The Bride of Christ
A Fresh Perspective on Jesus' Promised Return
Jesus gathered with his disciples in the Upper Room during the Passion Week in Jerusalem. He knew that he would soon be crucified on the cross. His disciples were troubled by the prospect of his death, resurrection, and ascension to heaven. Jesus had warned them about this many times. They were confused, despairing, and uncertain about their teacher's words and what the future held for them. Jesus comforted his disciples by making a covenant with them during this difficult time. He told them:
“Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for 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 to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.” - John 14:1-3
By familiarizing ourselves with Jewish marriage customs, we can gain insight into how the disciples may have perceived the covenant that Jesus made with them in Jerusalem. During a time of anxiety and doubt, Jesus drew on the analogy of Jewish marriage to reassure his disciples and make a promise to his followers. Examining the Jewish marriage customs of biblical times is essential to understanding the significance of this promise and its connection to the gospel message.
Jewish Marriage Customs and the “Bride of Christ.”
In ancient times, marriage was a negotiated match that involved an agreement on conditions and the payment of a bridal price. The first significant step in a Jewish marriage was betrothal. The prospective bridegroom would travel to the prospective bride's home and negotiate with her Father to determine the price he must pay to purchase his bride. The marriage covenant was established once the bridegroom paid the purchase price, and the young man and woman were regarded as husband and wife. The bridegroom would then return to his Father’s house to prepare a place for his new bride. After this, the bride would wait for the bridegroom to return and take her to their new home. Once there, they would consummate the marriage, and the bridegroom would present her to everyone as his new bride.
Similarly, Jesus made a covenant with his followers during Passion Week in Jerusalem. He promised to prepare a place for them in his Father's house. The disciples were familiar with the Jewish marriage customs of biblical times and understood the significance of such a covenant. Through this analogy, Jesus drew a connection between his covenant with his followers and the covenant that a Jewish bridegroom would make with his bride. This perspective gave the disciples a deeper understanding of the significance of Jesus' promise and provided them with comfort and hope during a difficult time. Throughout the Bible, God uses this analogy to explain his relationship with his followers and the significance of his sacrifice.
As a helpful tool for studying the Scriptures, I have compiled a list of Bible verses that mention the Bride of Christ. I have also included a podcast episode that I recommend you listen to. It will forever change your perspective on marriage and the gospel message.
Want to listen to more episodes from our show? Please visit our Core-Truth Media Network page and explore the diverse range of podcasts and high-quality content we provide to those seeking to deepen their understanding of the Bible and grow in their faith.
Bible Verses that mention The Bride of Christ.
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For your husband is your Maker, Whose name is Yahweh of hosts; And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel, Who is called the God of all the earth.
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For as a young man marries a virgin, So your sons will marry you; And as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, So your God will rejoice over you.
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“Go and call out in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, ‘Thus says Yahweh “I remember concerning you the lovingkindness of your youth, The love of your betrothals, Your walking after Me in the wilderness, Through a land not sown.
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“Behold, days are coming,” declares Yahweh, “when I will cut a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant which I cut with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, but I was a husband to them,” declares Yahweh. “But this is the covenant which I will cut with the house of Israel after those days,” declares Yahweh: “I will put My law within them, and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. And they will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, ‘Know Yahweh,’ for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,” declares Yahweh, “for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”
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When Yahweh first spoke through Hosea, Yahweh said to Hosea, “Go, take for yourself a wife of harlotry and have children of harlotry; for the land commits flagrant harlotry, forsaking Yahweh.”
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And it will be in that day,” declares Yahweh, “That you will call Me Ishi And will no longer call Me Baali. So I will remove the names of the Baals from her mouth So that they will be remembered by their names no more. And in that day I will cut a covenant for them With the beasts of the field, The birds of the sky, And the creeping things of the ground. And I will break the bow, the sword, and war from the land, And I will make them lie down in security. And I will betroth you to Me forever; Indeed, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and in justice, In lovingkindness and in compassion, And I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness. Then you will know Yahweh.
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And Jesus said to them, “Can the attendants of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.
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“Then the kingdom of heaven may be compared to ten virgins, who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Now five of them were foolish, and five were prudent. For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the prudent took oil in flasks along with their lamps. Now while the bridegroom was delaying, they all got drowsy and began to sleep. But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the prudent, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the prudent answered, saying, ‘No, there will not be enough for us and you too; go instead to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.’ And while they were going away to make the purchase, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast; and the door was shut. And later the other virgins also came, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open up for us.’ But he answered and said, ‘Truly I say to you, I do not know you.’ Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know the day nor the hour.
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And John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting; and they came and said to Him, “Why do John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?” And Jesus said to them, “Can the attendants of the bridegroom fast when the bridegroom is with them? So long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day.
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He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. So this joy of mine has been made full.
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“Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for 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 to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.
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For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy, for I betrothed you to one husband, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to Christ.
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Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body. But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she would be holy and blameless. So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself; for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church, because we are members of His body. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. This mystery is great, but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church.
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For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.
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…and the light of a lamp will not shine in you any longer; and the voice of the bridegroom and bride will not be heard in you any longer; for your merchants were the great men of the earth, because all the nations were deceived by your sorcery.
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Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready.” And it was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. Then he said to me, “Write, ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.’” And he said to me, “These are true words of God.”
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And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.
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Then one of the seven angels who have the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and spoke with me, saying, “Come here, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.”
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And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come. Let the one who wishes receive the water of life without cost.
Source Translation: The Legacy Standard Bible (LSB)
