Pentecost

Pentecost, like the rest of God's feasts, is like a beautiful diamond with many facets. They all have a different brilliance. I would like to focus on one of these facets of Pentecost. How the bride is making herself ready for the coming of Christ. Because we are part of that bride. One of the responsibilities we have is preparing ourselves so that when Christ comes, we can be part of that group. It is not guaranteed, but we have committed ourselves. We have put our hands on the plow.

We are not to look back. We are looking at that kingdom of God, and we're looking forward to having such a deep relationship with Jesus Christ and God the Father forever. He compares it to a wonderful wedding where, of course, the bride is the centerpiece. Now the groom comes, and many times you're not allowed even to see the bride until she appears. It's her day, and that's the way God has described it.

It is what we desire so much. What we hope, the blessed hope as it's called in the Bible. Let's go to Revelation 19, verse 7, because as you're going to see, there are some very deep lessons with what God reveals here. In Revelation 19, it says, In a modern Bible version, it says, In other words, we have a great responsibility. The groom is going to be there, but the bride has a part to play that depends on her. The term here, the bride, as it's explained in the Amplified Bible, are the redeemed.

That's the whole collective group that is described. The redeemed of God that will be presented in such a joyous way that God uses this analogy. Now, Paul compared the church to a chaste virgin who is betrothed to Christ. Notice in 2 Corinthians 11, verse 2, He says, Paul here is using the description of a marriage in biblical times.

It was composed of two major events. First, the betrothed stage, and secondly, the wedding stage. The wedding supper and celebration that sometimes would last a number of days. Between the betrothed and the wedding, they were normally separated by a period of time, around a year, during which the two persons were considered husband and wife, although not living together yet.

But they were under the obligation of being faithful to each other. One of the reasons they had this is to make sure that the woman was a virgin. And so there was this period of time. She had to make herself ready for the groom. The wedding began with a procession to the bride's house, which was followed by return to the house of the groom for the marriage feast.

Notice in Matthew 1, verse 18, we see an example of the betrothed, and then the marriage stage later. This happened with Joseph and Mary. Notice in Matthew 1, verse 18 through 20. It says here, Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows. After his mother, Mary, was betrothed to Joseph. You see, betrothed. That's the first stage. Before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. So in this betrothed period, you need two witnesses.

Usually you pay part of the dowry for the bride, in the sense that you are going to take a productive part of this young lady in the house, and you're going to pay the father for being able to have her come and then be part of your marriage, your family. So before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. Now Joseph, her husband, being a just man, God knew who he was choosing to bring all this around, was not wanting to make her a public example.

He could have. Normally, in a marriage where you were betrothed and all of a sudden she was found pregnant, well, usually there was a divorce that was involved. And sometimes it was publicly. And in the Old Testament times, she could be stoned because of that. But during the New Testament times, basically there wasn't the stoning, but there was the putting away.

And basically, she was already considered married and a widow. Because the divorce was going to separate her. She was probably never going to be able to get married again. And so he realized better separate, break this relationship, but in a private way. He says, was minded to put her away secretly. But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you, Mary, your wife. Notice, even if they're betrothed, even if they've never lived together, it was still part of this commitment.

For that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. So there was no sin involved here. And she will bring forth a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. So again, this shows again how Jesus Christ was willing to stoop down to the lowest level of the low. And of course, the Jews later would use this to slander how Jesus was born and everything else. But here we have the witness of Scripture. And so, it tells us in Revelation 19, let's go there, follow the story flow, Revelation 19, about ourselves and how we are betrothed with Christ now.

This is a commitment that we have made at baptism and sealed with the Holy Spirit, which, symbolic of Pentecost, it says here in Revelation 19 and verse 1, it says, After these things I heard a loud voice of a great multitude. These are the angelic hosts. Finally, finally, all of the sin of the world has basically ended.

And Christ is about ready to descend. And the Babylonian system of this world has been destroyed. And so, of course, just like in the choir, you have this joyful sound of Pentecost. You can imagine what this is going to be like now. This is one of the most historic moments in all of man's existence. A great multitude in heaven saying, hallelujah, which means praise Yah, praise God.

Salvation and glory and honor and power belong to the Lord our God. So there's a transfer here of authority. For true and righteous are the judgments because He has judged the great harlot who corrupted the earth. Talking about this whole system with all of its different expressions of religions and politics.

