In the garden of Eden Adam was a lonely bachelor until God built a bride for him using a rib from his side. The real lonely bachelor was God Himself. He wanted to be a husband to His people (Isa. 54:5). When He came to earth as a man He came as a bridegroom to seek His bride (John 3:29). The believers are espoused to Christ and will one day be presented to Him (2 Cor. 11:2) and human marriage is a picture of the great mystery concerning the relationship between Christ and the church (Eph. 5:32). One of the conditions that must be fulfilled before the Lord's return is that His wife has made herself ready (Rev. 19:7). This wife, the corporate building of all God's redeemed people into a worthy counterpart for Himself, is what is signified by the holy city (Rev. 21:9-10).
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