The Christian Church is the Bride of the Lamb. The Bride of the Lamb is the Body of Christ, the Israel of God. Before the entire Bride has been made ready for her descent to the new earth as the new Jerusalem, a firstfruits of the Bride will make herself ready. It is the firstfruits of the Bride who will rise to meet the Lord in the air at the beginning of the thousand-year Kingdom Age, often referred to as the Millennium.

The whole Bride of the Lamb, the eternal Israel of God, includes all the elect whether Jewish or Gentile by birth. The Bride, the Church, is portrayed as follows:

And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife. And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, (Revelation 21:9,10)

"I will shew thee the bride. . . and shewed me that great city."

The Bride has been made ready for her Husband, the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the marriage of the Lamb and it takes place after the thousand-year Kingdom Age, after the white-throne judgment.

The white-throne judgment is an important aspect of the Judgment Seat of Christ.

And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. (Revelation 20:11,12)

Christ is the One, and God in Him, from whose face the earth and the heaven will flee away.

For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son: (John 5:22)

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. (II Corinthians 5:10)

The Bride, the Lamb's Wife, the glorified Christian Church, the eternal Israel of God, does not descend from Heaven to the new earth until first the old earth and heaven have passed away and a new sky and earth have been spoken into existence.

But there is another marriage of the Lamb!

Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. (Revelation 19:7)

The verse above is describing an event that takes place before the thousand-year Kingdom Age, before the white-throne judgment.

How can this be?

Compare:

And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. (Revelation 21:2)

To be continued.