The Bride of Christ – Part 1
Introduction
On the first pages of the Bible we read about a wedding (Gen 2:22). On the very last pages of the Bible we also read about a wedding (Rev 21:9). Everything in between is about God preparing a bride for His Son. There is almost nothing that is more important to God's heart than this.
In the beginning and from the beginning God made them male and female (Matt 19:4). He is not just making preparations for the propagation of the human civilization, He is stating something very important. The gender-fluid philosophy of the present day is not just making room for our confusion and animalistic preference. This anti-binary doctrine of devils is trying to attack God as Creator and ruin His plan for one of the greatest events the universe will ever see.
“Bride of Christ” is a term that is used a lot in these days. If we want to be more scriptural we might want to say “The Wife of the Lamb” (Rev 21:9).
We have been told that the (mostly) Gentile Church is the Bride of Christ. We are also the Body of Christ (Eph 1:22,23). When was the last wedding you attended where the bride and the groom were the same person? I recently read an article that told about a woman that married herself. Now, a few months later, she wants a divorce. I do not remember if that article was satire or an actual news article. It is hard to tell satire from news today. The news has become almost like bad jokes that write themselves.
In the bible God is giving people His rules and laws. These tell us how God wants us to live with respect to marriage. To violate these rules is sin and sin of a very grievous nature. The consequence for breaking these marriage laws is very serious. God is serious about men and women living according to His Word but God is also saying something else important here. Something about Himself.
God used to be married. Did you know that?
God was married to Israel.
This is the blood of the covenant which the LORD has made with you according to all these words. (Ex 24:8)
Yes, I swore an oath to you and entered into a covenant with you, and you became Mine,' says the Lord GOD. (Ezek 16:8)
God made a covenant with Israel at Mount Sinai, or in other words, a marriage. A marriage is a covenant. More than that, a marriage is a death covenant. It lasts until death. It binds the two parties, that make the covenant, under penalty of death. This is very serious.
God says to Israel, “for I am married to you” (Jer 3:14).
For
your Maker is
your husband,
The
LORD of hosts is
His name;
(Isa
54:5-8).
God had to divorce His wife.
And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; ...(Jer 3:8)
...My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the LORD (Jer 31:32)
Of course, God wants men and women to not enter into a death covenant frivolously, nor annul a covenant like something of little importance. Divorce has always been a plague in the human society. He does not want us to treat marriage lightly. He wants to protect women especially. If it was impossible for you to keep a marriage together, God's rules are not intended to bring perpetual guilt upon you. While it is important, it is not mainly about you. Remember when you were four years old and your mother said, “It's not all about you! You're not the center of the universe!” Well, in addition to telling people how they should conduct themselves in relation to marriage, God is giving us a remarkable insight. I am not saying adultery is not sin. It is that the words of God are telling us something critical about Himself.
He cannot marry another.
Jesus said some important words in Luke 16. While He is addressing a big problem of the Pharisee's day and speaking to all people for all time, He is also saying something of extreme consequence:
Whosoever putteth away his wife, and marrieth another, committeth adultery:... (Luke 16:18)
If God had to divorce His wife He cannot be married someone else. He cannot forget about His covenant with Abraham and his people, the Israelites, and marry a (mostly) Gentile Church. The Church cannot be the Bride of Christ, at least not as it appears on the surface of things. God cannot become an adulterer. He would have to destroy Himself and all of existence. Unless the wisdom of God can see some way to cancel His covenant with Israel, it seems that His own words have “forced” Him into a terrible situation. We will look at that impossible situation in one of the next parts.
Oct 21, 2023