Because of Who You Are

"Who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?" Exodus 15:11

"Unto thee it was shewed, that thou mightest know that the LORD he is God; there is none else beside him." Deuteronomy 4:35

"He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he." Deuteronomy 32:4

"There is none holy as the LORD: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God." I Samuel 2:2

"I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour." Isaiah 43:11

"That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the LORD, and there is none else." Isaiah 45:6

"Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let them take counsel together: who hath declared this from ancient time? Who hath told it from that time? Have not I the LORD? And there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside me." Isaiah 45:21

"Forasmuch as there is none like unto thee, O LORD; thou art great, and thy name is great in might." Jeremiah 10:6

Tramp Stamp at Church Camp

Tattoos as an Expression of Christian Worship

I wrote on the message board a few years ago how our 12 year old neighbor attended a Word of Faith summer camp where the counselors drew tattoos on the children.  Some counselor had actually drawn a tattoo at the base of this young girl's spine (what the world calls a "tramp stamp")...and the Christian parents where fine with it.

“Restrictive Christians go too far and name everything a universal sin, forbidding some cultural activities that the Bible does not, such as listening to certain music styles, getting tattoos, watching movies, smoking cigarettes, consuming alcohol, and body piercing.” Page 103 of the Radical Reformission by Mark Driscoll

“You are free in Christ to be weird… How about this one, tattoos? How many of you grew up in that fundamentalist church where they told you about the one verse on tattoos?  Where is it? What book? Leviticus! All these dudes in the front are twitching! Dudes with tattoos! Leviticus, Leviticus! Because a youth pastor said don’t get a tattoo.  It's right here in Leviticus: don’t get a tattoo.  OK. But the thing is if you read the whole context it actually doesn’t apply—it's old covenant, not new covenant, so Jesus has fulfilled the law. Additionally it’s talking about priests marking their body thereby identifying themselves with paganism, so I don’t think it really applies. You can disagree with me that’s fine… Let me just say our position is that tattoos are not a sin, right. Jesus Christ is going to have a tattoo—Revelation says on his second coming. It says that down his right leg will be written King of Kings and Lord of Lords, which will be really freakish for all for the fundamentalists to see Jesus all tattooed up. I can’t wait for that day… Make sure you go to a good tattoo parlor, two of the best in Seattle are actually members of Mars Hill… go in there for a biblical new covenant tattoo, is what we would recommend.” Mark Driscoll sermon entitled The Weaker Christian

Now I have never before quoted Mark Driscoll (and likely will never again).  However, his false statements support a lot of what people believe in the area of body mutilation (i.e., tattoos).

The following videos review whether such practices are biblical or Godly.  I will say that the beginning of the first video threw me off; largely because I had no idea what LeCrae (a Christian hip hop artist) looks like.  I thought it was someone Bro. David was endorsing.  So this is a heads-up that the first video from Pastor David Williams starts with an intro from LeCrae endorsing tattooing.   The next video is an overview of the book "What's Behind the Ink?" by Min. William Sudduth.

The Sexual EVOLUTION

Sex Magick

This post may be a little "deep" in that it goes into some things which are not light conversation.  However, these are things our young people are being exposed to daily and I feel they - and we - need to know what is going on (II Corinthians 2:11).

A week ago, a college student contacted me to share frustrations about what was being taught in class.  Here is just a sampling of how the professors are "educating" the students over the course of several classes:

• They encouraged the students to discuss their most memorable sexual experiences in class;
• They had the students study nudity and sexual perversion depicted as "art";
• They gave the students an assignment to visit an adult pornography store and make a purchase;
• They had them watch - in class - pornographic materials depicting masturbation, sodomy, and homosexuality;
• They led the students in meditation and advised them to imagine that they are opening their third eye.
  

You might ask, "What type of university is this?"  I tell you that this is not some roadside dive of an institution.  According to the University Ranking by Academic Performance (URAP) research laboratory, the education being offered at this particular university is one among the best in the entire world (among the Top 50 to be exact)! 

This student, however, could not understand what all of this sexual perversion had to do with getting an education...so I explained it to them.

We must understand that the world is brainwashing people to believe that we are on the verge of a great spiritual evolution. This "spiritual evolution" is a time when man will become extremely enlightened, even to the point of having supernatural abilities. We will be able to read minds; know the past, present, and future; see "auras" around people, and basically become divine. We will become gods (this is of course the first lie Satan used in the Garden and the main lie he still uses today). 

