“As a Bride” – Clearing up Confusion

When we want to see something a certain way, it’s very easy to connect dots that aren’t meant to be connected, validating what we want to believe. Because of some ideas and harmful inferences out there today, I need to clarify some important points.

My hope is to make things clear to those who hold certain ideas – ideas I do not agree with – without in any way furthering the agendas. I want to alleviate any confusion that people might hold – either in connecting dots wrongly around myself or others, or believing that I am in the camp of these ideas when I am not.

So, I’m just going to state my beliefs concerning a few things, starting with the poem/song “As a Bride” that has caused some confusion.

I understand that the perspective is as from the writer, which would be me. But, from my perspective, it was written with the understanding that “The Bride” is New Jerusalem. It is a personification of that great city, which will come down from heaven.

And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife. And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God – Revelation 21: 9-10

There are times in the bible when ideas or other things are personified. That is meant to help us understand ideas by placing them in human terms of experience, emotion, attributes and the like. That does not mean there is a literal, personified bride of Christ. Here is what I believe:

• The “bride” is the city Jerusalem inhabited by the true church (those invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb).
• The “great whore” is Jerusalem under control of the apostate church.

What is to be taken away from this is that the bride, His great city, is being prepared. Those who are being called to the marriage supper are also being prepared. The season is near, but not yet. It is encouragement, not something to cause stumbling for those who have fallen victim to some vain ideas.

I’m always amazed at the inferences people make in the scriptures, and there are a lot of people out there who take bits here and there and think they have some greater picture, when in reality, there is no soundness in it. I’ve done it too, so I know how easy that can be. From ideas about the bride, the two witnesses, the beast, the false prophet – you name it – many want so badly to understand that they fall for false teachings, then start to connect dots themselves negligently. It’s easy to do, but we need to be careful. Instead of worrying about these things, it is better to keep our focus on Jesus Christ alone! All other paths lead to destruction of our peace and relationship with Him.