Arise

Arise, my love . . . 

 - From Song of Solomon 2

The entire passage, in fact, the entire book of Song of Solomon, is an allegory of Christ's love for the Church. The command "Arise, my love," are the words of Christ at His return. The dead are called forth; the Church is adorned as One, and Christ removes humanity, forever, from out of the grasp of trouble and sadness.

A friend of mine, years ago, believed in "waiting" until getting married. He also was a staunch believer in the Return of Christ and all that it entailed. He told me, jokingly, that he hoped Christ waited until after he got married, to return. He did not want to miss out on his wedding night. 

I think he was partially serious, though.

There are so many things about eternity, holiness, Real Love, purity, etc., that we simple do not realize. Even people with great faith struggle really to understand what it is all about. We can only touch on the very edges of it.

But Christ's Return is compared to a wedding. But, a real wedding. One where the Bride and Groom are a Real Bride and Groom that waited, and deserved to wear white. The expectation is almost unbearable. The waiting goes on, and on, and on. 

If only we thought about the return of Christ like that. If only we wanted to keep ourselves, so that we could experience the full, inexpressible prize, of staying pure both before, and after marriage.

There is a purifying of the Church that's going on right now. Yes, humanity has sinned and widened the gap between itself and God. We are filthy, even though we don't know it. In the spiritual realm, it's easy to see what we have become . . . something like a warm cesspool running over at the edges. 

But the Groom returns, and purifies His bride through a supernatural action of fire. The Church awaits, in white, and will be ready when He returns.