All posts tagged Christ our Bridegroom

Christ is our Bridegroom, a most pleasant person, who is making us His bride.

Jesus and New Jerusalem: “Out of Heaven”

The Lord Jesus told us multiple times that He came down out of heaven:
John 3:13, “No one has ascended into heaven, but He who descended out of heaven, the Son of Man…”
John 6:38, “I have come down from heaven not to do My own will but the will of Him who sent Me.”
John 6:51a, “I am the living bread which came down out of heaven.”

New JerusalemRevelation 21:2 says, ” I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride.” And 21:10, “He [the angel] carried me away in spirit onto a great and high mountain and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God,”

Both the Lord Jesus, the Bridegroom, and New Jerusalem, the bride, come down out of heaven. The two correspond to each other, as Eve corresponded to and complemented Adam in Genesis 2.

Eve is a strong contrast to the animals God created; among them “for Adam there was not found a helper as his counterpart” (Gen. 2:20). Eve was the complement to Adam because she came out of Adam. God built Eve with the rib He had taken out of Adam.

New Jerusalem comes out of heaven because it is composed of the life and nature of Christ imparted into us in His resurrection. First Corinthians 15:47-48 make a contrast, “The first man [Adam] is out of the earth, earthy; the second man [Christ] is out of heaven. As the earthy is, such are they also that are earthy; and as the heavenly is, such are they also that are heavenly.” As the heavenly new creatures, we compose the heavenly bride, New Jerusalem, which matches the heavenly Bridegroom, Jesus Christ.

Photo courtesy of pixabay.com.

 

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by Don on April 11, 2018  •  Permalink
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Posted by Don on April 11, 2018

https://newjerusalem12.wordpress.com/2018/04/11/jesus-and-new-jerusalem-out-of-heaven/

Holy and Without Blemish in Love

New JerusalemEphesians 5:27 tells us that Christ will “present the church to Himself glorious, not having spot or wrinkle or any such things, but that she would be holy and without blemish.” This church is His well-prepared bride, the forerunner of New Jerusalem.

Christ cares for the church, “cleansing her by the washing of the water in the word.” This corresponds with Revelation 21:2, “New Jerusalem…prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” His washing prepares the bride.

Also, we cooperate with Him. For example, holding to Him in love that His rich supply may flow out. This corresponds with Revelation 19:7, “the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” Our cooperation prepares the bride.

The result of both sides of this preparation, is the bride “holy and without blemish.” This matches Ephesians 1:4, God “chose us in Him before the foundation of the world to be holy and without blemish before Him in love.” Three phrases stand out:
holy, without blemish, in love.

The church becoming New Jerusalem, “the holy city,” as the bride of Christ must be fully holy to match the Bridegroom. The bride must also be without blemish to match the unblemished Bridegroom. Being completely holy and without blemish fulfills Matthew 5:48, “You therefore shall be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

Christians are the Father’s children, having the Father’s divine life and divine nature. Hence, they can be perfect as their Father is….The kingdom of the heavens is the highest demand, and the divine life of the Father is the highest supply to meet that demand.*

Love is the key for our perfecting, as part of “things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” (1 Cor. 2:9). To love God means to set our entire being absolutely on Him, that is, to let our entire being be occupied by Him and lost in Him, so that He becomes everything to us and we are one with Him practically in our daily life.º

Lord, keep us loving You every day from now to New Jerusalem!

* Part of the footnote on. Matt. 5:48       º Part of the footnote 3 on 1 Cor. 2:9
Both are in the Recovery Version Bible, © 2017 by Living Stream Ministry.

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by Don on April 4, 2018  •  Permalink
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Posted by Don on April 4, 2018

https://newjerusalem12.wordpress.com/2018/04/04/holy-and-without-blemish-in-love/

Out from Christ to be Presented to Christ

Genesis 2:21-22: “Jehovah God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh in its place. And Jehovah God built the rib, which He had taken from the man, into a woman and brought her to the man.” This first human couple is a picture of Christ and the church (Eph. 5:23-32) which consummates in Christ and New Jerusalem as the eternal marriage (Rev. 21:1–22:5).

