In the concluding part of our Series on the similarities between Christ the Bridegroom and the church, His bride, today we come to four more areas where we find stark similarities...
Transformation...
It is the kind of trials and tribulations which the Bridegroom endured that would eventually shape the bride to be as beautiful as Him. Let the Scripture take over at this stage...
"...we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope..." (Romans 5:3-4 ESV).
"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing..." (James 1:2-4 ESV).
Not willing to bear the cross is a serious sin, for it would mean not co-operating with the Holy Spirit in the "moulding" process (See 2 Peter 1:5-9).
Hmmm...No pain, no gain!
Resurrection...
Boy...the similarities continue...if Jesus rose from the dead, we would also one day rise from the dead ("But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep." 1 Cor 15:20 ESV. See also 1 Thess 4:16) with His resurrection on the first Easter. Notice this is described by Apostle Paul as "First Fruits", thus portending the resurrection of countless Christians in the future.
Ascension...
If Jesus ascended after He was resurrected (Acts 1:9), in our spiritual journey as well, ascension would follow resurrection at the rapture: "For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and s
o we will always be with the Lord." (1 Thess 4:16-17 ESV)!
Adminstration...
If the resurrected, ascended Bridegroom would one day soon come down to the world at His Second Coming and rule both the men of the World and the angels of the spiritual realm, then oh boy the risen and the ascended bride would also come along with the Bridegroom and rule the not only the World but also the angels alongside Him ("The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne." Rev 3:21 ESV See also Rev 20:4/1 Cor 6:3).
Mind-boggling indeed are the similarities between the Bridegroom and His bride in many areas of the spiritual realm; but never more so than in the matter of receiving crowns after enduring the cross! So take heart Christians...remember the Pauline declaration: "And if we think that our present service for him is hard, just remember that some day we are going to sit with him and rule with him." (2 Tim 2:12a TLB)
Prayer: Father thanks for initiating the process of moulding us into Your Son's image right from the time, we are "born again". Keeping Eternity in view, enable us to co-operate with You in the moulding process. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
Suresh Manoharan
An unworthy servant
J and SM Ministries
