The Three Epochs of the Bride

 

                                                    A Reflection

 

2015

The bride of Christ, humanity, has been growing and maturing through the ages and through epochs and in each era a member of the Most Holy Trinity has been the main celebrant and the main companion on this road to maturity.  Each member of the Most Holy Trinity has been able to work to give birth to and then sustain and nurture the Bride whilst she awaited her beloved.

Why a Bride to be created by the most Holy Trinity? Because she was to be born for the Son who from all time had been born. He was born before all creation was born, and the father knew He would need to prepare a bride worthy for His Son. A bride so spotless, so divine just like His Son.  And so the work of creation, which was intended from all time, began. A humanity created for the Son.
In the first epoch following the sin of the Father’s first earthly son and daughter (Adam and Eve in the garden known as Paradise) the epoch was host to God the Father, creator of all heaven and earth.  to the most Holy Trinity, God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, fell the task of continuing creation and build a humanity worthy of the second person of divine Trinity Jesus, His Father’s Son, whose own work would be to become one like the creation and then enact the redemption of the creature beloved of His Father’s heart.    Jesus would exercise his mission of Redemption in order to return to His Holy Father the creature spotless as He had desired and designed before the fall and the disobedience.
Jesus as Lord (Kyrios) would in his work prepare the way for the third person of the Most Holy Trinity, God the Holy Spirit, or even the Spirit of God which had been exhaled into the creature and which had thence become enervated Himself.  Who would sanctify and recreate the bride into the original stainless virgin, without mark without stain, without sin.
The epoch of the Father creator continued and will continue until the appointed time has been reached His breath, the Nashmah, continues to animate life until the appointed number has been reached.  Until every cell of the bride has been renewed.
The Father creator has established the road to redemption and it is one which is fraught with suffering.  It was not only death which the Father Creator who only knows life had to accommodate in his new order but, fear, shame, aggression, enmity, suffering anguish. Himself who knew nothing but love was introduced (by the creature) to “un-love.”
Throughout the epoch of the Father God, that is creation, conception, election, fear, anguish, suffering and death became the norms used to fulfil His epoch and bring about and prepare the order for the epoch of the Second Person of the Most Holy Trinity, God the Son, Jesus.
The epoch of the Father began with His creation of all that is seen and unseen. He immersed Himself into the creation.  He wakened it into life by breathing His own life into it. He infused the creature’s blueprint (DNA) with His own signature.  He wrote the word “love” into the creature’s being. He dialogued with His own creation. He walked with his own creation. He fellowshipped with him.
The intimacy is visible (Gen 1-3). The creator Father God, wanted to be intimately involved so that the creature would know that it was wanted and desired and would not be distant from Him. His masterpiece would need to be fathered, nurtured, so that in the fathering the creature would reach its original potential and beauty as bride befitting the great beauty of His Son.

The bride was given birth by the Father God in His mind.  The image of the bride, pure, spotless, beautiful, fruitful, was clearly in the Father’s heart.  The bride was conceived in splendour.  A bride befitting God the Son, Jesus, the Second member of the Most Holy Trinity. The Bride would be pure, unsoiled and her bridal gown “without spot or wrinkle” (Eph 5:27  ) The Bride conceived by the Father  and chosen for the Son  would be claimed in rapturous ecstasy intensified (Gen: Sleep).

As man (Adam) was enraptured when he saw and for an instant possessed a vision of the Creator God, and the bride which He had made for him. His ecstasy intensified to the point of almost death. Indeed he saw the face of God and almost died. 
The beauty of all creation including the “Adam” and the “Hawwah”.  The Adam created from the “adamah” was infused by the Nashmah (breath of the Creator God Father) thus a new and previously uncreated order was conceived. An order made from the elements of creation but elevated to a higher dimension, that of the Father Creator God.  Now ‘Adam” created from the “Adamah” (soil) gave birth to “Hawah” mother of all living.

