Bride of Christ
Encyclopedia
The Bride of Christ or bride, the Lamb's wife is a term used in the New Testament
of The Bible. Sometimes the Bride is implied through calling Jesus
a Bridegroom. Sometimes the Church is compared to a bride betrothed to Christ. However there are instances where the interpretation of the usage of bride varies from Church to Church. The majority believe it always to refer to the Church
, other beliefs include a "Heavenly Mother." or The 144000 anointed elect
all refer to Christ as a bridegroom thus implying he must also have a bride.
In Matthew 9:15, Mark 2:19 and Luke 5:34 the Apostles are referred to as the guests, or children depending on the translation, of the bridegroom commonly accepted to be Jesus Christ.
In the Gospel of John
, John the Baptist
also calls Jesus Christ a bridegroom
In the above quotes, John
, the author of the Book of Revelation
, speaks of seeing the bride revealed and refers to her as the New Jerusalem
, first mentioned in .
The ekklēsia is never explicitly called "the bride of Christ" in the New Testament. That is approached in }. A major analogy is that of the body. Just as husband and wife are to be "one flesh," this analogy for the writer describes the relationship of Christ and ekklēsia (v. 32). Husbands were exhorted to love their wives "just as Christ loved the ekklēsia and gave himself for it (v. 25). When Christ nourishes and cherishes the ekklēsia, he nourishes and cherishes his own flesh. Members of the ekklēsia are "members of his own body" (vv. 29-30).
believes the bride to be God the Mother. Also, the Jehovah's witnesses
, along with other ministries such as Shepherd's Chapel, preach the Bride to be the 144,000 mentioned in Revelation 7 and 14.
They also state that because, to Christians, Jesus is the father of all, his wife must be the mother of all. They claim that the Bride is the heavenly Jerusalem, and point out that the apostle Paul, in his Epistle to the Galatians
, stated that Jerusalem was their mother.
and as such believe the Bride is another term among many to refer to the 144,000 who will be allowed to enter.
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
of The Bible. Sometimes the Bride is implied through calling Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
a Bridegroom. Sometimes the Church is compared to a bride betrothed to Christ. However there are instances where the interpretation of the usage of bride varies from Church to Church. The majority believe it always to refer to the Church
Christian Church
The Christian Church is the assembly or association of followers of Jesus Christ. The Greek term ἐκκλησία that in its appearances in the New Testament is usually translated as "church" basically means "assembly"...
, other beliefs include a "Heavenly Mother." or The 144000 anointed elect
Christ is a bridegroom
The three Synoptic GospelsSynoptic Gospels
The gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke are known as the Synoptic Gospels because they include many of the same stories, often in the same sequence, and sometimes exactly the same wording. This degree of parallelism in content, narrative arrangement, language, and sentence structures can only be...
all refer to Christ as a bridegroom thus implying he must also have a bride.
In Matthew 9:15, Mark 2:19 and Luke 5:34 the Apostles are referred to as the guests, or children depending on the translation, of the bridegroom commonly accepted to be Jesus Christ.
In the Gospel of John
Gospel of John
The Gospel According to John , commonly referred to as the Gospel of John or simply John, and often referred to in New Testament scholarship as the Fourth Gospel, is an account of the public ministry of Jesus...
, John the Baptist
John the Baptist
John the Baptist was an itinerant preacher and a major religious figure mentioned in the Canonical gospels. He is described in the Gospel of Luke as a relative of Jesus, who led a movement of baptism at the Jordan River...
also calls Jesus Christ a bridegroom
The bride's appearance
The Book of Revelation in multiple instances shows the appearance of the Bride.In the above quotes, John
John the Presbyter
John the Presbyter is an obscure figure of the early Church who is either distinguished from or identified with the Apostle John, by some also John the Divine. He appears in fragments from the church father Papias of Hierapolis as one of the author's sources and is first unequivocally distinguished...
, the author of the Book of Revelation
Book of Revelation
The Book of Revelation is the final book of the New Testament. The title came into usage from the first word of the book in Koine Greek: apokalupsis, meaning "unveiling" or "revelation"...
, speaks of seeing the bride revealed and refers to her as the New Jerusalem
New Jerusalem
In the book of Ezekiel, the Prophecy of New Jerusalem is Ezekiel's prophetic vision of a city to be established to the south of the Temple Mount that will be inhabited by the twelve tribes of Israel in the...
