The Holy Spirit’s Purpose in Preparing the Bride
I. GOD’S MISSION STATEMENT: TO PROVIDE AN ETERNAL COMPANION FOR JESUS
Let us be glad…the marriage of the Lamb has come…His wife has made herself ready. (Revelation 19:7)
A. God's ultimate and eternal purpose for His creation is to provide a family for Himself and an equally yoked bride for His
Son as His eternal companion (Jesus’ inheritance).
B. The inheritance the Father chose for His beloved Son reveals what Jesus wants most – an eternal companion. God
promised to give His Son an inheritance consisting of a people whom He fully possesses. Jesus' inheritance is to receive a
people who fully love Him. The primary “currency” in eternity is voluntary love that has been formed in our hearts from our
time on earth. God has purposed to select and train a bride to reign with Jesus in voluntary love.
9 For the LORD'S portion is His people; Jacob is the place of His inheritance. (Deuteronomy 32:9)
18 May know…what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints (Ephesians 1:18)
II. GOD IS BEING FORTH A GLORIOUS CHURCH (EPHESIANS 5:26-29)
26 That He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the Word, 27 that He might present
her to Himself a glorious Church, not having spot or wrinkle…but that she should be holy and without blemish.
28 Husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies…29 No one ever hated his own flesh, but
nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church… (Ephesians 5:26-29)
A. The Church will be so filled with glory, sanctified and cleansed that she will not have spots or wrinkles (her garments
reflecting her actions) or blemishes (her skin reflecting her inner life).
B. How will this glory be practically released in the Church? The means of grace will be the Word (Ephesians 5:26) and
prayer (Revelation 22:17) in context to being cherished by Jesus. The Lord cherishes His Church as she feeds on portions
of the Word that reveal His tender emotions for Her.
C. Prayer, fasting, meditation on the Word, and obedience positions our heart before God to freely receive. These
activities do not earn us God’s favor. Analogy: we put our cold heart before the bonfire of God’s presence by seeking Him
in the Word in spirit and truth.
D. We give our heart to God and receive from Him as we read Scripture in a way that creates an active dialogue in our
heart with God. Scripture gives us the “conversational material” in our prayer life. We pray truths back to Him that exhort
us “to believe” His Word by thanking God for such truths and by asking God to reveal them to us. We dialogue with God
by praying truths back to Him that exhort us “to obey” His Word and by committing ourselves to obey God in the specific
way set forth in a passage. Make simple declarations of your resolve to obey the Word and ask God to empower you to
obey a particular truth.
III. THE NECESSARY 3-FOLD CRY OF THE BRIDE'S INTERCESSION
17 The Spirit and the Bride say, "Come!"…20 He…says, "Surely I am coming…"(Revelation 22:17, 20)
A. This age will end with a worshipping and praying Church in a bridal identity. This passage is the most significant,
comprehensive and clearest End-Time prophecy. It reveals to us what the Spirit is saying and doing. The Church will in
unity with the Spirit as she will be anointed with power, engaged in intercession, established in her bridal identity and
effective in the harvest.
B. The 3-fold cry for God to come in power (Holy Spirit breakthrough)
1. Come NEAR US in intimacy (personal encounter): touch my heart
2. Come TO US in revival (historic visitation of the Holy Spirit): touch our city with signs, wonders and apostolic
authority until we see the Habitation of the Lord established
3. Come FOR US in the sky (Second Coming of Jesus): touch the earth
C. The Holy Spirit comes in response to the prayers (invitation) of God’s covenant people. He comes to the measure
that He is invited. He waits to be beckoned by intercession. The Bride will prepare a place for the coming of Lord to dwell
individually, corporately, and geographically, as she invites Jesus to come near us, to us and for us (Psalm 132:1-5).
2 How he (David) swore to the LORD, and vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob: 3 "Surely I will not go into the
chamber of my house..4 I will not give sleep to my eyes…5 until I find a place for the LORD, a dwelling place
for the Mighty One of Jacob." (Psalm 132:1-5)
D. Each person has a specific sphere of authority or domain entrusted to them by God (Genesis 1:26-28;
Matthew 25:14-30; Luke 19:11-27).
