Throughout history marriage has been used by Christ to represent the intimacy which He desires to have when we abide in Him. Each aspect has great significance, here is an overview:
And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness
...So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. Genesis 1:26-27
And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him...And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. Genesis 2:18-24
And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him. Genesis 5:24
And they called Rebekah, and said unto her, Wilt thou go with this man? And she said, I will go...And Isaac...took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her. Genesis 24:58,67
And Jacob loved Rachel...And...served seven years for Rachel; and they seemed unto him but a few days, for the love he had to her. Genesis 29:18-20
And the women said...Blessed be the Lord, which hath not left thee this day without a Kinsman Redeemer. Ruth 4:14 [margin]
This is my Beloved, and this is my Friend. Song of Solomon 5:16- (and includes the entire Song).
For thy Maker is thine Husband; the Lord of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel. Isaiah 54:5
I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels. Isaiah 61:10
Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate:
but thou shalt be called Hephzibah, and thy land Beulah Married: for the Lord delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married. For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee: and as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee...Behold, the Lord hath proclaimed unto the end of the world, Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him. And they shall call them, The holy people, The redeemed of the Lord: and thou shalt be called, Sought out, A city not forsaken. Isaiah 62:4,5,11,12
For I am married unto you. Jeremiah 3:14
I was an Husband unto them, saith the Lord. Jeremiah 31:32
Thus saith the Lord God unto Jerusalem...None eye pitied thee...to have compassion upon the...in the day that thou wast born. And when I passed by thee, and saw thee polluted in thine own blood, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live; yea, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live. I have caused thee to multiply as the bud of the field, and thou hast increased and waxen great, and thou art come to excellent ornaments: thy breasts are fashioned, and thine hair is grown, whereas thou wast naked and bare. Now when I passed by thee, and looked upon thee, behold, thy time was the time of love; and I spread my skirt over thee, and covered thy nakedness: yea, I sware unto thee, and entered into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord God, and thou becamest mine. Then washed I thee with water; yea, I throughly washed away thy blood from thee, and I anointed thee with oil. I clothed thee also with broidered work, and shod thee with badgers 'skin, and I girded thee about with fine linen, and I covered thee with silk. I decked thee also with ornaments...a beautiful crown upon thine head. Thus wast thou decked with gold and silver; and thy raiment was of fine linen, and silk, and broidered work; thou didst eat fine flour, and honey, and oil: and thou wast exceeding beautiful, and thou didst prosper... And thy renown went forth among the heathen for thy beauty: for it was perfect through my comeliness, which I had put upon thee, saith the Lord God. Ezekiel 16
I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfortably unto her. And it shall be at that day, saith the Lord, that thou shalt call me Ishi Husband; and shalt call me no more Baali Lord of the earth. And I will betroth thee unto me for ever; yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in lovingkindness, and in mercies. I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness: and thou shalt know the Lord. Hosea 2 [margin]
The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing. Zephaniah 3:17
And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins. Matthew 1:21
And the angel said unto her...And, behold, thou shalt...bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end...The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that Holy Thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. Luke 1:30-35
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men...That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made by him...He came unto his own...But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God...And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. John 1:1-14
He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice. John 3:29
That ye should be married to another, even to Him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God. Romans 7:4
For I have espoused you to one Husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. 2 Corinthians 11:2
Christ is the head of the church: and He is the Saviour of the body...the church is subject unto Christ...Christ also loved the church, and gave Himself for it; That He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 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 a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Ephesians 5:23-32
Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery...which is Christ in you, the hope of glory…that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. Colossians 1:26-28
Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name. Revelation 3:12
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 3:21
But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets. Revelation 10:7
And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps: And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth. These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb. And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God. Revelation 14:1-5
Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God. Revelation 19:7-9
And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. Revelation 21:2
And there came unto me one of the seven angels...and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife. And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal. Revelation 21:9-11
Mountain = government. Great & high = there is no higher government.
The government of the kingdom of Christ is like no earthly government. It is a representation of the characters of those who compose the kingdom. 5BC 1111.
Mt Sion, New Jerusalem = The Bride = 144,000.
At this time in the world's history the Lord is preparing His Bride.
The one sin that God's people commit is adultery, and He is the Husband of His people. It is not surprising then, when we give our affections to anything or anyone else, that He would be naturally jealous.
Let us strive with all the power that God has given us to be among the hundred and forty-four thousand. RH March 9, 1905.
