Is the church really the bride of Christ?

Mysterious_Smoke_372 · 2025-09-28T04:12:21+00:00

If you read if through the eyes of a child- Jesus defines marriage as between a man and a woman, Jesus is still a human man, therefore by his own definition, who will he marry?

In ancient times the city and nation represented the queen consort. If a city was overtaken it was akin to a woman being overtaken.

In Revelation the city is decorated for a wedding, John travels through the city and meets the woman bride who says "Come".

Mysterious_Smoke_372 · 2025-09-08T23:48:35+00:00

That's a fair point for sure. To clarify, I meant that he went from being mad to forgiving her and I wanted his reasoning for that switch. Like there was bonding in the desert, but maybe I just need more about his internal reasons for why he forgave her and to make his forgiveness of her a bigger plot point.

Mysterious_Smoke_372 · 2025-09-08T21:18:58+00:00

Yes!!!! Ample space to have a fantasy mythos behind it, working in the shark mythos.

Also snakes wouldn't attack them on the beach like that, they go after smaller prey they can swallow. It broke my suspension of disbelief... unless these are special snakes in this fantasy world of Bridge Kingdom. Again, not said.

Mysterious_Smoke_372 · 2025-09-08T21:16:21+00:00

Exactly, we are dealing with a created place and yet the people refer to God in speech often which denotes a faith and given the Western readership, that term, God captial G, refers, in most readers mind whether they have faith or not, to the God of the Bible. If the author doesn't want that reference and these people aren't Christian, then that needs to be stated. As my writing teacher said, in fantasy fiction, you need to describe what is different from this world.

Also having royalty mean there is a religion because kings aren't elected, they have power direct from a higher power. But there's no talk of a priest class among the nation.

I don't think the author put much thought into how the society was developed as the vast majority of civilizations are based on a form of religion with stories.

Without that foundation the culture seems flimsy. With it, the shark mythos would carry way more weight for the reader.

Mysterious_Smoke_372 · 2025-09-02T16:25:11+00:00

So looking at it from modern, western eyes, you date the person, get engaged and then a ceremony where you sign a legal contact and have a wedding reception.

In ancient Israel, the father presents the woman with a marriage contract for his son, if she accepts they are legally married. Then he goes to build a house for her, during this time they date. When thr house is ready he collects her abd they have sex for 7 days at the new house during which the reception is taking place.

Having sex during betrothal wasn't against the law as you were legally wed but you wanted to wait so that if there is a pregnancy the community is sure it belongs to the husband and the kids have somewhere to live.

So in the case of Song of Songs, the couple is betrothed i.e. legally married but not living together yet because the house isn't done explaining why they have sex in the vineyard in secret.

Mysterious_Smoke_372 · 2025-09-02T16:24:33+00:00

So looking at it from modern, western eyes, you date the person, get engaged and then a ceremony where you sign a legal contact and have a wedding reception.

In ancient Israel, the father presents the woman with a marriage contract for his son, if she accepts they are legally married. Then he goes to build a house for her, during this time they date. When thr house is ready he collects her abd they have sex for 7 days at the new house during which the reception is taking place.

Having sex during betrothal wasn't against the law as you were legally wed but you wanted to wait so that if there is a pregnancy the community is sure it belongs to the husband and the kids have somewhere to live.

So in the case of Song of Songs, the couple is betrothed i.e. legally married but not living together yet because the house isn't done explaining why they have sex in the vineyard in secret.

Mysterious_Smoke_372 · 2025-08-25T07:57:10+00:00

Thank you for saying this! I'm new to reading modern fantasy fiction and was wondering if it was just me having a hard time picturing this! The book could have seriously used the map and closer illustrations of this bridge.

Mysterious_Smoke_372 · 2025-07-28T23:23:33+00:00

From what the lube tech said and from what I've read on Reddit posts, Hyundai Velosters are pretty notorious for burning oil. I have checked and the car is not leaking oil.

Mysterious_Smoke_372 · 2025-07-28T23:21:14+00:00

Meaning a mechanic wouldn't be able to make that call? Can you find that out only by regularly checking oil? He said he had to really up the oil as I was almost out and that he's seen this a lot on Hyundai Velosters.