26 God said, "Let Us make man in Our image…let them have dominion over…all the earth…" 28 God blessed
them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over…
every living thing that moves on the earth." (Genesis 1:26-28)
The Kingdom…is like a man (Jesus) traveling to a far country (heaven), who called his own servants and
delivered his goods to them. 15 To one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each
according to his own ability… (Matthew 25:14-15)
12 A certain nobleman (Jesus) went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return. 13 So
he called ten of his servants, delivered to them ten minas, and said to them, 'Do business till I come.'…15 When
he returned…he then commanded these servants…to be called to him, that he might know how much every
man had gained by trading. 16 Then came the first, saying, 'Master, your mina has earned ten minas.' 17 He
said, 'Well done, good servant…you were faithful in a very little, have authority over ten cities.' (Luke 19:11-27)
E. Our prayers invite the Holy Spirit on a covenantal basis to come to the areas under our domain (inwardly and
outwardly). Prayer is a covenantal way in which we open the gates to what which is under our domain (heart, circumstances,
geographic area, etc.). In other words, it gives the covenantal tracks on which the Spirit releases light (power) which
overpowers darkness (John 1:5).
F. The spiritual weapons of the Bride include a spirit of obedience as we speak the Word to God, ourselves, others
and to realm of darkness. The Word (Jesus) was supreme as God created in Gen. 1, and it is supreme now in heaven
and in the spirit realm.
IV. WHAT IS GOD DOING IN THIS HOUR
6 I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty
thunderings, saying, "Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns! 7 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." 8 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. 9 He said to
me, "Write: 'Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!' " He said to me, "These
are the true sayings of God." (Revelation 19:6-9)
A. God’s intention is to prepare Church for Jesus’ return.
1. The multitudes praise God for releasing His power to prepare the Bride (v. 6).
2. All heaven will be glad with rejoicing at the fact of the Bride being prepared (v. 7)
4 We will be glad and rejoice in you. (Song 1:4)
B. There is going to be a wedding feast (Revelation 19:7-9)
9 Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb! (Revelation 19:9)
C. Our garments that will last forever are being formed now by a spirit of love working in the Bride. (Revelation 3:4-5, 18;
16:15; 19:7-8; 1 John 2:28; 2 John 7-8)
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. (Revelation 19:8)
D. These garments are formed by our obedience. We are making choices now that we will literally wear forever. What
we do now has impact far beyond our natural lives. The experience of the redeemed before the Wedding Feast is
preparation for the life of the redeemed after the Wedding Feast.
4 You have a few…in Sardis who have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with Me in white, for
they are worthy. 5 He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name
from the Book of Life... (Revelation 3:4-5)
18 I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire…and white garments, that you may be clothed, that
the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed... (Revelation 3:18)
15 Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame.
(Revelation 16:15)
28 And now…abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at
His coming. (1 John 2:28)
14 If anyone's work…endures, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss;
but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire. (1 Corinthians 3:11-15)
8 Look to yourselves, that we (you; NAS, NIV, RSV) do not lose those things we (you; NIV, RSV) worked for, but
that we (you; NAS, NIV, RSV) may receive a full reward. (2 John 8)
E. Holiness is to agree with God and rejoice in light instead resisting light and thus, being ashamed at His appearing.
This is the spirit of abandonment that refuses all compromise or darkness.
F. The King is God the Father and His Son is Jesus. God’s eternal plan is to use His power to arrange a wedding for
His Son. He sent his servants (messengers) to invite the people to the wedding. The highest invitation of the gospel is to
call the people to ‘come to the wedding.’
2 The kingdom of heaven is like a certain King who arranged a marriage for His Son 3 He sent out His servants
to call those who were invited to the wedding…4 saying, 'Tell those who are invited, "I have prepared my
dinner; My oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the wedding."… (Matthew 22:2-4)
G. The wedding garment speaks of the requirement of righteousness and is a metaphor for righteousness (Rev 19:8).
There will be people on earth at the Second Coming who will seek to celebrate the wedding banquet. “Friend” is the same
term that Jesus used with Judas (Mt. 26:50). To bind him is to take him prisoner those such as he will be cast into darkness
(Lake of Fire).
When the King came in…He saw a man who did not have on a wedding garment. 12 He said to him, “Friend,
how did you come in here without a wedding garment?” He was speechless. 13 The King said, “Bind him...
and cast him into outer darkness…” (Matthew 22:11-14)