Perhaps “mother of all living” is not an appropriate description of “Hawah” because all of living creation has inscribed within it the directive to reproduce itself and carry forward the Father Creator’s work. However, it could be said mother of all living, loving, reasoning, choosing, worshipping, humanity. because the distinguishing difference between “Adam” (human’s) and other creation is its higher calling to not only reproduce itself and thus co create with Father Creator God in His ongoing work, but because the “Adam” has an infused knowledge of its difference and its need to be different.

It has been an infused knowledge and restlessness of heart (St Augustine’s Confessions) to return to its maker and resting place, the heart of the Creator Father God.
In the first epoch the creator God the Father to whom belongs all life visible and invisible, God the creator and Father walked, talked, walked, communed with his infant Bride.(Adam-human-male and female he created them)  The Father God saw the infant bride as “very good” (Gen 1:31 ) beautiful, perfect.  He could fellowship with her and be close to her.  This was the time of silence, bliss. This was the latency period. A time of playing. A Time of growth.  This was the time for the bride to grow into maturity in order for her to know her own self being created in love and freedom.
Following the sin of Adam made from the “Adamah” new dimensions needed to be accommodated. The curses of suffering and death now entered the created order and the bride no longer rested in the peace and serenity.  She had to move from the creator Father’s vision and she could no longer see “my father my father why have you abandoned me?” Death was found to be bitter and lonely journey.   The rapture and joy of the Father creator had now to be regained through a life of toil and labour and at the end aloneness.
Prior to the sin these alien experiences were not known for they were not in the created order.   They were not known as an order of destruction because the order of creation was declared good. (Gn1:1:25) However, following sin fear (hiding from creator Father God) suffering (curses on Adam and Hawah) anguish (banishment from the place of Love) and death (an unknown something which had written in it terror and irreversible) became the reality. Before sin there was no knowledge of what these new realities meant. Following sin a new knowledge became evident. Father God was deeply wounded and betrayed.
The epoch of the creator Father God began with all of creation with the “Logos” breathing (“let there…Gn 1:3) and each new creation inscribed within it its capacity to worship its maker.  The logos of The Father God gave birth to all that he had conceived in His heart and mind.  He created one by one the prototypes and infused into their being instructions to repeat the creation and desire to worship.
This, until He came to create the prototype of the His first son made from all the elements of the earth. He took a fragment of each element and shaped an earthly “son” for Himself. He so loved this son that he even breathed His own breath into him.   The ahhh of awe could be heard.  And written into his “earthly son” were all that was needed to continue His own work. And thus the renewed Adam made from the Adamah but now imbued with divine breath, a more refined creature was made “hawah” (Eve) “mother of all living”  The Creator God had waited till the last moment of creation, before His Sabbath rest,  to create the final work. A work which evoked ecstatic response from the one who had donated himself to create her.  Woman drew her life from him in order to give it back again in this never ending circle called love.  
The creator God looked on with love and joined the created man and the created woman and united Himself to them to form a visible Trinity. A trinity worthy of the bride to come.  How interesting it has been that sin brought curses and suffering and death but sin could not destroy life.  “Life” “love” “bride” “future.”  These were not cursed.  “Life” has always remained “very good” (Gen.). 
The  epoch of the Creator God, continues with each new life still declared “very good” as it journey’s towards the Father creator who is still creating (my father is still working and so must I Jn 5:17) and calling and preparing the ground, the “adamah” for reception of His own Divine son The second person of the Holy Trinity.  Jesus.
The Creator God, creator of all including time has used time to prepare the elements to receive His Divine Son and to prepare the way so that the God Son, could walk, as He creator God, had walked with the infant Bride (humanity) in the garden.
Epoch of the Son
And so in created time began the epoch of the Son began.  The Father God had through millennia upon millennia nurtured, prepared, walked, fed, nourished, chastised, blessed, married his people in order to find amongst them one human being, made from the Adamah, and from the Adamah from Hawah to become the second Mother of all living.  “Mother, woman, behold hold your son” (John 19:25).
