You all know I have studied eschatology for years. Whilst doing that I was confronted with the salvation question, which has side-tracked me for the last decade or so.
But now, while writing about salvation, I am forced to look at eschatology again because I need to know HOW God is going to reconcile us all to him, and most of that is in the future.
So I have a question for you to help me with.
Are we the Body of Christ or the Bride of Christ?
If we are the body, who is the bride of Christ?
If we are the bride, who is the body of Christ?
If we are both, I can't visually imagine what the marriage ceremony involving the bride and the bridegroom would actually look like - if the body of the bridegroom and the bride are the same "person". Could you picture that?
If the body and bride are just alternate illustrations used at different times to convey different ideas about the church, then that's OK.
But in trying to put together the various participants in the kingdom or tabernacles age (the next age), who is who and who is doing what, I think I need to separate the bride and groom, even though the two would become one after their marriage.
Please have a go at this for me, and use Scriptures to show me what you are thinking.
Thanks.
Barry
Hi Guys and Gals.
ReplyDeleteHave only had one response on this so far. Are you too busy or is the challenge too tough? :-)
Are there any references to the church being the bride of Christ in the Scriptures?
Is it possible that the church is the BODY while it is on earth in this age, but the BRIDE in the next?
I'm keen to spar on this one. If you have some time, please have a go.
Barry
Sorry for the delay Barry
ReplyDeleteI am interested in this question.
My Pastor chose a reading from Revelation last week Rev 19:4-7 (1-9 for full context). So you both seem to be pointing me to this question. Reading this scripture I can’t figure out if the church is the bride, body or simply the invitees to the wedding feast.
Except verse 8 suggests it may be the church that is the bride
“She is permitted to wear the finest white linen." (Fine linen represents the good deeds done by the people of God.)”
Cheers
Glenn
Hi Glenn. Thanks for your input. I think verse 8 certainly suggests that the bride is the church.
ReplyDelete1 Cor 3 : 14 also suggests that saints who have built well on their foundation of Jesus will keep their good buildings and be rewarded.
Jesus' parables of the talents (Matthew 25) and the minas (Luke 19) suggest that good works will be obvious and rewarded too.
However, my uncertainty about all this comes from the fact that nowhere in the NT that I know of is the church actually said to be the bride. The only thing that IS said to be the bride is the city called the New Jerusalem, which may well be the city in which the church lives in the new heavens and earth. (Rev 21:9)
Also Israel is called the wife of God many times in the OT, and since all Israel will be saved after the church is complete (Romans 11:25,26), I have been less inclined to identify the church as the bride of Christ, even though so many teachers confidently do.
Any more input on this? Barry