The Bride: A study of the bride of Christ
Our Blessed Hope: Lesson 2
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door. I will come in to him and will sup with him, and he with me. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in His throne.” Revelation 3:20, 21
What a wonderful opportunity is set before everyone who will accept Jesus’ gift of salvation as promised in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Also read Ephesians 2:8: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.” Every child of God is an heir of God, and has the opportunity to sit with Jesus on His throne and be “joint heirs” with Christ, as spoken of in Romans 8:17.
Meditate on this truth. Let your mind dwell on the fact that God has redeemed you from the bondage of sin and has placed you in the family of God as His heirs—heir to all the wonderful blessings of heaven for you to experience and enjoy for all eternity! These blessings are not yours because you have been so good, or have done so many good works, but only because you have accepted the gift by faith that Jesus has so marvelously given to all who believe. But there is more! We, as believers, have the added opportunity to become “joint heirs” with Christ, seated on His throne! Read Romans 8:17: “And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him that we may be also glorified together.” Who could enjoy that place of being seated right by Him as a joint-heir with Him but His bride?
When God made Adam, He said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make an help meet for him.” Then, after putting Adam to sleep, God took one of his ribs and made a woman to be a help meet for him. (Genesis 2:18-24) The Holy Spirit, through the apostle Paul, picked up on this incident, giving us the spiritual truth of God’s plan for His Son in Ephesians 5:25-32. We read in those verses that Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it so that He might sanctify and cleanse it. For what purpose? “That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.” This is not speaking of the holiness of Christ which all believers receive at the time of salvation. Rather, it is speaking of ones who have allowed the washing of water by the Word to cleanse their lives and make them ready to be united with Him as His bride. This cleansing of our lives is only accomplished in us as we allow the Spirit to change us from glory to glory. (2 Corinthians 3:18)
“For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.” Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it so that the church could become His bride. That is His desire. However, even as He so loved the world that He suffered and died for it, all of the world will not receive the salvation He offers. Therefore, all the world will not be saved. Even so, all the church (the body of Christ) will not allow Him to sanctify and cleanse it, and thus become His bride, reigning as joint heirs with Him. All believers in Christ will spend eternity in heaven, the wonderful place Jesus has prepared. All believers will enjoy the many blessings of heaven, serving the Lord before His throne, as described in Revelation 7:15-17. But the truly blessed hope that is offered to every believer who will follow Jesus completely is to reign with Him for eternity as His bride.
These verses in Ephesians refer back to when God took one of Adam’s rib and made an helpmeet for him. Notice that He did not form Eve from all of Adam’s bones, but from just a small part, a rib (next to his heart!). Neither will God form the bride of His Son from the whole church (body of Christ), but from just a small part. Why is this? Read Romans 8:17 again . “…There is an “if” attached to being a joint-heir—one of suffering with Christ. In Matthew 16:24, 25, we read: “Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.” Again, 2 Timothy 2:12: “If we suffer, we shall also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us.” These are just a few of the scriptures which speak of the necessity of believers being willing to suffer for the name of Christ.
Are all believers willing to give up their lives, to deny themselves, to allow the Holy Spirit to guide them in all that they do? Shortly before the apostle Paul was to be martyred for Christ, he said that there was a “crown of righteousness laid up for him,—-“and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.” (2 Timothy 4:8) Are all believers “loving His appearing?” Are all believers longing for Jesus’ coming? This is why we have the exhortation to not sleep, as do others, but to watch for His appearing. “So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation” (Hebrews 9:28)
It is interesting that there are only about thirty verses in the Bible which are given to describe the holy city, New Jerusalem—but the entire Bible is illuminating the Lord Jesus Christ! Our main hope is not the place, but the Person, Christ! Neither are we concerned about obtaining different kinds of rewards; but Paul was pressing forward to attain one prize, that of reigning jointly with Christ as Bridegroom. In Philippians 3:4-15, we read that Paul was willing to suffer the loss of all earthly achievements, counting them as refuse, “….that I may win Christ.” He wasn’t speaking here of winning Christ in salvation—salvation is a gift. Rather, Paul was desiring to know Christ in the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, even being conformed like Him in His death. Then we see his reason: “If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.”
The word “resurrection” here in the Greek language has the letters “ek” before it—reading, “out from among.” Again, resurrection out from among the dead is not something a believer attains by anything he does. Resurrection for every believer is assured because of their belonging to Christ. So what was Paul wanting to attain to in this instance? He was wanting to attain to a resurrection out from among other believers who have died before Jesus comes for the rapture.
What do we mean by “rapture?” When Jesus descends from heaven to receive His people who are watching for Him, as described in I Thessalonians 4:14-17, we read, “Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air…” The meaning of the words “caught up” is rapture. Therefore, those believers who have died, but were longing for His appearing while living, will be resurrected and meet Jesus in the air. Then the believers who are still living and watching for His appearing, will be translated, being “caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” So Paul said “If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of (or out from among) the dead.” Philippians 3:11
What a marvelous hope which is offered to every believer!
