Sometimes when we lack answers to something we have to
take a step back and analyze the situation. It might be that we have been looking
in the wrong place because we have a wrong perspective. If we start with a
wrong assumption we may never find the correct answers. Once we remove
ourselves personally from the situation, we may be able to see something very
different than what we thought the answer might be. When attempting to identify
the Bride of Christ we have simply
been looking at the subject from an “us and them” perspective. Actually we seem
to have split the Bible up into two groups Jews and Gentiles, “us and them”. But
the “us and them” category contains the wrong two groups. In fact if we align
our thinking to the Bible, we find that the reason there has been such a controversy
is because we have believed a lie, and that has permeated our mindset. That
incorrect perspective has led to more divisions than can be imagined.
To understand who the Bride is we have to first
reconfigure our mindset regarding the “us and them”. We have been led to
believe that the whole Bible splits people up between Jew and Gentile. We know
from our previous study that all Jews are Gentiles, but not all Gentiles are
Jews. A short re-cap is in order. All humans are Goy or Goyim, nations.
There is one sub group of the nation of Israel called Jews. Jews, technically
descended from Judah, and the other 11 tribes are technically not Jews. However,
today, all descendants of Israel will claim to be Jews. Yet Abraham is the
father of many Goyim (nations), not the father of many Jews. Noah’s sons were
Goyim (nations). The word Gentile has
been mistranslated, or even randomly translated by translators who were trying
to separate Jews from non-Jews. That tells us that the misinterpretation came
after the first century church was established. For example, the Greeks did not
have a word for themselves being called Gentiles, meaning less important than
the Jews. The Greeks did not see themselves as heathens comparably speaking,
instead, quite the opposite, the Greeks were far more advanced culturally and
technologically than the Jews. This tells us that the distortion in the text came
later, probably at the time when the Bible was being translated back into
Hebrew (300 AD). Hebrew was almost a lost language in 300 BC, which is why
Ptolemy had the Septuagint Bible scribed. Paul repeatedly tells us that the
mystery and the dispensation make one body, there is no longer separation. That
again tells us this distortion came in a later timeperiod, my guess is 300 AD. http://musingsofawinsomeheart.blogspot.com/2013/12/gentiles-all-jews-are-goyim-multitudes.html
Today, we have this distorted view of our time period
being a time of Jew and Gentile, as the “us and them”. Truly according to this
time period, we are not split up between Jew and Gentile, there is no
distinction there, it is the time period of the saved and the unsaved, or
redeemed and not redeemed. The only separation between people groups we have
today, Biblically speaking, is whether or not one is saved. Jews are not saved
unless they confess Jesus as Lord; Jews have no atonement for sin today because
there is no temple. Forty years or so after Jesus came, the temple was destroyed,
forcing all people to receive salvation through Jesus.
If we align our thinking to the understanding that there
are two groups of people today, the “saved” and the ‘unsaved”, or “redeemed”
and “unredeemed”, we can look backwards into the Old Testament and recognize
something that makes the rest of the subject of the Bride and Bridegroom fit.
The Old Testament redeemed can be the bride as well. This is because the bride
comes out of the redeemed. Let’s establish who the Bridegroom is.
Matt 9:14-15 Then came to him the disciples of John,
saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but thy disciples fast not?15 And
Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as
the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall
be taken from them, and then shall they fast. KJV
Jesus tells us he is the bridegroom, this is reiterated
in Mark and Luke as well.
Mark 2:18-20 And the disciples of John and of the
Pharisees used to fast: and they come and say unto him, Why do the disciples of
John and of the Pharisees fast, but thy disciples fast not?19 And Jesus said
unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is
with them? as long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast.20
But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and
then shall they fast in those days. KJV
Luke 5:33-35 And they said unto him, Why do the disciples
of John fast often, and make prayers, and likewise the disciples of the
Pharisees; but thine eat and drink?34 And he said unto them, Can ye make the
children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them?35 But the
days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then
shall they fast in those days.KJV
In the Old Testament, the Israelites were called the wife
of God, but she was put off because of her adultery. That is the entire point
of the book and the actions of the prophet Hosea.
