The church as the testimony of Jesus has many aspects and is composed of many kinds of people. In the book of Revelation we see at least eight aspects of the testimony of Jesus.
As the golden lampstands, the church as the testimony of Jesus is divine in nature, shines in darkness, and is identical with all the local churches (Rev. 1:1-13).
As the great multitude serving God in the temple, the testimony of Jesus is the whole Body of God’s redeemed who are enjoying God’s care and the Lamb’s shepherding (Rev. 7:9-17).
As the bright woman with the man-child, the church as the testimony of Jesus is the whole Body of God’s redeemed together with the stronger part, the overcomers (Rev. 12:1-17).
As the firstfruits and the harvest, the church as the testimony of Jesus is the overcomers raptured before the great tribulation together with the majority of the believers who will be raptured at the end of the great tribulation (Rev. 14:1-16).
As the victorious ones standing on the glassy sea mixed with fire, the testimony of Jesus is the late overcomers who pass through the great tribulation and overcome Antichrist and the worshiping of Antichrist (Rev. 15:2-5).
Today we want to see yet another aspect of the church as the testimony of Jesus: the bride of Christ (Rev. 19:7-9; 20:4-6). The bride of Christ is composed of the overcomers who are co-kings with Christ during the millennium, those who are ripened, matured, and ready to feast with Him and rule with Him for 1000 years.
Who is qualified to be in the wedding feast, ruling with Christ? In the type of the Shulammite in Song of Songs and the two camps in Jacob’s time we see that it is the weak ones, the feeble ones, the ones who are seemingly not strong or qualified – these ones who depend on the Lord for Him to do what He desires to do are qualified to be the overcomers.
God resists the proud, those who are strong in themselves, but He grace to the humble – He is the Overcoming One in all the ones who depend on Him, who love Him, and who let Him live in them according to the principle of the Body of Christ.
The Testimony of Jesus is the Bride of Christ
In Rev. 19:7-9 and Rev. 20:4, 6 we see that there’s great rejoicing in the heavens: the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready! The church is the wife of Christ, the bride of Christ (see Eph. 5:24-25, 31-32; John 3:29), but here the wife, the bride of Christ, is composed only of the overcoming believers who are qualified to enter the wedding feast and reign with Christ in the millennium age.
The readiness of the bride depends on the maturity in life of the overcomers, who are not individual persons but have been built up as a corporate bride (see Rev. 19:7 footnote 2).
After the rapture of the majority of the saints and the judgment at the judgment seat of Christ for the giving of the reward, what’s next is the marriage of the Lamb (and then the destruction of Antichrist and Babylon the Great).
The Lord’s recovery today is for the preparation of the bride of Christ; we are here meeting with the saints on the ground of oneness enjoying the ministry of the age so that we may be produced as the bride of Christ, the overcomers in this age. We don’t want only to enjoy the eternal marriage life with our Husband Christ, but we want to be qualified to enter the wedding feast, the marriage dinner of the Lamb (Matt. 22:2).
Not all the saved ones will participate in this dinner; only the overcomers will be called to it (see Rev. 19:9, footnote 1). These are those who have a part in the first resurrection, over whom the second death has no authority; they are priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years (Rev. 20:6).
The overcoming ones are the man-child (Rev. 12:5), the later martyrs (Rev. 15:2), together with the firstfruits (Rev. 14:1-5) as the raptured living overcomers. May we aspire to be the overcomers in the age of the church today so that the Lord may rapture us to Himself before the great tribulation!
The Bride of Christ is the Shulammite, the Weaker Ones who Depend on the Lord
In Song of Songs, we see the romance between Christ (king Solomon) and His loving seekers (the woman). Eventually, the woman becomes “the Shulammite” (Song of Songs 6:13), the same as Solomon is in life, nature, expression, and function so that she would match him for their marriage.
Today in our Christian life we are in a divine-human romance with the Lord, and ultimately we will become the corporate Shulammite, the bride of Christ (the greatest and ultimate figure of the New Jerusalem as the counterpart of Christ, see Rev. 21:2, 9-10; 22:17).
