Who Is the Bride.... Really

One of the Messengers said:

Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.... and he showed me the Set Apart city, Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from Elohim; in which was the glory of Elohim, as a brilliant light, and resembling a very precious gem; like a jasper stone, resembling crystal. 

Y'shua is the light of the world, in him is seen the glory of the Father 

(This New Jerusalem has) a wall, lofty and great. This wall has twelve gates, and the names of the twelve tribes, descendants of Jacob/Israel, are inscribed on the gates. (three gates on each side, north south, east and west). The wall has twelve foundations on which were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

When this New Jerusalem descends from heaven a great voice is heard which said: 'Behold, the tabernacle of Elohim is with men and He dwells with them; they will be His people; and He will be their Elohim.'  This reminds me of how it was with Moses and the mixed multitude that came out of Egypt. Yah gave instructions for building the tabernacle so that He could be in the midst of His people.  Look how far we have strayed from our Creator! It now seems all symbolic of returning to and becoming one with the Creator.  He takes us back.

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We have been invited to the Wedding Feast which is akin to those who had the chance to enter into the ark before the door was shut, after which it became too late to 'be saved'. The symbolism is also revealed in the parable of the 10 Virgins (invited to the banquet as guests) of which 5 ran out of oil and went to buy more.  While they were gone, the doors to the banquet hall were shut and no one else could enter.  It was too late.

Matthew 25:10- And while they (those 5 foolish virgins) went to buy more pure olive oil for their lamps, the Bridegroom came, those who were ready entered with him into the banquet hall. And the door was locked.

Matthew 22:2- The Kingdom of Heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son.

We have been called to this banquet, the one prepared by the Father for His Son. We are invited guests, not the bride, and we've been given plenty of time to get ready to attend.

Let us be properly prepared to Meet the Bridegroom- to be full of the Ruach haKodesh = The Spirit of Truth = prior to the return of Y'shua.  If we are full of His Spirit (pure olive oil) we will not wander off in search of who-knows-what. We shall enter into the banquet hall with him before the door is shut and locked. After that it will be too late.

Revelation 19:7- Let us rejoice and exult and give glory to Yahweh Elohim for the marriage supper of the Lamb has come and his bride has made herself ready. And it was granted her to be clothed in fine linen, bright and clean; for fine linen is the righteousness of the Set Apart believers.
Revelation 19:9- Blessed are they who are called to the supper of the marriage feast of the Lamb.

John 6:39-40: (Y'shua is speaking) “This is the will of the Father who sent me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”

That last day is when those alive will see the resurrection of those believers who have died since the beginning of time, and then be caught up with them being changed from corruptible to incorruptible bodies- given robes of fine linen?

1 Thessalonians 4:16- Because our Master Y'shua will himself descend from heaven with a mandate and with the voice of the chief Messenger (angel) and with the trumpet of Elohim; and the dead who are in Messiah will rise first and then we who survive and are alive will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet our Messiah... And so comfort yourselves one another with these words...

We enter together with him.  We are gathered together with him. After which no one else can enter. Those left behind on the earth suffer the Wrath of Elohim as the Seven Cups are poured out upon the earth.  It is too late for them to be saved.

In Revelation 19-
Verse 7 says the marriage supper of the Lamb has come*
Verse 11- the heavens open and Y'shua rides in
Verse 14- the army of heaven follows him
verse 17- the invitation is given to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven to assemble to this 'great supper of Elohim'*. This is after the armies are defeated at Megiddo and these birds feed on carrion. Continue reading and learn this is the time frame when the false prophet and 'the beast' are cast into Fire Lake; Satan is bound for a thousand years. The 12 Apostles are seated prepared to judge the tribes of Israel.... all part of the First Resurrection.  Blessed and Set Apart is he that has part in this first resurrection. 

* are these referring to the same supper? is this the symbolic wedding feast?

