The other articles in this series can be found in “The Bride” folder.
In Part 1 of this series we began our introduction by looking at one reason that Jesus is coming back; for His bride. But there is, however, another reason that He is coming back; He is coming back for His creation.
Rom 8:19-23 For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; 21 because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now.
Let’s consider for a moment the story of Ruth and how it points well into the future. You can read the story and the role of the kinsman redeemer (Hebrew: gaal; avenger) who, according to Oriental law, was required to be the next of kin as detailed in Leviticus 25. Here I only want to draw some key elements from the redemption process that have meaning for us today.
If a Jew had a debt he could not pay his possessions could be taken from him to secure the debt at which time he became a slave to the creditor, and would remain as such until he repaid the debt, six years passed or the year of Jubilee occurred. Now there were only three things that could be held as security for his debt: 1) his wife, 2) his slave and 3) his possession (land; Lev 25:23-25). When his property was taken there were two scrolls produced containing the terms of redemption. The first contained the details of the property that was taken, which was held in the public records for all to see. The second was sealed with 7 seals and held in the temple only to be brought out when the property was redeemed. Later the process was reduced to one scroll written on both sides.
The property could only be redeemed by the debtor himself or his kinsman redeemer, who had to be qualified on three pivotal points.
- He was a family member;
- He was willing; and
- He had the means with which to pay the redemption price.
The kinsman redeemer would present himself to the high priest or judge with proof of his relationship to the debtor and his willingness and ability to pay the price. The scroll was brought forth and the 7 seals were removed publicly revealing the terms of redemption. The price was paid thereby canceling the mortgage and the debtor was returned his possessions. This process is clearly detailed for us in the Book of Ruth where Boaz, as her kinsman redeemer, not only redeemed the land but he redeemed Ruth as his wife. Now fast forward to the 5th chapter of the book of Revelation and use this lens to look at what John saw; emphasis mine.
Rev 5:1-7 And I saw in the right hand of Him (God) who sat on the throne a scroll written inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals. 2. Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals?” 3. And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll, or to look at it. 4. So I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open and read the scroll, or to look at it. 5 But one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals.” 6 And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth. 7 Then He came and took the scroll out of the right hand of Him (God) who sat on the throne(The Kinsman Redeemer; Jesus).
Here then is our scroll— the “Scroll of Redemption” — with its 7 seals, held by God for either the owner or his kinsman redeemer to pay the price. Who is our debtor and what possessions does the creditor hold? Well our debtor is no other than Adam himself. He was given free and clear ownership of the earth and all creation and he lost it, as well as his wife, to Satan. Jesus is going to redeem His creation, the very creation that Adam mortgaged by his sinful act in The Garden, and the seven seals will be opened by the only one qualified to redeem it:
Rev 5:9-10 And they sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, 10 And have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth.”
Remember that 3 things could be redeemed: a servant, a wife and land. We are incapable of redeeming ourselves or the earth but Jesus is. He is our kinsman: The root and the offspring of David (Rev 22:16); The Word made Flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14). He was willing and He went to the cross freely; for the joy that was set before Him He endured the cross (Heb 12:2). He was able and paid the price for us with His blood); redeemed with the precious blood of the lamb (1Pet 1:18-19). He first redeemed His slave (dulos/us) on the cross, then He will redeem His bride (believers) and finally His property (the earth) when the remaining seven seals to be opened during the Great Tribulation. Now before moving ahead let’s take a moment and consider the subject of the rapture of the church.
We became betrothed to Jesus as His bride and at that moment He gave us His commitment to return for us (John 14:1-4). He paid our “bride’s price” with His blood upon the cross and we were at that moment set aside (sanctified) to await the moment of His return; when He has finished building a house for us. Which brings up a subject that has troubled many believers: when does the bride get taken to her new home?
The subject of the “rapture of the church” is one that has supporters on multiple sides including:
It will happen but they don’t know when
It won’t happen – a millennial
It will take place before the tribulation – pre-trib
It will take place midway through the tribulation – mid-trib
It will take place after the tribulation – post- trib
It is not my intention here to cover the rapture in detail as there are many scholars that have written about it in depth. For our purpose it is important that I define my position on the subject in order that you will have a clear understanding of why I view the Book of Revelation as I do. My personal position is that the rapture of the church occurs prior to the great tribulation beginning with the removal of the seven seals and all the accompanying tribulation. Here are two last things to consider: 1) In the first 3 chapters of the Book of Revelation the church is mentioned 19 times but after Rev 3:22 she is not mentioned again as being on the earth; and 2) from Chapter 4 until Chapter 19 God is not once addressed as “Father;” He is referred to in Old Testament terms such as God, Lord, Almighty, etc. The only exception is Rev 14:1 where He is called the Father of Christ. The rapture is the call of the bride to her wedding, followed by the marriage supper and then her new home at the end of the millennial reign of her bridegroom.
It is not important if we agree or not on the subject of the rapture for the message contained in this series. We all agree that Jesus is coming back and therefore we need to be ready. So, now I invite you to be like the Bereans and search the Word of God and let the Holy Spirit reveal to you the truth. What we are going to look at concerns what we — His bride — are to be doing as we await His “promised and certain” return. And those instructions are clearly given to us in the messages to the seven churches. As we explore these messages we are going to see that they are not just the stern warning of Jesus to the church but a “wake-up call” that He chose to personally deliver because He loves His bride so deeply.
