All posts tagged Christ our Bridegroom

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

New Jerusalem is Spiritual, not Physical

New Jerusalem

 

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

Revelation 21:9 – “One of the seven angel…spoke with me, saying, Come here; I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.

Christ is the Lamb and New Jerusalem is the bride, the wife.

New Jerusalem is a corporate, living person.

Photo courtesy of pexels.com.

Bible verses quoted in these posts are from The Holy Bible, Recovery Version, published and © by Living Stream Ministry, Anaheim CA, 2003. The text of this Bible is at text.recoveryversion.bible; this too is © by LSM.

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by Don on January 1, 2024  •  Permalink
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Posted by Don on January 1, 2024

https://newjerusalem12.wordpress.com/2024/01/01/new-jerusalem-is-spiritual-not-physical-2/

The Unique Eternal Marriage

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

John also records, “One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and 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 bride, the wife of the Lamb, is the holy city, New Jerusalem. This is the unique eternal marriage. New Jerusalem is the holy city and it is a city in resurrection. All God’s children have grown to maturity in His resurrection life and are part of this city.

In Matthew 22 the Lord Jesus answered the Sadducees’ question about marriages in resurrection. He said, “For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven” (22:30, also Mark 12:25, Luke 20:36). Since there are no human marriages in resurrection, the Lamb and New Jerusalem are the unique, eternal marriage.

Furthermore, since New Jerusalem is the wife of the Lamb, it is clear that New Jerusalem is a living city in resurrection; it is not a physical city!

Photo courtesy of Burning Well.

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by Don on September 21, 2022  •  Permalink
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Posted by Don on September 21, 2022

https://newjerusalem12.wordpress.com/2022/09/21/the-unique-eternal-marriage/

Jesus the Bridegroom, New Jerusalem the Bride (3)

In John 3 the Lord Jesus is the Bridegroom (v. 26-30). “He must increase.” This increase is part of John the Baptists response to his disciples comment that “all are coming to Him [to Jesus].” This increase is the regenerated believers who have the eternal life (v. 5-6, 15-16).

New JerusalemIn Ephesians 5 Christ loved the church, gave Himself for her, is sanctifying her now, and will present her to Himself glorious. The church here is the building together in life of all the believers in John 3. The church is His Body and He is the Head (Eph. 1:22-23).

The word “church” is often used in Acts and the Epistles. It is also common in Revelation chapters 1–3. After that it appears only once, in Revelation 22:16 “I Jesus have sent My angel to testify to you these things for the churches.” After Revelation 3, what happened to the church?

The church, the living Body of Christ, is consummated in New Jerusalem. This city is mentioned in Galatians 4:26 and Hebrews 11:10. It appears once in Revelation 3 and then is the focus of Revelation 21–22. New Jerusalem is the conclusion of God’s revelation; it comes forth as a result of God’s will, God’s purpose, and God’s good pleasure.

This living city is also the consummation of the preparation of the bride in Ephesians 5. That preparation, by the Lord working in us, makes the bride glorious and this glory ultimately shines through New Jerusalem (Rev. 21:9-11).

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by Don on January 10, 2022  •  Permalink
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Posted by Don on January 10, 2022

https://newjerusalem12.wordpress.com/2022/01/10/jesus-the-bridegroom-new-jerusalem-the-bride-3/

Jesus the Bridegroom, New Jerusalem the Bride (2)

In Revelation 21:2 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.” The preparation of New Jerusalem as the bride of Christ began during the Lord’s ministry on earth.

Ephesians 5:25-27 describes three steps of this preparation. “Husbands, love your wives even as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her that He might sanctify her, cleansing her by the washing of the water in the word, that He might present the church to Himself glorious, not having spot or wrinkle or any such things, but that she would be holy and without blemish.”

New JerusalemFirst, in verse 25, Christ “gave Himself up” on the cross to redeem the church as His wife. Following this, in His resurrection He regenerated all the members of the church (1 Peter 1:3) so that He as the eternal life could be in each one.

By this inner life the second step of preparation is now taking place. Verse 26 says that “He might sanctify her, cleansing her by the washing of the water in the word.” This is an inward, experiential sanctification by the washing away of our old, fallen nature and the flowing in of His new nature.

