beloved radio friends we greet you and we welcome you to the closing meditation of our blessed theme the hope of the church what joy it has been to present these eternal truths concerning the future and the blessed glory that will be the portion of those who belong to the church now may I say again being clear and distinct if I can The church is a distinct body of believers. There is no other company in the Word of God like them, whether in the Old Testament or whether in the New Testament. The church during that period from Pentecost to the coming of the Lord in glory in the air is composed of those who have trusted him as their Savior. The church was never known in the Old Testament. It was never revealed until the new. And thank God. As we have seen it together, every blood-bought, trusting sinner that puts his and her faith in the Lord Jesus in this age will become a member of that body of Christ, which is the Church. Now what we have covered, let me say again, does not pertain to the glory of any other saints of any other time, but only to the Church. The hope of the Church, as we have noted it, and we have been coming along in chapter nineteen of the Revelation, to that blessed scene with a marriage, when the Lamb, the Lord Jesus himself, will take his bride, presenting her to himself a glorious church, not having spot a wrinkle or blemish or any such thing. Now may I read in chapter nineteen again, verses eight and nine, if I may, to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen clean and white, For the fine linen is the righteous nests, in the Greek text, in the plural, literally the righteous acts of the saints. And he said unto me, Right, blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the land. And he said unto me, These are the true sayings of God. Oh, the joy we have noted, the grand hallelujah that will be ringing through heaven above, when that marriage becomes a reality. And then the bride's preparation we have noted for the wedding, the bride bringing the church, her preparation of her wedding garment, the beauty of it determined at the judgment seat of Christ, where she has been appraised, and all the bad works disappeared in destruction. The good works! My beloved one has happened from Pentecost down to the end of the church age. that has been for the testimony of the Lord Jesus, a good deed, or a good word as the case may be, will never be forgotten by him. And it will be the glory of the bride to wear that upon her wedding garment. Now may I put it in its perspective, my friend. My fellow believer, it is not only that you and I are saved by grace, I'm given a white raiment of holiness to be before the Lord in love without spot and blemish. But also, added to the beauty of what His grace and His mercy has done for us, He cherishes what we have done for Him. My fellow Christians seeking to serve the Lord, may I encourage you, may I too be encouraged, what you and I do for Him. He never will forget it. He will honor Him. He will reward it. And that reward, with its glory, in whatever manner He does it. I know not how, but I do know this. It will be manifested. Our partners will be the manifestation of our good deeds, our works that He has approved and brought glory to Him. That makes the wedding garment beautiful. And you can understand, why should it not? He will appreciate it more. He will not only have a bride that he bought with his own blood, but he's going to have a bride which, too, the beauty that he's given her by grace, she is contributed by weaving the garment for her wedding to him by the good deeds that have been done. Work on your wedding garment, my believer. And thus, in that day, all those deeds that we have done for him I don't know how, but I do know this. They're going to shine and for His glory and for our beauty. But now we read in verse nine, there are guests at the wedding. Note it. He said to me, right, blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the land. Ah, thank God for that. Though the bride is his church, sharing the exaltation that will be hers, the guests are there. I wonder if you remember the words of John the Baptist in chapter three, verse twenty eight and twenty nine. When many of the disciples and those that saw that many of the disciples following Jesus and leaving John the Baptist, some of them went to John the Baptist and said, you're losing your followers. But John the Baptist says, that's all right. I can only rejoice. I'm the friend of the bridegroom. And I rejoice to hear his voice. He must increase and I decrease. John wasn't jealous. John was delighted. And he makes the statement, I'm but a friend of the bridegroom. And I want to give you the suggestion. I've got the conviction in my own heart and mind. John the Baptist is going to watch the wedding. Be there. Why not? He deserves it. A friend of the bridegroom. And yes, my friend, he's got others. And surely there's many in Old Testament saints can have the privilege and the joy of being a guest at the wedding. Oh, yes, my friend, happier they that are called, writes John, unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. You