I’ve been teaching through Revelation
21-22 on Wednesday evenings for several months. The “holy city, new Jerusalem,” is compared to “a bride adorned for her husband” (21:2). An angel tells the
apostle, “Come here, and I will show you
the bride, the wife of the Lamb” (21:9). It is the Church that alone is “the wife of the Lamb” in the New
Testament (Matthew 9:15//Mark 2:19,20//Luke 5:34,35; John 3:29; 2 Corinthians
11:2; Ephesians 5:22-33), but we are immediately shown “the holy city, Jerusalem” (21:10), along with an elaborate and
incredible architectural description (21:11-22:5). It seems odd when you think
about it; how many of you men wooed your sweetheart by comparing her to a
well-designed structure with exalted aesthetics? Probably not many. Yet the New
Testament often uses the language of temple to describe God’s people in Christ
(1 Corinthians 3:16,17; 6:19,20; 2 Corinthians 6:16; Ephesians 2:19-22; 1 Peter
2:5). Christian men, we probably shouldn’t start a trend of using architectural
language to describe our beloved, but hear me out – when, at the close of the
Revelation of Jesus Christ, a description of His Bride is given using this sort
of language, she is more majestic, beautiful, and other-worldly than anything
in this world (either Herod’s grand Temple in Jerusalem or the many incredible
structures of other religions, whose grand remains are still tourist visiting
points)! It may not be Shakespeare, but God the Son is saying to His Bride, “I’m
preparing you by My Spirit like a master builder; no one in this world can
construct anything close to you, My Beloved.”
Now, with this elaborate love-speech in
mind, let’s read something that came earlier in the Bible:
“How
beautiful you are, my darling,
How beautiful you are!
Your eyes are like doves behind your veil;
Your hair is like a flock of goats
That have descended from Mount Gilead.
Your teeth are like a flock of newly shorn ewes
Which have come up from their washing,
All of which bear twins,
And not one among them has lost her young.
Your lips are like a scarlet thread,
And your mouth is lovely.
Your temples are like a slice of a pomegranate
Behind your veil.
Your neck is like the tower of David,
Built with rows of stones
On which are hung a thousand shields,
All the round shields of the mighty men.
Your two breasts are like two fawns,
Twins of a gazelle
Which feed among the lilies…
How beautiful you are!
Your eyes are like doves behind your veil;
Your hair is like a flock of goats
That have descended from Mount Gilead.
Your teeth are like a flock of newly shorn ewes
Which have come up from their washing,
All of which bear twins,
And not one among them has lost her young.
Your lips are like a scarlet thread,
And your mouth is lovely.
Your temples are like a slice of a pomegranate
Behind your veil.
Your neck is like the tower of David,
Built with rows of stones
On which are hung a thousand shields,
All the round shields of the mighty men.
Your two breasts are like two fawns,
Twins of a gazelle
Which feed among the lilies…
…how
beautiful are your feet in sandals,
O prince’s daughter!
The curves of your hips are like jewels,
The work of the hands of an artist.
Your navel is like a round goblet
Which never lacks mixed wine;
Your belly is like a heap of wheat
Fenced about with lilies.
Your two breasts are like two fawns,
Twins of a gazelle.
Your neck is like a tower of ivory,
Your eyes like the pools in Heshbon
By the gate of Bath-rabbim;
Your nose is like the tower of Lebanon,
Which faces toward Damascus.
Your head crowns you like Carmel,
And the flowing locks of your head are like purple threads;
The king is captivated by your tresses.
How beautiful and how delightful you are,
My love, with all your charms!
Your stature is like a palm tree,
And your breasts are like its clusters” (Song of songs, 4:1-5; 7:1-7).
O prince’s daughter!
The curves of your hips are like jewels,
The work of the hands of an artist.
Your navel is like a round goblet
Which never lacks mixed wine;
Your belly is like a heap of wheat
Fenced about with lilies.
Your two breasts are like two fawns,
Twins of a gazelle.
Your neck is like a tower of ivory,
Your eyes like the pools in Heshbon
By the gate of Bath-rabbim;
Your nose is like the tower of Lebanon,
Which faces toward Damascus.
Your head crowns you like Carmel,
And the flowing locks of your head are like purple threads;
The king is captivated by your tresses.
How beautiful and how delightful you are,
My love, with all your charms!
Your stature is like a palm tree,
And your breasts are like its clusters” (Song of songs, 4:1-5; 7:1-7).
We wouldn’t use this language (well,
much of it) to describe our wives, would we, men? Do you notice the similarity
in principle, though, between the Song of songs’ description of the King’s
Beloved and the Revelation’s description of the Bride? One says, “you are more
beautiful than the most breath-taking natural wonders and wealth of our land.”
The other says, “all the man-made wonders of the world are poorly-made sand
castles compared to you.”
Both of these extended metaphors, odd as
they are to our cultural expressions, say one thing: the King loves His Bride,
and thinks her more beautiful than anything in this world.
Remember that today, Church.
And if you’re not part of His Church,
hear me: all of us, as descendants of that first man Adam, share in both his rebellious
nature against God and the penalty for that rebellion. We are born in this
world fighting the purpose for which we were created, which is to give God
glory in our worshipful obedience and reflection of His image. This is the only
true love, peace, and joy for the human being. We spend our brief lives here
trying to fulfill that purpose with counterfeits in vain, and leave this world
to spend an eternity separated from the only One Who can satisfy. But He, in
His infinite love and mercy, came to earth as one of us to do what we could
not: live a human life of perfect obedience to God (the condition for spending
an eternity with God in bliss) and to take the just punishment for our
disobedience upon Himself in death. He lived and died in His Bride’s place, and
rose again on the third day. He ascended into heaven, where He reigns over all
heaven and earth until the time comes for the defeat of all rebels to come to
an end. The Bible tells us to confess Jesus as Lord, and that in Him we find
forgiveness for our sin, adoption into the family of God, and we are granted
access to our Creator (the Source of all we’ve ever needed and desired) forever
and ever. The Bible uses the bridegroom and bride metaphor to describe Jesus’
relationship to His people, the Church. He loves His Church, and treasures Her
above all else in Creation. Repent of your sins, trust Jesus alone for your
right standing before God now and forever, and be added by Jesus to those whom
He considers His Beloved.
Do this, and the love song’s for you.
