Introduction

What if I were to tell you the Bride of Christ is never mentioned—by that terminology at least—in the Bible? The passages that gave birth to this phrase and idealogy are Ephesians 5:22-27; 2 Corinthians 11:2; Revelation 14:7-9; and Revelation 21:1-2. In Ephesians, Paul switches from discussing marriage between husband and wife to the relationship between Christ and the Church, then switches back to discussing husband and wife. In 2 Corithians the Church is promised a husband and in Revelation we see the marriage supper of Christ. In Revelation 21, however, New Jerusalem is identified as the bride. Jerusalem is His people and is somewhat synonymous with the Church.

This mystery is profound, but I am talking about Christ and the church
Ephesians 5:32 CSB

Questions

About the Passages

1. If God intended human marriage to be a testimony to His relationship with us, why are some called to singleness?
2. Does this mean all the traits usually applied to women also apply to men, since they are also part of the body?
3. What traits are explicitly called out for us to have as the Bride of Christ?
4. What traits/assurances do we get from Christ as our husband?
5. Christ commands husband to love their wives becasue He loves us, does that mean Deuteronomy 24:5 is symbolic of the Millennial Reign?
6. If marriage depicts the relationship between Christ and Church, why doesn't it exist in Heaven? Is it because we will all be married to Christ?

If I could speak to her...

Since the Bride of Christ is the Church—or true believers—I do get to talk to them! Like with the Titus 2 Woman, this is an example of who we should be and how we should act. So the important point to discuss with the Bride of Christ is overcoming adversity. What does it look like when the dragon persecutes the bride and how does she remain faithful to God? She is told to submit to Christ's leadership, what exactly does this look like? How does she avoid all the false narratives. In the old testament Israel is often accused of adultery in the form of idolatry, how does the the bride protect her eyes and mind from wandering?

Phototheology

Phototheology is a way of learning the Bible taught by Ivor Myers.[1] I am employing this technique in my weekly Woman of God study journal. The following three prompts are the ones I drew from the card deck while studying the The Woman with the Issue of Blood.

Is the text or story part of a larger pattern?

There are 3 patterns this story fits into:

1. The city of Jerusalem and the people of God being represented as a woman (see Jeremiah???)
2. The marriages of mankind are used to teach us a lesson about God; many use traditional Jewish weddings for context (which I need to dig deeper into and will followup on in the post on the marriage supper of the lamb).
3. God established His people with covenants and feasts, it seems natural that His new kingdom will begin with a feast (the marriage supper)

Study the text against the backdrop of the time prophecies in the Bible

All (or at least most) of the time prophecies are meant to point us to when Christ will reunite with His bride. Like most stories, the marriage happens at the end and is the "and they lived happily ever after" moment. Since the marriage happens after the millennial reign, all the prophecies we are given in the Bible must be fulfilled by the time the bride is reunited with her groom. This means her story is relevant to each of us in every era.

How does the text relate to meekness?

I would expect the Bride of Christ to have all the Fruit of the Spirit, which would include meekness. We are told a wife should submit to her husband, so we know the Bride of Christ submits, which is a form of meekness—we can't submit in a state of pride. The bride will await God's timing and provide a refuge for all who believe in Messiah, all of which requires meekness.

Journal Pages

Journal Pages on The Bride of Christ from June 25 - July 1, 2025

References & Footnotes

1. Pastor Ivor Myers' Phototheology Game Deck