The Body of Christ

Eph. 1: 22, 23 "And hath put all things under His feet, and gave Him to bethe head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him that filleth all in all."

All those that teach that the Bride of Christ is composed of the whole church fail to take into consideration one fact. That fact is that the highest position of honor is a reward for spiritual attainment and a Christ-like character.

Eph. 4: 13 "Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of theknowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of thestature of the fullness of Christ:"

Rev. 3: 10 "Because thou hast kept the Word of My patience, I also willkeep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, totry them that dwell upon the earth."

Rev. 3: 21 "To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with Me in MyThrone, even as I also overcame…"

Rev. 19: 7, 8 "Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to Him: for themarriage of the Lamb is come, and Hiswife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted (given) that she shouldbe arrayed in fine linen, clean, and white: for the fine linen is therighteousness (righteous acts) of saints."

The Body of Christ is The Church

No where in the Word of God is the Church ever called theBride of Christ. This is simply assumed by men to be the meaning, but there is no Scripture to support this theory. However, repeatedly throughout theScripture the Church is called the Body of Christ. In this text, Eph. 1: 22, 23, Christ's position is shown as the Head of the Church (which is His body). Thefifth chapter is the chapter, the one chapter, that they love to use in tryingto prove the Church to be the Bride of Christ. However, if you will read itcarefully and honestly, there is no reference to the Church as His Bride.

Eph. 5: 23 "For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is theHead of the Church: and He is the Savior of the Body."

Eph. 5: 30 "For we are members of His Body, of His flesh, and of Hisbones."

Scofield said, "Eve, taken from Adam's body was truly boneof his bones, and flesh of his flesh, but she was also his wife." He says thisis "…a clear type of the Church as the Bride of Christ."

However, when studying the Scripture and analyzing it, byputting its parts into proper perspective, the flaws are seen in this theory of making the Body to be the Bride.

First, Eve was taken out the body of Adam, but not untilafter his body had been completed. Therefore, in fulfillment of this type theBride will not be taken out of the Church until the latter part of the Churchage, which we are now in.

Secondly, Eve was formed from a very small part of Adam'sbody, only a "rib," not the whole body. From that "rib" out ofAdam's body, God formed a bride for Adam.

Thirdly, Eve then existed apart from the rest of the body asa separate entity.

Lastly, Eve was "bone of his bone." However, she wasnot all of his bones as Scofield's theory requires. After God took the "rib"and made Eve, Adam awoke out of sleep and retained all his bones except onerib. It is very difficult, in fact totally impossible, to make Eve, a "rib,"to be the whole body of Adam. This is what you would have to do to make Eve(the type of the Bride of Christ) the type of the whole Church.

The Church as a Whole is Lukewarm

The Lord Jesus Himself stated that the Church is not fervent, nor on fire, nor overcoming but is in a state of lukewarmness.

Rev. 3: 15, 16 "I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou artlukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, (in a state of satisfaction and also astate of comfort) I will spue thee out of My mouth."

The Church as a whole, in this state of "lukewarmness,"is not a fit example of an Overcomer ready to sit with Christ on His Throne. Jesus said:

Rev. 3: 17, 18 "Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods,and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, andmiserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of Me goldtried in the fire (there is a price for the gold, it will cost you something),that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, andthat the shame of thy nakedness (spiritual nakedness before God) do notappear, and anoint thine eyes with eye salve that thou mayest see."

The Church needs the "eye salve" of the Holy Spirit applied to its eyes to see its own condition. This "eye salve" of theHoly Spirit is also needed to see the revelations that God is making known tothose who love Him.

I Cor. 2: 9, 10 "…Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that loveHim. But God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit: for the Spiritsearcheth all things, yea, the deep (hidden-mysteries) things of God."

Rev. 2: 17 "…To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna…" (covered -- concealed -- kept secret)

God has promised to reveal His truths to the Overcomer that cannot be understood by the natural mind. These truths must be, and can onlybe, revealed by His Spirit.

The Church Has Been Deceived

Jesus said:

Matt. 24: 11, 12 "And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceivemany. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold."

II Thes. 2: 3 "Let no man deceive you by any means: for thatday shall not come, except there come a falling away first…"

"Apostasia"-- "falling away" -- defection from truth -- toforsake the truth -- revolt

This is not a falling away in numbers, but a falling away inprinciples. They are defecting from the truth once delivered to them.

I Tim. 4: 1 "Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter timessome shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducingspirits, and doctrines of devils;"

II Tim. 4: 3, 4 "For the time will come when they will not endure sounddoctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers,having itching ears; And they shall turn away theirears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables."

