic bomb. Matthew 24-22 was a sobering Scripture.

But again, it's very encouraging, as I just mentioned, as it ends on a positive promise from God. But for the elect's sake, it's not going to happen. It's not going to carry. That's not going to become... Man's not going to be able to carry that out. God will intervene first. For the elect's sake, those days will be shortened. Now, in addition to that, we have another sobering reality, which was also mentioned by Dr. Ward in his sermon. We have Kim Jong-un of North Korea, who now has ICBMs, apparently.

And he also has... it appears like a hydrogen bomb or hydrogen bombs, which are threatening to use against the United States and its territories, like Guam or maybe... now he's threatening to fire a hydrogen bomb over the ocean. But again, we have the promise from God that for the elect's sake, those days will be shortened. We're not going to have a war that's going to end all life. But we're living in a society of time when that could happen.

But God is sovereign over all things. That's a positive thing. God is sovereign over all things. Nothing is going to happen unless God allows it to happen, and it's going to have to fit in with His plan and His purpose. But as you see all these things happen, you have to wonder, how much more time do we have? I've always thought, well, the time keeps going on, but you look at what's happening now, you have to wonder, when is God going to have to intervene?

Cut this short for the sake of the elect. But all these things should give us a sense of urgency as we observe this piece of tabernacles here in Branson in 2017. But what a tremendous honor and privilege it is to be a part of God's elect. What a fantastic privilege. Very few are. When you look at all the people in the world, seven billion, whatever it is, which is a small, small handful. But what a privilege and what an honor. And how humbling it is to realize that it is for our sake, the sake of the elect, that those days will be shortened.

So what then should our primary focus be at this time? That's what I want to look at this afternoon on this second opening day message for the 2017 piece of tabernacles here in Branson, Missouri. As the end time elect living in the very perilous times, what should we primarily be focused on at this time? I'll give my title momentarily. Christ gave many parables. Almost all those parables focus on the kingdom of God. I want to begin with one of those parables, especially I think it's pertinent at this particular time. That's the parable of the ten virgins. Let's turn to Matthew, chapter 25. Just right here we're in Matthew 24.

Here's the next chapter over, Matthew 25, verse 1. Then the kingdom of heaven should be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five were wise and five were foolish. And those who were foolish took their lamps, but they didn't take any oil with them. But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept. I've been a baptized member now of God's church. Ever since I've been there, Mr.

Armstrong always had a sense of urgency. Ever since I've been a member, there's something to be a sense of urgency. I've been a long time. I've been a member now for 54 years, having that sense of urgency, quote-unquote, are supposed to have it. My wife's actually been a member for more than that, 55 years. But we thought Christ was going to return long before now, as we all know those have been around for a number of years.

But we're still waiting. We're all still waiting right now. It seems like the bridegroom was delayed. Is that a test for all of us? To see if we will let down spiritually or lose our sense of urgency, even though it seems to be delayed.

What does it say here? It says they all slumbered and slept. It's hard to maintain a sense of urgency for 50 years. And yet that's what God tells us to do, because we never know when our time is going to come. We can die at any moment. Many have died since then, of course, in the years past. So it's difficult to maintain a sense of urgency while the bridegroom is being delayed.

As God now looks down on His people, His elect, around the world, His spiritual elect, what does He see? Are any slumbering or sleeping? Are any letting down spiritually because it seems to be delayed? Have any lost their sense of urgency? What is it going to happen at some point in the future? What's going to happen at some point? Verse 6 of Matthew 25, At midnight a cry was heard. Behold, the bridegroom is coming. Go out to meet Him.

So the big question is, when will midnight come? I'm now 76 years old, as I just said a while ago. My midnight could come at any time, especially, because I don't know how many more years I have. But as I apply this parable to myself, it tells me I must maintain a sense of urgency, because I don't have that much time. What happens when we realize we might not have much time left in order to prepare? Well, we take action.

Verse 7, Then all those virgins arose, and they trimmed their lamps. They took action. How long does it take to trim a lamp? Not very long. It doesn't take very long to trim a lamp, but there is another much more serious problem.

Why? Because these are oil lamps. And it takes more than a trimmed wick to keep them burning. It takes a continued supply of oil. Verse 8, And the foolish said to the wise, Give us some of your oil, because our lamps are going out. We need a new supply of oil, because we know oil is symbolic of God's Holy Spirit. But the wise answered say, No, lest there not be enough for us and you, but go rather to those who sell and buy for yourselves. The obvious point being, we must all take responsibility for ourselves.