Wake, O Wake
Wake, O wake! With tidings thrilling
The watchmen all the air are filling,
Arise, Jerusalem, arise!
Midnight strikes! No more delaying,
“The hour has come!”we hear them saying.
Where are ye all, ye virgins wise?
The Bridegroom comes in sight,
Raise high your torches bright!
Alleluia! The wedding song
Swells long and strong:
Go forth and join the festal throng.
Zion hears the watchmen shouting,
Her heart leaps up with joy undoubting,
She stands and waits with eager eyes;
See her Friend from heaven descending,
Adorned with truth and grace unending!
Her light burns clear, her star doth rise.
Now come, Thou precious Crown,
Lord Jesus, God's own Son!
Hosanna! Let us prepare
To follow there,
Where in Thy supper we may share.
Philipp Nicolai (1556-1608)
This is also the official hymn of this ministry:
The One who created and ruled the universe is now permanently bound by His humanity. In this humanity, He will join in marriage with those who have accepted His remedy and come out from Laod-I-cea, the 144,000, who have also overcome as He did, and will now be one with Him, on His throne in the capital city, Mt. Sion, New Jerusalem. And “What is a city, but its people”. The capital city of the universe will be brought down to the place where He became human, and which was the home of His Bride.
The Bride is the guarantee that sin will never rise up again, therefore placing the Government of the universe on a more secure foundation than would ever have been possible.
God is the husband of His church. The church is the bride, the Lamb’s wife. Every true believer is a part of the body of Christ. Christ regards unfaithfulness shown to Him by His people as the unfaithfulness of a wife to her husband. We are to remember that we are members of Christ’s body. Lt 39, 1902.
The church is the bride, the Lamb’s wife. She should keep herself pure, sanctified, holy. Never should she indulge in any foolishness; for she is the bride of a King. Yet she does not realize her exalted position. If she understood this, she would be all-glorious within. Lt 177, 1901.
The church is the bride of Christ, and her members are to yoke up with their Leader. God warns us not to defile our garments. Lt 123, 1898.
Jesus says, “My son, My daughter, give Me thine heart, that I may mold and fashion the character.” This is all He asks. My dear Sister…is it not time for you to be disgusted with yourself? Is it not time that you came to your best Friend, your Counselor? Will you any longer dare to run the fearful risk of losing your soul? The day of God is right upon us. What preparation are you making for it? Do you realize that you are building for time and for eternity? Will you allow the love of amusement and your stubborn self-will to divorce you from God? Will you become married to another instead of being the bride of Christ? 18MR 266.
By the wedding garment in the parable is represented the pure, spotless character which Christ's true followers will possess. To the church it is given “that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white,” “not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing.” Revelation 19:8; Ephesians 5:27. The fine linen, says the Scripture, “is the righteousness of saints.” Revelation 19:8. It is the righteousness of Christ, His own unblemished character, that through faith is imparted to all who receive Him as their personal Saviour. COL 310.
In full view is a dwelling house lighted up brilliantly as if for some festive scene. The light streams from the openings, and an expectant company wait around, indicating that a marriage procession is soon to appear. In many parts of the East, wedding festivities are held in the evening. The bridegroom goes forth to meet his bride and bring her to his home. By torchlight the bridal party proceed from her father’s house to his own, where a feast is provided for the invited guests. In the scene upon which Christ looks, a company are awaiting the appearance of the bridal party, intending to join the procession. Lingering near the bride’s house are ten young women robed in white…All are anxiously watching for the appearance of the bridegroom. But there is a delay. Hour after hour passes; the watchers become weary and fall asleep. At midnight the cry is heard, “Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.” The sleepers, suddenly awaking, spring to their feet. They see the procession moving on, bright with torches and glad with music. They hear the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride. The ten maidens seize their lamps and begin to trim them, in haste to go forth. COL 405.
The bride is the church who is waiting for the second appearing of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. RH October 31, 1899.
This parable is not a representation of open sinners, but of those who profess Christ. The bride is the church who is waiting for the second appearing of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. PrT June 29, 1899.
This can only be the 144,000; His Bride, and they are also the ones who will receive every one of the rewards of each of the 7 churches – they are very unique because they have lived His life and were translated without tasting death. The translation of the 144,000 at the second coming is not due to the accident of their being on earth at this time, but to their life of perfect righteousness by faith. It is the natural working out of the life of Christ in them.
We will love Him forever.
