Two Adams: A Rib and a Bride

“If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.  So it is written, ‘The first man Adam became a living being; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit.’  The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual” (1 Corinthians 15:45-46).

The Body and Bride of Adam

“But for Adam there was not found a companion suitable for helping him. Then God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the person; and while he was sleeping, he took one of his ribs and closed up the place from which he took it with flesh. The rib which Adonai, God, had taken from the person, he made a woman-person; and he brought her to the man-person. The man-person said, “At last! This is bone from my bones and flesh from my flesh. She is to be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man” (Genesis 2:20-22). 

When God made man, the Hebrew word ish, from the dust of the ground, He observed that man was alone and this was not a good situation.  So He made a companion for the man from his rib or more correctly translated “flesh from his side.” He called the helpmeet ‘woman’ or in Hebrew isha. From the body of Adam came Eve (Havah), his companion and wife.  When Adam saw the woman Adonai brought to him, he exclaimed, “bone from his bones and flesh from his flesh!”

“That is why a man leaves his father and mother and they become one flesh” (Genesis 2:24).

Adam was the first husband; Havah was the first wife.  Together they became the first married couple in the natural, physical realm.  Through them all humanity, men and women, came to being.  Through Adam came the ‘body of mankind.’

“The first man was of the dust of the earth … as was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth” (1 Corinthians 15:44-49).

Hebrew Word Pictures

Adom (Red Earth) or אדם

א Alef – An Ox means ‘first’ or ‘strength.’

ד Dalet – A Door means ‘pathway.’

מ Mem – Water means ‘chaos.’

Hebrew word picture for adom: strong first pathway to chaos.

Havah (Life) or Eve or חבה

ח Chet – A Fence means ‘protect.’

ו Vav – A Nail means ‘binding.’

ה Hey – A Window means ‘reveal.’

Hebrew word picture for Havah: protect the binding revealed.

The Body of Yeshua

“The second man is from heaven.  People born of dust are like the man [Adam] of dust, and people born from heaven are like the man [Yeshua] from heaven;  and just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, so also we will bear the image of the man from heaven” (1 Corinthians 15:47-49).

Yeshua is called the second Adam or ‘last Adam’ who brings spiritual life.   Though he was born physically like a man, spiritually he was birthed from his Father in heaven.  When each of us are born again by water and Spirit into the Kingdom of God, we become spiritual people and part of the Body of Yeshua (John 3:5-6).

“Now you are the body of Messiah [Yeshua], and each one of you is a part of it” (1 Corinthians 12:2).

Spiritual Newborns

Each of us begins our new life in the Kingdom as spiritual infants. We drink spiritual milk which gives us the basic nutrition we need to grow in faith and walk in the Spirit.  This is called being taught the elementary truths and the foundational truths and path of righteousness.  Like infants we are dependent on others for nourishment and incapable of discerning good from evil.  Some who are born again never leave the stage outside of the spiritual womb and remain babes growing fat on formulas.  They are tossed back and forth by every wind of doctrine and are easily deceived (Ephesians 4:14).

“Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit, but as people are are still worldly – mere infants in Messiah.  I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it” (1 Corinthians 3:1-3)

“In fact … you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again.  You need milk, not solid food.  Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness.” (Hebrews 5:12).

Spiritual Children

After being nourished on the pure milk of the Word, some spiritual babies grow and become spiritual children.  In this stage of their born-again life, they learn about the Father’s love (1 John 3:1).  They learn what it means to be a child of the Father (1 John 3:10).  They learn about the the rules in the Father’s house (Torah), and they learn about sin and forgiveness (1 John 2:12, 3:4).  They learn what it means to obey the household rules and are disciplined when they fall short  (1 Peter 3:14, Hebrews 12:7). They also learn  that love is more than mere words, it includes actions (1 John 3:18).  As spiritual children they learn about idols and how to keep from falling into idolatry (1 John 5:12).  They learn about the Adversary who desires to win their soul (1 John 2:18).

Spiritual infants and children receive the free gift of eternal life.  They will stand before the throne in heaven waving palm branches and praising Adonai for their salvation.  They will attend the ‘marriage supper of the Lamb’  as guests because they are children of Abraham (Matthew 8:11).  They will praise the Adonai’s majesty in the earth and His glory throughout the heavens.  They comprise the multitude from every tribe and tongue whose praises establish a stronghold against the enemies of God and silence the foe and the avenger (Psalm 8:1-2, Matthew 21:16).

“After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb.  They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.  And they cried out in a loud voice: Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne and to the Lamb” (Revelation 7:9-10).

“After this I heard what sounded like the roar of a great multitude in heaven shouting:  ‘Halleluyah!  Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, for true and just are his judgments ….’  Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters  and like the peals of thunder shouting: ‘Halleluyah!  For our Lord God Almighty reigns.  Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory!  For the wedding of the Lamb has come …” (Revelation 19:1-2, 6).

