The Bride of Christ

[nChrist]

Sister Chris,

I hope this is what you asked for. Please let me repeat that my health is not very good right now, and I pray that God gave me the strength to limit errors. I prepared this brief study in answer to your questions in another thread.
_____________________________

The Bride of Christ - Part 1

There is good reason why some are confused about the Bride of Christ. In the Old Testament, Israel was likened to the Wife of Jehovah, but Israel was adulterous and repudiated. Please see Isaiah 54:1-10 and Hosea 2:1-17. Israel followed after idols and other gods. It shouldn't be necessary to expound greatly that Israel also rejected Christ in the New Testament and still rejects Christ to this day. So, from an Old Testament perspective, the confusion is revealed about why some still believe that Israel will be the Bride of Christ.

The wedding of Christ is in the New Testament, and the Bride of Christ is without spot or blemish. The Bride of Christ will be as a virgin and will not divide her affections among many lovers. The Bride of Christ gives her love exclusively to Christ. The adulterous and unfaithful Israel doesn't fit any of the descriptions given to the Bride of Christ. So the obvious conclusions are very simple:

1 - Israel can't be the Bride of Christ and isn't.

2 - The CHURCH which is the BODY OF CHRIST is the Bride of Christ.

3 - Individual believers are the guests who are invited to the wedding. Collectively, as a body and one, they are the Bride of Christ. The beautiful descriptions of a Biblical marriage apply to this marriage.
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Revelation 19:7 MKJV  Let us be glad and rejoice and we will give glory to Him. For the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has prepared herself.
Revelation 19:8 MKJV  And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white. For the fine linen is the righteousness of the saints.
Revelation 19:9 MKJV  And he said to me, Write, Blessed are those who have been called to the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he said to me, These are the true sayings of God.
Revelation 19:10 MKJV  And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said to me, See, do not do it! I am your fellow servant, and of your brothers who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God, for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

Please take special note about the clothing description of the Bride of Christ in Revelation 19:8 and the quote, "For the fine linen is the righteousness of the saints." The saints are the CHURCH which is the BODY OF CHRIST, not Israel who rejected the LAMB, Jesus Christ, the Bridegroom.
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Matthew 22:1 MKJV  And Jesus answered and spoke to them again by parables, and said,
Matthew 22:2 MKJV  The kingdom of Heaven is like a certain king who made a marriage for his son.
Matthew 22:3 MKJV  And he sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they would not come.
Matthew 22:4 MKJV  Again he sent out other servants, saying, Tell those who are invited, Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatlings are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the marriage.
Matthew 22:5 MKJV  But not caring, they went their ways, one to his field, another to his trading.
Matthew 22:6 MKJV  And the rest took his servants and treated them spitefully, and killed them.
Matthew 22:7 MKJV  But when the king heard, he was angry. And he sent out his armies and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.
Matthew 22:8 MKJV  Then he said to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they who were invited were not worthy.
Matthew 22:9 MKJV  Therefore go into the exits of the highways, and as many as you shall find, invite them to the marriage.
Matthew 22:10 MKJV  So the servants went out into the highways and gathered together as many as they found, both bad and good. And the wedding was filled with reclining guests.
Matthew 22:11 MKJV  And the king coming in to look over the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment.
Matthew 22:12 MKJV  And he said to him, Friend, how did you come in here without having a wedding garment? And he was speechless.
Matthew 22:13 MKJV  Then the king said to the servants, Bind him hand and foot and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Matthew 22:14 MKJV  For many are called, but few chosen.

===============See Part 2

[nChrist]

The Bride of Christ - Part 2

Yes, this is a parable and is labeled as such, but it does have massive and significant meaning, especially in context with many other portions of the Bible. As a perfect example, see John 1:11-14.

John 1:11 MKJV  He came to His own, and His own received Him not.
John 1:12 MKJV  But as many as received Him, He gave to them authority to become the children of God, to those who believe on His name,
John 1:13 MKJV  who were born, not of bloods, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but were born of God.
John 1:14 MKJV  And the Word became flesh, and tabernacled among us. And we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and of truth.