Third, verse 27 says that Christ will “present the church to Himself glorious…holy and without blemish.” The church today is being sanctified and will be glorified at the Lord’s return to be consummated as the holy city New Jerusalem, “the bride, the wife of the Lamb” (Rev. 21:9-10).

Photo courtesy of pixabay.com.

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by Don on January 7, 2022  •  Permalink
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Posted by Don on January 7, 2022

https://newjerusalem12.wordpress.com/2022/01/07/jesus-the-bridegroom-new-jerusalem-the-bride-2/

Ten Virgins Went Forth to Meet the Bridegroom

New Jerusalem is a living city, “the bride, the wife of the Lamb” Jesus Christ (Rev. 21:9-10).

In Matthew 25:1-13 a parable spoken by the Lord begins, “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.” Based on the Lord’s speaking in the second half of Matthew 24, “At that time” is when the Lord comes visibly to earth as lightning.

Among the “ten virgins, who took their lamps and went forth to meet the bridegroom” five are wise and five are foolish. Some Bible readers interpret this as five are saved, believers and five are unsaved, unbelievers. However, this does not correspond to the context of this parable.

New JerusalemAll ten are virgins. All ten went forth to meet the Bridegroom, Christ. All ten took their lamps, their regenerated human spirit (Prov. 20:27). All ten fell asleep, a word often used to describe the physical death of believers in Christ (John 11:11, 13; 1 Thes. 4:13-16). All ten arose together (were resurrected) at the same time. All are believers in Christ.

The only difference between the five wise and the five foolish is that the foolish “did not take oil with them; but the prudent took oil in their vessels with their lamps” (Matt. 25:3-4). The “vessel” is not the human spirit but is “with the lamp.” The “vessel” portrays our soul.

We prepare for the Lord’s return by first believing into Him and then by filling our vessels with oil, the Spirit. This is Ephesians 4:23, “be renewed in the spirit of your mind,” and Romans 12:2, “be transformed by the renewing of the mind.”

May we all open to the Lord daily to be filled so that our lamps can shine with much oil in our vessels!

Photo courtesy of US Bureau of Land Management.

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by Don on January 5, 2022  •  Permalink
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Posted by Don on January 5, 2022

https://newjerusalem12.wordpress.com/2022/01/05/ten-virgins-went-forth-to-meet-the-bridegroom/

Jesus the Bridegroom, New Jerusalem the Bride

New JerusalemRevelation 21:2 and 10 describe New Jerusalem as the bride, the wife, of the Lamb. The Lamb, as declared by John the Baptist in John 1:29, is Jesus Christ. And He will still be the Lamb in New Jerusalem (Rev. 22:1).

Both Matthew and John mention Jesus Christ as the Bridegroom. In Matthew 9:15 the Lord answers the Pharisees by likening Himself to a Bridegroom and His disciples to “sons of the bridechamber.” The same is in Mark 2:19-20 and Luke 5:34-35.

In Matthew 25:1-13 the Lord tells a parable about ten virgins who go forth to meet the bridegroom. All ten virgins fell asleep while waiting. Later the Bridegroom came and those who were ready went in with Him to the wedding feast. This parable encourages us to be prepared for His coming. He will come as the Bridegroom!

In John 3 the disciples of John the Baptist asked him about Jesus. His answer in part is “He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices with joy because of the bridegroom’s voice….” (v. 29). As in Matthew the word Bridegroom is specifically in reference to Jesus.

When the Lord returns, when He comes as the awaited Bridegroom, there is much rejoicing and the declaration “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). This will be the beginning of the wedding feast. Let us be ready.

Photo courtesy of pixabay.com.

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

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by Don on January 3, 2022  •  Permalink
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Posted by Don on January 3, 2022

https://newjerusalem12.wordpress.com/2022/01/03/jesus-the-bridegroom-new-jerusalem-the-bride/

New Jerusalem is the Wife of Jesus Christ

New Jerusalem

 

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

Revelation 21:9b-10a, “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.

Hence, New Jerusalem is a living organism, not a physical city.

