I AM the Bridegroom

Good morning saints and Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers here in the church today as well as those listening in on our ZOOM broadcast. Today we continue our series titled I AM. Now we began this I AM series back in February with the I Am the Bread of Life. Then we continued the series with "I AM the Light of the World", followed by "I AM the Door of the Sheep"; "I AM the Good Shepherd"; "I AM the Resurrection and the Life"; "I AM the Way the Truth and the Life"; "I AM the Vine"; "I AM the Lamb of God"; "I AM The Word" and last week John covered the "I AM the Alpha and Omega".

Now these are all metaphors. They were all chosen by God to reveal to us one or more particular dimensions of His Character of love for His Chosen People.

Today we are going to look at the I Am the Bridegroom metaphor. Now I looked for the earliest reference of the I Am being the Bridegroom and found it in the second chapter of the Book of the prophet Hosea. Now Hosea’s ministry is dated c. 755 to 710 BC. Hosea, whose name means Salvation, ministered to the northern kingdom of Israel. The northern kingdom of Israel was also called Ephraim, after the largest tribe of Israel. Actually Ephraim was just a half tribe. If you recall Ephraim was the youngest of Joseph’s two son.

16 “In that day,” declares the LORD, “you will call me ‘my Husband’; you will no longer call me ‘my master (translated also as Baal). 17 I will remove the names of the Baals from her lips; no longer will their names be invoked. 18 In that day I will make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field and the birds of the air and the creatures that move along the ground. Bow and sword and battle I will abolish from the land, so that all may lie down in safety. - Hosea 2:16-18

Now the Hebrew word “master” here is also translated Baal. It means owner or lord. It came to be applied to their gods that they worshipped and served. In the context it is the name of these gods that were on their lips. But the I Am here says that these names will no longer be on their lips in that day. When is that day going to occur? Well no one knows exactly except God because the in that day is a reference to the end times. In the context of Chapter 1 of Hosea verses 10 and 11 the bride is Israel and Judah reunited.

10 “Yet the Israelites will be like the sand on the seashore, which cannot be measured or counted. In the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not My people,’ they will be called ‘sons of the living God.’ 11 The people of Judah and the people of Israel will be reunited, and they will appoint one leader and will come up out of the land, for great will be the day of Jezreel. - Hosea 1:10-11

Now in reference to the Bride being Judah and Israel reunited He says:

19 I will betroth you to Me forever; I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in love and compassion. 20 I will betroth you in faithfulness, and you will acknowledge the LORD. - Hosea 2:19-20

The apostle Paul uses this same betrothal metaphor in the New Testament to describe the relationship to Christ and the Church in 2nd Corinthians chapter 1 verses 1 through 3.

1 I wish that you would bear with me in a little foolishness; but indeed you are bearing with me. 2 For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy; for I betrothed you to one husband, so that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin. 3 But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ. - 2nd Cor. 1:1-3 NASB

Jumping back to Hosea chapter 2 we read:

21 “In that day I will respond,” declares the LORD—“I will respond to the skies, and they will respond to the earth; 22 and the earth will respond to the grain, the new wine and oil, and they will respond to Jezreel (now here the word Jezreel in Hebrew means God Plants ) 23 I will plant her for Myself in the land; I will show My love to the one I called ‘Not My loved one’. I will say to those called ‘Not My people’, ‘You are My people’; and they will say, ‘You are my God.’” - Hosea 2:21-23

Now the Lord tells the prophet Hosea to go back to his adulterous wife. And Hosea records His words as follows:

1 The LORD said to me, “Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another and is an adulteress. Love her as the LORD loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and love the sacred raisin cakes.” 2 So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and about a homer and a lethek of barley (a lethek is about 10 bushels). 3 Then I told her, “You are to live with me many days; you must not be a prostitute or be intimate with any man, and I will wait for you.” 4 For the Israelites will live many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred stones, without ephod or idol. 5Afterward the Israelites will return and seek the LORD their God and David their king. They will come trembling to the LORD and to His blessings in the last days. - Hosea 3:1-5

Here the Lord explains that Israel’s return is going to take place in the last days. He says He will wait for them to return. So He has been waiting more than 2700 years and He is still waiting. Now about this waiting for the last days Peter tells us the following in 2 Peter chapter 3 beginning in verse 8:

8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.

11 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 12 as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. 13 But in keeping with His promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness. - 2nd Peter 3:8-13

I shared verse 9 with a Jewish man who goes by the name of Stu which is short for his first name Stuart when he asked me why God allowed all the deaths of the Jewish people to occur in World War II and that are still occurring in Israel to this day. His response to the verse I shared was in the form of another question. He said “What’s He waiting for?” My reply after quoting the verse from memory again was “Perhaps he is waiting for you to believe in Him. Have you ever thought that you may be the hold up of His return?”

Not everyone is going to come to the wedding feast that was invited but the Bridegroom is going to wait until all who are going to believe and put their trust in Him have done so before He returns. Now Stu isn’t there yet but he might be close. Please pray for Stu and others that you know who are not saved yet, to come to the saving knowledge of the truth of the Gospel of Jesus’ Salvation before it is too late and the door of opportunity for him to get saved is shut permanently. Who knows, in doing so you might speed up the coming of the day of the Lord like Peter says in 2nd Peter 3 verse 12.