Ezekiel 39:17- ....say to every winged bird and to all the wild beasts: Thus says Yahweh Elohim; Assemble, come and gather from all around for the sacrificial feast that I am preparing for you upon the mountains of Israel
Verse 25- .... I will now restore the fortunes of Jacob and take the whole House of Israel back in love...
Verse 29- I will never again hide My face from them for I will pour out My spirit upon the House of Israel

Through our continued study and reading of Scriptures we shall become spiritually prepared to recognize the Good Shepherd when he calls and ready to accept this invitation to his wedding feast, a most glorious occasion. 

If the wife of the Lamb is the New Jerusalem, who is this Jerusalem?

Isaiah 62- For the sake of Zion I will not be silent, for the sake of Jerusalem I will not be still, till her victory emerge resplendent and her triumph like a flaming torch. Nations shall see your victory, and every king your majesty; and you shall be called by a new name which Yahweh Himself shall bestow.  You shall be a glorious crown in the hand of Yahweh and a royal diadem in the palm of your Elohim.
Nevermore shall you be called "Forsaken" nor shall your land be called "Desolate" but you shall be called "I delight in her", and your land "Espoused." For Yahweh Elohim takes delight in you; and as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your Elohim rejoice over you.

What better symbolism to express the type of love one has than to compare it to marriage, a wedding feast and the joy as two become one. New beginnings. When Yahweh restores all things it may be more glorious than we can imagine.

Yah delights in Jerusalem and she shall never be called "Forsaken" again, and her land no longer desolate but "Espoused'.  That land is the land of Canaan, the promised land in the covenant He made with Abraham.  Jerusalem is the last place Yahweh attached His Name.

As a side note: The word "Jerusalem" can be traced to its roots as something akin to 'Foundation in Shalom' (Shalom means Peace). The first mention of this town is in Genesis 14:18, after Chedorlaomer and the other kings with him were defeated by Abram and the 'army' he had mustered. King Melchizedek of Salem, who was also the priest of Yahweh Elohim, blessed Abram.  Another connection to Jerusalem is that Y'shua is said to be a priest after the order of Melchizedek. (Psalm 110:4 depending on which translation you read from; Hebrews 7:1; Hebrews 6:20) Which means Y'shua will be our King and Priest in the world to come, with its foundation in peace.  We are instructed to pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

Jerusalem (good) has been a focal point of Yahweh our Creator and is referred to as 'her'.  Satan counterfeited with Babylon (evil) who is referred to as Mystery Babylon, Mother of Harlots, in Revelation. From the beginning -when Satan influenced Eve and Adam to eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil- we see Yah's timeline ending with that same Good and Evil scenario. Good represented by Jerusalem with all her ups and downs; and Evil represented by Babylon and all its abominations.

Genesis 2:15- Then Yahweh took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it. And He commanded the man, saying, “From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you shall surely die.”

This New Jerusalem is beyond our immediate understanding just as the temple of Ezekiel's vision represents something of such grandeur it becomes more than we can comprehend. Consider them 'unsearchable riches' for the time being.  All we are told outright is that the New Jerusalem is the bride.

Ephesians 3- To me, Paul, who am the least of all the Set Apart believers, has this grace been given that I should announce among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of the Mashiyach, and should show to all men what is the architecture of the mystery which for ages was hid in Elohim the Creator of all things, so that by means of the assembly (of Set Apart believers) the manifold wisdom of Elohim might become known - which He arranged ages before and worked it through Y'shua our Master. Therefore I pray - and I bow my knees to the Father of our Master Y'shua from whom the whole family in heaven and on earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit; that in your inner man the Mashiyach may dwell by faith, an in your hearts by love while your root and foundation increases greatly in strength; and that you may be able to explore, with all the Set Apart believers, what is the height and depth and length and breadth, and may know the greatness of the Mashiyach's love and that you may be filled with all the fullness of Elohim.

