The bride of Christ

[amadeus]

I wonder if people wonder what it is they think they will inherit?
What is important to God that a person has?
Love. The gifts of the Spirit. Knowing God.. just Knowing Him is having Him.. is Having Eternal Life.

Indeed, Jesus brought Life and that abundantly. See this:

Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:
And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?" John 11:25-26

If one believes Now in the sense Jesus, I believe, intended, that person from the moment of belief in Him has begun unending Life. He does not say that once your fleshly body dies and the throw the dirt over you face the Living begins. The Living begins, or can begin, Now! It has already started... or it has not. If not, why not and how can it be changed?

"Help thou mine unbelief!" Mark 9:24

But you can't just say you know him because you do this or that, no.
Because then he will turn and say I never knew you.
It's not enough to have Jesus open the door so we can feel him.
We have to open our door and let him feel us.

Yes, there are two Doors. Jesus is the One through which we must enter in order to partake of the Tree of Life, Jesus also being that Tree. Jesus opened that first Door [veil of temple rent in twain] for "whosoever will" but anyone entering, or attempting to enter, without the proper garment will be put out into outer darkness.

The other door, is our door... my door or your door or someone else's door.

"Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me." Rev 3:20

Jesus knocks on our hearts, but He will not force His way inside... Our choice!

If there is something not supposed to be there, He will bring it to the light, that is, himself.
And if we confess it, admit it, he will forgive us.
But if we try to hide from Him, He will hide from us.

And as Jesus is no longer in the world, but we are, we are the Light now, if there is a Light to be seen.

"As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world." John 9:5

"And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world,..." John 17:11

"Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." Matt 5:14-16

I have no desire to sin. If even a thought of bitterness rises, I check myself. Sometimes anger will take a bite, or impatience.
But these are recoverable by seeking those you may have harmed by your rashness, asking for forgiveness.
I believe you have to stand your ground on principles, morals, virtues. And not allow the world to sway you or deceive you into giving in.

But once the lures or enticements of this world no longer have it's grip on you, then you are free indeed.

thinking..
Hugs

Remember carefully the words of this verse:

"For all that is in the world, (1) the lust of the flesh, and (2) the lust of the eyes, and (3) the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world." I John 2:16

Probably some get past the first two only to then fall into the snare of the third one, the pride of life. Then with their heads swollen they without realizing it find themselves susceptible again to either one of both of the first ones again. What does it take to overcome all of our beasts as Jesus did?

 

[Waiting on him]

What does it take to overcome all of our beasts as Jesus did?

Obedience unto death.

 

[charity]

Any Scripture evidence?

Hello @BarneyFife,

With the greatest respect to you, Barney, you must make your own search, not expect me to provide the references for you. The figures of, 'The Wife', 'The Bride' and 'The Body of Christ' (which are the figures in question + one) are upon the pages of Scripture. They are clear, they are separate, and are destined to fill three spheres of blessing in the time to come. Namely, 'The Earth' (Romans 9:3-5), 'The Heavenly Jerusalem' (Galatians 3:28;4:5,26; Hebrews 12:22,23; Revelation 21:9,10) and 'Far above all' (Ephesians 1:4,5; 2:6,12,16).

Happy hunting.
In Christ Jesus
Chris

 

[Waiting on him]

Hello @BarneyFife,

With the greatest respect to you, Barney, you must make your own search, not expect me to provide the references for you. The figures of, 'The Wife', 'The Bride' and 'The Body of Christ' (which are the figures in question + one) are upon the pages of Scripture. They are clear, they are separate, and are destined to fill three spheres of blessing in the time to come. Namely, 'The Earth' (Romans 9:3-5), 'The Heavenly Jerusalem' (Galatians 3:28;4:5,26; Hebrews 12:22,23; Revelation 21:9,10) and 'Far above all' (Ephesians 1:4,5; 2:6,12,16).

Happy hunting.
In Christ Jesus
Chris

Could be this is why Paul states that he travails in birth to deliver them. Something to think about anyhow, Jesus did say we enter in through His flesh.