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by Don on December 31, 2021  •  Permalink
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Posted by Don on December 31, 2021

https://newjerusalem12.wordpress.com/2021/12/31/new-jerusalem-is-the-wife-of-jesus-christ-3/

New Jerusalem: the Bride, the Wife of the Lamb

Revelation 21:9-10, “one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and 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.”

The New Jerusalem is also the bride, the wife of Christ as the Lamb (Rev. 21:9). The city becomes a woman, a female. The bride is a virgin, and the wife is a married one. The New Jerusalem is both a virgin and also a married wife. The New Jerusalem is Christ’s wife, and Christ is the embodiment of God. Therefore, this New Jerusalem, on the one hand, is God’s dwelling and, on the other hand, is Christ’s counterpart.*

The Lamb is Jesus Christ, as John the Baptist declared when he saw Jesus, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). In New Jerusalem the Lamb is on the throne (Rev. 22:1).

The fact that New Jerusalem is the wife of Jesus Christ is the strongest proof that New Jerusalem is not a physical city. Jesus Christ will marry a living corporate person, the consummation of His bringing forth and perfecting the church to present to Himself (Eph. 5:25-27).

* This is the eighth of a series with quotes from chapter 28 of The Central Line of the Divine Revelation by Witness Lee, copyright by Living Stream Ministry.

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by Don on July 30, 2021  •  Permalink
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Posted by Don on July 30, 2021

https://newjerusalem12.wordpress.com/2021/07/30/new-jerusalem-the-bride-the-wife-of-the-lamb/

New Jerusalem: the Union of God, Heaven, and Man

This is a summary of posts with excerpts from The Way for a Christian to Mature in Life, chapter 4, based on spoken messages by Witness Lee, © Living Stream Ministry, used with permission. Posts last year from chapter 3 of the same book are at Growth, Transformation for New Jerusalem.

New Jerusalem

Here is a one sentence highlight from each post, in the order published. Each sentence begins with a link and is followed by a key verse (or verses). The focus is that New Jerusalem is the ultimate issue of the building up of the church today as a heavenly divine-human entity and that this building process is by the growth of the divine life in all the believers.

New Jerusalem is a city, the bride of Christ, and God’s habitation. Revelation 21:2-3
Both the Lord and the believers are living stones for building New Jerusalem. 1 Peter 2:4-5
We are being built as a habitation of God in spirit; Jesus Christ is the Cornerstone. Eph. 2:20-22

God’s life, growing in us, brings forth God’s building. Ephesians 4:15-16
God’s “good pleasure, which He purposed in Himself” is to build us together in Himself. Eph. 1:9
The Bible is our journey with God from the garden of Eden to New Jerusalem. Genesis 2; Rev. 21

Jesus Christ brings us God’s life which constitutes us to be New Jerusalem, His bride. Rev. 21:9-10
We are being built together today in the preparation of New Jerusalem. 1 Peter 2:4-5
New Jerusalem is a mingling of God and man; it is heavenly yet on the new earth. Revelation 21:2

The Spirit gradually transforms us into the Lord’s glorious image. Romans 12:2; 2 Corinthians 3:18
To cooperate with the Spirit’s transformation we turn our heart to the Lord. 2 Corinthians 3:16
The Lord is the Light; mingled with Him, we become “sons of light” now. 1 Thessalonians 5:5

The Christian life is a race we run with the Lord’s endurance. Hebrews 10:36
We set our mind on the things above to sense God’s presence with us. Colossians 3:1-2
We are transformed from natural men of clay to precious stones for New Jerusalem. Rev. 21:11

The church, God’s house today, is being enlarged to God’s eternal dwelling. 1 Timothy 3:15
New Jerusalem is the unique goal of all God’s work through the ages. Matthew 6:22
In God’s eternal view, He has already “prepared a city” for the people of faith. Hebrews 11:16

We look away to the unseen eternal things to be renewed with the eternal glory. 2 Cor. 4:16-18
We grow unto maturity in the Lord’s life by holding to Him. Colossians 2:19; Hebrews 6:1
Growth in God’s life and God’s building are always linked together. Ephesians 4:15-16