With her fornications and He has avenged on her the blood of His servants shed by her. So this system has been pursuing God's people throughout time. Again, they said, hallelujah, her smoke rises up forever and ever. So this system is going to be destroyed. You think it's powerful? Yes, they talk about all the trillions that we have. That can be wiped out. And we know it's based on a false premise.

And with the debt of the world basically running just trillions of dollars. The last I heard it's about 350 trillion dollars that the world debt. And He says, and the 24 elders and four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sat on the throne saying, Amen. Hallelujah. Finally, they've been watching. They've been expectant. And finally it happened. The nightmare in this world has finished. And 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 then it says in verse six, and I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thundering, saying, Hallelujah, for the Lord God omnipotent reigns. These choral groups in heaven have powerful voices. Now, actually, the verb here is past. It's an aortist type Greek verb, which it should say begins to reign because there's still Satan has to be put away.

All of these things happen. But this is the beginning. He says, verse seven, 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. Now, it's interesting here. People think, well, that must be everybody that's at that time with God's spirit and who have persevered to this moment. But actually, we're talking about everyone who has been called by God, who has persevered. So actually, that bride has to do with Hebrews 11. All the men and women who have been faithful, many of them martyred for the faith.

But they're all looked at by Christ and God the Father as one collective bride who maintained that spiritual virginity of, no, I'm going to keep Pentecost. I'm not going to keep Christmas. I'm not going to keep those Hindu traditions. Just like yesterday in the New York Times, it had an article by some people that followed a trek which talked about this Hindu goddess that people have to walk 200 miles. And just to be there so that they can have their vows fulfilled. And basically, 200 miles is like Los Angeles to Fresno. And it's got mountains over there in Pakistan where they're doing that walk.

And it shows the fanaticism and how the Hindus in India, back in January and February, basically it was about 14 weeks or so that they had to go on this trek. 600 million Hindu. And why? Because they have to go to this Ganges River because they said that at one moment their god Vishnu was fighting demons and somehow the urn spilled some special potion on the earth.

And that landed there in the Ganges River, there's a confluence of three rivers, and so people go hundreds of miles walking. 600 million, almost twice the population of the entire United States, which is about 330. And so here we see all of this system is going to disappear one day. And the bride is getting ready. It says in verse 8, 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. Then he said to me, Right, blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he said to me, These are the true sayings of God. This is going to be fulfilled. You see here the marriage supper. It's a great celebration. And how is that carried out? Well, let's go to 1 Thessalonians chapter 4.

1 Thessalonians chapter 4 describes how the groom comes to pick up the bride here on earth. 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 in verse 16. It says, For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. Just like they announced the wedding feast. And the dead in Christ will rise first. In other words, everybody, we've had people in the congregation who have died this year. What are they described as? Look at verse 14.

It says, For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with him those who sleep in Jesus. That's where they are. They're asleep in Jesus. But they will be awakened when Christ comes back. And he says, These are going to be awakened and transformed first. It says, And the dead in Christ will rise first. They'll rise from their graves or wherever they are, and they will be there.

For momentarily, they will appear, spirit beings. And immediately after, the rest of the bride is joined to them. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.

So it's a wedding. But the betrothed period ends then, and this wedding feast begins. It says, Therefore comfort one another with these words. So just think, anybody that dies in the faith, the next conscious moment, they're going to be out of their graves. And they will be spirit beings. And then they will see those who remain alive be transformed. And then everybody rises to meet Jesus Christ in the clouds, just like it talks about that he comes and he joins the bride. And then he comes down because this is his home. This is where he is going to establish his kingdom.

And so this idea that somehow you're taken up to heaven and then brought back, well if that's the case, then we have three comings of Christ. Because here he comes, and then everybody goes, and then they go up to heaven, and then he comes back a third time. No, it just says two times. So he comes back here because this is his home. He will rule in Jerusalem. That is where his bride will live. That's when you will meet Abraham, Jacob, Isaac, Moses, all of these.

They're going to be part of our family. We're going to be part of the bride. Not any better or any worse. We're all one big family. Different responsibilities, but we're part of that first team. The spiritual West Point that God is preparing to be able to rule under Christ. There are two parts here that I want to focus on, which has to do with the preparation, how the bride prepares herself, and then the second, how she is granted to wear that white linen.

Her dress. Let's go to Hebrews 11. I mentioned this just to give you more reinforcement from the Scriptures, how everything is methodically written down in Hebrews 11. In verse 35, talking about all these men and women in the Old Testament, it says, women received their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance that they might obtain a better resurrection.

