The High Priestess

The path connecting Tiphareth and Kether is represented by the High Priestess Card. The image on the High Priestess card is of a woman sitting between two pillars. The pillars represent the Temple of the Lord that King Solomon built.

1 Kings 7:21-22 And he set up the pillars in the porch of the temple: and he set up the right pillar, and called the name thereof Jachin: and he set up the left pillar, and called the name thereof Boaz. And upon the top of the pillars was lily work: so was the work of the pillars finished.
On the High Priestess card, one of the Pillars has a B on it, and the other side has a J. The B stands for Boaz meaning, “In him is strength.” The J stands for Jachin meaning, “He establishes.” One pillar is black and the other is white representing the opposites reflected in the Pillar of Severity and the Pillar of Mercy, which are to the left and right of this path on the Qabalah. The woman is wearing a cross, which could be interpreted to represent that this is the path when you take up the cross of Christ and follow Him [His example].

Matthew 16:24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

Matthew 10:38 And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.

The cross the woman is wearing could also be looked at as a plus sign. Looking at it as a plus sign you can interpret this path to represent B+J, meaning that this temple God will establish through His strength.

Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

The woman on the High Priestess card represents the Bride of Christ, which is the Church (Ephesians 5:22-33). She is sitting in front of the veil to the Holiest of Holies in the Temple of the Lord. King Solomon built the original temple that was built on earth in Jerusalem. The temple that the High Priestess is sitting in front of represents the Secret Temple, the church that Christ built without hands (Ephesians 2:20).

The High Priestess is holding a scroll with the letters TORA on it. This is the Torah, the first five books in the Old Testament of the Bible, also known as the Law of Moses. The word Torah is partially hidden because the laws of Moses were not fully understood/unveiled until the time of Christ (Colossians 2:2-3). Now the commandments of God are written in our hearts.

Hebrews 8:10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:

The High Priestess has her foot on the moon similar to the woman in Revelations 21.

Revelations 21:1-2 And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.

The woman mentioned in the above verses represents Israel or God’s chosen people. It is a symbolic telling of Christ’s birth on earth. The High Priestess is not a complete representation of the woman described in Revelations Chapter 21, and the Empress Tarot card also shares of the traits. The twelve stars represent the twelve disciples, which Christ appointed over the twelve tribes of Israel.

Matthew 19:28 And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

The woman on the High Priestess card does not represent the woman in Revelations entirely, because the High Priestess also represents the Bride of Christ – the fellowship of believers – which makes up the very temple that Christ is building. The High Priestess’s dress seems to turn into water, representing the living water, or the river of life flowing out of Heaven.

Revelations 22:1-2 And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

Revelations 21:6-7 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.

The water of life is given to those who overcome. Those who take up their cross and follow Jesus will be given the gift of eternal life, and will be considered the sons of God. To further understand how this living water is associated with the Temple of the Lord, we will examine a conversation that Jesus had with a Samarian woman.

John 4:10-15 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water? Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle? Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.

Jesus was talking about allowing those who ask of Him, the privilege of drinking out of the River of Life in Heaven. When He says that you will never thirst again, He means that all of your needs will be taken care of for eternity. We will continue looking at this conversation between Jesus and the Samarian woman to see how it is related to the Temple of the Lord.

John 4:20-26 Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. The woman saith unto him, I know that Messiah cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things. Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.

Jesus tells the woman that the hour is coming when people will no longer worship in the Temple in Jerusalem, but will worship God in Spirit and in Truth. Here Jesus is referring to us worshipping God in our spirit, and through our actions. We no longer need to go to the Temple that Solomon built, because we are the New Temple of the Lord, and are to worship Him continually in our bodies – presenting them as a living sacrifice.

1 Corinthians 3:16-17 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.

Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

From Jesus’ conversation with the Samarian woman we learned that the water of life would be given to those who ask of Him. We also learned that an hour is coming that we will no longer worship in the Temple that Solomon built, but will worship in our spirits.

John 7:37-39 In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)

In the above set of verses Jesus identifies the living water, which will be given to those on earth as the gift of the Holy Spirit. As you know from our study of Yesod, the Holy Spirit was sent by Christ to dwell within us, and to assist us in purifying our spirits; so that we may drink of the River of Life in Heaven. Now that Christ has been crucified, we are the Temple of the Lord, and the Holy Spirit dwells within us. When Christ died on the cross the Veil of the Temple was torn in two, representing that the way to worshipping God was now available to all men.