His own was Israel, and Israel rejected Him. Now, apply the parable in Matthew 22 which speaks of those who refused the wedding invitation. Those who would not come to the wedding were Israel.

The Bride of Christ will come willingly and with great joy.
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Please see and apply another beautiful parable, Matthew 25:6-10
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There are many beautiful portions of Scripture to read and enjoy about this subject, and I haven't really done anything except present an introduction.

2 Corinthians 11:2 MKJV  For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy. For I have espoused you to one Man, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ.

In connection with 2 Corinthians 11:2, please see John 3:29.

John 3:29 MKJV  He who has the bride is the bridegroom, but the friend of the bridegroom who stands and hears him rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom's voice. Then my joy is fulfilled.

Even an introduction would be incomplete without the following beautiful portion of Scripture.

Ephesians 5:25 MKJV  Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for it,
Ephesians 5:26 MKJV  that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word,
Ephesians 5:27 MKJV  that He might present it to Himself as the glorious church, without spot or wrinkle or any such things, but that it should be holy and without blemish.

Love in Christ,
Tom

[BigD]

From http://www.starlightresearch.com/Problem7.html
PROBLEM No. 7--THAT THE CHURCH, THE BODY OF CHRIST, IS ALSO THE BRIDE OF CHRIST

This is a favorite theme of Acts 2 Dispensationalists. The Scripture passages they use to support this theory are John 3:29, Rev. 19:7-9, 2 Cor. 11:2, Eph. 5:31-32, and Romans 7:4.

THE TRUTH

The Apostle Paul said nothing about the Body of Christ being the Bride of Christ. This 'doctrine' has come about because of mixing the truth given to John and Paul, whose apostleships were different in calling and ministry.

The words 'bride' and 'bridegroom' are strictly a part of Kingdom language;
that is, they pertain to the Nation of Israel. Neither word is found in Paul's
letters, not even in Hebrew s. This fact, then, tells us that this subject is a
part of Judaism instead of being a part of Christianity. This is a good example of the inconsistency of the Acts 2 position.

Let us briefly look at the teaching of the above verses:

1. John 3:29: "He that hath the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom's voice; this my joy therefore is fulfilled."

This verse was spoken by John the Baptist and written down by the Apostle John. There are three individuals mentioned - bride, bridegroom, and friend of the bridegroom. John the Baptist is the friend of the bridegroom; Jesus is the bridegroom (which is also the teaching of Matthew 25:1-13); and the bride constitutes those who believe in Him as the Messiah of Israel (John 3:28).

There is nothing here concerning the Body of Christ.

2. Rev. 19:7-9: "Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife has made herself ready. [8] And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white; for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. [9] And He said unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he said to me, These are the true sayings of God."

This passage will be fulfilled at the Second Coming of Christ. One of the events the Lord is involved in then will be the marriage of the Lamb. It is not a 'bride' but 'His wife has made herself ready.' The use of the word 'wife' looks back to the Old Testament, particularly to Ezekiel 16:8, where Israel became Jehovah's wife (first marriage); to Jer. 3:8 where we read of a bill of divorce from the first marriage; and to Hosea 2:19 which speaks of the remarriage of Israel to the Lord which Revelation 19:7-9 describes (please read Hosea 2:7,16 which relate to this subject). Israel will become a 'bride' and a 'wife' at the Second Coming of its Bridegroom.

There seems to be another 'bride' involved with Israel, and that is the New Jerusalem mentioned in Revelation 21:9-10.

So then, during the Millennium the saved Nation of Israel will be the wife of the Lamb, and during the Dispensation of the Fullness of Times, the New Jerusalem will also be called 'the bride,' the Lamb's wife. The terminology used indicates a very close connection between Israel and the New Jerusalem in an earthly setting.

3. 2 Cor. 11:2, "For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy, for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ."