"Muthos" -- "fable" -- fiction -- in which there isfalsification of facts.

Christ is knocking at the Church's door. (Rev. 3: 20) The wholeChurch will not respond. He now speaks to the individual that will hear His knocking (responds to His Word) and open the door (the door to his inner life --to his heart). He said, "I will come in to him and will sup with him, and he with Me." Christ will share truth.

The Church has Many Undeveloped Believers

Some believers accepted Christ as their Savior and were born into the Family of God, but they have never developed. They are still babes. They have never grown in their experience.

I Cor. 3: 1--3 "And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed youwith milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neitheryet now are ye able. For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among youenvying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men."

Gal. 4: 1--3 "Now I say, that the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all. But is under tutors andgovernors until the time appointed of the father. Even so we, when we werechildren, were in bondage under the elements of the world:"

Eph. 4: 14 " That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro,and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, andcunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;"

Heb. 5: 11-- 6: 1 "Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to beuttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing. For when for the time ye ought to beteachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principlesof the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not ofstrong meat. For every one that useth milk is unskillful in the Word ofrighteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are offull age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised todiscern both good and evil. Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrineof Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation ofrepentance from dead works, and of faith toward God."

Some in The Church will be Saved as By Fire

Not everyone that is in the Church is willing to do what isrequired to have an abundant entrance into the kingdom of God.

II Peter 1: 10, 11 "Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to makeyour calling and election sure: for if ye do these things,ye shall never fall: For so an entrance shall be ministered unto youabundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."

As Paul said in I Cor. 3: 12, there are many that are building on the foundation that has been laid, "wood, hay, stubble." Hegoes on to say:

I Cor. 3: 13--15 "Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the dayshall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire: and the fire shall tryevery man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hathbuilt thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned,he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire."

Some in The Church have Committed Spiritual Adultery

The believer is admonished by the Word of God to "…come out from among them, and be ye separate… and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you… saith the Lord…" (II Cor. 6: 17, 18)

James says:

Jas. 4: 4 "Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendshipof the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of theworld is the enemy of God?"

I Jn. 2: 15, 16 "Love not the world, neither the things that are in theworld. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. Forall that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, andthe pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world."

The Church will be Invited To the Marriage Supper

The Lord will return at the midnight hour (the middle of the Tribulation hour) to Rapture the Church and welcome them to the MarriageFeast. The five wise "virgins" represent the Church that will awake out of sleep, through the persecution of the first three-and-a-half years of theTribulation, and will be invited to the Marriage Feast. Luke 12: 36-38 says the Lord will return after the wedding; the Church will be madeto sit down and the Lord Himself will come forth and serve them. Again in Rev.19: 9, "And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the Marriage Supper of the Lamb…"

There is nothing in this world worth the loss of the soul and missing out on salvation. Neither the fleshly entertainment, nor earthly pleasure could be worth spending an eternity without God in an eternal hell ofsuffering.

There is nothing worth missing the Rapture of the Church, by which the Church will escape the last three-and-a-half years of theTribulation. This is known in the Scripture as the Great Tribulation, which isthe time of the releasing of God's judgments on the earth. This includes the opening of the Seals, the sounding of the Trumpets, the releasing of the Vials,and even the Thunders that John was told not to record. Most believe thesejudgments cover the whole seven years. They are very wrong, for the Seals are not opened until after the Church has been Raptured in the middle of theTribulation and is seen around the Throne.

Rev. 5: 6 "And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the Throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain,having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sentforth into all the earth."

Furthermore, there is nothing in this whole world worth missing the Translation of the Bride of Christ. She will not only escape the seven years of Tribulation, but will be honored in the Marriage of the Lamb asHis wife, and will be seated with Him on His Throne. (Rev. 3: 21)

Remember, Peter said:

I Pet. 4: 17 "…Judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begins at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?"

I Cor. 11: 31 "For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged."

Only the Bride (the Overcomer) will judge herself by theWord, and make herself ready. (Rev. 19: 7, 8)

The Church will be judged by persecution in the first three-and-a-half years of the Tribulation. The Saved (the Born Again; the Family of God) has allowed their garments to become spotted by the world andthe flesh, and failed to repent under the persecution the Church endured. TheSaved will be judged in The Great Tribulation (the last three-and-a-half years). The Scripture states they will make their robes white by washing themin the Blood of the Lamb.

Rev. 7: 9, 13, 14 "After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, whichno man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues,stood before the Throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, andpalms in their hands… And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What arethese which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? And I said untohim, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out ofgreat tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in theBlood of the Lamb."