Yahweh's love is such that He promised not to wipe us out with a flood, that when His anger with us reached such a level He would relent.  We are still a stiff necked breed in His Eyes, I'm sure, but His patience wins out, yet time as we know it will come to an end.

Yahshua Mashiyach is well known for his teaching technique of using parables in an attempt to get folks to 'see' what he was getting at. He used many variables to get the same one point across. Where did he learn this from? Since the Son came to do the will of the Father, it makes sense that his Father had the same manner of speaking- like Father like Son.  Yahweh spoke through His servants the prophets and used metaphors and symbolism back then.  Maybe we should keep that in mind.

Yahweh's love for His Creation is expressed in parables that include examples of joy, marriage, divorce, steadfast love and taking us back. Scripture is full of these same examples. It is all about Him- Yahweh Elohim. He is the Master and we are His servants. He made us; we rebelled; He offered His Plan of Redemption which we can choose to accept and obey or not. He renewed the Covenant with the shed blood of His Son. Yah has gone to great lengths for our sake, yet only a remnant will respond.

Matthew 13:10- Then the disciples came to Y'shua and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?” He replied, “The knowledge of the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven has been given to you, but not to them."

Part of Seeking Elohim is trying to understand the parables. They are not mysteries and can be solved. Parables are like bread crumbs leading us along His Path. He wants us to 'think', use our brains as we seek truth and understanding. I've been told that Scriptures interpret themselves and have found this to be true, which is why we each need to read and study them for ourselves. Not everyone will recognize the Good Shepherd's voice because they lack understanding. We gain understanding by putting Yahweh first in all things, every day. We read His Word every day so that the Spirit within us has something to work with! None of this is by ourselves, but through the will of the Father. We shall not be destroyed for lack of knowledge as we continue our study of His Word and Instructions. Those mysteries are solved if we make a sincere effort to understand our Creator. We cannot know Him completely for the Spiritual Realm has yet to be revealed, but if we continue to seek His Face we will receive the Blessing, which is Life. We shall be made incorruptible, given garments of pure linen that we may be gathered up and enter into the banquet hall, together with him in the clouds.

Yah spoke creation into existence and all was good. Satan rebelled against the Creator and brought evil into this world. Yahweh's love for mankind is such that He wants no one to perish and His Plan of Redemption was enacted. Throughout it all Yah continues to test us with various trials and tribulations to reveal what is truly in our hearts; He refines us and sets apart those who are worthy to receive the promise, be partakers of the covenant He made with Abraham. Just as the Apostles were realizing prophecy had come to life before their eyes, we, too, are living proof that prophecy is being fulfilled. There is still time to prepare, to have plenty of oil and to put on the fine linen garments that we may entered with Y'shua who said 'no one comes to the Father except through me'. No one enters the banquet hall until Y'shua returns.

One thing is for certain... if you don't trust that Yahweh Elohim created the universe, gave us an Instruction Manual (Scriptures) and then provided us an escape plan by following His Son's example of obeying those same Instructions... if you don't have Faith in the Good News of His Kingdom to come and life eternal, it becomes very difficult to see the big picture of what is happening in the world today - and the imaginings of man have become very entertaining and enticing.

We have been told beforehand all these things that will take place somewhere in the future, whether near or far. The rules and regulations apply to each and everyone of us and it is our choice to take heed and act accordingly, for our well being; or we choose not to pay attention and go on living, drinking, eating and letting ourselves be distracted by daily life, until its too late. Just as the door to the ark was closed in the days of Noah, and no one could enter afterward, so shall the door to the banquet hall be closed and locked. It will be too late for those who ignored all the signs and wonders, who did not study and learn His Instructions in Righteousness, who did not recognize the Good Shepherd's voice. We Set Apart believers have been invited as guests to this Wedding Banquet which occurs after the return of His Son. We are not the bride of the Lamb. We are His Chosen people aka the House of Israel, native born and adopted/grafted in. The New Jerusalem is the bride, the wife of the Lamb Yahshua Mashiyach.