SOME ASPECTS OF THE CHURCH FROM ITS BEGINNING TO THE MARRIAGE SUPPER OF THE LAMB – NAMES OF THE CHURCH – PART 1
[[A]]. THE INTRODUCTION TO THIS STUDY OF THE CHURCH
These messages will look at the beginning of the Church, its members, its functions and a lot more things. The Marriage Supper of the Lamb and His Bride, the Church, will also be considered near the end. We are going to consider the Bride and different aspects about the Church. I trust this study will be of much understanding for you. Let us begin with the describing of that Marriage Supper and later on we come back to it to analyse it in greater detail.
{{Revelation 19:6-9 And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude and as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty peals of thunder, saying, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns. “Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, FOR THE MARRIAGE OF THE LAMB HAS COME AND HIS BRIDE HAS MADE HERSELF READY.” And it was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. And he said to me, “Write, ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.’” And he said to me, “These are true words of God.”}}
This event (the marriage of the Church to her Groom, the Lord Jesus Christ), occurs immediately before the Church leaves heaven with her Groom, right at the end of the Tribulation on earth. The Church (Bride) leaves heaven at the Second Coming when Messiah returns to earth and destroys the forces at Armageddon, and then sets up the Millennial Kingdom on earth, the Bride always with Him. These are true events that will happen.
Israel is Jehovah’s wife but the Church is Christ’s Bride. Although Revelation 19:7 says “the marriage of the Lamb has come,” nowhere in scripture does it say the Church/Bride is the wife of Jesus, so I always use the term “Bride”. This longer passage is one of many in the Old Testament that connects Israel as the wife of Jehovah, and shows His tender care for her but she was disloyal and adulterous – {{Ezekiel 16:8-13 Then I passed by you and saw you, and behold, you were at the time for love so I spread My skirt over you and covered your nakedness. I also swore to you and entered into a covenant with you so that you became Mine,” declares the Lord GOD. Then I bathed you with water, washed off your blood from you, and anointed you with oil. I also clothed you with embroidered cloth and put sandals of porpoise skin on your feet, and I wrapped you with fine linen and covered you with silk, and I adorned you with ornaments, put bracelets on your hands, and a necklace around your neck. I also put a ring in your nostril, earrings in your ears, and a beautiful crown on your head. Thus you were adorned with gold and silver, and your dress was of fine linen, silk, and embroidered cloth. You ate fine flour, honey, and oil, so you were exceedingly beautiful and advanced to royalty.”}}
Ezekiel 16:14-21 “Then your fame went forth among the nations on account of your beauty, for it was perfect because of My splendor which I bestowed on you,”’ declares the Lord GOD, ‘BUT YOU TRUSTED IN YOUR BEAUTY AND PLAYED THE HARLOT because of your fame, and YOU POURED OUT YOUR HARLOTRIES ON EVERY PASSER-BY WHO MIGHT BE WILLING, and you took some of your clothes, made for yourself high places of various colours, and played the harlot on them which should never come about nor happen. You also took your beautiful jewels made of My gold and of My silver which I had given you, and made for yourself male images that you might play the harlot with them. Then you took your embroidered cloth and covered them and offered My oil and My incense before them, also My bread which I gave you, fine flour, oil, and honey with which I fed you, you would offer before them for a soothing aroma - so it happened,” declares the Lord GOD. Moreover, you took your sons and daughters whom you had borne to Me, and you sacrificed them to idols to be devoured. WERE YOUR HARLOTRIES SO SMALL A MATTER? You slaughtered My children, and offered them up to idols by causing them to pass through the fire.”}}
It is a very interesting thing that the Church is never called the Wife of Christ, only ever the Bride. Jesus is Jehovah and so there are two relationships – Israel/wife and the Church/Bride. That is not for us today as it is more complex. Just remember that you, as a born again believer, have membership in the Bride. It is such an undeserved honour to be one of the redeemed of Jesus Christ.
[[B]]. BIBLICAL NEW TESTAMENT TERMS FOR THE CHURCH
These following are not exhaustive but are the main ones. Because a concept has different terms of description, the reason for that is to shed more light on the concept. The 6 terms I have chosen give extra light to the term “the Church”. Here we go.
