Today I had an epiphany about Adam and how God gave him his wife... and how Jesus Christ is called in scripture "the second Adam" ...and how a wife was chosen for Him.
The biblical parallels are so amazing, I am impressed at how the details in each story of Adam and Jesus are MIRRORED... literally. Let's get started with "the tale of two Adams".
"So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. And the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man." (Genesis 2:21-22)
Here we have the setting of how God made a wife for the first "Adam" (Man)... 1) God put Adam to sleep, 2) God opened his side and took out a rib and made Eve, Adam's wife.
3) God then closed up Adam's side... and presented Adam with his new wife. While I was thinking of how God cut man, to produce a wife for him; I was taken by the visual of Jesus Christ being stabbed in the side. Of a truth the Church (Bride of Christ) was "born" literally by the blood from Christ's side!
"Thus it is written, "The first man Adam became a living being"; the last Adam (Jesus Christ) became a life-giving spirit. (1 Corinthians 15:45)
The next few deeper understandings kind of surprised me. First, Adam's bride was produced from the "shedding" his rib (bone), and the "bride" (Church) was produced from the shedding of Jesus' blood. Now Adam's wife died with him, and returned to the earth from whence they were made because they were bone of bone and flesh of flesh... but blood is different than bone... God's Word says about a creatures blood...
"For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one's life" (Leviticus 17:11)
..."the life of a creature is in the blood", so Jesus literally gave His life for His "bride" ...it even gets more interesting... scripture says the life of the blood lives on after the death of the creature! God said not to drink the blood because it contained the life of the creature...even after it was dead. Leery?
What did God say to Cain after he killed his brother...
"And the LORD said, "What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood is crying to me from the ground." (Genesis 4:10)
...so you see the life in the blood caries on after death. IF Adam's wife was made from the blood of Adam, his wife and those from his blood, would have had no chance of a life spiritually, because as the blood-life lives on after death, they would continue to be separated from God by the sin committed by Adam. The good news is, because she was made from his bones, the curse of sin against her and her offspring could be terminated in death... and the redeeming blood of Christ would not only make atonement for sin, but wake us from eternal death to eternal life with His life-blood.
"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:23)
Pretty standard stuff huh? Did you ever think about why God cut man's side... and at the time of Christ's crucification man cut God's side? Furthermore, did you ever consider why Jesus appeared after His death to His disciples with open wounds? Especially his open side shown to Thomas...
"Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe." Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!" (John 20:27-28)
...as Thomas took His hand out of the side of Jesus... Thomas was literally the first-fruits out from the very side of Christ! The Church (bride of Christ) was literally taken out of the side of Christ as Eve was from Adam! Now as I said God cut man to produce his bride... and man at Christ's crucification cut God to produce His bride... each resulting in a bride for the other... leery?
"After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church— for we are members of his body. "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh." This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church."
(Ephesians 5:29-32)
THE most interesting thing is that Jesus STILL HAS AN OPEN WOUND... why? Because His bride is not yet complete... there are still those entering into the open wounded side of Christ... and it will not be closed up until all who believe have entered in! What an amazing presentation in scripture... the living drama, and epic adventure being lived out through mere mortals and their Creator Almighty GOD!
In summary, here is the MIRROR image of what happened in Genesis...
1) God put Adam to sleep, 2) God opened his side and took out a rib and made Eve, Adam's wife. 3) God then closed up Adam's side, presenting Adam with his new wife.....
1) Man put God to "sleep" (in death), 2) Man opened God's side with a spear, and poured out His blood to make the Church, the Bride of Christ. 3) God's side is still open, until the last believer enters in... then Christ is presented His Bride at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb spoken of in Revelation...
"And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigns. Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to Him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of Saints. And he said unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he said to me, These are the true sayings of God." (Revelation 19:6-9)"I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Look! God's dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 'He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death' or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." (Revelation 21:2-4)
Could it be... that one day as Jesus said, we too will be one with God? As He has shared in our humanity... we someday may share in His divinity? God became the "Son of Man" that we might become the "sons of God" ...God be praised!
Jesus prayed... "My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me." (John 17:20-23)"And the LORD will be king over all the earth. On that day the LORD will be one and his name one." (Zechariah 14:9)