The Marks Of
The Bridehood Saints
At
the time when all the heavenly multitude shall shout like the voice of many
waters because the marriage of the Lamb is come, it is said that, "His wife has made herself ready." This truth regarding the Bride saints, that
they are to make themselves ready, must be carried out in this present life,
although it may be there will be something for the saints to do after this
present life in the way of adjusting themselves to each other and to all their environments
in the heavenly state, just before the divine ceremony of the marriage of the
Lamb.
There
are certain marks that are mentioned in various places in Scripture as
especially belonging to that elect company that is spoken of as the Bride
of the Lamb. Let us pick out these
various marks and put them together, and they will
help us to understand the various operations of the Holy Spirit and also the
different forms of saintly character, and also who are to compose that select
company.
The Church Of
The Firstborn
This
is one of the names given to the Bride-hood saints. But who are the Church of the Firstborn
according to the exact word in Scripture? There is a certain denomination that harps a
good deal on the phrase, Church of the Firstborn, but in the main they deny the
personality and actual experience of the Holy Spirit, and show in many ways
that very few of them know the first thing of the Bible term, Church of the
Firstborn. Many think it means all who
are saved, but let us look at what the Bible says. The term in the New Testament must be
understood by the words in the Old Testament, when the doctrine of the
Firstborn is taught.
The
origin of this truth was when God destroyed the firstborn of the Egyptians. He told Moses that for that reason all the
firstborn of the Hebrews should be entirely consecrated to God in a special
way, to be His ministers and prophets and to be holy. Now mark you, all the children belong to God,
for He says, “All souls are Mine,”
but the firstborn were to be His in a special
way and for special purposes, over and above that of all the other children. That is the key thought of the
Then,
later on, we are told that the Levites were to be in a special way the holy
ones among the twelve tribes, and to attend to all the things of the sanctuary
- to have the Urim and Thummim,
and to teach the law, and burn incense, and offer sacrifices (Deuteronomy 33:8- 11). For this cause, the tribe of Levi were to have
no lot of land given them, but live on the tenth that was given by the other
twelve tribes, as they were separated from money-making pursuits to be
especially for the ministry to the Lord. Thus we see that all the twelve tribes were
the Lord's people, separated from the nations, but the tribe of Levi was to be
His firstborn and separated from the other tribes for a higher and more
spiritual service. Here you see
there was a selection from a selection, and this is exactly
what the Lord himself called the company of the firstborn.
In
the light of this truth read, the words of St. Paul in Hebrews
12:18-24, in which he tells us that when believers receive the Holy
Spirit, they are come to the Church of the Firstborn who are registered in
Heaven. He most certainly uses the
phrase, Church of the Firstborn, in the same sense that the Holy Spirit used
that word in the writings of Moses, for God's thoughts never change. Then again he refers to another company of
saved ones from the earth, much larger in multitude than the Church of the
Firstborn, which "the general assembly,"
but more literally it is the "universal church,
or universal gathering," so that there is, according to the
Scripture, a universal Church, "a general assembly,"
which embraces the saved of all the generations, but out of this universal
assembly there is a special tribe like the Levites from the twelve tribes,
called the Church of the Firstborn, and it is this firstborn company that
makes up the Bride of Christ.
Again,
remember that this heavenly Firstborn is not those who are firstborn in time, but those who are firstborn in rank,
because you know that Levi was the third son of Jacob, Reuben and Simeon being
older than Levi, and yet in rank, with reference to holiness and sacred things,
Levi was selected for God's firstborn. This same is true of all the saints
in all ages, for the Firstborn Church does not apply to those who were
first saved in the order of time, but to those who take the first rank in the
order of spiritual life, regardless of the time they lived in the history of
the world. Hence one of the names of the Bride saints is that of the Church
of the Firstborn. James refers to the same truth when he speaks to those who
were to let patience have its perfect work, that such were to be a kind, or
rather species, of firstfruits of God's creatures (James 1:2,18).
