[234 words]
“And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband” (Revelation 21:2).
In so many ways, the very end of the Bible is a mirror-image of its beginning. Because of sin, man in Genesis is separated from God’s presence and is kept from reaching out to eat of the Tree of Life; in Revelation, that access is restored and intimate fellowship with God along with it. The account of the church, then, is really about man walking with God. It took a perfect God taking on flesh and living a sinless life as man to become our Savior and sacrifice to do so. The vehicle God chose for His restored people is the church, or His body, or His bride. In Chapter 19, we have the Bridegroom, the Word of God, figured as a rider on a white horse “trampling out his vintage, where the grapes of wrath are stored” and winning those who are blessed to be invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb. As important as it is to study the church as it exists in this temporary state, it is essential to fix our eyes on where it will be in its eternal existence. This gives us strength to persevere now and hope for our future. Will you be in the bride on that Day?
Doug Kashorek
Plattsburgh church of Christ
Plattsburgh, NY