Bride of Christ... New Jerusalem?

Some feel that the New Jerusalem is not a city of buildings and streets (as we know them) but a city of people. When we talk about a city now, what do we say? How big is New Orleans? Such-and-such square miles? No... 1 million people. The city is people and the New Jerusalem is people...the church....the bride...us! You will see that God's glory is shining through. Also, this "city" is in opposition to another "city" described in Revelation...Babylon. Now some believe this refers to an actual location (Iraq), however, I believe it refers to the antichristian world system controlled by Satan. Two cities...two gates...two paths....two destinations. (Also, I don't think anyone believes that Revelation is in strict chronological order...there is a lot of "cycling" going on.)

 

I believe the New Jerusalem is literal.

I believe the marriage supper is literal.

 

1. Clearly the New Jerusalem is the Church.

Rev 21: 9One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, "Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb."

10And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God.

The Bride=New Jerusalem

It is not to be taken literal:

Eph 2:19Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household, 20built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. 21In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

Perhaps the marriage supper is figurative also.

 

This is beautiful now isnt it? Just because it is Spiritual (as the words are Spiritual) makes them no less literal. The things unseen by faith are just as real as the things we can see. There are those things done before the eyes of men and the things one can see according to the seven eyes on the One Stone laid in Zion.

Think of it as literally Spiritual. Jesus says, "My words are Spirit and life". Paul says compare spiritual with spiritual. Seeing it by the Spirit is as seeing it as Truth.

For we have come not to a mountain that can be touched but we are come to Mt Zion. This is a spiritual reality.

Faith in what is seen is not faith but to that which is unseen. Like seeing Him who is invisible. Its a paradox. The Stone laid in Zion had seven eyes on it. That Stone is Jesus Christ. Every one of "these" eyes see Him.These eyes are always on Him.


God Bless

Seth3

 

I think Revelation is pretty clear that the city is the bride. There are two verses in the passage that indicate this.

Taking Revelation and other end-times literature in the Bible _too_ literally is not wise. Is the Beast really a big animal? He is really, literally a horn, too? Is there a big literal statue with feet made out of clay like in Daniel's dream, or is it, as the Bible teaches, a symbol of kingdoms in the end. We need to interpret these visions in accordance with the type of revelation it is and with what scripture says.

It irritates me to hear people preach about walking on streets of gold when they die. For one thing, this passage doesn't say anything about the New Jerusalem being a place where your disembodied spirit goes at death. This whole passage is set after the resurrection. Secondly, the city is the bride of Christ.

 

I see it as Literally Spiritual. The Spirit of the is Truth.

God bless

Seth3

 

Link says

It irritates me to hear people preach about walking on streets of gold when they die.

Seth3 replies,

I understand what you are saying Link, but they cannot recieve it any other way yet until God gives them understanding by the Spirit.Everything is by the letter until Christ translates the words into Spirit and Life for them.

The streets of Gold are as the Golden paths of faith the feet of our heart walk in.

God Bless

Seth3