The
imagery and symbolism
of
Marriage is applied
to
Christ and
the
Body of believers
known as the church.
The Church is comprised of those
who have
Trusted in Jesus Christ
As their
Personal Savior
and have
Received eternal LIFE
Christ, the Bridegroom,
Has
sacrificially and Lovingly
Chosen
the
Church to be His Bride
(Ephesians 5:25–27).
Just as there was a betrothal period
in biblical times
during which
the bride and groom were separated
until the wedding, so is the
bride of Christ
separate
From her Bridegroom during the
Church age
Her responsibility during the betrothal period
Is to Be
Faithful to Him
(2 Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 5:24).
At the rapture,
The Church will
be
United with the Bridegroom
and the
Official “
Wedding Ceremony”
will take place and,
with it, the
Eternal Union of Christ
and
His bride will be Actualizec
(Revelation 19:7–9; 21:1-2)
In the eternal state,
believers will have Access to the
Heavenly City
known as
New Jerusalem, also
called
“The Holy City”
in Revelation 21:2 and 10.
The New Jerusalem is not the church,
but it takes
on some of the church’s characteristics.
In his Vision of the
end of the age, the APOSTLE John
SEES
The city coming
down from
Heaven Adorned “as a Bride,” meaning
that the
City will be
GLORIOUSLY RADIANT
and the
inhabitants of the city,
The REDEEMED of the Lord,
will be
HOLY and PIRE,
wearing white garments
of
holiness and righteousness.
Some have misinterpreted verse 9 to mean
the
holy city is the bride of Christ,
but that cannot be because
Christ died for His people,
not for a city.
The City is called the bride
because it
encompasses all who are
the Bride,
just as all the students of a school are
sometimes called “the school.”
Believers in Jesus Christ are
the
Bride of Christ,
and we wait with great anticipation
for
the day when we will be
United with our Bridegroom.
Until then,
we remain
Faithful to Him and say with
all the
Redeemed of the Lord,
“Come, Lord Jesus!”
(Revelation 22:20).
Psalms
Date of Writing:
A careful examination of the authorship question, as well as the subject matter covered by the psalms themselves, reveals that they span a period of many centuries. The oldest psalm in the collection is probably the prayer of Moses (90), a reflection on the frailty of man as compared to the eternity of God. The latest psalm is probably (137), a song of lament clearly written during the days when the Hebrews were being held captive by the Babylonians, from about 586 to 538 B.C.
It is clear that the 150 individual psalms were written by many different people across a period of a thousand years in Israel’s history. They must have been compiled and put together in their present form by some unknown editor shortly after the captivity ended about 537 B.C.
The Book of Psalms
has far more “chapters” than any other book in the Bible, with 150
individual psalms. It is also one of the most diverse,
since the psalms deal with such subjects as
God and His CREATION,
war, worship, wisdom, sin and evil,
judgment, justice,
and the coming of the
Messiah.
Psalm 19:1
“The HEAVENS declare the
GLORY of God;
the
skies PROCLAIM
the
WORK of his hands.”
Psalm 22:16-19, "Dogs have surrounded me; a band of evil men has encircled me, they have pierced my hands and my feet. I can count all my bones; people stare and gloat over me. They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing."
Psalm 23:1, "The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want."
Psalm 29:1-2, "Ascribe to the LORD, O mighty ones, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength. Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness."
Psalm 51:10, "Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me."
Psalm 119:1-2, "Blessed are they whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the LORD. Blessed are they who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart."
Brief Summary: The Book of Psalms is a collection of prayers, poems, and hymns that focus the worshiper’s thoughts on God in praise and adoration. Parts of this book were used as a hymnal in the worship services of ancient Israel. The musical heritage of the psalms is demonstrated by its title. It comes from a Greek word which means "a song sung to the accompaniment of a musical instrument."
Foreshadowings: God’s PROVISION of a SAVIOR for His people is a recurring theme in the Psalms. Prophetic pictures of the MESSIAH are seen in numerous psalms. Psalm 2:1-12 portrays the MESSIAHS triumph and kingdom. Psalm 16:8-11 foreshadows His death and RESURRECTION. Psalm 22 shows us the
SUFFERING
SAVIOR
on the cross and presents detailed prophecies of the CRUCIFIXION,
all of which were FULFILLED perfectly.
The GLORIED of the MESSIAH and His BRIDE
are on exhibit in Psalm 45:6-7, while Psalms 72:6-17, 89:3-37, 110:1-7
and 132:12-18 present the GLORY and universality of His reign.
