The Wife of The Lamb

The purpose of Revelation is to give comfort to Christians facing tribulation, that Jesus is in control, He always wins, and in the end His church stands victorious. “Come, let me show you the Bride.” The angel invites to John see what Jesus’ Bride will look like in that day; a peak at what she really looks like. And boy, does she look radiant, beautiful, and glorious! But today, down here, in “real life” she can look dull. She looks irrelevant. People drive by the Church every day without giving it a second thought. People are busy looking for answers and relationships and true treasures, yet our pews still have plenty of room. Sometimes we the Church feel our faith is irrelevant—not that we don’t think it’s important, but our calendars are full, responsibilities many, and struggles heavy. Sometimes it’s hard to see how our faith is relevant to all that. Or maybe it’s the other way around: how our lives are relevant to our faith. God’s promises are great—but what about my burdens and struggles now? Does my life matter in God’s grand scheme of things? John got to peak behind the curtain of “real life”. He gets to see the Bride, the wife of the Lamb, radiant in all her glory. And with His words of Revelation, we can, too. So, “Come, let me show you the Bride.”

John’s vision is a mixture of metaphor and a mosaic of symbolism. The Bride he sees is a city, but she’s not just any city: she is Jerusalem. A new Jerusalem. On a mountain. But also coming down out of heaven from God. She’s adorned with precise architecture and precious jewels. Whenever a mountain shows up in the Bible, big things happen. God Himself shows up in all His glory; He provides a substitute sacrifice for Abraham and Isaac, He reveals Himself to Moses, He burns up Elijah’s sacrifice, Jesus is transfigured before His disciples. But this time, it’s His Bride transfigured on the mountain! In marriage, husband and wife become one flesh, and now, the Church radiates God’s glory just as Christ does. She is Jerusalem, the city where God reigns and dwells with His people. She is a city with high walls: no more will evil, sin, or death ever come near or threaten her. And where other cities feature only 1 gate because they were vulnerable to attack and difficult to defend, the Bride-city boasts 12 wide gates inviting abundant entrance; neither tribe nor tongue nor nation nor favorite color nor sports team allegiance disqualify any longer. The 12 foundation stones upon which the Bride-city is built are the only criteria for entrance now: holding to the Word and teaching of the 12 apostles of Jesus grants entry into the holy city. And each of the Bride’s gates is a pearl—because being part of the Bride-city is the greatest treasure one could have. So extravagant is the Bride-city that gold is used as pavement for streets to be walked on. And who will be walking with us? The Lord God Almighty Himself. That’s why there’s no temple there—no separation from the presence of God. No, the Bride-city herself is the holy of holies where God dwells fully within her with us.

This concoction of symbol and metaphor might sound like a dream. But it’s real. It’s what life as a Christian really looks like. And it’s not just in the future. That Bride is you. It’s us. Even with our struggles, sins, and dull lives. What makes us, the Bride, radiant? It’s not her own glory. It’s not how successful she appears. It’s not how strong she is. It’s not just that she’s a Bride. What does the angel say to John? “Come, let me show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.” She is the Bride because Jesus is the Lamb. Her beauty doesn’t come from herself. It comes from the One who loves her, the One who bled for her, the One who names her as His own. In Matthew 13 Jesus says, “the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.” That’s why each of the city gates is a pearl, because you, Church, are the pearl Jesus bought at highest cost. On the cross He gave everything so that you might be His Bride.

Come, see the Bride, the wife of the Lamb! See how in Baptism your name is written on her foundations—each one a precious stone in the city’s wall. See how Your life is redeemed by Jesus and sanctified by the Spirit. Your life is holy because you are part of the Bride. The struggles you carry, your unseen faithfulness, your work in God’s world, your prayers—these are the bricks in Jesus’ Bride-city; the very material of the New Jerusalem. It’s the weary Christian caregiver caring for a loved one day after day after day. It’s the exhausted Christian parent, changing diapers, losing sleep, making meal after meal, folding a never-ending mountain of laundry. It’s the Christian who sits alone in the pew. It’s the lonely young adult, being faithful in their responsibilities and prayers. It’s the married Christian couple loving each other in sickness and health, for better or for worse. It’s the grandchild on a grandparent’s knee, reading Bedtime Bible stories. It’s children gathering for the children’s message then playing with Hot Wheels in the pew. It’s the small church gathering every Sunday not because a lot of people are there, but because Jesus is there. It’s ladies’ Bible study on Tuesday morning—well, talking and Bible study. It’s the high schooler who prays before the math test and remembers to ask their friend how they’re doing at lunch. It’s the baby at the baptismal font. It’s the people standing around the altar with Jesus’s Body and Blood on their tongues.

That’s what the Bride of Jesus and the wife of the Lamb looks like today. She is radiant because Jesus makes her so. She is glorious because she is the wife of the Lamb. She may be hidden. She may look insignificant. But the way things seem is not what they are. Because even now the Bride is the same Bride who will stand victorious and glorious and radiant in the resurrection. She is the same Bride now that she will be then. She, even now, is the glorious, forgiven, redeemed Bride of Christ. You, dear Christian are the Bride of Christ. You are not insignificant. Your life is not wasted. Your suffering is not for nothing. Your faithfulness matters. Your future is not uncertain. Even the smallest of churches are Jesus’ most precious pearls. Come, don’t you see her? You are the Bride, the wife of the Lamb. Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia! And He does not rise alone. Come, see the Bride, the wife of the Lamb!