In our American culture we have officially entered into the “Christmas Season” with the dawning of “Black Friday.” What an interesting title for what greedy men have made out of the birth of the Christ child with their final push at the end of the year to sell as much of their merchandise as possible. How opposite can a culture be from the nature of our Savior who turned over the tables of merchandise and money changers when He found them in the temple in Jerusalem and said to them, “It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but you have made it a den of thieves.”
In great contrast have you ever wondered how the Church could be called the wife of the Lamb? The lamb is used by the Spirit in the scriptures to show us the nature of Christ. John in his heavenly vision (the Book of Revelations) saw a lamb as though it had been slain, standing! This is the very nature of Christ who came to this earth in all lowliness as a baby born in a stable for there was no room for Him because all the Jews had had come from afar and filled up the spaces in the local inns. He was born into poverty and the wise men who saw His star just knew that the King that they foresaw would be born in a king’s palace and that is where they showed up. The first shall be last and the Last shall be First. This is the nature of God’s only begotten Son in His love, true humility and lowliness. The profit Zechariah wrote,
Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. (Zech 9:9, ESV2011)
In the Book of Revelation we read,
Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues and spoke to me, saying, “Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.”And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. (Rev 21:9-11, ESV2011 – emphasis added)
There is so much to unpack here! The Bride, the wife of the Lamb… we know that the Lamb is Jesus Christ for John the Baptist saw Him coming and said of Him, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world!” But how can a Lamb have a Bride made up of humanity unless the Bride has the very nature and attributes of this same Lamb? In Genesis we read where God demanded that each being He created was commanded to reproduce after its own kind. The Bride is also likened by the angels in this vision to a holy city a NEW Jerusalem coming down out of heaven with the glory of God Himself with a radiance of a jewel clear as crystal.
Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever. (Rev 22:1-5, ESV2011 – emphasis added)
These two analogies speak of the same thing in two different allegories. The bride of the Lamb is compared to a city with only ONE street which had one river that flowed down from the throne of God. It is also spoken of as having great purity and clarity. Today in Christendom we have many streets that come under many different names and not all their rivers are going the same direction much less are they flowing down from the throne of God. Another thing that strikes me is that John is carried away to a great high mountain and there he saw the New Jerusalem, the bride, coming down out of heaven. When Jesus was tempted by the devil at the end of his 40 days in the wilderness he was take away to a high mountain and shown all the kingdoms of the world…
And the devil, taking him up into a high mountain, showed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said unto him, “All this power will I give you, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.” (Luke 4:5-6, KJ2000)
These are two kingdoms that are adverse to one another. One is God’s kingdom, the New Jerusalem where Jesus and His Bride will rule for it is being prepared as a wife for the Lamb which was slain who yet now stands before God waiting for the perfection of His wife the Bride of Christ in all her purity and beauty. And the other kingdom is the one that belongs to Satan (also known as the Great Whore) where he gives its power to whomever he wishes if they will just bow down and worship at his feet (if we look deeper into the actions of those who rule in the kingdoms of men we often will find that demon worship is quite common among them).
Jesus knew that He had a kingdom which His Father was preparing for Him. But He also knew that it could not be taken prematurely by greedy hands. What was Jesus’ answer to this temptation? “Get you behind me, Satan: for it is written, You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.” Satan’s playground is found in the things that men desire. Just before Jesus was to go to the cross we read the following,
And he began to teach them [the disciples], that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. And he spoke that saying openly. And Peter took him, and began to rebuke him. But when he had turned about and looked on his disciples, he rebuked Peter, saying, Get you behind me, Satan: for you consider not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men. (Mark 8:31-33, KJ2000)
Peter and many of Christ’s followers were falling under the desires of the carnal Jews who wanted to have a kingdom of their own here on earth. The Jews were looking for Him to use His demonstrated power to overthrow the Romans and set up a kingdom here on earth where they could sit with Him and rule over the affairs of men. Little do men, even religious men, know that it is as Jesus warned saying, “He who finds his life will lose it, but he who loses his life for my sake shall find it.”