 

[Ziggy]

What does it take to overcome all of our beasts as Jesus did?

Humbleness

 

[Waiting on him]

Hello @BarneyFife,

With the greatest respect to you, Barney, you must make your own search, not expect me to provide the references for you. The figures of, 'The Wife', 'The Bride' and 'The Body of Christ' (which are the figures in question + one) are upon the pages of Scripture. They are clear, they are separate, and are destined to fill three spheres of blessing in the time to come. Namely, 'The Earth' (Romans 9:3-5), 'The Heavenly Jerusalem' (Galatians 3:28;4:5,26; Hebrews 12:22,23; Revelation 21:9,10) and 'Far above all' (Ephesians 1:4,5; 2:6,12,16).

Happy hunting.
In Christ Jesus
Chris

Why do you believe the word bride is not found in the epistles?@charity,

 

[Waiting on him]

Humbleness

Good answer.

 

[Ziggy]

We all should be striving to make the Bride, which is the best place for us, is it not? Some are likely to come up short on that, but isn't it better to end up among the clean or even the unclean animals in the lower levels of the ark built by Noah [having missed out on being at the top] rather than being left outside where they were all killed? Say what you will about those unclean and clean animals, they were saved?

1Co 12:14 For the body is not one member, but many.
1Co 12:15 If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?
1Co 12:16 And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?
1Co 12:17 If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?
1Co 12:18 But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.
1Co 12:19 And if they were all one member, where were the body?
1Co 12:20 But now are they many members, yet but one body.
1Co 12:21 And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.
1Co 12:22 Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary:
1Co 12:23 And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness.
1Co 12:24 For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked:
1Co 12:25 That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another.
1Co 12:26 And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.
1Co 12:27 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.

When Paul is talking about the body here, it sounds like the outside of the cup. The ones that are clean and shiny on the outside. But when you consider the body as a whole, there is a lot going on in places we don't see.
I think this is what Paul means by uncomely.
The inside of the cup.
That's where infections usually start too, on the inside.
They are hidden like wolves among sheep.
Sins that lay dormant and then appear outwardly. Plagues, sicknesses.

When Jesus came there was many sick. Because the ones running the hospital only had the appearance of doctors. They couldn't even heal themselves.
We are members of His body and He heals us Himself.
I'm talking about the impurities of our hearts and minds. Casting out devils that keep us bound in sin.

thinking
Hugs

 

[Base12]

Could be this is why Paul states that he travails in birth to deliver them. Something to think about anyhow, Jesus did say we enter in through His flesh.

Once a year the 'Melchizedek Seed' gets to enter all the way into the Most Holy Place...

...to fertilize the Ark...

 

[Philip James]

What’s the church waiting on?

No one need wait.

1244 First Holy Communion. Having become a child of God clothed with the wedding garment, the neophyte is admitted "to the marriage supper of the Lamb"44 and receives the food of the new life, the body and blood of Christ.

From Catechism of the Catholic Church - IntraText

All are welcome to come to the wedding feast of the Lamb of God!

Peace be with you!

 

[VictoryinJesus]

They are clear, they are separate, and are destined to fill three spheres of blessing in the time to come.

Trying to understand ‘three spheres of blessing’?

https://rightdivision.com/sites/default/files/Three_Spheres_of_Blessings.pdf

the diagram in the link above helped. yet still confused.

HD Three Spheres 1

a quote: “Is the Church the Bride of Christ? Let us begin by correcting our terminology. In the Patmos visions, we read of "The Bride, the Lamb’s Wife" but "The Bride of Christ" is unknown in Scripture ... with the close of the Baptist’s ministry (who is called “the friend of the Bridegroom”), both the Bride and the Lamb disappear from the New Testament until we reach the Patmos vision”. ...
“He (John) speaks of the Lord under the figure of a lamb ... Paul never does, neither does he use the symbol of a bride. Hence the phrase, "The Bride of Christ" is not found in Scripture, and inasmuch as it combines the figures of different writers, its use is to be deprecated” (C. F. Hogg, The Witness 1933).