New JerusalemPrior to the formation of Eve, God brought every living creature to Adam. “The man gave names to all cattle and to the birds of heaven and to every animal of the field, but for Adam there was not found a helper as his counterpart” (Gen. 2:20). No other creatures was a match for Adam.

But, when Eve was brought to Adam, “The man said, This time this is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; this one shall be called Woman because out of Man this one was taken. Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and shall cleave to his wife, and they shall become one flesh” (Gen. 2:23-24).

The inability of the creatures to match Adam, and the wonderful correspondence of Eve to Adam shows that only what came out of Adam matches him to be his counterpart. In the same way, only what comes out of Christ can match Him to be His counterpart/ companion/suitable helper*.

New Jerusalem is the bride, the wife of Jesus Christ. According to the pattern in Genesis 2, New Jerusalem should come out of Christ to be the proper match to be presented to Him.

For more about the church, the precursor of New Jerusalem, coming out of Christ to be presented to Christ, see chapter 2 in The Glorious Church by Watchman Nee. It can be freely downloaded from Bibles for America (English) or Rhema Literature (30 languages).

* Various translations in Gen. 2:20, thanks to Bible Hub.

Photo by Mary Hollinger, courtesy of U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

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by Don on March 23, 2018  •  Permalink
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Posted by Don on March 23, 2018

https://newjerusalem12.wordpress.com/2018/03/23/out-from-christ-to-be-presented-to-christ/

The Wedding Feast and New Jerusalem

This concludes a group of posts about New Jerusalem as the eternal marriage. A link to each post is presented. The primary verses are:

“Let us rejoice and exult, and let us give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” (Rev. 19:7)

“Blessed are they who are called to the marriage dinner of the Lamb.” (Rev. 19:9)

“I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” (Rev. 21:2)

“One of the seven angels…spoke with me, saying, Come here; I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb. And he…showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God.” (Rev. 21:9-10)

“At that time the kingdom of the heavens will be likened to ten virgins, who took their lamps and went forth to meet the bridegroom….The bridegroom came; and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast.” New Jerusalem(Matt. 25:1, 10)

New Jerusalem: the Unique Marriage
New Jerusalem: the Unique Marriage (2)

The Believers Together Are New Jerusalem

The Marriage Dinner of the Lamb
The Marriage Dinner of the Lamb (2)
The Marriage Dinner of the Lamb (3)
The Marriage Dinner of the Lamb (4)

Rejoice, the Marriage of the Lamb has Come

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by Don on February 14, 2018  •  Permalink
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Posted by Don on February 14, 2018

https://newjerusalem12.wordpress.com/2018/02/14/the-wedding-feast-and-new-jerusalem/

Rejoice, the Marriage of the Lamb has Come, and His Wife [New Jerusalem] is Ready

Recent posts are on the marriage and marriage dinner of the Lamb, Jesus Christ, and New Jerusalem as the bride, the wife of the Lamb (Rev. 19:7, 9; 21:2, 10). When the Lord returns, He will present the church to Himself as His glorious bride (Eph. 5:27).

New JerusalemA song (words + music) express the Lord’s and our longing for this wedding day. The first verse is:
__Lord, Thou wilt soon appear,
____Thy day is almost here.
__Oh, how we love Thy coming soon!
____We have no other
____Lord, life, or lover
__Than Thou, Lord Jesus, our Bridegroom!

With the eternal marriage in view, the Lord spoke of Himself as the Bridegroom in Matthew 9 and 25. To prepare us, He is our Lord to rule us, our Life to supply us, and our Lover to attract us.

Ephesians has many verses on love, and presents human marriage as a picture of the eternal marriage of New Jerusalem. Part of the second verse of the song says:
__Oh what an hour sweet
__When Bride and Bridegroom meet
__And love surpassing comprehend.
Looking forward to the day of His return, Ephesians ends, “Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ in incorruptibility.” Lord Jesus, we love You and are eager to see You return and to comprehend the surpassing love! This longing is expressed in the third verse of the song, “Soon we shall see Thy face! / Amen, Lord Jesus! Quickly come!”