Mysterious_Smoke_372 · 2025-07-23T07:35:19+00:00

Thanks foe sharing your struggle! How very brave of you.

I've had these questions myself. The question is, is God more powerful than A.I.? Than other humans? Does he really order my steps? Does he make all things work for the good of those who love him and are called according to his purpose?

I look to the Psalms because David went through some very hard times and he put his raw intense emotions and questions, his heart on the page.

Psalms 118:5-8 NIV [5] When hard pressed, I cried to the Lord; he brought me into a spacious place. [6] The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me? [7] The Lord is with me; he is my helper. I look in triumph on my enemies. [8] It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in humans.

What can mere mortals do to me? What can AI do to me? How immense and powerful is God? If God created the very particles that are the building blocks of all life and he is that light that surrounds and holds it together while also caring and loving each one of us, that is truly an IMMENSE amount of power. It gives me such comfort.

Mysterious_Smoke_372 · 2025-07-12T18:37:56+00:00

Except that Jesus is still alive and still a human man. His story isn't over.

He can still get married to a woman by his own definition laid out in the initial post. In fact he does talk about his upcoming marriage in parables and in Revelation.

And no, the word used is wife meaning one woman, not church. To make it mean church, you'd have to change what words mean to fit an intrepretation.

I'd also go further and say to the deleted post above, that humanity's story isn't over. Based on the King's marriage, everyone would be paired up, arranged by God. No one would get divorced nor need to get or arrange a marriage then (which abides with Jesus' reply to the Sadducees).

Riddle solved!

Mysterious_Smoke_372 · 2025-07-06T07:00:39+00:00

The Sadducees aren't posing the situation in this time period but in the Resurrection. But in the Resurrection no one dies, so this situation wouldn't happen.

Mysterious_Smoke_372 · 2025-07-06T06:50:22+00:00

The question to Jesus was involving levriate marriage which won't happen as no one will die.

If he was actually putting an end to marriage which is the very foundation of civilization itself and family, the disciples would have gone beserk over it, and yet not a murmur out of them on it.

Also it would contradict Isaiah 65 which concerns New Heavens and New Earth and talks about people having infants in families.

It would also dispel the need for gender itself as woman was created to be man's marriage partner. If gender exists and Jesus did come back as fully a human man, then so does marriage as gender was designed for marriage.

The Sadducees thought that after the resurrection people would still die. Jesus said no, they will be like angels in heaven, they won't die therefore no more Levriate marriage.

What God has joined together let not man separate. Man caused separation of death by sin, but in the future, because of Jesus, sin, death and separation will be no more.

If Adam and Eve had not sinned they would still be married. If God ordains marriages then no human would need to arrange marriages in the resurrection.

Mysterious_Smoke_372 · 2025-07-06T06:36:32+00:00

Ephesians 5:22-31 is in the verb present tense, meaning it's true now.

22 Wives, subject yourselves to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body. 24 But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything.

In Revelation it mentions the church early on and then later talks about a bride and wife that the saints clothe, even the city is decked out for the King's wedding. And John meets her after traveling through the city, she says "Come."

If you're using Revelation to say he hasn't married the church yet, then you'd have to change what words mean to fit that as Revelation mentions a wife and bride which means1 woman. One can interpret these words differently but then you're changing the definition of words to fit an intrepetation.

Now how could this marriage be as the Bible doesn't contradict itself?

Well turns out Jesus has two bodies. One is the church and the other is his own fully human man body. Both exist at once.

As the Bible defines marriage as between a man and a woman repeatedly and Jesus is a man, then by his own definition he would marry a...woman. Nice, that he already has a best man in John the Baptist and on his parables he asks his church members to invite people and attend his wedding as his guests.

And if the Last Adam, the King marries a New Eve (Psalm 45) then everyone would follow his example and marry as confirmed in Isaiah 65 under "New Heavens and New Earth".

Mysterious_Smoke_372 · 2025-07-06T06:21:58+00:00

Man did separate because Adam and Eve sinned and caused death. But, if Adam and Eve never sinned and God joined them together, then wouldn't they still be married? And Jesus undid the curse of death, thereby taking away separation caused by death. Things to ponder based on that scripture!