We can't rely on somebody else. When it comes to being prepared spiritually for the return of Christ, must each take personal responsibility for repairing ourselves. We can't rely on anyone else to do our preparation for us. So when it comes to spiritual preparation, we are on a level, we're all on a level playing field.

Everyone has the same amount of time and the same access to the same power if we utilize it. We all have access. We've been called. We have access to the power of God's Holy Spirit. We're all on a level playing field there. Just no matter how we're using it, how we're using our time. See, because becoming spiritually prepared is a daily work. It's not something that can be put off until the last minute. Going on in verse 10, And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who already went in with him to the wedding and the door was shut.

And afterward the other virgins came, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. And the answer is, and said assuredly I say to you, I do not know you. Wow! I do not know you? What do you mean you do not know me?

I've been in your church for 40 years. See, as I apply this scripture to myself, it becomes the most frightening scripture in the Bible. How can we make sure Christ never says to this 20 of us? Verse 13, Watch there, for you know neither day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming. Now, I think this can have a very broad application as well as a very personal application.

We do need to watch world events, which can then give us a sense of urgency, especially as we look around the world today. It should give us a sense of urgency, especially in light of Bible prophecy and the Olivet prophecy in Matthew 24. But in the context of this parable, we must also watch and be aware of our own spiritual condition, because that's what this is talking about here in Matthew 25. Are we slumbering or sleeping? Are lamps going out? Do we still have a sense of urgency even while the bridegroom is delayed? Watch there, for you know neither day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.

Now, let me ask this. What will take place at midnight? Revelation 19 tells us what will take place when midnight comes. Midnight, as used by Christ here in Matthew 25, is simply an expression to indicate that our time of preparation has come to an end. That's what midnight symbolizes here.

It means you only have so much time, that at some point it's going to come to an end. Midnight will come. Why will it come to an end? Because the bridegroom will now be ready to marry his bride. Let's turn to Revelation 19. Revelation 19, beginning in verse 1, After these things I heard a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, Hallelujah, salvation and glory and honor and power belong to the Lord our God. For true and righteous are his judgments, because he has judged the great harlot who corrupted the earth with her fornication.

And he has avenged on her the blood of his servants, shed by her. I went down to verse 5. Then a voice came from the throne, saying, Praise our God, all you his servants, and those who fear him, both small and great. And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as a voice of many waters, as the sound of mighty thundering, saying, Hallelujah, for the Lord God omnipotent reigns. Let us be glad to rejoice and give him glory for the marriage of the Lamb has come. So here we have a very positive and very encouraging statement.

The marriage of the Lamb has come. Then going reading on. For the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his wife has made herself ready. Very positive statement. His wife has made herself ready. From this statement that I have derived my title, for my sermon here this afternoon, my title is, His Wife Has Made Herself Ready. Then it goes on to say this, beginning in verse 8, And to her it was granted to be a raid in fine linen, clean and bright.

For the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. And then he said to me, Right, blessed are those who are called to the married supper of the Lamb. So we are all very blessed, because we have been called to that marriage supper. Which is a tremendous blessing to have to be a part of that calling. We've all been called to be the bride of Christ at His return. What a fantastic calling and what a fantastic opportunity we've been given. It's a calling and opportunity that will have everlasting ramifications.

How so? Because this marriage is going to last forever. It will be an everlasting marriage, which will never come to an end. That is why our faith is being severely tested now. We're talking about, Dr. Ward talked about faith. Or the sermonette was talking about faith as well. I'll forget now, Rich. But that's why our faith is being severely tested. So God will know beyond any shadow of a doubt that our faithfulness will last forever. He's got to know it's going to last forever.

We're never going to lose faith or doubt. As Dr. Ward was talking about in his sermon, that nothing could ever separate us from the love we have for Jesus Christ. He's got to know that for sure. To emphasize the sure reality of this monumental event, Revelation 19.9 then adds this, and he said to me, these are the true sayings of God. These are true. God can't lie. These are the true sayings of God.

The marriage of the Lamb will come, and His wife will make herself ready. The question then for all of us, including myself, is this. What must we do to make ourselves ready? I'm going to let Christ answer that for us in a very simple and straightforward way. The Scriptures we're all very familiar with, probably one that we have memorized.

