Is today's church a Zombie Bride?

Or something much more glorious?

In the land of England a common young woman accepts the proposal of her handsome prince. She quickly realizes that nothing will ever be the same for her again. No longer a commoner. Her name will change. Her thinking will need to change and the way she speaks will be changed. She would never walk the same, talk the same or carry herself in public the same way ever again. She was going to undergo a transformation. Be 'born again' so to speak, into the new self that she would be for the rest of her life. Her coaches will ensure that she has a very strong impression on the importance of representing the family she now finds herself belonging to. She is to be a princess, perhaps even a queen.

The British media reported:

Kate has been sent to Princess School in Lancashire in Northern England,  where she will study with renowned Princess Whisperer, Dame Marjorie Maple, who is reportedly the only woman on earth with “proper manners in every situation”. Dame Maple met with Princess Kate and had this report:

“Kate is very pretty and has a great smile, but she’s been infected by the culture of today.” 

“Her manners are equivalent to those of a dead circus cat. It will take me two years to get her in shape, but I am confident I can do it.”

She was infected by the culture of the day, it was said. Amazing. And how many of us are so too, infected by the culture of the day within our churches?

Now, think about this for a second…

How long was she actually the bride?

She was a fiancée for months—engaged to the young prince, training, learning royal wave technique (elbow, elbow, wrist, wrist), enduring etiquette classes, and enduring awkward small talk at press events.

But how long was she the bride?

A day. That’s it. One royal, fairy-tale, horse-drawn-carriage kind of day.

Then BOOM—vows exchanged, crown adjusted, lipstick checked—and just like that, she turned around and became a new Queen facing the world.

 "Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and His bride has made herself ready."— Revelation 19:7

So now let me ask you:

Who are you?

You are the Bride of Christ. You are engaged to the King of Kings! The royal invitations have been sent. The table is set. The bells are ringing. And not just a little ding-dong from a village chapel either—we're talking Gabriel warming up his trumpet.

“At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’”— Matthew 25:6

But are you ready?

Because let’s be honest—if our young English duchess wasn’t cooperating with her teachers, if she kept skipping lessons on how to address the Queen, the royal family would’ve pulled aside Prince Charming and said, “Son, are you sure about this one?”

In the same way, the Holy Spirit is your tutor, and He’s not teaching you how to throw a bouquet. He’s teaching you how to rule and reign.

“If we endure, we will also reign with Him.”— 2 Timothy 2:12

Here's the deal: You’re not just prepping for a wedding. You're prepping for governance.

Your destiny is not just to be the Bride. That’s the transition. The ceremony. The crowning moment.

Your actual calling is to be the Wife of the King—a co-ruler, a governor, a queen in His Kingdom. That requires a little more than just picking a dress and walking down the aisle.

 "Do you not know that the saints will judge the world?"— 1 Corinthians 6:2

Think of Esther. She didn’t just show up to the palace in flip-flops and say, “Hey, I’m cute, where’s the king?”

She endured six months of spa treatments and obedience training, and it wasn’t just about beauty—it was about preparation for destiny. (Though let’s be real, those spa days probably didn’t hurt either.)

“Before a young woman’s turn came to go in to King Xerxes, she had to complete twelve months of beauty treatments…”— Esther 2:12

Likewise, you’re in preparation mode.

So no, this isn’t the time to “Netflix and wait.” This is the time to train your tongue, renew your mind, and govern your heart.

“Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”— Romans 12:2

You are in a royal engagement.

And don’t think “church” like a social club with donuts in the foyer and awkward hugs during meet-and-greet time. No, think family reunions, divine council briefings, heavenly staff meetings where we’re learning how to govern together.

Let’s go deeper. Heaven? It’s not the end of the story. It’s the beginning. Before we even talk about the eternal state, there's this little thing called the Millennium—a literal thousand-year reign of Christ with His Bride.

“And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.”— Revelation 20:4

So maybe it’s time we stop dressing for the wedding and start preparing for the coronation.

Back to Princess Catherine—she didn’t just learn to walk gracefully in heels. She learned diplomacy, tradition, statecraft. Because her job wasn’t to remain a blushing bride. It was to step into rulership.

Likewise, the Holy Spirit isn’t training you to be the most Pinterest-perfect Bride. He’s preparing you to co-reign with Christ in a coming Kingdom.

And friend, that Kingdom is close.

"The Kingdom of God is at hand."— Mark 1:15

We are living in prophetic tension—just like Simeon and Anna in Luke 2. They knew something was shifting. They saw the Messiah with their own eyes and recognized the close of one age and the beginning of another.

“She spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.”— Luke 2:38

Now here we are—two thousand years after His resurrection—standing at the edge of yet another shift. The end of this present age is upon us. But the next one?

The reign of Christ and His Bride.

The time is now.

Don't wait for the trumpet to figure out how the Kingdom works. Learn now. Speak the language now. Walk in your authority now.

He’s preparing you today—for a tomorrow that is eternal.

So… think right. Talk right. Live ready. Awaken from the deadness of religion and fall in love again with your first love - rekindle that fire for His Presence.

"The Spirit and the Bride say, ‘Come!’"— Revelation 22:17

Blessings

M. Joseph Hutzler,

Eschatologist