The members of the Bride are "black," that is, they have been burned by the purifying fires of judgment (Song of Solomon 1:6). They are not "pretty" in the eyes of the church world but they are marvelously beautiful in the eyes of the Lord.

The true Wife is not in love with the house of God, as are the daughters of Jerusalem. Rather, she is in love with the Lord of the house of God. The Song of Solomon contrasts the daughters of Jerusalem, and those who do not fit well in the scheme of things because they long after the invisible Christ.

Jesus accepts the daughters of Jerusalem just as Eliezer accepted Laban and Rebecca's family. But He is seeking "Rebecca"!

The Holy Spirit has come to the Christian churches of our day with all kinds of gifts and blessings. Many of the churches receive these gifts and blessings gladly and profit from them.

All this preliminary activity is necessary. However, Christ is seeking a select group—two or three here; one there. He is looking for those who are not content to be married to the church but are striving to find Him.

When all has been completed, "Solomon," the ecclesiastical systems, will be paid off in "shekels." The shekels are for Solomon and his helpers. But the Lamb and His Wife are for each other.

My vineyard, which is mine, is before me: thou, O Solomon, must have a thousand, and those that keep the fruit thereof two hundred. (Solomon 8:12)

Christ is upholding the universe because hidden in it is a rare treasure whose price is far beyond rubies. The whole earth and its nations of people belong to the Lord Jesus, but there is one who gives it all purpose.

O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs, let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice; for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely. (Song of Solomon 2:14)

Each member of the Wife of the Lamb must climb "the secret places of the stairs." The daughters of Jerusalem may be enjoying themselves hugely in the activities of the churches, but the Wife patiently climbs one difficult step after another, her love for Jesus bringing her through the long night of prolonged tribulations and trials.

She is being created as the completion of the Lord Jesus. No aspect of her personality can remain in its original state. All must be re-created in the Lamb. All must be made new. All must be of Christ, of God.

Only her God-given love for Him, and for Him alone, keeps her plodding along day by day—many times along paths she does not understand.

Why does He deal so rigorously? Why does He bring every motive into examination? It is because He is the Lamb, the Son of God, the Creator of all that is. We are the dust of the ground. He is lifting us to the throne that governs angels and men. It is not surprising that He is seeking a Bride without spot or wrinkle, without any kind of defect.

To be continued.