The last verse of the song says, “Thou, our Lord Bridegroom, Thou / Soon wilt return to claim Thy Bride.” Then Revelation 19:7 will be fulfilled, “Let us rejoice and exult, and let us give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife [New Jerusalem] ]has made herself ready.”

Photo courtesy of pixabay.com.

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by Don on February 12, 2018  •  Permalink
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Posted by Don on February 12, 2018

https://newjerusalem12.wordpress.com/2018/02/12/rejoice-the-marriage-of-the-lamb-has-come-and-his-wife-new-jerusalem-is-ready/

The Marriage Dinner of the Lamb (3)

Revelation 19:9: “Blessed are they who are called to the marriage dinner of the Lamb.” This dinner will be a reward to the Lord’s faithful believers. This dinner is a foretaste of the eternal marriage of the Lamb, Jesus Christ, and His wife, New Jerusalem (Rev. 21:2, 9-10).

New JerusalemThis marriage dinner is presented in a parable in Matthew 25:1-13. The virgins who were ready went in but the virgins who were not ready were shut out. But were they shut out temporarily or forever? Only temporarily; they will be brought to New Jerusalem.

Jesus said, “I give to them eternal life, and they shall by no means perish forever, and no one shall snatch them out of My hand. My Father…is greater than all, and no one can snatch them out of My Father’s hand” (John 10:28-29).

And Jesus promised: “Him who comes to Me I shall by no means cast out” (John 6:37); “I shall by no means give you up, neither by any means shall I abandon you” (Heb. 13:5). The Lord’s promises here are unconditional. “By no means,” that is, under no circumstances whatever, will He ever cast us out or cease to uphold us. These are His faithful promises. This eternal promise endures unto New Jerusalem.

The prior post shows that the five foolish virgins are believers. The verses above show that they are eternally secure.* “No one,” including the devil and the foolish virgins themselves, can snatch them out of the Lord’s hand. And He will never give us up despite our foolishness. However, such believers should expect discipline from the Lord and the Father (Heb. 12:5-11).

The discipline will seem to be a matter of grief (12:11), but eventually these believers will be prepared and will partake of our Father God’s holiness (12:10) and match the holy city, New Jerusalem.

* For more, see The Assurance, Security, and Joy of Salvation or read online

Photo courtesy of U.S. National Park Service.

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by Don on February 7, 2018  •  Permalink
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Posted by Don on February 7, 2018

https://newjerusalem12.wordpress.com/2018/02/07/the-marriage-dinner-of-the-lamb-3/

The Marriage Dinner of the Lamb (2)

Revelation 19:7, 9: “Let us rejoice and exult, and let us give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife [New Jerusalem – 21:9-10] has made herself ready….Blessed are they who are called to the marriage dinner of the Lamb.”

The marriage dinner is a blessing, a reward, to believers who have lived faithful to the Lord. It is a foretaste of the eternal blessings of New Jerusalem. These believers have been and will continue to rejoice and exult and give the glory to the Lamb.

New JerusalemThe parable in Matthew 25:1-13 speaks about the faithful believers participating in the marriage dinner. “The bridegroom [a picture of Jesus Christ] came; and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast” (v. 10). Five others, who were unprepared, did not get into the feast.

Many would say that those who were unprepared were not believers, they were unsaved. Actually, they are saved believers.They are spiritual “virgins,” which unsaved people are not.

Their lamps were lit, although “going out.” These lit lamps typify their human spirit, regenerated by the divine Spirit. “The spirit of man is the lamp of Jehovah” (Prov. 20:27). They have oil, portraying the Spirit, in their lamps, but did not take extra oil in their vessels.

These unprepared believers during their lifetime “went forth to meet the bridegroom.” All, prepared and unprepared, arose at the cry, “Behold, the bridegroom! Go forth to meet him!” In contrast, John 5:29 shows us there will be two different resurrections for the dead, one for believers and one for unbelievers.

When the Lord says to the unprepared, “I do not know you” it means I do not approve you, as in Matthew 7:23. The next post considers these unprepared believers regarding New Jerusalem.

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by Don on February 5, 2018  •  Permalink
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Posted by Don on February 5, 2018

https://newjerusalem12.wordpress.com/2018/02/05/the-marriage-dinner-of-the-lamb-2/

The Marriage Dinner of the Lamb

Revelation 21:2 says, “I [John] saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.”

