Who is the bride of Christ?
Is it the Church or the New Jerusalem?
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Asked September 05 2014
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Richard Evans
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Singapore Moses
Who are called the Bride? Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb (Rev. 19:9) Many use this to teach that there are various classes of the redeemed: some being the bride part of the redeemed, some the guests, and some the servants; but this is a simple statement showing that all the redeemed are called to the marriage feast of the Lamb. All are inhabitants of the New Jerusalem and not just some of them. Therefore, all are a part of the bride, the Lamb's wife (Rev. 21:2,9-10). ➤ What Bride of Christ Is Not: 1. It is not Israel of Old Testament times. 2. It is not a part of the New Testament church. 3. It is not the whole New Testament church. 4. It is not the 144,000 Jews. 5. It is not the tribulation saints. 6. It is not any single individual or any one special group of individuals out of the redeemed. 7. It is not any one denomination or all the denominations combined. BUT ALL OF THE ABOVE collectively called as the Bride of Jesus. ➤ What the Bride of Christ Is: It is "that great city, the holy Jerusalem" (Rev. 21:2,9-10). This is what the angel pointed out to John when he promised to show him the bride, the Lamb's wife--the Holy City, the heavenly Jerusalem. What a simple revelation! All redeemed will live in the city: 1. The Old Testament saints were promised the New Jerusalem (Heb. 11:10-16). 2. The early church was promised the city (Jn. 14:1-3 Heb. 13:14). 3. Every Christian is promised the city (Rev. 3:12; Jn. 14:1-3 Heb. 12:23). 4. The 144,000 Jews will be there (Rev. 7:1-8; 12:5; 14:1-5). 5. The tribulation saints will go there (Rev. 6:9-11; 7:9-17; 15:2-4; 20:4-6). Therefore, we conclude that since all saints in the first resurrection (from Abel to the last one saved in the future tribulation) will go to live in the New Jerusalem that all such saints will be members of the bride. No one person, group of persons, denomination, mansion, temple or any other building can be called the city, the Lamb's wife. It takes all to be the city--the bride. It would be scriptural, however to say concerning the redeemed, that they are now married to Christ under the terms of the New Covenant, that they are citizens of heaven, that they have a hope of going to live in the New Jerusalem, and that because of this they expect to be a part of the bride of Christ or a part of the heavenly city. But no one is actually a part of the bride until he begins to live in the city, which is the bride, the Lamb's wife (Rev. 21:9-10).
cheryl richardson
The bible says there is but one body, or church, into which Jesus calls His end time people: The Bride of Christ. Rev. 19:7--This is the culmination of human history: the judgement of the wicked and the marriage feast of the Lamb and his bride, the church. The church consists of all faithful believers from all time. The bride's purity stands in stark contrast to the filth of the Notorious Prostitute of Ch. 17. Rev.19:7-9 Here the church is pictured as both the bride (19:7-8) and the guests invited to the wedding feast (19:9). As those given to Christ, we are the bride, as those called to be part of God's Kingdom, we are the invited guests. Rev. 21:9 Then one of the seven angels, who had emptied the flasks containing the seven last plagues, came and said to me, "Come with me and I will show you the bride, the Lamb's wife."
Rotimi EWEDEMI
The Bride of Christ is the body of spirit anointed Christians, who are also referred to as follows: 1. The Little flock, in Luke 12:32 2. The Saints of God, in Daniel 7:18, 21/22 3. The New Jerusalem, Revelation 21:2, 9 4. The secondary part of the asked of the Woman, Genesis 3:15; Romans 16:20; Revelation 12:17 5. ThecSecondary part of Abraham's Seed, Genesis 22:18; Galatians 3:16, 26-29 6. The Israel of God, Galatians 6:16 7. Spiritual Jews or Spiritual Israelites, Zechariah 8:23 They will rule as kings and Priests with Jesus in God's Kingdom...the government of God that will rule over the earth, having taken over the rulership from human governments, Daniel 2:44; Revelation 20:4-6; 1:5-6 8. The Church, or, the Congregation of the saints. These are the ones to be "raptured" or taken to heaven. The bible reveals their number, as 144,000. See Revelation 6:9-11; 5:9-10; 7:1-4; 14:1-4. Please note that Jesus has "other sheep" which are apart from the " little flock". These two are for Christ, and they constitute the great crowd which no man can number, of Revelation 7:9. they are associates of the Bride of Christ. They constitute "all the nations of the earth" tht will be blessed by God by means of "Abraham' s Seed Furthermore, they are the "all people, nations, and languages" that will serve Jesus, whose his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed (Daniel 7:14 KJV).