Practical Application:
One of the results of being
FILLED with the SPIRIT
or the
WORD of CHRIST is SINGING.
The psalms are
the “SONGBOOK” of the early church that reflected the
NEW TRUTH in CHRIST.
God is the same Lord in all the psalms. But we respond to Him in different ways, according to the specific circumstances of our lives.
What a MARVELOUS God we
WORSHIP,
the psalmist declares,
HIGH and LIFTED up BEYOND
our human EXPERIENCES
but
also CLOSE enough to TOUCH and
who WALKS
BESIDE US along LIFES WAY
We can bring all our feelings to God—no matter how negative or complaining they may be—and we can rest assured that He will hear and understand. The psalmist teaches us that the most profound prayer of all is a cry for help as we find ourselves overwhelmed by the problems of life.
The expectation of CHRISTS return
definitely belongs to the Christian lifestyle. The congregation in
the NEW Testament is constantly directed to the REVELATION,
the APPEARING of her Lord in GLORY.
In the parable of the Ten Maidens (Mt 25:1-13) the SAVIOR
has openly preached that his congregation must expect him at all times. To his people his return may seem to take a long time, but when their hearts are filled with the JOY
of the feast that is COMING, they
will PRESERVE in expecting the APPEARANCE of the Bridegroom.
Christ’s return cannot follow immediately after his ASCENSION.
A very great number of things have to take place yet before the
great day of his GLORIOUS RETURN will dawn.
The apostle Paul tells us firmly in 1 Corinthians 15:25 that Christ must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.
Our SAVIOR does not sit on his THRONE in HEAVEN
as an emeritus who has retired from office.
On the contrary, in heaven and from heaven,
CHRIST has many things to do yet.
That is why he ascended his
throne in heaven, to EXECUTE his world dominion in
ORDER to PROPEL everything to the
VERY END
The book of REVELATION makes known to us all that
Jesus has to do yet before he APPEARS in GLORY.
This book has rightly been called the book of his return. It begins with the shout, “Look, he is coming with the clouds....” (Rev 1:7.) This exclamation is the heart of the last book of the Bible.
The book of Revelation pictures Christ’s coming.
He is coming, as John has seen in his VISIONS on Patmos.
The last book of the Bible is about
The revelation of
Jesus Christ
(cf. Rev 1:1). This is how the book is announced and this is how
we must read it. It is about
Him who is the Christ and
who is coming
as
God’s Anointed One with the
clouds of heaven
Generally all agree that the
vision
of Revelation 5 occupies a central place in this book.
John sees how the
Lamb, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah,
the Root of David,
Takes the Scroll from the Hand of him
who sits upon the Throne
This scroll is the book of God’s plan for the church and the world. In it are written the things that must soon take place (Rev 1:1).
The book of REVELATION pictures before our EYES how the
LAMP OPENS the SEVEN SEALS of the SCROLL one by one.
The OPENING of each seal brings along awesome judgments. Trumpets are sounded and bowls are poured out. The LAMB administers God’s wrath to a
world that has turned away from the
living God and his Word
But the book of Revelation is not only a book of WRATH and JUDGEMENT.
It is also the book of God’s FAITHFULNESS to his people.
For John may also see how the Lamb watches over his
congregation RIGHT through all judgments. Indeed,
the GATES of HADES
will NOT PREVAIL against her.
Right in the middle of the
opening of the
SEALS
John SEES a great MULTITUDE
that
no one can number
(Rev 7:9).
That vision is a particularly comforting proclamation for the church on earth. It is going to be dreadful, the judgments will follow one after another.
But Christ’s church, bought
with a price,
will come through it!
She is on her way
to the
Marriage Feast of the Lamb
(Rev 19:6-10).
Christ’s coming means
the
ultimate glorification
of all who
have
followed the Lamb on earth,
the union
of the
Bridegroom and his Bride!
And because the
Bride knows and believes this,
she is calling out,
Come, Lord Jesus!
No, of herself the Bride cannot call out. Who can
persevere in
an expectation that takes centuries and centuries to be fulfilled?
Moreover, who would yet dare to pray for the final day when
realizing the dreadful things that must take place before
Christ’s APPEARANCE in GLORY?
Is it not remarkable that even in heaven there is silence when
THE SEVENTH
and
LAST SEAL is OPENED
by
THE LAMB
(cf. Rev 8:1)?