Even in Christendom men who rule desire the high places among their followers. Sad to say, in many cases Christianity has become “a haunt of every demon and every foul and hateful bird.” Sad to say, the humility of Christ is rarely found among Christian leadership today. Most Christian leaders love the high places in the congregation. How they love their elevated platforms! Whatever happened to the example and life of Christ that was found throughout the early church in the first century? They were known as the “People of the Way” and it was the pagans of Antioch that called them “Christians.” Oh, that all who claim Christ were truly the People of the Way. In those early years the Roman emperors and the leaders of the Jews persecuted and killed those who believed in Christ because they in their love and humility they were turning their world upside down. What do we have today? Our presidents and leaders pay honor and are willing hosts to those who are the high profile leaders in Christendom. How opposite is this thing called “church” from what Jesus set in motion by His very example and life? No wonder Jesus prophesied,
And shall not God avenge his own elect, who cry day and night unto him, though he bears long with them? I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man comes, shall he find faith on the earth? (Luke 18:7-8, KJ2000)
A Wilderness Voice 
Amen 🙏🏼
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Good word. You “connected (spiritual) dots” all connected to the Center – the Cross. If the professing church had a hold of that, things would look VERY different indeed.
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Thanks for your enlightening comment, my brother. It is the lack which you speak of that is allowing Islam to make great inroads into this once “Christian nation.” Most of Europe and the middle east has fallen to its influence. Even in Texas where we live, which was the heart of what is called, “The Bible Belt,” Islam is making its presence felt and even welcomed. “There are 122 Mosques in Texas, United States as of October, 2025. The highest number of Mosques in Texas are in Houston and Fort Worth with 12 businesses and 5 businesses, respectively. Houston makes up approximately 9.8% of all Mosques in Texas.” * Islam has a doctrine of how to take over a nation first by soft doctrines, then by taxation and finally by the sword and murder of all who will not convert and they are following it to the letter. There are even areas in the U.S. where Sharia Law with all its harsh reprisals has replaced the Constitution. “How the mighty have fallen.” If you remove the necessity of the cross in our lives that deals with the flesh and make room for the Holy Spirit, we become an easy prey of the devil.
* https://www.poidata.io/report/mosque/united-states/texas
Also, here is a sobering article about the creeping power of Islam and how it fills the void left by the decline of Christ filled Christianity…
https://www.christianactivities.com/islams-takeover-of-nations-a-historical-perspective-its-relevance-to-the-west/
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Amen and thank you Michael. I pray that you are doing well. Yes looking forward to that Glorious Wedding Feast that the True Bride of Christ will attend. I pray to be found Worthy. Life has not been very easy, especially in the last year. And I pray that we all endure to the very end whatever that end is for each of us. It was good to read from you. God bless you brother. By the way, I have never been interested in Black Friday. The way I have looked at it was, it was Thanksgiving one day where people are supposed to show Thankfulness and then the next day people go shopping and get greedy and angry and pushy. Besides that, because of my health things have changed in my life to where I am more homebound these days. Yep. Things are different. Can be quite challenging too. But Jesus is my Rock through it all!
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Thanks for sharing, Stacey. Yes, God has appointed a cross for each of us to bear who are called to take up those crosses and follow Jesus. I also have many medical issues that are often a source of pain in my body, but if anything it makes me draw closer to Jesus. Like Paul wrote, “When I am weak, then am I strong [in Christ].” Yes, He is the Rock of our salvation.
Michael
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Excellent article, Michael! ⭐ And very inspiring… Your emphasis in italics on crystal clear and on the one river (one street, resp.) that flows from God’s throne made me immediately think about what Jesus said at the Feast of Tabernacles on the seventh day.
“Now on the last and most important day of the feast, Jesus stood and called out [in a loud voice], “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink! He who believes in Me [who adheres to, trusts in, and relies on Me], as the Scripture has said, ‘From his innermost being will flow continually rivers of living water.’” But He was speaking of the [Holy] Spirit, whom those who believed in Him [as Savior] were to receive afterward. The Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified (raised to honor).” (Jn 7:37-39 AMP)
This river flowing from God’s throne (representing the Holy Spirit) will flow from our innermost being when we by faith are with Christ in the Spirit where God has already seated us, namely, “[…] with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus” (Eph 2:6 BSB)
It is not something we could have ever achieved on our own. I believe that God in Christ should be our main focus so that this other counterfeit kingdom loses its grip on us. It is all about the daily application of the cross in our life as you said particularly in your reply to Stacey, my brother. There is no other way than that.
