The title of the book: The church of God honored in the marriage of the Lamb
God made a man, and made a woman with a man’s rib, and then spoke about marriage between man and woman:
” Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.” (Genesis 2:24)
God planned to fill the earth with men through the marriage of man and woman, as well as the blessing of all things created on the earth. This blessing was the first covenant given to man in the Garden of Eden:
” And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. “(Genesis 1:29):
God’s plan is to fill the earth through the marriage system to the people who are born on this earth. God also planned the whole cosmic spiritual marriage between God and man. He sent his only begotten Son into the world in the form of Adam, and to whomsoever believe in the death and resurrection of the Son, God gives the Spirit of the Son., to make them the Church of God and make them members of the Son’s body. Therefore, Apostle Paul testified of Jesus Christ in the Spirit:
” And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.
46Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.
47The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven. “(1 Corinthians 15: 45-47).
In addition, God gave not only the blessing of marriage to those born of the first man, but also through the spiritual marriage with God’s only begotten Lord Jesus Christ, God made them the church of God in Him so that they dwell in the new Jerusalem of heaven with Him forever and ever to make them helping spouse for his work in heaven and earth
When Apostle Paul wrote to the church of Ephesus to testify, all things in heaven, things in the earth, and things in him shall be one in Christ when all things are restored through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, (Ephesians 1: 9-10). This is the reason why God’s Word is a mystery.
God chose the Israelites and made them the wives of the LORD God Jehovah, but by serving their idols, God gives them a certificate of divorce and is in a state of separation from them. But when they repent and return to God, they shall be restored their relationship with the LORD God to make them a priestly nation on earth. However, most Jews cannot enter into the church of God, and they also need to receive the Holy Spirit by believing and accepting the Lord Jesus Christ now in the age of grace so that they can enter the Church of God and marry with Christ. Therefore, God gave them the first opportunity to believe in the gospel of Christ. After the day of Pentecost, when God sent the Holy Spirit to this land, he brought many Jews into the church of God, and through the apostles he established the first church in Jerusalem.
Apostle Paul testified in the Holy Spirit about the blessing of spiritual marriage with Christ, the church, who had faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and established his body in His members in His churches:
” 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.
32This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
33Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband “(Ephesians 5: 30-33)
Therefore, the church of God, that has received the Spirit of the Son by believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, is in a so-called engaged state of living and dwelling spiritually on this earth until the marriage ceremony of the Lamb that will soon be in heaven. Therefore, in this great blessed church, Satan constantly persecutes them and doing all kinds of things for them to deny and curse Christ. Apostle Peter told the children of God a message of warning about this
” Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations:
7That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: “(1 Peter 1: 6-7).
The members of the Church of God called to be the bride of the Lord Jesus Christ spoke through the apostles about the need to live a clean life until they entered into the New Jerusalem as a whole through union with Him:
“And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;
6And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;
7And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.
8For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
……. Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:… And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure..”(2 Peter 1: 5-8, 1 Peter 1:22, 1 John 3: 3)
The members of Christ who belong to the Church of God will meet Him in the day when He appears in the air and will be judged about what they have done on earth in the judgment seat of Christ. The crowns will also be received and will be reproved. Apostle Paul testified very strongly about this:
” Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;
13Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.
14If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
15If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire. (1 Corinthians 3: 12-15)
He warned the Saints in particular about the work of the saints as well as to judging one another :
” We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.
9Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him.
10For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.…. But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.” (2 Corinthians 5: 8-10, Romans 14; 10)
Even though we are born-again children of God saved by God’s grace, in order to enter into the marriage ceremony of the Lamb, we shall be judged for our own works. We shall be tried with the fire through the judgment seat of Christ and enter into the marriage ceremony of the Lamb. Apostle John testified about this:
” Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.
8And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. (Rev. 19: 7-8)
He also said, they that are invited to the marriage of the Lamb are blessed.. In the marriage of the Lamb between the Lamb of God and the saints who have become the bride of him for last two thousand years, many saved saints before Jesus Christ came to the earth shall be invited. The psalmist testified of them:
” Kings’ daughters were among thy honourable women: upon thy right hand did stand the queen in gold of Ophir.“ (Psalm 45: 9)
That’s right. While living on the earth, the people who have been saved from generations are joined as the guests to bless them who belong to the church of God who have won victory without being ashamed of hope through patience and love of God through the Holy Spirit . We are to rejoice in this hope and rejoice in God. Apostle Paul wrote to the saints in Rome about this:
” By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. (Romans 5: 2)