Then John told us, “One of the seven angels…spoke with me, saying, Come here; I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb. And he carried me away in spirit onto a great and high mountain and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God” (21:9-10).

The vision of New Jerusalem was after the Lord’s victory (Rev. 19:11-210, after the kingdom in resurrection (20:4-6), and after the last judgments (Rev. 20:7-15). However, prior to these, there are declarations about the marriage of the Lamb in 19:7, 9:

New Jerusalem“Let us rejoice and exult, and let us give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.”

“Blessed are they who are called to the marriage dinner of the Lamb.”

This dinner is a blessing, a reward, to believers who have lived faithful to the Lord’s interests. It is a foretaste of the eternal blessings of New Jerusalem. Surely they will rejoice and exult and give the glory to the Lamb.

In human culture, a marriage celebration, including a marriage dinner, is often one day. Yet, “with the Lord one day is like a thousand years and a thousand years like one day” (2 Peter 3:8). Thus, the marriage dinner of the Lamb is both one day and a thousand years (Rev. 20:4-6). During this time Satan will be bound, making everything peaceful (20:2-3, 7).

Finally New Jerusalem will come out of heaven, the eternal wife of the Lamb, Jesus Christ.

Bible verses are quoted from The Holy Bible, Recovery Version, published and © by Living Stream Ministry, Anaheim CA, 2003. The New Testament of this Bible, with its outlines, footnotes, and cross-references, is at online.recoveryversion.org; this too is © by LSM.

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by Don on February 2, 2018  •  Permalink
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Posted by Don on February 2, 2018

https://newjerusalem12.wordpress.com/2018/02/02/the-marriage-dinner-of-the-lamb/

The Believers Together Are New Jerusalem

In Revelation 21:2 New Jerusalem is “prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” In 21:9 the angel says, “I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb” and in 21:10 he shows “the holy city, Jerusalem.”

In 2 Corinthians 11 we, the believers, are engaged to Christ. In Ephesians 5, in the context of husbands and wives, we, the church, are being prepared to be presented to Christ. In Revelation 22:17 we are the bride speaking one with the Spirit. All the believers together, the one universal church, are the bride to be the wife of the Lamb.

New JerusalemIn Isaiah 54:5, Jeremiah 3:14, 31:32, and other verses, God declares that He is the Husband. In Ephesians 5 Christ is the Husband, and in Revelation 21 the redeeming and enthroned Lamb is the Husband.

Since this bride, this wife, is New Jerusalem, we corporately are New Jerusalem!! New Jerusalem is not a place we go to; we are the city! Since we are the city, where does that put Jesus Christ? He too is the city!

In John 14:20 He told us that in resurrection He is in us and we are in Him. Developing this fact, many verses in the epistles speak of “Christ in us” and we “in Christ.” The eternal consummation is that we are New Jerusalem in Christ Jesus. He and we coinhering are the eternal city! New Jerusalem is a married couple!

The portion above answers, “Who is New Jerusalem?” A related answer is in “Where is New Jerusalem?”

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by Don on January 31, 2018  •  Permalink
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Posted by Don on January 31, 2018

https://newjerusalem12.wordpress.com/2018/01/31/the-believers-together-are-new-jerusalem/

New Jerusalem: the Unique Marriage (2)

John told us, “One of the seven angels…spoke with me, saying, Come here; I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb. And he carried me away in spirit onto a great and high mountain and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God” (Rev. 21:9-10).

The Lamb, Jesus Christ, and the bride, New Jerusalem, have the unique marriage. Other marriages are a shadow of this one, just as positive people, things, and events in the Bible are shadows of Christ or our relationship with Him (Col. 2:16-17).

New JerusalemThis unique marriage is presented in John 3:29-30. John the Baptist, responding to a question about Christ, said “He who has the bride is the bridegroom;….He [Christ] must increase, but I must decrease.” The increase in verse 30 is the bride in verse 29, composed of all who have received eternal life (3:15-16).

