The Bride of Christ and the Marriage Supper of the Lamb…what strange language used to describe Christians who are destined for a very special occurrence of cosmic proportions! But what does it all really mean? Could the language be symbolic for an event that might be a little closer to you than you might realize? For hundreds of years the true meaning of the Marriage Supper of the Lamb has been sacrificed by religiously-minded leaders; it is not an actual event that is going to happen in a far away majestic abode above the clouds—it’s a majestic occurrence that takes place between your ears, inside your head, or more specifically, inside your mind. So as Christ said, don’t be like the foolish virgins (religious) who didn’t have any oil and missed the bridegroom. Be like the five wise virgins (spiritual) who had plenty of oil and were ready!
If you have been following my blog, then you’ve already read the last post dealing with the terms that Paul uses in Ephesians to describe consciousness. This blog post will continue with that theme. It is so important to realize that the Bible, with all its colorful parables, stories, and wisdom sayings, is ultimately about the human mind and body. This is so fitting because God does not dwell in a temple made with hands; he dwells within us! Our bodies ARE the holy temple! God is to be found on the inside of us, but so many Christians keep looking for God on the outside. Whether they are looking to a distant heaven, a future second coming, or a visitation on a Sunday morning pulpit, they seldom realize that the kingdom of God is within them (Luke 17:21). To experience God, we must go within.
So how exactly do we go within? Quiet simply, through our prayer closets with the door shut and the “outside” world closed off. In other words, we must meditate.
In the grander picture, the marriage supper of the lamb is also symbolic of Paradise where Adam and Eve dwelt before Eve was separated (conscious/subconscious) from Adam. It is ultimately symbolic of the union between man and woman, the yin and the yang, and finally, the polar opposites inside our minds which gives rise to waking thought. But in meditation we lay down our thoughts to achieve a cosmic union from within. The result is the type of paradise also symbolized by the term Christ consciousness that we discussed in my last post.
Another way to view meditation would be the neutralization of the polar opposites in thought. This is the quiet mind. A quiet mind is undistracted by the noise of daily mental afflictions. When we quiet the egoistic mind, we then begin to more clearly hear God. Consider the scripture:
“Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10).
What stillness is the Psalmist referring to? It is the stillness of the mind.
Paul brilliantly uses metaphorical language to show us how all this relates to Christ, and what our role in this process is. Let’s look at some scriptures from 2 Corinthians 11:2-3. Paul states:
“…for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.”
Why does Paul compare believers as being “virgin” brides to Christ? It is because as a virgin has not defiled herself with any man, so the virgin mind is one that is neutral and undefiled with thought. Remember, ego is made up of thoughts, and thoughts run the average person’s mind all day. Being led by our thoughts is the opposite of being led by the spirit.
Did you notice that Paul also uses the word chaste? We all know to be chaste is to be morally pure. But the second definition for chaste is: pure and simple by design (Word Web). Now consider the very next scripture in 2 Corinthians:
“But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.”
The neutral mind is simplistic indeed. And that’s why coming to Christ doesn’t have to be very complicated. It is only complicated when we muddle the issue with made-man doctrine! In the meditative state of a neutral mind, our ego and human thoughts have no place. Think about it. There is no defiling of God’s sanctuary!
We should also be aware that since the serpent represents the ego, Paul is reminding us that the ego subtlety takes control over our lives. Think about it. You ego would tell you that you are your career, marital status, personality, and all other roles you take on in life. But is this the real you? If you took away these roles, would the real you be gone? The ego is the thief who comes to steal and destroy the true you in a subtle way. Christ consciousness is about putting the correct driver back in the driver’s seat, which is the spirit of God that naturally flows from the deep meditative state and living in the now moment. Meditation is also about being alert during the night watch so that you are ready to recognize the thief when he comes.
In many aspects God can be explained (though never really understood) as a state of being, which is a result of a quiet mind. This need not be considered blasphemous because in no way does this include us as being God. Why? Because as we quiet the mind, we crucify all that is US so that HE can live through us! Christians who proclaim the mystical path to be heresy simply miss the entire point. We are NOT God, nor does the mystical path state that we are. In the true mystical path, the words of Jesus couldn’t apply more:
“For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it” (Matthew 16:25).
