In Matthew 22, Jesus taught the Parable of the Heavenly Wedding Banquet. In this parable, the bridegroom and the guests appear; however, the bride who is the main character of a wedding banquet, does not. The bride, who did not appear at the time of Jesus’ first coming, appears in the prophecy of the book of Revelation. The bride is God the Mother, the heavenly Jerusalem, who is to appear with God the Father, who is Second Coming Jesus and the Lamb, in the last days. The Bible tells us that in the last days, those who receive God the Father and God the Mother, who are the bridegroom and the bride at the heavenly wedding banquet, will receive the water of life, which is eternal life.
The Bride in the Parable of the Wedding Banquet Did Not Appear at Jesus’ First Coming
Jesus likened our receiving salvation and entering the kingdom of heaven, to the example of being invited to a wedding banquet and participating in it. Among the numerous types of banquets, God specifically mentioned a wedding banquet. There is an important reason.
Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come. . . . Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. Go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’ So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, both good and bad, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.” Mt 22:1–10
Who should be present during a wedding banquet? In order for a wedding to take place, there must be a bride as well as a bridegroom, and many guests must come to the banquet. Therefore, the bridegroom, the bride, and the guests are all essential components for a wedding banquet to take place.
In the Parable of the Wedding Banquet in Matthew 22, we can find a bridegroom, who is the king’s son. The king’s son refers to Jesus, who came as the Son of God. Next, there are those who are invited as the guests. The guests in this parable refer to the saints who will receive Jesus and enter heaven. In the parable, the bridegroom and the guests are seen.
However, the bride, the main character who should be at the wedding banquet, is not seen. Without the bride, the wedding cannot take place. Nevertheless, why didn’t Jesus mention the bride? Is it because there is no bride at the heavenly wedding banquet? No. It is because Jesus’ first coming 2,000 years ago was not the prophesied time for the bride to appear.
The Bride in the Parable of the Wedding Banquet Appears in the Last days
Then, when will the bride in the Parable of the Wedding Banquet appear? The Bible prophesies that the bride will appear when Jesus comes a second time, that is, in the last days.
“Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.” (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.) Then the angel said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!’ ” And he added, “These are the true words of God.” Rev 19:7–9
In this biblical scene, the bride, the wife of the Lamb, who did not appear at the time of Jesus’ first coming, is now appearing at the wedding banquet along with the Lamb, who is the bridegroom. In this same scene, there are those who are invited, the guests. In this way, at the heavenly wedding banquet, too, there are not only the bridegroom and the guests, but the bride must also be present. That is why Jesus likened our salvation and entering heaven to entering a wedding banquet, among many types of banquets. Therefore, God already wanted to let us know about the existence of the bride 2,000 years ago.
Then, who is the Lamb, the bridegroom, in the prophecy of Revelation 19? In the Bible, Jesus is described as the Lamb (Jn 1:29), and the Lamb in Revelation 19 refers to Second Coming Jesus. This is because the Lamb appears with the bride, unlike at His first coming. Thus, Revelation 19 can only be referring to Second Coming Jesus. Those who are invited, referring to the guests, are God’s people who will receive the blessing of eternal life. Then, who is the bride, the wife of the Lamb, who appears at His Second Coming?
One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. Rev 21:9–10
The angel said to Apostle John that he would show him the bride, the wife of the Lamb, and then the angel showed him Jerusalem coming down from heaven. This does not mean that the bride is a city. Just as the bridegroom is not an actual animal, simply because the book of Revelation describes him as a Lamb at the heavenly wedding banquet, so is the bride not an actual city; however, She is represented as the heavenly Jerusalem in the Bible. Then, who does the heavenly Jerusalem actually refer to in the Bible?
But the Jerusalem that is above is free, and she is our mother. Gal 4:26
The Jerusalem that is above in heaven, is our Mother. Therefore, the prophecy about the appearance of the bride in the book of Revelation, testifies that God the Mother, who is in heaven, will appear on the earth. That is why the bride is described as Jerusalem coming down from heaven.
The Lamb is God the Father and His bride is Jerusalem Mother. God the Father, who is the Lamb and Second Coming Jesus, alongside God the Mother who is the Bride, appear together and invite the saints to the heavenly wedding banquet. Concerning the appearance of God the Father and God the Mother, Revelation 22 testifies that the Spirit and the Bride will appear together in the last days.