Unlike the Epoch of the Father God the time of Son, can be historically known,
And so it began with a messenger. One who stands before the throne of God and is messenger of the Father. To this messenger was given the task of approaching the creature made from the Adamah, (soil) to pose to her a question of immeasurable worth.  So noble was the question that all of creation held its breath in a pregnant pause for her answer.  There was to be no sign of doubt in her reply, no questioning of the request, but an understanding, and with the understanding a response from the depth of her pure soul.  One who had held the Father God’s vision spellbound with her beauty?  Not another like she was to be found.  Her beauty was made up of all the graces to be ever dispensed, held in the Father’s care.  All graces formed this Virgin almah. “Full of grace” as the messenger addressed her. Not limited in grace, not simply beautiful, not elegant but “full of grace” No consort with the enemy had been found in her. Her beauty was grace-ful.
So enraptured was the Most Holy Trinity that each member of this trinity desired to take up residence within her being.  So beautiful a virginal soul where the enemy’s arrow’s had been deflected so that no stain could be found in her, that in looking into a mirror of her being there was reflected an image of the Son.  Before time His imprint had been etched into her being.  The holy ardour of this Almah for her God was so pure that she responded with her fiat for Him to take up residence within her humble tent and the most Holy Trinity looking into that tent of meeting (Old Testament) found a spotless throne, a sanctuary, which had remained and must eternally remain shut (Ezk 44: 1-3) and not one other had trespassed there for it was reserved for Majesty only.
Only the “Prince” of the second Epoch may sit in this sanctuary which Yahweh creator God had passed through.
And so it was that the Almah was asked her question “Will you bear a Son, A Saviour” and the free and unencumbered response “let it be done unto me according to thy word for I am the handmaid of the Lord” was necessary before the epoch of the Son could begin. “Let none of my will impeded your desires Oh my Lord and my God. I am humbled before your majesty, Fiat Creator Father, Fiat to your Eternal Word spoken over me- let it be done so.”
And so it was that the epoch of the Son, the Second Person of the Most Holy Trinity began truly amongst His own creation.  The Son entered the Holy sanctuary and nestled and grew under her heart of the one whose fiat was anticipated and resounded throughout all of creation.  Even Sheol waited; holding its breath for the answer. Sheol overflowing with “Adamahs” of honour waiting for the gates  of paradise to be reopened with the response of the humble Almah, the one full of grace.
The Fiat of the virgin would mean a new creation; a first born of the Divine would be enfleshed with a robe of that which He had created, flesh of the creature, covering divinity.   Invisible divinity made visible in the flesh of creature.
And so God Son was born in a manner of the poor. Not a prince but in a manner of the first Adam, from the elements of creation.  The Second person of the Most Holy Trinity entered Humanity completely and without shame. He entered in all ways unrecognizable as divinity, as human in all ways but sin.
His voice was heard in time. His footsteps left imprints. His teaching unforgettable; but more than this the Son paved the way for the third Epoch of the bride to be welcomed.  The Epoch of the Holy Spirit.  The Spirit of Life, Love and Truth and in this new epoch of the Spirit, this Holy Spirit would speak the truth about the Father and the Son. The Spirit would confirm Their Holiness and the truth of the Trinitarian Love and Life of Father God. 
“He will not come unless I go” said the Son (Jn14:26) and so He went. He returned back to the glory which was His before time began, so that the Third Person of the Most Holy Trinity could descend  with great power like a wind from heaven. Like tongues of fire. A spirit of Renewal and teaching. Spirit of healing, eloquence, prophecy, understanding, but above all The Spirit of Fire teaching about Love, the greatest of all the gifts. God is Love.

The Spirit’s work is to teach and prepare the work of Love to prepare the “bride” for her groom. To prepare her garment for the great wedding feast of the Lamb.  The Spirit leads and teaches and prepares so that the bridal garment is found to be spotless "...Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and faultless." (Ep. 5:27).  And so the work of the Holy Spirit continues till the Son returns to claim His Bride wearing her beautiful spotless gown. 

The third Epoch is one of beautifying the bride, (Church) cleansing her of all stain so that He may come for her and wed her to Himself and the Father through them may be glorified.