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Analysis Of The Bridegroom And The Bride

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The Bridegroom and the Bride: Reclaiming the Church’s Role “Let us rejoice and exult and give him glory! For the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready; to her it has been granted to be clothed with fine linen, bright and pure’- for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. And the angel said to me, ‘Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.’ And he said to me, ‘These are true words of God.” Revelation 19:7-9 (NRSV) Rich in poetic verse, vivid imagery, and prophetic utterances, the apocalyptic writings of the book of Revelation has been viewed with a mix of great trepidation, wonder, and awe. Gross misunderstandings surrounding the content and meaning of …show more content…

For John, the preparedness of the church is synonymous with the righteous activity of her saints. In addition to the church's call to active participation as the partner of Christ in righteous action in the world, the text takes a subtle yet critical turn toward a Eucharistic theology, as John references the invitation to the ‘marriage supper of the Lamb’ a point that will be discussed in greater detail at a later juncture. While the word church is not directly mentioned in the pericope, it must be noted that other biblical texts such as 2 Corinthians 11:2-3 and Ephesians 5: 25-27 lend support to the notion of the church as Christ’s bride. As the narrative develops John takes great care to remind his reader that the revelation that he receives comes as a result of an angelic encounter. Toward the end of the pericope, the angel with whom John speaks, seems to confirm that what John experiences has come from God as evidenced by the statement -‘These are true words of God.’ Revelation 19:9. This affirmation is significant primarily because John writes while in exile on the island of Patmos. The vision that John receives and records suggests that he has not been exiled from the presence of God and God’s prophetic use. What

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