In this 3rd age of history,
The Lord birthed and nurtured His church,
A relational mystery,
Folks whose sins, by His death, were purged.
His love for ‘her’ is like a man’s love for his bride, his wife.
Paul used this analogy, husbandly love to urge. 1
Now, folks think the church will be His bride, in the afterlife!!!
Ummm. On this presumption, let’s do some Bible research.
Across the pages and ages of The Lord’s Holy Book,
There’s a pattern that, to attentive readers, is revealed.
By some readers, it’ll be dismissed, but by most, overlooked.
It’s about how knowledge and wisdom, to us, are unsealed.
Confirmed in two verses in Isaiah 28,
The Lord gives us this, His operational pattern:
That’s how we’ve accumulated, since The Garden of Eden,
The totality of our wisdom and knowledge, from The Lord,
‘In Whom all the treasures of knowledge and wisdom, are hidden.’
I don’t know about you, but by that insight, I’m truly awed!!! 3
History uncloaks this pattern, physically.
From when we lived in caves, to the modern era.
And The Bible reveals it, spiritually,
Since The Lord inspired Moses, to write The Torah.
Accordingly, insights revealed to latter O.T. prophets,
Were fuller and more detailed than those revealed much earlier.
In His life on Earth, Jesus was a prophet immaculate,
Sharing incredible insights, directly from His Father!
Later, Paul and John received Truths more detailed and profound,
Than all prophets since Moses!!!
Moreover, The Lord had promised many more Truths would abound,
As this current age closes! 4
Given this pattern, how should we understand the notion,
That folks call, ‘The Bride of Christ’?
Paul gave us his analogy, under The Spirit’s unction,
But John was much more precise!!!
At the end of his vision on the Island of Patmos,
John ‘saw’ The New Jerusalem, descending from Heaven.
Like a bride, dressed for her husband, GLOWING to the utmost!
‘Come, I’ll show you the bride, The Lamb’s wife’, an angel mentioned. 5
Say what?!?!
Yep, that’s the ONLY mention of The Bride of Christ you will find,
Anywhere in The Bible!!!
And it’s in the penultimate chapter, so keep that in mind.
Recall, ‘Here, there a little’??
It’s clear the angel’s remark, post-dates Paul’s analogy.
Thus, THIS is The Bible’s final insight on the matter. 6
The phrase, final insight, should spark your curiosity,
Since the word, ‘final’, infers the last one …of some others.
In a parable of virgins, preparing for a wedding,
Jesus allegorizes 10 virgins, with His church, beloved,
Of these bridegroom friends, set to bring their lamps to the wedding,
Only 5 had enough oil in their lamps, thus they were begrudged. 7
Conclusion
From The Lord’s allegory, and then Paul’s analogy,
And from the angel’s remark, we must derive:
1. Into The New Jerusalem, saints will bring our GLORY.
2. The Lord’s church is His friends! It is not His bride. 8
NB:
An analogy is a simple relationship between one thing and another.
An allegory is a narrative story with actors, actions, and events.
It's highly erroneous to assume an analogy IS the thing to which it's ...simply likened.
Not convinced due to errant traditional teachings.
Part 2 will help.
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2 See: Isaiah 28: 10 & 13.
3 See: Romans 11:33 and Colossians 2:1-3.
4 See: Joel 2:28-32 and Acts 2:17.
5 See: Revelation 21.
6 John’s vision was circa AD 95, about 30 years after Paul had been beheaded for his ardent faith.
7 See: Matthew 25:1-13.
8 See: Revelation 21:24-26. For more on the new, eternal Jerusalem, see: Consider The New Jerusalem, in What If? (Subsequent Creations).