Hos 1 THE WORD of the Lord that came to Hosea son of
Beeri in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in
the days of Jeroboam son of Joash king of Israel. 2 When the Lord first spoke
with and through Hosea, the Lord said to him, Go, take to yourself a wife of
harlotry and have children of [her] harlotry, for the land commits great
whoredom by departing from the Lord. 3 So he went and took Gomer the daughter
of Diblaim, and she became pregnant and bore him a son. 4 And the Lord said to
him, Call his name Jezreel or God-sows, for yet a little while and I will
avenge the blood of Jezreel and visit the punishment for it upon the house of
Jehu, and I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel. [2 Kings
10:11.] 5 And on that day I will break the bow of Israel in the Valley of
Jezreel. 6 And [Gomer] conceived again and bore a daughter. And the Lord said
to Hosea, Call her name Lo-Ruhamah or Not-pitied, for I will no more have love,
pity, and mercy on the house of Israel, that I should in any way pardon them. 7
But I will have love, pity, and mercy on the house of Judah and will deliver
them by the Lord their God and will not save them by bow, nor by sword, nor by
equipment of war, nor by horses, nor by horsemen. [Isa 31:8; 37:33-35.] 8 Now
when [Gomer] had weaned Lo-Ruhamah [Not-pitied], she became pregnant [again]
and bore a son. 9 And the Lord said, Call his name Lo-Ammi [Not-my-people], for
you are not My people and I am not your God. 10 Yet the number of the children
of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured or
numbered; and instead of it being said to them, You are not My people, it shall
be said to them, Sons of the Living God! [Rom 9:26.] 11 Then shall the children
of Judah and the children of Israel be gathered together and appoint themselves
one head, and they shall go up out of the land, for great shall be the day of
Jezreel [for the spiritually reborn Israel, a divine offspring, the people whom
the Lord has blessed.] [Isa 11:12,13;
Ezek 37:15-28.] AMP
Hosea was a prophet before Isaiah. This could be
confusing, as in the Canonical order, Isaiah is considered a major prophet and
precedes Hosea who is considered a minor prophet. Hosea was to mimic what
Israel was doing. Hosea was a shadow or type of the Israelites.
Hos 5:6-7 They shall go with their flocks and with their
herds to seek the Lord [inquiring for and requiring Him], but they will not
find Him; He has withdrawn Himself from them. 7 They have dealt faithlessly and
treacherously with the Lord [their espoused Husband], for they have borne alien
children. Now shall a [single] New Moon (one month) devour them with their
fields. AMP
Hos 5:15-6:2 I will return to My place [on high] until
they acknowledge their offense and feel their guilt and seek My face; in their
affliction and distress they will seek, inquire for, and require Me earnestly,
saying, 6:1 COME AND let us return to the Lord, for He has torn so that He may
heal us; He has stricken so that He may bind us up. 2 After two days He will
revive us (quicken us, give us life); on the third day He will raise us up that
we may live before Him. [Isa 26:19; Ezek 37:1-10.] AMP
Look at the word until,
which is significant in its timing. When will Jesus come to rescue the
Israelites? When they say “blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord”.
Jesus will come with His saints. When will that be? Sometime after the first
three and one half years of the tribulation. Two days may indicate two years
and at the end of the third day/year, Israel will be raised up and the
Israelites will live before Him.
Matt 23:37-39 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, murdering the
prophets and stoning those who are sent to you! How often would I have gathered
your children together as a mother fowl gathers her brood under her wings, and
you refused! 38 Behold, your house is forsaken and desolate (abandoned and left
destitute of God's help). [1 Kings 9:7; Jer 22:5.] 39 For I declare to you, you
will not see Me again until you say, Blessed (magnified in worship, adored, and
exalted) is He Who comes in the name of the Lord! [Ps 118:26.] AMP
Remember 2 Ezra?
2 Esd 1:30-35 I gathered you together, as a hen gathereth
her chickens under her wings: but now, what shall I do unto you? I will cast
you out from my face.31 When ye offer unto me, I will turn my face from you:
for your solemn feastdays, your new moons, and your circumcisions, have I
forsaken.32 I sent unto you my servants the prophets, whom ye have taken and
slain, and torn their bodies in pieces, whose blood I will require of your
hands, saith the Lord.33 Thus saith the Almighty Lord, Your house is desolate,
I will cast you out as the wind doth stubble.34 And your children shall not be
fruitful; for they have despised my commandment, and done the thing that is an
evil before me.35 Your houses will I give to a people that shall come; which
not having heard of me yet shall believe me; to whom I have shewed no signs,
yet they shall do that I have commanded them. KJV
What does 2Ezra tell us? God will give their houses to
people who will believe on Him even though they didn’t see any signs, and those
people will do what God commands them to do.
Lest anyone think I am being hard on people who have
mistranslated the Bible, understand this, these deliberate mistranslations have
hindered the knowledge of God to the Jews, more so than the non-Jews. The ones
most affected by these forgeries are the Israelites. As Ezra says, the
non-Israelites believe when they hear, they don’t even need to see signs, they
simply believe. These mistranslations have caused a lack of knowledge, which is
another major point Hosea makes.
