I picked up a new book the other day and wanting to know what it was about I looked first at the front cover and read the preface and then read the back cover to discover more about its contents.
What I read fascinated me and enticed me to read the whole book.
In Dr Mike’s first Word for Today last week he took us to the first book of the Bible, to Genesis and challenged us to say what we thought was the first prophecy recorded in the scripture.
No… it wasn’t the prophecy to the coming of Jesus when scripture says… “He would bruise the serpents head and the serpent would bruise His heal” but was earlier than that.
When out of Adam’s rib his Bride to be known as Eve, was born, Adam said “This is now bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh”. This was as Paul pointed out a direct reference to Jesus and His Bride who was also born out of Jesus side as the soldiers spear was thrust in and blood and water flowed out….two elements always present at birth. The Bride was created or born on the cross…“not of the will of man or of the flesh but of the (Spirit and) will of God”. Paul says when describing the joining together as one flesh of Adam and his Bride …”This is a great mystery but I speak concerning Christ and the Church”
The front cover of the bible as it were describes a wedding in the garden.
But if we turn to the back cover ….the last book of the bible, to the book of the Revelation of John, we find once again a Wedding. This is the wedding of all weddings, attended by myriads of angels and heavenly beings. And there is a glorious Bridegroom and a beautiful Bride prepared and ready.
She is totally compatible with Him because she was created from His spiritual DNA out of His side. There is no other as compatible or wonderfully made as Her. She is “All glorious, the princess in her chamber, with robes interwoven with gold.” Ps 45 v 13 He loves Her dearly and says to Her “Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, come with me. See! The winter is past; the rains are over and gone. Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land.” Song of Songs 2 v 10 -12
Interestingly both Jesus the Bridegroom and you and I the Bride address each other as …my dove. Do you hear the cooing of these doves? Are they the doves we hear? Oh what love…an exquisite heavenly romance?
So we have it …two covers…two stories …two weddings.
And what’s in between? Nothing less than the complete story of God’s unfolding Redemptive plan of how He provided for our salvation and sanctification so that out of this redeemed ‘flesh’ He could create corporately the most beautiful of women ever formed and Her name is ‘Ecclesia’…..the Bride of Christ. Why did He create Her? Because He has always wanted to give a love gift of a Bride to His Son.
No wonder the Bride is the central theme of Scripture!
Lord God we stand in awe of Your eternal purposes for creation and marvel that they so intimately include us. We humble ourselves before You and repent of our lovelessness, our lukewarmness and cry out to you in repentance and sorrow, asking You to forgive us and inspire us again.
Like David we cry “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me” Ps 51 v 10. Lord….You deserve no less for You have done all things good!
Howard@Call2Come