Spiritual Adults

Growing into maturity should be the goal of everyone who enters the Kingdom.  Maturity comes through eating solid food, the ‘meat’ of the Word and walking in the Spirit.  Each believer is given unique spiritual gifts in order to bear spiritual fruit for the Kingdom (Galatians 5:23-24).  As a mature spiritual adult, they leave the elementary teachings found in Hebrews 6. They have the wisdom of Messiah that is not of this world (1 Corinthians 2:6).  They stand firm and completely confident devoting their entire lives to God’s will (Colossians 4:12).  They discern the difference between good and evil, light and darkness (Hebrews 5:14). They press on toward the upward high calling in Messiah (Philippians 3:14).

Spiritually mature adults are not contaminated with the world and its carnality.  They walk as Yeshua told the woman at the well – in Spirit and in Truth – not one or the other.  They live by faith obeying the commands given to them by their Father.  They do not worship idols or embrace the pagan ideologies of false gods because they ‘come out from among them’ and made themselves ‘holy.’ They have been thoroughly trained in righteousness –– living rightly before They are pure and refined.  Their garments are not stained or wrinkled.

Maturity is important when it comes to the Bride of Messiah.  No human man marries an infant or a child. An adult man chooses a woman who is mature and capable of being his helpmeet.  Just as a rib portion of a mature man’s body (Adam) was formed into his bride (Havah), a rib portion of the Body of Messiah, those who have attained maturity, will be formed into his Bride.

Significant to the creation of Eve was that the body of Adam slept.  The same will be true of Messiah’s Bride.  While the Body of Yeshua is lulled into sleep through complacency and even the great deception in the end times, only those who are mature and wise will be taken into the wedding chamber and formed into Yeshua’s Bride.

Yeshua tells the Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins in Matthew 25.  They are preparing for the arrival of their Bridegroom.  They all have lamps, but only the wise have oil.   In the Parable all of the virgins fall  asleep, but only the wise virgins are able to light their lamps when they hear the Bridegroom arriving.  Only the wise virgins are prepared to go into the bridal chamber with the Bridegroom.  The foolish virgins ask the wise virgins for oil, but the oil cannot be shared.  While the foolish virgins go to buy more oil, the Bridegroom arrives and takes the wise virgins as his Bride. He shuts the door and the foolish ones lose a great reward.

All  ten virgins were part of Yeshua’s Body.  All ten virgins were betrothed to Yeshua.  All ten virgins had the Word as a lamp (Psalm 119:105).  However, only the wise had oil, a symbol of the Spirit of God.  Only the wise virgins maintained their pure and sincere devotion to Yeshua while waiting for his return. Only the wise virgins were prepared with enough oil in their lamps when the ‘appointed time’ for their Bridegroom’s return arrived.   They had made themselves ready as only a real Bride prepares.

“For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready.  Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear. (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints)” (Revelation 19:7-8).

What are the righteous acts of the saints?  ‘Righteous’ acts according to Vines Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words means ‘those who are upright and conforming to God’s law (Torah).’   ‘Righteous’ comes from the Hebrew word tzdek and those who are righteous are tzedekim.   The ‘righteous’ obey Adonai’s instructions just as Yeshua taught in Matthew 5.

Hebrew Word Pictures

Tzadek or righteous

ז Tzadik – A Fishhook means ‘to draw near’ or ‘desire.’

ד Dalet – A Door and means ‘pathway.’

ק Kof – Back of the Head means ‘what is behind.’

Hebrew word picture for tzadek: desire to draw near what is behind the pathway.

‘Saints,’ according to Vines, comes from the Greek word hagios and means ‘holy.’ ‘Holy’ means ‘consecrated to God.’  Saints are sanctified people, set apart for God by the way they choose to live, grow and live out the righteous ways of Adonai.  The Bride of Messiah chooses to live a consecrated life while waiting for her Bridegroom.  She prepares for a marriage ceremony and the wedding supper of the Lamb.  Her reward is a beautiful, white linen gown. She will sit beside her Bridegroom to reign with him for all eternity.

Rewards and Crowns

Crowns are given to royalty and those given authority to rule. Yeshua gives several crowns as rewards to his people, a crown that lasts forever is given to those who run the race (1 Corinthians 9:25). For those who have fought the good fight and long for his appearing, Yeshua gives a crown of righteousness (2 Timothy 4:7-8). To those who persevere through temptation, passing the ‘test,’ Yeshua will give the crown of life promised to those who love him (James 1:12).

The Bride given fine linen, a robe of salvation and crowns, and becomes the glory of the whole universe. Her greatest reward is being transformed into the New Jerusalem (Isaiah 6:10).

“Come! I will show you the Bride, the Wife of the Lamb.” He carried me off in the Spirit to the top of a great, high mountain and showed me the holy city, Yerushalayim, coming down out of heaven from God. It had the Sh’khinah of God, so that its brilliance was like that of a priceless jewel, like a crystal-clear diamond. It had a great, high wall with twelve gates; at the gates were twelve angels; and inscribed on the gates were the names of the twelve tribes of Isra’el” (Revelation 21:9-12).

Just as Adonai created a wife for Adam from a rib portion of his body, so He will prepare a Bride for His Son from a rib portion of Yeshua.  It should be the desire of every believer, young or old, to grow into spiritual maturity because Yeshua will not marry an infant, toddler or rebellious teenager.  He will only marry only the mature, discerning, wise virgins.

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