Hos 4:5-6 And you shall stumble in the daytime, and the
[false] prophet also shall stumble with you in the night; and I will destroy
your mother [the priestly nation]. [Ex 19:6.] 6 My people are destroyed for
lack of knowledge; because you [the priestly nation] have rejected knowledge, I
will also reject you that you shall be no priest to Me; seeing you have forgotten
the law of your God, I will also forget your children. AMP
Someone was trying to prevent the Jews from gaining
knowledge. Someone still doesn’t want the Jews to know about our age and time. And
just in case people may think I am being too harsh, let’s take a side trip and
look at Hosea 13.
Hos 13:14 I will ransom them from the power of the grave;
I will redeem them from death: O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will
be thy destruction: repentance shall be hid from mine eyes. KJV
The Septuagint correctly translated this verse as follows:
Hosea 13:14 I will deliver them out of the power of
Hades, and will redeem them from death: where is thy penalty, O death? O Hades,
where is thy sting? comfort is hidden from mine eyes.
http://www.ecmarsh.com/lxx/Osee/index.htm
Paul correctly translated this too:
1 Cor 15:55 O death, where is your victory? O death,
where is your sting? [Hos 13:14.] AMP
How is it that Paul quoted Hosea, but somehow Hosea’s
words became distorted? Someone was trying to separate the Jew and Gentile.
Just like the word Goyim was
intentionally changed at random, someone was trying to take the Christianity
out of the Old Testament. We saw that with the translation of Isaiah regarding
Jesus’ birth. We know this again puts the timing of the mistranslations to
after the first century. The Septuagint is the more accurate translation (300
BC). After Jesus died, he took the keys to hell and death, now there is no
victory for the devil when a person dies. Hosea rightfully prophesies (in the Septuagint)
that God will deliver people out of the power of Hades, they will be redeemed
from death. When? On the day Jesus went into the grave, and set the captives
free, taking the righteous redeemed with him to Paradise. When will people be
redeemed from death, meaning when will those who die no longer have to go to
Paradise? On the day of redemption. What happened to the saints who believed
the Messiah was coming? They were taken out of Hades as we have studied before.
These are people who will also make up the Bride of Christ. It is not just the
church age people who have the opportunity to be the Bride, the previous
dispensations of the righteous redeemed ones will join the present day redeemed
ones.
Understand, a glorious time is coming for Israel, but not
yet. Isaiah then tells us of the future, when God will restore Israel in the
millennial kingdom.
Isa 54:5-9 For your Maker is your Husband — the Lord of
hosts is His name — and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; the God of the
whole earth He is called. 6 For the Lord has called you like a woman forsaken,
grieved in spirit, and heartsore — even a wife [wooed and won] in youth, when
she is [later] refused and scorned, says your God. 7 For a brief moment I
forsook you, but with great compassion and mercy I will gather you [to Me]
again. 8 In a little burst of wrath I hid My face from you for a moment, but
with age-enduring love and kindness I will have compassion and mercy on you,
says the Lord, your Redeemer. 9 For this is like the days of Noah to Me; as I
swore that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth, so have I sworn
that I will not be angry with you or rebuke you. AMP
When will the non-redeemed be redeemed? At the end of the
tribulation. Whoever is not redeemed in the age of the Holy Spirit will live
during the tribulation, and possibly die during that time as well.
Isa 62:1-7 FOR ZION'S sake will I [Isaiah] not hold my
peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest until her imputed righteousness
and vindication go forth as brightness, and her salvation radiates as does a
burning torch. 2 And the nations shall see your righteousness and vindication
[your rightness and justice — not your own, but His ascribed to you], and all
kings shall behold your salvation and glory; and you shall be called by a new
name which the mouth of the Lord shall name. [Rev 2:17.] 3 You shall also be
[so beautiful and prosperous as to be thought of as] a crown of glory and honor
in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem [exceedingly beautiful] in the hand
of your God. 4 You [Judah] shall no more be termed Forsaken, nor shall your
land be called Desolate any more. But you shall be called Hephzibah [My delight
is in her], and your land be called Beulah [married]; for the Lord delights in
you, and your land shall be married [owned and protected by the Lord]. 5 For as
a young man marries a virgin [O Jerusalem], so shall your sons marry you; and
as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you.
