The Glorious Church for which Jesus Is Returning

(Ephesians 5:25–27 NKJV) Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, (26) that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, (27) that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.”

According to this Scripture, Jesus is returning for a “glorious” church. His return is drawing near, so we want to be ready to “meet him in the air” (1 Thes. 4:17, Rev 19:7–9). This leads us to ask, what is the “glorious church”? If we can discover from Scripture what he means by this phrase, then we can cooperate with him in the process of preparing to be what his heart dreams of. After all, even though the above passage says Christ is preparing the church, the following one says that the church has some responsibility for making herself ready:

(Revelation 19:7 DKJV) Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife has made herself ready.

JESUS’S VISION FOR A PERFECT BRIDE

What is this glorious church like? Already, from these two passages we can learn several things:

Love is the first thing mentioned in Eph. 5:25: “Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it.” From this (and many other scriptures) we can see that the glorious church will be filled with God’s love—love for him and love for one another (John 13:34, Rom. 5:5).

Secondly, we see that the glorious church is his bride or wife (Rev. 19:7–9).

Thirdly, we read that she will be sanctified and cleansed (Eph. 5:26).

The glorious church will be washed clean by the “Word.”

It will have no “spot” or “wrinkle.”

It will be “holy” and “without blemish.”

It will obviously be a church filled with God’s glory—his manifested weighty presence and reputation.

More study is needed for a complete understanding of what the Holy Spirit means by the terms “glory,” “spot,” “wrinkle,” “holy,” and “without blemish.” Yet immediately, we receive the impression of a mature church—free of worldliness and totally dedicated to God’s purposes.

We can also see the importance of God’s word in this process; the church for which Jesus is returning will be a church that is sanctified and washed clean by the washing of “water” by the “word.” Again, more study is called for to understand this fully; but that the glorious church will be filled with preaching and teaching of God’s life-giving word is undeniable.

So what will the “glorious church” look like? From these two Scriptures, we have gained a brief overview of the basic elements of the “glorious church” for which Jesus is returning. Let us now prepare to look at it in some more specific detail, by beginning with an overview.

Throughout Scripture, I see several key elements that will characterise the “glorious church”:

Father—it will be fully reconciled to God as a loving and perfect Father

Jesus—the glorious church will not only give all the glory to Jesus and Father, but it will both confess that Jesus is Lord and walk in the fullness of all that it means

The Holy Spirit:

The glorious church will take on the characteristics of the Holy Spirit—holiness, fruit of the spirit, etc.

It will have the glorious presence of the Holy Spirit in full manifestation

It will have the gifts of the Spirit operating through it in full measure

It will walk fully in the Spirit, being led by him

Each member of the glorious church will commune with the Holy Spirit in deep, reverend, loving intimacy

Love & the fruit of the Spirit

God’s word. The glorious church will have the word first place and hold it in honour as it does Jesus, because he and his word are one.

Freedom from worldly entanglements and dependence—living in God’s economy, kingdom, family, freedom, holiness, and love, etc.

Unity—arriving at and maintaining unity with Jesus and each other through surrendered worship, honest bible study, humble obedience, allowing Jesus 5-fold ministry to perfect it, and applying Jesus’s solutions to disunity.

Wisdom

Worship / glory

Evangelism

Wealth Transfer

Oversight / governance, etc.

As we launch into this next series of studies, let’s remember Jesus’s focus is his bride. The apostle Paul understood this, and he took on Jesus’s passionate focus for this vision; he had this to say about his role in preparing the church as Jesus’s betrothed:

(2 Corinthians 11:2 NKJV) For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.

As we are not all familiar with the term, “chaste virgin,” let’s read this in a different translation of the Bible:

(2 Corinthians 11:2 NLT) For I am jealous for you with the jealousy of God himself. I promised you as a pure bride to one husband—Christ.

From this, we clearly see that Jesus’s vision is for a “pure bride.” The Greek word translated “chaste” or “pure” means: clean, that is, (figuratively) innocent, modest, perfect.

We also see from Paul’s angst—translated as “jealousy,” meaning heat or zeal, excitement of mind, ardour, fervour of spirit—that Paul was highly motivated and ultra conscientious to bring Jesus’s betrothed bride to readiness for her husband and the marriage supper of the Lamb. He felt that it was his duty to prepare and present the church as this glorious, pure bride.

Today, we need to hear Paul’s heart and feel that same Holy Spirit-inspired urgency to applying ourselves to being that prepared bride, and to sharing Paul’s fervour to prepare the bride to be the glorious church of Jesus’s wedding-day dream.

(Revelation 19:7–9 NLT) Let us be glad and rejoice, and let us give honor to him. For the time has come for the wedding feast of the Lamb, and his bride has prepared herself. ( She has been given the finest of pure white linen to wear." For the fine linen represents the good deeds of God's holy people. (9) And the angel said to me, "Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb." And he added, "These are true words that come from God."