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Appendix NineThe Church As The Bride Of ChristJesus, the Church, and individual believers are described by several symbolic figures in the New Testament. -Jesus is the Great Shepherd and we are the sheep (John 10:118). -He is the True Vine and we are the branches (John 15:1). -We are living stones built into a house which is a habitation for God, of which Christ Jesus is the cornerstone (1 Peter 2:47). -Jesus is a merchant who finds and buys a single pearl of great price--His Bride (Matthew13:45). -Jesus is Great High Priest over the household of faith (Hebrews 4:1416). -Jesus is the Head of the Church and we are His Body (1 Corinthians 12:1214). -Believers are the Bride of Christ and Jesus is the Bridegroom (Revelation 21:9).The Song of Songs portrays the Church and individual believers as the spiritual Bride of Christ. The sequence of events that will unite believers with their Bridegroom are mirrored in the natural analogy of traditional Jewish marriage customs.THE SELECTION OF A BRIDEIn Jewish culture:The groom's father makes and approves the choice of the bride. Spiritual analogy: Jesus is the Bridegroom. The Church is the Bride. The Father made and approved the choice. THE BRIDE PRICEIn Jewish culture:The bridegroom paid a bride price, set by the father of the bride, demonstrating his love and commitment to the bride.Spiritual analogy:Jesus paid the price for His Bride with His blood on the cross of Calvary, a price set by the Heavenly Father (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).THE GROOM’S PROMISEIn Jewish culture:The groom makes a covenant or legal contract. A cup of wine is drunk to seal the covenant. He gives the bride-to-be a ring as a seal of his promise. The groom declares that he will come to claim his bride soon.Spiritual analogy: At the last supper, Jesus drank wine symbolizing the New Covenant and the redemption of His Bride. Jesus gave us the Holy Spirit as a seal of His promise. Jesus declared that He will come soon to take His Bride away with Him (Jeremiah 31:31; Matthew 26:2729; 1 Corinthians 6:20; John 14:23).THE BRIDE IS SET APARTIn Jewish culture:Once betrothed to the groom, the bride is set apart exclusively for him. She wears a veil, showing she belongs only to the groom. Before the wedding, the bride takes a ceremonial bath symbolizing leaving her old life behind.Spiritual analogy:Christ has set His Bride apart for Himself (2 Corinthians 11:2). Through the act of water baptism, we symbolically leave the old life behind and embrace a new life with Christ.THE GROOM PREPARES A PLACE FOR HIS BRIDEIn Jewish culture:The groom departs to prepare a bridal chamber and a new home for his bride. He works on it until it meets the approval of his father, then the father gives him permission to go for his bride.Spiritual analogy:Jesus said He was going to prepare a place for us (John 14). The Father will let Jesus know when it is time to return for His Bride (Mark 13:3233).THE BRIDE WAITSIn Jewish culture:While the bridegroom is preparing the new place, the bride waits. She prepares her wedding garments and gets ready for her move. She was to be prepared at all times, because she didn't know when the bridegroom would return for her. Spiritual analogy:We must commit ourselves only to Christ while we wait for His return. We must prepare to go to our new home and make sure our wedding garments are ready. We must be ready at all times because we do not know when our Bridegroom will return for us (2 Corinthians 11:2; Luke 19:13; 1 Corinthians 13:1; Luke 12:40). We also must be sure not to run out of the oil of the Holy Spirit as we wait for His return (Matthew 25:113). THE ATTENDANTSIn Jewish culture:The bridesmaids were unmarried friends who attended the bride and provided light for the groom to come and fetch his bride at night. The groomsmen prepared the way for the groom.Spiritual analogy:John the Baptist is a type of a best man, preparing the way for the Bridegroom (John 10:28). As believers, we should prepare the way for the Lord’s return through our ministry to others. THE BRIDEGROOM COMES FOR HIS BRIDEIn Jewish culture:The groom left his father’s house to go for his bride. The groomsmen would run ahead of him and shout that he was coming. The groom would claim his bride and they would return to his father’s house to party with the friends waiting there for them. Spiritual analogy:Jesus will return for His Bride. We should “run ahead of Him” and shout that He is coming soon! When Jesus comes to claim His Bride, we will return to the Father’s house where loved ones who have gone before will be waiting for us and the party begins (1 Thessalonians 4:1617; 5:15). THE MARRIAGE SUPPERIn Jewish culture:The bride and her bridegroom share a meal.Spiritual analogy:The Bride of Christ will share a meal at the marriage supper of the Lamb. This was planned by God and described by the Prophet Isaiah nearly 700 years BC (Isaiah 25:69). The universality of God’s invitation for all men to come to this supper is given in Matthew 22:1-14. The supper is described in Revelation 19:6-9. Ray Stedman, in his commentary on Revelation, notes:"It is a great honor to be invited to a wedding feast. It is a feast to which the entire human race is invitedbut only a fraction of the human race will attend. The invitation is the gospel, and the gospel has gone out to all men and women everywhere, in every age of history. Some accept the invitation. Some reject it....The Spirit of God has been calling men and women throughout the centuries, from Old Testament times through our own New Testament era and on into the future, even in the tribulation period. The invitation goes out to everyone: 'Come to the marriage feast of the Lamb!' What a privilege that will be, to see the Bridegroom face to face, to be a member of His beloved Bride, to share in the intimacy of fellowship with the Lord Jesus!" (Ray C. Stedman, God's Final Word, Discovery House 1991).THE BRIDAL CHAMBERIn Jewish culture:The bride and groom enter the bridal chamber where the marriage is consummated. Afterwards, the guests celebrate for seven days.Spiritual analogy:We will enter the heavenly bridal chamber to consummate our relationship with Jesus at the marriage supper of the Lamb. Some compare the seven days in the bridal chamber to the seven-year tribulation occurring on earth during which the Bride of Christ will be in Heaven (John 3:29; Revelation 19:78). MARRIED LIFE BEGINSIn Jewish culture:The new couple goes to their new home at the father’s house.Spiritual analogy:We will go to the Father’s house for the marriage supper, then we will dwell with our Bridegroom forever in the new heaven and earth (Revelation 20:16). ................
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