6 I have set watchmen upon your walls, O Jerusalem, who will never hold their
peace day or night; you who [are His servants and by your prayers] put the Lord
in remembrance [of His promises], keep not silence, 7 And give Him no rest
until He establishes Jerusalem and makes her a praise in the earth. AMP
When will Israel be vindicated? In the millennial
kingdom. Israel hasn’t been vindicated yet, has she? No, Jerusalem has not made
her praise in the earth yet, it’s quite the opposite. We can see why this is so
painful for the Jewish people. They know the promise has been made but they
can’t receive it until Jesus comes back with his saints, his Bride. John
attests to Jesus being the bridegroom, and today this is what the Jews reject,
Jesus as Messiah. How heartbreaking to know that they don’t have to go to Hades
or through the tribulation, but they will because they resist Jesus.
John 3:26-31 And they came unto John, and said unto him,
Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou barest witness,
behold, the same baptizeth, and all men come to him.27 John answered and said,
A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven.28 Ye yourselves
bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before
him.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.30 He must increase, but
I must decrease.31 He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the
earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is
above all. KJV
The problem with the “us and them” idea is that we have
erased the Old Testament Saints from being the Bride. But really the biggest
problem is not against the Church, but against the Jews. While the Nations and
the Jews were to merge into one body, the “us and them” attitude separates the
Jews from becoming part of the body of Christ. Jesus is the only atonement for
sin, and someone or something is trying to keep the Jews in their sins and keep
them in Hades. While it seems like an assault on the Body of Christ, it is
truly an assault on the people who believe themselves to be Jews. Christians
get offended by groups who say we have to follow the law and that there are no
dispensations, but really the offense is against those who are forced to follow
the law instead of receiving Jesus as Messiah. Those are the people going to
Hades because they have no atonement for sin. Let’s look at a couple of
parables Jesus told to see if we can learn anything from them.
Matt 22:1-14 AND AGAIN Jesus spoke to them in parables
(comparisons, stories used to illustrate and explain), saying, 2 The kingdom of
heaven is like a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son
The first thing we see here is the word “like”. Like is a word used as a simile, a
figure of speech used to make a comparison between two things. The question we
have to ask ourselves is, what is the point of this comparison? It is the kingdom
of heaven. This is what the kingdom of heaven is comparable to, this is not
what the marriage of the Lamb is comparable to. But we can learn something very
important with this comparison. So, the kingdom of heaven is similar to a king
who gave a wedding banquet for his son.
3 And sent his servants to summon those who had been
invited to the wedding banquet, but they refused to come.
The kingdom of heaven is similar to a king inviting
guests to a wedding banquet who refused to come. This seems to be an invitation
to a certain group of people, not to all people. The invitees probably didn’t
RSVP, so the king sent servants out again to invite them to come. The servants
of the king are people the king has already deemed worthy to be in his
household. These are people that have already proven themselves as worthy to
serve the king.
4 Again he sent other servants, saying, Tell those who
are invited, Behold, I have prepared my banquet; my bullocks and my fat calves
are killed, and everything is prepared; come to the wedding feast. 5 But they
were not concerned and paid no attention [they ignored and made light of the
summons, treating it with contempt] and they went away — one to his farm,
another to his business, 6 While the others seized his servants, treated them
shamefully, and put them to death.
In this parable, the kingdom of heaven is similar to this:
God sent his servants, the prophets, to announce the Messiah. But the prophets
were ignored, beaten, and sometimes killed. Think back to Hosea, the kingdom of
heaven was a calling to all of Israel who at Hosea’s time prostituted
themselves and refused to listen to the prophets.
7 [Hearing this] the king was infuriated; and he sent his
soldiers and put those murderers to death and burned their city.
The king sends his soldiers, more people the king deemed
worthy for his service, and the soldiers killed the murderers and burned the
city. The king then sends out the prophets again to invite other people, people
from the nations that were not part of the first group.
8 Then he said to his servants, The wedding [feast] is
prepared, but those invited were not worthy. 9 So go to the thoroughfares where
they leave the city [where the main roads and those from the country end] and
invite to the wedding feast as many as you find. 10 And those servants went out
on the crossroads and got together as many as they found, both bad and good, so
[the room in which] the wedding feast [was held] was filled with guests.
The kingdom of heaven is like a banquet hall that is
filled with good and bad people. Recognize this, it did not matter to the king
who came to the banquet, the point was to fill the banquet hall.
11 But when the king came in to view the guests, he
looked intently at a man there who had on no wedding garment.
The guests of an eastern wedding were provided with white
wedding garments. So the kingdom of heaven is similar to a full banquet hall
where the guests wear white robes.
12 And he said, Friend, how did you come in here without
putting on the [appropriate] wedding garment? And he was speechless (muzzled, gagged).
