In Psalm 45, a wedding scene between a King (Jesus) and a Queen (the Church) is composed in a song.  The Psalm, like a dream that floats like Pontormo’s colorful “Deposition”, describes the inner beauty of the entire wedding scene: the bridegroom, the Bride, the participants, and even the music floating from the “ivory palaces”.  The descriptions all speak of an inner or spiritual beauty, even by using figurative means. Of these metaphors, is the Bride’s array which is described in the following lines: “At Your right hand stands the queen in gold from Ophir”, “Her clothing is woven with gold,” and “She shall be brought to the King in robes of many colors.” The gold symbolizes the Church’s readiness, purity, and the refinement she has gone through for her wedding day. Traditionally a bride obtains her own gown, but here is a sense of being clothed and being brought to the King. Instead of stains of sin and tattered clothing, is a Church covered by the blood of Christ, holy and without blemish, “a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing” (Eph. 5:27). Isaiah describes these wedding garments in this same fashion, “For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels” (Is. 61:10). God has granted the Bride her beautiful wedding garments that are her moral perfection and holiness. The Church’s robe is a robe of righteousness and the members of her body are described as “the virgins, her companions who follow her” wearing “robes of many colors” like Joseph, the favored son and like the King’s daughters of Israel. Revelation 19:7 again shows how the attire was granted by God, saying, “Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.” This is contrasted to the one in Matthew 22 who did not have his wedding garments on and was removed from the wedding feast.

The garments of the Bride are “the righteous acts of the saints” and they reflect the honor given by God’s people while on earth. Here is a sense of urgency in a continuous making ready of our wedding garments, which in cooperation with the Holy Spirit, are provided for and granted by God. The Bride is described in her inner beauty just as Jesus is described in detail of his attributes of truth, grace, gladness, justice, majesty, and victory. In his character he is clothed with the Holy Spirit, “the oil of gladness”. His beauty is described first, as it is from his beauty that the divine work was made in the Bride through her marriage to him. At the wedding it is perhaps the Bride who exclaims, “Instead of Your fathers shall be Your sons, Whom You shall make princes in all the earth. I will make Your name to be remembered in all generations; Therefore the people shall praise You forever and ever.” Just as Jesus instructed his Church, “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father” (Jn. 14:12),  the Bride and her Groom function together in such a way that through her is the manifestation of his attributes and authority throughout the earth. It follows that in the Millennial Age the Bride and Jesus are in full and glorious communion and partnership.