It is very interesting that in Song of Songs 6:13 the Shulammite is likened to the dance of two camps or two armies; in Heb. it is “mahanaim”. The footnote in the Recovery Version helps us understand what this means,
Heb. mahanaim (cf. Gen. 32:2). Here the Shulammite is likened to two armies, or camps, dancing in celebration of their victory. After he met the angels of God, Jacob divided his wives, children, and the rest of his possessions into two camps, or “two armies” (Gen. 32:1-10). The spiritual significance of the two camps as two armies is that we are more than conquerors (Rom. 8:37). It also signifies a strong testimony. There being two armies indicates that the country girl, the Shulammite, was not alone. An army indicates the principle of the Body of Christ (Rom. 12:5). God does not want those who are strong in themselves. He wants only the feeble ones, the weaker ones, the women and children (cf. 1 Cor. 1:26-28; 2 Cor. 12:9-10). They can become His armies because the fighting is not in their hands but in His. God needs a people who are one with Him, a people who are submissive to Him, signified by the plaited hair (1:11), and obedient to Him with a flexible will, signified by the neck with strings of jewels (1:10). Those who are counted worthy to be overcomers will be the weaker ones who depend on the Lord (cf. Rev. 3:8; Rom. 9:16; Gal. 2:20).
On the one hand, the overcomers are “the strong ones” (see: the man-child, the stronger part of the woman); on the other hand, the overcomers are not strong in themselves but are weak, depending on Christ. In Rev. 3:8 the ones in Philadelphia had a little power, but have kept the Lord’s name.
When we consider how can we become an overcomer with all these high requirements, we should NOT trust in ourselves. We are all weak, feeble, and even unwilling. If we are too full of capacity in doing things, we are not qualified. If we are strong in ourselves to speak, do this and that, and try to be an overcomer, we are not qualified.
The Lord is waiting today: He is calling for the overcomers, those who realize that they can’t do it in themselves, can’t be it by themselves, and can’t make it in themselves. They humble themselves before the Lord and tremble at His word, praying it back to Him and asking Him to be the One in them accomplishing His word.
It’s not of him who runs or wills, but it is of God who shows mercy. The day will come when those who are strong in themselves will be disqualified, and those who are counted worthy to be the overcomers will be those feeble and weak ones, those who depend on the Lord to accomplish what He wants (1 Cor. 1:26-28; 2 Cor. 13:3-5).
They simply love the Lord with their best love, they give Him ground in their being, and they depend on Him. In these weak ones His power is perfected, and to them His grace is sufficient (2 Cor. 12:9-10). They have little power, but they don’t deny the Lord’s name; they keep His word. May we realize that it is through the One who loves us that we can more than conquer – we can super-overcome (Rom. 8:37)!
And our overcoming in Christ and through Christ is according to the principle of the Body (Rom. 12:5; Deut. 32:30; Eccl. 4:9-12). It is in the Body that we overcome. The overcomers are not individualistic – they are built up as a body of overcomers in the Body of Christ.
Lord Jesus, thank You for showing us Your heart’s desire to gain the overcomers. Lord, we want to be Your overcomers but in ourselves we can’t do it, be it, or make it. These requirements are so high. Lord, we come to You. We trust in You. We love You. We pray Your word back to You. You desire a bride, the Shulammite. Lord, in and by ourselves we are not qualified. Do it in us. We are weak and feeble, but we open to You and depend on You. Make us Your overcoming bride, the prepared bride that’s pure, spotless, beautiful, and loving. Gain Your bride!
References and Hymns on this Topic
- Inspiration: the Word of God, my Christian experience, bro. Dick Taylor’s speaking in the message for this week, and portions from, Crystallization-study of Song of Songs (msgs. 1, 12), as quoted in, the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, The Mending Ministry of John, week 5 / msg 5, Christ’s Heavenly Priesthood Ministered to the Churches for the Producing of the Overcomers.
- Hymns on this topic:
# Oh, wondrous day! Oh, glorious morning, / When the Christ we love shall come: / With vessels filled and lamps all burning / Let us welcome His return. / Rejoice! Rejoice! Our Bridegroom’s coming / And the time will not be long / Before we hail that wedding morning / And lift up the glad new song. (Hymns #1315)
# Lord, how we thank Thee for Thy Word, / Living and operative. / Oh, for Thy coming, we are stirred / Ever by it to live! / Lord, make us those who bring Thee back, / Who satisfy Thy heart. / Now by Thy Word supply our lack, / Make us Thy counterpart. (Hymns #1310)
# Christ comes quickly for His Bride, / Wedding feast He will provide, / Garments bright and pure supplied— / Dress in time! / Taking Christ as life she’s dressed, / By much suffering stitched and pressed; / Righteous acts are thus possessed— / Dress in time! (Hymns #1304)
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