Revelation 21:9, commentary and pictures

The bride, the Lamb's wife, is the New Jerusalem, the great holy city coming down out of heaven from God, shown to John after the angel's call to come and see.
The city is the capital and representative of Christ's kingdom prepared as a bride for Him, and the marriage is His receiving of the kingdom and the throne of David in heaven before He returns in glory to redeem His people.
In that reckoning God's people are the virgins who go out to meet the bridegroom and the guests at the marriage supper, not the bride, entering the marriage by faith as they follow Christ in His heavenly work.
In another application the church is identified as the bride, the Lamb's wife, to describe its close spiritual union with Christ for which He gave Himself to redeem and purify it.
That city and its eternal blessings are the hope set before every soul as a prepared heavenly home, to be sought by thorough cleansing and refining of the heart and by obedient keeping of all God's commandments.

Identity of the Bride

The bride, the Lamb's wife, is the New Jerusalem, the great holy city descending out of heaven from God, which the angel shows to John after the invitation, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride. The city is worth striving for, and every child and every brother and sister can have a place there and meet together there. The city and the eternal blessings described are the hope provided for every soul and the prepared heavenly home of God's people.

The city is the capital and representative of Christ's kingdom, prepared as a bride adorned for Him. The marriage is Christ's reception of His kingdom and the throne of David in heaven, which is in the New Jerusalem, while He is in the most holy place completing His work, before He returns in glory in kingly power to redeem His people who have patiently waited for His return. The angel's showing of the bride represents that heavenly reception of the kingdom, distinct from His later return.

The marriage is one event at one point of time in heaven before the Lord comes and just prior to the resurrection of the just, not the whole period of probation in which believers from Adam onward are united to their Lord, and not after Christ comes when the saints are caught up to heaven. Texts calling Christ a bridegroom, speaking of espousing believers to Christ, or calling the husband the head of the wife as Christ is head of the church illustrate that union or enforce the duties of husbands and wives, but do not define the bride or prove when the marriage took place. The church is represented by the virgins who go out to meet the bridegroom, and God's people are guests at the marriage supper, not the bride, and those who are ready enter the marriage by faith as they follow Christ in His heavenly work.

If the church were the bride there would be no guests called to the marriage, no place for the man found at the marriage without a wedding garment to be bound and cast out, and no children of promise. The New Jerusalem is the mother of all, Christ is the everlasting Father of His people, the subjects of the first resurrection are the children, and the resurrection of the just is their birth after the marriage. The city descends from heaven and settles on the earth after the thousand years, with its gates and foundations seen in the new-earth setting.

In another application, the church is identified as the bride, the Lamb's wife, describing its relationship and close spiritual union with Christ. The marriage represents Christ's close union with His church, for which He gave Himself to redeem and purify a people zealous for good works. The marriage feast represents the gospel invitation and the rich provision of God's grace, the Holy Spirit, and truth, with Christ as the Bread of life, which the Jewish people understood they were to attend as God's people.

As the bride of a King, the church is to keep herself pure, sanctified, and holy and not indulge in foolishness. She does not realize her exalted position, and understanding it would make her glorious within. God is the husband of His church and every true believer is part of Christ's body, and unfaithfulness by the church toward Christ is like a wife's unfaithfulness toward her husband, so believers must remember that they belong to Christ's body. This spiritual union with Christ does not come from outward membership in a church, which does not itself save, but comes through personal faith in a personal Saviour who brings the soul into spiritual union with Him.

Promise and Preparation

The invitation to see the bride belongs to the revelation of the last events of this earth's history, made known by Christ Himself to John on Patmos and given from God as a solemn warning for the last days. Satan seeks to keep minds confused about these things in order to gain a great victory, so what is shown must be read and understood now. Its words are proclaimed as a sure coming reality whose fulfillment is expected before long.

The angel's call introduces the vision of the bride as the holy city, New Jerusalem, descending from God out of heaven, and the city with its eternal blessings is presented as the hope provided for every soul. It points to the prepared heavenly home of God's people and the glories that await the saved in the city of God. There they are fitted for a place in the royal family as members of the Lord's family, meeting with no more partings. That city is worth striving for, and every child and every brother and sister can have a place there and meet together there.

The last four chapters of Revelation, including this verse, must be read carefully, heard, and understood. Their message, including the Spirit and the bride saying Come and the free invitation to take the water of life, is to be borne to the churches. That message requires deep and thorough individual work, with cleansing and refining and transformation of the heart. It calls for thorough humbling of the soul before God, deep searching of heart and cleansing of the soul temple, diligent cultivation of the soil of the heart, and the bringing forth of fruit in the life in proportion to the light given.

It should lead every believing soul to seek earnestly for eternal life by choosing obedience to all the commandments of God. Such seeking includes searching the Scriptures in which is eternal life and purifying the self, so as to be found among God's commandment-keeping people and numbered with the redeemed. That hope of the beautiful new earth calls for working for one another and bringing up youth in a right manner so they have the crown of life and are overcomers. Angels of God assist in schools in educating boys and girls, and the Holy Spirit works with all human effort to save souls, while fathers and mothers are to take hold of the work.