This series is intended to open up these letters in a fresh way; to bring about a revelation in our understanding and a change in our attitude. These letters deserve no less reflection and study than all the other letters found in the New Testament; Romans, Ephesians, Corinthians, etc. They need to be taken out of the pure realm of prophecy (apokalupsis and propheteia) and read with an eye to practical, daily application in our lives. To do this requires adapting the understanding of the first century church; what was the critically important message from Jesus that John was delivering to them; a message that merited Christ’s intervention?
In order to partake fully of this meal set before us it must be eaten with the appropriate utensils and the right attitude. To that end our interpretation will steer away from conclusions that lead us down a path that has been determined ahead of time. If we should make a mistake in interpretation it is far better that we do so conservatively. Our goal should be to let the text speak for itself and if it doesn’t speak to us then we should just let it set until it does. In order to keep that premise we will only look at these letters in the simple, straightforward truth that supports the intent of the author and the speaker.
Our job is to attempt to understand what is taught in the text and then relate that message to our own generation and time. In this way our walk will be with the Word of God and not the word of man. In other words, take these three chapters of the Book of Revelation as they are, listen closely to what John is saying about what he saw and then apply it to our own lives.
What is this book?
The revelation God gave to Christ.
The revelation of Jesus Christ.
The revelation Christ sent by His angel.
The revelation the angel gave to John.
The revelation John was to deliver to the church.
What are these letters?
- They are, unlike the other letters to the churches, not only inspired by God but from the very lips of Jesus Himself.
- They are written in terms that speak directly to the individual churches; uncovering that message makes them applicable to the bride of Christ today.
- Many say they represent the church down through the ages and that the church today is at the last stage; Laodicea. We will find out that these letters are also alive and speak (sevenfold strongly) to the individual members of the body of Christ at large; and they do so in the same fullness they did in the first century.
The New Testament Church — the bride of Christ — is set in a real world (24×7) in which the Gospel works. The Kingdom of God is placed right in the middle of all the turbulence and chaos that surrounds us and it commands our patience to see it fulfilled. If Jesus thought it was important enough to appear in person to John and deliver these messages then the bride ought to “hear” and not just listen to what He has to say. We need to explore these letters through the language and lens of the time, keeping the following in mind:
What character of Christ is revealed to the church?
What was the church accomplishing?
What was their shortcoming?
What was the admonishment?
What was the encouragement?
What does it mean to our walk today?
Because … The Bride Sleeps at Her Own Peril.
There are three key elements in understanding what it means to be the bride of Christ; three elements that are a part of ensuring that we are not found sleeping when the Lord returns for His Bride. As an opening into Jesus’ messages, consider these three elements:
Song of Solomon — The first is found in the Song of Solomon where we find out what it means to be the bride; through the eyes of Christ. It is in the words of Solomon that the love of Christ for His bride is revealed. We must first and foremost understand what it means to be His bride and view ourselves as He does … not an easy task. It is while we are betrothed to Christ — the Jewish kiddashin — that we are being sanctified in order to become the bride He will return for; without spot or wrinkle. It is during this time that we are drawn to Him and away from the world, begin to trust in Him and not ourselves and learn to love Him as He loves us. And our sanctification (our kiddashin) requires that we submit to the teaching of His Holy Spirit so that we can move ever closer to becoming more like Jesus every day.
Hebrews — The second element is found in the book of Hebrews where the author not only establishes our better salvation but he clearly shows us the bride is to be doing during her time here on earth; during her kiddashin. It is here that all the mystery of the Old Testament is clarified in Jesus Christ. The author makes the case for Hebrew Christians that to turn back to the old at the cost of the new is fraught with danger, and so it is for the bride today. How she lives and prepares herself for His coming not only determines how she will live here on earth but there are great eternal consequences when she stands before Jesus at His judgment seat and her works are judged according to what she has been given. The bride of Christ is not only His greatest treasure; she is to be His shining glory here on earth; a witness to a lost and dying world. Like the moon reflects the light of the sun, she is to reflect the light of the Son into a spiritually dark world. This she cannot be if she idly wastes her betrothal period on the things of this world. She cannot allow herself to remain withdrawn into her chamber, slumbering in the face of His call to draw near as the number of her days draw short.
Revelation 1-3 — The third element is found here in the book of Revelation where the bride is warned of the paths that can lead down the slippery slope of apostasy. We are shown the two churches that will dominate the time before the return of Jesus for His bride; Philadelphia and Laodicea. We are warned in these letters of the consequences of turning away from our first love and responding to the call of the world for comfort and pleasure. But at the same time we, as the bride of Christ, are reminded of the abundant grace of God and how willing He is to restore our relationship with Him if we will but remember, repent and do. While these letters are strict warnings against falling away and following the world and its system, they are also love letters to the bride. Each one contains a call to repentance and restoration … even from the deepest depths into which she has fallen. Time still remains to hear what The Spirit says.
And so with this background and objectives in mind let’s examine these seven letters and ensure that we will be the bride that Christ is expecting to find upon His return:
2 Cor 11:2 For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused (betrothed) you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.
Eph 5:27 That he might present it (His bride) to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it (His bride) should be holy and without blemish.
Next week will begin in Rev 1 and discover just who it is that is coming for His bride.