Show me, in the bible, that we are the Bride of Christ (Challenge!).

[dcontroversal]

He's certainly not "marrying" a city.

Rev 21:10 And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,

Rev 21:14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.


Eph 2:20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;

Eph 2:21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:

Eph 2:22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.


Rev 21:19 And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald;


1 Pet 2:5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.


Rev 3:12 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.


These are all Hebraic symbolic figures.

Nice selective post.....while skipping the following verse....

New American Standard Bible
And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.

King James Bible
And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

 

[dcontroversal]

You would think there would be ONE verse or TWO that emphatically states the CHURCH is the bride......I remember a few parables that indicated that the GENTILES were GUESTS at the wedding.....it seems the Church as the BRIDE is another regurgitated teaching that has no real verses that STATES emphatically that the Lord's GENTILE churches are the bride.....kind of like the imminent return myth.....

 

[Bladerunner]

Humorous verse considering the topic.

Ephesians 5:32
This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.

Here he is talking about the mystery of the Harpozo.

 

[Locutus]

Nice selective post.....while skipping the following verse....

New American Standard Bible
And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.

King James Bible
And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

I could have included that - but it still would not make the new Jerusalem a bride it actually says "as a bride" which is my point, all these things used to describe the community of the church are all figurative.

 

[dcontroversal]

22 And Jesus answered and spoke to them again by parables and said: [SUP]2 [/SUP]“The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son, [SUP]3 [/SUP]and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come. [SUP]4 [/SUP]Again, he sent out other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the wedding.”’ [SUP]5 [/SUP]But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business. [SUP]6 [/SUP]And the rest seized his servants, treated them spitefully, and killed them. [SUP]7 [/SUP]But when the king heard about it, he was furious. And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. [SUP]8 [/SUP]Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. [SUP]9 [/SUP]Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.’ [SUP]10 [/SUP]So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good. And the wedding hall was filled with guests.
[SUP]11 [/SUP]“But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment. [SUP]12 [/SUP]So he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. [SUP]13 [/SUP]Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and[SUP][a][/SUP] cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
[SUP]14 [/SUP]“For many are called, but few are chosen.”

The Jews rejected Christ....and the Gentiles were grafted in....they are identified as GUESTS who FILL the wedding HALL!

 

[Locutus]

Not all of the Jews rejected Christ, other Jews accepted the wedding invitation, there was no postponing of the "wedding" - the "vacant" spaces were filled by Gentiles.

 

[oldethennew]

we, hubby and I are going to be dressed-out for all we are worth,
for our marriage supper with The Lamb...

 

[Locutus]

Will there be mint sauce with that..

 

[dcontroversal]

Not all of the Jews rejected Christ, other Jews accepted the wedding invitation, there was no postponing of the "wedding" - the "vacant" spaces were filled by Gentiles.

Obviously....as a nation and on a whole they rejected and said let his blood be upon us and our children...the last 2000 years they have paid the price....

and the context of the parable is obvious!

 

[Locutus]

And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.

Happened in the war of 66-70AD.

 

[posthuman]

Revelation 21:9-10 King James Version (KJV)

9 And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife.
10 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,

All I see here are figures of speech (similes, metaphors, personification, etc).

ironic to see symbolism and allegory everywhere except in Revelation, isn't it?

You'll notice that the bride is not us, the saints, but rather we adorn the bride. Right? It says the fine linen "is the righteousness of the set-apart ones." So to me, it seems, that we adorn the bride, but are ourselves not the bride.

↑ the righteousness of the saints is their adornment. we are not our righteousness ((not having a righteousness of my own.. .. it is God working in you and through you)). the next verse, 11, says the bride of the Lamb has the glory of God - the adornment of the city is His glory, and isn't it also our adornment, as He clothes us?

we are being built up as lively stones into a dwelling place. John saw no temple in the city - the Lord and the Lamb are its temple ((don't you know your body is the temple?)). if we are in Him, we are with Him.

 

[Locutus]

Ya know - that's not a very good pic of someone waiting for a response to prayer..

 

[JGIG]

Just a drive-by post, as this has been an area of interest to me, as well, BenFTW =).

I think, like many areas in Scripture, there has been much confusion and not much less false doctrine fashioned around the over-stretching of Biblical metaphors. Everything from the 'wife of God' (OT) to the Bride of Christ (NT) to the Tree of Life to the olive tree (there are so many more - the list is long).

Metaphors are used to take something that's familiar to help describe/explain something that's unfamiliar. It's as simple as that.

Some have taken the Bride of Christ metaphor and attempted to turn it into a elitism - Who is part of the Bride, who is not?

It's a METAPHOR, folks, not a definition of a people.

Just my 2 cents.

Carry on ,
-JGIG

 

[Bladerunner]

Not all of the Jews rejected Christ, other Jews accepted the wedding invitation, there was no postponing of the "wedding" - the "vacant" spaces were filled by Gentiles.

No, the vacant spaces filled by the Messianic Jews. Why,,,because their eyes have been blinded until the fulfillment of the Church. There are very few Messianic Jews and hopefully this is only a beginning.

 

[Locutus]

When Jews become Christian, they become Christians, not Messianic Jews - that's an oxymoron.

There were plenty of Jews and members of the 12 tribes that attended the wedding in the 1st century AD:

James 1:1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.

 

[Ahwatukee]

Just a drive-by post, as this has been an area of interest to me, as well, BenFTW =).

I think, like many areas in Scripture, there has been much confusion and not much less false doctrine fashioned around the over-stretching of Biblical metaphors. Everything from the 'wife of God' (OT) to the Bride of Christ (NT) to the Tree of Life to the olive tree (there are so many more - the list is long).

Metaphors are used to take something that's familiar to help describe/explain something that's unfamiliar. It's as simple as that.

Some have taken the Bride of Christ metaphor and attempted to turn it into a elitism - Who is part of the Bride, who is not?

It's a METAPHOR, folks, not a definition of a people.

Just my 2 cents.

Carry on ,
-JGIG

"Hallelujah!For our Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.”

Hello JGIG,

With all due respect, metaphor's do not wear wedding garments. The term "bride" is a collective name for those who belong to the body of Christ, who are those seen receiving their fine linen, bright and clean at the wedding of the Lamb. The bride is indeed the church.

 

[Locutus]

I'm gonna call meself a Messianic Canuck...

 

[BenFTW]

Just a drive-by post, as this has been an area of interest to me, as well, BenFTW =).

I think, like many areas in Scripture, there has been much confusion and not much less false doctrine fashioned around the over-stretching of Biblical metaphors. Everything from the 'wife of God' (OT) to the Bride of Christ (NT) to the Tree of Life to the olive tree (there are so many more - the list is long).

Metaphors are used to take something that's familiar to help describe/explain something that's unfamiliar. It's as simple as that.

Some have taken the Bride of Christ metaphor and attempted to turn it into a elitism - Who is part of the Bride, who is not?

It's a METAPHOR, folks, not a definition of a people.

Just my 2 cents.

Carry on ,
-JGIG

I'm leaning in this direction as well. Metaphors being taken too far, and too literal.

 

[Locutus]

So there is no cake and confetti....bummer.

 

[willybob]

Locutus,,,,Very True, Very True