IT'S  SAbbath
 The Laws Concerning

1 "Moreover you shall make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twisted linen and blue and purple and scarlet material; you shall make them with cherubim, the work of a skillful workman. 2 "The length of each curtain shall be twenty-eight cubits, and the width of each curtain four cubits; all the curtains shall have the same measurements. 3 "Five curtains shall be joined to one another, and the other five curtains shall be joined to one another. 4 "You shall make loops of blue on the edge of the outermost curtain in the first set, and likewise you shall make them on the edge of the curtain that is outermost in the second set. 5 "You shall make fifty loops in the one curtain, and you shall make fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that is in the second set; the loops shall be opposite each other. 6 "You shall make fifty clasps of gold, and join the curtains to one another with the clasps so that the tabernacle will be a unit. 7 "Then you shall make curtains of goats' hair for a tent over the tabernacle; you shall make eleven curtains in all. 8 "The length of each curtain shall be thirty cubits, and the width of each curtain four cubits; the eleven curtains shall have the same measurements. 9 "You shall join five curtains by themselves and the other six curtains by themselves, and you shall double over the sixth curtain at the front of the tent. 10"You shall make fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that is outermost in the first set, and fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that is outermost in the second set. 11 "You shall make fifty clasps of bronze, and you shall put the clasps into the loops and join the tent together so that it will be a unit. 12 "The overlapping part that is left over in the curtains of the tent, the half curtain that is left over, shall lap over the back of the tabernacle. 13 "The cubit on one side and the cubit on the other, of what is left over in the length of the curtains of the tent, shall lap over the sides of the tabernacle on one side and on the other, to cover it. 14 "You shall make a covering for the tent of rams' skins dyed red and a covering of porpoise skins above.

And that mind picture made me think of this “bride of Christ” that I’d heard so much about. In my Protestant mainline background I was taught that the “bride of Christ” is the church. For the fun of it I keyed in a search for the “bride of Christ” in the KJV and what do you know? It didn’t come up as being there! I found a comparison between Messiah and His “church” in Ephesians 5:32 which could be used to say that the church is the “bride” of Christ; however Revelation provided something. I found bride of “the Lamb” in Revelation.

Moses saw the “pattern” for this tabernacle in the heavenlies when he was on the mountain. Does this mean that the “pattern” of the tabernacle pre-existed the time of Moses and is possibly as old as Torah itself? Is the Bride of the Messiah the city of Jerusalem? Or is the Bride of Messiah those who will be housed in he New Jerusalem?

“And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life.” Revelation 21:27 (KJV)

Then I went back to Ephesians and the parallels made between Messiah and His “church”.

‘Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.” Ephesians 5:23 - 32 (KJV)

I might simply point out here that the “church” in Ephesians is translated as the Greek “ekklesia” which has a lengthy exposition of meaning according to Strong’s Exhaustive concordance.

            a. an assembly of the people convened at the public place of the council for the purpose of  deliberating

            b. the assembly of the Israelites

            c. any gathering or throng of men assembled by chance, tumultuously

            d. in a Christian sense

     2. an assembly of Christians gathered for worship in a religious meeting

      3. a company of Christian, or of those who, hoping for eternal salvation through Jesus Christ, observe their        
        own religious rites, hold their own religious meetings, and manage their own affairs, according to regulations
        prescribed for the body for order's sake

      4. those who anywhere, in a city, village, constitute such a company and are united into one body

      5. the whole body of Christians scattered throughout the earth

      6. the assembly of faithful Christians already dead and received into heaven

Does the copy today seem to bring up more questions than answers? Did I challenge the old “bride of Christ” notion that is cemented into the teachings of the so-called “church” today? I don’t think the “church” today would like to include that part of ‘the assembly of the Israelites’ in their understanding of the “bride of Christ”. Let’s end today with a quote from an Eddie Chumney book. Eddie Chumney teaches the Jewish Roots of Christianity.