The act of meditation describes losing our own life (ego) to discover the divine within (where the spirit is manifested)!
Many traditional Christians who condemn the mystical path simply get hung up on language or words. If I say that God is within, they consider that blasphemous. But they are just words and ideas, and their egos want to attack out of fear of what they assume by placing more labels on those words and ideas.
Christ consciousness, a term that is also often considered heresy, is not some super transcendental state that takes years of practice on top of the Himalayan Mountains in some remote monastery. Rather it is the simplistic and natural state of no mind, where raw spirit, which is consciousness, dwells. And that’s why the kingdom of God is “within” you. Therefore you can meditate anywhere, anytime. Even in the now as you take up your daily routines, although quiet time in a prayer closet should be practiced regularly.
It seems I have digressed a bit. After all, the topic of this blog post is becoming the bride of Christ and being present with him at the marriage supper of the lamb, correct? I will try to spell it out below as plainly as I can.
You are the potential bride. But you must be presented as an undefiled virgin. In other words, you must neutralize the defiling ego by laying it down to spend some quality time with God. With practice, your union with Christ and at the marriage supper will come. You lamps will be full of oil (Holy Spirit) and you won’t miss the bridegroom.
So would you like to be the bride of Christ? If so, don’t consider it a future, distant event with a literal banquet hall, tables, chairs, and all the fixings. Know that it is in the here and now, and you can access it within yourself.
If you enjoyed this post, please don’t hesitate to spread it through the social button below. I appreciate it! And as always, please feel free to comment, even if you disagree!
Please explain in more depth the foolish virgins, this has always puzzled me. Why an even number of wise vs foolish? This proportion seems optimistic. Why did the wise tell the foolish to buy more oil, if the oil is spiritual? Furthermore, regarding wine and marriage, why did Jesus tell His diciples to “eat His flesh an d drink HIs blood?” in John 6:53, even though it turned many away from anything else He said? How is this spiritual in nature?
I love the way you think and write. Your interpretation of Biblical Scriptures is right on and it is a joy to read. However, IMHO you must stop referring to God as HE and realize the full nature of God. It is extremely offensive to me that God is always referred to as a HE – In your own words, “In many aspects God can be explained (though never really understood) as a state of being, which is a result of a quiet mind.” God is also vibration, energy, light, etc. Please use a genderless word to describe God. Thank you. It may also help you to read the book, “When God was a Woman” by Merlyn Stone.
Nancy,
I understand what you mean. My writing is never intended to offend, sometimes it’s easy for other people to understand who are as advanced as you. Anyone reading over the entire site will easily see that I feel the same way about God as you do. Blessings.
I realize you would never intend to offend, Joshua – and I fully understand. But you have no idea how damaging it is to a female’s world to always have her God referred to as a male – especially when it is not necessary. We all need to learn to use neuter words when speaking of the divine – men, not just you, use the masculine pronoun just because they always have and it is easy – they don’t even have to think about it. What I am suggesting is that since you influence so many others with your insight you should also try to keep the perspective that you are stating through the emphasis that God is not a person, gender, etc. but vibration, energy, light, love, etc. All of these attributes are totally genderless. Thank you for answering this and I doubly thank you for understanding the female persona in this suggestion.
Nancy, this seems very ego driven. As a woman, I don’t find it uncomfortable at all that the Bible refers to God as He. Please, let’s not pretend Joshua is the first to call God by a male gender.
If we can’t look past the “gotcha” issues, how will we ever dive deeper into the realm of ego-less virginity to have our lamps filled with oil?
Please, understand that not everyone is out to upset you. Sometimes, our egos attempt to blow things out of proportion in our own minds. It’s just that…egotistical.
And as a woman that has reached Nirvana and danced with God, I can assure you that you are correct. “He” isn’t a He, but a light. A beautiful, abundant, loving, radiant light. No gender. Gender is flesh. Therefore when you think about God in a gender biased way, you are choosing to entertain ideas of the flesh.
God bless!
Wow! God has went and blessed me again as God always does!! I thank God for how God has worked through you to bring this blog to me and other! What a joy and a blessing. Please alert my email when you update.
And again, thank you and I praise the Lord!!!