The Bride of Christ

There is little knowledge among believers in this hour,about the required scriptural qualifications to be a part of the overcoming company of believers that make up the Bride of Christ.

Rev. 19: 7, 8 "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. And to herwas granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for thefine linen is the righteousness of saints."

A Select Company of Believers

The Saved Are A Select Company

The Saved are a company of people selected out of the world. Jesus said:

Jn. 15: 16, 19 "Ye have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit shouldremain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in My name, He may give ityou. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye arenot of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hatethyou."

Eph. 1: 4 "According as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love:"

The Church Is A Select Company

The Church (the Body of Christ) is a company selected out of the Saved (the Born Again; the Family of God). The Church is not only the BornAgain, but rather the Born Again believers who have been filled with the HolyGhost.

I Cor. 12: 13 "For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body…"

The Church is not only born of the Spirit but also baptized with the Spirit. As on the Day of Pentecost, the Church is filled with theSpirit proven by the sign evidence of speaking in tongues. Proof of this is inthe fact that four of the five places where believers were filled with the HolySpirit in Scripture states they spoke with tongues.

Acts 2: 4 "And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance."

Acts 10: 45, 46 "And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also waspoured out the gift of the Holy Ghost. For they heard them speak with tongues,and magnify God…"

Acts 19: 6 "And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied."

I Cor. 14: 18 "I thank my God, I speak with tongues more than ye all:"

The one place it does not say they spoke with tongues is inActs 8: 17. However, Simon the sorcerer was willing to give money to have thepower to give the Holy Ghost to whomsoever he laid his hands on. Simon had tohave seen something very supernatural to be willing to give his money for whathe saw happen when the Apostles laid their hands on the people. (Acts 8: 18, 19) Without question, Simon saw them speak in tongues and glorify God as in theother places that speak of receiving the Holy Spirit.

The Bride Is A Select Company

The Bride of Christ is a company selected out of the Church,the Body of Christ. Nowhere in the Bible is the Church called the Bride. Nowhere in the Scripture is Christ called the Husband of the Church. Instead,the reference is to the fact that He is the Head of the Church. The Church isHis Body. The Bride will be a select company chosen out of the Church (theBody of Christ).

Jesus said in Matt. 20: 23, "…To sit on My right hand, and on My left, is not Mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of My Father." The Father makes the choice of those that will sit with Him (the Son).

A Prepared Company of Believers

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."

"Hetoimazo" -- "Made" -- to prepare -- make ready

Prepared by the Revelation of the Word

The Bride will make herself ready by the revelation of God'sWord (revealed by the Spirit). She will apprehend every redemptive right theLord has made available to every believer that hath an ear to hear what theSpirit has to say to the churches. The sad thing is that not everyone willlisten.

Rev. 3: 20 "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock…"

This letter is to a Church that has become lukewarm. TheLord is outside knocking. "…If any man hear My voice, (the revealedWord) and open the door…" He is no longer addressing the whole Church,but now He calls to individuals. "…If any man…" that is in the Churchwill hear His voice, answer the call, open the door and let Him in, Jesus said,"…I will come in to him…" The idea is that He not only comes in, but "…into him, and will sup with him, and he with Me." The evening meal is theprincipal meal, the chief meal of the day, and the time when they eat meat andhearty foods. The Lord is saying that He wants to come in and share meat(Revelation of the Word) to develop the overcoming life in you, that isrequired to sit with Him on His Throne.

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

Matt. 24: 45 "…To give them meat in due season."

This meat is revelation out of the Word by the Spirit, notapart from the Word, but out of the Word.

Matt. 24: 28 "For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles begathered together."

Eagles do not eat carrion, they eat fresh slain meat. Eaglesaints eat fresh revelation of truth. The Bride of Christ will make herselfready by eating the fresh revelation that God has, and is revealing to her. InRev. 2: 17 the Lord said, "…To him that overcometh will I give to eat of thehidden (krupto -- kept secret) manna…"

Paul said:

I Cor. 2: 9, 10 "But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard,neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath preparedfor them that love Him. But God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit: forthe Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep (hidden, secret) things of God."

II Pet. 1: 3, 4 "According as His divine power hath given unto us all thingsthat pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him thathath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding greatand precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the Divine Nature…"

Prepared by the Manifestation of God's Power

Eph. 1: 19, 20 "And what is the exceeding greatness of His power tous-ward who believe, according to the working of His mighty power, Which Hewrought in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead, and set Him at His Ownright hand in the heavenly places,"

Eph. 3: 20 "Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above allthat we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,"

Phil. 2: 13 "For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do ofHis good pleasure."