(a). THE CHURCH
The Church is comprised of ALL who have come through believing faith, in repentance and surrender. All who are saved belong to the Church and here are some references – {{Colossians 1:18 “He is also HEAD OF THE BODY, THE CHURCH, and He is the beginning, the first-born from the dead, so that He Himself might come to have first place in everything.”}} {{Colossians 1:24 “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I do my share on behalf of HIS BODY (WHICH IS THE CHURCH) in filling up that which is lacking in Christ’s afflictions.”}} {{Ephesians 5:23 “for the husband is the head of the wife as CHRIST ALSO IS THE HEAD OF THE CHURCH, He Himself being the Saviour of the body.”}}
This word “church” comes from the Greek word “?????s?a (ekklesia)” derived from the preposition “ek” meaning “out of” and the “???s?a” part meaning “called”. Therefore the word “church” means “called out of”. It is a group of people called out of the world and gathered to Christ. In its simplest form – “called out”. That is a lovely thought that Christ has called us out of this world to bring us to union with Himself.
We might be members of the Church but never dismiss the fact that we are also members of one another, and as in the body, the hand will care for the foot and keep it properly, so should we care for the members of the visible church, and especially those in need, and the ones persecuted. Our little fellowship gives to the Barnabas Fund and The Voice of the Martyrs, as two of the recipients. We must care for the hurting and persecuted church because we are brothers and sisters in Christ as members of His Church. Horrible things are happening to Christians in Iran and other Moslem places as Satan raises up organisations against them but they are fellow members of the Body. And don’t be smug because persecution is already happening in our democratic nations.
(B). THE BODY OF CHRIST (EPHESIANS 4 v 12; COLOSSIANS 1 v 24)
{{Ephesians 4:12 “for the equipping of the saints for the work of service to (in) the building up of the body of Christ,”}}
That now brings us to the second term used for the Church – the Body of Christ. I think it is an excellent term of intimacy and the closeness we have with our Lord and Saviour. We are in Him and He is in us. Christ in us the hope of glory. How wonderful are the things God has done, and will do, for His redeemed re-creation, THE BODY OF CHRIST.
I think one of the most lovely hymns that was ever written is “Loved with Everlasting love”. Here is the first stanza –
Loved with everlasting love,
Led by grace that love to know;
Gracious Spirit from above,
Thou hast taught me it is so!
O this full and perfect peace!
O this transport all divine!
In a love which cannot cease,
I am His, and He is mine.
IN A LOVE WHICH CANNOT CEASE,
I AM HIS, AND HE IS MINE
========================================
In the union with Christ, “I am His and He is mine.” So lovely! Does it not thrill your soul! All that thrills my soul is Jesus!
(C). THE BRIDE OF CHRIST (REVELATION 19 v 7)
Why is the Church called a Bride? At a wedding it is said that in western marriages the bride has the spotlight on her as the most important person there. In an eastern marriage, it is the groom who enjoys the attention. It is the eastern thought in this understanding. The Lord Jesus Christ is the most important One at the Marriage Supper of the lamb and all honour and praise goes out to Him. The Bride has a place, resplendent, glorious, dazzling in white linen. However all there at that feast will know the Bride’s glory is a reflective glory, for not one good aspect of the Bride, the Church, has been earned on any self merit. Everything has been appropriated and she portrays the glory of her Lord. Later on we will consider more of this Revelation 19 passage.
Some aspects of the bride with her groom apply very nicely to the Church. We speak about common interests and shared interests; the desire of the bride to feature the groom and honour him. There is a closeness that is meant to last and not end in divorce like failed human marriages. As the Bride of Christ, we must take on board these comments that show the intimacy of Christ and the Church. – {{Ephesians 5:25-27 “Husbands, love your wives, just as CHRIST ALSO LOVED THE CHURCH AND GAVE HIMSELF UP FOR HER, that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the Church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and blameless.”}}
(D). THE PEARL OF GREAT PRICE (MATTHEW 13:46)
This is such a beautiful picture of the Church. The Kingdom Parables of Matthew 13, seven in number, are both prophetic teaching of the historic ages of the Church and correspond also with the 7 churches of Asia. If we pursued that right now we would take ages to cover it all. We will do it one day.
There is a wrong teaching about the pearl of greatest price and the treasure in a field. The Reformers said they represent salvation a sinner finds and buys, but that is incorrect. A sinner can not buy salvation and possesses nothing good to start with, but the merchantman did. A sinner is undone before God with nothing at all to offer.
{{Matthew 13:45-46 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.”}}
This merchant had excellent pearls. They were the best available. The sinner has absolutely nothing that is excellent. The merchant sold what was excellent to buy what was uniquely excellent. The sinner can not purchase salvation so that interpretation of salvation for those two parables fails. The merchant made the ultimate purchase. Christ made the ultimate purchase which was the purchase of the Church with His own blood. He gave all to buy this greatest of treasure, His precious Pearl, the Church.