All the translations favor the idea of the Body of Christ being the Bride of Christ. But the Greek does not support this. There is an alternative translation that teaches otherwise, and is in harmony with Pauline theology.

The Greek word for 'husband' also means 'man;' 'espoused' also means 'joined,' and the word 'virgin' is masculine, not feminine. A better translation reads like this: "For I am burning with zeal (over) you with a zeal of God, for I myself have joined you to one Man, to present a pure virgin to Christ" (from The Unveiling of Christianity by the author).

When unsaved people were saved under Paul's ministry, they became joined to Christ as being a part of the Body of Christ. The Body of Christ is called a gone new man' in Eph. 2:15. The masculine 'virgin' fits in well here. There is no teaching of the Body being a 'bride' in this verse, unless you can find it in a masculine bride instead of a feminine bride. In addition, Jesus is not presented as a 'husband' here, but as a MAN.

4. Eph. 5:31-32 , "For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. (321 This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church."

This is a favorite passage with the Acts 2 brethren. It seems to be suited for this doctrine, but we must carefully notice the language used in this passage. This passage and 2 Cor. 11:2 go together.

The emphasis is on the word 'joined' in verse 31: '...and shall be JOINED unto his wife...' The Greek word used here does not mean 'married' but 'joined' (Acts 5:36) or 'to cleave' (Matt. 19:5; Mark 10:7). You can 'cleave to' a person without being 'married' to him or her. Disciples can 'cleave to' their leader and follow what he teaches, but they are not married to him. The Holy Spirit could have had Paul use 'marriage' in verse 31 instead of 'joined' if that was supposed to have been the intended meaning.

If you go back to Adam and Eve, the emphasis is the same. In Gen. 2:24 the word 'marriage' is not used, but 'cleave,' the same as in Eph. 5:31. There is no marriage ceremony in Genesis 2:22-24. If one does not pay close attention to the vocabulary used by a writer of Scripture, anything can be taught from the Bible.

5. Rom. 7:4, "Wherefore, my brethren, you also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that you should be married to another, even to Him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God."

This verse seems to teach that believers should be 'married to another even to Him who is raised from the dead.' The NKJV still retains the word 'married.'

The reason why 'married' is carried over into verse 4 is because of what is taught in verses 2 and 3, that the married woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives. The language of verses 2 and 3 is correct, even though translators can do a better job of translating verses 2 and 3, so that the truth can be more easily seen.

A Greek word for 'married' [HUPANDROS; Thayer's Greek-English Lex., p. 638] is used in verse 2 and translated 'which has a husband.' It can be translated 'For the married woman...' In verses 3 and 4 the English word 'married' is used three times, and it is the translation of the Greek verb GINOMAI, which means 'to become, to arise, appear, to be made ' done, finished.' It doesn't mean 'to marry' or even 'to join.' The meaning of 'become,' which should be used in verse 4, emphasizes the fact of 'becoming' one with our Saviour, the RISEN Christ Jesus. This is the only way that we can produce fruit (good works) for our Father God. There is no 'marriage' in this verse.

Since we have already been made a part of the Body of Christ at the time of salvation by the baptism of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 12:13), there is absolutely no need to be joined or married to Him again.

By Robert C. Brock

God Bless.
Live Well, Laugh Often, and Love the Lord!

[nChrist]

BigD,

I strongly disagree, but I refuse to make a debate out of this precious topic. So, we will simply have to agree to disagree.

I won't be posting the other portions of this study for the same reason. I'll simply say that I won't be spending any time in refuting something so obviously false. That's already been done for you in another thread, and the result was senseless.

Brother, I'll conclude by saying that I'm glad you did this now before I expended a great deal more time and energy. So, thanks but NO THANKS.

It is a quite beautiful study, so I'll do it for my personal enjoyment at a much slower pace.

