If I Were Told the Future - Lesson 90

The Bridegroom

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The Bridegroom

Welcome to this new section! Let's pray together:

Father,

During our lessons, we noticed that Your prophetic Word speaks of a great wedding which will take place at the end of time.

Now, we would like to identify the bridegroom at this great wedding.

Please enlighten us through the presence of Your Spirit. In Jesus Christ we pray.

Amen.

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The Bridegroom

Revelation 21:9	Comments
Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to me and talked with me, saying, ŤCome, I will show you the bride, the Lamb's wife.ť	In our last few lessons, we have studied the seven bowls of the wrath of God. One of the seven angels having poured out these bowls now invites us to turn our eyes towards a more rejoicing picture: a great wedding. This wedding will be the subject of this lesson and the next three.

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Revelation 21:2,9	Comments
Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. (...) Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to me and talked with me, saying, ŤCome, I will show you the bride, the Lamb's wife.ť	In our first lesson about this great wedding, we will study the bridegroom. Who is he? The angel holding one of the seven bowls clearly indicates that the bridegroom is none other than Jesus, the Lamb of God.

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Revelation 19:6,7,9	Comments
ŤAlleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns! Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.ť (...) ŤBlessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!ť	The book of Revelation, in chapter 19, certainly confirms that the marriage to be celebrated at the beginning of God's reign is really Ťthe marriage of the Lambť.

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Matthew 9:14,15	Comments
Then the disciples of John came to Him, saying, ŤWhy do we and the Pharisees fast often, but Your disciples do not fast?ť And Jesus said to them, ŤCan the friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.ť	During His ministry on the earth, that is, many years before the book of Revelation was written by John, Jesus was already referring to Himself as Ťthe bridegroomť, and His disciples as Ťthe friends of the bridegroomť.

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Matthew 22:2	Comments
The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son.	The book of Revelation announces the celebration of the marriage of the Lamb at the coming of God's reign. Likewise, Jesus, while here on earth, symbolized the institution of God's kingdom as the marriage of the king's son.
Revelation 19:6,7
Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns! Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come.

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John 3:27-30

Comments

John answered and said,

ŤA man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven. You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, "I am not the Christ", but, "I have been sent before Him".

He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom's voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled.

He must increase, but I must decrease.ť

John the Baptist, describing himself as Ťthe friend of the bridegroomť, also referred to Jesus as Ťthe bridegroomť, to whom the bride is promised.

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2 Corinthians 11:2	Comments
For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.	The apostle Paul also described Jesus as being Ťthe bridegroomť. Many times, he compared the relationship between husband and wife to that between Jesus and His Church.
Ephesians 5:25
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for it.

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Isaiah 54:4,5	Comments
Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed; nor be disgraced, for you will not be put to shame; for you will forget the shame of your youth, and will not remember the reproach of your widowhood anymore. For your Maker is your husband, the Lord of hosts is His name; and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel; He is called the God of the whole earth.	If we go still further back in time, we find in the Old Testament many passages referring to God as the bridegroom, or the husband. Let's note that this comparison is another confirmation of Jesus Christ's divinity.

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Isaiah 62:4,5 (New American Standard Version)

Comments

It will no longer be said to you, ŤForsakenť, nor to your land will it any longer be said, ŤDesolateť; but you will be called, ŤMy delight is in herť, and your land, ŤMarriedť; 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.

Besides, the description of God as the bridegroom, in the Old Testament, is very similar to that found in the New Testament.

Let's see...

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Isaiah 62:4,5	Comments
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.	The similarity of the comparisons and the words used here, whether they come from the Old or the New Testament, clearly demonstrates that Jesus is really the bridegroom, and as such, He is also God.
2 Corinthians 11:2
For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.

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Ephesians 5:25,29	Comments
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for it. (...) For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church.	In our next lesson, we will give closer study to the subject of the bride - or wife. For the moment, let's focus our study on the bridegroom - or husband -, on his character and deeds. We can see here that the husband - Jesus - shows unconditional love for His wife - the Church -, thus showing everyone a perfect model of the conjugal relationship.

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Jeremiah 31:3,4	Comments
The Lord has appeared of old to me, saying: ŤYes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you. Again I will build you, and you shall be rebuilt, O virgin of Israel! You shall again be adorned with your tambourines, and shall go forth in the dances of those who rejoice.ť	God's eternal love for His people is a subject which recurs often in the Scriptures. In fact, the very heart of the Bible's message is what God did for us, 2000 years ago, to show everybody His eternal love...

