Who is the Bride of Christ?

larry2 · Jun 30, 2018

Will you be a chosen part of the Church that is to be that select rank of believers?

Do you as some do, think that the entire Church comprises the bride? Why please?

I'll just leave this following scripture to start discussion.
Rev 19:7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife hath made herself ready.

Enoch111 · Jun 30, 2018

larry2 said:
Do you as some do, think that the entire Church comprises the bride?

To answer this question, one must firstly be clear about what the Church is according to Scripture. The Greek word for church -- ekklesia -- has several meanings:

Strong's Concordance
ekklésia: an assembly, a (religious) congregation
Original Word: ἐκκλησία, ας, ἡ
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Transliteration: ekklésia
Phonetic Spelling: (ek-klay-see'-ah)
Short Definition: an assembly, congregation, church
Definition: an assembly, congregation, church; the Church, the whole body of Christian believers.

So for our purposes the Church is the whole body of Christians believers, which means all those who have been born again and are children of God, being blood bought and blood washed. So the Church is the Body of Christ (with Christ as the Head).

And it is the Church which is called the Bride of Christ, which will become the Wife of the Lamb (or the Lamb's Wife).

The Church as the Body, the Bride, and the Building of Christ are metaphors for spiritual realities and at the same time they are also realities.

Hidden In Him · Jun 30, 2018

larry2 said:
Will you be a chosen part of the Church that is to be that select rank of believers?

Do you as some do, think that the entire Church comprises the bride? Why please?

I'll just leave this following scripture to start discussion.
Rev 19:7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife hath made herself ready.

Larry, I've heard others posit this argument before and never knew where they were coming from or what texts it was based on. Think you can present it in succinct terms, with the primary scriptural basis included?

waterlilyoflife · Jun 30, 2018

I love weddings, they are so beautiful. Brides usually wear white, I've heard that tradition started in the middle of the 19th century, when Queen Victoria of Great Britain wore a white dress and white flowers in her hair to her wedding to Prince Albert. The King prepared fine linen, clean and bright, white linen I assume, for the wedding dress of the Bride. I guess they didn't have silk or silk was too expensive back then.

To be part of the church, the Bride, we must avoid sin, read the Bible and meditate on it, pray and spread the gospel of Christ. Living cleanly and righteously, being dedicated to the Lord in prayer and reading scripture, showing God's love and kindness to others we meet in our daily lives is the way to make ourselves "Clean and bright", to cover ourselves in the white linen.

larry2 · Jun 30, 2018

larry2 said:
Do you as some do, think that the entire Church comprises the bride?

Enoch111 said:
To answer this question, one must firstly be clear about what the Church is according to Scripture. The Greek word for church -- ekklesia -- has several meanings:

Good enough, and you are right in how the the word church is used differently concerning who is being addressed.
Rev 1:11 Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.

Next we can illustrate the entire Church which is the one body of Christ regardless their different denominations.
Eph 1:22 And hath put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be the head over all things to the church,
Eph 1:23 Which is His body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.

In the Revelation of Jesus, we begin seeing His judgment of the seven different conditions of the one and only Church which He is head of. Five portions of the Church are told to repent, and two; the Smyrna which are told they will receive a crown if they remain faithful(Rev 2:10), and Philadelphia (Rev 3:11) are commended and told to not allow anyone to take their crown.

This is establishing ranks in the resurrection of the saints of God according to their spiritual walk with Christ. Are all of the Church promised to reign with Jesus as kings and priests in Rev 5:10?

Thanks and God bless you in Jesus' name.

larry2 · Jun 30, 2018

Hidden In Him said:
Larry, I've heard others posit this argument before and never knew where they were coming from or what texts it was based on. Think you can present it in succinct terms, with the primary scriptural basis included?

I sure hope to dear brother. To me there is great need in this present time approaching the Day of the Lord for the Church to straighten out our act, and seek an ever closer submission to what God would have for us.

I may repeat some things as we proceed depending to any that haven't kept up with us, but there are might clues given us such as Rom 8:17, the difference in heirs of God (All who are born of Him), and those that can become be joint heirs with Christ.
Another is 2Ti 2:12 If we suffer (or endure), we shall also reign with him.

Blessings in Christ Jesus.

Windmillcharge · Jun 30, 2018

larry2 said:
Do you as some do, think that the entire Church comprises the bride? Why please?

Because the church is those who belong to Jesus, not the various organisations used to group Christians.

larry2 · Jun 30, 2018

waterlilyoflife said:
To be part of the church, the Bride, we must avoid sin, read the Bible and meditate on it, pray and spread the gospel of Christ. Living cleanly and righteously, being dedicated to the Lord in prayer and reading scripture, showing God's love and kindness to others we meet in our daily lives is the way to make ourselves "Clean and bright", to cover ourselves in the white linen.

If I'm following your thought correctly, I like the illustration you present. It is in Rev 19:7 that tells us that the bride hath made herself ready, and that the clean and white linen is the result of her righteous acts, or equitable deeds.

Rev 19:7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.
Rev 19:8 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.

God bless you sister in Christ Jesus.

Hidden In Him · Jun 30, 2018

larry2 said:
I sure hope to dear brother. To me there is great need in this present time approaching the Day of the Lord for the Church to straighten out our act, and seek an ever closer submission to what God would have for us.

I may repeat some things as we proceed depending to any that haven't kept up with us, but there are might clues given us such as Rom 8:17, the difference in heirs of God (All who are born of Him), and those that can become be joint heirs with Christ.
Another is 2Ti 2:12 If we suffer (or endure), we shall also reign with him.

Blessings in Christ Jesus.

