Eternal Conversations about the Bride
God did save us . . . according to His own purpose and grace, that was
Given to us in Christ Jesus, before the times of the ages. 2 Tim 1:9 (YLT)
In the early days of creation God said, "Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness." (Gen. 1:26) This is an amazing statement – it is included in the written record to provide insight about God's desire for mankind – yet it is merely an introduction that awaits further explanation. We must read the last pages of the Word of God if we are to feel the full weight of this statement, for it is in the final pages of the book of Revelation that we see the human creature sharing the glory of God as he reflects the image of Christ.
Let us make man in our image. Notice that this is a conversational statement – it is a conversation between members of the Godhead. This isn't their first, or only, conversation – if we look for them, we will find examples of interaction between members of the Godhead throughout the New Testament. John and Paul, especially, provide glimpses into the pre-creation relationship of the Deity and their communication. One such communication is revealed to us in Titus 1:2 where we read that the hope of eternal life was promised before the world or the ages of time began. Who made promises to whom before the sphere of time and human history began? What occupied the attention of the Eternal Godhead in eternity past?
First, let's look at the relationship between the Father and the Son. John 1:18 refers to Christ as the "only begotten Son in the bosom of the Father." Then, in John 17, Jesus speaks to His Father, saying "You loved me before the creation of the world" (vs 24). What is the meaning of the bosom of the Father? The bosom is the place of affection and blessing and honor; the bosom of the Father is the place where the Lord Jesus enjoys the depths of eternal love. The Lord Jesus came to earth, sent from the bosom of His Father (John 6:38), in order to proclaim their love to sinful man. More than telling about the love, He came to demonstrate that love and to bring us into the love He shared with His Father. The affection of the Father for Son, and the Son for the Father, was not changed when the Son live on the earth – it is seen clearly in John 17. In this extraordinary chapter the Spirit of God records an intimate conversation between the Son and His Father. It is written for our contemplation and understanding. We are not only enlightened about this cherished relationship, we are told that the Son was sent by the Father so that we could be part of their amazing, loving relationship.
. . . that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us . . . The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me. Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the creation of the world. I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them. John 17:21-24, 26
We are inclined to read the Bible with ourselves in mind – in doing so, we miss the essential truth that mankind was created to satisfy the Son of God who desires to share His love and His glory with a creature who is able to receive it. Everything that was planned before the creation of the World has, at its root, the Father's love for His Son – we are beneficiaries of the outpouring of their love for One Another! Before "times of ages" (Young's Literal Translation), the Father promised to give the Son a company of people who would share eternity with Him (Titus 1:2).
Throughout the book of John, the Lord Jesus called His disciples my sheep (chapter 10), my friends (chapter 15), and my brethren (chapter 20). I see a progression there – perhaps reflecting the changes in His relationship with them as they came to understand who He was. When John writes the book of Revelation, the brethren have become the Church and then the Bride. From the beginning of time, history has been moving toward this end: that the members of the Godhead would have an eternal relationship with believers saved by grace. Our creation, our redemption, our being conformed to Christ, and our place with Him in glory have been the subject of divine thought since before God spoke one speck of the universe into being.
When the disciples were at the friend stage, before the death and resurrection of Christ, He told them that the time would come when "you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I will request of the Father on your behalf; for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me and have believed that I came forth from the Father" (John 16:26-27). That time arrived at Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came to indwell believers. As we continue our earthly pilgrimage, we are able to speak directly to the Father, as Christ Himself does. The value that the Father places on our affection for His Son is such that we are called brethren; furthermore, we are included in their divine relationship through the work of the Spirit. This gives new meaning to 1John 4:19 – "we love him, because He first loved us."
It is the heaven of the heart to be still and silent, and in simple faith to let such a revelation tell out its tale upon us. ~ J.G. Bellett
