This is the last lesson. And it ends where the whole Bible ends — not with a doctrine, not with a prophecy, but with a Person and a relationship. The Bride of Christ. The Church, prepared and presented to the Lamb. The eternal union between the Creator and the redeemed. If every doctrine in these fifty-two lessons has been building toward anything, it's been building toward this: not just people who know the plan, but a Bride who knows the Groom.

Last time we saw the New Heaven and the New Earth — the eternal home that awaits. Now we come to the final and most personal truth in all of Scripture: the identity and destiny of the Bride of Christ — what she is, how she's prepared, and what awaits her.

Some people argue that the exact term "the bride of Christ" never appears in the Bible, so we shouldn't use it — especially for the Church. But here's the thing: Scripture does use "the bride, the Lamb's wife" in Revelation 21:1-9. And Christ is clearly the Lamb, as shown in John 1:29; 1 Peter 1:19; Revelation 5:5-7; 14:5; 21:22-23; 22:3.

So if Christ is the Lamb, and the Lamb has a bride, then talking about "the bride of Christ" is perfectly scriptural. In this lesson, we'll discover who that bride really is.

Let's work through this topic under five headings:

I. Is the Bride of Christ Israel?

Those who teach that Israel is the bride of Christ usually rely on so-called "types" drawn from Old Testament historical events. A favorite example is the story of Isaac and Rebekah. They try to show how the characters in this story represent God the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit, and the bride.

But here's the problem: there's not one passage of Scripture that actually confirms this interpretation. All genuine biblical types are either plainly stated in Scripture or backed up by clear passages on the same subject. Think of it like this: you can't just declare something a "type" without scriptural proof — otherwise, anyone could make any story mean whatever they want.

If this historical event were truly a type proving Israel is the bride, we'd need two or three clear passages teaching that directly. Without those, we're just building on sand. One person might use Isaac and Rebekah to argue Israel is the bride; another might use the same story to argue the Church is the bride. Both arguments would be equally unfounded.

What Other Scriptural Basis is There for Such Teaching?

1. 1 Some argue that Israel is the only "married wife" of God, pointing to Old Testament scriptures about God's marriage to Israel. The conclusion? If Israel — not the Church — is married to God, then Israel must be the "wife" in Revelation 19:1-10 and 21:1-9.

It's true that Israel was married to God — we established that in Lesson Eighteen, Point VIII. But this doesn't prove Israel is the "wife" of Revelation 19 and 21. Israel is also married to Christ, as we've seen. And the Church is also currently married to Christ, as we'll prove shortly.

Simply being married to God doesn't identify anyone as the specific "wife" in those passages.

1. 2 Others argue that the Greek word for "wife" in Revelation is gune, meaning "a married woman" — therefore, Israel must be that wife. But gune doesn't only mean a married woman. It can mean any woman — married, single, or widowed. You can see this in Luke 10:38; 22:5-6; John 20:11-15; 1 Timothy 5:2, 14; Luke 4:26; John 19:26; Rev. 17.

If gune can refer to an unmarried woman, the argument that it must mean Israel because Israel was married to God simply doesn't hold up.

1. 3 The parables of the marriage feast (Mt. 22) and the ten virgins (Mt. 25) are also used to argue Israel is the bride, since these parables were spoken to Jews about Jewish matters. But as we saw in Lesson Forty-four, this doesn't prove anything about the bride's identity.

Revelation 19 and 21 clearly show the bride as a heavenly people, not an earthly people like the Jews. It's simply inconceivable that the New Jerusalem and its inhabitants — called "the bride, the Lamb's wife" — could be Israel.

Think about it: when did Israel get to Heaven so they could come back to Earth after the Millennium as occupants of the New Jerusalem? Where in Scripture was Israel ever promised the New Jerusalem as their eternal dwelling?

All saints of all ages are promised such a city — glorified Jews and Gentiles will dwell there John 14:1-3Hebrews 11:8-16Hebrews 13:14Revelation 3:12. But earthly Israel was never promised this city. Israel will have earthly Jerusalem as her city forever (Ezek. 48).

Even if earthly Israel did dwell in this city alongside glorified saints, it would be unscriptural to call earthly Israel the bride while excluding the glorified saints. What would be the difference if they both live in the same city called the bride?

Actually, Israel and other earthly peoples in the New Earth don't dwell in the city — they simply traffic in it Revelation 21:3, 24-27. Can't we understand that a city can come down from Heaven to be among earthly people without those people actually living inside it?

Conclusion: There's no warrant for claiming the bride of Christ is made up of Israel only. The bride will include glorified Jews — and Gentiles too, as we'll see below.