Heb. 13: 20, 21 "Now the God of peace… Make you perfect in every good workto do His will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in His sight, throughJesus Christ; to Whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen."

I Pet. 5: 10 "But the God of all grace, Who hath called us unto Hiseternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect,stablish, strengthen, settle you."

II Pet. 1: 3 "According as His divine power hath given unto us all thingsthat pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that hathcalled us to glory and virtue:"

A Position of Attainment by Faith

Rev. 19: 8 "And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in finelinen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints."

This is not just imputed righteousness, this is 'acts of righteousness' (acquired righteousness). This is righteousness acquired through appropriation by faith, and through application of the truth by grace.

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 fulness of Christ:"

The Bride will Run to Gain the Prize

Not everyone will run, for most have been taught that theyhave been given everything by grace and there is no need to exercise energy togain the prize. Salvation is a gift that can not be earned. This is a prizethat is only earned by running, and not by running only, but running accordingto the rules to win the prize. Therefore, there are conditions that have to bemet in order to win.

I Cor. 9: 24 "Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but onereceiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain."

Phil. 3: 14 "I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling ofGod in Christ Jesus.

II Tim. 2: 5 "And if a man also strive for masteries, yet is he notcrowned, except he strive lawfully."

"Nomimos" -- "Lawfully" -- agreeable to the rules

This word "nomimos" is used in contending in the games and achieving according to the rules.

Heb. 12: 1 "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great acloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,"

The Bride will Fight the Good Fight of Faith

The Bride of Christ is an overcomer. To be an overcomer something has to be overcome. There are forces that will fight against thebeliever, and for the believer to be an overcomer they must fight to keep whathas been given to them by grace. This is a fight of faith.

II Cor. 10: 4 "(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)"

Eph. 6: 12, 13 "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto youthe whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, andhaving done all, to stand."

I Tim. 6: 12 "Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life,where unto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses."

The Bride will Live the Life

The Bride will not only profess a good profession, but will live a life conformed to the Word of God, and to the image of Christ. There has to be a connection between the character of those who profess Christ asLord, and those who adorn themselves in a suitable life-style that pleases theLord. Like Enoch of old "…before his translation he had this testimony,that he pleased God."

Matt. 7: 21 "Not every one that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of My Father which is in heaven."

Titus 1: 16 "They profess that they know God; but in works they deny Him,being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate."

Jas. 1: 22 "But be ye doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves."

The Bride will Make no Provision for the Flesh

Flesh struggles desperately hard to survive in the best of men, but with the help of the Holy Spirit the flesh can, and will be overcome. The more of Christ that the believer has in his life, the less the flesh willrule.

Rom. 13: 14 "But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof."

The Bride will Perfect Holiness

The Bride of Christ will perfect holiness both in the flesh and in the spirit.

II Cor. 7: 1 "Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God."

This is not perfecting holiness in order to be saved; but because the believer has been saved. Therefore, cleanse yourself "…from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God."

This is not something that we do in ourselves only, as Paul said in Phillipians, "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His goodpleasure." (Phil. 2: 12, 13)

God has made great promises and provisions for the believer to achieve all that God requires, but only if these promises are accepted andacted upon by faith.

II Pet. 1: 4 "Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the Divine Nature…"

The Bride will have Crucified the Flesh

The Bride of Christ will have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. The flesh has to be crucified, flesh cannot reign in the life of the overcomer.

Gal. 5: 24 "And they that are Christ'shave crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts."

The Bible makes it very plain that the believer is commanded not to let sin reign. If the believer is commanded not to let sin reign, then the believer is capable of not letting sin reign. God does not require thatwhich is impossible to do.

Rom. 6: 12 "Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof."

Remember, ye are servants to (owned by) whoever ye yeild yourselves to obey.

Rom. 6: 16--18 "Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, orof obedience unto righteousness? But God be thanked, that ye were the servantsof sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which wasdelivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants ofrighteousness."

Also, the flesh must be crucified if the life of Jesus is to be made manifest in us.

II Cor. 4: 10, 11 "Always bearing about in the body the dying of the LordJesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. For wewhich live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus' sake,that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh."

The Bride will Follow the Leading of the Spirit

The Bride of Christ, having attained to full maturity(huios), positioned as sons, will know the voice of the Lord and will followHis leading.

Rom. 8: 14 "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons(huios) of God."

Jesus said in Jn. 10: 27 "My sheep("Probaton" --advanced in years -- distinct from "Arnia" lambs) hear My voice, and I knowthem, and they(the mature sheep) follow Me."