Intricately tied to this spiritual evolution is sexual perversion. In other words, in order to evolve we must get past these traditional perspectives about sex and gender. The more we turn away from those ideas (and begin to accept masturbation, homosexuality, androgyny, etc.), the more enlightened we become. In that context, the school must get the students to accept a perverted view of sex as part of their "education".  To hold on to traditional [Biblical] views about gender/sex merely makes one intellectually deficient (in the world's mind).

Do not think that this is limited just to college.  A few years ago, I did a video series entitled "Train Up A Child: A Review of Education In America" and one part of that examined mandatory gay education.  In that segment of the video, we see teachers discussing their role in getting Kindergarten students to accept homosexuality:

Teacher #1:  "I don't know what to do about this, but as a school are we saying that kids have to support this?  That's what it sounds like to me, that we are saying.  If a child comes from a background that says that homosexuality is not correct, are we telling that child that they are supposed to...that this is what you are supposed to do?"

Teacher #2:  "I don't know if this works for you, but I think that we are asking kids to believe that this is right.  Not as a matter of moral principle, but as a matter of...we are educating them and this is part of what we consider to be a healthy education."

Please let this sink in.

Teachers are being instructed that it is part of a "healthy" education to get students to accept homosexuality as "right".   Education systems in general are not about increasing knowledge to become smarter and better skilled (although this is what people falsely believe).  Satan is the god of this world and the "education" system is but one of many systems he uses to train people to become citizens of this world (which means becoming a servant to the god of this world).  The professors in this world-class university are doing exactly what they are supposed to do: pervert the students' minds away from what is Godly - although in the world they call that giving you a "good education".  We do not need to adopt the world's standards of what is "good" in order to prosper in life.  In fact, doing so is one way to ensure that we never please God.

At the top of this article, I posted two images; one depicting man's spiritual enlightenment into godhood and the other showing the Baphomet (an image of Satan).  Notice that in the process of enlightenment, the Kundalini spirit (which looks like serpents in the form of DNA) starts in the groin and ends up at the Pineal Gland, with us achieving godhood.   Notice as well that in the picture of the Baphomet, we see the same serpentine DNA structure, again starting at the groin. This shows that - according to this Satanic belief - man's 'enlightenment' starts with sexual perversion.  It is the means by which we "evolve".  If you are not familiar with this, please see "The Mother of All Secrets" by Pastor Mike Hoggard.

Remember, Satan is the father of lies.  What he says is man's spiritual awakening is really man being put to spiritual sleep or death (hence the stimulation of the Pineal Gland).  What he says is man's evolution into godhood is really man's devolution into reprobation (Romans Chapter 1).  Pastor Gary Price touched on these things in a recent sermon.

Below is an excerpt from a new age video called "DMT - The Spirit Molecule" where Dr. Rick Strassman discusses his research into the pineal gland and its ability to serve as a portal in tapping into spiritual life.

This is why Satanist Aleister Crowley taught that the "secret" to his magick was sex.  It was a form of sorcery by which sexual rituals were used to tap into the supernatural, including incest, bestiality, pedophilia, homosexuality, rape, sodomy...In essence, Crowley sought to become more possessed with unclean spirits the more he delved into sexual perversion, and this is what the world is trying to get to happen to man now.

One author has the following to say about sex magick:

"...there is more to this magick then just utilizing the sex energy to reach higher states of consciousness. There is also a method of sorcery in which the genital secretions of the partners of this rite are co-mingled and imbibed as a sacrament. This sacrament can grant the magician almost unlimited powers."

Crowley himself said:

"To me, every dirty act was simply a sacrament of sin, a passionately religious protest against Christianity, which was for me the symbol of all vileness, meanness, treachery, falsehood and oppression." (Satanic Extracts)

It is not about the systems of this world.  It is not even about Satan's lies of sexual evolution. It is all about Christ.  Satan can only inspire that which is anti-Christ.  The target of these perversions is to come against Christ.

The point of this article is not to get into the details of the occult or sex magick.  It is to hopefully get people to understand how Satan is waging a war against man to initiate him into these rites.  Our previous writing on the Worship of Baal-Peor is one example of this.  It is in the schools, in the music, in the media, in the government, in the false church and in every aspect of life influenced by Satan.  And it is working!

How do we know that it is working?  Because those who the world considers most "enlightened" (those who are being lifted up to advise the rest of us) are increasingly those who are open practitioners of sexual perversion.  They counsel us on how to loose weight and have a healthy lifestyle, how to manage finances, how to dress, how to decorate our homes, and even how to live and raise our children.  Such are also the ones who we gravitate to for enter-tainment.

