As we study the fifty-fourth chapter of Isaiah, which is written to those whom God draws aside to Himself so their fruit-bearing may be exclusively of Him, we find that we soon get into the description of the holy city, the new Jerusalem.

The new Jerusalem is associated with barrenness because God's most glorious and eternal works are brought forth when every ability and opportunity has been reduced to ashes.

God is good to those who wait only on Him. The new Jerusalem is the perfected Bride of the Lamb. Her fruitfulness will fill all things. All her sons will be taught by the Lord and they will have great peace (Isaiah 54:13).

It is the Lord's will that each Christian bear fruit—the Substance and Nature of Christ. Some are blessed immediately; others not so quickly or obviously. God looks for perfect faithfulness and obedience; then the fruit-bearing is as certain as the Word of God. The fruit will be perfect in quality and very great in quantity.

We have discussed the cup and the fruit. The third ornament of the Lampstand was the flower. The flower is thought to have resembled the lily.

The flower is the beauty of the Bride of Christ. It is the beauty of Christ Himself. It is the image and likeness of Christ.

The flower is associated with the Lampstand. The Lampstand was by far the most ornate of the furnishings of the Tabernacle of the Congregation. It was an article of great attractiveness.

We understand from Revelation 1:20 that the Lampstand represents the Church of Christ. The Lampstand is the Body of Christ, the Wife of the Lamb, the Light of the world.

The Holy Spirit has been charged with perfecting the beauty of the Bride of the Lamb. To this end He, the Holy Spirit, has given the gifts of anointing. They are the Life of Christ given by the Spirit for the purpose of perfecting the Bride.

The Song of Solomon describes the beauty of Christ and also the beauty of the Bride of the Lamb, which we know to be the beauty of Christ Himself.

In describing Christ:

My beloved is white and ruddy, the chiefest among ten thousand. (Song of Solomon 5:10)

In describing the Bride:

As the lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters. Thou art all fair, my love; there is no spot in thee. Thou hast ravished my heart, my sister, my spouse; thou hast ravished my heart with one of thine eyes, with one chain of thy neck. (Song of Solomon 2:2; 4:7,9)

There are many such passages in the Song of Solomon.

It is important that the Bride be willing to work, and that she be able to bear children. Also, Christ is greatly concerned with the beauty of His Bride. That beauty is His own image that He sees in her.

So shall the king greatly desire thy beauty: for he is thy Lord; and worship thou him. (Psalms 45:11)

The Lord Jesus was a "root out of a dry ground" when He hung on the cross. But Christ is beautiful in the sight of God, the Father. Christ is the image of God. In Christ, God beholds the expression of Himself—His holiness, His strength, His majesty, His compassion, His faithfulness.

In the Bride is being created the image of Christ Himself—His Divine attributes, His holiness, His strength, His majesty, His compassion, His faithfulness. The Bride is the expression of Christ Himself just as Christ is the expression of God Almighty.

To be continued.