I'll turn there and read it. Matthew 6, 33. You probably already know the Scripture. Matthew 6, 33, it says, these are Christ's own words. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. What must we do to make ourselves ready? We must seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. That must be our primary focus, and that must be our number one priority. Now, there's something very important to understand about this verse.

Seeking the kingdom of God and seeking God's righteousness are not two separate goals. They are one and the same goal. Because the only way to seek first the kingdom of God is to also seek God's righteousness at the same time. They go hand in hand. They go together. You can't separate one from the other. Because if we're not truly seeking God's righteousness, then we are not really seeking the kingdom of God.

We can't have one without the other. This lays into two important questions. One, how do we seek God's righteousness? And two, how do we distinguish God's righteousness from our own righteousness? The answers to both of those questions are clearly related to, and they will tell us how His wife has made herself ready. First, how do we seek God's righteousness? The answer is both very simple and also very profound at the same time. The Apostle Paul clearly understood the only way to seek God's righteousness. And this is one real simple verse. You could get to make a whole sermon out of the course, but let's look at one verse. Philippians 2.5, another verse that probably most of us have memorized. Philippians 2.5, does somebody seek God's righteousness? Let this mind be in you, which is also in Christ Jesus. The Apostle Paul clearly understood the only way to seek God's righteousness was to have the mind of Christ in us. Paul also put in his letter to the church in Colossae. He said, Christ in you, the hope of glory. Colossians 1, verse 27. So to make ourselves ready to be the bride of Christ, Christ must be living His life in us.

That has to be taking place. In order for Christ to be living His life in us, we must be exercising the mind of Christ. Let this mind be in you, which is also in Christ Jesus, which is the only way we can seek God's righteousness. Second, how do we distinguish God's righteousness from our righteousness? In the context of Revelation 19, verses 7 and 8, in the context of making ourselves ready, it says, She was arranged in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. Again, Revelation 19, verse 8. Now note what this says, and note what it doesn't say. It doesn't say the fine linen is the righteousness of the saints.

It doesn't say that. It says the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. Why is that distinction important? It's important because, of and by ourselves, we have no righteousness. All our righteousness are like filthy rags, Isaiah 64, verse 6.

Now, before God called the apostle Paul, he thought he was righteous. He thought he really was very zealous for God and very righteous for God. Then God blinded him on the road to Damascus and gave him spiritual vision. So he could come to see that of him by himself he had no righteousness. As Paul conveys his letter to the church and road, where he said in that letter, I know that in me, that is in my flesh, nothing good dwells. Romans 7, verse 18. Why? Because it's also what Paul wrote in Romans. He said, because the count of mind is enmity against God, for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. Romans 8, verse 7. So what then are the righteous acts of the saints?

They are the righteous acts of Christ in us. Thus our righteousness must not be our righteousness, it must be the righteousness of Jesus Christ in us. Now how will that be manifested? How will you know? As Christ himself tells his disciples, you will know them by their fruits. Matthew 7, verse 16. Now what fruits should we be known? Again, we probably all know where to turn for that. You could give a whole sermon on it, but in Galatians 5, verses 22 and 23. Galatians 5, 22. But the fruit of God's Spirit, the fruits of Christ living in us, is love, joy.

You can have joy, a spiritual joy, even though the conditions you're living in are not joyous at all. But you can have a spiritual joy because you know you're serving Jesus Christ. And you know your life is in his hands. And you know that God is sovereign over all things. And no matter how much turmoil you're living in or what's going on around you, you know you have a future that's guaranteed. And you can have peace, spiritual peace, even though, Sister Ray Brown, you may not be very peaceful.

But you can have spiritual peace knowing you are part of the elect. And God has a tremendous plan for you. And you will make yourself ready. God's going to see through that. Long suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against us, there is no law. So how do we distinguish God's righteousness from our righteousness? We have to go deeper than the letter of the law. We must go to the Spirit of the law to see if we are producing the fruit of the Spirit.

Or more properly, if Christ in us is producing the fruit of the Spirit. Again, my title is, His Wife Has Made Her Self Ready. What means does God use for making us ready? For the answer to that question, let's go to the book of 1 Peter. Let's go to 1 Peter 1. Just begin right at the very beginning, first two verses of 1 Peter 1. 1 Peter 1, beginning in verse 1. Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the pilgrims of the dispersion, in Pontius, Caelatia, Cappadocia, Asia, Bithynia, elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father.