This is why everything is so sexual these days.  The more depraved Satan can get man to be in the realm of sex, the more he is leading man down the road to "enlightenment"/reprobation (Romans Chapter 1).  The world will tell you that you are getting free, but in truth you are being bound by all types of demonic spirits.

The following message is by Pastor Maclin of The Warriors' Temple entitled "Enter-Curse (Intercourse)" as he discusses how Satan uses sexual perversion to bind us and our children.  The message of deliverance to those bound by sexual perversion is that Jesus died for all of us to be set free!  The blood of Jesus Christ IS able to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. I pray this message is a blessing to you.

"Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body." I Corinthians 6:18

Exposing the Mystery of Iniquity

In the previous post, we included a sermon from Pastor Gary Price as he teaches on "Exposing the Mystery of Iniquity".   Excerpts of this sermon have been made available in video form and I wanted to share them here:

• Lucifer, the Praise Leader
  Who was Lucifer and why should we care?  How is he at work today?
   
• What Happened in the Garden of Eden?
  Did all of mankind become bound by sin because Adam & Eve ate an apple?  What type of fruit was actually eaten and is this important?  What is the seed of the woman?  Why is there contention between the seed of the serpent and the seed of the woman?  How was man changed by what happened when they sinned?
   
• Who or What are the Nephilim?
  What does the Bible have to say about angels marrying women and having children by them?  Where do the myths in many cultures about supermen or superheroes come from?  Where are the nephilim now and why should it matter to us?
  
• What is a "Fallen Nature"?
  What does it mean for man to have a fallen nature?  What are the character traits of men and women when they are in this fallen state?
   
• Who is the King of Sodom?
  Who is the King of Sodom?  What is his modus operandi?  How is he in operation today?
   
• Goddess Worship & Baal Peor
  What is the impact and evidences of goddess worship around us?  Why do many celebrities continually pay homage to Satan in their clothes, styles, words, and expressions?  Have they made a deal with the devil?  Why are women being held up as idols of lust while men are depicted as controllable weaklings?
   
• What is MDNA?
  What is MDNA and why has Madonna chosen this title as the name of her 12th album?  How does Madonna's ties to Kabbalah and occult mysticism influence this selection?  How are the plans for a new world order hidden in this acronym?
   
• Who is the Baphomet?
  What are the objectives of this entity and how does he affect us today? What does he have to do with androgyny?  How do many false religions (including the beliefs in chakras) work to bring about the Baphomet's goals?  What is spiritual evolution?  What are some of the ways in which celebrities show their allegiance to the Baphomet?
  
• Satan is After Your DNA
  What does it mean for man to have a fallen nature and what is Satan trying to do within man to alienate him from God?  Why are those who ascribe to the New Age belief system saying that our DNA needs to be "upgraded" for us to transition to a higher form of living?  What does the third eye have to do with DNA? 
  
  How is it that many think man will develop supernatural abilities in the near future?  What does the promotion of indigo children have to do with Satan's deception for the end times?  Why is this theme being pushed so much in the media?
   
• A Woman Rides the Beast
  How do you recognize the systems of harlotry referred to as Babylon in the Scriptures?  How does Babylon entice?  Why does a woman ride the beast?  Why is it that a self-centered person is a prime candidate for Babylon?  What does it mean to be the mother of abominations?  How do we see fallen Adam & Eve reflected in the depiction of the woman & The Beast?
  
  Why is man's only answer regeneration?

Facing the Giants

Why Do We Need "New" Life?

A couple of days ago, a young girl on Youtube sent me the following comment:

"i don't believe in any of this. i look at these types of videos to laugh...btw,i am not a satan worshipper(virgin,never drank,smoke,took drugs,etc). surprised? a non-believer shouldn't be so "innocent",should they?"

This young woman has the same problem that many Christians do: She thinks being "innocent" or "good" is the result of what she does or doesn't do.   She doesn't understand that it is the very nature she possesses which is anti-God.

I used to wonder why the solution for man's sin had to be so drastic.  Why did God have to allow His Son to be slaughtered on a cross in order to redeem mankind?  It is not because such an act speaks to the severity of sin (although it does), but it is because there was a particular objective in God's mind.  In the crucifixion of Christ, God was killing off the very nature that man possesses.