The unique marriage is also touched in 2 Corinthians 11:2. “I am jealous over you with a jealousy of God; for I betrothed you to one husband to present you as a pure virgin to Christ.” Here Paul considers the believers in Corinth as one virgin engaged to Christ.

The fuller presentation of the unique marriage is in Ephesians 5:23-32. Human marriage is a picture of the marriage of Christ and the church. This is a “great mystery.” Christ gave Himself for the church in His death (v. 25), now He is sanctifying her by the washing of water in His living word (v. 26), and He will present her to Himself glorious when He returns (v. 27).

Eternal life in John 3, Paul’s labor in 2 Corinthians, and the Lord’s actions in Ephesians 5 all point toward New Jerusalem, the marriage of Jesus Christ and His believers, beginning with the wedding feast in Revelation 19.

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by Don on January 29, 2018  •  Permalink
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Posted by Don on January 29, 2018

https://newjerusalem12.wordpress.com/2018/01/29/new-jerusalem-the-unique-marriage-2/

We Are God’s City

New JerusalemThis blog often writes about New Jerusalem being a living composition of God with His people, not a physical city.

The simplest proof of this is in Revelation 21. “I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband” (v. 2). The Husband, Jesus Christ, is a living person, and the bride is a corporate living person to match Him.

“Come here; I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb….And he carried me away in spirit onto great and high mountain and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem” (v. 9-10). Again, there is a living Husband, the Lamb, and a corporate living bride, the wife of the Lamb. The city, New Jerusalem, is a corporate person.

Matthew 5:14 has the same thought. “You are the light of the world. It is impossible for a city situated upon a mountain to be hidden.” Here the Lord Jesus describes all His disciples (v. 1) as the light of the world. This same description, that we are the light, is in Ephesians 5:8 and Philippians 2:15. Of course, we are not light in ourselves, but we are the light because He is the light in us, shining through us.

The Lord then likens the disciples, a corporate light, to a city. The shining city on a mountain portrays the disciples. The thought here, at the start of the New Testament, matches the thought at the end of the New Testament—a city depicts God’s corporate people. This is New Jerusalem—all God’s people, filled with His fullness and glorifying Him (Eph. 3:19, 21).

Photo courtesy of pixabay.com.

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by Don on August 16, 2017  •  Permalink
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Posted by Don on August 16, 2017

https://newjerusalem12.wordpress.com/2017/08/16/we-are-gods-city/

Wonderful Jesus Christ in Revelation 21

Revelation 21 presents the new creation with New Jerusalem as its outstanding feature. In verse 2 John tells us, “I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.”

Jesus Christ is the real Husband in the universe and New Jerusalem is the wife. This likeness is in Ephesians 5:23, “a husband is head of the wife as also Christ is Head of the church.” Jesus described Himself as the real Bridegroom in parables in Matthew 9:14-17 and 25:1-13. And John the Baptist referred to Him s the Bridegroom in John 3:29.

New JerusalemOn one hand, we are responsible to prepare ourselves for the wedding day. An example is our need to have much oil in our lamps, signifying the Spirit filling our being, as in Matthew 25. On the other hand, Jesus Christ prepares us first by His redemption and now by His life in us. Both are presented in Ephesians 5:25-27.

Revelation 21:4 says, “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and death will be no more, nor will there be sorrow or crying or pain anymore; for the former things have passed away.” The wiping of tears, and the absence of sorrow, crying, and pain correspond to the Lamb’s care in Revelation 7.

Death will be no more because of “our Savior Christ Jesus, who nullified death and brought life and incorruption to light through the gospel” (2 Tim. 1:10).

In 21:5 He is sitting on the throne and He tells us, “Behold, I make all things new. And He said, Write, for these words are faithful and true.” His making all new is seen in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.”

The words He speaks are faithful and true because He Himself is Faithful and True (Rev. 3:14, 19:11). These few verses show that so many characteristics of Jesus Christ today match what He is in New Jerusalem, and are our path from today unto New Jerusalem.

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by Don on March 13, 2017  •  Permalink
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Posted by Don on March 13, 2017

https://newjerusalem12.wordpress.com/2017/03/13/wonderful-jesus-christ-in-revelation-21/

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