13 Then the king said to the attendants, Tie him hand and foot, and throw him
into the darkness outside; there will be weeping and grinding of teeth. 14 For
many are called (invited and summoned), but few are chosen. AMP
Again the king calls on his people to work, first the
servants, then the soldiers, now the attendants. This tells us that there are
multiples of people working for the king. There are different positions in the kings’
employment. A man tried to sneak into the wedding banquet, but he was noticed
because he didn’t have a wedding garment. Outside the kingdom of heaven, there
is darkness and weeping and grinding of teeth. In the kingdom of heaven, many
are called or invited, but few are chosen. In order to get into the kingdom of
heaven, one has to be called and chosen.
What can we learn about the wedding banquet from this
analogy of the kingdom of heaven? When Jesus was speaking this to the people,
he was making distinction between the first invited group and the second
invited group. Neither group were called “the bride”. Obviously, there were
people in the king’s service that were not from either the first or second group
of invitees. If we look at the collection of servants, soldiers, and
attendants, they were similar to the people God sent to Israel, and then the
church, to announce Jesus as Messiah. The second group of invitees were good
and bad, but also called and chosen. There is no sneaking into the banquet
hall. Outside, there are people crying and angry. At this point in time when
Jesus was speaking this, there were already people who made up the bride of
Christ. If the Marriage of the Lamb was that day, (the day Jesus was speaking),
some of the Old Testament righteous redeemed would have been His bride;
however, since then, God added more redeemed.
Another parable to review is when Jesus compares the
kingdom of heaven to ten virgins; this is another place where we can learn
about the bridegroom.
Matt 25:1-13 THEN THE kingdom of heaven shall be likened
to ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of
them were foolish (thoughtless, without forethought) and five were wise
(sensible, intelligent, and prudent). 3 For when the foolish took their lamps,
they did not take any [extra] oil with them; 4 But the wise took flasks of oil along
with them [also] with their lamps. 5 While the bridegroom lingered and was slow
in coming, they all began nodding their heads, and they fell asleep. 6 But at
midnight there was a shout, Behold, the bridegroom! Go out to meet him! 7 Then
all those virgins got up and put their own lamps in order. 8 And the foolish
said to the wise, Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out. 9 But
the wise replied, There will not be enough for us and for you; go instead to
the dealers and buy for yourselves. 10 But while they were going away to buy,
the bridegroom came, and those who were prepared went in with him to the
marriage feast; and the door was shut. 11 Later the other virgins also came and
said, Lord, Lord, open [the door] to us! 12 But He replied, I solemnly declare
to you, I do not know you [I am not acquainted with you]. 13 Watch therefore
[give strict attention and be cautious and active], for you know neither the
day nor the hour when the Son of Man will come. AMP
Jesus is speaking about inviting guests to the wedding.
This particular parable is often distorted. Almost always taken out of context,
people seem to like to make up their own ideas about this parable. I think
people like to pick on the five foolish virgins as well, smugly believing they
would not be counted among those foolish ones. We know there are ten unmarried
women who had to buy oil, the wise women bought extra oil before they heard the
bridegroom was coming. The unwise women didn’t have enough oil so they had to
go buy oil while they were waiting for the bridegroom to come. They all heard
he was coming, and they all were waiting for him together until the five ran
out of oil. We know this cannot be during the tribulation, as they all, all ten
women, have to have the mark of the beast to buy and sell. The wise women
joined the wedding party and entered into the banquet hall. The five women who
went to buy oil went to the banquet hall to the feast, but were told by the
bridegroom that he didn’t know them. The caution is to be prepared with your
oil because you don’t know when the Son of Man will come.
Again, the kingdom of heaven is about the invitees to the
wedding, not the bride. People use both of these parables to declare Israel is
the bride, yet in both these cases there seems to already be a bride. When this
bridegroom went to get his bride, the women were waiting along the road ready
to join the procession. The women with the extra oil joined the group; the
women without extra oil were in the marketplace buying oil. What we need to
understand here is that God is inviting people to His Son’s wedding. By this
time, Israel was already the divorced wife of Elohim. As Ezra points out, their
houses are given to a different group, which is like the second group the king
sent servants to bring to the banquet. Once the door is closed no one can enter
in, however one can be thrown out.
As we looked at earlier, there is not an “us and them” as
in Jew and Gentile, but instead it is redeemed and unredeemed, or saved and
unsaved. Paul was keenly aware of the mystery, as it was given to him as well
as the apostles and prophets. Paul was like one of the king’s servants who went
into the streets calling people to fill the banquet hall. Paul told us about
our marriage to Christ. Let’s look at a couple of different translations.