Now the next reference of the I Am the Bridegroom in the Old Testament is in the Book of Isaiah chapter 62 verse 5. Now just as the prophet Hosea was ministering to the Northern Kingdom, the prophet Isaiah was ministering to the tribe of Judah in the Southern Kingdom. Now the time period for the book of Isaiah is from 740-701 BC. Thus the book of Isaiah was written relatively around the same time period as the book of Hosea. Since Hosea’s bridegroom prophesy involves both Hosea’s Northern Kingdom and Judah’s Southern Kingdom being reunited, you would expect that the prophet of the southern Kingdom would also prophesy something in regards to the bridegroom. Sure enough He does. In Isaiah chapter 62 Isaiah writes:

5 As a young man marries a maiden, so will your sons marry you; as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you. 6 I have posted watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; they will never be silent day or night. You who call on the LORD, give yourselves no rest, 7 and give Him no rest till He establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth. - Isaiah 62:5-7

Again the I Am Bridegroom is waiting since Jerusalem is not yet been made the praise of the earth yet. Now while He is waiting here with Isaiah let’s fast forward 735 years from around 701 BC to 34 AD.

Then came John the Baptist as prophesied to make ready the way of the Lord. And John the Baptist prophesies about the you guessed it “the Bridegroom” as recorded in the Gospel of John chapter 3 verse 29. Starting in verse 26 of this chapter John records the following:

26 They came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan—the one you testified about—well, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him.” 27 To this John replied, “A man can receive only what is given him from heaven. 28 You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Christ but am sent ahead of Him.’ 29 The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. 30 He must become greater; I must become less. - John 3:26-30

Now Jesus actually refers to Himself indirectly as the bridegroom in the book of Matthew chapter 9 verse 15.

14 Then John’s disciples came and asked Him, “How is it that we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” 15 Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while He is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast. - Matthew 9:14-15

Now Jesus also refers to Himself indirectly as the bridegroom in the book of Mark chapter 2 verses 19 and 20. This may be a reference to the same event recorded in Matthew 9 verse 14 and 15 and just worded a little differently or it may be a different event but with a similar question that Jesus answered on another occasion.

18 Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. Some people came and asked Jesus, “How is it that John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees are fasting, but yours are not?” 19 Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom fast while He is with them? They cannot, so long as they have Him with them. 20 But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them, and on that day they will fast. - Mark 2:18-20

Now Jesus also uses the bridegroom analogy in the parable of the ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom as recorded in Matthew 25 verses 1-10.

1 “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 3 The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. 4 The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. 5 The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep. 6 “At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet Him!’ 7 “Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. 8 The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’ 9 “‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’ 10 “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with Him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut. - Matthew 25:1-10

In this parable Jesus explains that not everyone will be ready when the bridegroom comes. However, the wedding still takes place without those who were not ready. The door is shut they are left outside.

I’m told in that in the Hebrew culture of that time period, following the betrothal it was customary for the Jewish bridegroom to go and prepare a place for the bride. This place was usually in a room either in or annexed to the bridegroom parent’s home. Jesus alludes to Himself being the bridegroom metaphor in John chapter 14 verses 1 through 3 when He says:

1 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with Me that you also may be where I am. - John 14:1-3

Reference to this wedding metaphor was also made in the book of Revelations chapter 19 verse 6 through 9 but here it is not in a parable it is a vision of the future as revealed to the apostle John. Starting in verse 6 the description of this vision of the future as revealed to the apostle John reads as follows:

6 Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: “Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. 7 Let us rejoice and be glad and give Him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and His bride has made herself ready. 8 Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.” (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.) 9 Then the angel said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!’” And he added, “These are the true words of God.” - Revelations 19:6-9

So these are the reference of the I Am being the Bridegroom and Judah reunited with Israel being the Bride which God expanded to include the saved Gentiles in Isaiah 49 verse 5 and 6 when He says:

5 And now the LORD says He who formed me in the womb to be His servant to bring Jacob back to Him and gather Israel to Himself, for I am honored in the eyes of the LORD and My God has been My strength 6 He says: “It is too small a thing for You to be My servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make You a light for the Gentiles, that You may bring My salvation to the ends of the earth.” - Isaiah 49:5-6

Here the Lord is speaking of the Gentile Church of believers. The apostle Paul alludes to this in chapter 5 of his letter to the Ephesians where he says:

22 Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, His body, of which He is the Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. 25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to Himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. - Ephesians 5:22-27

There are a couple of other references to the I Am being the bridegroom. In these the City of Jerusalem is referred to as the bride and I would be remiss if I didn’t mention them here. So I will. However, before I do, I want to explain that the united Judah and Israel and the Gentile Church and the City of Jerusalem metaphors being the bride can all be true at the same time since they are all metaphors used by God to reveal to us one or more particular dimensions of His Character of love for His Chosen People. So for completeness sake the references to the city of Jerusalem metaphors being the Bride are recorded in Revelations 21 verse 2 and in verses 9 and 10. Revelations 21 verse 2 reads as follows:

1 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. - Revelations 21:2

Note the reference to the Bride beautifully dressed for her husband is referring to the Bridegroom.

Revelations 21 verse 9 reads as follows:

9 One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” 10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. - Revelations 21:9-10

Note the bride, the wife of the Lamb here alludes to Christ the Lamb of God being her husband the Bridegroom.

Now I want to close today’s message by recalling Peter’s instructions to the Saints and to us that I shared earlier. Peter says in 2nd Peter chapter 3 starting in verse 11 the following:

11 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 12 as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. 13 But in keeping with His promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness. - 2nd Peter 3:11-13

Remember you can speed the bridegrooms coming because this passage is inspired by the Holy Spirit who is God and He can’t lie.

Let’s Pray!

Next week Carl will finish up our I AM Series with the I AM the Root and I AM the Bright Morning Star.