God is the same—yesterday today and forever….we look at yesterday; OT. We look at today ;NT and we look at tomorrow; eternity Heb 13: 8. YESTERDAY – There are many ways to describe God’s relationship with his people. SON – Adam Son. Israel – firstborn son. Jesus only begotten son. In Ex 3: 10 let my people go. Then in Ex 4: 22-23 let my firstborn go. This human term is used as the closeness between God and his people. WIFE Is 54: 5 here it is clear, that the LORD is the husband of his people. So, in the OT God (YHWH) is described as a father and as a husband. His people are sometimes called his son and sometimes his wife. Is 50: 1 and Jer 3: 8. Both of these speak of the break in relationship between God and his people. Is 50: 1 and Jer 3: 8. The remedy, for breach of relationship is divorce Jer 3: 1. That is, legal separation. Yet in spite of this, the LORD was calling on his divorced people to return to him, via repentance Jer 3: 12. Firstly the guilt of falling away must be acknowledged Jer 1: 13, in order for there to be restoration Jer 3: 12, 14. This separation, divorce, back together, divorced again the OT calls backsliding Jer 3: 22. So, very clearly, the son of God in the OT are the physical Israelites. Very clearly, the wife of God is the physical people of God, the Israelites. God’s people were know in different ways using family language (familial). TODAY Now in the NT there are also children of God, just like in the OT. John 1: 12-13 whoever believes in Christ, is a child of God, sons and daughters. In the OT there is a very important husband and wife. And in the NT there is also a very important husband and wife. There is a husband. That is Jesus. But who is the wife? 2 Cor 11: 2-3. The husband is Christ, the wife is the church. So as we have seen in the OT, there was a description of the relationship between God and his people as husband and wife. We see the same in the NT between Jesus and the church, his people, his bride. He speaks to the leaders stop thinking human relationships are in heaven. They are not. Mth 22: 23. Heavenly relationships are spiritual, between Christ and his people. In the OT there was backsliding, divorce, restitution. Not so in the NT. Backsliding? NT? No. Heb 10: 39. Shrink back? Destroyed. End of relationship. His bride. FOREVER The church. Rev 6: 10 the judgement, and Rev 19: 9 – all happen at that moment of time – That is why right now, we, the people of God, are the bride of Christ. All God’s children are God’s bride. Not some secret society, or someone calling themselves as if they are secretive and special. All God’s children are his people. All Christ’s people are his bride. And we are united together, forever in Christ. Physical Israel is replaced with spiritual Israel, we believers. And our relationship to God, has always been the same. There is no female, no male Gal 3: 28. We are invited to a spiritual wedding to the Lamb. Who is invited? Only the wife. No outsiders permitted. ONE GOD ONE WIFE. JESUS, HIS PEOPLE
MCC Admin
12 Sivan 5781