CHAPTER 14
WHO IS THE BRIDE OF CHRIST?
In this book, we
conducted a comprehensive Biblical study so that we could answer the
question, "Who is the Bride of Christ?" In
doing so, we looked at the Biblical characteristics of the Bride of
Christ in a step-by-step manner. From our studies, we were able to
understand that not all believers in Jesus as Messiah will be the Bride
of Christ. However, all believers in Jesus as Messiah will be in heaven.
God's perfect Will for every believer is to be saved by accepting Jesus
Christ as your personal Lord and Savior AND grow from being a baby
believer to a spiritually mature believer. Those individuals who are
saved and who grow to spiritual maturity will be the Bride of Christ.
Those believers who practice and follow the ways of the world and who do
not grow in spiritual knowledge and understanding of God and His kingdom
will be like the five foolish virgins who were not ready when the
bridegroom came to get his bride.
While no believer is
saved by doing good works, God requires that all believers live
sanctified and holy lives separated from the ways and practices of the
world and dedicated and consecrated unto God and unto His kingdom. By
doing so, those believers will be led by the Spirit of God and grow to
spiritual maturity and be found to be faithful servants to God and His
kingdom.
The Bride of Christ will
be a sanctified, holy and without blemish nation of people unto God. She
will be a glorified Bride and her glory will be seen as a witness in all
the earth. She will be a praise and honor unto God while being a
faithful servant unto Him. She will love God with all her heart, mind,
soul and strength. She will seek God, His ways and how to please Him at
all times. She will not seek her own pleasures or her own will but will
submit to do God's perfect Will in her life. She will overcome the
desires of the world and the spiritual obstacles that stand in her way
from being perfectly acceptable to her heavenly Bridegroom.
The Bride of Christ will
be a royal priesthood. Just as it was the duty of the priests in the Old
Testament to teach God's people His Torah, even so, it will be the duty
of God's Bride to teach God's people about His Torah/Word and His
infinite ways for all eternity. Those who keep the commandments
(Torah/Word) of God and teach others to do so will be great in the
kingdom of God. Those who break the commandments (Torah/Word) of God and
teach others to do so will be called least in the kingdom of God (Matthew
5:19). The Bride of Christ will keep the commandments of God and
have the right to the tree of life which is the Torah (Revelation
22:14).
The Bride of Christ will
be a people after God's own heart just like David who loved God's
Torah/Word and kept His commandments. She will teach God's Torah to the
nations of the world during the Messianic Age (Isaiah 2:2-3).
During eternity, she will teach all believers in heaven the riches of
the Torah of God to those believers who will not be the Bride of Christ.
The Bride of Christ has a
deep personal relationship with God and a deep spiritual intimacy with
Him. She will have clean hands and a pure heart unto God. While in
heaven, she will live and dwell in the presence of God and His glory.
She will dwell with God in the city of the Bride, the heavenly
Jerusalem, for all eternity. She is like the most precious of stones and
a pearl of great price.
So, these are some of the
Biblical characteristics of the Bride of Christ. But, who is the Bride
of Christ? This book makes NO ATTEMPT to judge
any individual member of the family of God to determine if they are the
Bride of Christ. It is my desire that every reader who reads this book
will be the Bride of Christ. It is my desire that I will be the Bride of
Christ. However, only God can judge the hearts and lives of all
believers to determine who is the Bride of Christ and who is not. It is
the believer's responsibility to love God with all your heart, mind,
soul and strength so that God's Spirit can lead you and guide you in all
the truth so that you can bear much fruit in the kingdom of God for His
glory.
It has been God's desire
since He created Adam in the Garden of Eden to live with man and to
dwell with His Bride for all eternity. Because of man's sin and
disobedience, God's plan has had to be delayed until He redeemed man by
sending Jesus the Messiah and our heavenly Bridegroom to purchase and
obtain a Bride through the shedding of His blood on the tree of Calvary.
From the time that Jesus was resurrected and ascended unto the throne of
God, God has been preparing a heavenly home for his Bride. The
longsuffering and patience of God to live and dwell with His Bride is
coming to a close. Soon the heavenly shofar will be blown and the cry
will be made in the heavens, "Behold the bridegroom
cometh!"(Matthew 25:6)
The final words of Jesus
to his Church before He comes for His Bride is found in Revelation
22:16 as it is written:
- " I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify
unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the
offspring of David, and the bright and morning star. "
May all those who love
His appearing cry unto Him the words of Revelation 22:17 as it
is written:
- " And the Spirit and the bride say, COME,
And let him that heareth say, COME. And let him that is athirst
COME. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.
"
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FROM THE AUTHOR
I pray that this book has
been a source of inspiration and rich blessing to you. If you would like
to have a greater understanding of the biblical festivals and how they
teach in great detail about the first and second coming of Jesus and
about our personal relationship with God, I would highly encourage you
to purchase my book,
"The
Seven Festivals of the Messiah.".
If this book has been a
blessing to you and if you have a greater interest in studying the
Hebraic Roots of Christianity, I would encourage you to visit the
Hebraic Heritage Ministries Web Site and join the GLOBAL network of
ministries and people who are studying the Hebraic Roots of Christianity
by filling out the ministry questionnaire. At the Web site, you will
find MANY ARTICLES that will help you in studying the roots of your
faith. Most of all, please become a
member of our network by filling out the ministry
questionnaire. Hebraic Heritage Ministries is linked with other Hebraic
Roots ministries and individuals all over the WORLD who are also
studying the Hebraic Roots of Christianity.
PRAY FOR THE PEACE OF JERUSALEM
Spiritually, the Bride of
Christ is the heavenly Jerusalem. In addition, when God creates the new
heaven and earth (Revelation 21:1-3), the Bride of Christ will
live and dwell in the heavenly city of Jerusalem in the presence of God
for all eternity (Revelation 21). However, God also loves the
physical and natural city of Jerusalem. In Luke 19:41, Jesus
wept over the city of Jerusalem. In Isaiah 62:7, it is written:
- " And give him no rest, till he establish,
and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth. "
In Psalm 121:4,
it is written:
- " Behold he that keepeth Israel shall
neither slumber nor sleep. "
In Psalm 122:6,
it is written:
- " Pray for the peace of Jerusalem; they
will prosper that love thee. "
SHALOO SHALOM YERUSHALAYIM
PRAY FOR THE PEACE OF JERUSALEM !!
SHALOM IN MESSIAH !!