Before Jesus was crucified, a priest would enter the Holiest of Holies to make atonement for the sins of the people (Leviticus 16:15-16). The priest would do this once a year, and not without bringing a sacrifice (Hebrews 9:7); when Christ died on the cross He was the final sacrifice obtaining eternal redemption for us all (Hebrews 9:12). Once Christ died the Veil to the Holiest of Holies was torn in two (Matthew 27:51), because man no longer needs to send a priest into the Holiest of Holies to make sacrifices for our sins. Christ is now our High Priest, which is building a perfect tabernacle in us. Not a physical temple, but a spiritual one.

Hebrews 9:11-12 But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.

Since the death of Christ the earthly version of the Holiest of Holies is no longer necessary. Now Jesus is our high priest and mediator, and was also the final sacrifice for our sins.

Hebrews 9:15 And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.

In the Old Testament the priest would enter into the Holiest of Holies once a year. Jesus as our new high priest took our atonement directly to God in Heaven once and for all.

Hebrews 9:24-28 For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us: Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others; For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

Christ will come for those that look to Him, and at His Second Coming He will fulfill all of His promises He has made to those that confess His name. Those that take up their crosses and follow Him will be given a Crown of Life, they will be allowed to eat from the Tree of Life, drink from the River of Life, and will be given eternal life.

As Christians we are to be conformed to the image of Christ (Romans 8:29). Christ’s bride is the church, and the members of the Church are called to be Christ like. It is fitting that the High Priestess card was selected to represent the bride of Christ, because if Christ is our High Priest, then His bride would be the High Priestess. The High Priestess sits in front of the Veil to the Holiest of Holies (Exodus 26:33-35).

Matthew 27:51 And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;

Mark 15:38 And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom.

This veil was torn in two from top to bottom the moment that Jesus died on the cross. It was torn from the top to the bottom meaning that God is the one that tore it. The High Priestess sits in front of the veil of the Secret Temple, which represents the new way of worshipping God through our spirits (John 4:23). This is the Temple made without hands the Jesus was prophesized in the Old Testament to build.

Zechariah 6:12-15 And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD: Even he shall build the temple of the LORD; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.

Jesus is the Branch, as he was a descendant of King David. Jesus is prophesized to build the Temple of the Lord. He will sit on His throne and also be the high priest of the temple. Jesus stated (when He was still alive) that He would rebuild the Temple within three days.

John 2:19-22 Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days? But he spake of the temple of his body. When therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this unto them; and they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said.

Mark 14:58 We heard him say, I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands.

Jesus was speaking of His crucifixion and resurrection. After Jesus died on the cross he arose on the third day. In the above verses Jesus is speaking of His body as the Temple. Our bodies are also the Temple of God and the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16).
Ephesians 2:19-22 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.

2 Corinthians 6:16-18 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

We are of the household of God, and therefore are called to separate ourselves from the rest of the world. We are called to overcome the sins of the world, and to live a righteous life. This is the Great Work, the search for the Philosopher’s Stone (as mentioned in the introduction to this book). When Jesus died on the cross He rebuilt the temple in three days – referring to His own body. We as Christians are also considered members of the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:12-27).

Romans 7:4 Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God

The above verse refers to Christians as both of the body of Christ and as His bride. Christ rebuilt the temple in three days by His resurrection from the dead. Christ is also building the Temple of the Lord in each individual Christian that follows Him (1 Corinthians 3:16). Finally, Christ will rebuild the temple physically on the earth at His second coming (Revelations 21:22-24).

Revelations 3:12 Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.

On the High Priestess card, the woman is holding the Torah or the Law of Moses, but it is partially obscured representing that during the time of the Torah the laws had not yet been fully revealed. In the New Testament Jesus elaborates and clarifies the laws of the Old Testament – making the mysteries of the Bible understandable.

Matthew 5:27-28 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

Matthew 15:8-11 This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. And he called the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand: Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.

Matthew 15:17-20 Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught? those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man

1 Peter 3:4 But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.

Jesus clarified that sin is more then just a sinful act. Sin begins in the hearts and minds of the people. It is just as bad to entertain the idea of sinning as it is to sin. You prepare to sin in your mind; if you stop the sin at its origin then there would not be a way for it to manifest into reality. If you prevent the sin from entering Yetzirah the sin would not be able to manifest itself in Ahssiah.

