|
|
|---|
He [God] has given us
an engagement ring
the Spirit.
So we are always confident,
and we know
that while we are at home in the body,
we are not yet home with the Lord....
But we would be pleased
to leave the home of our body
and go home to the Lord.
The meaning of the word here translated "engagement ring" was
unknown to the translators of the King James Version, so they
placed the word "earnest" in its place. The word comes from
Hebrew and means some form of downpayment or guarantee, just as
an engagement ring is a guarantee that a wedding is coming.When a girl receives an engagement ring, it is a guarantee that she will in the future go to live in the home of her husband. In the biblical languages the word "lord" also means husband, which gives even more meaning to this engagement illustation. In this passage, we are given "an engagement ring," but "are not yet home with the Lord (the husband)." "But we would be pleased to leave the home of our body and go home to the lord."
Paul continues this illustration of an engagement later in the same book. In 2 Corinthians 11:2, he pictures himself as the go-between, the person who arranged the ancient marriage.
I arranged your marriage
to one Husband
to present you as a pure virgin
to Christ.
Here we are classified as being pure, as unsoiled as a virgin on her wedding
morning. All our sins have been forgiven. We are pure and ready to marry a pure
Husband (Christ). And we are as pure as He is, because our sins are forgiven.The illustration of our engagement to Jesus continues in Revelation 19:7-9. It covers the time of when we "go home to the Lord."
The Lamb's wedding day is here.
His bride has made herself ready
and is allowed to adorn herself
in clean, bright, fine linen."
(The fine linen represents
the righteous deeds of the holy people.)
Then the angel told me,
"Write,
`Those invited to the Lamb's marriage feast
will be happy.'"
The "Lamb" in Revelation is a symbol for Jesus. The bride here
is the people who have "the righteous deeds of the holy people."
That's us, the saved people. The scene is the celebration at the
Second Coming. We are no longer merely engaged. We are now to be
married -- to have a permanent relationship with the God of
the Universe.Matthew's Gospel also uses a wedding as an illustation, but our role in that wedding illustration is different. In Matthew 22:1-14 we are the guests at the wedding. (As indeed, we seem to have a double role as both guests and bride in Revelation.)
The wedding role is again different in Luke 12:36-37, where we are the household servants waiting for the master to return from his wedding. Here the illustration is even more amazing. When the Master returns, he will personally be the household servant -- serving us our food at a celebration.
Read Luke 12:36-37 in your own Bible to confirm this amazing statement that God will himself serve us at the great wedding banquet in the sky.