Types of the Bride of Christ: Rachel

Rachel was the younger daughter of Laban and the wife of Jacob.  Jacob — a type for Christ — first meets her at the Haran well.  This is another type of the bride being taken from those who draw from the well, which is the Word of God.

One of two brides

Jacob served seven years to be able to marry Rachel, just as Christ has come first as a servant, prior to marrying His bride.  Laban deceived Jacob and gave him his other daughter, Leah, because it was the right of the firstborn.  Leah represents Israel (the firstborn, which will be dealt with first) and the bride of God the Father.  Rachel typifies the bride of Christ. (Arlen Chitwood)

Jacob had to serve two periods of seven years to claim his bride.  Jesus will also complete two periods of time before he claims His bride: first as prophet and second as our High Priest in Heaven. (Arlen Chitwood)

Jacob had to work another seven years to marry Rachel.  He preferred Rachel and God favored Leah by giving her children.  When Rachel could not conceive, she gave her handmade Bilhah to Jacob and she bore Dan and Naphtali.  Then Rachel became pregnant with Jacob. 

 A perplexing mystery

When Jacob and his family ran away from Laban, Rachel stole her father's household gods (teraphim) and concealed them when he searched her tent.  

Scripture does not explain why she stole them. Did she want to prevent her father from practicing idolatry?  Or is Scripture telling us that even a bride of Christ can be tempted by idols of this world?   

Types of the Bride of Christ: Rebekah

Scripture tells us that Rebekah was the daughter of Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nabor, Abraham’s brother.

Abraham — a type of God the Father — instructed his servant (a type of the Holy Spirit) to find a bride for his son Isaac, who is a type for Christ.  Abraham insisted that the bride was not to come from the Canaanites, but from his country and his people. 

Her deeds qualified her 

Rebekah, a virgin, kindly provides Abraham’s servant with water from the well, which was the sign the servant was looking for.  It is also a type for the bride filling herself up with the living water that the Lord lovingly provides every time we go to His Word.  Rebekah fills her pitcher, not once, but twice, which tells us that she had a double portion.

The servant gives her a golden earring of half a shekel weight and two bracelets for her hands of ten shekels weight of gold, which was the bride price.  The golden earring represents that she was hearing and obeying God’s Word (Royce Powell).  He also gives her jewels of silver and gold and her raiment, which points to the bride being qualified at judgment seat of Christ.

When the servant asks if there is room in her father’s house, she says there is both enough straw and provender.  Isaiah 11:7 tells us that when Christ reigns, the lion will eat straw. 

She came out of her world

The servant asks: “Wilt though go with this man?” Rebekah says yes, which requires leaving her home and family behind, a type of what the Holy Spirit will do after He removes the bride from this fallen world.  It is also instruct us that we should not follow the ways and the sways of the world and steadfastly follow Christ Jesus, our Bridegroom.   

She had faith in that which was unseen

Scripture tells us that Rebekah arose to go and meet Isaac — who was coming to claim her — just as the bride (among other believers) will arise at the rapture to meet her Bridegroom for the first time in the clouds.  Rebekah had never met Isaac before, but she goes to him having faith in that which is unseen.  She is a beautiful type of a bride who willingly gave up everything to be with her bridegroom.  

References: Complete Word Study Bible, Jewish Encyclopedia

Types of the Bride of Christ: Eve

This is the first of a series that looks at the types of the bride of Christ in the order that they appear in Scripture.

Eve (Genesis 2) was created as Adam’s “help meet” when God took a rib out of Adam’s body, which is a type of the bride being taken out of the body of believers.  Adam was put to sleep and his side was opened when the Lord created Eve. Our bridegroom was also put to sleep at Calvary and his side was opened.  And just as the Lord wanted Adam to have a bride, He has been longing to find a bride (another suitable help meet) for His son Christ Jesus.

I was initially taught that all believers are the bride of Christ.  But when you study Scripture deeply, and pay attention to all of the types that the Lord has lovingly orchestrated for those who have eyes to see, you realize that this just does not line up with Scripture. 

The parable of the ten virgins is a perfect example

Many erroneously preach that five of the virgins were unbelievers.  If that were true, they would never have addressed Jesus as “Lord, Lord” (Matthew 25:11).  All the virgins are saved — and will all have eternal life — yet the door (entrance to the Millennial Kingdom) is shut to the five who were unwise (see my previous post on this). I believe they may only be able to see the Kingdom from the outer darkness, which explains why there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

The serpent only deceived Eve

Adam willingly partook of the fruit, taking on the sin of his bride so that she would not be alone. It was also the only way that he could bring about Eve’s redemption (Chitwood, "The Bride in Genesis"). 

