Sunday, February 24, 2008

Portraits of Jesus: Alpha & Omega as the bridegroom.


You may remember a ways back when John mixed his metaphors of Lion and Lamb. Now we’re looking at another mixed metaphor – at least as far as the bride is concerned. But the point is clear that Jesus is the groom – the last of the images we’ll look at in terms of our Alpha & Omega portraits.

A lot of this last section in Revelation is what the new Jerusalem is going to be like. It seems to be the picture of a groom bringing a bride home to their new home, but it is more than a city; it is His people with whom He lives and makes His dwelling with. Jesus uses wedding feast imagery and the arrival of the bridegroom – among others – to tell people what He and His Kingdom are like.

So this is a rough metaphor – the bride = Jesus’ people, or a city … but so goes it. And at least the main points are intact.


Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." – Revelation 21:1-4

No more pain. No more tears. The old order is gone.
The heartache, loneliness. Gone.
The grip of addiction. Gone.
Fear. Gone.
The chronic pain. Gone.
Jealousy. Gone.
The constant advance and effects of aging. Gone.
Blindness. Gone.
Wheelchairs. Gone.

That’s Omega. That’s the end – and it lasts forever. What a day that will be.

1 comment:

Justin said...

I've been getting these types of comments (see above) on most posts. I think they are viruses - I know at least one was. Please don't click on it. I'll try to figure out how to delete them for the future.