If you are a child of the King, washed in His blood, redeemed by His grace alone and walking out your salvation, your future is glorious. Reading what the Bible mentions about being the bride of Christ can make a person mind-blowingly happy. A look at scriptures describing what happens to us in the future is so good, some of it we can barely imagine. Here are two glimpses: first, the gifts the bride receives, and in the following blog post, her privileges.
Gifts given to the bride:
White linen: Sanctification is rushed to a finish for the bride (so named in Revelation 19:8). This linen was already laundered in the waters of salvation, and now is complete. Multiple scriptures describe the white linen of the righteous saints, and Ephesians 5:25–27 describes the church as the bride of the Bridegroom. The holy city, the New Jerusalem, is comprised of these holy saints who constitute the Bride in in Revelation 21:2 The tribulation saints (those who come to faith after having been left behind at the Rapture) have yet to wash their robes in the blood.
Crowns: We are given the victor's crown—guaranteed to those who love His appearing (2 Timothy 4:8), those who wait for Him, maintaining a full faith during their betrothal. “Without having seen Him, we love Him" (1 Peter 1:8). Having the fever of love, such will receive at least this crown. Additional crowns will be given for evangelism, for persevering under trial (James 1:12 and Revelation 3:11), for martyrdom (Revelation 2:10), and in addition even for protecting, hiding, feeding and caring for Jews during the last half of the tribulation when they are mercilessly hunted down and slaughtered—in completion of the promise in Genesis 12:3 that those who bless Israel will be blessed.
Rewards, positions and pillars: In addition—and all this is beyond the matter of saving faith—the righteous acts of God's holy people are rewarded at the Bema Seat judgment. “For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. … So then each of us will give an account of himself to God” (Romans 14:10–12, ESV). “We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad” (2 Corinthians 5:10). The bema was a raised platform on which judges sat to view athletic games to see that the athletes followed the rules and were given appropriate awards.
Further, Isaiah 62:11: “His reward is with Him and His recompense accompanies Him.” This reward will include assigned positions in God's highest government, for the millennial reign. The apostle Paul and of like ilk, possibly sitting at the top?! The bride will be established as pillars in the temple (Revelation 3:12), providing additional stability for the entire world via the highest chambers of the government of God.
New names: Revelation 3:12: the bride will be given three new names. Why they are needed, and how she will don them, remains a mystery: the name of God, the name of the New Jerusalem and a new personal name that only God knows. Adam named the animals (Genesis 2:20); parents name their children. Naming shows a primal relationship, ownership, a derivative belonging of tightest connection. The greater always names the lesser. God’s naming of us establishes a permanent personal bond for all eternity. Conjectures about the mystery include the thought that aptly descriptive surnames are added to these names that we already know and that some sort of branding happens.
Bridal consummation: Affection is the gift of closeness. Participation in the private heavenly marriage ceremony. This is inferred as one of the purposes of the bride being taken from earth—to consummate the bride/groom relationship. The wedding supper is different, and comes as the first feast in the millennial kingdom—Tabernacles—where the groom (Yeshua) drinks the final cup of wine (saved from His Last Supper, per Matthew 26:29 and Luke 22:18) with His bride.
Designated authority to judge: Revelation 20:4: this is a gift given to the bride. It involves judging angels as well as men and further encompasses mind-boggling additional powers. Daniel 7:27: “Sovereignty and power of greatness of all kingdoms under heaven will be handed over to the Holy People of the Most High.”
Advanced knowledge and additional training: Amos 3:5: “The Lord does nothing but what He tells His servants first.” This is true in the heavens as well. It is the gift of counsel, intellectual attentiveness, and advanced spiritual knowledge. It seems very likely that the bride will be receiving additional training and preparation for the upcoming millennial reign, during those private seven years in glory. He will be training His bride as if they were top Navy SEALS, in addition to retaining His general army.
Conclusion: All these things are gifts given to the bride—a bride who is dumbfounded at her ever-increasing destiny.
