Jerusalem - the Bride of Christ

The church is not the Bride. In no single occurrence of the word "bride" found in the bible refers to a church.

"Jerusalem" in the Bible is used to describe the bride of Christ. As it is written: "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.

In relation to the Bride of Christ, Jerusalem, the church of God is described in the following ways:

1. The Friend of the Bridegroom "He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled." John 3:29
   

2. The guests at the wedding "And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God." Revelation 19:9
   

3. Bridle party "Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom." Matthew 25:1
   

4. Children of the Bride "Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate: but thou shalt be called Hephzibah, and thy land Beulah: for the LORD delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married. For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee: and as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee." Isaiah 62:4-5

How can the Bride have children being a virgin? In the same way Mary, the mother of Jesus being a virgin gave birth to Christ, by the word of God.

Hence, the church is not the Bride. The Bride, New Jerusalem is the church's Mother-land.

"But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all." Galatians 4:26

The Great Controversy, Page 426.2

"The holy city, the New Jerusalem, which is the capital and representative of the kingdom, is called “the bride, the Lamb's wife.” Said the angel to John, “Come hither, I will show thee the bride, the Lamb's wife.” “He carried me away in the spirit,” says the prophet, “and showed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of Heaven from God.” [Revelation 21:9, 10.] Clearly, then, the bride represents the holy city, and the virgins that go out to meet the bridegroom are a symbol of the church. In the Revelation the people of God are said to be the guests at the marriage supper. [Revelation 19:9.] If guests, they cannot be represented also as the bride. "