To be in Christ in God with all members of the Body of Christ

I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. (John 17:23)

This is the marriage of the Lamb. Here again we are on holy ground.

God’s saints (holy ones) are being invited to become part of Christ as He is part of the Father. Christ is born in us. Christ dwells in us through the Spirit. We eat, drink, and live by the body and blood of Christ. We are being created an eternal part of Christ.

The motive of Christ in bringing us into Himself and the Father in eternal union is Divine love—a love proclaimed in the Song of Solomon. It is a love so consuming, so total, so fierce, so intense, so all-demanding, that only a few Christians, it seems, begin to grasp what Christ is seeking.

Christ is offering marriage to us. He is making us one with Himself as He is One with the Father. This is why Christ is making such extraordinary demands on us.

Being one in Christ in God, which is the Marriage of the Lamb, and also the Kingdom of God, begins, as do the other eight aspects of the coming salvation, in this present life. The uniting of us with Christ is taking place now. When the Lord comes He will strengthen us enormously. Then He and the Father will enter us in the fullness of the Divine indwelling.

It must be obvious to the reader that a believer cannot take a casual approach to the Christian discipleship and then be filled with Christ and God in the Day of Christ’s appearing. Rather, we are being strengthened now in our inner being by the Spirit of God so Christ may dwell in our hearts by faith. The forming and dwelling of Christ in us takes place one small step at a time.

The Bride must prepare herself for the coming of her Lord. It is those whose life Christ is who will appear with Him in glory. Our preparation for the powerful entering into us of the Godhead is not one of belief in doctrine; rather, it is the transformation of all we are. Even those who have pursued Christ with all their devotion and energies will be staggered by the awesome Presence of God they will experience in the Day of the Lord.

Truly, our hearts will "fear and be enlarged" in that Day (Isaiah 60:5). The nations will behold the glory of the tabernacling of God with His people. Those nations that do not come up to Jerusalem to acknowledge that God now is dwelling in His people will be punished by the Lord. Then the whole world will know and understand it is God who has sent Jesus Christ, and also God loves the saints as He loves Jesus.

Let us repeat: the dwelling of Christ and the Father must be beginning in us now if we expect to be ready for the marriage of the Lamb that will take place when the Lord appears. It is impossible to be a careless Christian and then enter the marriage "by grace." The Bride is purged from her spots and wrinkles by the wilderness experiences of this world.

The Bride is not regarded as perfect, and prepared for her marriage to the Lamb, by imputed (ascribed) righteousness. The Bride is made perfect in actual righteousness, holiness, and obedience to Christ by the refining of her faith in the fires of tribulation. She is purged from all sin and self-centeredness by the baptism of fire that she must endure at the hands of God. Only then is she fit for union with Him who is fairer than ten thousand.

Not only shall we see God, having been made like Him, but we shall be a part of His Personality. Do you agree that such a salvation, such a redemption, is marvelous beyond words to describe? Our hope would be blasphemous were it not found in the written Word of God.

We can keep on following Jesus in our darkest hours because we understand the glory that will come to us is so lofty, so powerful, so filled with God’s Person and Glory, that our character must be transformed and refined in order to receive the inheritance. God’s intentions toward us are thoroughly good. Let us respond with faith and trust in our Father in Heaven.

It may be noticed that we not only are one in Christ in God but also are one with all the members of the Body of Christ:

That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe thou hast sent me. (John 17:21)

It is mentioned several times in the Old Testament that the saints were "gathered to their people." It appears also from the testimonies of dying believers of our day that we go to be with our families and friends.

However, in the Day of Christ’s appearing we shall be made one with those who are in Christ as we are. The flesh-and-blood ties will no longer be primary. There are infinitely closer ties even now—eternal bonds of the body and blood of Christ, of the Spirit of God.

Jesus referred to this transition from fleshly ties to spiritual ties when He exclaimed, "For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother" (Matthew 12:50).

The self-seeking of religious people has caused the Christian Church to be divided into thousands of warring camps. There will be enough tribulation and persecution in the days that are ahead to cause the true saints to flee from the self-seeking churches. The work of unifying the Body of Christ will commence before the Lord returns.

In the hour of the Lord’s appearing the Glory of God will enter the members of the Body of Christ until they are one with the oneness of the Godhead. They will be one in Christ in God, one Body of Christ, one eternal Temple of God, one Wife of the Lamb.

This is just the beginning. Throughout the thousand-year Kingdom Age the work of bringing the new Jerusalem, the Wife of the Lamb, to maturity and unity will continue until the holy and radiantly beautiful Jerusalem is ready to descend from Heaven and be established forever on the earth as the Kingdom of God.

The Wife of the Lamb is being created on the body and blood of the Lamb. Today the firstfruits of the Wife is learning to live by Jesus as He lives by the Father. When Jesus is ready to appear she will be clothed in the white linen of the righteous deeds of the saints. Then the Father and the Son will enter her until her light blazes in the gross darkness of this world. She will be part of Jesus forever and will follow Him wherever He goes. She will ride with Him, being as terrible as an army with banners, in the Day of the Lord.

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

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