What a wonderful opportunity is set before everyone who will accept Jesus’ gift of salvation as promised in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Also read Ephesians 2:8: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.” Every child of God is an heir of God, and has the opportunity to sit with Jesus on His throne and be “joint heirs” with Christ, as spoken of in Romans 8:17.
Meditate on this truth. Let your mind dwell on the fact that God has redeemed you from the bondage of sin and has placed you in the family of God as His heirs—heir to all the wonderful blessings of heaven for you to experience and enjoy for all eternity! These blessings are not yours because you have been so good, or have done so many good works, but only because you have accepted the gift by faith that Jesus has so marvelously given to all who believe. But there is more! We, as believers, have the added opportunity to become “joint heirs” with Christ, seated on His throne! Read Romans 8:17: “And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him that we may be also glorified together.” Who could enjoy that place of being seated right by Him as a joint-heir with Him but His bride?
When God made Adam, He said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make an help meet for him.” Then, after putting Adam to sleep, God took one of his ribs and made a woman to be a help meet for him. (Genesis 2:18-24) The Holy Spirit, through the apostle Paul, picked up on this incident, giving us the spiritual truth of God’s plan for His Son in Ephesians 5:25-32. We read in those verses that Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it so that He might sanctify and cleanse it. For what purpose? “That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.” This is not speaking of the holiness of Christ which all believers receive at the time of salvation. Rather, it is speaking of ones who have allowed the washing of water by the Word to cleanse their lives and make them ready to be united with Him as His bride. This cleansing of our lives is only accomplished in us as we allow the Spirit to change us from glory to glory. (2 Corinthians 3:18)
“For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.” Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it so that the church could become His bride. That is His desire. However, even as He so loved the world that He suffered and died for it, all of the world will not receive the salvation He offers. Therefore, all the world will not be saved. Even so, all the church (the body of Christ) will not allow Him to sanctify and cleanse it, and thus become His bride, reigning as joint heirs with Him. All believers in Christ will spend eternity in heaven, the wonderful place Jesus has prepared. All believers will enjoy the many blessings of heaven, serving the Lord before His throne, as described in Revelation 7:15-17. But the truly blessed hope that is offered to every believer who will follow Jesus completely is to reign with Him for eternity as His bride.
These verses in Ephesians refer back to when God took one of Adam’s rib and made an helpmeet for him. Notice that He did not form Eve from all of Adam’s bones, but from just a small part, a rib (next to his heart!). Neither will God form the bride of His Son from the whole church (body of Christ), but from just a small part. Why is this? Read Romans 8:17 again . “…There is an “if” attached to being a joint-heir—one of suffering with Christ. In Matthew 16:24, 25, we read: “Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.” Again, 2 Timothy 2:12: “If we suffer, we shall also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us.” These are just a few of the scriptures which speak of the necessity of believers being willing to suffer for the name of Christ.
Are all believers willing to give up their lives, to deny themselves, to allow the Holy Spirit to guide them in all that they do? Shortly before the apostle Paul was to be martyred for Christ, he said that there was a “crown of righteousness laid up for him,—-“and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.” (2 Timothy 4:8) Are all believers “loving His appearing?” Are all believers longing for Jesus’ coming? This is why we have the exhortation to not sleep, as do others, but to watch for His appearing. “So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation” (Hebrews 9:28)
It is interesting that there are only about thirty verses in the Bible which are given to describe the holy city, New Jerusalem—but the entire Bible is illuminating the Lord Jesus Christ! Our main hope is not the place, but the Person, Christ! Neither are we concerned about obtaining different kinds of rewards; but Paul was pressing forward to attain one prize, that of reigning jointly with Christ as Bridegroom. In Philippians 3:4-15, we read that Paul was willing to suffer the loss of all earthly achievements, counting them as refuse, “….that I may win Christ.” He wasn’t speaking here of winning Christ in salvation—salvation is a gift. Rather, Paul was desiring to know Christ in the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, even being conformed like Him in His death. Then we see his reason: “If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.”
The word “resurrection” here in the Greek language has the letters “ek” before it—reading, “out from among.” Again, resurrection out from among the dead is not something a believer attains by anything he does. Resurrection for every believer is assured because of their belonging to Christ. So what was Paul wanting to attain to in this instance? He was wanting to attain to a resurrection out from among other believers who have died before Jesus comes for the rapture.
What do we mean by “rapture?” When Jesus descends from heaven to receive His people who are watching for Him, as described in I Thessalonians 4:14-17, we read, “Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air…” The meaning of the words “caught up” is rapture. Therefore, those believers who have died, but were longing for His appearing while living, will be resurrected and meet Jesus in the air. Then the believers who are still living and watching for His appearing, will be translated, being “caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” So Paul said “If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of (or out from among) the dead.” Philippians 3:11
What a marvelous hope which is offered to every believer!