The booklet entitled “The Church which is His Body and The Bride the Lamb’s Wife” published by the Philadelphia Bible Testimony, from which the quotations given above have been taken, concludes its survey with the following words:

“It is realized that many of the Lord’s people, have for a long time been accustomed to the doctrine of the "Bride" and the "Body" being the same, and that it is taken for granted as truth. However REPETITION of doctrine does not make it truth, that MAKES IT VANITY: ACCEPTANCE of a doctrine by the visible church does not make it truth, that makes for ECCLESIASTICISM: AGE of doctrine does not make it truth, that MAKES FOR TRADITION. The child of God must have an open mind toward the Lord and His Word willing to cast aside the most cherished of teachings if proved untrue by the Word”.

? Are any of these links close or helpful for one to understand the three Spheres of blessing?...because I had never heard of them before now.

 

[Ziggy]

So is Christ not the Husband?

2Co 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.

espoused:
Strong's G718 - harmozō

to join, to fit together
of carpenter's, fastening together beams and planks to build houses, ships, etc.
to betroth a daughter to any one
to join to one's self, i.e. to marry the daughter of any one
to betroth, to give one in marriage to any one

 

[VictoryinJesus]

So is Christ not the Husband?

2Co 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.

espoused:
Strong's G718 - harmozō

to join, to fit together
of carpenter's, fastening together beams and planks to build houses, ships, etc.
to betroth a daughter to any one
to join to one's self, i.e. to marry the daughter of any one
to betroth, to give one in marriage to any one

1 Corinthians 3:9 For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.


I’m getting more and more confused because every ‘we’ is now in question. Who is ‘we’ there in ‘together with God’? What is husbandry?

 

[amadeus]

1 Corinthians 3:9 For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.


I’m getting more and more confused because every ‘we’ is now in question. Who is ‘we’ there in ‘together with God’? What is husbandry?

The "we" includes everyone who is laboring or working. Remember this verse?


"I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.
As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world." John 9:4-5

Jesus speaking here of himself used the "I" but then when he is no longer in the world as per John 17:11 then the "we" comes into play. "We" then are the Light as per Matt 5:14 and we are the workers, that is the labourers together with God because has not come to us...

The word, husbandry, is speaking those involved in planting and watering things that grow [regularly used in agriculture] but used as Paul intends it here:

"I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.
So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.
Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.
For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building." I Cor 3:6-9

We are not growing a vegetable garden. We are [or should be] now the sowers as Jesus was the sower and it is now also we working to the betterment of the new man within being increased in people by adding the living water of which Jesus spoke to the Samaritan woman at the well. Is not the Word of God alive within us so as to give the Flesh and Blood of our Lord to those who hunger and thirst after His righteousness so as to be filled [see Matt 5:6]?

 

[charity]

Why do you believe the word bride is not found in the epistles?@charity,

Hello @Waiting on him,

The epistles written following the divine revelation given to Paul concerning the mystery which had been hid in God from the beginning of the world (Ephesians 3:9) which I listed*, contain the knowledge concerning the Administration of the Church which is the Body of Christ which God wanted made known to believers under his care (Colossians 1:27).

Thank you
In Christ Jesus
Chris

* Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus and Philemon

 

[charity]

Trying to understand ‘three spheres of blessing’?

https://rightdivision.com/sites/default/files/Three_Spheres_of_Blessings.pdf

the diagram in the link above helped. yet still confused.

HD Three Spheres 1

a quote: “Is the Church the Bride of Christ? Let us begin by correcting our terminology. In the Patmos visions, we read of "The Bride, the Lamb’s Wife" but "The Bride of Christ" is unknown in Scripture ... with the close of the Baptist’s ministry (who is called “the friend of the Bridegroom”), both the Bride and the Lamb disappear from the New Testament until we reach the Patmos vision”. ...
“He (John) speaks of the Lord under the figure of a lamb ... Paul never does, neither does he use the symbol of a bride. Hence the phrase, "The Bride of Christ" is not found in Scripture, and inasmuch as it combines the figures of different writers, its use is to be deprecated” (C. F. Hogg, The Witness 1933).