Peter was writing to Christians who had been dispersed and scattered to these various areas mentioned here. They were scattered. A lot had happened by the time Peter wrote this. And it was not an easy time to be a Christian. You had the emperors of Rome, Nero, who went mad and started persecuting Christians. It was not an easy time. A lot of persecution of Christians was beginning about the time Peter wrote this.

But Peter begins by giving them encouragement, by focusing on the same hope they have, the sure hope I should say, by focusing on the sure hope they had for the future. Verse 3, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

And to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that does not fade away it's going to last forever, it's never going to fade away, reserved in Heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. So Peter's telling them here to never forget the tremendous calling they had been given, and never forget the future that God had in store for them and for all of us.

Why was Peter trying to get them to focus on their future salvation in the Kingdom of God? Verse 6, In this you greatly rejoice, though now at this present time things are not so good. In this you greatly rejoice that even though now for a little while if need be they have been grieved by various trials. They were dispersed and scattered and being persecuted, and they were grieved or distressed by various trials. Now, was there a purpose in that? Was God doing something?

What about us when we have trials? Is God doing something as a purpose in our trials? Is God trying to work something in us? What was the purpose for their trials? The next verse tells us, verse 7, That the genuineness of your faith be much more precious than gold that perishes, though it be tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Much more precious than gold that perishes. Why would the testing of the genuineness of their faith be more precious than gold that perishes? Because once we pass that test and prove that our faith is genuine, that it's never going to perish, that no matter what can happen to us, no matter how bad it can be, no matter who we lose, what happens in our lives, it's struggle to cope with, it's painful. If we still hold to that faith through anything that Satan can throw at us or the world can throw at us, that will prove the genuineness of our faith.

God says, look at that person. They're never going to give up. They're never going to turn away. Their faith is genuine. No trial will ever cause them to lose faith. Now, some might say that gold doesn't perish. It's a medal that's always there. But the value of gold changes daily. The locks of business, they give you what gold is so much announced or whatever, changes almost daily. The value of gold can perish. As God prophesied in Ezekiel 7, 19, they will throw their silver into the streets and their gold will be like refuse.

Why? Because their silver and their gold will not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the Lord. Same verse, Ezekiel 7, verse 19. See, the value of gold can perish, but the genuineness of our faith will never perish. So it's much more valuable to God. That's the most valuable thing we can offer to God to prove that our faith is genuine. So it can be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ. So what means does God use to make us ready? He uses trials.

What else did Peter say in regards to trials? Go to chapter 4. 1 Peter 4, beginning in verse 12. The love, do not think it's strange, considering the fiery trial which is trying you, as though some strange thing happened. It's a normal process of how God is working with us to make us ready to become the bride of Christ. And we are going to be made ready. That's why we have trials. That's what the means of God uses. So don't think it's strange.

As though some strange thing happened to you. But rejoice to accept that you are partaking of Christ's suffering. You're going through just a little bit of what He went through, so you can become like Him. You can have the same empathy, the same compassion for others that He had, that He developed. Even that perfection can be developed again even further. Rejoice to the extent that you are partaking of Christ's suffering, that when His glory is revealed, you may also then be glad with a seeding joy and share in His glory. If you are reproach for the name of Christ, and you know we're entering an age, that's beginning to happen even here in the United States. I saw a statistic the other day. It said that right now in the United States, about 47 percent, less than half the people in the United States, consider themselves to be Christians. That's unbelievable. This nation was founded on the Bible and God's Word. That's going the other direction, becoming secular nation. How sad. And then as time goes on, some of us will be reproach for the name of Christ. But when that happens, consider yourself blessed. If you are reproach for the name of Christ, blessed are you. For the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blaspheme, but on your part you hold on to your faith, you prove His genuine. He is glorified. But none of you, let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evil-doer, as a busybody in other people's matters. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter. Why? Verse 17. Because the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God.

God is judging us by how we handle and by how we respond to trials and by what we learn from our trials and how that forms and shapes us to become more like Christ.

And God is looking for a positive outcome. He knows in the long run our trials will prove the genuis or our faith, that they will be the major means by which His wife will have made herself ready. Let's look at one final area when it comes to His wife making herself ready. First, the time is coming when Satan will do everything within his power to try to destroy the two people of God. I think you see that happening. I think he knows this time is short. I think he's going to do everything he can to try to get you to lose faith. Beware of that. That's why we need to really shawr ourselves up at this time and become unified as God's people. But he's going to go after the elect having great wrath because he knows this time is short. Revelation 12, verse 12.

Some will be spared from Satan's wrath because through their trials they have been clothed with the righteousness of Christ.