John 13:34-35 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

Matthew 5:43-45 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

Romans 13:8-10 Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

Jesus shed light on the Torah, and added the concept of love to it. The Law of Moses existed in more of a do this or else manner. The Law of Christ exists in more of a do this out of love manner. The commandments are the same; it is the intention behind them that has changed. The Pharisees living under the Law of Moses in the time of Jesus were obeying the Torah physically, but their hearts were full of lusts, sins, and adultery (Matthew 5:27-28, Matthew 15:17-20).

Jesus explained that if you love your neighbor then you wouldn’t break any of the Ten Commandments. If you loved your neighbor you wouldn’t want to take your neighbor’s wife from him, and you would not want to steal from, bear false witness against, or kill your neighbor. If you love your parents you would want to honor your mother and father. Adding the concept of love to the Torah causes it to be looked at in an entirely different light. If you love your neighbor in the same way that you love yourself, you would not want to cause any harm to your neighbor. This is where the concept of the Golden Rule emerged.

Matthew 7:12 Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.

Do unto others, as you would have them do unto you. Jesus also restated that the most important commandment is to put God first in your life.

Mark 12: 29-31 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.

Matthew 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

We are to put God first in our lives, even before ourselves. This is love. When you love someone you place their needs ahead of your own. In the same way if you love God you would put Him first in your life. If you love God you would live your life for Him and would keep His commandments.

John 14:21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.

John 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.
The Ten Commandments are found in Exodus 20:1-17, if you want to look into them further. The woman on the High Priestess card has a serious expression on her face, meaning that the work we are doing of building the Temple of the Lord within ourselves is something that needs to be taken seriously. We are the Bride of Christ and must be ready when the bridegroom comes for us.

Matthew 22:2-14 "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son. "And he sent out his slaves to call those who have been invited to the wedding feast, and they were unwilling to come. "Again he sent out other slaves saying, 'Tell those who have been invited, "Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and my livestock are all butchered and everything is ready; come to the wedding feast." "But they paid no attention and went their way, one to his own farm, another to his business, and the rest seized his slaves and mistreated them and killed them. "But the king was enraged, and he sent his armies and destroyed those murderers and set their city on fire. "Then he said to his slaves, 'The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. 'Go therefore to the main highways, and as many as you find there, invite to the wedding feast.' "Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered together all they found, both evil and good; and the wedding hall was filled with dinner guests.” But when the king came to look over the dinner guest, he saw a man there that was not dressed in wedding clothes, and he said to him, 'Friend , how did you come in here without wedding clothes?' And the man was speechless. "Then the king said to the servants, 'Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth,' "For many are called, but few are chosen."

In the above set of verses the father giving the feast is God, and Christ is the bridegroom. The above verses have to do with Christ returning to the earth. The people that are invited to the wedding feast are the people that have had the word of God preached to them, and have been offered the opportunity of eternal life. When the king saw a wedding guest that was not clothed in the proper wedding attire, that guest was cast into outer darkness, which represents being cast into hell. The above parable speaks about people who are invited to a wedding feast but are to busy in their own lives to go. They miss their opportunity and in turn lose their salvation. These verses are a constant reminder for us to always put God first in our lives, and to be ready for His return.

Ephesians 5:22-33 Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body. But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless. So husband ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself; for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church, because we are members of His body. FOR THIS REASON A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER AND SHALL BE JOINED TO HIS WIFE, AND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH. This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church.

Christ is the Bridegroom and the church is His Bride. We need to be subject to our God at all times, loving Him as we love our own flesh. As members of the church we are members of the body of Christ, and we need to live holy lives so that we will be found spotless and blameless on the day of the great wedding feast. Jesus identified Himself as the Bridegroom, while He was still on the earth.

Matthew 9:15 And Jesus said to them, "The attendants of the bridegroom cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them, can they? But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.

In the next set of verses John the Baptist identifies Christ as the Bridegroom.

John 3:28-29 "You yourselves are my witnesses that I said, 'I am not the Christ, 'but' I have been sent before Him' "He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom's voice. So this joy of mine has been made full.