Oki doki, sounds good. Now please don't get offended with me if I still choose to disagree. I'm honestly open-minded, but I approach theological debates with a fair amount of knowledge behind me, and I always make up my own mind on virtually everything.

Blessings. Looking forward to hearing your case. If you can, when you present the main body of your argument, quote or @Hidden In Him me so I know you've posted it.

larry2 · Jun 30, 2018

larry2 said:
Do you as some do, think that the entire Church comprises the bride? Why please?

Windmillcharge said:
Because the church is those who belong to Jesus, not the various organisations used to group Christians.

Hi Brother Windmillcharge, and another correct answer, but would you consider that the entire Church is under the scruinty, or examination by our Lord as we read of in Revelation chapters two & three? Is there promises made to some parts of the Church that aren't made to others according to their spiritual walk?

I don't know your knowledge of the breastplate of righteousness, but we face judgment according to our spiritual walk also. Our standing in the blood remains firm, but our state can suffer. I wrote the following some years ago I just posted here also as to have a reference when I want to reuse it in during discussion. Here is the URL link on these forums to illustrate what I'm trying to say.
https://www.christianityboard.com/threads/ephod-and-the-breastplate-of-judgment.26157/

Bless you in Jesus' name.

larry2 · Jun 30, 2018

Hidden In Him said:
Oki doki, sounds good. Now please don't get offended with me if I still choose to disagree.

Have at it; that's what I'm here for. If we don't have questions resolved, we don't learn. You may have revelation of somethig revealed to you I've never considered.

Helen · Jun 30, 2018

larry2 said:
Do you as some do, think that the entire Church comprises the bride? Why please?

No. I believe that there are degrees ..same as there were those who were given different callings within the priesthood Lev.
So I believe there is the Church, the Bride from within the Church ...and the overcomers are the sons, sons that are from within Bride. .

Yes, I believe in sonship.

larry2 · Jun 30, 2018

larry2 said:
Do you as some do, think that the entire Church comprises the bride?

"ByGrace" said:
No. I believe that there are degrees ..same as there were those who were given different callings within the priesthood Lev.
So I believe there is the Church, the Bride from within the Church ...and the overcomers are the sons, that are from within Bride. .

Yes, I believe in sonship.

Amen. I hope to establish that order scripturally as we proceed. thanks for your reply in Jesus' name.

Helen · Jun 30, 2018

larry2 said:
Amen. I hope to establish that order scripturally as we proceed. thanks for your reply in Jesus' name.

Good...look forward to it.

Enoch111 · Jun 30, 2018

larry2 said:
Are all of the Church promised to reign with Jesus as kings and priests in Rev 5:10?

That would be correct, and it is confirmed by the apostle Peter, who reveals that all the children of God are within a Royal Priesthood:

1 PETER 2
1 Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings,
2 As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:
3 If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.
4 To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious,
5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.
6 Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.
7 Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,
8 And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.
9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
10 Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.

larry2 · Jun 30, 2018

larry2 said:
Do you as some do, think that the entire Church comprises the bride?

Enoch111 said:
That would be correct, and it is confirmed by the apostle Peter, who reveals that all the children of God are within a Royal Priesthood:

Starting as a royal priesthood, and enduring to reign with Jesus as kings and priests seem to me to be two different things?
2Ti 2:12 If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us. What will Jesus deny us; not reigning?

Now I'll add a bit to the mix. Do you realize that those caught up, and standing before God's throne in Rev 7:14-15 are of the Church?
Note something else about this next rank of the Church is that their reward is a palm instead of a crown, and they serve in God's temple instead of reigning with Jesus as His bride.

What do you think?

Helen · Jun 30, 2018

Well said @larry2

amadeus · Jun 30, 2018

Apparently the guests invited to the wedding are saved, but they would not be part of the Bride:

"Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage.
So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests.
And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment:" Matt 22:9-11

larry2 · Jun 30, 2018

amadeus said:
Apparently the guests invited to the wedding are saved, but they would not be part of the Bride:

Good to see you seeing some of this brother. As this develops we’ll add to the background for some of this. Suffice to say for the moment, we have been taught many things that tend to that attempt to tie all of God’s work in us as complete, and it is the very judgment seat of Christ of Revelation chapters two & three where we begin seeing differences in our spiritual walk with Jesus, and the resulting rewards afforded.

I like to keep most of my posts short, as I know for me too that I tend to just skip through longer ones, but I’ll add this gem to the mix for now. Much of the Church believes the twenty-four elders of Rev 4:4 are Old Testament believers, and they have that very special place with our Savior prior to the tribulation. Well, John the Baptist says that he was not the bride, but the friend of the bridegroom

Mat 11:11 Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist

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

Blessings in Christ Jesus.

Enoch111 · Jul 1, 2018

larry2 said:
Starting as a royal priesthood, and enduring to reign with Jesus as kings and priests seem to me to be two different things?
2Ti 2:12 If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us. What will Jesus deny us; not reigning?

They are not two different things at all. We seem to forget that everything God gives His children is purely by His grace, since we deserve absolutely nothing. And since all who live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution, all will suffer with Christ (to a greater or lesser degree). As to those who deny Him, that is another matter, it would seem from other Scriptures that they are not even saved.

larry2 said:
Note something else about this next rank of the Church is that their reward is a palm instead of a crown, and they serve in God's temple instead of reigning with Jesus as His bride.

First of all we are not told what those palms represent, but they are NOT rewards. On the other hand crowns are rewards given to some but not to all Christians, since some may lose their rewards, or not even receive any. But their salvation is always secure.

As to serving in God's temple INSTEAD of reigning with Christ, it is not an and/or proposition. Kings AND priests can do both without any conflict.

Who is the Bride of Christ?

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