Years ago, I had a dream that I was speaking to different people about God, and while these individuals professed a love for Jesus, once the conversation was over they turned back and headed to the world.  After this happened a few times, I asked God about it in the dream and He said, "Adam Cannot Be Saved."  It is then that I began to understand what happened at Calvary.

Adam & Eve were not fallen because they committed
"one sin", but because through sin, they had
become the antithesis of what God had created.

We can read in the first Chapters of Genesis and see the differences in Adam & Eve before the fall versus afterwards.  It is evident that something about them had changed.

They were now afraid of God, hid from Him, and were self-conscious before Him.  While they were able to previously take responsibility over all creation, now they shirked responsibility and blamed others for their actions.  Yet, these changes were not just because they were ashamed of their sin.  Something had happened whereby they were no longer the creation God had designed.  As God had foretold them, the day they ate thereof, they died (Genesis 2:17).

Nothing speaks to the pervasiveness of this change in man more than God's response to it.  God's answer for their sin was not to simply offer correction and tell them not to sin again.  Something in them had changed so irrevocably that they had to be "driven out" of the Garden of Eden.  The only resolution possible was death.

This is why Jesus is called the last Adam (I Corinthians 15:45).  When Jesus died on the cross, He killed the corrupted nature Adam possessed after the fall (Romans 6:6-7; Galatians 5:24; Colossians 3:9-10).  Through His sacrifice, He then makes it possible for us to receive "new life" in Him by being born again and becoming partakers of the divine nature (II Peter 1:4).

"Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again." John 3:7

This is why Adam cannot be saved.  Adam cannot be redeemed by being dressed up, educated more, or the doer of good works. Nothing Adam does can ever be acceptable to God (Romans 8:8).  He must be crucified so that we can in turn "put on" Christ. 

This young girl above from Youtube does not have to be a willful "Satan worshiper" because the very nature she possesses (as all who are not born again) reflects the image of Satan.  Sin is not about what we "do" but what we "are" because we have inherited from Adam a fallen nature whereby even our thoughts and motivations are evil (Romans 5:14-19; Psalm 51:5).  We are "by nature" children of wrath (Ephesians 2:3).

Without this understanding, unbelievers will fool themselves into believing that they are already "good" people and believers will run around trying to perform good works in order to be "good" people.  There is none good, but God (Matthew 19:17).  Unless we are born again & crucify the Adamic nature to walk in newness of life, then we will never please God. 

The following message is from Pastor Gary Price as he addresses "Exposing the Mystery of Iniquity" and delves more into exactly what happened to man in the Garden of Eden. Many Christians do not understand this and are unprepared to stand against what is happening now in the world.

There is a "mystery" to the workings of iniquity which have its roots in an angelic rebellion when the one responsible for offering praise before the throne of God rebelled against Him and was cast down as a perversion of what he was created to be.

Now Satan is working in the earth as the King of Sodom to retain in man the same mutation which occurred in him; in other words, he desires to make of us what he has become (Genesis 19:5).  If we do not know his tactics, then he may use our ignorance to get an advantage over us. (Hosea 4:6; II Corinthians. 2:11)

Take the time to listen to this message and decide for yourself whom you will serve. To not to take a stand is to in fact take a stand; you will simply be a casualty of the spiritual war being waged against man by an adversary who seeks nothing but to steal, kill, and destroy.

"Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." John 3:3

*While this is touched upon briefly in the video below, for more spiritual insight into the whole "Madonna MDNA" album and its occult symbolism, please see the following article: MADONNA = M.D.N.A. + A.O.N -- Beast DNA and Kabbalah I have not reviewed further that site so this is not an endorsement, but I thought this particular article was important to share.

Facebook Christianity

"They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate." Titus 1:16

A few years ago, I had a Facebook account and through it, I was able to meet some wonderful brothers and sisters in the Lord.  However, I was also able to see a microcosm of the churchworld in realizing how many professing Christians really have no foundation in, or commitment to, the faith. 

I am sure there are those who sill say, "Facebook has afforded me the opportunity for fellowship and ministry."  Perhaps.  Yet one needs only look at the preeminence Facebook has been given in a number of Christians' lives to wonder whether it has become an idol for many.  They joke about how much time they spend on it, how addicted they are to it, and how it even takes away from other responsibilities they have within their own families.

When I left Facebook, a Christian sister asked me, "What are you going to do now?  I cannot even remember life before Facebook!"  A number of people were sure I would be back, themselves being unable to even consider breaking away from it.

