What is the bridal paradigm, and is it biblical?

Answer

The bridal paradigm is a teaching that emphasizes the Church as the Bride of Christ and the Kingdom of God as a love affair between Jesus and His Bride. A paradigm is a perspective or framework; the bridal paradigm is an eschatological framework that stresses loyal love for the Savior in the end times, soul-winning, a special anointing of the Spirit, and an emotional, “intimate” attachment to Christ. The bridal paradigm is taught by the International House of Prayer (IHOP) and similar groups in the Charismatic movement.

According to bridal paradigm doctrine, the entire Bible tells the story of God seeking a suitable mate for His Son. Jesus is portrayed as a lovesick suitor eagerly awaiting the moment when He will be reunited with His beloved Bride. While the New Testament does use the metaphor of the Bride of Christ, the bridal paradigm takes the metaphor to an extreme, teaching that it is the primary image of the Church and that each individual believer is the Bride.

In the bridal paradigm, individuals are instructed to view themselves as “married” to Christ. Some gatherings include “wedding ceremonies” where individuals recite marriage vows to Jesus and walk under a huppah, a Jewish marriage canopy. They are urged to take part in a “bridal fast” and are often encouraged to allow themselves to be “ravished” by Jesus. Terms such as intimacy, passion, and lovesick are commonly used.

Teachers of the bridal paradigm place significant emphasis on their highly allegorized interpretation of the Song of Solomon. They believe the book is more than a portrayal of sensual love between a husband and wife; it is a metaphor of Jesus and the individual believer.

Regarding the end times, the bridal paradigm teaches that the Church will experience the Tribulation. During that period, the Church transforms into a kind of “super church” as it finally recognizes its calling as the Bride of Christ.Christ. When the Church awakens to its true nature, it will experience a special anointing from the Holy Spirit; unite in intercessory prayer; call down judgment, Moses-like, upon the Antichrist; lead an unprecedented global revival; and, in the end, welcome Christ to the earth as a zealous Lover.

According to the bridal paradigm doctrine, the issue with the Church today is that it is unenlightened and defeated. It does not perceive Christ as the Bridegroom and is not “intimate” with Him. Mike Bickle, the founder of IHOP, asserts that, through the “revelations” given to him, we can finally discern our true purpose. Bickle has stated that the end times are the “only . . . time in all of human history where the people of God universally, worldwide will see Jesus as a Bridegroom King” (from a message recorded on March 6, 2008).

Bickle also teaches that Jesus will not return to the earth until His Bride truly desires His coming. Jesus is currently being held back by our own lack of knowledge: “Jesus is not coming until the Body of Christ globally is crying out ‘Come Lord Jesus, Come Lord Jesus, Come Lord Jesus,’ and they don’t just say, ‘Come and forgive me,’ they are crying out in the understanding of who they are as the one that is cherished by Jesus in the bridal identity” (op. cit.). Bickle references Revelation 22:17 as a “proof text” for this teaching.

Is the bridal paradigm biblical? No, it is not. This is not to imply that there is no truth being presented in the movement. Jesus does love His Church «Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; », (Ephesians 5:25), and the depiction of the Church as a Bride is supported biblically «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. », (Revelation 19:7). But

The bridal paradigm presents an imbalanced approach to Scripture. Additional issues involve the beliefs that the Church will endure the Tribulation, that God’s actions revolve around His love for us rather than His own glory, that the Song of Solomon primarily holds a mystical significance, and that prior generations of Christians lacked the understanding that Bickle now possesses.

In 2 Timothy 4:3–4, it is cautioned that “the time will come when people will not endure sound doctrine but will gather teachers who cater to their own desires, telling them what they want to hear. They will turn away from the truth and be drawn to myths.” One such myth is the romantic and sensual portrayal of Jesus within the bridal paradigm.