Jesus Christ is the merchant and the purchase price was His own blood. He had great treasures in glory, but in coming from heaven He became poor in this world. He made Himself of no reputation. Then on the cross He purchased us. This next passage occurs in heaven just after the Rapture of the Church – {{Revelation 5:9 and they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals, for You were slain and PURCHASED FOR GOD WITH YOUR BLOOD MEN FROM EVERY TRIBE AND TONGUE AND PEOPLE AND NATION.”}} That was the Priceless pearl He purchased.
Here is another thought about the pearl. A wound occurs in the side of the clam or oyster, and in order to lessen the irritation the mollusc coats the irritant with nacre, layer by layer, that eventually becomes the pearl. When the time is right, the clam is lifted from the sea and the pearl extracted.
Jesus was wounded in His side and through His wounds and suffering on the cross, the glorious pearl was formed. That pearl is the Church and as the pearl is formed layer by layer with the nacre, so the Church is formed, member by member, until it will be complete. Then it will be lifted from the sea in the Rapture and displayed in all its beauty, which is not really hers but that of the Lord. In scripture prophetically, the sea represents the Gentile nations. The Church/Pearl is comprised mainly of Gentile nations. {{Ephesians 5:27 “that He might PRESENT TO HIMSELF THE CHURCH in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and blameless.”}} That beautiful, priceless Pearl is the Church.
(E). AN ASSEMBLY (HEBREWS 12:23)
{{Hebrews 12:22-23 “but you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the GENERAL ASSEMBLY AND CHURCH of the first-born who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of righteous men made perfect.”}}
Nearly all versions translate as “assembly”, the word meaning a festival assembly. An assembly is a gathering of people for a cause. Personally I like the word better than church when speaking of local churches. I like to think of church as the Church universal but for the local gatherings, I like to think the best word is assemblies. One day the great Assembly, the universal Church, will gather, all beautifully complete and purified, in the presence of Jesus and sing something like this – “Unto Him who hath loved us and washed us from sin, Unto Him be the glory forever, Amen.”
A warning for Christians. Do not cut yourselves off from the fellowship of God’s people, the same problem as in the first century – {{Hebrews 10:24-25 “and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, NOT FORSAKING OUR OWN ASSEMBLING TOGETHER, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more, as you see the day drawing near.”}}
(F). A SPIRITUAL HOUSE (JOHN 14:1-3)
Just before the Last Passover, Jesus spoke much to His disciples and said this to them – {{John 14:1-3 “Let not your heart be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many dwelling places. If it were not so, I would have told you for I go to prepare a place for you, and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself that where I am, there you may be also.”}} He spoke about the Father’s house which is heaven, but it will be accommodating the Church. The Church will fill the Father’s House but there would still be much room. In preparation for that, was to be the cross. Jesus did not go away to build rooms or mansions as some want to think. NO! The preparation was Calvary where Jesus was the Lamb of God sacrificed for the world. No one would ever be in the Father’s House if it was not for the cross. Not even the Old Testament saints were there but were in Paradise until the cross atoned for them as well.
Paul is even clearer about this matter of a Spiritual House in these verses – {{Ephesians 2:19-21 “Therefore then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are OF GOD’S HOUSEHOLD, having been built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom THE WHOLE BUILDING, BEING FITTED TOGETHER IS GROWING INTO A HOLY TEMPLE IN THE LORD.”}} We as born again believers are members of God’s Household where we share in the love and redemption in Jesus Christ where we are all one in our Saviour. Today on earth the Church is fractured and racked with many problems, and in an increasing number of places, it is being severely persecuted. The raptured Church will be one unity, God’s Household.
The image here is of a building being constructed and fitted together beautifully until it is complete. The Lord could create the universe with a word. The great power of God put it all in place with the magnificent creation. However, when it comes to the Church, it is a long term mission. It is slowly being built up into a wonderful building we could call the House of God. Member by member the building rises on the sure foundation, and when the very last member is added, then the completed building is removed fully from earth and the beautiful Church is in the presence of the Lord awaiting the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.
The term, “the household of God” is Paul’s expression for the whole body of believers. We can only interact with a few members of course, and Paul gives advice for that – {{1Timothy 3:15 “but in case I am delayed, I write so that you may know HOW ONE OUGHT TO CONDUCT HIMSELF in THE HOUSEHOLD OF GOD, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth”}} AND {{Galatians 6:10 “so then, while we have opportunity, let us DO GOOD TO ALL MEN, and especially to those who are of THE HOUSEHOLD OF THE FAITH.”}}
This finishes PART 1 of this series on the Church eventually leading to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.
ronaldf@aapt.net.au