However, there is also another side of the cross. It is Christ Himself in His resurrection power when suddenly divine joy starts to bubble up from the inside despite all our trials, sicknesses and pains. We need to only read Paul’s repeated invitation to ‘rejoice always’ (Phil 4:4) in his letter to the Phillippians. And another Scripture comes to mind.
“You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.” (Ps 16:11 NIV)
It is Christ’s presence at the right hand of God we need to seek because only there is the (eternal) life we might still long for. May it be so for all of us. Amen.
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Thank you, Susanne, for this wonderful reminder about the joy that is ours as we abide in His presence with the Father. It was C.S. Lewis that said, “Pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our consciences, but shouts in our pains. It is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” I am glad that there is still this other side to the pain and weakness we experience when we are only looking at the human side of things. “After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up here, and I will show you things…” (Rev 4:1, KJ2000)
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You are very welcome, Michael. This Scripture you quoted at the end spoke to me, reminding me of the following promise of the Lord,
“Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.” (Jer 33:3 ESV)
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Susanne, It is amazing how these two verses, one from each covenant and hundreds of years apart… They are telling us what our Father wants His children to know and make an integral part of our lives… “Call to me and I will answer…” “Come up here and I will show you things…” It is as Jesus promised, “But the Comforter, who is the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.”(John 14:26, KJ2000)
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Amen to that. Very good explanation, Michael.
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Thank God that the Word became flesh and tabernacled among us, “But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son, becoming of a women, becoming under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father” [Eph, 4:4-6]
I agree Michael, that the holiday of “christmas” is so centered on greed, and many other bad things, actually December 25th is the celebration of the sun god’s birthday, a ancient heathen holy day, no where in the Bible does it ever indicate what month our Lord Jesus was born. Sometime in the dark ages, when the Catholic church held her evil sway over the civilized world, they took some heathen holy days and put the name of Christ on them and made them Christian holy days like christmas, from the time of Constatine the Great and after, so much evil leaven and corruption crept into the Church [See https://historycooperative.org/pagan-origins-of-christmas/ Emperor Constantine had a lot to do with the incorporation of pagan festivals with his remaking of the Church so he and his appointed bishops could rule more readily over the religious part of the Roman Empire as well as the secular. The true Church grew rapidly under persecution, but the purity of Christ and His Spirit in it decreased without it. As Jesus said, “If any man would be my disciple let him take up his cross and follow me.” Without the working of the cross in our daily lives, we soon become counterfeit Chrisians.]
In Revelation chap. 2 and 3, the Lord warns the saints, and the church of the evil that was creeping in, He commends them for what he found among them that was good, but strongly rebukes them for their faults, and tells them they must overcome the fallen condition that the church was in, and how He would reward those who were faithful to overcome. “Those that dwell on the earth”, a phrase from the book of Revelation, “the earth dwellers” are the unregenerate mass of people in Christendom, and the heathen at large, those who drink from the cup of Mystery Babylon the great, the mother of harlots, who fornicates with the kings of the earth, they are drunk with the wine of her fornication, and are in a stupor, She claims she sits as a queen, and no harm will come upon her, she is the unfaithful one. But in Revelation 19, after the harlot is judged, the marriage of the bride of Christ takes place, the wife of the Lamb is made ready and the bride becomes the wife of the Lamb! All of heaven rejoices! Thank you Lord, you are He who is Holy, He who is True, You will present to yourself a pure and spotless bride, The New Jerusalem, where the Tree of Life grows so sweet, and the River of Life flows crystal clear, where all God’s saints will dwell unto the ages of ages, Amen.
Note, the parts of Jim’s comment above that are enclosed in brackets [ ] were added by me for clarification. mdc
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Thanks, Jim. I agree with all you said.
Michael
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Thank you Michael, I always look forward to your posts, when you share what the Lord has put on your heart, and thanks for adding the link on my post, it makes it more clear on what I was saying.
The Lord Jesus bless you and your family.
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You are welcome, Jim. It is good to hear from you and the things you share.
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