Who is the Bride of Christ?

Before I begin, let me first say that this study came about because of another study. In the Types of Christ in the Torah study (soon to come), in the portion concerning Rebekah, Isaac’s wife, I mention that the church is the bride of Christ, and went looking for the verse that most succinctly sums up that doctrine. I was surprised to find that there is no verse that calls the church by the title of ‘the bride’, so I had to dig a little deeper. Within just around four to four and a half hours, the study you are about to read was born. Since I often call the church by this title, I decided it was well worth the small effort to put together a study for it.

Most Christians are aware that the church is the bride of Christ, but only because of passages that say that He is the head of the church, like the husband is the head of the wife. We are going to peel back the veil a bit more on this subject though. First off:

Ephesians 5:23-33 “For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That 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. So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband."

Well it should never be enough for us to find a single verse to prove or to disprove a doctrine, but instead we should search for all verses on the subject we are studying, so that (A. we can be sure that our understanding, or interpretation of the one verse, is correct, and (B. so that we can receive a picture that is as complete as possible.

(1) Jesus is the Lamb.

John 1:29 “The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” See also 1:36.

Revelation 5:6 “And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.”

(2) New Jerusalem is the Bride of the Lamb.

Revelation 21:2 “And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.”

Revelation 21:9-10 “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. 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,”

(3) The twelve apostles of Jesus are the foundations of New Jerusalem, which is the bride of Christ.

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

(4) Peter is only one apostle, so he is only one of twelve foundations of the church. Sorry Roman Catholics. : /

(5) The church is built on the same foundation as New Jerusalem, so the church is New Jerusalem.

Matthew 16:18-19 “And I say also unto thee, That (4) thou art Peter, and upon this rock (5) I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” The second part of this promise is reiterated unto the rest of the apostles in Matthew 18:18-20, “Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”

(6) The apparel of the bride [the church] is righteousness.

Revelation 19:7-14 “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.”

(7) God clothes His bride with Righteousness.

Isaiah 61:10-11 “I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, He hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels. For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.”

(8) The apparel of the bride is God.

Jeremiah 2:32 “Can a maid forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire? Yet my people have forgotten Me days without number.”

(9) The church is not only the bride of Christ, but it is His army as well. This army is also in heaven just before Christ returns to judge the nations with the Word of his Mouth.

Revelation 19:7-14 “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 his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.”

One more interesting verse:

Isaiah 62:4-5 “… thy land shall be married. 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.”

It is important to note that the Hebrew word translated here (Strong’s #1121, bane) as ‘sons’ can also be used in a singular sense as in ‘son.’ I believe that son would clearly be the correct translation; given the understanding granted by the previous verses, and since God is speaking to Jerusalem [Isaiah 62:1] which is His bride. This is made unmistakably clear in the final statement of verse 5 “as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee.”