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Romans 5:8,9	Comments
But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.	God's unconditional love for each of us expressed itself through the gift of His Son Jesus Christ, who sacrified Himself for the forgiveness of our sins.
John 3:16
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

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John 15:13-15	Comments
Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends. You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.	Jesus Himself said that supreme love consists in giving one's life for others. This is what He did when He died for the forgiveness of our sins. But this passage also reminds us of another parallel with the bridegroom.

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Hosea 2:16,19,20	Comments
ŤAnd it shall be, in that day,ť says the Lord, Ťthat you will call Me "My husband", and no longer call Me "My Master". (...) I will betroth you to Me forever; yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and justice, in lovingkindness and mercy; I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness, and you shall know the Lord.ť	Just as Jesus no longer calls us Ťservantsť, but rather Ťfriendsť, God's people no longer call Him ŤMasterť, but rather ŤHusbandť. This passage perfectly illustrates the kind of relationship God wishes to establish with each one of us: a close relationship based on love, trust, and faithfulness.

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Ezekiel 16:8	Comments
ŤWhen I passed by you again and looked upon you, indeed your time was the time of love; so I spread My wing over you and covered your nakedness. Yes, I swore an oath to you and entered into a covenant with you, and you became Mineť, says the Lord God.	In addition to demonstrating eternal and unconditional love for His people, God also shows watchful and fond solicitude for them, just as a model husband does for his wife. This careful solicitude is also described many times in the Holy Scriptures.

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Deuteronomy 32:9,12,13	Comments
For the Lord's portion is His people; Jacob is the place of His inheritance. (...) The Lord alone led him, and there was no foreign god with him. He made him ride in the heights of the earth, that he might eat the produce of the fields; He made him to draw honey from the rock, and oil from the flinty rock.	On many occasions, God clearly and patiently demonstrated that He was taking good care of His people, just as a husband must take good care of his wife, providing her with everything necessary to fulfill her spiritual, emotional, and physical needs.

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Exodus 19:4,5	Comments
You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to Myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine.	Moreover, casting a compassionate look over His people, God often miraculously saved them from the hand of their enemies, and granted them special protection, as would an exemplary husband who watches over the safety of his wife.

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Psalm 91:1,4,10	Comments
He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. (...) He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler. (...) No evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling.	This same special, miraculous protection will protect the people of God when the seven last plagues are poured out, as we have seen in our last few lessons.

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Hosea 2:7	Comments
She will chase her lovers, but not overtake them; yes, she will seek them, but not find them. Then she will say, ŤI will go and return to my first husband, for then it was better for me than now.ť	The love of God - the husband - for His people - the wife - cannot be equalled by anyone else. And this is exactly what the wife realizes, each time she unfortunately chooses to be unfaithful to her husband, as we will see in more detail in our next lesson.

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2 Samuel 12:2,3	Comments
The rich man had exceedingly many flocks and herds. But the poor man had nothing, except one little ewe lamb which he had bought and nourished; and it grew up together with him and with his children. It ate of his own food and drank from his own cup and lay in his bosom; and it was like a daughter to him.	The emotional bond between husband and wife is often illustrated by a shepherd taking care of his lamb. The parable told by the prophet Nathan, sent by God to reveal the sin of King David, is a moving example of this.

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2 Samuel 12:9	Comments
Why have you despised the commandment of the Lord, to do evil in His sight? You have killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword; you have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the people of Ammon.	The continuation of the parable clearly shows that the prophet Nathan, with the account of the poor shepherd and his little lamb, was describing the sad story of Uriah and his wife Bathsheba whom King David coveted.

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John 10:11,26-28	Comments
I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. (...) But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.	Jesus again takes up this symbolism of the shepherd and his lamb, and uses it to illustrate the relationship of love and trust between Him and His people, just like He did with the symbolism of husband and wife.

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Psalm 23:1	Comments
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.	Psalm 23, which is certainly the most famous of all, creates a link between the status of shepherd and that of husband. This psalm illustrates the growth of love and trust in the heart of the faithful believer - the lamb or wife -, who thus develops a closer and closer relationship with God. Let's look at this progress in Psalm 23.

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PSALM 23: The growth of intimacy between God and the believer.

