“O Fairest Among Women”
Brian Holda, March 19, 2006
Scriptures
- 1 John 2:15-17
- Song of Song 1:8-12
- Ephesians 5:23-32
God’s church
The bride, body, and temple
God’s Original Purpose
- Matt. 19:3-5 Instead of going to the law, Jesus goes back to the beginning. To know what the Lord is doing, we must go back to the beginning.
- Gen. 2:7 First thing created was the body, then the spirit came into him from heaven. Body then Temple, the bride was created.
- 2 Cor. 6:16 We are all called the temple of God, because the Spirit of God lives in us.
- 1 Cor. 15:47 First man (Adam), made from dust, needed a bride or helper. This was all before the fall took place, which shows God’s eternal purpose for man.
- Luke 3:38 Adam called son of God, son from the earth not from heaven.
- Luke 3:22 God had another Son, Christ, in whom He was well pleased. He was not well pleased before with Adam the first son.
The Life of the Body
- Rev. 20:1-2 Genesis starts with the creation of heaven and earth, Revelation ends with a new heaven and a new earth, and the first thing we see is the Bride adorned.
- Gen. 24 Abraham symbolic of the Father, Isaac symbolic of the Son, Bride is brought to the Son.
Origin Determines Everything
- John 3:26-31 (v. 29) John the Baptist knew God as the bridegroom. (v. 27) You can’t receive or give anything that does not come from heaven.
- John 6:42, 51 Jesus came from heaven.
- Deut. 7:1-3 (v. 1) Jesus came down from heaven to earth into the land that He was entering to possess, driving out all the nations before Him. (v. 2) Divine commandment, nothing of the world can stay with the Lord. (v. 3) No intermarriage with the world. The Bride could not be from the world (this is the place He came to dispossess). God said, “You need a Bride from the same heritage and origin…heaven. You can’t touch the brides of the world.”
- Gen. 24:2-4, 37-38 Needed to find wife from the Father’s house.
- Gen 29:12 Jacob was a relative of Rachel’s father on her father’s side.
- Gen. 20:11-12 Sarah is Abraham’s relative on her father’s side.
“The Dust of the earth” – What is unclean?
- Song 4:9 “My sister, my Bride” (Has to be from the same family. The Lord will not take a bride from the world).
- Gen. 3:1 Serpent attacks woman; Today serpent attacks Bride.
- Gen 3:12-14 Punishment for serpent: Lost legs, confined to earth, and cannot detach himself from it.
- Lev. 11:20-21 Clean and unclean animals – always has to do with the animal’s relationship to the earth. (v. 20) Insects that can’t leave the earth are unclean. (v. 21) Those that can jump and detach themselves from the earth are clean. Fish, etc.?
- John 13:10 The feet (the part of the body that touches the earth) is unclean and is the only part that needs to be washed. Your relationship with the earth is what makes you clean or unclean.
- Gen 3:14 Satan eats the dust/earth as his nourishment.
- Gen. 2:7 Man created from dust. As long as you are living in Adam, you are feeding and making Satan stronger.
- Gen 3:15 Punishment for man: Serpent can’t feed off of woman because she wasn’t made from the dust, she was made from the man’s body. She had a different origin, and this origin determines everything. This allowed her to have power over the enemy. Satan could strike her heel because it touches the ground! Ok then! But she can stomp over him because of her origin.
- 1 John 5 Mentions five different times about being born of God. It’s all about your origin!
- Gen 3:16 Pain in childbirth – pain in bringing people to the Lord (new birth) Trials and tribulations – pain in bearing children, but joy in the end. Pain to bring life.
- John 2:19-21 Jesus calls His body the temple because it had the Holy Spirit. But He still needs a Bride, though not one from the earth (forbidden in the Law). His Bride came from His side (when He was pierced on the cross in John 19:34) just like Adam’s bride came from his side.
- Ezekiel 36:26-27 His Spirit and ours?
- Acts 9:3-4 Paul’s conversion. Jesus asks, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” Not, “Why are you persecuting my believers, Body, Bride, etc.” First revelation Paul had: when you touch one member of Christ’s body, you’re touching Him.
- Acts 16:6-7 “Spirit of Jesus” which is given out. Eph. 4:4 says we are one spirit and one body.
What shall we do?
- Son 1:8 Bridegroom says “O beautiful among women” to the Bride.
- Eph. 1 – The Lord’s Work
- Eph. 2 – (Start) Church = One new man or Body,
- Eph. 2 – (End) Church = Temple
- Eph. 3-4 – Explanation of this. There is no division any more within the Body
- Eph. 5 – Reaches highest point – we are also called the Bride.
- Eph. 5:22-29 – Christ is the head of the church, just as He is also the Savior of the body. We are members of Christ’s Body, and we are called His wife. Man is commanded to love his wife as his own body.
- Eph. 5:31-32 – The two becoming one flesh speaks of Christ and the church. Christ had to die to bring forth the bride, just like Adam had to sleep to bring forth his wife. Out of His own body, came the bride. Then the bride was brought back and reunited, and the two became one flesh. Sent out, to be joined back together. This is the power of the body of Christ, communion (many members, but one body), to bring forth a beautiful bride for the Lord.
- Eph. 6:10-11 – Finally, stand against the schemes of the devil. She was created, and given the chance to stand against the schemes of the devil, but she fell. But how do we stand against the schemes of the devil? Eve’s helpmate Adam was made from the dust, but our helpmate, Christ is from heaven.
- Rev. 21:2 – Just as the Father is in heaven (Matt. 6:9), the Spirit comes from heaven (Acts 2:2), and Jesus came from heaven (John 6:42,51), the Bride has come from heaven. In contrast to the prostitute that comes form the earth (Rev. 17:5).
A Trip to the Mountain:
- Ex. 19:20 – Moses went to the top of the mountain for the revelation of law.
- Ex. 26 – Moses went to the top of the mountain for the revelation of tabernacle.
- Ezek. 40:2 – Ezekiel was set on a very high mountain, where he saw a vision of temple.
- Hag. 1:8 – Went up to the mountains to rebuild temple.
All these examples show that the temple must come from heaven, symbolized as the top of the mountain. Body, Bride, and Temple must come from heaven.
- Song 3:4 – Bride’s troubled night in her own bed. She had to go back to where she was conceived, as a bride we have to return to our ORIGIN!
- Song 1:9-11 – Bride needs to be adorned as well. Adornment comes from the Spirit, just like Gen 24, when the servant (Spirit) adorns the bride. Important to note, Rev 21:2 says that the bride is adorned for her husband when she comes from heaven.
- Gold = divinity, Silver = atonement, redemption, purified silver reflects the Master.
Mature Bride
- Gen. 2:18 – Bride was created for the man as a helper for the work.
- Song 1:6 – Problem in Song of Songs is that the bride is caught up in her own work (vineyards).
- Song 7:12 – Bride has learned how to work with the King, as a helper. When we see the Lord as our helper then we can show Him our love in service as we work with Him. Prayer is powerful in our joining hands with Jesus in the work.
- Song 8:5 – Totally mature bride has learned to lean on her beloved, no longer relying on her own strength.
- Song 8:10 – When the bride is totally mature, she is called a wall with breasts like towers.
- Ezek. 40:5 – First thing noticed is the wall around the temple.
- Rev. 21:9-12 – (v. 10) John sees vision of Bride coming from heaven on a high mountain. (v. 11) Seen as having the glory of God and brilliance. (v. 12) Seen having a great high wall, which protects from the world. The sign of maturity of the Bride is that you are a wall, separated from the world and the enemy.
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