What is it that pulls us to such sites?  Why is it that they become such an important aspect of our lives, where we cannot go out to dinner or even spill a drink without posting a "status update"?  Who are we really glorifying in our interactions on Facebook?

These are the type of questions Bro. David encourages us to consider in his video posted below, and I have to agree with him. 

Is it really a burning desire to lift up Christ which leads to the amount of time spent on such sites?  Or does its appeal lie in the fact that it can serve as a form of self-validation & self-exaltation?  It gives everyone their 3 minutes of fame.  Each person now has their own "pulpit" from which they can espouse their take on things.  It invites others to constantly "like" and endorse who 'I' am.  I can take and post innumerable pictures of myself and garner incessant rounds of praise about how "good" I look.  The very set-up of Facebook encourages us to become self-absorbed, if we are not careful.

I personally don't care if people are on Facebook or not.  I am also not saying that if you are on Facebook you are not a Christian.  I know that there are those who truly do use it as a tool for ministry.  What I am saying is - and this might shock some people - Facebook is not reality.  A person can pretend to be anything they want as long as your main connection with them is a sanitized presentation over the Internet.  Am I not using the Internet for this blog?  Absolutely!  Yet such is not a reason to assume anything about my personal character.  If your only connection to me is what you read on this blog, then you don't really know me.  You don't know about how I live and whether there are areas of compromise in my life.  I could post truth all day long and never once LIVE it, merely making me a hearer of the word and not a doer (James 1:22-25).  Unless I am actually transformed by the truth, a mere recitation of it does me no good, and such cannot be seen primarily "over the Internet".

If Jesus is not the center of our presence on Facebook, then it is all vanity.  What do I mean by "center"?  It is not about listing an affiliation of "Christian" under the Info about me page.  Neither is it occasionally posting Scripture or talking about how "good" God is.  When Jesus is the center of our lives, then everything we do comes from the place of evaluating what is pleasing to Him in our lives.  As Min. Al Martin stated, "The cross RADICALLY disrupts the very center and citadel of your life from self to Christ."

Is our presence on Facebook about us or about Christ?  Do our posts glorify our looks, our goals, our accomplishments, our thoughts, and even our challenges, or do they magnify Christ?  I often wonder, how some would interact with their Facebook "friends" if these people were actually in local fellowship with them.  Would they endorse their sin with a "like"?  Would they laugh at and consider amusing the perversions espoused in the name of telling a joke?  Would they ignore the corrupt fruit for the sake of continuing the fellowship?  Our interactions on Facebook (and every other area of life) is not separate from our walk with Jesus Christ.  Rather, they simply bear fruit to whether we are who we proclaim to be. 

I encourage people to listen to Bro. David's reflections on this with an open heart, and if there is conviction, then repent and ask God to change your heart.  Don't believe the lie that your time on Facebook has nothing to do with your faith, but understand that it is an unveiling of what is truly in your heart (as is all we do and say).

As stated above, I do believe this issue is much bigger than Facebook; such is a sample of what we find in Christianity in general.  Now is not the time to keep playing church, but to seek God to be circumcised in the inner man so that we may actually become what we profess to be: a follower of Christ.

You Can Be An Overcomer

I am late in posting this, but time has sort of gotten away from me lately.  Thank you Bro. Mark for reminding me!

Pastor Zac Poonen is in the United States for a series of meetings over the next month or so. 

March 10, 11 - Atlanta, GA

Attendance and meals are free, but registration is essential
First Baptist Church Lilburn, 285 Main Street, Lilburn, GA 30047
http://www.atlantacfc.org/ (Phone: 770-401-2713)
Live webcast visible at:  http://cfcindia.com

April 6-8 – Loveland, CO

Attendance and meals are free, but registration essential 
River of Life Christian Fellowship,

http://rlcfchurch.org/rlcf-spring-conference-2012/
Live webcast visible at:  http://cfcindia.com

March 24 and 25 – Seattle, WA 

First Romanian Pentecostal Church, 8315 NE 155th St, Kenmore, WA 98028
All are welcome
March 24 - 6.30 pm
March 25 - 10 am, 4.30 pm and 6.30 pm.

The Sunday services at this church will be live-streamed at:
http://www.frpcs.org/media1/ustream-live-streaming

Restore

Hear the cry of your people Oh Lord!

Psalm 23

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

Sanctify Yourselves

sanctify: to separate from profane things and dedicate to God; to purify

When I was on Facebook, I once posted something about the need for Christians to sanctify and consecrate themselves unto the Lord.  This led to sincere questions from other Christians who believed that we are incapable of doing such for it is God alone who does this work. 