2 Cor 11:2-3 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.3 But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent
beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the
simplicity that is in Christ. KJV
2 Cor 11:2-3 The thing that has me so upset is that I
care about you so much — this is the passion of God burning inside me! I
promised your hand in marriage to Christ, presented you as a pure virgin to her
husband. (from THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language © 2002 by Eugene
H. Peterson. All rights reserved.)
2 Cor 11:2 For I am zealous for you with a godly
eagerness and a divine jealousy, for I have betrothed you to one Husband, to
present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. [Hos 2:19,20.] AMP
2 Cor 11:2 I am jealous of you with God’s own jealousy,
because I promised you in marriage to one husband, to present you as a pure
virgin to the Messiah. ISV
Paul is saying he wants to present us to Christ as a pure
bride. This sounds weird to men, being presented as a bride, but this is
allegorical, in that our union with Christ is not sexual, but we are joining
together with Christ. No one wants to be joined to a harlot, ask Hosea. Christ
wants to be joined to his people who are sold out to Him, who are willing to
die for Him, who are not selfish or out for monetary gain, but who want to do
what He wants to do, and who make His enemies their enemies. Just like a
marriage. This is also what Paul was trying to tell us. Husbands love your
wives like Christ loves the called out, the church. Wives submit to your
husbands, everyone submit to each other, just like we all are to submit to
Christ.
Eph 5:20-33 At all times and for everything giving thanks
in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father. 21 Be subject to one
another out of reverence for Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One). 22 Wives,
be subject (be submissive and adapt yourselves) to your own husbands as [a
service] to the Lord. 23 For the husband is head of the wife as Christ is the
Head of the church, Himself the Savior of [His] body. 24 As the church is
subject to Christ, so let wives also be subject in everything to their
husbands. 25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave
Himself up for her, 26 So that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by
the washing of water with the Word, 27 That He might present the church to
Himself in glorious splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such things [that
she might be holy and faultless]. 28 Even so husbands should love their wives
as [being in a sense] their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves
himself. 29 For no man ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and carefully
protects and cherishes it, as Christ does the church, 30 Because we are members
(parts) of His body. 31 For this reason a man shall leave his father and his
mother and shall be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.
[Gen 2:24.] 32 This mystery is very great, but I speak concerning [the relation
of] Christ and the church. 33 However, let each man of you [without exception]
love his wife as [being in a sense] his very own self; and let the wife see
that she respects and reverences her husband [that she notices him, regards
him, honors him, prefers him, venerates, and esteems him; and that she defers
to him, praises him, and loves and admires him exceedingly]. [1 Peter 3:2.] AMP
What do we learn from Paul’s comparison? We are to submit
to Christ. Christ is the head of the church. Christ gave himself for the church
and He sanctifies, or sets us apart, cleanses us, so he can present us in
glorious splendor. We won’t have spots or wrinkles. We will be holy and
faultless. Christ protects and cherishes the church, the called out. We will
become one with Christ, this is the mystery of Christ and the church. This is
the mega mystery. Union with the Messiah is for the bride, not the guests.
Jesus is coming for the church, he will call from the
clouds and the dead in Christ will rise first and the living church will go up with
the dead to meet Jesus in the air. Jesus is coming for all the redeemed. The
Old Testament redeemed, and anyone else who is redeemed, either Jews,
Israelites, or the nations, are going to leave paradise or earth to enter
heaven with Him. Once in heaven, we will have things to do. Midway through the
tribulation, when Jesus is crowned and the kingdoms of the world are announced
as being His, he will give out rewards. This is the short version of the
studies we did on the Book of Revelation. The beast will kill Babylon, then
attempt to kill Jesus and his army. Yet John gives us a heads up before
finishing the sequence of events. John tells us the Lamb and His called,
chosen, and faithful, will triumph. It’s as if John didn’t want to leave people
hanging, so he mentioned the end, Jesus wins.
Rev 17:14 These shall make war with the Lamb, and the
Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they
that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful. KJV
Rev 17:14 They will wage war against the Lamb, and the
Lamb will triumph over them; for He is Lord of lords and King of kings — and
those with Him and on His side are chosen and called [elected] and loyal and
faithful followers. [Dan 2:47.] AMP
The message adds something. Remember the parable we
looked at where the king went out and brought in all the good and bad people to
fill the banquet hall? The moral of what the kingdom of heaven is like, is that
many are called, but few are chosen. Here Jesus comes to rescue who? Israel.
