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Lewis Sperry Chafer Collection: Chafer, Lewis Sperry - The Kingdom In History And Prophecy: Part 8.1 - THE BRIDE, THE LAMB'S WIFE

exceeding joy (Jud_1:24).



That the church is to be His Bride and then, as now, the objects of His measureless love, wisdom

and power is stated. in Eph_5:25-32 :



"Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

that he might sanctify and cleanse it by the washing of water by the word, that he might

present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but

that it should be holy and without blemish. So ought men to love their wives as their own

bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself, For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but

nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: for we are members of his body,

of his flesh, and of his bones. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and

shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I

speak concerning Christ and the church."



In this passage there is reference to the church as His Body:



"We are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones."



There is also abundant reference to the church as His Bride:



"I speak," Paul writes, with reference to husbands and wives, "concerning Christ and the

church."



He loved the church and gave Himself for it that He might present it unto Himself a glorious

church. So shall she be "manifested together with him in glory."



The eternal purpose of GOD in the marvels of His present saving grace is said to be for the

realization of these heavenly glories. "He hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the

world that we should be holy and without blame before him in love" (Eph_1:3). "To

the praise of the glory of his grace" (Eph_1:6). So again the purpose of GOD as it sweeps

from one eternity to the other is revealed in another Scripture:



"And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ

Jesus: that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his

kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that

not of yourselves: it is the gift of God" (Eph_2:6-8).



He hath saved us unto good works, or service (Eph_2:10), and that we might not perish but

have everlasting life (Joh_3:16): but the passage quoted above seems to indicate that the

primary motive of GOD in redemption is not to provide that which accrues to man; rather, He is

redeeming His people in order that by them in "the ages to come" He may display the "riches of

his grace" as manifested in "his kindness toward us through Jesus Christ."



When this heavenly people are perfected into the "measure of the stature of the fullness of

Christ," "conformed into his image," and "like him," it will be a demonstration, before all

created beings, of the marvels of His grace, and upon such a scale and in such ranges of glory as

will wholly satisfy Him. It is His "exceeding joy" that is in view.



Salvation in CHRIST will manifest His grace; for it is by grace ye are saved. The very purpose

of GOD limits the method by which it must be done. His purpose is to declare His grace and so

salvation is by grace alone. Where in this marvellous declaration is there any place for human

device or merit? Who would compare this revealed destiny with any that has ever been imagined

by the human mind? Has not GOD so stripped man of every self-glorifying moral quality in His

sight that He might, beginning with such utter nothingness, perform an incomparable display of

His unmerited favor and grace?



It is significant that JESUS likened the Bride, for whom He gave Himself that He might purchase

her unto Himself, to a "pearl of great price," for which the merchant man sold all that he might

possess it. And the very formation of the pearl is suggestive: It is said that the pearl is built up,

layer upon layer, by the secretions which flow out of the wound in the side of the shell-fish

inflicted by the sharp points of the minute grain of sand lodged under the shell. The pearl, though

formed in the triple darkness of the shell, the mud and the sea, and never having been affected by

the light of the sun, has power when brought up to the light to catch its rainbow splendor and

reflect it back in all its glory.



So the church, the "pearl of great price," is being formed, through the blood that flowed from

His riven side, down here in the sea of the nations in this "dark age"; but "it doth not yet

appear what we shall be, but we know that when he shall appear we shall be like him." The

church will then "be to the praise of the glory of his grace," "in the ages to come" shewing

forth the riches of His grace and glory. "The Lamb is the light thereof."



Referring again to the conclusions of the council at Jerusalem (Act_15:13-18), it is there stated

that a Gentile company is being called out for His name. The "name" when used to designate

Deity seems to carry with it the thought of the Person - "Where two or three are gathered

together in my name there am I in the midst of them." So this body of people thus called out

may be said to be a people for His Person. As the Bride is for the person of the Bridegroom, so

the church is for the Person of her Lord.



This is especially disclosed in Joh_14:1-3. "Let not your heart be troubled; ye believe in

God, believe also in Me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would

have told you. 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 unto Myself, that where I am, there ye may be also."



From this passage it will be seen that the Bride of the Lamb does not occupy any mansion in the

Father's house: He is preparing a place for her and as certainly will come again and receive her,

not into the mansions, but unto Himself. He loved the church and gave Himself for it that He

might purchase it unto Himself. "That where I am there ye may be also." "Father, I will that

they also may be with me where I am." "And so shall we ever be with the Lord." "Who gave

himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a

peculiar people, zealous of good works."



- to Israel He is Messiah, Immanuel and King - the covenants and destinies of Israel are all

earthly

- to the church He is Lord, Head and Bridegroom - the covenants and destinies of the church are

all heavenly.

As Bride and consort the church will rightfully share with Him His reign (1Ti_2:12;

Rev_5:10; 20:6). The purpose of this age, evidently, is not to form a Kingdom by securing

subjects of the King: it is the calling out and perfecting into His very image those who will be

co-reigners with Him in His yet future Kingdom. The queen is never a. subject of the king: her

place is to share with him his authority and glory and to rest in the bosom of the Bridegroom in

the palace of the king.



All the mansions in the Father's house will be occupied.



