Well, the weekend has come to an end, and I added an extra day on top before continuing the thoughts from Isaiah 3 and 4. Isaiah 3 is about judgment to come and chapter 4 is about blessing. The hard part is that you have to go through chapter 3 to get to chapter 4. Sometimes we have to go through a season of judgment to enter a season of blessing. However, just because judgment begins in the house of God, doesn’t mean life ends there. God wants to bring blessing to both the church today and tomorrow.
Chapter 4 begins with what I believe is an image of the Bride of Christ…seven brides for one Man. I have a hard time believing the chapter is endorsing polygamy, so I have to feel the understanding is more likely a connection to the first three chapters of Revelation and thus the seven end time churches who comprise the Bride of Christ. What happens with these seven brides is what needs to happen today if we want to be the church God desires tomorrow.
The thing that compels me most at this point is a radical shift away from the Bride seeking the provisions of the Groom, and instead simply wanting to be identified with Him. Could it be that Christ has always been looking for those who want Him simply for Who He is instead of what He can provide? How many Christians view their relationship with Christ as merely “fire insurance”? At what level does the reality of Who He is impact who we are becoming? The church of tomorrow, despite their individual needs, will have a focus on being identified with Christ instead of being provided for by Christ.
Now this doesn’t mean God won’t provide. At the point of the return of the Bride(s), the Branch becomes loaded with fruit for Israel…”those who prevail with God”. Those who endure the seasons of judgment and cleansing while remaining in Zion will be rewarded with provisions, will be taken note of and will be declared holy–something that only comes from relationship with a Holy Groom.
On top of it all, the same Shekhinah that met at the tabernacle of meeting with Moses, will meet with everyone who perseveres. God’s glory will become a canopy covering all of Zion.
While our understanding of the covering over Zion is that of shade and protection, there may be one other connotation. An Orthodox Rabbi explained to me the part of a Jewish wedding ceremony involving a “canopy”. After Jacob was cheated by Laban, tradition has it that on the wedding day every Jewish groom unveils his bride under a canopy to make sure she is the one he has chosen to wed. This happens BEFORE beginning the actual wedding ceremony.
This being the case, it could very well be that Isaiah 4 is speaking of the process of preparing the Bride of Christ for His coming, and revealing Her with His glory before the Wedding feast!
When the Bride stops focusing on receiving things and becomes more focused on receiving the Groom’s name, then the Groom shows up in all of His glory for those who remain in Zion.
This is where I believe the Lord want His Church to go. Church of God, Assembly of God, Southern Baptist… God wants us all to receive His manifest glory. It may take a time of chastisement to get there, but there is where we need to go.
In Him
Darrell