Heaven shudders in silence because of the horrors that the
OPENING of the SEVENTH SEAL
Yes! But, when heaven is silent, John sees the
SMOKE of the INCENSE
together with the prayers of the saints go up before God’s throne (cf. Rev 8:4). It means that the church, the Bride of Christ, keeps praying. The prayer for his return does not die on her lips.
Our text reveals to us that the church’s constant prayer is the miracle of the Holy Spirit. It should not escape our attention that it says, “
And the Spirit
and
the bride say, COME!’”
The Spirit leads THE WAY
He is the Spirit
of
GRACE and prayers.
The Spirit teaches the Bride
He makes her
repeat it after him
and
works it in the Bride’s heart
For the Holy Spirit
is the
Friend of the Bridegroom
He longs earnestly for
the great
Marriage feast of the Lamb
All his
work in the hearts and lives
of
God’s children reaches out to the final,
ultimate union
of the
Bridegroom and the Bride
Also in this text we must remember that the
Spirit is the
Spirit of the Word
Through and with and in The Word,
the
Spirit works in the Bride her prayer
for
Christ’s return.
In the
Word the Spirit speaks about the Bridegroom
and
proclaims the salvation that the Bridegroom
has
prepared for his Bride.
This is how the Spirit glorifies Christ
(cf. Jn 16:14) and
focuses the Bride’s eyes on Christ.
This is how the Bride starts longing to be united with her Bridegroom.
So she starts calling,
“Come, Lord Jesus!”
This calling marks at the same time her life.
The expectation of Christ’s coming
is not limited to the prayer for his return but
permeates all our doings.
The Parable of the Talents (Mt 25:14-30)
and the
Parable of the Pounds (Lk 19:11-27)
are recorded
in the gospel to impress upon us that
Christ’s return has to determine our whole life.
The prayer for his coming must be supported by a concrete walk of life (cf. 2 Pet 3:11). From everything we say and do,
must sound forth the cry, “Come, Lord Jesus!”
Here too we have to
pray and work!
This UNITY WE
see
in Revelation 19:7 where it says that
his Bride has made herself
READY for
the great marriage feast
Jesus is coming
He tells his Bride him self
(cf. Rev 22:7).
And the Spirit says it too
ALL the WORK of the Spirit is
ONE great CRY
for the
meeting of the Bridegroom and Bride
When the church
lets the
Word of the Lord
and
The call of the Spirit
RESOUND in her heart,
she is the
Bride who with a great yearning
looks
forward to the coming
of the Bridegroom.
Then the prayer on earth,
“COME, Lord Jesus!” will not fall silent.
The
Spirit says, “COME!”
When the congregation
is
FILLED with that Spirit,
she calls
out
To her Bridegroom,
“I am my beloved’s, and his desire is for me”
(cf. Song 7:10).
Date of Writing: Solomon most likely wrote this song during the early part of his reign. This would place the date of composition around 965 B.C.
Purpose of Writing: The Song of Solomon is a lyric poem written to extol the virtues of love between a husband and his wife. The poem clearly presents marriage as God’s design. A man and woman are to live together within the context of marriage, loving each other spiritually, emotionally, and physically.
This book combats two extremes: asceticism (the denial of all pleasure)
and hedonism (the pursuit of only pleasure).
The marriage profiled in Song of Solomon is a model of care,
commitment, and delight.
Song of Solomon 2:7; 3:5; 8:4 - “Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires.”
Song of Solomon 5:1 - “Eat, O friends, and drink; drink your fill, O lovers.”
Song of Solomon 8:6-7 - “Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm; for love is as strong as death, its jealousy unyielding as the grave. It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame. Many waters cannot quench love; rivers cannot wash it away. If one were to give all the wealth of his
house for love, it would be utterly scorned.”
Brief Summary: The poetry takes the form of a dialogue between a husband (the king) and his wife (the Shulamite). We can divide the book into three sections: the courtship (1:1 - 3:5); the wedding (3:6 - 5:1); and the maturing marriage (5:2 - 8:14).
The song begins before the wedding, as the bride-to-be longs to be with her betrothed, and she looks forward to his intimate caresses. However, she advises letting love develop naturally, in its own time. The king praises the Shulamite’s beauty, overcoming her feelings of insecurity about her appearance. The Shulamite has a dream in which she loses Solomon and searches throughout the city for him. With the help of the city guards, she finds her beloved and clings to him, taking him to a safe place. Upon waking, she repeats her injunction not to force love.
On the wedding night, the husband again praises the beauty of his wife, and in highly symbolic language, the wife invites her spouse to partake of all she has to offer. They make love, and God blesses their union.
