«　WEEK 4　DAY 2　»

　　S.S. 1:2 Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth! For your love is better than wine.

　　John 3:29 He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices with joy because of the bridegroom's voice. This joy of mine therefore is made full.

　　Concerning the church as the counterpart of Christ, we have seen that Christ and the church are a great mystery, that the church is the bride and that Christ is the Bridegroom, that Christ and His counterpart will be married at His coming back, that the counterpart of Christ will be consummated in the New Jerusalem, and that Christ and His counterpart will be a couple in eternity. We have also seen that, as the counterpart of Christ, the church is typified by Eve as the counterpart of Adam, being a part of Adam, having come out of Adam, having returned to Adam, being one with Adam, possessing the life and nature of Adam, having the image and form of Adam, and becoming Adam's counterpart as his complement. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, p. 2291)

　　Rebekah as a type of the church has an altogether different focus than Eve. As a type of the church, Eve depicts the producing of the church and the nature of the church. As a type of the church, Rebekah depicts the church being chosen out of the world. This type includes the choosing of the Father and the calling and leading of the Holy Spirit.

　　In the Old Testament Boaz is yet another type of Christ. Boaz married a special woman who occupies a particular place in the Bible. Her name was Ruth. She typifies the aspect of the church being redeemed. The entire book of Ruth can be considered a story of redemption. Rebekah portrays the church as the called one, Zipporah portrays the church in the wilderness, and Ruth portrays the church in redemption. (Three Aspects of the Church, Book 1: The Meaning of the Church, pp. 84, 100)

　　The entire Bible is a divine romance. This means that the Bible is a very romantic book. This is true in particular of Song of Songs....When I was young, I also wondered why such a book is in the Bible, a book concerned with a romance between a man and a woman. This book is a portrait of the love relationship between us and Christ. According to Song of Songs, our relationship with the Lord should be very romantic. If there is no romance between us and the Lord Jesus, then we are religious Christians, not romantic Christians. If you wish to know what I mean by romance, I would encourage you to read and pray-read Song of Songs. Pray-reading this book of romance will cause you to become romantic with the Lord. You will be beside yourself with love for Him. The Bible is a divine romance, and our relationship with the Lord should become more and more romantic. (Life-study of Exodus, pp. 648-649)

　　The poem, as a type, in this poetic book as the story of the love between a king and a country girl is a marvelous and vivid portrait, as the fulfillment, of the bridal love between Christ as the Bridegroom and His lovers as His bride in their mutual enjoyment in the mingling of His divine attributes with the human virtues of His lovers. (Life-study of Song of Songs, pp. 68-69)

　　When the Lord Jesus came, He came as the Bridegroom for the bride. Many Christians are familiar with John the Baptist's declaration: "Behold, the Lamb of God" (John 1:29). However, not so many realize that John also referred to the Lord Jesus as the Bridegroom. In John 3:29 he says, "He who has the bride is the bridegroom." This word is included in a chapter on regeneration (John 3:3-6). The goal of regeneration is to produce and prepare the bride for the Bridegroom. Since Christ is the One who will have the bride, He is the Bridegroom. As God incarnate, Christ came not only to be our Redeemer and Savior; He also came to be our Bridegroom.

　　In Matthew 9:15 the Lord Jesus referred to Himself as the Bridegroom. (Life-study of Exodus, p. 647)

　　Further Reading: Three Aspects of the Church, Book 1: The Meaning of the Church, chs. 7-8