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He | 1. First,   the be-
makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads |    liever learns to
me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; |    follow God where-
He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His |    ver He leads him.
name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley | 2. Then,  he learns
of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for |    to walk by the
You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they |    side of God.
comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the | 3. Next, he eats at
presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with |    God's table.
oil; my cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy | 4. Finally, he lives
shall follow me all the days of my life; and I |    with God, under
will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.       |    the same roof.

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Song of Solomon 2:3,4	Comments
Like an apple tree among the trees of the woods, so is my beloved among the sons. I sat down in his shade with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste. He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love.	Among all the books of the Holy Scriptures, the Song of Solomon is without a doubt the one which best describes the relationship between two lovers representing God and His people. But, if we study this book more closely, we can find a lot more than a simple love story...

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Song of Solomon 5:2	Comments
I sleep, but my heart is awake; it is the voice of my beloved! He knocks, saying, ŤOpen for me, my sister, my love, my dove, my perfect one.ť	The powerful, vibrant call to the beloved woman, asking her to open the door, is very similar to Jesus' call, inviting us to a closer relationship with Him, as we go through the last moments of this world.
Revelation 3:20
Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.

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Song of Solomon 5:2,3,6

Comments

I sleep, but my heart is awake; it is the voice of my beloved! He knocks, saying,

ŤOpen for me, my sister, my love, my dove, my perfect one; for my head is covered with dew, my locks with the drops of the night.

- I have taken off my robe; how can I put it on again? I have washed my feet; how can I defile them?ť (...)

I opened for my beloved, but my beloved had turned away and was gone. My heart went out to him when he spoke. I sought him, but I could not find him; I called him, but he gave me no answer.

Jesus knocks at the door of our hearts, as the night is far advanced.

If we do not open our door to Him right now, someday our ŤLaterť will become a ŤToo lateť.

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Matthew 25:1,5,6	Comments
Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. (...) But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight a cry was heard: ŤBehold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!ť	The coming of the bridegroom, in the middle of the night, is also illustrated by the parable of the ten virgins, which we will study very soon. In a dramatic way, this parable will show us the great importance of seriously preparing ourselves, as we are waiting for the coming of the bridegroom.

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Joel 2:15,16	Comments
Blow the trumpet in Zion, consecrate a fast, call a sacred assembly; gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children and nursing babes. Let the bridegroom go out from his chamber, and the bride from her dressing room.	Very soon the bridegroom will come out of his chamber: Jesus will leave the heavenly sanctuary and come to get His bride, that is, the congregation of faithful believers who followed Him until the end. But why must the bride also come out of her chamber?

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Isaiah 26:20,21	Comments
Come, my people, enter your chambers, and shut your doors behind you; hide yourself, as it were, for a little moment, until the indignation is past. For behold, the Lord comes out of His place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity; the earth will also disclose her blood.	Being in her chamber, the bride - God's people - will be protected from the seven bowls of God's wrath. Afterwards, when the pouring out of the seven bowls is completed, she will be allowed to come out of her chamber, to meet the bridegroom, Jesus Christ.
Joel 2:16 (New International Version)
Let the bridegroom leave his room and the bride her chamber.

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Revelation 14:17,18	Comments
Then another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle. And another angel came out from the altar, who had power over fire, and he cried with a loud cry to him who had the sharp sickle, saying, ŤThrust in your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth, for her grapes are fully ripe.ť	Jesus, the bridegroom coming out of His chamber, will soon leave His temple, the heavenly sanctuary where He is now interceding for us. His coming will have fatal consequences for those who rejected His call to salvation.

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Song of Solomon 2:8	Comments
The voice of my beloved! Behold, he comes leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills.	On the contrary, the coming of the bridegroom will bring inexpressible joy to the bride's heart, for she will be ready for this glorious event.
Luke 3:5,6
Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill brought low; and the crooked places shall be made straight and the rough ways made smooth. And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.

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Revelation 21:9	Comments
Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to me and talked with me, saying, ŤCome, I will show you the bride, the Lamb's wife.ť	Our next lesson will present the bride, the Lamb's wife, and show us how she must prepare herself in order to be ready for this wonderful wedding.

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Let's thank God:

Lord,

For too long a time, You have knocked at our door, inviting us to open to You, in order to develop a closer relationship with You.

We want to respond right here and now to Your loving call, and join Your people, Your bride.

Please help us seriously prepare ourselves for the great day of the coming of the Bridegroom, Jesus Christ. In His precious name we pray.

Amen.

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