Corpse Brides In Demand In China
A corpse bride can bring in as much as $20,000 in China. According to the staff writers at news.com.au:
This is the alarming reality facing rural families in China, who shockingly regularly discover the bodies of loved ones have gone missing. The practice is fuelled by a belief that a newly deceased bachelor must be buried alongside a woman.
According to the bizarre tradition, which was outlawed under Communism, elderly single men are given a “bride” to be buried with when they die, with some considering it bad luck to pass into the next life without a female companion.
Some believe a “ghost wedding” prevents their dead bachelor relative becoming restless and returning to haunt and bring misfortune to the family.
Ghost weddings date back 3000 years, but despite being stamped out by China’s ruling Communist party, the belief still exists, particularly in rural areas. The ghoulish ritual involves a corpse being reburied next to the dead man while drums are played in front of relatives.
These poor people suffer from an uninformed fear of death, seeking better "luck" to navigate its mysteries. And to make matters worse, they fear the dead themselves, seeking to placate them so as not to be haunted.
Ultimately, what this ancient culture suffers from is the lack of influence of the Gospel. Not understanding the joys and assurances that a knowledge of the Truth brings, the void has been filled with superstition and fear.
It is not a corpse bride you need by your side as you journey from life into death. It's The One Who conquered death itself. In Christ, and in Christ alone, death loses its sting.
"Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" (1 Corinthians 15:55).
Additional Application:
What these bachelors need in death isn’t a dead bride, but a resurrected Groom!
“I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him” (2 Corinthians 11:2).
The Ugly Bride
A man in Algiers is seeking $20,000 in damages for the psychological suffering he endured after waking up from his honeymoon with an ugly bride. The lawsuit was filed the day after the wedding when the groom claimed that his wife defrauded him by wearing heavy makeup until the morning after the wedding.
There’s no chance Jesus is waking up with an ugly bride! The Church, The Bride of Christ, need not fear that the make-up of her pretenses will be wiped away, exposing her flaws. That’s because, as His bride, we will be adorned in the robes of His righteousness. On that day, the Bride of Christ will never be more beautiful!
“Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready” (Revelation 19:7).
Saved by the Bell
There is a fascinating histroy to the phrase “Saved by the Bell”
Today, this expression is commonly used to refer to any event where someone is rescued, just in time, by circumstance.
Did you know its history traces bact to an event in 1696, involving a guard named John Hatfield stationed at Windsor Castle in England?
In that era, a guard’s duties were taken very seriously, which essentially meant remaining fully alert.
However, Hatfield was accused of sleeping on duty and neglecting his post. He was put on trial for this charge. Hatfield defended himself by claiming he hadn’t slept at all; instead, he said he heard the bells of St. Paul’s Cathedral—some 20 miles away in London—ring thirteen times. [Of course, that would be a rather uncommon claim, since bells don't ring beyond the 12th hour].
It was an extraordinary defense, and Hatfield was still found guilty. In those days, guards found guilty of dereliction of duty faced the death penalty by hanging.
Fortunately, a kind or curious soul—or perhaps both—pondered Hatfield’s remarkable defense long enough and decided to investigate. This person discovered that yes, the bells at St. Paul’s Cathedral had indeed rung thirteen times. Others in the community also heard and counted the thirteen bell strikes.
Hatfield’s sentence was ultimately postponed, and he lived to the age of 102. Truly, Hatfield had been “Saved by the Bell.”
This story echoes a deeper spiritual truth: we, too, stood guilty, unable to defend ourselves from the weight of our sin. But just in time, grace rang out—not from a bell tower, but from a cross on Calvary.
“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
— Romans 5:8 (NKJV)
Jesus intervened right on time. Not because we earned it, but because God, in His mercy, made a way when none seemed possible. Just as John Hatfield was saved by a bell that validated his innocence, we are saved by the cross that validates God's love.
And even when life accuses us or we feel condemned:
“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
— Romans 8:1 (ESV)
So, the next time you hear the phrase "saved by the bell", remember: you’ve been saved by something far greater—by a Savior whose timing is perfect and whose grace is enough.
Truly, it is an uncommon defense, but our ONLY defense, offered by our Great Defender, indeed our Advocaate before the Father!
"My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One" (1 John 2:1, NIV).