The prophet of God had two wives over the course of his life. He married his first wife Hope in 1934, but she sadly passed away of tuberculosis in 1937. He would later marry Meda in 1941, having been instructed by the Angel of the LORD to marry her on October 23 of that year.
The connection that Hope had with her husband, and the imprint she made on him via their marriage union was something truly special and unique, so when the Angel of the LORD instructed the prophet to marry Meda, it was because God knew that Meda would be a continuation and matching print of what Hope had been to him beforehand.
Both of these women had a significant role in the prophet’s life, but they had different parts to play in his unfolding ministry. Hope was a part of the prophet’s previous ministry, during his training time in the early days, whereas Meda was a part of his maturing time, as the prophet’s ministry developed and unfolded, until he was taken home to Glory in 1965.
These two women and their relationship to the prophet has great spiritual meaning, for it would reveal to us how Christ has related to His Bride of each church age. As Meda was a continuation and matching print of what Hope had been to him, so the Bride of this last age is a continuity and matching print of what the Bride of the former ages has been to Christ.
In the message “The sixth seal” (March 23, 1963), the prophet tells of a dream he had of the Judgment Seat of Christ where the believer is rewarded for their service and work for the Lord Jesus on the earth. As the various names were being called and the respective persons stood before the Lord to receive their reward and to enter into the joys of the Lord, the prophet then heard his name called. As he began to approach the great ivory steps to stand before the Lord, he felt an arm on each side slip into his.
He turned to look, and there was Hope and Meda. The two ladies then looked at each other in a small gesture of recognition and acknowledgement, for each knew the special place they had in the same man as his wife and in bearing his children; then together they walked arm in arm with the prophet as he went up to receive his reward.
The prophet’s dream is really a symbolic depiction of Christ and the Bride of all ages when we are gathered together in Glory, for we will look at the Bride of the past ages, and they will look at us, and together we shall acknowledge the role and integral part we each had to play in Christ during our earthly pilgrimage.
The Bride of seven ages is connected with those who came before Her and those who came after Her. Each was a matching print and further development of the other. Each was complimentary to Christ and were a unique expression of His unfolding character and Word for their respective ages. Their will be no jealousies nor envy when we all meet, but a warm welcoming smile shall light up our faces when we as the wife of Christ from each church age are forever united in person with our Heavenly Husband.