Why?

REVELATION 19:7-8 NKJ
7 "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."
8 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.

These verses hold an answer to the question often asked by
humans facing difficulties and troubles: "Why?"

Since Jesus has already defeated the devil and gained for us
all the blessings the Bible tells us about, why is the devil
allowed to continue to attack us and steal those blessings?

Does any bridegroom desire to marry a bride he cannot
communicate with? Certainly not!

Surely, no highly educated person would prefer marrying a
spouse who cannot even read or write. No one would prefer
marrying someone unable to speak their language.

Jesus is no different in this regard. His desire is also to
have companionship with those who understand Him.

So you are being prepared to be a fit companion for the Lord
Jesus Christ for eternity. This means you need to have
opportunity to overcome and to walk in love in the midst of
difficulty. Otherwise, you would never be able to truly
appreciate all Jesus has done.

Does this mean Jesus will throw out those who do not perfectly
overcome in this life? Absolutely not! Jesus promised that
anyone who came to Him would never be rejected or cast out
(John 6:37). But the richest fellowship will be enjoyed with
those who overcome as He overcame.

Jesus does not play favorites. He freely loves us all. But we
are the ones who choose how close to the Lord we desire to be.

Revelation 19:8 says the fine linen adorning the Lamb's
companion is righteous acts. What makes her so beautiful to
Jesus is not that she is clothed in His righteousness, which
was a gift, but in her own righteousness.

No, we are not saved by our righteous acts, but when we allow
Jesus to live and love through us, our acts of loving sacrifice
are very beautiful to the Lord.

Verse 7 says His wife has made herself ready. She was not born
ready. She was born righteous, but not ready. She had to grow
up and learn to walk as Jesus walked in order to become ready
to be His most intimate companion. She received right standing
with God as a free gift. But the righteous acts she is wearing
are her own.

This is why the devil has not been incarcerated yet. God
believes every one of His children can overcome, so we are
being allowed the opportunity to do so.

The wife of the Lamb is meant to have the opportunity to
overcome evil with good -- just as Jesus did -- so she can
fellowship with Him on a level of understanding that would not
be possible otherwise.

Our wonderful Lord Jesus is worthy of companions who understand
(at least somewhat) the difficulties He suffered, because of
His love for us.

So let us ask Him to continue His work in us, making us what He
desires us to be -- similar to Him. And let us persevere in
faith, even when we face things we don't fully understand.

Then we will be ready for that wonderful, privileged position
of intimate fellowship with Jesus.

SAY THIS: It is a great privilege to know Jesus Christ, and to
become like Him.