They wanted to be the bride. Nothing's going to keep them from it. Even if you're tortured, even if you die in the faith, you're not delivered to obtain that better resurrection, which is called in Revelation 20, the first resurrection. Blessed is he who is part of it. It's not a given. He says, still others had trials of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. It wasn't easy. They didn't have it easy. They were stoned. They were sawn in two, as apparently prophet Isaiah was done under the time of Manasseh.

They were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskin, and goatskins being destitute, afflicted, and tormented. Why? Because they wanted to be part of that bride of Christ. They saw the vision. I don't want to marry this world. That Babylonian woman of Revelation 17, where the kings of the earth spiritually fornicate, the whole system here has been corrupted. It's as of whom these people, it says, was not worthy. The world was not worthy. What a difference. The world looks down on people like this. God says the world is not worthy to have these people that are going to be one day the bride of Christ.

They wandered in deserts, and mountains, and dens, and caves of the earth. And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise. See? They still are dead and asleep in Jesus. It says here, the crowning verse, God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us. So it's not going to be some two-stage first resurrection. First the dead come, and they have their resurrection, and they go up, and then the second stage, oh, those that are alive, are resurrected. No. It's all first the dead, and immediately after the rest. And believe me, you've met some people in this life that are not very nice, and it's hard to live sometimes with difficult and wrong people.

But I'll tell you, once you're there, we're all going to weep, and hug each other, be able to hug the Apostle Paul, and all of the apostles, and faithful. What did you have to go through?

What did we have to go through? Oh, 21st century, you'll never believe. You thought you had it bad? Then multiply temptations by a hundred times, and that's what we have to deal with now. We're living in abnormal times, but just like the frog and the kettle, just raise the temperature a little bit, and we get used to this. So everybody is going to be perfected at the same time. That means the human nature is not going to be there, and the best of us will be resurrected forever.

We won't want to sin. That's what being part of the bride is. So the first part of preparing the bride is the betrothal stage that I've talked about, which is the submissive and obedient part. The submissive and obedient part to Jesus Christ and God the Father. She has made herself ready. This is the part that all members are responsible for. How? It is revealed throughout the Bible, but in particular, in the very book of Revelation, we see how the bride has had to prepare herself. Let's look at Revelation 2 and 3. There are three quote overcoming verses. Every one of these churches and throughout history, they had things to overcome in their period of time.

We have seven overcoming verses with the accompanying blessings. Each church had its trials, temptations of heresy to deal with, materialism, false brethren, and betrayals, where those who had faithfully persevered and overcome first, overcome self, overcome the world and its evil values, and thirdly, Satan, because he doesn't want us to be part of the bride. He loves eliminating people from being part of the bride because he knows he's going to have to one day be judged by the bride.

He doesn't like that. These brethren have kept their eyes on God the Father and Jesus Christ throughout it all. It means a lifetime of being submissive and obedient to God the Father and Jesus Christ and following their instructions. It is not easy to continually overcome our own human nature, the world, and Satan. Nobody has it easy.

Let's look at Revelation 2, verse 24. I'm going to show you two of those overcoming verses because of lack of time.

Revelation 2. Starting in verse 24.

It says here to this particular church, Now to you, I say, and to the rest in Thyatira, as many as do not have this doctrine, who have not known the depths of Satan, as they say, I will put on you no other burden. This is pretty descriptive of that period of the Middle Ages when the church was persecuted and they had to go through inquisitions, they had to go through the worst heresies. And they actually had the woman in Rome, the church at that time, that whole period of time, was called the reign of the harlots because it got so bad. And he says, you have not participated, you have not bent your knee to that woman. He says, but hold fast what you have till I come. And he who overcomes and keeps my works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations. He shall rule them with a rod of iron. They shall be dashed to pieces, like the potter's vessels. Talking about anybody who, just like a shepherd, anybody who is going to attack that flock, it's not going to be this bleeding heart type of thing. Just let people come at you and just go ahead and take the flock. No. He's going to have the shepherd's rod. Anybody who is going to invade God's territory, he goes on to say, I also have received from the Father that authority, and I will give him the morning star. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. Then let's go to the second, overcome verse, Revelation 3.10.

It says here, to this church, because you have kept my command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial, which shall come upon the whole world to test those who dwell on the earth. Behold, I am coming quickly. Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.

