“And the Spirit and the bride say, Come” (Rev. 22:17).
In the book of Revelation, we find these words, “And the Spirit and the bride say Come” (Rev. 22:17). The question is who is the bride? Not every believer is considered to be the bride. Every believer can go to Heaven, but the bride of Christ is in a completely different realm in the earth.
In the same Scripture, (Rev. 22:17) we find the words, “thirsty” and “water of life.” “Whoever is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him TAKE (to himself) the water of life freely.” Freely is the word “gift.” The water of life is a person, not a creed or a program. The water of life is our Messiah, a living gift.
The Scripture continues, “… If anyone adds anything to these words, God will add to that person the disasters written about in this book. And if anyone takes away from the words of this book of prophecy, God will take away that one’s share of the tree of life and of the holy city, which are written about in this book” (Rev. 22:18-19 NCV).
The Lord wants a deeper personal relationship with His body. He is the living water and the gift. He doesn’t want us to add or subtract from His Word. The Spirit of God is dealing with the doctrines in the church that have added and subtracted from Him, causing division and separation.
The woman at the well (John 4:7) was asked by Jesus to give Him a drink. The woman responds with her doctrine that Jews and Samaritans have no dealings with each other. (John 4:9). Jesus replies by saying, “If you knew the GIFT of God, you would have asked me and I would give you living water” (John 4:10). Then the woman says “you don’t have anything to draw with and the well is deep.” (John 4:11) Are we saying the same thing today; “we don’t have anything extra to accomplish what You ordained.”
Jesus doesn’t need anything extra to immediately set us free, deliver us and activate us into our calling. Once the woman at the well received the Messiah, she was immediately delivered of her deep-seated, lingering disorders and shame that kept her coming to the well at an hour where there were no other women to see her. She was immediately set free of her shame and began to evangelize to the men of her town, starting a revival.
The woman at the well was set free because she drank of the living water and received the gift. Denominational doctrines can run deeply within us causing us to consciously or un-consciously operate in perpetually unhealthy cycles creating a substitute.
What are some of the characteristics of the Bride of Christ? She will live a holy and sanctified life separated from the love of the world and its practices. The Bride of Christ will be led exclusively by the Spirit of God and grow in spiritual maturity. The Bride will love the Torah of God and teach It’s instructions to the nations. The Bride will have a very deep, personal and intimate relationship with the Messiah.
The Bride of Christ will be those that don’t backbite, who speak only truth, who keep their word at all costs, and have clean hands and a pure heart.
Search us Lord and see if there be any wicked way in us.
The Spirit and the bride say, Come.