Jesus comes with the called, chosen, loyal, and faithful. Here is a distinction
regarding the kingdom of heaven. When Jesus comes for the redeemed, not all the
redeemed may be found faithful or loyal. The banquet hall is filled with good
and bad people. Just to make it into the kingdom of heaven one must be called
and chosen. But to fight with Jesus for Israel, one must also be faithful. Not
everyone in the church is faithful. Not everyone in the church is loyal or
committed to living a married life to Jesus. The married life with Jesus starts
now, on earth. The mystery is the union of Christ and His Bride, now and later,
not all the guests going to the wedding are going to be united as the bride.
Let’s go on.
Rev 19:7-9 Let us rejoice and shout for joy [exulting and
triumphant]! Let us celebrate and ascribe to Him glory and honor, for the
marriage of the Lamb [at last] has come, and His bride has prepared herself.
[Ps 118:24.] 8 She has been permitted to dress in fine (radiant) linen,
dazzling and white — for the fine linen is (signifies, represents) the
righteousness (the upright, just, and godly living, deeds, and conduct, and
right standing with God) of the saints (God's holy people). 9 Then [the angel]
said to me, Write this down: Blessed (happy, to be envied) are those who are
summoned (invited, called) to the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he said to
me [further], These are the true words (the genuine and exact declarations) of
God. AMP
Finally, the marriage of the Lamb has come and the bride
has prepared herself. When did the bride prepare? She started preparing on
earth when she lived righteous, upright, just, and godly. The bride prepared by
keeping her deeds and conduct in right standing with God while living on earth;
no matter when she lived on earth, five thousand years ago or last week.
Abraham lived in union with Jehovah Aleph Tav, the Adonai. Many others lived in
union, laying down their lives, with God. Today we should live in union with
Jesus our anointed Messiah. Let’s look at this further.
Rev 19:11-14 After that I saw heaven opened, and behold,
a white horse [appeared]! The One Who was riding it is called Faithful
(Trustworthy, Loyal, Incorruptible, Steady) and True, and He passes judgment
and wages war in righteousness (holiness, justice, and uprightness). [Ezek
1:1.] 12 His eyes [blaze] like a flame of fire, and on His head are many kingly
crowns (diadems); and He has a title (name) inscribed which He alone knows or
can understand. [Dan 10:6.] 13 He is dressed in a robe dyed by dipping in
blood, and the title by which He is called is The Word of God. 14 And the
troops of heaven, clothed in fine linen, dazzling and clean, followed Him on
white horses. AMP
Jesus will be wearing a red garment. The ones that are
called, chosen, faithful, and loyal, will be dressed in white. Those are the
ones that have been in union with Him. Jesus’ bride is the army that returns to
capture the beast, the false prophet and the devil, as well as to set Israel
free. We know that two thirds of the Israelites will die during the tribulation
as per Zachariah, and if we study the army that comes back with Jesus from Joel
we will see the amazing abilities the army has. Frankly, the Jews should be
thankful that Jesus’ bride has prepared herself because she is the one that
will help to save them. We also know from Zachariah that the Jews will be raped
in their own homes. That is not just women being raped, that includes men and
children. How awful is that! Yet the bride who made herself ready will come to
save the Israelites.
Rev 19:19-21 Then I saw the beast and the rulers and
leaders of the earth with their troops mustered to go into battle and make war
against Him Who is mounted on the horse and against His troops. 20 And the
beast was seized and overpowered, and with him the false prophet who in his
presence had worked wonders and performed miracles by which he led astray those
who had accepted or permitted to be placed upon them the stamp (mark) of the
beast and those who paid homage and gave divine honors to his statue. Both of
them were hurled alive into the fiery lake that burns and blazes with brimstone.
21 And the rest were killed with the sword that issues from the mouth of Him
Who is mounted on the horse, and all the birds fed ravenously and glutted
themselves with their flesh. AMP
Now, looking at this again in a timeline fashion, we come
to the millennial reign. The time when Israel will be included as the bride. The
letter to the churches in the beginning of Revelation tells us that he has made
us to be kings and priests. That will be during this time when Jesus reigns on
earth. The churches promotion during the millennial reign opens the way for
Israel to now become the bride when Christ reigns as King on earth.
Rev 20:4-5 Then I saw thrones, and sitting on them were
those to whom authority to act as judges and to pass sentence was entrusted.
Also I saw the souls of those who had been slain with axes [beheaded] for their
witnessing to Jesus and [for preaching and testifying] for the Word of God, and
who had refused to pay homage to the beast or his statue and had not accepted
his mark or permitted it to be stamped on their foreheads or on their hands.
