Don’t Touch My Bride
Imagine that moment in a wedding when the doors in the back of the wedding chapel open and the bride appears. The song chosen especially for this moment begins to play and the mother of the bride stands. When she does, the audience stands and turns to see the bride. She has never been more radiant, and who could ever forget this moment?
As she begins to take her steps to be joined in holy matrimony, someone steps forward and begins changing her hairstyle. This changes her appearance and neither the bride nor groom likes her new look. Another person comes and changes her jewelry by removing her beautiful earrings and necklace and replacing them with those of far less beauty and value. It does not end there. To the dismay of all present, others change her makeup, her shoes and even the veil.
Your first reaction as you read this account would be that such could never happen. Who could have such disrespect to a bride and groom? Who could ever presume that they were so important that they could ignore what was planned? But, it actually has happened!
God has revealed to us that the church is the bride of Jesus. Paul said to the Corinthians, “I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ” (2 Cor. 11:2). When he wrote to Ephesus, he had spoken about the respect a wife should have for her husband and the sacrificial love the husband must have toward his wife. However, when he got to the end of this discussion he said, “This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church” (Eph. 5:32). The church is truly the bride of Jesus.
Now consider this. Before the world began, the beautiful bride of Jesus was known. God worked for thousands of years to prepare for that time when the doors of heaven would be opened and the bride would appear. Then, the bride came.
God’s plan was for the bride to retain her eternal beauty. All authority in heaven and on earth is His and that leaves no room for any mortal to change the adornment of the bride (Matt. 28:18; Gal. 1:6-9). There was no provision for any mortal to change in any way the beauty of His bride. Even angels could not change it.
The denominational nature of modern Christendom is overwhelming evidence that mankind presumptuously altered the bride of Jesus after she was revealed. Every person should soberly consider if they have in their religious life followed those who alter His bride. God help every person in every denomination to think about this and return to His plan for His beautiful bride.