Love In Christ,
Tom

Hebrews 11:1-3 ASV  Now faith is assurance of things hoped for, a conviction of things not seen.  For therein the elders had witness borne to them.  By faith we understand that the worlds have been framed by the word of God, so that what is seen hath not been made out of things which appear.

[BigD]

WHY WILL YOU NOT DEFEND THAT WHAT YOU BELIEVE?

God Bless.
Live Well, Laugh Often and Love the Lord!

[nChrist]

WHY WILL YOU NOT DEFEND THAT WHAT YOU BELIEVE?

God Bless.
Live Well, Laugh Often and Love the Lord!

   BigD,

You've already been given a complete and specific answer, so this post simply illustrates the reason for the answer I've already given you. So, refer to my previous post and your illustration to understand it. For further illustration, see a previous thread with you that resembles a circus instead of a Bible Study. Brother, I really did want to be nice, but this is the only answer you're going to get.

Love In Christ,
Tom

1 Corinthians 2:9-10 ASV  but as it is written, Things which eye saw not, and ear heard not, And which entered not into the heart of man, Whatsoever things God prepared for them that love him. But unto us God revealed them through the Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.

[BigD]

At least I have defended everthing I have posted and believe. That is more then I can say for you.

God Bless.
Live Well, Laugh Often and Love the Lord!

[Bronzesnake]

At least I have defended everthing I have posted and believe. That is more then I can say for you.

God Bless.
Live Well, Laugh Often and Love the Lord!

Hello my friend.

My brother, it is senseless to attempt an explanation for you because if you don't agree with it you'll continue to say "prove it" or "defend it" God doesn't need defending by us my brother.

 

[dan p]

BIG D , tho I may agree with you, and that I have all of R C BROCK material , you can see that there some disagreement , even with all dispensationist. But I am happy to be among friends , even if their is some disagreement, because some sites can be mean. As long as I can post what I believe.

[doug]

I have been a student of Greek for some time and have learned that parsing must take second place to context.
You may be able to explain to me the difference between heaven and paradise. It may even make perfect sense to some, but I'm already convinced that Abraham's bosom is part of Abraham, that it is located in paradise, and that paradise is heaven.

Mark Hall of Casting Crowns sings the song "If We Are The Body." Somehow I don't think that he understands the Body as distinguished from the Bride.

[nChrist]

I have been a student of Greek for some time and have learned that parsing must take second place to context.
You may be able to explain to me the difference between heaven and paradise. It may even make perfect sense to some, but I'm already convinced that Abraham's bosom is part of Abraham, that it is located in paradise, and that paradise is heaven.

Mark Hall of Casting Crowns sings the song "If We Are The Body." Somehow I don't think that he understands the Body as distinguished from the Bride.

Hello Doug,

Are you the return of BigD? If so, welcome back.

If you like to do ancient language studies, you would first need to know there are differences between the Old Testament and the New Testament.

For Greek - look at Hades.
For Hebrew - look at Sheol.

You would also need to know what the Jews taught and why. As an example, Hades or Sheol are not Hell, rather an abiding place for the souls of the dead - both good and bad - a place of conscious existence after death. The good were separated from the bad. See Luke 16:19-31 for a good example. This is a lengthy and fairly difficult study involving many portions of the Bible and big changes at the cross! Death for a Christian is extremely simple today, "Absent from the body, present with the LORD." If you want to do the entire study, you'll find out what the difference was between Old Testament Saints and those Saved after the CROSS. You'll also find how the Blood of CHRIST on the CROSS effected the Old Testament Saints. Abraham's bosom was a good and pleasant place, even though CHRIST had not made the PERFECT SACRIFICE yet.

This is really a beautiful Bible Study, but one that has been subject to many arguments over the years. I won't do the arguments, so you can do the study for yourself. If you like ancient language studies, you should quickly have a large list of Scripture references as great starting places. If you want to argue or debate it, start a thread in the debate section, and anyone who wants to can join you.

Love In Christ,
Tom

Favorite Bible Quotes 175 - Hebrews 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author
and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him
endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right
hand of the throne of God.