And they lived again and ruled with Christ (the Messiah) a thousand years. [Dan
7:9,22,27.] 5 The remainder of the dead were not restored to life again until
the thousand years were completed. This is the first resurrection. AMP
The reward for those who die as a witness in the tribulation
is that they get to live during the millennial reign. This however is not the
end of the understanding of the bride of Christ. While we may want to entertain
images of romance, we then have to shift our thinking to war; we have the idea
of a union with Jesus for the good times and the bad. Then we see the bride in
a different way, she is now the New Jerusalem.
Rev 21:9-11 And there came unto me one of the seven
angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked
with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife.10
And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed
me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,11
Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious,
even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal; KJV
What? Wait, now the bride is a city? First, satan is
loosed to go out and deceive the nations. That sounds strange until we realize
that people will be born during that time and it may be easy to deceive those
who have lived in a wonderful kingdom who never endured any hardship. After
that, satan is thrown in the lake of fire. Everyone is judged, and then the new
city Jerusalem is said to be adorned like a bride.
Rev 21:9-10 Then one of the seven angels who had the
seven bowls filled with the seven final plagues (afflictions, calamities) came
and spoke to me. He said, Come with me! I will show you the bride, the Lamb's
wife. 10 Then in the Spirit He conveyed me away to a vast and lofty mountain
and exhibited to me the holy (hallowed, consecrated) city of Jerusalem
descending out of heaven from God, [Ezek 40:2.] AMP
After the millennial reign, the bride of Christ will be the
New Jerusalem, a beautiful city with walls. Why walls? Because this is where the bride of Christ
resides. The redeemed before the tribulation, and the Israelites during the
millennial kingdom, now live in the New Jerusalem. This new place is only
inhabited by those written in the Lambs Book of Life. That tells us that there
will be others on the outside. But on the inside will be those who are in union
with the Lamb. This is important, these words were not to be sealed up. People
need to know this.
Rev 22:10 And he [further] told me, Do not seal up the
words of the prophecy of this book and make no secret of them, for the time
when things are brought to a crisis and the period of their fulfillment is
near. AMP
We are another day closer to the fulfillment of these
things. These revealing’s were sent by messenger to the assemblies, the
churches; remember there are only saved and unsaved, or redeemed and
unredeemed. Those who call themselves Jews and those who refuse Christ will go
through either Hades or the tribulation. This is what is really sad, those who
are Jews are refusing to become His bride. While Christians have always taken
offense to the way they are treated by the Jews, it is really the Jews who are
going to suffer. These words are sent to the assemblies to encourage a deeper
union with Jesus. The Spirit, the Holy Spirit, and the Bride say come.
Rev 22:16-17 I, Jesus, have sent My messenger (angel) to
you to witness and to give you assurance of these things for the churches
(assemblies). I am the Root (the Source) and the Offspring of David, the
radiant and brilliant Morning Star. [Isa 11:1,10.] 17 The [Holy] Spirit and the
bride (the church, the true Christians) say, Come! And let him who is listening
say, Come! And let everyone come who is thirsty [who is painfully conscious of
his need of those things by which the soul is refreshed, supported, and
strengthened]; and whoever [earnestly] desires to do it, let him come, take,
appropriate, and drink the water of Life without cost. [Isa 55:1.AMP
All the redeemed are gathered at the harpazo, but not all the gathered are the bride. The bride is
always the sold out wife of the anointed. The bride is the one living for Him
while on earth. The bride does the “house work” in the house of God, for the
body of Christ. Clearly the redeemed of the Old Testament fit the criteria of
the redeemed, so there are Old Testament saints that may be the bride. Israel
or the Jews were the bride, but they rejected God and the Messiah, so they are
not the bride. They did not unite with Jesus. In the Church age the redeemed
are now among the guests and those who unite and prepare will be the
bride. There is no Jew or Gentile in
this age of the called out, there is only saved or unsaved, or redeemed or
unredeemed. Out of the group of the redeemed, the loyal and faithful ones will
make up the army that will free Israel from the beast. Jesus does not force
himself on anyone, one must accept his offer to become one with Him. Many are
called to this but few make it until the end of their lives as faithful. Just
as the Holy Spirit does not force one to receive the Spirit, the offer to
receive is given to all; anyone can receive and be saved/redeemed and become a
guest at the wedding. In the millennial kingdom, Israel once again can be
redeemed and become the bride. The redeemed of the Holy Spirit’s age will reign
as kings and priests during the millennial kingdom, and Israel can then become
the bride. After the one thousand years of Jesus reigning on earth, another
test will come via satan. Then the New Jerusalem will be complete. Those people
Jesus is in union with will all be in the New Jerusalem. There will be a new
heaven as well. This message is for today, for the assemblies; it is too late
to fix the past, especially because there is no other atonement aside from
Jesus. So today the Spirit and the Bride
say come.