The booklet entitled “The Church which is His Body and The Bride the Lamb’s Wife” published by the Philadelphia Bible Testimony, from which the quotations given above have been taken, concludes its survey with the following words:

“It is realized that many of the Lord’s people, have for a long time been accustomed to the doctrine of the "Bride" and the "Body" being the same, and that it is taken for granted as truth. However REPETITION of doctrine does not make it truth, that MAKES IT VANITY: ACCEPTANCE of a doctrine by the visible church does not make it truth, that makes for ECCLESIASTICISM: AGE of doctrine does not make it truth, that MAKES FOR TRADITION. The child of God must have an open mind toward the Lord and His Word willing to cast aside the most cherished of teachings if proved untrue by the Word”.

Are any of these links close or helpful for one to understand the three Spheres of blessing?...because I had never heard of them before now.

Hello @VictoryinJesus

Thank you for searching out the links you have provided. I am familiar with the second of the links which takes you to the 'Heaven Dwellers' website, the first I have not seen before, so cannot vouch for their interpretation. Yet no matter what link we access we have to be wary, and take all that is written there to the Scriptures for confirmation don't we?

https://www.bibleunderstanding.com/Bride and the Body.PDF
*This link above will take you to a booklet concerning the Bride and the Body which I have found helpful, too.

Three Spheres
* Also, this is a link to a study on the subject of the three spheres of blessing, on www.believer.com.

Thank you
In Christ Jesus
Chris

 

[Waiting on him]

Hello @VictoryinJesus

Thank you for searching our the links you have provided. I am familiar with the second of the links which takes you to the 'Heaven Dwellers' website, the first I have not seen before, so cannot vouch for their interpretation. Yet no matter what link we access we have to be wary, and take all that is written there to the Scriptures for confirmation don't we?

https://www.bibleunderstanding.com/Bride and the Body.PDF
*This link above will take you to a booklet concerning the Bride and the Body which I have found helpful, too.

Thank you
In Christ Jesus
Chris

Will take a look when I have time thanks.

 

[Ziggy]

https://www.bibleunderstanding.com/Bride and the Body.PDF
*This link above will take you to a booklet concerning the Bride and the Body which I have found helpful, too.

Thank You

So far I made it to page 13 and perhaps haven't found what I'm looking for yet.
This casting off of Ishmael was turned when the Lord told Hagar in the wilderness to go back and put herself and the child
under submission to her mistress.
Ishmael is Abraham's firstborn son. That's a fact. However, he is not the son of the covenant.
Now Esau.. like Ishmael firstborn, again.. through his own weekness loses his inheritance. Howbeit he goes out and married two
daughters of Ishmael still keeping the lineage alive.
Later we find Ruth the Moabite woman who's mother-in law is Naomi, widow of Elimilech: Elimelech = "my God is king"
Who is an Israelite of Bethlehem. Ruth is taken into the fold by Boaz who is Naomi kinsman.
And they hold the Lineage of David, of whom Jesus line is from.

I'm real curios who this "lost pearl" is. And what this "other fold" is that Jesus says he has come to call.

Abraham's seed is Ishmael.. firstborn, circumcised at age 13 the same day his father was at 99.
Which Sarah gave Hagar to Abraham to wife, thus delaying the promised seed of Isaac.

I'm not entirely sure what this all means. I know Jesus came to call out his people in Israel.
Like calling out the faithful from Babylon..
Come out of her my people!

Thus letting the captives, or those under submission, or those under the law, .. free.

I'm going to keep reading as I find it very enlightening and easy to follow, for this simple mind lol
not too many big words I have to search google to explain.

I'm just not ready to toss the baby out into the wilderness and leave it there to die in it's own blood.
Amen?

Thank You
Hugs

 

[charity]

Thank You

So far I made it to page 13 and perhaps haven't found what I'm looking for yet.

