He Died for His Wife

My Grandparents, Edward and Helen Losli

My grandparents had a wonderful, yet interesting marriage. The last decades of their lives they had what seemed to be a well-timed trade off.

My grandmother had many serious heart ailments and multiple heart surgeries from the time I was old enough to know what those terms meant. But as far as I know, my grandfather was in great health, but that changed as they aged. When my grandmother’s health failed, my grandfather was strong; but when he became ill and incapacitated, she was surprisingly strong.

My grandfather lived for my grandmother, but he didn’t die for her.

The Bible describes the relationship between Christ Jesus and the Church as like that of husband and wife. Yet there is a vast difference between Him and the Church and earthly husbands and wives. Jesus suffered more for the Church than any human husband has ever suffered.

Jesus suffered the loss of all He possessed, surrendering His splendor as Heaven’s born Prince to shelter in the womb of a servant girl. The King became a pauper by choice.

The Glory of God became a helpless Babe, a rough-handed Carpenter, a Suffering Servant and Man of Sorrows. He was humiliated, despised, and crucified between thieves. The Creator who adorned the blackness of space with flickering stars by the word of His power, was crowned with bloody thorns. The Friend to sinners died to make us friends of God.

Without concern for His own welfare, Jesus, the Bridegroom plunged into the ocean depths of the Father’s wrath to become the rescue for His bride.

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her (Ephesians 5:25).

The Unveiling

The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants – things which must shortly take place (Revelation 1:1).

For centuries, the wedding practice in Western society was to keep a bride veiled at her wedding. Though they knew one another, the bride’s face was kept hidden from the groom until the couple was pronounced husband and wife.

Some suggest this unveiling goes back to Genesis 29:21-25, when Jacob was deceived into marrying the wrong sister. No one wants to discover the next day they married an unintended person!

The final book of the Bible is called The Revelation of Jesus Christ.

First, it’s not “Revelations”, plural. Anyone who calls it that, run from! They don’t know the Bible. It is a singular revealing.

Second, Revelation is a revealing, unveiling, or uncovering.

Third, the unveiling is of Jesus – not the Antichrist or the end of the world. Yes, these are mentioned, but don’t miss God’s point: Jesus.

In the Old Testament, Jesus is anticipated. In the Gospels His eternality, incarnation, sinless life, miracles, teaching, death, resurrection, and ascension to the Father’s right hand are described. In the Book of Acts Jesus is preached by the apostles who witnessed of Him in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth. In the New Testament epistles Jesus and His salvation are explained. Finally in Revelation, Jesus is revealed as the ascended, glorious, and expected coming-King.

In the Book of Revelation, we’re given a heavenly vantage of Jesus yesterday, today, and forever. We look back into eternity at the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8). We see Him today as the One standing in the midst of churches judging, rebuking, encouraging, and promising. We glimpse the movement of time beyond today as Jesus brings judgment upon sinner and sin alike, His Second Coming in power and glory, the establishment of His Kingdom reign upon the earth, and the eternal state in which His bride enjoys and shares in His glory.

The Book ends with a dramatic twist. The Groom doesn’t whisk His bride hurriedly to Himself, but the Church, Christ’s bride, longs for the Groom to come! Then comes the promise of the Groom, the anticipated unveiling when faith becomes sight, He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming quickly.” Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus! (Revelation 22:20).

The Wedding Dress of the Bride

A bride in her wedding gown, white a symbol of her sexual purity.

Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints (Revelation 19:7-8).

In symbolic imagery, the Church is pictured at the end of the Book of Revelation as a bride being presented in Heaven to her Groom, the Groom who died to purchase and purify her unto Himself from sin. She, the Church, is arrayed in symbolic fine linen, clean and bright representing sexual purity. We know this is symbolic because we’re told that this wedding dress is the righteous acts of the saints.

To the believers in the Turkish city of Ephesus, Paul explained that God saves sinners by grace alone through faith alone in Christ Jesus alone. And this salvation from sin isn’t to depopulate the pit of Hell, but to bring honor and glory to God for all of eternity, so that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:7).

These works of righteousness don’t adorn individual believers. They adorn the Church.

These works of righteousness are not good works that saved her, nor are they good deeds which keep her saved nor add anything to the work of Christ Jesus. Again, Paul says that the good works of the Church are not so that we should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them (Ephesians 2:9-10).

These works of righteousness are works God Himself predestined for the Church, works which bring the boasting and glory to God alone. So many of our works are tainted by sinful acts, thoughts, intentions, words, or motives for the benefit and applause of men. But the works He has prepared for His bride down through the ages of time direct attention only to Him. They are works likely known only to God Himself, ignored by most eyes, but one day will be rewarded openly in the adornment of the bride.

A wedding dress is only worn once by a bride. The Church will wear this gown for eternity, a reminder of Christ’s glory and honor as her Redeemer.

The Bride and Her Dress

Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready (Revelation 19:7).

The traditional Western wedding ceremony is structured to focus attention on the bride and her white dress. She enters with great pomp and ceremony and every eye is upon her glory. Generally, however, the bride is not focused on her expensive dress, the myriad of flowers, the white carpet under her feet, or her bridesmaids. Her vision is the man she is about to marry.

We live in a generation obsessed with selfies and being famous. Many seem to even think that Christianity is about the individual – raising my fame, making my Best Day Ever, finding my place and glory in this world.

The Bible speaks of the Church corporately being the Bride of Christ. While the eyes of the world may be on what they see, the true Bride’s eyes are stayed on her Beloved. It is Christ Jesus, who according to Revelation 19:7, is alone worthy of all the wedding glory.

I love the image in the hymn, The Sands of Time are Sinking by Anne R Cousins (1857):

With mercy and with judgment my web of time He wove,
And aye, the dews of sorrow were lustered by His love;
I’ll bless the hand that guided, I’ll bless the heart that planned
When throned where glory dwelleth in Immanuel’s land.

The Bride eyes not her garment but her dear Bridegroom’s face.
I will not gaze at glory but on my King of Grace,
Not at the crown He giveth but on His pierced hand:
The Lamb is all the glory of Immanuel’s land.