I was recently asked to do a teaching on the bride of Christ.
Easy subject, hey?
Mmm, not so easy as I thought ... until the Holy Spirit guided me. HalleluYAH!
Abba Abba showed me that it was indeed impossible to look at the bride without looking at the Bridegroom.
How awesome is that!
The Hebrew word used for bride is כַּלָּה kallâh and significantly, it is the same word also used for daughter-in-law and spouse, depending on the specific context. What struck me was the fact that all three are relevant in the same sense when it comes to Father God. Wow!
Before we look at the details it is important to note that the word for Bridegroom, חָתָן châthân is a total different word in the Hebrew than that for bride. It is a word without any root word resemblance, links or references to the word for bride and without any Hebrew letter similarities.
Why is this significant?
Because the Bridegroom is independent in all respects from the bride and vise verse. This is really important because what Jesus does and did is not dependent on any of the bride's works or contributions. The bride is independent because the decision she makes is her very own decision - she is not bribed, held at ransom, compelled, constrained or made to do anything she does not agree to. It's a decision made out of complete free will. Free will is a foundation characteristic of man and and with the ability to rule, it distinguishes him from everything else in creation. The decision he makes is a love decision! Pure love decision!
God will always respect your decision!
Isaiah 61:10 speaks beautifully about the bride and the Bridegroom:
"I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels."
Please note that the bride had been made righteous (see here) by garments of salvation (she is prepared for the Bridegroom). Salvation here is the Hebrew word yesha‛, as in Yah'shua, Jesus! Please check it out here. All this was perfectly done by Christ on the cross.
Now for the picture revelation ...
THE BRIDEGROOM (Yah'shua, Jesus):
The Hebrew word for Bridegroom is חָתָן châthân:
- חָ: fence (or secured)
- תָ: covenant (the picture is a cross)
- ן: life (picture of a seed growing)
Looking at the full picture it says: The cross secures life.
Wow!
That's my Groom!
THE BRIDE:
The Hebrew word for bride is כַּלָּה kallâh from the root word perfect or כָּלַל kâlal and the pictograph is:
- כַּ: open hand (gift or providing)
- לַ: Shepherd
- לַ: Shepherd
This is a very interesting word in the Hebrew. Note the doubling of Shepherd. In Hebrew the doubling of letters and words form the excessive or extreme form of the meaning of a word. Thus, Shepherd here is the Shepherd of shepherds - Jesus!
The pictograph for the root word, kâlal (the Hebrew word for "perfect") above, reads: Free gift of the great Shepherd or Completed by Yah'shua (our Shepherd). So, the word for perfect comes from the perfect Shepherd Who gives and never stops giving.
Are you still with me?
What happens then, when Grace (ה) is added to the root word perfect?
You get "bride" כַּלָּה kallâh! HalleluYAH!!!
The pictograph for the word bride, כַּלָּה kallâh reads:
- כַּ: open hand (gift or providing)
- לַ: Shepherd
- ה: revealed (the symbol for Grace)
It reads: The Grace of the Shepherd revealed.
How?
What?
The Grace (Jesus) is revealed by His gift in and through man!
HalleluYah!
A grace-preacher from Cape Town I sometimes listen to says this profound thing. He says that in all of the universe there is not enough space to contain the greatness of God (YHVH), but all of YHVH is contained in one Man - Yah'shua, Jesus. And now all of His great love is contained in man - His bride!
Glory HalleluYah!
Notice also the following:
- The Hebrew Aleph-beth (see here) contains 22 letters. Counting from the first letter, אֱ Aleph, forward to letter number 11 you get the first letter of the word bride - כַּ: open hand.
- Counting 11 positions backwards in the Aleph-beth (see here) from the last letter, תָ or Tav (ancient symbol of the cross) you get to the second letter of the word bride - לַ: Shepherd.
- These two letters are exactly in the middle of the Aleph-beth (see here) in relation to Yah'shua Who is always represented by the first and the last letters, תָאֱ.
- When you add ה (God's Grace) to the two letters in the middle of the Hebrew Aleph-beth (see here) it becomes the inner most center held together by Grace (Jesus)
Do you see?
Do you really see?
JESUS DEFINES THE BRIDE!
JESUS DEFINES THE VERY BEING OF THE BRIDE!
Oh, HalleluYAH!!!
Hear the Father's heart when He says about the Bridegroom and the bride:
"Lift up thine eyes round about, and behold: all these gather themselves together, and come to thee. As I live, saith the LORD, thou shalt surely clothe thee with them all, as with an ornament, and bind them on thee, as a bride doeth." Isa 49:18
and John the Baptist testifying about the Bridegroom making the way:
"He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom [John himself], which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled." Joh 3:29
and John the apostle when shown the bride:
"Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife.
And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem [that which was once a tabernacle now a city of peace], descending out of heaven from God,
Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal" Rev 21:9-11
and the Spirit of God residing within calling out:
"And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely." Rev 22:17As lovers yearn for each other!
Lovesick!
Check here.
Glory forever to the Hand Who gave it all so that we may receive it all!
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