It is such a beautiful type of the terrible sacrifice that Jesus made for us at Calvary.  He was pure and innocent when He took upon the sin of the world.  While Adam likely suffered great emotional pain after being expelled from the Garden of Eden, I can’t imagine it comes close to the horrendous physical pain that our Lord experienced on the cross.

A timely warning 

2 Corinthians 11:3 tells us:

But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

This is a warning for all preparing brides today — not only for themselves, but also so that they can warn other believers who are at this very moment being deceived by false doctrines and false Christs, new age mysticism, and contemplative practices that are being ushered into many churches with open arms.

And now, little children, abide in Him: that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming. 

(1 John 2:28)

Will We Follow Him?

So they called Rebekah and said to her, Will you go with this man? And she said, I will go. (Genesis 24:58, Amplified Bible)

I will go. Three simple words that epitomized Rebekah’s faith in her bridegroom, a man she did not even know! She was willing to leave her home and her people, a type of those believers who are wiling to leave everything behind to follow Christ and become His bride.

And Ruth said, Urge me not to leave you or to turn back from following you; for where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people and your God my God. (Ruth 1:16, emphasis mine).

Ruth clung to Naomi, and professed that she would follow her while Orpah kissed her mother-in-law and returned to her people, a type of those believers who remain faithful in Christ and those who turn back to the world.

Then the Lord rained on Sodom and on Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of the heavens. He overthrew, destroyed, and ended those cities, and all the valley and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. But [Lot’s] wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt. (Genesis 19, 24-26)

This is another type of the saved believer who does not seek first the kingdom and looks longingly back to this world. Throughout Scripture, we see people who falter at some point during their race. Esau sells his birthright for a mere cup of stew. Moses disobeys the Lord by striking the rock twice and is not allowed to enter the Promised Land. In fact, of the estimated 2.5 million Israelites who were believed to be living in the desert during that time, only two men followed God and are able to enter the land: Joshua and Caleb. The others who did not harken to God’s voice are not even allowed to see it (Numbers 14:22-30).

Paul mentions a thorn in his flesh that the Lord refuses to remove despite his pleas on three occasions. I can imagine him crying out:  Lord, give me the strength, endurance, and faith to follow You in all ways and to seek first Your kingdom no matter what the cost.

Satan’s plan remains the same as it was in the garden, which is to disqualify man from inheriting the kingdom. He attacks each of us in different ways. Learn more and be encouraged by John Herbert’s excellent sermons about the three enemies that can disqualify us from the race: the world, the flesh, and the devil.

Remaining Awake

²That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour:³ Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,⁴ And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. (2 Peter 3:2-4)

Our Redeemer’s return to establish His Millennial Kingdom is such a glorious and hope-filled truth that it should be proclaimed from every church pulpit.  But instead of exhorting us to die to self, and prepare for the day when we will stand before the Lord at the judgment seat of Christ, we are being bombarded with messages encouraging us to walk after our own lusts.  Just visit The Museum of Idolatry on any given day to see the leavening that is taking place. 


Why is it that so few see the Kingdom truths so clearly while so many do not?  

We know from Scripture that God can cause people to go into a deep sleep:

For the Lord hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the seers hath he covered. (Isaiah 29:10)   Royce Powell delivers a powerful sermon about this at Disciples Call.

Scripture warns that believers can fall asleep, too.  In the parable of the ten virgins (Matthew 25:1-10), Jesus tells us that while the Bridegroom tarried, all of the virgins slumbered and slept. The Latin word used here is katheudo.  It can mean to sleep literally and it can also mean to yield to sloth and sin or to be indifferent to one's salvation (Strong 2518).  It is interesting that it is in the imperfect tense, which refers to a continuing or repeated event or state (but I am not a biblical language scholar, so forgive me if I err).

Even the bride, who loves and longs for her Bridegroom in the Song of Solomon, is not immune to falling asleep:

I sleep, but my heart waketh: it is the voice of my beloved that knocketh, saying, Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled: for my head is filled with dew, and my locks with the drops of the night.  (Song of Solomon 5:1)

The race is long and I admit there are times when I am pulled away from His coming world into this earthly world.  One message that I find very encouraging comes from Cindy Ziegler, who speaks about when the bride’s spirit is willing (“my heart was awake”), but her flesh is weak (“I was asleep”).

We can also find strength in knowing that no matter what the masses may say, Scripture implores us to remain awake, alert, watching, and working for the Lord as we await the Bridegroom’s return:

³⁵Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning:³⁶  Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping.³⁷And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.  (Mark 13:35-37)

⁵Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.⁶Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. (1 Thessalonians 5:5-7)  

¹⁰Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.¹¹And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. ¹²The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. (Romans 13:10-12)