This casting off of Ishmael was turned when the Lord told Hagar in the wilderness to go back and put herself and the child
under submission to her mistress.
Ishmael is Abraham's firstborn son. That's a fact. However, he is not the son of the covenant.
Now Esau.. like Ishmael firstborn, again.. through his own weekness loses his inheritance. Howbeit he goes out and married two
daughters of Ishmael still keeping the lineage alive.
Later we find Ruth the Moabite woman who's mother-in law is Naomi, widow of Elimilech: Elimelech = "my God is king"
Who is an Israelite of Bethlehem. Ruth is taken into the fold by Boaz who is Naomi kinsman.
And they hold the Lineage of David, of whom Jesus line is from.​

I'm real curios who this "lost pearl" is. And what this "other fold" is that Jesus says he has come to call.

Abraham's seed is Ishmael.. firstborn, circumcised at age 13 the same day his father was at 99.
Which Sarah gave Hagar to Abraham to wife, thus delaying the promised seed of Isaac.
​

I'm not entirely sure what this all means. I know Jesus came to call out his people in Israel.
Like calling out the faithful from Babylon..
Come out of her my people!

Thus letting the captives, or those under submission, or those under the law, .. free.

I'm going to keep reading as I find it very enlightening and easy to follow, for this simple mind lol
not too many big words I have to search google to explain.

I'm just not ready to toss the baby out into the wilderness and leave it there to die in it's own blood.
Amen?

Thank You
Hugs

Thank you, Ziggy, for taking the time to look at the link and read it as you have. It has obviously promoted a lot of questions in your mind. We can confirm the truth of what is written by reference to our own Bibles, can't we? and by doing so, know, that we are not being led astray.

I look forward to hearing your conclusions and find out if the questions that have arisen in your mind have been answered to your satisfaction, and if not perhaps we can discuss them.

Thank you
In Christ Jesus
Chris

 

[Ziggy]

Thank You @charity

Although I am still reading, I come across the tents. And how the writer is willing to just throw in the towel as pagan philosophy.
Here:
"The three other occurrences of skene are Revelation 13:6; 15:5 and 21:3. We must not assume however that even though the scale is weighted in favour of a reference to the tabernacle in both type and reality, that this is universally accepted. Some have interpreted skenos in 2 Corinthians 5:1-4 as of a theatre, and even James, with all his Hebrew leanings, when quoting from the prophet Amos about the “tabernacle of David” has been made to refer rather to “the Davidic scene” thereby repeating in the future the 30 years of his reign, and this passage in Revelation 21 has not escaped, but has been made to read “The scene or area of Divine Activity” instead of “the tabernacle of God”. The Greek word skene translated “tabernacle” has come into our own tongue in the form scene and is associated both in Greek and in English with the theatre. The Greek theatre was in the open air, and the “tent” soon became, by an easy figure of speech the word used to designate the “stage”. While this is so, there is no warrant for anyone to intrude this change of meaning into the New Testament. The Greek language was in formation long before its adoption as the vehicle for New Testament truth and consequently its words often contained Pagan references. It seems an extraordinary idea that James of all men should be made to speak of the “stage” or “scene” of David when it is well known that he was quoting from Amos 9:11 in Acts 15, and more strange still that this Pagan idea should be thrust into John 1:14 or into Revelation 21:3. Let us give an example of the foolishness of seeking in Greek roots a basis for doctrine. The word “interpret” comes a number of times in the New Testament and the Greek word for it is hermeneuo. Now this word is derived from the Pagan idea that the god Hermes or Mercury, which is the Latin equivalent, was the god of interpretation, but shall we then adopt such an idea because it is part of Greek Etymology? However, only a few of our readers will have come under the influence of a teaching which necessitates the kind"

This theatre that the writer references, to me, is the 33.5 years that Jesus walked in the "open air" among his people.
We don't know if Jesus lived in a "tent" or in a house. We do know he travelled.. a lot. And it's much easier to travel by tent than to tear a house down and keep rebuilding it.

So this "Davidic scene" is hard for him to see, because he already threw the baby out with the water.

I made it to page 18
Still reading..
Thank You
Hugs