This type of view is common amongst certain denominations in Christendom, but does not align with Scripture.  There is a work which remains for Christians to "do" and that is in receiving what God has already "done". 

The following message is from Pastor Zac Poonen which I think aptly addresses and presents a balanced Scriptural perspective on this topic.

May we all make ourselves ready as time draws short.

The Bride Has Made Herself Ready

Pastor Zac Poonen

We read in Revelation 19:.5-7 And a voice came from the throne, saying, ‘Give praise to our God, all you His bondservants, you who fear Him, the small and the great’. And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude and as the sound many waters and as the sound of mighty peals of thunders, saying, ‘Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready’.

Notice that it doesn’t say that the Lord made the bride ready. No. It says that “the bride made herself ready” It is WE who are to make ourselves ready for the coming of the Lord. Many believers know that if we walk in the light as God is in the light the blood of Christ cleanses us from all sin (1 Jn.1:7). But that is only one side of the truth. The other side of the truth is that we too must cleanse ourselves. This is how the bride makes herself ready. It is also written in Rev 19:8 And it was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.

The phrase “given to her” makes it clear that it was a gift from God. This teaches us that, even the desire and ability to cleanse ourselves is a gift of God. It is God “Who works in us to will and to do of His good pleasure” (Phil.2:13). We cannot take any credit for that, nor can we boast over other believers in any way. The godly man is a humble man who gives all the glory to God for any goodness found in him. He knows that nothing good is found in his flesh.

If this clothing is a gift, then why don’t all receive it? Because God never forces anyone to receive His gifts. Even His gifts can be received only by those who respond to His Word.

The fine linen here is not the righteousness of Christ but “the righteous acts of the saints”. It is true that the righteousness of Christ is imputed to us as soon as we are born again (Rom.4:22-24; 1 Cor.1:30). But we are also told that “the righteousness of law (should then) be fulfilled in us (inside of us)” (Rom.8:4). That is the dress of the bride here: “the righteous acts of the saints”. That is so clear in Rev.19:8, that one has to be blind as a bat, not to see it.

Her own righteous acts are her garment. She got it by taking the Lord’s commands to cleanse herself and to purify herself, seriously. She worked out her own salvation “with fear and trembling” (Phil.2:12). Every time she worked out her salvation with fear and trembling in the power of the Holy Spirit, she put one more stitch, as it were, on her bridal garment. Over a period of years, she wove the whole garment.

What about a Christian who takes all this carelessly, saying, “The blood of Jesus has cleansed me. So I am all right”. To such Christians the Lord says, “Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who stays awake and keeps his garments, lest HE WALK ABOUT NAKED” (Rev.16:15).

Have you ever seen a bride coming naked to her wedding? The Lord warns His people not to be found naked - naked, because they do not have a garment on the wedding day. They had no righteous acts of their own.

The deception of Babylon, the mystery of iniquity, the magic spell that Babylon has cast on so many Christians is this: “Don’t worry. You are clothed with the righteousness of Christ. It doesn’t really matter how you live.” James clearly warns us that faith without works is dead. Yet Babylon has prevented believers from taking such warnings seriously.

There is a difference between our own righteousness, which are like filthy rags in God’s sight (Isa.64:6). and the righteousness wrought in us in the power of the Holy Spirit as we take up the cross and walk in Jesus’ footsteps in our daily life. It is the latter which is the bridal garment. When we first come to the Lord all we have as clothing are the filthy rags of our own righteousness and even filthier rags of our sins. But when we are born again, God first of all justifies us - imputing the righteousness of Christ to us (Rom.3:24; 4:5). Then He writes His laws upon our hearts and minds (Heb.8:10), fulfilling the righteousness of the Law within our hearts (Rom.8:4). This results in that righteousness gradually becoming our outward attire, and our outward character becoming Christlike.

The bride’s garment is made of fine linen, bright and clean. What a contrast there is between her simplicity, and the gaudy, scarlet dress and gold ornaments of the harlot. In the “Bridal Psalm” (Psalm 45), we read about the Lord, our Bridegroom,as One Who “loved righteousness and hated iniquity” (Psalm 45:7). And the bride is described thus: “The king’s daughter is all glorious WITHIN” (Psalm 45:13). She has a meek and quiet spirit (1 Pet.3:4). And it is with this inner garment that “she will be led to the King”(Psalm 45:14). That will be fulfilled in Rev.19:8.