Salem Markus Purba
The bride of Christ is a parable of our relationship with God based on the love of each other, symbolyzed in a marriage that the bride belongs to the bridegroom (John 3: 29-30; 15: 15; Mathew 22: 34-40; Deuteronomy 6: 4-25). So, the bride of Christ is all of us the believers and the followers of Jesus Christ.
John Appelt
Many believe that the church is the “bride of Christ.” However, it is not in the Bible, even though Paul’s writings are used to support it. Ephesians 5:22-33 is one such passage, but the word “bride” is not found at all in it. What seems to be an emphasis on marriage, especially Paul’s reference to Genesis 2:24, is instead the head and body concept. The husband being the head of the wife is compared to Christ being the head of the church. It is about one flesh – the head and the body being one entity. This was the “mystery” or new truth Paul had revealed to him. Paul illustrated this by how a person is interested in the caring of his body and wanting the best for it. This is how the husband must love his own wife as his own body, just as how Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her. Christ desires to sanctify and cleanse His body, the church, that she be holy, without blemish. He nourishes and cherishes the church, His body. Christ as the head and the church as the body is emphasized in Ephesians 1:22, 4:15, and Colossians 1:18, 2:19. Another reference to the supposed “bride of Christ” is Romans 7:1-4. But this says believers are already joined or “married” to Christ, as the relationship with the law has ended like the death of a husband, making one free to remarry. Also 2 Corinthians 11:2 seems to support the “bride of Christ.” Paul is concerned that the believers might be led astray by false teachers. He as a “father” had betrothed them to one husband, that is Christ, to whom he hoped to present them as a chaste virgin. 2 Corinthians 11:3-6 affirms the concern that the believers might be deceived, led astray. These passages do not prove the church is the “bride of Christ.” So, who is the bride? She is definitely identified. In describing the marriage of the Lamb, Revelation 19:7–8, 21:2, shows the bride, the Lamb’s wife as the great city, the holy Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride, adorned for her husband. In Revelation 21:9–10, John is shown the bride, which is Jerusalem. She is very Jewish, Revelation 21:9–14, thus Israel. The Old Testament confirms this. Israel was once married to the LORD or Yahweh, and divorced, Jeremiah 3:14, 20, 31:32, Isaiah 54:5-6, 62:4-5, Hosea 2:15–18. God asked Israel to return to Him, Jeremiah 4:1. Israel, will become married/joined together in a new covenant with the Lord, Jeremiah 31:31-34, Hosea 3:4-5, Zechariah 8:7-8. Christ, the Lamb is the Lord God, Hebrews 1:8–10. This was the understanding of John the Baptist and the apostles, John 3:29, Matthew 9:15, Mark 2:19, Luke 5:34. Christ is the “bridegroom,” John and the apostles are the “friends of the bridegroom.” The church, not yet come into being, could not be the bride, so only Israel, the New Jerusalem, can be the bride.
Jack Gutknecht
"The church is called 'the bride' (Rev. 21:9; 22:17)," bible.org (EBD which stands for Easton's Bible Dictionary). Rev. 21:9 says, "Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues and spoke to me, saying, 'Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.'" And Revelation 22:17 says, "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 desires take the water of life without price."
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