A Call to Action for Churches and Intercessors

By John Abiola

_“Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to Him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife hath made herself ready.”-Revelation 19:7

This message is a little long but worth reading to the end. You would be glad you did.

The hour is late.
The announcement has already been made in heaven.
The marriage of the Lamb has come, and the Bride is being summoned to readiness.
This is not a symbolic season.
This is not a routine church moment.
This is a prophetic window of mercy before culmination.
The Church can no longer remain passive, distracted, or divided between eternal purpose and temporal comfort. Heaven is calling for a prepared Bride, not a busy institution; a praying Church, not a performing one; a holy people, not a popular movement.

To pastors, leaders, and shepherds:
This is the hour to shift emphasis from growth without depth to holiness with endurance; from platforms to prayer rooms; from motivational messages to repentance, discipleship, and eternal vision. The Bride must be prepared, not merely gathered.

To intercessors and watchmen:
Your assignment is critical. You are being summoned to stand in the gap for the Church, to contend for mercy, forgiveness, deliverance, and purification. This is not casual prayer. This is bridal intercession. Heaven is listening for those who will agree with Revelation 19:7–9 and labour until it is manifest on earth.

To churches and prayer movements:
Set apart time. Call solemn assemblies. Restore fasting. Rebuild the altar of prayer. Teach the fear of the Lord. Preach repentance with compassion. Call the Church back to Scripture, back to holiness, back to expectancy for the return of Christ.

This is a call to action:
To repent corporately, not defensively
To seek mercy before judgment
To pursue deliverance, not denial
To clothe ourselves in righteous acts, not religious language
To live and minister with the Marriage Supper of the Lamb in view
The Bride will not be made ready by activity alone, but by obedience, humility, repentance, and the washing of the Word. The oil must be restored to the lamps. The garments must be made clean and bright.
Intercessors, do not grow weary, faint, or distracted.
Churches, do not delay.
Leaders, do not soften the call.
The Holy Spirit is calling.
The Bride must respond.
“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.”

Now is the time.
Now is the response.
Now is the preparation.
Let the Spirit and the Church rise together and say with one voice:
Prepare us, Lord.
Cleanse us, Lord.
Clothe us, Lord.
Come, Lord Jesus.

INTERCESSION FOR THE CHURCH

Below is a long, earnest intercessory prayer for the revival, awakening, repentance, and restoration of the Church as the Bride, with written-out Scriptures woven into the prayer, focusing on preparation for the soon return of the Bridegroom.
This prayer may be used personally, corporately, or adapted for fasting, night watches, or solemn assemblies.

INTERCESSION
Father of mercy and compassion, Lord God Almighty,
We come before You clothed not in our own righteousness, but standing in desperate need of Your mercy. We acknowledge You as the righteous Judge and the faithful Bridegroom, and we bow our hearts before the truth of Your Word, which declares:
“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. 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. Then he said to me, ‘Write: Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’ And he said to me, ‘These are the true sayings of God.’”
Revelation 19:7–9

Heavenly, holy Father, before we speak of readiness, we first cry out for mercy. We come as the Church, not hiding, not excusing, not justifying ourselves. We come confessing that we have sinned against You in thought, word, deed, motive, doctrine, and practice. We acknowledge that without Your mercy we cannot stand, and without Your forgiveness the Bride cannot be prepared.

You are the God who declares, “I desire mercy and not sacrifice.” We appeal to that mercy now. Have mercy on Your Church, O God. Have mercy on leaders and congregations, on ministries and movements, on nations that bear Your name yet dishonour Your holiness. According to Your loving kindness, according to the multitude of Your tender mercies, blot out our transgressions.

We confess corporately the sins of pride, self-sufficiency, idolatry, ritualism, prayerlessness, unbelief, compromise, greed, sexual immorality, doctrinal distortion, neglect of the poor, neglect of the lost, and neglect of intimacy with You, in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. We confess that we have often loved the gifts more than the Giver, the Bride’s adornments more than the Bridegroom Himself. Forgive us, Lord, in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth.

