The Bride Of Christ

"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