In the Old Testament the prophet Isaiah identifies that our husband is our creator and our redeemer.

Isaiah 54:5-8 For your husband is your Maker, Whose name is the Lord of hosts; And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel, Who is called the God of all the earth. For the Lord has called you, Like a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit, Even like a wife of one's youth when she is rejected," Says your God. "For a brief moment I forsook you, But with great compassion I will gather you. "In an outburst of anger I hid My face from you for a moment, But with everlasting loving kindness I will have compassion on you," Says the Lord your Redeemer.

We are the Bride of Christ. God started gathering us together during Christ’s ministry on the earth, but it is our duty to be ready when He returns. We need to be dressed in readiness, and keep our lamps lit prepared for the day our Lord comes. Remember the parable of the wedding feast (Matthew 22:2-14) where a wedding guest was thrown out for not wearing the appropriate attire to the wedding. We need to always be living for the Lord, and we must be prepared for His coming.

Matthew 25:6-13 "But at midnight there was a shout, 'Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet Him.' "Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. "The foolish said to the prudent, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.' "But the prudent answered, 'No, there will not be enough for us and you too; go instead to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.' "And while they were going away to make the purchase, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast; and the door was shut. "Later the other virgins also came, saying, Lord, Lord, open up for us.' But he answered, 'Truly I say to you, I do not know you.' "Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour.

Luke 12:35-37 "Be dressed in readiness, and keep your lamps lit. "Be like men who are waiting for their master when he returns from the wedding feast, so that they may immediately open the door to him when he knocks. "Blessed are those slaves whom the master will find on the alert when he comes; truly I say to you, that he will gird himself to serve, and have them recline at the table, and will come up and wait on them.

Jeremiah 2:32 "Can a virgin forget her ornaments, Or a bride her attire? Yet my people have forgotten Me Days without number.

We need to be ready for the day the Lord calls us. We do not know what day we will die, or if Jesus will come tomorrow. We must always be ready. This is the purpose of the Great Work, to prepare ourselves to meet our maker. Hosea 2:19-23 describes the love, mercy, kindness, and compassion that the Lord will bestow on us (the bride) at His coming. There will no longer be any danger, and we will be called God's people.

Hosea 2:19-23 I will betroth you to Me forever; Yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and in justice, In loving kindness and in compassion, And I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness. Then you will know the Lord. "It will come about in that day that I will respond, "declares the LORD. "I will respond to the heavens, and they will respond to the earth, And the earth will respond to the grain, to the new wine and to the oil, And they will respond to Jezreel. "I will sow her for Myself in the land. I will also have compassion on her who had not obtained compassion, And I will say to those who were not My people, 'You are My people!' And they will say, 'You are my God!'"

Samuel 62:5 For as a young man marries a virgin, So your sons will marry you; And as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, So your God will rejoice over you.

Now we will examine the wedding feast of the Lamb (bridegroom), and will also look at what the correct wedding clothes to wear are, so that we don't end up in outer darkness like the guest in the parable of the wedding feast (Matthew 22:2-14).

Revelations. 19:7-9 "Let us rejoice and be glad and give glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready." It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. Then he said to me, "Write, Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.'" And he said to me, "These are true words of God."

The wedding feast represents the second coming of the Lord, when He will come for His bride, the church. The wedding garments are not actual clothes, but represent the righteous acts of the saints. By living a righteous life and following His commandments we clothe ourselves in the proper wedding attire, the garments of salvation.

Isaiah 61:10 I will rejoice greatly in the Lord, My soul will exult in my God; For He has clothed me with garments of salvation, He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

Christ is the bridegroom, the church is the bride, and the great wedding feast of the Lord represents the Second Coming of Christ. Jesus taught the parables of the Wedding Feast to warn us to be prepared for His coming, so that we might drink of the water of life.

Revelations 22:16-17 "I Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star." The Spirit and the Bride say, "Come". And let the one who hears say, "Come." And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost.

We are the bride sitting at the veil to the Holiest of Holies. Behind the veil is Heaven, represented by the next sphere in the Qabalah, Kether. We sit in front of the veil performing the Great Work; studying the laws and the commandments of God, and building the Temple of the Lord within ourselves. We clothe ourselves in righteousness, being built and established through the strength of God. We are awaiting the second coming of our Lord and savior, at which time we will drink from the River of Life.