The Elect
Another
name or mark belonging to the Bride saints is that of the Elect. It is a great pity that the word elect as used
in the Bible has been confounded as about the same with the word salvation. The word "elect"
does not signify to be saved, but refers to a rank, or a dignity, or an office
to be filled after we are saved, and especially does the term "elect" refer to a rank of holiness. Hence Peter says, "We are elect through sanctification."
And Paul says, "God has chosen us (the same word as elect) unto holiness." Jesus says the elect are those who pray to God
day and night. In the passage, "Many are called
and few are chosen," many are the clekoi
and few are the eklekoti,
which really means many are
converted, but few get into the Bridehood.
The Bride idea of the elect is always that of a selection from a
selection, as for
instance - God selected the twelve tribes of Jacob, and from them He again
selected the tribe of Levi, which Scripture calls the elect tribe. And again, Gideon selected ten thousand
soldiers from his army, and from these another
selection of three hundred, who were the elect, and typify the Bridebood
saints. Again, Jesus selected twelve
Apostles, but from these He made another selection of Peter, James, and John to
witness His transfiguration, and they
were types of the Bridehood company.
Now
this is the very idea applied to the Bride saints in Scripture. In Psalm 45,
David speaks of the Queen sitting by the King's side, dressed in the gold of Ophir, but beside her there were other companies of saved
ones, some of them spoken of as king's daughters, and others as honourable
women, and others as virgins, the companions of the Queen, that followed her,
proving positively that the Queen was the elect one of all the various
companies of the redeemed. Again, in the
Song of Solomon, the various companies of
saved souls are without number, but above all these there is another company
spoken of as the dove, the undefiled, the choice one, that is the elect one. Here the word "elect"
always refers to a degree in holiness, or to some
special service for God, or to some special intimacy and fellowship with
Christ, as occurred three times with Peter, James, and John, when they only
were admitted to the raising of the dead maid, to the Mount of Transfiguration,
and the
In
Proverbs it is said, "Many daughters have done well, you excel them all,"
that is, many companies of saved souls in all the dispensations have done well,
but the Bride company,
the truly elect souls, have excelled them all.
Overcomers
Another
term applied to the Bride saints is that of Overcomers. Of course, all who are saved are overcomers in
the sense that it is by faith the world is overcome. But there are many degrees of spiritual
conflict, and the Bride saints axe characterised as being warriors, fighting
great battles, clad in the whole armour of God, enduring great hardness in
moral conflict, and in a special way standing in the gap against fearful odds,
and sharing the
In
the second and third chapters of Revelation there are seven great promises made
to the overcomers in the seven churches. It is evident that those seven churches
represent the various stages of the Christian Church from the days of the
Apostles down to the second coming of Christ. In all those churches there were some that
Christ speaks of as overcomers, and to
such there are great promises. If
we glance over those seven promises, we find that each promise is on an
ascending scale, from the gift of life
in the first promise, to the being caught up and sitting with Christ in His
millennial throne in the coming age. And then if we read the characteristics of those
seven churches, we see the difficulties that the true saints had to surmount.
There
is a special company referred to in Revelation 12,
called the man child, more literally the male son, to signify their great
heroism, and this man child was a company distinct from the universal company
which is spoken of as the mother, the sun-clad woman. Now this woman represents the universal
And
then it is said this man child is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron,
proving that as they had shared with Christ in His great conflicts, and had
overcome Satan and all other enemies, they were to share the throne of Christ
in ruling the nations. Those who live closest to God always have
conflicts with Satan and evil spirits in a degree far more severe than those
who live at a greater distance from Christ. There are just as many degrees in overcoming
as there are degrees in grace, and the
Bride saints must expect to be in the front of the battle, and to share
with Christ the most ferocious onslaughts of the enemy.
