What Are You Wearing to Jesus’ Wedding?

Right now, we’re preparing our clothing.

What Will People Wear to Jesus’ Marriage Feast?

Revelation 19 speaks about the wedding feast of the Lamb, including what Jesus’ bride will wear.

She will clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean. Scripture says this fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.

Filthy Rags or Fine Linen?

But what about that Scripture in Isaiah that says “our righteous deeds are like filthy rags”? But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousness are like filthy rags… (Isaiah 64:6 NASB).

Filthy rags are not the same as fine linen, bright and clean.

A Bride in Rags

In the context of Isaiah chapters 64 to 66, Isaiah 64:4-7 is Isaiah’s lament about the state of hearts of unfaithful and unrepentant Israel at that time.

According to God (see Isaiah 65:1-5, 12), their hearts were far from him.

The people Isaiah wrote of in Isaiah 64 may have been continuing to go through some of the motions of righteousness, but what made those acts worthless to God was that the heart behind them was so out of alignment with him: Unrepentant. Rebellious. Unloving toward him.

That bride forced God into divorce (Jeremiah 3:8) because of her unfaithfulness and abandonment of him, despite her marriage vows, and despite his patience and pleading with her to return. (See God’s perspective, in Isaiah 65:1 – 66:24.)

A Bride in Fine Linen, Clean and Bright

In contrast, Revelation 19: 7-8 speaks of the wife of the Lamb who “has made herself ready.” That is a very different heart posture.

She has put on the righteousness of Christ (Galatians 3:27; Philippians 3:9). Therefore, instead of her iniquities taking her away, as Isaiah lamented in Isaiah 64:6, Jesus has taken her iniquities away. See Psalm 103:12; Micah 7:18-29; Isaiah 53:5-6.

She has carried out the good works God prepared in advanced for her to do (Ephesians 2:10). And so, she is arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, which is “the righteous acts of the saints.”

More Scriptures to Explore

How Does Jesus Take Our Iniquities Away?

Romans 10:13

1 John 3:5

Hebrews 10:12

John 3:16

Who Prepares & Empowers Our Good Works?

Ephesians 2:10

Philippians 2:13

Hebrews 13:20-21

2 Corinthians 9:8

Who are the Saints?

1 Corinthians 1:2

Romans 8:27

Hebrews 6:10

Colossians 1:11-13

Ephesians 2:18-20

Who is Jesus’ Bride?

Ephesians 5:25-32

2 Corinthians 11:2

Revelation 21:2

Revelation 21:9-14, 27

“Let’s rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, because the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His bride has prepared herself.” 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.

Then he said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.”

Revelation 19:7-9 NASB

This content also appeared in the monthly On Freedom, Health & Wholeness email from author AmyLu Riley.

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Scripture quotations marked NASB taken from the New American Standard Bible® (NASB), Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.lockman.org

White linen photo courtesy Sandra Filipe on Unsplash.