The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life. Rev 22:17
The purpose of the Spirit and the Bride appearing in the last days is to give the water of life, that is, eternal life. That is why the Bible says that those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb are blessed (Rev 19:9). In order to receive eternal life, we must receive not only God the Father but also God the Mother. Only then can we become the guests of the wedding banquet, receive the water of life, and enter the eternal kingdom of heaven (Rev 19:9).
God the Mother, the Source of the Water of Life in the Last Days
Thus, the Bible prophesies that the Spirit and the Bride, who are God the Father and God the Mother, will appear when Jesus comes a second time. However, many Christians mistakenly think that the day of Jesus’ second coming is Judgment Day. This thought is very different from what Jesus taught through the Bible.
“At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” Lk 21:27–28
In the above verse, the word “you” refers to the saints who have already received Christ, just like the disciples. Therefore, the day of “your redemption” refers to Judgment Day when God’s people will enter the kingdom of heaven (2 Pe 3:12–13; Eph 4:30). However, when the Son of Man, meaning, Jesus, said that He would come again, He was not referring to Judgment Day; rather, He specifically said when that day was “near.” Therefore, Jesus, who is the Lamb, is prophesied to appear during the last days when the Last Judgment is near, and the bride, too, will appear at that time. In the last days, the Lamb and His wife, who are the Spirit and the Bride, will come to this earth in the flesh and invite all of the spiritually thirsty people to come to Them to receive the water of life.
In the Old Testament, the prophet Zechariah also prophesied about the bride who would give the water of life in the last days. On that day living water will flow out from Jerusalem, half to the eastern sea and half to the western sea, in summer and in winter. Zec 14:8
The book of Revelation testifies that the bride, who is equivalent to the heavenly Jerusalem, will give the water of life. Additionally, the prophet Zechariah also testified that living water will flow out from Jerusalem. This means that the Jerusalem referenced in Zechariah 14 represents the bride in the book of Revelation, that is, Heavenly Mother. The prophet Zechariah repeatedly prophesied that all people would come to Jerusalem, the source of living water, and that those who do not come to Jerusalem, would suffer disasters.
Then the survivors from all the nations that have attacked Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, the LORD Almighty, and to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. If any of the peoples of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD Almighty, they will have no rain. If the Egyptian people do not go up and take part, they will have no rain. The LORD will bring on them the plague he inflicts on the nations that do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. Zec 14:16–18
“The LORD Will Establish Jerusalem”
Humankind did not know that Heavenly Mother exists, to say nothing of the fact that She would appear on this earth in these last days. Then, who will let us know about Heavenly Mother?
I have posted watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; they will never be silent day or night. You who call on the LORD, give yourselves no rest, and give him no rest till he establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth. Isa 62:6–7
The Jerusalem, who is to be made the praise of the earth, is a prophecy about the heavenly Jerusalem who is our Mother. However, the Bible says that the LORD, who is our Heavenly Father, will establish Heavenly Mother. God also testified about God the Mother through Adam and Eve in the book of Genesis.
The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.” Ge 2:23
Adam testified that Eve was one body with him, saying, “This is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh.” He also gave his wife a name that literally means life.
Adam named his wife Eve, because she would become the mother of all the living. Ge 3:20
The name “Eve” means life in Hebrew. Who was the one to give the woman the name Eve, which means life? It was Adam. The biblical history of Adam and Eve is not simply a past history that was recorded arbitrarily. The Bible testifies that Adam and Eve were created in the image and likeness of God, and therefore represent God the Father and God the Mother who are to come in these last days (Ro 5:14). The creation of Adam and Eve on the sixth day, just before the seventh-day Sabbath, means that Second Coming Christ, our Heavenly Father, who is biblically represented as Adam will appear with our Heavenly Mother when the eternal rest is near. The biblically recorded history which shows that Adam testified about his wife Eve, is a prophecy that Heavenly Father Himself will testify about Heavenly Mother who is represented as Eve.
According to all of these prophecies, Heavenly Father Ahnsahnghong, who is the Holy Spirit, testified about the Bride, Heavenly Mother, in this age. He also taught that we must believe in Heavenly Mother and follow Her if we want to receive eternal life. Therefore, we must receive Heavenly Mother, whom Heavenly Father Himself has taught us about, to be able to receive the blessing of eternal life and enter heaven.