Now,
strange to say, in exact agreement with this truth, when Israel went out to
battle, the Levites, the Firstborn Church, were to go in front blowing the
trumpets, and shouting on the battle, and praising the beauty of holiness (2 Chronicles 20:19-22). Spiritual conflicts are far different from
those of earthly armies; they are battles fought in the mind, in the desires,
in the will, in the hid-away places of life, in the quiet home, unknown by the
world, and unreported in the newspapers. They are fought out in prayer, in
longsuffering, in fastings, in watchings, in times and places least suspected
by the world, but witnessed by the Lord and His holy angels. There is a company that from generation to
generation is always in the forefront of spiritual warfare. These are the overcomers.
Spiritual Agents
Another
mark of the Bride saints is that They Are Specifically the Spiritual
Agents in the Conversion and Sanctification of Souls, and in this respect are referred to as a mother in
In
every true church on earth there are always a few souls who are more spiritual
than the rest, who take the lead in times of revival and in prayer-meetings, in
visiting the sick, in praying for souls, in leading penitents to Christ, and
who are the most interested in the spiritual welfare of the Church and in the
perfection of the saints. They are a
small minority, and are frequently poor in earthly things, and without social
prestige, and are seldom highly educated. But they are God's nobility in heart and life
and testimony, and are recognised by all who know them as the most fruitful in
the Christian life. They can be most
relied upon when the interests of eternity are at stake, and these are the fathers
and mothers to seeking souls. They are
the seniors in grace, though not always the seniors in years. They are in the true sense the "elders in the church of God," made elders by
the anointing of the Holy Ghost more
than by the laying on of men's hands or the weight of years. They are represented by those elders that John
saw in and around the throne, with golden crowns, taking active part in the
administration of judgment and the ongoing of the heavenly economy. These are the parental saints who have burdens
in prayer for others, and who weep over souls and over the backslidings of the
Church, a rare gift of grace which is very scarce in many portions of the Zion
of God.
When
we read of the twenty-four elders in the Book of Revelation, we must remember
the word does not refer to age or length of life, but is the same word that is
translated "elder" in the various
Epistles, as where it says, "Let the sick call for
the elders, and let them anoint them and pray over them." Thus the word elder does not mean old age, but
refers to a spiritual calling and rank in the Church of God, and to those who
are the Lord's agents in bringing souls to Christ, and then building them up in
the most holy faith. The term includes both men and women, the Greek word presbuteros
meaning a male elder, and the word Presbyterian meaning a female
elder. In that passage where Paul says,
"Rebuke not an elder, but exhort him as a father,"
and in the next verse "entreat the elder women,"
it should be "entreat the female elders,"
for it is the same word in the feminine gender, most positively proving that
they had female elders just the same as male elders (1
Timothy 5:1-2). And also you
notice these elders, which are the same creatures referred to as elders in
Revelation, are spoken of as fathers and mothers in the spiritual life, and in
their ministry for other souls.
I
said once to a good Presbyterian minister, "Your
denomination opposes women preachers, and yet your very name Presbyterian is
the Creek word for female elders." And with a Greek Testament in his hand, he
smiled and said it was true. Hence the
Bride of Christ takes in that company that John saw about the throne, called
the twenty-four elders, twenty-four being a typical number; that is, they were
among the spiritual fathers and mothers, who had, through prayer and in the
Holy Spirit, increased the number of the saved ones.
The Martyr Spirit
The
Martyr Spirit is another mark of the Bridehood
saints. Wherever this elect company is
referred to, there is frequent mention of the three steps in spiritual life
which they have passed through, of being converted, and then sanctified,
and then put through the severe testing of their faith. Daniel speaks of them as being purified, that
is, their sins washed away; and then made white, that is, fully sanctified; and
then tried, that is, put in the furnace and tested as to their quality, as the
three Hebrews were in the fiery furnace. Paul speaks of the true saints, in the fifth
of Romans, as being justified by faith, having access into the standing grace,
and then glorying in tribulation, corresponding with the three terms used by
Daniel.