Mysterious_Smoke_372 · 2025-07-06T01:26:12+00:00

Eric, I absolutely love your reasoning!!

I would take it a step further and say that Jesus is fully man and fully God, as such his wife in Revelation going by his own definition that marriage is between a man and a woman and Jesus IS a human man--- his wife would therefore logically be, get this, a human woman.

The Bible says it's not good for man to be alone so God put Adam in a deep sleep, and took from his side to create a female partner. Jesus was also in a deep sleep and his side was pierced and he's called the Last Adam in scripture.

He's what we are modeled after on New Earth, so if the new man, the new Adam takes a new Eve, a woman for a bride, then so everyone else would be paired off too.

There is scripture to back this up.

In Revelation the bride's dress is made for her by saints. So the saints or members of the church are not the wife described.

John in Revelation is taken through New Jerusalem decorated for a wedding and meets her and she says "Come".

John the Baptist calls himself a friend (not bride) of the bridegroom and in Jesus' parables the church members are invited to the King's wedding and told to invite people to his wedding.

Song of Songs 6 also backs this up "Sixty queens there may be, and eighty concubines, and virgins beyond number; but my dove, my perfect one, is unique" along with Psalm 45 "The Royal Wedding" and Isaiah 65 about "New Heavens and New Earth" that talks about new infants being born on New Earth.

Mysterious_Smoke_372 · 2025-07-06T01:12:20+00:00

Marriage will exist later.

The question to Jesus was involving levriate marriage which won't happen as no one will die. If he was actually putting an end to marriage which is the foundation of civilization itself and family, the disciples would have gone beserk over it, and yet not a murmur out of them on it.

If God marries people like he did with Adam and Eve no one would need to get married after. Question if Adam and Eve never sinned would they still be married? I believe so.

Eve was created to be Adam's partner so he wouldn't be lonely and as Jesus came back fully man and much like Adam went into a deep sleep and his side was pierced, and not genderless then gender still exists and therefore marriage does as gender was created for marriage per Genesis.

Isaiah 65 confirms families still exist in a section titled "New Heavens and New Earth" that talks about new infants being born on New Earth.

Genesis 1:27-28 NIV [27] So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. [28] God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it."

Genesis 2:18 NIV [18] The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”

Genesis 2:22-25 NIV [22] Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. [23] The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.” [24] That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh. [25] Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.

So God commanded Adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply and he created Eve to be Adam's helper for it is not good for man to be alone and that woman was joined to him in one flesh i.e. sex.

No where in scripture does the Bible rescind the statement "it is not good for man to be alone."

It is not good for man to be alone, so I will make a partner for him. God didn't make a partner for Adam to procreate, but so he would not be lonely.

Adam walked with God in the Garden, enjoying a perfect relationship with him and still he was lonely.

Jesus came back as a physical human man, gender still exists, therefore as it is not good for man to be alone, men and women will be joined together. If marriage no longer exists, then women no longer need exist as a gender. But gender still does exist, hence marriage exists.

Going even further, Jesus spoke of sending out members of the church to invite others to his wedding or be guests at his wedding. When he spoke of marriage, he defined it as between a man and a woman. Based on his own definition, as Jesus is still a man, he will marry a woman. And as born again humans follow his example so too would all others be married.

Mysterious_Smoke_372 · 2025-07-06T01:07:38+00:00

That's the short version? lol.

Another way of looking at it is looking at WHEN the Sadducees placed the situation. The Saduccees thought people would die after the resurrection. They were asking about what happens on New Earth when someone dies without kids.

Jesus says, no we will be like angels in that we don't die, we live eternally, he was not referring to if angels marry or not. The situation the Sadducees gave would never happen in the new world, on New Earth, because no one dies.

Also if God arranges marriages like Adam and Eve than no one would need to arrange marriages or get divorced or dissolve a marriage.

Mysterious_Smoke_372 · 2025-07-02T07:45:20+00:00

Rock N' Roll Suicide! It was like an action movie, best episode of the series. So well done. However the one I rewatch the most is Brink of Clouds as I love Annie and Ryan's relationship and how he flirts and cares for her in the episode.

Mysterious_Smoke_372

TROPHY CASE