And that will cause what? It will cause Satan to then become enraged with a woman. He will then want to make war with the rest of her offspring who will keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. Revelation 12, verse 17.

Some will have to be further refined by additional trials, which brings us to one final area when it comes to His wife making herself ready.

It brings us to Christ's message to the Church of Laodiceans. Let's turn to Revelation, chapter 3.

Revelation 3, verse 14.

Revelation 3, verse 14.

And to the angel of the Church of Laodiceans write, These things as the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God, I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot.

I wish you were cold nor hot.

But because you were lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I will have to spew you out of my mouth.

And because you say I am rich and you become wealthy and of need of nothing, and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable, poor and blind and naked.

How then can these conditions described here, how can that be rectified?

Verse 18. I then for a counsel you to buy for me gold refined in the fire. For gold to truly be refined and valuable, I should say, for gold to truly be valuable, I should say, it has to be refined into something that's more precious as far as what people would want to buy. It has to be refined into like a gold bracelet or gold earrings or a gold necklace or a gold tiara or a gold crown.

For us to be truly valuable, we also have to be refined by our trials. The more refined, the more valuable we become.

I counsel you to buy for me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich and white garments that you may be clothed, that the shame of your negoness may not be revealed, and note your eyes with eyes salve that you may see.

All of what Christ says here relates to the ancient city of Laodicea. Back at the time the book of Revelation was written, it says that you may be rich. He writes to those in Laodicea that you may be rich. Laodicea was a very wealthy city.

The Roman historian Tacitus wrote this. One of the most famous cities of Asia, Laodicea, was in 61 AD overthrown by an earthquake and destroyed by an earthquake. And without any relief from them, from us, that is without any relief from Rome, we said, mentioned here, without any relief from Rome, they were covered by their own resources.

So they rebuilt the city using their own financial resources without any financial help from Rome. That's how wealthy they were.

Laodicea was also a great banking and financial center, also making it a rich city.

Of course, there's nothing wrong with that unless it becomes a spiritual condition. Well, we think we are spiritually rich, but we're really not all that rich spiritually.

And then he goes on and says, Bye for me, in white garments that you may be clothed.

Ancient Laodicea was a great center for manufacturing clothing.

The sheep around Laodicea were plentiful, and they were famous for their soft, glossy wool.

Laodicea produced beautiful white outer garments.

Again, nothing wrong with that unless it becomes a spiritual condition, where one is clothed outwardly and appears good outwardly, but is naked inwardly because Christ is not living in them as he should.

This is anoint your eyes with Aisabh that you may see.

Ancient Laodicea also had a famous medical center close by, which produced an ointment for the eyes to help with the healing of various eye conditions at that time, as best they knew.

But God wants our eyes to be anointed with spiritual Aisabh, so we can see spiritually.

In order to get to where her wife has made herself ready, we must become rich spiritually.

We must be clothed inwardly with white garments.

And we must gain spiritual vision, especially spiritual vision of ourselves.

And if we allow that, allow our trials to find us in that way, then we'll get to the place where his wife has made herself ready.

Now, this passage here, the Laodiceans ends on a very positive note, verses 20 and 21.

He says, I stand to the door and knock.

If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to dine with him and he with me.

I'll help you overcome whatever you need to overcome.

And to whom it overcomes, I will grant to sit with me on my throne, as I also overcame and sit down with my father on his throne.

Finally, there is another very positive letter Paul wrote, which is directly connected to Christ's message to the Church of the Laodiceans.

This letter shows us how his wife has made herself ready in a very positive way.

It shows the positive attributes we must exemplify in order to make ourselves ready.

What book is that? It's the book of Colossians.

So let's turn to the book of Colossians here, as we wind down.

Colossians 1, let's start with Colossians 1, verse 1.

Colossians 1, verse 1, Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the will of God and Timothy, our brother, to this ace and faithful brethren, to the faithful brethren in Christ, to the colossae.

So Paul here refers to them as faithful brethren in Christ.

So these, they were faithful. They lived by faith.

They also had other essential qualities that are required in order to make ourselves ready, verses 3 and 4.

Verse 3, we give thanks to God and our Father and Lord Jesus Christ, for praying always for you. And it says, verse 4, as we heard, of your faith in Christ Jesus and of your love for all the saints.

So they had continual faith in Christ Jesus. They lived by faith.

Even though they went through all kinds of probably sore trials and difficulties, they lived by faith. And their faith was so strong that people around them heard about it.