know, my beloved friend, may I say this? First of all, are you sure that you'll be in the wedding? That's my question now. Not called to celebrate it, but to be partaking in it. That's the responsibility to face today, to be saved. But all thank God when that wedding takes place. I want you to notice something, please. Now let me repeat something that we've said, and we want to repeat it. The hope of the church. Four particular events we're seeking to emphasize. First, the rapture and the resurrection of saints. Second, the judgment seat of Christ. The day of rewards and appraisals. Third, as we've been following here, the marriage of the Lamb, that wedding. What a celebration. And may I point, listen, my friend, the wedding is in heaven. I want to tell you, friends, the best place to have a wedding will be in heaven. Ah, the joy of knowing. Let me give you the thought. A blessed thought. There's going to be a perfect bridegroom, and there's going to be a perfect bride. I've been to many weddings, and of course, administered at many weddings. I've heard on many occasions the singing of one particular song, singing, O perfect love. And every time I've heard it, I've raised the question in my heart, can you really sing down here on the earth, O perfect love, even the best of us, are marked with failure. But when this wedding comes above, there won't be anybody seeing that, but I want to tell you frankly, it's going to be a perfect wedding. The bridegroom eternally perfect by the glory of His person, the Son of God, and the Lamb of God who died for us in all the glory of His humanity. And then the church, His bride, which He has bought with His precious blood, every spot, every wrinkle, every blemish come, may I say, a perfect bride. Please let me give you the suggestion. I think, well, I go back to my own wedding. At the same time, the wedding was a good friend of mine. We were about the same time married. And about a few months later, he and I were comparing notes. And I would never forget him saying to me, he said, you know, John, when I first married, I thought she was perfect, and I thought I was perfect. Well, we both chuckled a little bit. I knew what he meant. Sure, when the first bride and the first bridegroom see each other, they think each other may be as perfect as anybody else could ever be. Ah, my friend, listen. We know we are failing. We cannot be perfect, sinless and pure and holy and spotless. But listen, what a wedding of a person, holy and without blame in the past. in eternity and in time and forever the Lord Jesus and now he makes every one of us who belong to him holy and without blame before the Father in love a perfect bride and a perfect bridegroom but may I humbly say with a great heart of gratitude I humbly and gratefully thank him for making me a part of the wedding that I shall be there a part of that bride oh may the Lord help me to shine and bring out in my life what he can approve and will give him joy and gratitude and praise forever when the wedding takes place but then there's one more thought there's not only the wedding to come for the church but there's the kingdom we're going to reign with him in the kingdom the bride is going to be exalted above all others angels and saints we shall be we shall even be greater than all other saints and all other and all the angels for may I suggest to you we are going to share in the exaltation of Christ as well as in his affections and his joys forever please let me put it in this way the church is going to be nearer to the Lord than any other body of people or even angels forever and ever may I say this I hope you take it in and take it kindly and take it as a feeble but a truthful illustration the dearest person to me upon the earth was my wife and she still is in my heart and my beloved please let me say it's the dearest relationship that life holds and in heaven above forever and ever the relationship of Christ and the church is going to be greater more precious and holy and devoted than any other faith of whether angelic glories or saintly glories that others may have, near to him. My beloved, we're going to be his coheres, reigning with him, ruling with him. As it were, he the king and we the queen. My beloved, the kingdom's coming. Let me read chapter nineteen and verse eleven, please. I want you to know something. After John tells about the wedding, let me show you the wedding trip, please. The honeymoon. I saw heaven open, and behold, a white horse. He that sat upon him was called faithful and true, and in righteousness he does judge and make war. Go down with me, please, in verse fourteen. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And may I say, my beloved fellow believer, I'm coming down with the armies of heaven to share the institution of his great kingdom and the glory of the kingdom forever and ever. Not only the millennium, but even through the eternal ages. May the Lord Jesus come soon, shall we pray? Oh, Father, what can we say in the closing moment? Thrill thy people with these blessings. Save lost souls and wait them to Christ.