As we have seen, whilst the four figures that are used are distinct, yet they also set forth unity the temple—the assembly—the body—the bride.
"In whom all the building, fitly framed together, groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord." Yes, every living stone, every soul that has passed from death unto life, is fitly framed together. Is it right, then, for any man to take those born of the Spirit, and build them into a building or society of his own? Again, since all believers in any given place are part of " the church which is his body," can it be right to take some of those believers, and form divisions, or human churches? And surely the truth that " there is one body" forbids the thought of taking the members of Christ, and making them members of human, though religious, bodies. If the " one body" be such a striking figure of unity, then "the church" also must be one, for it is His body.
Such also is the teaching of scripture as to the bride. We cannot separate the two, as may be seen in Eph. 5:24-3224Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. 25Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; 26That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 27That 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. 28So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. 29For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: 30For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. 31For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. 32This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church. (Ephesians 5:24‑32); indeed they are here " the church," " his body," and the love of the husband to " the wife." " This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church."
Such is the interest God has in the church—the body, the bride—that we get a figure of it so early as in Gen. 2 God, speaking of Adam, who was a figure of Him that was to come, said, " It is not good that the man should be alone, I will make him an help meet for him." There was no creature found suited for the man. The one bride was the workmanship of God, wrought in a very peculiar way. The one bride was formed out of the sleeping [in figure dead] Adam. There was, however, only one Eve formed, and presented unto the man. We thus see God's thoughts of Christ and the church, the bride of the Lamb. It is the good pleasure of the Father, that Christ, as the man, should not be alone. What Eve was in paradise, the church shall be in the heavens. Oh, wondrous purpose of God! "I will make him an help meet for him." From Pentecost to the second coming of the Lord, is not this the great work of God in this world?
All believers should already rejoice, and give thanks to the Father, because He hath made us meet for the inheritance of the saints in light. But, oh, what a moment will that be when the church, as the bride of Christ's affections, is presented to Him glorious, "not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing''—holy, and without blemish. But if God only formed one Eve, as revealed in Gen. 2, so in Ephesians do we find only the one church. " Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it," &c.
If we now pass on in scripture until after they that are Christ's have been raised from among the dead, and we who are alive, and left until His coming, have been caught up with them, to meet and be with the Lord, we do not find the marriage of the Lamb take place for some time. When John was called up to heaven, at the close of the vision of the church's history on earth, and when he saw the throne set in heaven, then the redeemed, who had been caught up to meet and be with the Lord, were thus revealed to him. " And round about the throne were four-and-twenty thrones: and upon the thrones I saw four-and-twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold." (Rev. 4:44And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold. (Revelation 4:4).) Thus they are kings and priests -crowned priests, sitting on thrones. On earth the four-and-twenty courses of priests never sat down. Their work was never done. Neither were they crowned kings. That beautiful little song explains how we received these wondrous privileges: " Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen." (Rev. 1:55And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, (Revelation 1:5).) Yes, that precious blood fits us to sit on thrones—the work is done. We enter into perfect rest, in the very light and glory of the throne of God, clothed in priestly robes of white, and having crowns of gold. Not a cloud—not a spot. Jesus said, " 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 unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also." What a place!—what a home above! Here we shall wait, and worship, until the Lamb takes the book, and takes His place in the center of the throne. No doubt it will be a great surprise to some; it need not be, if we believe the revelation thus given to us now. " The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to show unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass." Yes, shortly—it may be in a few hours—we who are washed in the blood of the Lamb may be seated on those thrones of glory, clothed in white raiment, wearing crowns of gold. It will surely and shortly come to pass. Oh, how gladly shall we join the mighty chorus, " Thou art worthy." This will be our happy and blessed place during that terrible period of wrath, and pouring out of judgments on the earth. When the Lamb takes the book, then, so near the throne, we not only sit, but sing the new song.
We will pass over the time of the opening of the seals, the sounding of the trumpets, thunders, and pouring out of the vials of judgments—days of the full ripening of Christendom in the awful wickedness and judgment of Babylon. Then, but not until the final overthrow and judgment of Babylon, will the marriage of the Lamb take place. " And again they said, Alleluia. And her smoke rose up forever and ever." If you would know the end of all human boasting and progress—yea, the end of Christendom, after the true saints of God are taken to be with the Lord, read Rev. 18; 19:3; and remember these things will shortly come to pass. After the judgment of Babylon, the saints are seen as the crowned elders for the last time. They "fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne, saying, Amen, Alleluia."