That's a crown under Christ. That's being the bride. Have people tried to take away your crown? Yes, we've gone through one crisis after another. 1995. How many people wanted to snatch that crown from you? Take you back, as I remember this couple in the southern part of Chile. They were dirt poor. I visited them a couple of times, but they were so faithful. They'd come out of the Adventist church. They said, now we understand God's plan and the feasts.

And I remember when the heresy was being spread that I got a phone call, and it was from the lady, and she says, Mr. Sagley, you helped us leave Babylon. Mr. Sagley, don't take us back to Babylon. Boy, I'll tell you, that brought just goosebumps. No way! No way! Well, these little people and members are going to go back to that heresy. So we have to be willing to persevere, as it says, to overcome that no one may take your crown. You've got a calling. God knows exactly where to put you in that kingdom that comes. Every person has a personality that God can use.

He knows exactly. He'll mention someone here, and I'll just use Cheryl. And say, you know, Cheryl, I've got a special place in God's kingdom. You're going to work under Joseph one day, because you are a person that has a big heart. You know how to spread the treasures. And so I have that position there for you. And I can go, every one of you, God has a special calling. He's working. That's what Christ said in my father's house. There are many positions, and he's working on those, each one, to develop each one of us.

And so it tells us that the bride makes herself ready by the trials she goes through, and is purified by them. And what is the standard? It's God's laws. That's the standard. And how we have to overcome ourselves, the world, and Satan to obey, to be submissive. To Jesus Christ and God. Just being here today shows submissiveness and obedience. Because you could be somewhere else. A lot of people have sacrificed a lot just to be here.

But why? Because this is what Christ our groom wants. Wants people that are not weak, and they give in to the world. That's what the bride is all about. Notice in Revelation 14 verse 12. Revelation 14 verse 12. Here's a description of the church during that end time period. Revelation 14 verse 12. It says, Here is the patience, which means perseverance of the saints.

Here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. Those who keep these two things. The commandments of God. So is this a commandment of God? Yes. The Pentecost is one of God's annual Sabbaths. This is keeping the fourth commandment, which has to do with the Sabbaths. Because it's not just the weekly Sabbath, it's annual Sabbaths as well. They're called Sabbaths in the Bible as well. And also the faith of Jesus. It's not our faith. It's not the faith of a person that you put their name. No, it's Christ living in us, strengthening us, giving us that faith. That is so important. The Pentecost is, of course, symbolic of receiving God's Spirit, the beginning to drink of that spiritual water.

So receiving God's Spirit is likened to drinking of God's Holy Spirit. Notice in 1 Corinthians chapter 12. 1 Corinthians chapter 12. In verse 13. Notice God's Spirit is described here as water. It says in verse 13, For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, which is the church. Whether Jews or Greeks, doesn't matter what nationality you are, whether slaves or free, doesn't matter your economic situation at all, and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. For in fact, the body is not one member, but many. So we're all added to it.

And so I'd like to use this analogy.

Every day God offers us a drink of that spiritual water, but we have to go to God. We have to be renewed spiritually. Notice what it tells us in Isaiah chapter 12. In verse 2. Isaiah chapter 12. In verse 2. It says, Behold, God is my salvation. I will trust and not be afraid. For Yah, talking about Yahweh, for Yah the Lord is my strength and song. He also has become my salvation. Therefore, with joy, you will draw water from the wells of salvation. Speaking about God's Spirit, the need to drink daily because we need to renew spiritually. We can't take a drink of water every week. How many people just drink water once a week? How would you feel? Pretty bad. Well, it's the same way with God's Spirit. Every day we have to renew ourselves. 2 Corinthians chapter 4 verse 16. It says, Therefore we do not lose heart, even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. So we can renew ourselves, but we have to go. The bride has to go to get the strength from God to do those actions that please God, Christ living in us. That's the key, letting Him, yielding. It talks about being submissive and obedient. It's not what we want. What is it God wants from us? And then we have the second part. This is the part of grace, because it's not the woman just preparing herself. No, it's something else. God has to work in us. The woman doesn't earn her salvation. Notice in Revelation 19.8.

