11-22-10
God’s ultimate purpose for His creation is to provide a family for Himself and a Bride for His Son as His eternal companion to reign with Him forever. The guiding principle of God’s activity throughout history has been to raise up a prepared bride for His Son. The Father set His heart to train the Bride to willingly prepare herself to rule the earth with Jesus. “For the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” Rev. 19:7
The inheritance that the Father promised Jesus is a people who He fully possesses. God will cause all creation to bow in obedience to Jesus, “At the name of Jesus every knee should bow…and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,” and Jesus will receive a people who fully love Him, “The Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul…” (Deut.30:6)
Jesus loves us to the same degree that the Father loves Him. We will love Jesus to the same degree the Father loves Him. We will be equally yoked to Jesus in love, as Jesus will not be unequally yoked to His bride. From before the foundations of the world, God’s ultimate purpose was to have a people who were blameless in their love for God.
Human history began in Eden with Adam and Eve joined as a bridegroom and bride.
Paul interpreted Gen. 2:18-24 as speaking of Jesus and the Church. In the relationship of Adam and Eve, we see a prophetic picture of Jesus joined to His Church as a bride. “A man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.”
Eph.5:31-32
Natural history ends in an Eden-like city with Jesus and His people joined as a bridegroom and bride. (Rev. 21-22) The New Jerusalem is call the Bride because it was prepared for the Bride and is where she experiences a face to face relationship with God. Natural history ends with a Bride who has been made ready for her marriage to Jesus. The history of the redeemed before the wedding feast is the preparation for their life after it. ‘The marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready… He said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’ (Rev. 19:7-9)
Jesus began His public ministry at a wedding (Jn. 2:1-12) and He ended it declaring that the kingdom of God was like a wedding. (Matt22:1-14)
Jesus began His ministry to the apostles by revealing Himself as the Bridegroom God and ended it by calling them to cultivate intimacy with Him as the Bridegroom God. Jesus’ ministry was first introduced by John the Baptist functioning as a friend of the bridegroom and ended by the Apostle John revealing the Bride. “The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come!” (Rev.22:17) It shall be, in that day…that you will call me (Jesus) “My Husband” (Hos. 2:16)
Blessings,
Gary