And they had love for all the saints, not just for some of the saints, but for all the saints.

No matter who they were, what their status was, or anything else, they had love for all the saints.

And also that love exemplified them, the church in Colossae.

Now how does this letter directly connect to Laodicea?

Colossae and Laodicea were two of three cities that were all in a very close proximity to one another.

They made up a kind of tri-cities area.

Paul refers to all three in chapter 4. Let's look at chapter 4 real briefly.

Colossians 4, beginning in verse 12.

Epaphras, who was one of you, a bondservant of Christ, greets you, always laboring fervently for you in prayers.

That's another way we can make ourselves very always laboring fervently in prayers.

We pray our warriors, as was mentioned earlier, that you may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.

For I bear witness, verse 13, that He has a great zeal for you, and those who are in Laodicea and those in Heropolis.

Those are tri-cities. Colossae, Laodicea, and Heropolis were tri-cities.

They were all in a very close proximity to one another.

But Paul struggled in his mind because of a conflict between those in Colossae and those in Laodicea.

Let's go back to Colossae 2, verse 1.

Colossae 2, verse 1, For I want you to know what a great conflict I have for you, and those in Laodicea, and for as many as not seen my face in the flesh.

What was a conflict in Paul's mind? What was it about?

He tells us in the next verse.

He says, to those in Colossae, and he's thinking back of those in Laodicea, that their hearts, those in Laodicea, that their hearts may be encouraged like your hearts are, that they can be knit together in love, as you are all knit together in love, and attain to all the riches and full assurance of understanding and knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ.

So, I indicate here that those in Laodicea were lacking some essential Christian qualities, which those in Colossae possessed.

Their hearts were not encouraged, like as much as they should have been, those in Laodicea, which meant they probably were not real encouraging to others.

It might have been a little bit judgmental, I don't know.

Maybe a little bit more critical towards looking at others.

I don't know. It kind of indicates that possibility.

Revelation 3.16 says they were lukewarm, those in Laodicea.

They were lukewarm in their love for all the saints.

When you put it together here with what it says in Colossians, and their attitude toward other brethren, at least that's what it appears.

And they were not all knit together in love as those in Colossae were.

And those in Laodicea had not attained to all the riches of the full assurance of understanding to the knowledge of the mystery of God.

They were lacking in some essential knowledge.

To what riches and to the knowledge of what mystery had those in Laodicea not attained to?

Colossians 1, verses 26 and 27.

The mystery which had been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to his saints.

This is a mystery.

To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is, here's a mystery, Christ in you, the hope of glory.

The riches and the mystery to which those in Laodicea had not attained was the mystery of Christ in you, the hope of glory.

So those in Laodicea, apparently, some of them at least, did not reflect Christ living in them.

In other words, they were lukewarm in the relationship with Christ, which caused a great deal of conflict and concern, at least in the mind of the Apostle Paul.

Notice Paul's instructions at the very end of this letter, in Colossians 4, verse 16.

Now when this epistle is read among you, this epistle of Colossians, see, there's also read the Church of Laodiceans.

They need to hear this.

They need to see your example and understand your example and follow your example and the love that you have and that you show and the faith by which you live and how you're encouraging.

When this epistle is read among you, see, it's read also in the Church of Laodiceans, and that you likewise read the epistle from Laodicea.

The epistle from Laodicea is lost, it's not included in the New Testament canon.

But the bottom line lesson from Paul's letter to the Colossians, which the Church of Laodiceans is needed to learn from, was be faithful, brethren. Live by faith.

Be knit together in your love for all the saints.

Those were all essential qualities and attributes that we must all have and acquire.

If we are to be in those, Tumidus said, his wife has made herself ready.

So in conclusion, then, we are now living in very perilous times in which we all need to maintain a sense of urgency.

A sense of urgency is to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, which is what the Church of Laodiceans is called. And his righteousness, which is what this Feast of Tabernacles is really all about, isn't it?

Let us all be thankful that we have been called to be a part of God's elect.

That's a tremendous calling that only very few have had, that privilege of having that calling.

And be thankful that for the elect's sake, these days will be shortened.

So take advantage of this Feast of Tabernacles and take advantage of the time we now have to make ourselves ready.

Because at midnight a cry was heard.

Behold, the bridegroom is coming.

Go out to meet him.

Who will go out to meet him?

His wife will go out to meet him.

His wife, who has made herself ready.