"The Bride of Christ”
Rev. Rev. 21:9 a[seven angels] These angels are redeemed people, for one of them tells
John that he is a prophet (Rev. 1:1; Rev. 19:10; Rev. 22:8-9). He is a man (Rev. 21:17).
b[Come hither, I will shew thee the bride]
The Bride of Christ Rev. 21:9-10 should settle once and forever what the bride of
Christ is.
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.
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! It is unscriptural to speak of any one
company of redeemed as being the exclusive bride of Christ. If the city, the New
Jerusalem, is the bride, then all who go to live in the Holy City make up the bride and not
just a part of them.
All redeemed will live in the city:
1.The Old Testament saints were promised the New Jerusalem (Hebrews 11:10-16).
2.The early church was promised the city (John 14:1-3; Hebrews 13:14).
3.Every Christian is promised the city (Rev. 3:12; John 14:1-3; Hebrews 12:23).
4.The 144,000 Jews will be there (Rev. 7:1-8; Rev. 112:5; Rev. 14:1-5).
5.The tribulation saints will go there (Rev. 6:9-11; Rev. 7:9-17; Rev. 15:2-4; Rev. 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).
Students for centuries have called the church the bride of Christ but this is unscriptural.
The church will become a part of the bride when its members begin to live in the New
Jerusalem but it will not be the exclusive bride of Christ. All the redeemed of all other
ages will also be a part of the bride (Rev. 21:9-10).
The word bride is used only 5 times in connection with believers (John 3:29; Rev.
21:2,9; Rev. 22:17).
The word bridegroom is used 10 times in connection with believers (Matthew 9:15;
Mark 2:19-20; Luke 5:34-35; John 3:29).
All these passages refer to believers who will live in the New Jerusalem, which is the
bride, the Lamb’s wife (Rev. 21:2,9-10).
The Wife of Christ Greek: gune (GSN-1135), a woman, married or unmarried; a wife.
Translated "woman" 129 times and "wife" 92 times. That it refers to single women and
widows as well as married woman is clear from (Luke 4:26; Luke 10:38; John 19:26; John
20:11-15; 1 Tim. 5:2,14. Therefore, the theory based upon this word that Israel is the
bride of Christ because she is married to God is not proved. The Greek for "bride" is
numphe (GSN-3565). It is translated "bride" (John 3:29; Rev. 18:23; Rev. 21:2,9; Rev.
22:17) and daughter-in-law (Matthew 10:35; Luke 12:53). The wife or wife or bride here
is the Holy City, the New Jerusalem, and is the same as the wife in Rev. 19:7, which is the
redeemed of all ages who will have part in the first resurrection and who will live in the
New Jerusalem forever. Just because the wife of Rev. 19:7 is not called a bride is no
proof that she is not a bride. Are not all women who marry called brides? It is true that
Israel is married to God but this is no proof that she is the wife and bride of Rev. 19:7;
Rev. 21:2,9; Rev. 22:17.
Eight proofs that the church is now married:
1.Jesus called Himself the bridegroom of Christians (Matthew 9:15; Mark 2:19-20; Luke
5:34-35).
2.John called Christ the bridegroom (John 3:29). The Greek word for "bridegroom" in all
these passages is numphios (GSN-3566), a newly married man.
3.Christians are married to God and Christ under the terms of the New Testament as
Israel was married to God under the terms of the O.T (Matthew 26:28; Luke 22:20; 2 Cor.
3; Hebrews 12:24).
4.Paul taught that Christians are married to Christ by the new covenant (Romans 7:1-6).
5.Paul taught that Old Testament saints will not be perfected apart from New Testament
saints (Hebrews 11:40). This means that all will be perfected together as those who make
the inhabitants of the New Jerusalem, the Lamb’s wife.
6.Jesus in Rev. 22:16-17, after the ascension, recognized that believers on earth were
already His bride or were to be a part of His bride.
7.Paul in 1 Cor. 11:3; 1 Cor. 12:12-28; Ephes. 4:12-16; Ephes. 5:25-33 used the marriage
relationship to illustrate and teach the relationship of Christ to His church, proving
Christians are now married to Christ.
8.Paul taught that believers are now joined to the Lord or married to Him in one Spirit, as
Israel was in the Old Testament days (Isaiah 56:6; Jeremiah 50:5). The marriage of Christ
completed: It is clear from the above the Christians are now married to Christ. It is also
clear from Rev. 19:1-10 that they are to have final marriage festivities. The seeming
difference may be explained by Hebrew custom (note, §Matthew 1:18). The betrothed
parties were legally in the position of a married couple and unfaithfulness in this period
was adultery (Deut. 22:23; Matthew 1:19).
The concluding festivities took place at the actual time of coming together as man and
wife at which time a marriage supper was given. The marriage was consummated by
entrance into the wedding chamber. The marriage supper of the Lamb in Rev. 19 is
simply the concluding ceremony, not the marriage contract entered into at conversion