We now come to the marriage of the Lamb. And observe, the marriage is in heaven. The bride must be where the marriage takes place. Therefore there is no ground for the thought held by some, that the bride always means Israel. There is no thought in scripture of Israel being taken as a nation to heaven. Every promise to them is as to blessing on earth. The bride, then, is evidently the church, which is His body, which is then in heaven. But immediately before the appearing of Christ with all His saints, the marriage of the Lamb takes place. There are vast multitudes present beside the bride. "A great multitude." They are distinct from the bride, for they say, " Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor 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 [righteousnesses] of saints." Thus the heavenly bride of the Lamb is as distinct as the Eve of paradise. And she now takes her distinct and highest place as the wife of the Lamb. " And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb." Thus the well-known figure of an Eastern marriage is used to express or reveal the wondrous place the church shall have according to the eternal counsels of God. As God presented Eve to Adam, so that supreme moment has now arrived when the church is presented glorious, without spot or wrinkle, to Christ, the second Adam.
We understand the position of Eve, when we remember that she was one with the man placed over this lower creation. We understand, in some measure, the position and glory of the church, the bride of the Lamb, when we know that she is one with Him who, as the Second man, is placed over the universe. It was made by Him, and for Him. Such the everlasting destiny of the church, the wife of the Lamb—when He comes in judgment, they come with Him. (Rev. 19:11-1611And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. 12His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. 13And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. 14And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. 15And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. (Revelation 19:11‑16)) " And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given unto them." (Chap. 20:4)
We now pass on to the vision when the first earth and the first heaven are passed away, and the new heaven and the new earth appear. Even then the bride is seen in all her distinctness. " And I, John, saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband." It does certainly seem to us most clear that Israel as a nation never having been taken up to heaven, cannot thus come down from God out of heaven. No, it is the church, the bride, not seen now as once it was on earth. But what will it be as coming from God out of heaven- the workmanship of God? How perfect in glory! How pure and holy!
All this is so dear to the heart of Christ, who loved the church, and gave Himself for it, that, after closing the revelation of the eternal state in chapter 21:8, we have an additional and special description of the bride, the Lamb's wife. " Come hither, I will show thee the bride, the Lamb's wife. 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, having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone, most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal." Here, again, the bride, the Lamb's wife, under the figure of a vast city, the holy Jerusalem, the holy dwelling-place of God, is seen—not what we were in humiliation and sorrow on earth, but descending out of heaven from God, having the glory of God. Surely we ought to know and expect this, for Jesus said long ago, " And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one."
We could not in this short paper attempt to explain the heights and depths, breadths and lengths, or consider all the wondrous symbols used to describe the joint administration and glory of the bride of the Lamb. But, glorious as is the vision, do not forget it must shortly come to pass. What will it be to be there—to come out of heaven from God, to reign with the Lamb over the nations of this earth I Oh, blessed destiny, thou bride of the Lamb! Even now it is our privilege to be communicators of the water of life to others, having drunk it ourselves.
Yes, it is Jesus Himself that says, "I (Jesus) have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches: I am the root and offspring of David, and the bright and morning star." Is it so, beloved reader? Do you know Jesus? Is He the Bright and Morning Star to you? Anything, nothing, or everything? " And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come." Are you really a member of the body of Christ? Have you heard and believed? Are you now inviting others to come? Are you longing for Jesus to come? Do you say, I am only a poor sinner that longs to be saved—a heavy-laden sinner, that longs for rest and peace with God? Well, there is another sentence for you—yes, for you. " And let him that is athirst come: and whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely." Yes, you say, I thirst, I long, I wish I had the certainty of salvation; I am indeed heavy-laden, I hate myself and my sins more and more; but how am I to know that this water of life is free to me? Does not Jesus say, " Let him that is athirst, come?" Does He not say, " Whosoever?" Does He not, then, mean you? The water of life, then, is free to you, for whosoever surely includes you. Do you say, After a little more pleasure or sin? Is that thirsting for salvation, for the water of life?
Oh, beware, for " He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus."
Very solemn words to those who reject His grace; very precious words to those who are washed in His blood. He who thus speaks to us in infinite love may come as we write, or as others may read these lines. May each believer be found waiting, and ready to enter into the joy of the Lord.