2 Corinthians 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.
Paul here is not saying the church, the body of Christ, is the bride of Christ. Paul is using espousal to illustrate the faithfulness and purity of the church unto Christ Jesus.
The relationship the church has with Christ is expressed by marriage. Christ is the head of the church just as the husband is head of the wife (Ephesians 5:23).
Paul is admonishing the church for following other apostles and another gospel (2 Corinthians 11:4).
The bride of Christ is a city as seen by Revelation 21:9-10.
Yes, while the church is compared to a bride, it is never said to be the bride. Many people skip over that little tidbit. And meanwhile Israel IS said to have been married to God, divorce, and that God will remarry Isreal.
So why wouldn't we think that Israel is in fact the bride?
Many will come from the east and west . . . coordinates never used of heaven, only used on the earth. The wedding feast is not in heaven, but is on the earth, after Jesus returns.
After the bride has made herself ready. Made herself ready? The church is sanctified by Jesus.
Ephesians 5
25) Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
26)
That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
27)
That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
But of the bride is said, has made herself ready . . . I think this will be fulfilled in the Jews in the wilderness, led by Elijah, turning the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the children to the fathers, so that they will say, Blessed is He Who comes in the Name of the LORD.
This relationship with Christ, that we are not His bride, but His body, flesh of His flesh, bone of His bone,
Ephesians 5
29) For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:
30) For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.
31) 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.
32) This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
For this cause shall a man leave and cleave . . . What cause? That we are members of His body, flesh of His flesh, bone of His bone. No one hates their own body. The care for it, nourish it, and we are members of Christ's body, and He cares for us, and nourishes us.
So because of that, we leave and cleave to our wives. God ordained marraige as an illustration of the unity we have with Christ. Our unity with Christ is the reality for which marraige is to be a shadow.
This great mystery is not that we are to be married to Him, rather, that we are a part of Him.
Much love!