Revelation 19.8. It says, 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. So it is something granted. It's not something that she earned on her own. It says, Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb. She has been given the privilege and honor of wearing dazzling pure linen. And fine linen represents the things that God's holy people do that have his approval. So the bride doesn't deserve it, but it has been granted to her by God. How? Let's look in Revelation 7. Revelation 7. Starting in verse 13. It says here, Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, Who are these arrayed in white robes? And where did they come from? And I said to him, Sir, you know. It's kind of reminds me, what would John Garnet answer here? Well, sir, I don't know. So he said to me, These are the ones who have come out of the great tribulation. They were in it, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. See, not on their own. We have to have our sins forgiven. It's through the blood of Jesus Christ. And in a way, this is what's called an oxymoron, which is kind of too contradictory. How can you have white linen? And then it's washed with the blood, and it actually becomes even brighter white instead of red. Because, of course, it purifies. It makes it perfect.

It says, Therefore, they are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple. And he who sits on the throne will dwell among them. They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore. Here it just goes forward to the time when God the Father is here. He's dwelling with them. He says, The Son shall not strike them nor any heat. For the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. Yes, it's going to be a lot better than just physical water that we'll be able to drink fully of.

And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. This is the time when God the Father will do all of this. But again, don't ever depend on your own righteousness to try to seek forgiveness. There's only one way, and that's going to God and confessing and repenting and changing our lives and showing him by our works. We really mean it. We're committed to it. Revelation 12, 11, just a little farther up. Revelation 12, verse 11, it repeats the same purifying process. It says, and they overcame him, and this is talking about Satan and this false world, by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony. And they did not love their lives to the death. And they wanted that better resurrection one way or the other. Another version, the Good News Bible says, they won the victory over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the truth which they proclaimed. And they were willing to give up their lives and die. So that's part of our job, the truth which we proclaim. That's why we have all this literature, why we have this great effort with different languages so that people can know the importance of Pentecost. Because you will not enter the kingdom of God until you become submissive and obedient to God. And this is one of the commandments he has. And so we have this combination in Revelation 19. The woman has to prepare herself. But at the same time, she can only prepare herself by yielding, being submissive and obedient to God so that he grants us that Holy Spirit to be able to then please him in this way. In Philippians 2, verses 12 and 13, it shows this combination. Philippians 2, verses 12 and 13. You need to have this balance. You can't do it all. God can't do it all for you. We both have a part to do. It says in verse 12, Philippians 2, it says, So we need both parts. We need to have the will to do our part and have the faith that God will bless it and will guide it and produce good fruit. He's the one that does that. In Jude 1, verse 24, we have this combination of working out your own salvation, but through the strength of God, it says, And so he's able to do that by washing us, and certainly that's part of it. Notice what it tells us in Ephesians as we begin to conclude here. Ephesians chapter 5, verse 25, I saved the best, the dessert, for the last. My dad told me in life, first you have to eat the main meal. That might not be as delicious, but then you can enjoy the dessert. Don't try to eat the dessert first and then leave the toughest things secondly. In Ephesians chapter 5, verse 25, it says, Husbands, love your wives just as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for her. So he sacrificed a lot for this bride. He gave his life for her, for all of us, that he might sanctify and cleanser with the washing of water by the Word. And actually this is a process of sanctification, of forgiveness, of overcoming and stumbling and getting up and continuing forward, persevering. He says that he might present her to himself at a glorious church, not having a spot or wrinkle or any such thing, because those sins are forgiven, they're forgotten, they're eliminated. But that she should be holy and without blemish. That's the way he looks at her. And I know when you're recently married, why you think your spouse is practically perfect.

Benjamin Franklin also said, before marriage, keep your eyes wide open. After marriage, keep them half closed.

And that applies to me as well. Please don't judge me so harshly.

So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself, for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it just as the Lord does the church. Always this parallel of the bride. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. That's physically, but spiritually, yes, that's what we long for the most, to be part of that bride of Christ. Whether you're ever married or not, that's secondary, because if you get to be married one day to Christ, it is going to be so superior to anything we have experienced in this life. It says, this is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church, how he's preparing, how he's working for each one of us. Brethren, Pentecost that we're keeping is just six years or so left until the bimillennial anniversary of the church. We are just six or so years close to that. We don't know all that that means, because it still could be within that period of time that God has judged enough for man to be judged. We'll have to wait. We don't put dates, but it's just six years until 31 A.D., which we feel calendarically, according to the calendar. It's very much that year that we're just six years away from to celebrate the bimillennial anniversary.

So let's continue to prepare ourselves as that spiritual bride of Christ.