Everlasting Joys of Marriage

Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.—Revelation 19:7

Michael Brann

The Bible utilizes a wide variety of expressions to tell us about our relationship with God and Jesus. The “bride of Christ” is one of these. Note that it is not the “bride of Jehovah God.” The nation of Israel was the bride of the LORD (see Isaiah 54:1-6; Jeremiah 3:14; Ezekiel 16:8; Hosea 2:19,20; Galatians 4:21-31). Just as Jehovah has his elect “bride,” so he has arranged a bride for his son Jesus (see 2 Corinthians 11:2; Galatians 4:21-31; Ephesians 5:25-32; Revelation 14:1,4 and 21:9,17).

The church is variously styled as a flock under the care of its shepherd, as branches connected to the vine, as soldiers under its captain, as brethren to their elder brother, as disciples under the tutelage of their master, to name a few. Each of these pictures gives us insight, instruction, and detail regarding our personal relationship with the Lord which no single picture alone could do. Taken together as a whole, we get a more well-rounded and symmetrical view of the matter.

As sheep, we understand something of the nature of trusting our every care to the leading of the gentle shepherd. As branches, we see our absolute dependency for life comes from our connection to the nourishing vine. As soldiers, we learn the need for strict obedience and absolute loyalty to our courageous captain who has already fought the good fight. As younger brothers we learn to lean on our elder brother who has undergone similar experiences of a more fleshly nature. As disciples we understand the value of listening to, learning from, and following our all-wise teacher. What beautiful and important lessons are contained in these and other relationship sketches found in the Bible!

As instructive as these are, none match the level of intensity indicative of love, joy, and delight as that implied by the picture of Bridegroom and Bride. This relationship (and the implied marriage associated with it) is one of the most endearing, inspiring, and uplifting messages found in the Bible. Anyone who has had the experience of courting, engagement, and marriage understands this truth. This union carries with it many beautiful aspects which help us understand the depth of our relationship with Christ. Qualities such as love, joy, loyalty, trust, commitment, bonding/sharing, and caring are all elements of this union.

The associations of sheep, branches, soldiers, brothers, and disciples can exist without a real, deep, or lasting sentiment or affection. A shepherd can just be doing his job, a vine has no emotional attachment to a branch, a captain can be simply completing a career and a soldier merely serving out his time, a teacher can instruct without passion and a student can learn without emotional involvement. But there can be no real connection between a bride and groom unless that connection is sustained with love and tender affection, overflowing the heart with hope and joyful expectation.

The illustration of a bride and groom suggests a time when plans are being made for a wedding day. Both are usually in a state of bliss and joy. Both eagerly anticipate the coming marriage and their new life together. They are characteristically described by friends and family as “lovesick” or “floating on air.” Some find it difficult to concentrate on the simplest of tasks before their minds wander off to thoughts of their beloved. When they speak of their “intended,” their eyes sparkle and shine like a diamond in the sun. They ignore the world and those around them, not out of spite or apathy, but because their minds are in an excited and anticipatory state.

Anyone who has chosen to love and to prepare for marriage has undoubtedly experienced some of these emotions. Even our Lord has these same strong, tender, and longing desires toward his prospective bride: “For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee: and as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee” (Isaiah 62:5). This is precisely why the picture of a bride and groom is given to us.

Those of little faith might say, “He doesn’t love me like that because I have this blemish or that weakness.” Proper faith will say, “What manner of love hath the Lord shown to me, to love me just as I am. If he can love me despite my blemishes and weaknesses, I am inspired to love him in return and become more and more transformed daily into the most beautiful bride I can possibly become!”

The word of God is true and dependable. If we have given our hearts to the Lord in sincere consecration, it is incumbent upon us to believe his word: he loves us as a groom loves his bride. His written word describing his love toward his bride-to-be is just as sure as the statement that “the wages of sin is death” or that “the earth abideth forever.” The picture of the bride of Christ is not exaggerated hyperbole. These words are “true and faithful.”