Again
in Revelation, John speaks of the elect
company that fought with the Lamb and says they were called, and chosen, and
faithful. The word "called" implies conversion, and the word "chosen" is the same as elect, and the word "faithful" implies long endurance, and many
testings and sore trials, by which they were annealed in the furnace heat to
the divine temper.
Again,
John speaks of the Bride making herself ready,
and says she was clothed in fine linen, clean and white. The words "fine
linen" refer to justification, for it says
the fine linen was the righteousness of saints. Then the word "clean" implies
sanctification, the cleansing from all inward sin; and the word "white" should be "dazzling,"
or "radiant," and refers to the
glittering polish that is put on brass or silver.
Again,
Paul speaks of Christ loving the Church, that is, converted souls, and then
sanctifying them, and then ironing out the wrinkles, without spot or wrinkle,
as by the pressure of a hot iron.
Thus,
in so many places, we find these three marks of justification, sanctification,
and the suffering of tribulation - the having of the martyr spirit as
the trinity of marks put on the Bridehood saints. The
word martyr means a witness and implies that we would die sooner than give up
our testimony. Hence the Bridehood saints are all martyrs in spirit, though they are
not all actually slain, but they would be if occasion required it. Now it is the spirit of martyrdom, of
suffering for Christ, and with Christ, that makes the soul very beautiful to
God. And this is a peculiar mark on
those who make up the Lamb's Wife. “If we suffer
with Him, we shall also reign with Him.”
Those Numbered And Registered
Another
Scripture mark of the Bride saints is that they are all Numbered and
Registered, whereas the saved ones who are not in the Bridehood are spoken of as unnumbered. Now, of course, God knows the number of all
His creatures, and of the grains of sand on the seashore, and calls all the
stars by their name, but I am simply going by the Bible. The Word of God is my only guide, and in that
I read of certain saved ones who are registered and classified by typical
numbers, and I read of other saved ones who are not numbered.
In
Revelation seven we read of 144,000 that
were scaled, and beside them a company no man could number,
and this unnumbered throng had no crowns on, but stood before the throne. Then we read of the four living creatures who
were in the throne, and then the twenty-four elders who had gold crowns, being
in and around the throne. Here are three companies that are numbered - the
four, and the twenty-four, and the 144,000 - and then a company that was
not numbered.
Later
on we read of the nations of those who were saved, but no number is given. Then in the Song of Solomon we read of
threescore queens, and fourscore concubines, and the one elect of all, and
beside these numbered companies we read of "virgins
without number." We must go
by the Bible, and all our reason is foolishness against the infallible Word of
God.
Another
fact in this connection - throughout all the Old Testament, dates and numbers
and times and seasons are spoken of in connection with
The New Jerusalem
The
Bride saints have given to them one more name, and that is the City of
the New Jerusalem. "One of the seven angels said to me, Come and I will show you
the Bride, the Lamb's Wife, and he showed me the holy city, the New Jerusalem,
coming down out of Heaven from God” (Revelation
21:9-11). Some have wondered how
a city could be the Wife of the Lamb. Well,
just look at it. Any number of houses
without inhabitants would not be a city, and on the other hand millions of
people turned loose on the prairie would not be city, for don't you see that a
city is a compound structure of houses filled with people and of streets? The houses form the material framework and the
people form the living soul, like the soul in the body. Hence the New Jerusalem is what it is by
virtue of the redeemed souls that are in it.
There
seems another difficulty about the city being the Bride, because not only the Bridehood saints live in it, but all the redeemed of all
the ages are to live in it. Very true,
but all the other redeemed ones are spoken of as her companions, but the Bride
is the owner of the palace, though it is filled with vast throngs of her
attendants and companions. Queen
These
are the names and marks by which is distinguished that blessed company of
believers who are indeed crucified with Christ, and baptised into His Spirit,
and conformed to His image, and who are to share with Him those glories which
the Father has bestowed on the Son, which
are to be manifested in the age to come.
G.D. Watson. (1845-1923)
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