The way to grow unto maturity is to deny our self and allow God to work within us. Matt. 16:18, 24
We pay the price to mature by letting the peace of Christ arbitrate in our hearts. Colossians 3:15
If we let God work us, we will grow to maturity, and ultimately be the New Jerusalem. Phil. 2:13

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by Don on May 19, 2021  •  Permalink
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Posted by Don on May 19, 2021

https://newjerusalem12.wordpress.com/2021/05/19/new-jerusalem-the-union-of-god-heaven-and-man/

Our Maker is Our Husband

In Isaiah 54:5 we read, “Your Maker is your Husband; Jehovah of hosts is His name. And the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; He is called the God of all the earth.” This word is spoken specifically to Israel in promise of their full restoration in the coming kingdom age.

New Jerusalem

This verse also applies to all the New Testament believers. God is our God, our Maker, and our Redeemer. And New Jerusalem will be “the bride, the wife of the Lamb” (Rev. 21:9). Even before the Lord Jesus returns visibly, “the Spirit and the bride” speak together, as recorded in Revelation 22:17.

The Lord as our Husband and all His people as His corporate wife is portrayed in Genesis 2 with Adam and Eve, touched in several Old Testament books, and presented clearly in John 3 and Ephesians 5. Much more is in the posts at The Divine-Human Romance thru the Bible.

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

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by Don on March 1, 2021  •  Permalink
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Posted by Don on March 1, 2021

https://newjerusalem12.wordpress.com/2021/03/01/our-maker-is-our-husband/

New Jerusalem, the Bride of Christ

Revelation 21:9-10 records that an angel spoke to John, “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.”

New Jerusalem[New Jerusalem] is also called the bride (vv. 9-10)….The first bride, Eve, was a part of her husband. She came out of Adam (Gen. 2:21-24); therefore, she was his counterpart. Even so, the church must be a part of Christ (Eph. 5:30-32). A bride also speaks of love and oneness. The husband loves the bride, and the bride loves her husband. She is united in oneness with her husband. Such oneness is not only a matter of love but also a matter of life.*

Romans 12:5, “we who are many are one Body in Christ” and Ephesians 5:30, “we are members of His Body.” This is the church in Christ, part of Him, to be His counterpart as Eve to Adam. This is the spiritual reality today and how much more of New Jerusalem.

We can love our Husband, Christ because “We love because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19). His love supplies us to love and His life maintains us in oneness. This is true in the church and also in New Jerusalem.

* Excerpt from The Vision of God’s Building by Witness Lee, chapter 17, © LSM

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by Don on October 14, 2020  •  Permalink
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Posted by Don on October 14, 2020

https://newjerusalem12.wordpress.com/2020/10/14/characteristics-of-new-jerusalem-3/

New Jerusalem: Dwelling Place and Bride

New JerusalemRevelation 21:2, “I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” The city is the bride and the Husband is Jesus Christ. This is the culmination of His redeeming and sanctifying the church “that He might present the church to Himself glorious” (Eph. 5:25-27).

The glorious church, the predecessor of New Jerusalem as the bride, is purified by the divine life that she be without “spot or wrinkle or any such things, but that she would be holy and without blemish.”

One side of the Lord’s sanctifying, renewing, and transforming work in us is that all the natural elements (e.g. spots, wrinkles) are removed. The other side is that the divine life and nature fills us and transforms us to be golden and precious. This produces New Jerusalem as the dwelling place of God and the bride of Christ.

When we come to Revelation 21, a city of pure gold appears, and a wall of precious stones is manifested. The street of this city is pure gold, and the outward wall is composed of precious stones. This city is a sign with a twofold significance. On one hand, this city signifies a place, because it is a city. On the other hand, it signifies a person, because it is a bride, the wife of the Lamb. In other words, this city is the dwelling place of God and all the saints, and it is also the issue of God’s work in man throughout the ages. This city is a man of glory.*

* The Way for a Christian to Mature in Life, chapter 3, Witness Lee, © LSM.

Graphic courtesy of pixabay.com.

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by Don on June 22, 2020  •  Permalink
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Posted by Don on June 22, 2020

https://newjerusalem12.wordpress.com/2020/06/22/new-jerusalem-dwelling-place-and-bride/

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