As the marriage matures, the husband and wife go through a difficult time, symbolized in another dream. In this second dream, the Shulamite rebuffs her husband, and he leaves. Overcome with guilt, she searches the city for him; but this time, instead of helping her, the guards beat her—symbolic of her pained conscience. Things end happily as the lovers reunite and are reconciled.
As the song ends, both the husband and wife are confident and secure in their love, they sing of the lasting nature of true love, and they yearn to be in each other’s presence.
Foreshadowings: Some Bible interpreters see in Song of Solomon an exact symbolic representation of Christ and His church. Christ is seen as the king, while the church is represented by the Shulamite. While we believe the book should be understood literally as a depiction of marriage, there are some elements that foreshadow the Church and her relationship with her king, the Lord Jesus. Song of Solomon 2:4 describes the experience of every believer who is sought and bought by the Lord Jesus. We are in a place of great spiritual wealth and are covered by His love. Verse 16 of chapter 2 says, “My beloved is mine, and I am his. He feeds his flock among the lilies” (NKJV). Here is a picture of not only the security of the believer in Christ (John 10:28-29), but of the Good Shepherd who knows His sheep—believers—and lays down His life for us (John 10:11). Because of Him, we are no longer stained by sin, having had our “spots” removed by His blood (Song of Solomon 4:7; Ephesians 5:27).
Practical Application:
Our world is confused about marriage.
The prevalence of divorce and modern attempts
to redefine marriage stand in glaring contrast to
Solomon’s Song. Marriage, says the biblical poet, is to be
celebrated, enjoyed, and revered. This book provides some
practical guidelines for strengthening our marriages:
1) Give your spouse the attention he or she needs.
Take the time to TRULY KNOW your spouse.
2) Encouragement and praise, not criticism, are
vital to a successful relationship.
3) Enjoy each other. Plan some getaways. Be creative, even playful, with each other. Delight in God’s gift of married love.
4) Do whatever is necessary to reassure your commitment to your spouse. Renew your vows; work through problems and do not consider divorce as a solution. God intends for you both to live in a deeply peaceful, secure love.
According to bridal paradigm doctrine, the whole Bible is the story of God’s seeking a suitable mate for His Son. Jesus is pictured as a lovesick suitor who is passionately awaiting the time when He will be reunited with His beloved Bride. While the New Testament does use the metaphor of the Bride of Christ, the bridal paradigm takes the metaphor to an extreme, teaching that it is the primary picture of the Church and that each individual believer isthe Bride.
In the bridal paradigm, people are taught to see themselves as “married” to Christ. In some meetings “wedding ceremonies” are held in which individuals speak marriage vows to Jesus and walk under a huppah, a Jewish marriage canopy. They are encouraged to participate in a “bridal fast” and are often told to allow themselves to be “ravished” by Jesus. Words such as intimacy, passion, and lovesick are part of the standard vocabulary.
Teachers of the bridal paradigm place a heavy emphasis on their highly allegorized interpretation of the Song of Solomon. In their view, the book is more than a depiction of sensual love between a husband and wife; it is a metaphor of Jesus and the individual believer.
Concerning the end times, the bridal paradigm teaches that the
Church will go through the TRIBULATION.
During that time, the Church becomes a
sort of “SUPER church”
as it finally recognizes its calling as the Bride of Christ. When the Church awakens to its true nature, it will experience a special anointing from the Holy Spirit; unite in intercessory prayer; call down judgment, Moses-like, upon the Antichrist; lead an unprecedented global revival; and, in the end, welcome Christ to the earth as a zealous Lover.
According to bridal paradigm doctrine, the problem with the Church today is that it is unenlightened and defeated. It does not see Christ as the Bridegroom and is not “intimate” with Him.
Mike Bickle,
the founder of IHOP,
the revelations given to him, we can finally
see our true
purpose.
Bickle has said that the end times are the “only . . .
time in all of human history where the people of God universally,
worldwide will see
Jesus as a Bridegroom King”
Bickle also teaches that Jesus will not return to the earth
until His Bride really wants Him to come.
Jesus is being held back right now
by
our own lack of knowledge:
“Jesus is not coming until the Body of Christ
globally is crying out
‘Come Lord Jesus, Come Lord Jesus,
Come Lord Jesus,’
and they don’t just say, ‘Come and forgive me,’
they are crying out in the understanding of who
they are as the
one that is cherished by Jesus in the bridal identity”
Revelation 22:17