Bride of Christ

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Question: Who is the Bride of Christ? Who are the guests at the wedding supper?

Answer: Let’s answer your first question first.  The person or entity that Christ will marry is the church of God, which is composed of truly repentant and faithful believers.  He marries the church in Revelation the 19th chapter. As the true bridegroom, He not only has prepared himself for the marriage but has also cleansed and prepared the bride for the glorious wedding (Ephesians 5). When He marries there will be great rejoicing in heaven! For example, Revelation 19 reports rejoicing in heaven when God’s kingdom takes control of the world and the bride is revealed: 

"And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude . . . saying, "Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns! Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready." And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints." (Revelation 19:6-8, NKJV throughout)

Hence, it should be no surprise that the guests at the wedding supper are righteous Christians, as per the next verse: "'Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!'"  (Revelation 19:9)

Those who wish to be saved respond to the command, "Come," just like the Bride does, in Revelation 22:17.  Notice also that the great city of God, the New Jerusalem, where Christians will live forever with God the Father and the Son, is called the bride of Christ in Revelation 21:9-10.  Paul in Ephesians makes an analogy between a man married to a woman and Christ and the church: 

"For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. . . . ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’  This mystery is a profound one, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church." (Ephesians 5:23, 31-32)

Now let’s answer your second question in more detail.  Look carefully the parable that’s part of the Olivet Prophecy in Matthew 25.  The ten maidens or virgins had to wait for the bridegroom to come. Symbolically, they represent the church while the groom is Jesus.  When He comes, five of the maidens who were so lackadaisical spiritually missed out on marrying the bridegroom, who is Jesus (verse 10).  Those Christians who were ready went into the marriage feast while the others were shut out.  Finally, consider reading the parable in Matthew 22:1-14.  Note that the bad servants, who represent people who rejected Jesus as Savior, choose not to go to the wedding feast.  Then one man chooses to go, but he doesn't spiritually clean himself up, which is symbolized by his not wearing the right clothes for a wedding, so he’s thrown out.  So it’s obvious that the (proper) wedding guests are called and faithful believers in God. 

So I hope that these answers have been helpful to you.  The church is Christ's bride while the wedding guests are faithful Christians.