Getting a Bride

What’s Going On?

Getting a Bride

Did you ever wonder what is really going on in all the craziness that surrounds us and spans this entire earth? What really is the heart of the matter? Is there really a purpose to all this and where do I fit in? This course answers these important questions and more. By the time you finish all 5 lessons, you will find your life having more meaning and purpose that will last for all eternity. You will wake up each day realizing that you are part of a wonderful eternal plan that is unfolding before your very eyes. You will discover how important your part is as you journey daily alongside the Lord Jesus Christ helping to gather His Bride, nurture her, and fight against the forces of darkness to save those around you who are lost.

Let us begin this journey through God’s Word as we discover really “What’s Going On”.

(Revelation 21:9), Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to me and talked with me, saying, “Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb’s wife.”

(Revelation 7:9), After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands,

God’s Word declares that there is and will be for all eternity a special group of people that are engaged in an extraordinary and intimate relationship with Christ as a wife is to her husband and a husband to his wife.

God sees people in three groups as we read in;

(1 Corinthians 10:32), Give no offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God:

From the time of Adam to Abraham, God dealt with the Gentiles. The Lord’s desire has always been to enjoy a pure and loving relationship with His creation. But concerning the Gentiles, that ended quickly as we see both Adam and Eve turn their back on the Lord’s love and then shortly after, their son Cain engaging in the first murder of mankind. By the time Noah comes on the scene we read;

(Genesis 6:5-6), Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.

As we approach Genesis chapter 11 in God’s Word, we see the Lord call out a chosen people beginning with Abraham and his wife Sarah. Their offspring became known as the nation of Israel, the Jews. He so lovingly nurtured that nation and chose them to be a wonderful and special part of His plan to bring redemption to sinful mankind and to usher in a heavenly kingdom where God and man can dwell together in that pure and loving relationship, He so much desired. But once again, as the Gentile, so the Jew rejected God and turned their back on Him.

But finally, a third group of people show up at the time of the resurrection of Jesus Christ as we read in the gospels and then throughout the New Testament. Unlike the first two groups, these fell in love with the Lord and retained that love and desire to live for Him. This group became known as the Church. From the time of the resurrection till now, thousands upon thousands have come to believe in the Lord Jesus and have displayed such a love for Him by the countless songs they have composed concerning their faith and love in Him along with their worldwide evangelistic effort to proclaim the good news of the gospel from east to west and north to south. They have built countless buildings to gather the church in His name along with hospitals, schools, help centers and jail ministries to reach out to the lost and needy. But even more so what made this group of people so special in God’s sight is described in the following verses;

 (1 Peter 1:8), whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,

(John 20:29), Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.

We who love the Lord have not walked with Him in the garden of Eden, have not seen it rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights, have not seen Red Seas split open or manna fall from heaven, nor have we seen multitudes fed with just a few fish and couple of loaves of bread and Lazarus raised from the dead, but we still have chosen to love Him and believe in Him. We love Him simply because He first loved us for greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Because of this, the Lord has chosen us, the Church, to be His “Bride”, a chosen people that will be at His right side forever more! Let us listen to His loving thought towards us as He inspired the apostle Paul to pen down these words;

(Ephesians 5:25-32), Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones. “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

(2 Corinthians 11:1-2), Oh, that you would bear with me in a little folly–and indeed you do bear with me. For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.

Christ has engaged Himself into a relationship with the Church as a husband is to his wife. He has proven that at the cross of Calvary when He laid down His life to rescue and save her. He has chosen to leave everything as a man would leave his father and mother to become one with his bride.  We are now one with Him, forever! Throughout all eternity we will experience a love from Him that will be special from the rest. He will proclaim this love in such a powerful way as we read in the following verses;

(John 14:1-3), Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.

(Revelation 21:1-26), Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband….Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to me and talked with me, saying, “Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb’s wife.”… And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal…. The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it. Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there). And they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it.

For all eternity, the golden palace of the King and His Bride, the Church, will be the New Jerusalem. This massive city that covers a similar area spanning between from New York to Denver Colorado to Miami Florida and back to New York will be like a glowing diamond hovering over the new earth. The kings of the new earth will be allowed to transport up into the city to see the King of kings and His Bride and bring gifts showing their honor and respect.

We cannot grasp how humble we are going to feel through all this knowing that it is because of Jesus and His righteousness applied to our account that is making this all possible. Looking into His eyes and seeing His smiling face while sensing the love He has for us can only be described as breath taking as we read of Christ’s love for the Church shown in the story of the Song of Solomon;

(Song of Solomon 2:3-5), Like an apple tree among the trees of the woods, So is my beloved among the sons. I sat down in his shade with great delight, And his fruit was sweet to my taste. He brought me to the banqueting house, And his banner over me was love. Sustain me with cakes of raisins, Refresh me with apples, For I am lovesick.

The idea behind the pictorial words is that the love of Christ is going to be so overwhelming that it just “melts” us to our knees with astonishment and amazement! I encourage you to read the whole book of the Song of Solomon with Christ’s love for the church in mind and be eternally amazed!

One day there is going to be a marriage supper taking place in Heaven when the Church will be joined to Christ in a special way as we read in the following verses:

(Revelation 19:6-9), And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, “Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns! Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. Then he said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!‘ ” And he said to me, “These are the true sayings of God.”

(John 3:16), For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

(John 15:13), Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.

(1 John 3:16), “Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us…”

We pray that you understand what is going on right now. Jesus is gathering His bride, the church, together! One day, He will come and take her away to be with Him in Heaven forever. Please be part of His Bride! And if you are already part of her, PLEASE bring others into this eternal and wonderful relationship between the Lord Jesus and His Church!

(Song of Solomon 2:10), My beloved spoke, and said to me: “Rise up, my love, my fair one, And come away.”

(1 Thessalonians 4:16-17), For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.