, first mentioned in .
The bride giving water of life
Towards the end of the Book of Revelation John describes the spirit and the bride giving access to the water of lifeComparing the church to a bride
compares the union of husband and wife to that of Christ and the church. The central theme of the whole Ephesians letter is reconciliation of the alienated within the unity of the church. begins by calling on Christians to imitate God and Christ, who gave himself up for them with love. contains a rather strong warning against foolishness and letting down one's guard against evil. Rather, the author encourages the readers to constantly give thanks with song in their hearts because of what God has done for all in Christ. That prelude to the subject's text takes up again the theme of loving submission that began with the example of Christ in where all are called upon to "Be submissive to one another out of reverence for Christ." It implies, but is not specific, that the "Bride" is the body of believers that comprise the universal Christian Ekklēsia (Church) (lit. "called-out ones").The ekklēsia is never explicitly called "the bride of Christ" in the New Testament. That is approached in }. A major analogy is that of the body. Just as husband and wife are to be "one flesh," this analogy for the writer describes the relationship of Christ and ekklēsia (v. 32). Husbands were exhorted to love their wives "just as Christ loved the ekklēsia and gave himself for it (v. 25). When Christ nourishes and cherishes the ekklēsia, he nourishes and cherishes his own flesh. Members of the ekklēsia are "members of his own body" (vv. 29-30).
Other Interpretations of the bride
While the most commonly accepted interpretation of the bride of Christ is the Church, other interpretations are common throughout the Churches. The World Mission Society Church of GodWorld Mission Society Church of God
The World Mission Society Church of God was founded by Ahn Sahng-hong in 1964. The church believes that he is the second coming of Christ because of his fulfillment of prophecies...
believes the bride to be God the Mother. Also, the Jehovah's witnesses
Jehovah's Witnesses
Jehovah's Witnesses is a millenarian restorationist Christian denomination with nontrinitarian beliefs distinct from mainstream Christianity. The religion reports worldwide membership of over 7 million adherents involved in evangelism, convention attendance of over 12 million, and annual...
, along with other ministries such as Shepherd's Chapel, preach the Bride to be the 144,000 mentioned in Revelation 7 and 14.
God the Mother
The World Mission Society Church of God believes that the Bride of Christ is another God hidden in the parables of Jesus Christ, not to be revealed until the last day. They point to the fact the Bride gives the water of life in and they claim that because explains that water of life is eternal life, only God can give eternal life. Also, in Jeremiah 2:13 and Revelation 21:6, it is written that God said that he is the source of living water.They also state that because, to Christians, Jesus is the father of all, his wife must be the mother of all. They claim that the Bride is the heavenly Jerusalem, and point out that the apostle Paul, in his Epistle to the Galatians
Epistle to the Galatians
The Epistle of Paul to the Galatians, often shortened to Galatians, is the ninth book of the New Testament. It is a letter from Paul of Tarsus to a number of Early Christian communities in the Roman province of Galatia in central Anatolia...
, stated that Jerusalem was their mother.
144,000 anointed
The Jehovah's Witnesses believe that the 144,000 are the only ones who will enter the Kingdom of HeavenKingdom of God
The Kingdom of God or Kingdom of Heaven is a foundational concept in the Abrahamic religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam.The term "Kingdom of God" is found in all four canonical gospels and in the Pauline epistles...
and as such believe the Bride is another term among many to refer to the 144,000 who will be allowed to enter.
See also
- Bridal theologyBridal theologyWithin the Judeo-Christian tradition, bridal theology, also referred to as mystical marriage, is the New Testament portrayal of communion with Jesus as a marriage, and God's reign as a wedding banquet. This tradition in turn traces back to the Old Testament...
- Christian views of marriageChristian views of marriageChristian views on marriage typically regard it as instituted and ordained by God for the lifelong relationship between one man as husband and one woman as wife, and is to be "held in honour among all...."...
- Jehovah's Witnesses and salvation#The 'anointed'
- World Mission Society Church of GodWorld Mission Society Church of GodThe World Mission Society Church of God was founded by Ahn Sahng-hong in 1964. The church believes that he is the second coming of Christ because of his fulfillment of prophecies...