The Bride Portrayed

Abraham’s servant is sent to Abraham’s birthplace to look for a bride from among his own people and country. He meets Rebekah at a well. She is beautiful, generous in service, and a virgin—all qualities the Father wants in the bride for his son Jesus. Natural beauty is not a requirement; rather it is beauty of heart and mind, those who have humility and a spirit of service toward God and others. Virginity in symbol suggests purity of heart, good intentions, separateness from “the world” with a desire to maintain doctrinal and moral purity.

After Rebekah agrees to become Isaac’s wife, she is given gifts of jewels and garments. This suggests a begetting by God of his holy spirit and the receiving of a new robe of Christ’s righteousness, pure and spotless, without wrinkle. As they journeyed for weeks back to Canaan, a distance of approximately eight hundred miles, Rebekah could have taken the opportunity during their necessary times of rest and refreshment to make one of these clean new garments her bridal dress, weaving fine colorful thread and jewels into its fabric. This draws our attention to another picture often used to describe the present work of the bride in preparing for her marriage as found in Psalm 45:10-15. Verse 13 reads, “The King’s daughter is all glorious within; Her clothing is interwoven with gold.” (See also Isaiah 61:10 and Revelation 19:8.)

At the end of the journey Rebekah comes down off her camel (Rotherham adds “with haste,” Genesis 24:64) at the sight of her beloved Isaac as he was meditating in the field towards evening. Both seem to have each other in mind as they anticipate the great joy of being united to one another. It is similar to a lesson in Matthew 25:6 where the message is “go ye out to meet him.” Here too, love must be the motive as each virgin makes her “journey” to meet the bridegroom while others slumber and sleep. The journey demands a sufficient supply of oil, symbolic of the fruits and graces developed by the holy spirit of God, before union with the beloved “Isaac,” our Lord Jesus Christ, occurs.

Another Old Testament account expressing the depth of love and passion between bride and groom is in the Song of Solomon (see p. 8 in this issue). There are a variety of interpretations assigned to this book’s meaning. One view applies it to Jehovah and Israel while another presents it as a picture of Christ and his bride. This second interpretation is one which we, the spiritual bride of Christ, can appreciate. What a pleasing sense it brings as we place ourselves in the picture of this beautiful love story! How grand is our beloved and how delightful to comprehend the desire and passion he has for us, his spiritual bride!

The Preparation by the Groom

In today’s world, a man finds it necessary to prepare himself for a marriage in two particular ways: 1) He must obtain an education and career adequate enough to provide for the needs of his family, with hopeful plans for a happy future together; 2) He will prepare a place for them to live where they can discover the joys and experiences of becoming one. Both of these are quite attractive and essential to the prospective bride.

Our heavenly bridegroom is similarly engaged. He has established himself on the right hand of the father in heaven and has himself been made both Lord and Christ over all (Acts 2:36). He has an inheritance for us which is incorruptible, undefiled, and fadeth not away (1 Peter 1:4; 5:4).

He is also preparing a place for us in the heavenly realm as he said: “In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. 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” (John 14:2,3). What a glorious home awaits us, a home that has been in preparation for nearly two thousand years! Imagine what joys and comforts will be there. The crowning delight of that home will undoubtedly be the privilege of living and reigning with him to bless all the families of the earth in the millennial kingdom.

These things are so attractive to the bride-to-be. How we long to be with him and to share his glory, honor, and immortality. This is why he appears to us as the one who is the “chiefest among ten thousand” and “he is altogether lovely” (Song of Solomon 5:10,16).

The Wedding

Soon we expect the bride, the Gospel age church which at the first was introduced to her bridegroom Jesus by John the Baptist (John 3:29), will be complete. Those who are called, chosen, and faithful will enter into the everlasting joys in marriage to the Lord. “Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour 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 of saints. And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God” (Revelation 19:7-9). The psalmist adds: “With gladness and rejoicing shall they be brought: they shall enter into the king’s palace” (Psalm 45:15).

There will be much rejoicing because then the Lord and his bride will begin the restitution work for the world of mankind. This will include the resurrection of all who were lost in death through the Adamic curse. The invitation will go forth to all mankind: “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” (Revelation 22:17).