In Heb_12:22-24 the inhabitants of Heaven are recorded. In this passage it will be noted that

there are both "angels" and the "spirits of just men made perfect" in addition to "the church of

the first born":



"But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly

Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church

of the first born, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits

of just men made perfect, and to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood

of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel."



Here are seen the redeemed of all the ages in Heaven; but not all are of the church.



The "innumerable company of angels," and the "spirits of just men made perfect" are

mentioned as separate from, but accompanying "the church of the first born": Here is room for

the saints of all the ages who may occupy the "many mansions" without necessarily including

the "Bride of the Lamb" as an undistinguished part of that whole company; for it is said of her,

"I go to prepare a place for you." Even John the Baptist, who was certainly of the Old

Testament order, must designate himself as "the friend of the Bridegroom": "He that hath the

Bride is the Bridegroom: but the friend of the Bridegroom, which standeth and heareth

him, rejoiceth greatly because of the Bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled"

(Joh_3:29). Abraham, too, was called "the friend of God" (Luk_13:28-30).



A real wedding feast, the feast of the ages, would hardly be attended by the Bridegroom and

Bride alone. Every element of it feast of such a character we are thus assured will be represented;

but it is also clear that one seat will be reserved on His right for His spotless Bride. Certainly it is

not necessary to conclude that saints of other ages are excluded from Heaven, or from the

Kingdom of GOD, because they are nowhere represented as organically related to the Body and

Bride of CHRIST. To merge all the redeemed into one company, or to neglect the distinctions of

Scripture, is to do violence to very much of divine revelation.



The church is seen typically, though not directly, in the Old Testament.



- She, as a royal priesthood, is foreshadowed in the priesthood of the Old Testament; as a new

generation, or race, she is the antitype of that first race which began and fell in Adam;

-she is the present tabernacle of GOD, His present abode in the Spirit;

-she constitutes the true branches of the True Vine; and the sheep that know His voice and will

not follow the voice of a stranger.

The church is that body formed out of the wound of the side of her living Head, as Eve was

formed from Adam.



The bride of Isaac typified the church as did the Brides of other marriage unions recorded in the

Old Testament. When Isaac was forty years of age Abraham, fearing lest he might marry some

woman of the land, sent his trusted servant, far away into the old home country to secure a bride

for Isaac. When he had made the long journey he was divinely led to select Rebecca to whom

that strange offer was to he made. She was asked to go with him, a servant she had never known,

to a country she had never seen, to a land from which she would never return, and become the

bride of a man she had never met.



Truly this was a most unusual request; but she was able to say, "I will go." Then was placed

before her some real tokens of Isaac's wealth as foretastes of that inheritance. She decided her

future course and lot wholly on the urgent appeal and description given by the servant of

Abraham, They began the long journey back, and she did not know whether to go north, or

south, east, or west; she must be wholly led by this servant in whom so much confidence had

been imposed. As they journeyed during the many days it can be easily believed that he never

lost an opportune moment to picture to her new attractions and beauties in the prince Isaac to

whom she journeyed. At last she lifted her eyes and exclaimed with a cry of delight:



"What man is this that walketh in the field to meet us?"



And the last ministry of that faithful servant was to witness:



"It is my master."



She sprang down from the beast and ran to meet him and no more blessed marriage union is

recorded in all the records of the Old Testament.



GOD the Father, typified in Abraham in various ways (see Gen_22:1-14), sent His Servant,

the Holy Spirit to call out a Bride for His well-beloved Son. The Servant does not speak of

Himself (Joh_16:13), but glorifies the Son before our eyes, and if we can say: "whom having

not seen ye love," there is given unto us an earnest of our coming inheritance and glory with

Him (2Co_1:22; Eph_1:14). How little we then know of Our pilgrim journey! But,

"as many as are led by the Spirit of God they are the sons of God."



And while we thus journey that faithful Guide does not cease to unfold the riches of grace and

glory that meet in JESUS our Lord (Joh_16:12-15), and the day is not far away, we believe,

when we shall lift our eyes and exclaim, "Who comes yonder?" and the final ministry of our

Guide will be to present us to Him without spot or wrinkle, or any such thing, "and so shall we

ever be with the Lord."



No human thought needs to be added to GOD's own description of the blessed estate of those He

is now calling out and redeeming by His Blood as they will appear glorified together with Him:

"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, Having

the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone,

clear as crystal; And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates

twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the

children of Israel: On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three

gates; and on the west three gates. And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in

them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. And he that talked with me had a

golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof. And the city

lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with

the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are

equal. And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits, according

to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel. And the building of the wall of it was of

jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass. And the foundations of the wall of

the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper;

the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald; The fifth, sardonyx;

the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a

chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst. And the twelve gates were

twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold,

as it were transparent glass. And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and

the Lamb are the temple of it. And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to

shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. And the

nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do

bring their glory and honour into it. And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for

there shall be no night there. And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into

it. And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever

worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of

life. And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the

throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the

river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit

every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall

be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants

shall serve him: And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads. And

there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord



God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever."

(Rev_21:8 -22:5).



~ end of chapter 8 ~





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