The Church is the Bride of Christ...Or Is It?

This post is adapted from an answer Colin gave during Brett's cross-check on episode 7 of the podcast regarding the “bride of Christ.”

Almost all churches within all of Christendom teach that the church is the bride of Christ.  In other words, the church says that the church is the bride of Christ.  And the church has said this for so long that nearly all Christians within the church assume this to be the case.  However, as we often do on this podcast, let’s ‘double-check’ that assumption and see whether or not it has Biblical merit.  When we examine the Scriptures, we find, for starters, that the phrase “bride of Christ” does not actually appear anywhere in the pages of the Bible.  What we find instead is various passages containing imagery of a bride in relation to Christ, or of a wife in relation to God, as well as the vivid picture of the marriage supper of the lamb found at the end of the book of Revelation.  When we examine these passages, what do we find?  Is the bride the church?  Let’s begin with Revelation.

For starters, in the book of Revelation, chapters 1, 2 and 3, we find that the word ‘church’ or ‘churches’ is used 29 times within those first 3 chapters.  But from chapter 4 through the end of the book, there is not another single use of the word ‘church.’ Many theologians and Bible teachers believe this is an indication that the church is taken out of the world, that the ‘Harpazo’ (or ‘Rapture’) that Paul alludes to in his letter to the Thessalonians takes place at this point.  And they believe that when chapter 4 begins with John hearing a voice that says “come up here and I will show you what must take place after these things” (Rev. 4:1), that this indicates that at that point the church is taken out of the world, and the rest of the book deals with what takes place on the earth after the church has been removed.

Personally, I feel like there is solid support for this teaching elsewhere in Scripture.  But even within the book of Revelation itself, it appears as though the text bears this out.  Because what we find is that after chapter 4, God deals with the world once again through the Nation Israel.  For example: in Revelation 7 - 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel are sealed for protection Revelation 12 gives a summation of Israel’s history as a people and as a nation in Revelation 14, Jesus (The Lamb) stands on Mount Zion with the 144,000 Jews that were sealed in chapter 7.

Then when we come to chapter 19 of Revelation, we find in (Revelation 19:7): "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."  So we’re told the bride has made herself ready but who is the bride?  This question becomes clearer in chapter 21, where we read: "And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband." (Revelation 21:2). 

So we see that the new Jerusalem is prepared as a bride, and just a few verses later, we find:

"Then one of the seven angels who had 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.” (Revelation 21:9)

John is about to be shown the bride, the wife of the Lamb.  This is the most explicit, clear indication of who the bride of Christ is.  And what do we find? "And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God," (Revelation 21:10).

Based upon the passages we see here, the identity of the bride of Christ is very clearly the Holy City, the New Jerusalem.  However the question still remains, who is this?  Is it the church?  Is this the Jews?  In short, I will let you conclude for yourself who you think this is, but I feel the quick answer is, it’s neither.  Or more precisely – it’s both.  More on that in a moment.

But, what do we find in the rest of Scripture?  There are 2 primary passages in the New Testament which are used to show that the church is the bride of Christ.  These are: "For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy; for I betrothed you to one husband, so that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin." (2 Corinthians 11:2) "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." (Ephesians 5:22-27)

Now, on their own, these could easily lead to the conclusion that the church is the bride.  However, understanding Scripture often requires us to have an understanding God’s whole plan.  Not just a few choice verses here and there, but God’s whole plan.  And God’s whole plan doesn’t begin with Paul’s letters, it begins in Genesis 1:1.  The New Testament illuminates for us that the Lord Jesus is God (see John 1:1-3).  In fact, Jesus explained to His disciples how all of the Old Testament was written about Him (see Luke 24:13-35).  Therefore, when deciphering who the bride or wife of Christ is, we cannot overlook the Old Testament passages which use imagery of a bride or wife in relation to God. These are all written to the people of Israel.

Some of the primary Old Testament passages that use this imagery are: "Fear not, for you will not be put to shame; And do not feel humiliated, for you will not be disgraced; But you will forget the shame of your youth, And the reproach of your widowhood you will remember no more. “For your husband is your Maker, Whose name is the Lord of hosts; And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel, Who is called the God of all the earth. “For the Lord has called you, Like a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit, Even like a wife of one’s youth when she is rejected,” Says your God. For a brief moment I forsook you, But with great compassion I will gather you. In an outburst of anger I hid My face from you for a moment, But with everlasting lovingkindness I will have compassion on you,” Says the Lord your Redeemer." (Isaiah 54:4-8)

"For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, And for Jerusalem’s sake I will not keep quiet, Until her righteousness goes forth like brightness, And her salvation like a torch that is burning. The nations will see your righteousness, And all kings your glory; And you will be called by a new name Which the mouth of the Lord will designate. You will also be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord, And a royal diadem in the hand of your God. It will no longer be said to you, “Forsaken,” Nor to your land will it any longer be said, “Desolate”; But you will be called, “My delight is in her,” And your land, “Married”; For the Lord delights in you, And to Him your land will be married. 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." (Isaiah 62:1-5),

"Return, faithless people,” declares the Lord, “for I am your husband. I will choose you—one from a town and two from a clan—and bring you to Zion." (Jeremiah 3:14)

God even used the prophet Hosea’s life as an object lesson to instruct His people, telling Hosea to marry an adulterous woman. In part of his prophecy, Hosea writes of the relationship between God and Israel:

"I will betroth you to Me forever; Yes, 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 the Lord." (Hosea 2:19-20)

These passages all develop the idea that Israel is the bride whom God will betroth to Himself.  So what are we to conclude about the bride in view of God’s whole redemptive plan?  Once again, the book of Revelation gives us some more insight, as right John is told he will be shown the bride, and he is shown the New Jerusalem, we go on to read more details about this holy city.

We find that the gates of the city have written on them the names of the 12 tribes of Israel: "having the glory of God. Her brilliance was like a very costly stone, as a stone of crystal-clear jasper. It had a great and high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels; and names were written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel. There were three gates on the east and three gates on the north and three gates on the south and three gates on the west." (Revelation 21:11-13). 

We also see that on the foundations of the wall around the city are the names of the 12 apostles: "And the wall of the city had twelve foundation stones, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb." (Revelation 21:14). 

It is quite clear that both the church and Israel have a part in the new Jerusalem, and thus both are a part of the bride.  The city will be occupied by all those whose names are found in the Lamb’s book of life, and therefore it is occupied by both the Ekklesia and the believing remnant of Israel, finally being reconciled with the Messiah.  In other words, the church is a part of the bride, but it is not the bride.  The bride includes all believers of all time.

An example in the secular world would be that North Carolina is a part of the United States, but it is not the United States in and of itself.  In the same way, the church is a part of the Kingdom of God, but it is not the Kingdom of God itself; and the church is a part of the bride, but it is not the bride in and of itself.

In my estimation, this understanding of the “bride of Christ” is more closely aligned with what we find on the pages of Scripture.