Your Word declares, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” We stand on that promise now. Forgive us, not partially, but fully. Cleanse us, not outwardly only, but deep within our hearts, consciences, and desires.

Lord Jesus, Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, we plead the power of Your blood over the Church. Let the blood of the Lamb speak better things than condemnation. Deliver us from the guilt of sin, from the power of sin, and from the deception of sin. Break every stronghold that has entangled the Church, strongholds of fear-of -man, love of money, lust of the flesh, pride of life, and resistance to truth.

We ask not only for forgiveness, but for deliverance. Deliver the Church from secret sins practiced in darkness. Deliver us from generational patterns of compromise. Deliver us from false gospels that deny the cross, minimize repentance, and dull the urgency of Your return. Deliver us from spiritual blindness and hardness of heart.

Father, we acknowledge that the fine linen of the Bride is clean and bright, and that such purity cannot coexist with unrepented sin. Therefore, search us, O God, and know our hearts. Try us and know our thoughts. See if there is any wicked way in us, and lead us in the way everlasting. Remove every stain that disqualifies us from intimacy, every weight that hinders obedience, every sin that so easily ensnares.

We cry out for a spirit of repentance to be released across the Church worldwide, not shallow sorrow, but godly sorrow that produces true repentance leading to salvation. Let altars be restored with tears, humility, and brokenness. Let confession return to the Church, not as shame, but as healing.

Let righteousness flow again from forgiven hearts.
Lord, clothe us afresh, but first cleanse us thoroughly. Let no false covering remain. Let no unconfessed sin hide beneath religious language or outward success. Strip away every garment that did not come from You, and after forgiveness, clothe us in garments of salvation and robes of righteousness, that we may truly be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright.

Have mercy on us, O God, for the sake of Your great name. Do not give Your Bride over to judgment, but refine her through mercy. Restore what sin has damaged, what compromise has weakened, what neglect has broken. Heal the breaches in doctrine, holiness, love, and truth.

As we look toward the marriage of the Lamb, we acknowledge that only a forgiven, delivered, and sanctified Bride can rejoice at His coming. Therefore, prepare us through mercy. Preserve us through forgiveness. Transform us through deliverance.

And now, cleansed by the blood, restored by grace, and awakened by truth, we lift our eyes toward that appointed hour. Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb. We declare that the Church will not be disqualified by unrepented sin, but restored through mercy.

Seal this intercession, for these are the true sayings of God.
Let the Spirit and the forgiven, purified Bride say together:
Come, Lord Jesus.
In mercy, prepare us.
In forgiveness, clothe us.
In holiness, receive us.
In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth we pray. Amen.

A PROPHETIC INTERCESSION FOR THE REVIVAL, PURIFICATION, AND PREPARATION OF THE BRIDE OF CHRIST

“He who has the bride is the bridegroom… therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled.” — John 3:29

