Nathan Jones: To help us learn how seven Old Testament brides portray the Church, we are joined by Dawn and Dennis Morris (watch the episode of Christ in Prophecy). Dawn is a Christian novelist and Dennis is a successful businessman. Both share a passion for equipping the Church for the soon return of Jesus Christ.
In the first segment, we looked at how Eve is a pattern of the Church and how we relate to Jesus, the Bridegroom, followed by the brides Rebekah, Rachel, Ruth, and Abigail. Now we will read the stories of the final two Old Testament brides — the Shulammite bride and the wayward but redeemed bride Gomer.
6. The Shulammite Bride
Nathan Jones: Let’s move into the Song of Solomon and probably one of the more famous Old Testament brides — the Shulammite woman. We don’t have a name for her right? How is Solomon’s bride from Song of Solomon a picture of the responsive love the Bride has for the Bridegroom?
Dawn Morris: No, we don’t have a name for her. She’s the first bride who demonstrates passion in marriage. She is responsive to her husband. Likewise, we as Christians are responsive to Jesus. We love Him because He first loved us.
Solomon loved his bride passionately. He praised her character. In the same way, we see Jesus giving us a new character. As the author and perfecter of our faith, Jesus is the one who’s going to present us before the Father, holy and blameless in His sight. We are looking for that wedding to come where the Church is presented as the Bride of Christ. Christ loves us so passionately that I truly believe He didn’t need nails to hold His hands to the cross, for His love would have held them there.
Tim Moore: Speaking about passion, at times we kind of set aside the truths revealed in Song of Solomon that the author’s passion was manifest in all of the various forms of love that a husband and wife are meant to enjoy together. Marriage is one of those beautiful relationships God gives us, full of pleasure and joy. Love is not something to be ashamed of but rather embraced within the covenant of marriage. The Song of Solomon shows us that unashamed love very clearly.
7. The Bride Gomer
Tim Moore: That brings us to the last bride — Gomer. How is Gomer a picture of the pardon the Bride of Christ has received through Christ’s obedience?
Dawn Morris: That’s right, Gomer shows us the pardon that we receive in Christ. Remember, Gomer was a prostitute, and yet, Hosea was commanded by God to go and marry her, and he did just that. Each of us even within the body of Christ has fallen short of the glory of God. When we sin we become unfaithful.
But, unlike Gomer, we see the faithfulness of her husband, Hosea. Gomer was a bride whose husband obeyed the Lord. Likewise, Jesus obeyed and went to the cross so that we sinners could be redeemed and become Christ’s bride.
This is really cool! The names in Scripture have significant meanings. I always look up the names of whomever I’m studying. Hosea means “salvation” and Gomer means “complete.” Hosea bought Gomer out of the slavery her prostitution had put her in and redeemed her even after she had been unfaithful after they’d been wed. Hosea was commanded by God to love Gomer as God loves us to provide an example of how God so faithfully loves Israel and the Church. Likewise, as the Church, when we embrace Christ’s salvation we are made complete in Jesus. And, it’s not because of our own worthiness but because of Christ’s worthiness.
Tim Moore: None of the seven Old Testament brides we listed would have been brides unless they had a bridegroom. Concerning a bridegroom anticipating being married, I’ll never forget my own son-in-law, who is a large, very fit young man, standing at the front of the church with tears streaming down his face. He was crying as my daughter entered because his heart was so full of love. That’s the same picture of Jesus Christ eagerly desiring to bring His own Bride home to live with the Father in the place that He has been preparing for us — the New Jerusalem.
Dawn Morris: That’s right. Jesus was so eager that that was the very first thing He talked about with His disciples on the night before He died. He said in John 14, “I go to prepare a place for you so that where I am there you will also be.” The Rapture has been the “blessed hope” for the Church for the past 2,000 years.
Thanks for this very fine article.
Years ago I wrote a commentary on the Song of Solomon. It’s all online and free.
http://ldolphin.org/canticles.html.
See what you think.
I loved your message, as for many, never heard about a message from the seven brides, as shadows and types from the OT. they seem wonderful, but one thing that I am very disgusted is in your doctrine of the rapture, how can a mature christian teacher still belief in this human doctrine?? It has delayed the performance of the real Church for years, avoiding the understanding and the knowledge of what Christ left for `His Church, one who can walk without fear and doubts in the middle of the dark valleys and will raise before any giant of circumstance. The mature Church will not let our Father creation in the hands of evil, but will conquer it, dethrone evil from every castle and will do His will to restore all things before He will come back for `His reign, beside a Holy, pure Bride.. I will be praying for your repentant and exclude those doctrines until the final revelation of what we are in Christ…
We teach the Rapture because it’s biblical. The first clear mention of the Rapture in Scripture is found in the words of Jesus recorded in John 14:1-4. Jesus said, “I will come again, and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.”
The most detailed revelation of the actual events related to the Rapture is given by Paul in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. He says that when Jesus appears, the dead in Christ (Church Age saints) will be resurrected and caught up first. Then, those of us who are alive in Christ will be translated “to meet the Lord in the air.”
Paul mentions the Rapture again in 1 Corinthians 15 — his famous chapter on the resurrection of the dead: “Behold, I tell you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet” (verses 51-52).
Paul’s reference here to being changed is an allusion to the fact that the saints will receive glorified bodies that will be imperishable, immortal, and perfected (1 Corinthians 15:42-44, 50-55 and Isaiah 35:5-6). And so, in that flash, in that twinkling of an eye, as 1 Corinthians 15:52 states, believers in Christ will be simultaneously transformed and relocated (ie – translated) to be with Jesus.
First Thessalonians 4:17 speaks of an event called “the Rapture”, Latin “rapio,” Greek “harpazo,” which means “to catch up, to snatch away, or to take out.” “After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.” Paul states that the concept of the Rapture is meant to encourage believers during this Age (1 Thes. 4:18). Other references on the Rapture are Isa. 26:19-21; Mal. 3:17; Jn. 14:1-14; I Cor. 15:51-58; and 1 Thes. 4:13-18.
The Bible makes it clear that the Tribulation is God’s wrath poured out upon the unbelieving world, and not for those who are saved from Christ’s resurrection to the Rapture – called the Church. True believers in Christ during the Church Age, represented by the Church of Philadelphia, are promised in Revelation 3:10, “Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth.” Paul states in 1 Thessalonians 1:10, “and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.” He also states in 1 Thessalonians 5:9, “For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Romans 5:9 states, “Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!” Ephesians 5:6 states, “Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient.” Colossians 3:4 states, “When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.” Again and again, Scripture states the Church is not meant to endure God’s special time of wrath.
For information on why we believe the Pre-Tribulation Rapture is the best argument for the timing of the Rapture, please check out these articles and our “Christ in Prophecy” shows posted at https://christinprophecy.org/topics/rapture/. We also have three short Inbox videos explaining the Rapture and its timing: http://christinprophecy.org/programs/the-inbox-20-is-the-rapture-and-second-coming-the-same-event/, http://christinprophecy.org/programs/the-inbox-21-why-do-i-believe-in-a-pre-trib-rapture/, and https://christinprophecy.org/programs/the-inbox-5-what-are-some-misconceptions-about-the-rapture/.
thank you for your whole information and belief, I will search and pray for it, and confront with what I actually understand for God’s plan for His powerful and victorious Church for this days, perilous days, with human doctrines inserted many years ago to keep believers out of the way of the true gospel of Christ… Matthew13:01-58 MSG