OPENING WORSHIP AND ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF GOD’S HOLINESS
Holy, righteous, and eternal Father,
We come before You in reverence and godly fear,
For “You are of purer eyes than to behold evil, and cannot look on wickedness” (Habakkuk 1:13).
You are the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,
The One who was, who is, and who is to come.
Lord Jesus Christ, our Bridegroom,
You walk in the midst of the lampstands;
Your eyes are like a flame of fire,
Your voice like the sound of many waters
(Revelation 1:12–15).
We bow before You, acknowledging that:
“You are worthy… for You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood” (Revelation 5:9).
CONFESSION OF THE SPIRITUAL DECLINE OF THE PRESENT CHURCH
Merciful Father, we confess on behalf of the Church of this generation:
We have left our first love.
We have grown comfortable, distracted, and prayerless.
We have tolerated compromise, carnality, and worldliness.
Your Word declares:
“Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works.” —Revelation 2:4–5
Lord, we repent for:
Loving pleasure more than God
Maintaining a form of godliness without power
Allowing entertainment to replace holiness
Allowing popularity to replace truth
Allowing convenience to replace obedience
As it is written:
“Having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away.” — 2 Timothy 3:5
CORPORATE REPENTANCE AND CRY FOR MERCY
O God of mercy,
We stand in the gap for the Bride, crying as Daniel cried:
“O Lord, righteousness belongs to You, but to us shame of face… because we have sinned against You.”
— Daniel 9:7–8
We confess the sins of:
False doctrine
A compromised gospel
Neglect of discipleship
Silence in the face of sin
Abandonment of the fear of the Lord
Your Word says:
“If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”— 2 Chronicles 7:14
Lord, we humble ourselves now.
Forgive us.
Cleanse us.
Restore us.
In the name of Jesus Christ.
PRAYER FOR CLEANSING AND SANCTIFICATION OF THE BRIDE
Lord Jesus, sanctify Your Church again.
Your Word declares:
“Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word.”
— Ephesians 5:25–26
Wash us from:
Secret sins
Hidden pride
Mixture and double-mindedness
Create in us clean hearts, O God,
And renew a steadfast spirit within us.
— Psalm 51:10
Let the Church once again be:
Without spot
Without wrinkle
Without blemish
That You may present her to Yourself:
“A glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.”
— Ephesians 5:27
RESTORATION TO BIBLICAL DOCTRINE, TRUTH, AND HOLINESS
Father, restore the Church to:
Sound doctrine
Apostolic teaching
Biblical standards
Godly values
For “the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine” — and that time is now.
— 2 Timothy 4:3
We cry out:
Return us to Your Word, O God!
“Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.”
— John 17:17
Let holiness once again be our beauty,
For “without holiness no one will see the Lord.”
— Hebrews 12:14
AWAKENING TO ETERNITY AND THE SOON RETURN OF THE BRIDEGROOM
Awaken the Church from spiritual slumber!
Your Word warns us:
“It is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.”
— Romans 13:11
Let the cry be heard again in the Church:
“Behold, the Bridegroom is coming; go out to meet Him!”
— Matthew 25:6
Give us oil in our lamps — the oil of:
Intimacy
Obedience
The Holy Spirit
Make us a wise-virgin Church, ready and watching,
For “Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching.”
— Luke 12:37
REVIVAL OF EVANGELISM, MISSIONS, AND DISCIPLESHIP
Lord of the harvest, revive Your mission in the Church.
Your command remains:
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations.”
— Matthew 28:19
Forgive us for:
Neglecting the lost
Focusing inward while souls perish
Abandoning sacrificial missions
Restore passion for the Gospel,
For “this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.”
— Matthew 24:14
Send labourers.
Send power.
Send boldness.
As it is written:
“How shall they hear without a preacher?”
— Romans 10:14
PRAYER FOR GENEROSITY, STEWARDSHIP, AND SACRIFICIAL GIVING
Father, purify the Church’s use of resources.
Deliver us from greed and self-indulgence.
Teach us eternal investment.
For “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
— Matthew 6:21
Let the Church give:
To the poor
To missions
To Gospel advancement
To where the need is greatest
As Your Word says:
“God loves a cheerful giver.”
— 2 Corinthians 9:7
PREPARATION FOR THE RAPTURE AND THE MARRIAGE SUPPER OF THE LAMB
Lord Jesus, prepare us for that glorious day!
For “the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout… and the dead in Christ will rise first.”
— 1 Thessalonians 4:16–17
Let us live daily with eternity in view,
Knowing that “our citizenship is in heaven, from which we eagerly wait for the Savior.”
— Philippians 3:20
We long for the Marriage Supper of the Lamb:
“Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb.”
— Revelation 19:9
Make us ready.
Make us faithful.
Make us pure.
FINAL CRY AND CONSECRATION
Father, we consecrate the Church anew.
Do not abandon us to judgment,
But revive us by Your Spirit.
“Will You not revive us again, that Your people may rejoice in You?”
— Psalm 85:6
Let revival begin in us.
Let holiness return to the altar.
Let the power and authority of the Holy Spirit return to the pulpit.
Let prayer and intercession return to the Church.
And with the Spirit and the Bride we cry:
“Even so, come, Lord Jesus!”
— Revelation 22:20
In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth we prayed.
Amen.
By Prophet John Abiola.