Only mature saints hear the voice of the Lord and follow His leading. Babes, like lambs, often confuse the voice of other shepherds withthe voice of their Master.

Matt. 24: 5 "For many shall come in My name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many."

Only the immature babes (lambs) will be deceived. The mature sons (sheep) will not be deceived and led astray.

Jn. 10: 4, 5 "And when He putteth forth His own sheep, Hegoeth before them, and the sheep follow Him: for they know Hisvoice. And a stranger will they not follow,but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers."

Rev. 14: 4 "…These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever hegoeth…"

The Bride will Love the Lord Without Reserve

Jesus said:

Mk. 12: 30 "…Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart,and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength:"

To do this requires perfection, full growth in the Spirit,and perfect obedience. This is a command, "Thou shalt," but it is alsoa promise, "Thou shalt." The Lord is promising the ability to do it. The Lord will never require what we cannot do without giving the ability to doit.

Phil. 2: 13 "For it is God which worketh in you…"

Jn. 14: 21 "He that hath My commandments, and keepeth them, he it is thatloveth Me: and he that loveth Me shall be loved of My Father, and I willlove him, and will manifest (reveal) Myself to him."

I Jn. 2: 3--5 "…Hereby we do know that we know Him, if we keep Hiscommandments. He that saith, I know Him, and keepeth not His commandments, isa liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth His Word, in him verilyis the love of God perfected…"

The Bride will be Crowned with Crowns of Gold

The Bride of Christ, having run the race, fought the fight of faith, and gained the prize, is now crowned with crowns of gold. Crowns are not gifts, they are awarded for achievement.

Rev. 4: 4 "…And they had on their heads crowns of gold."

Salvation is not a prize to be gained or earned; it is a gift that must be received by faith. However, there is promised to thebeliever that will run, that will fight the good fight of faith, and that will walk obediently in the truth, a crown.

I Cor. 9: 24, 25 "Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man thatstriveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtaina corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible."

The Bride will be Seated on Thrones

Also, in this fourth chapter of Revelation the Bride ofChrist is seated on thrones with the Lord as He promised in Rev. 3: 21. The promise of throne rights is only given to the overcomer, not to the wholeChurch. He was addressing the whole Church, but the whole Church will notlisten. The promise to sit with Him on His throne is to the overcomer.

Rev. 4: 4 "And round about the throne were four and twenty seats(thrones): and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment…"

They are "…clothed in white raiment…" as promised in Rev. 19: 8.

Composed Entirely of Overcomers

Rev. 3: 21 "To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with Me in MyThrone, even as I also overcame, and am set down with My Father in HisThrone."

The Bride is composed of Overcomers out of the Church (theBody of Christ). The context makes it quite plain what the Church has to overcome in order to be the Bride.

The First Thing to Overcome is 'Lukewarmness'

Rev. 3: 16 "So then because thou art lukewarm…"

The Lord says in Rev. 3: 19, "…Be zealous… and repent." Repent and be fervent, hot, and on fire.

Rom. 12: 11 "…Fervent in spirit; serving the Lord…"

The Second Thing to Overcome is a Self-satisfied Attitude of Pride

Rev. 3: 17 "Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, andhave need of nothing…"

The Lord says they know not they are "…poor…" TheLord counsels them in Rev. 3: 18, "…Buy of Me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich…" Faith is the buying power. They were all wrapped-upin material goods; rich in earthly things, but poor in spiritual things. Hiscounsel was to buy of Him spiritual wealth, defined as "…Gold tried in thefire…" which is the very nature of God.

II Pet. 1: 4 "Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and preciouspromises: that by these ye might be partakers of the Divine Nature…"

The Third Thing to Overcome is the Ignorance of Their Condition

Rev. 3: 17 "…And knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable…"

The Lord says they are "blind" to their condition. Therefore, this requires a truthful and strict examination of ourselves. Paul said:

II Cor. 13: 5 "Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove yourown selves."

Jesus said:

Jn. 8: 32 "…Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."

The Lord's counsel was to "…anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see…" (Rev. 3: 18) The eyes must be anointed by the Holy Spirit with spiritual insight and revelations to not only see the "blind"condition, but to see the provisions made for this condition. You cannot overcome spiritual blindness in yourself. It takes the anointing ofGod by His Spirit to remove the scales of blindness. It will cost you something to get this "eyesalve" that will remove the blindness.

The Lord says, "…Buy of Me…"

• Through Repentance
• Through Believing His Promise
• Through Obedience to His Word

II Cor. 10: 5, 6 "Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity everythought to the obedience of Christ; And having in a readiness to revenge alldisobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled."

Rev. 3: 18 "…And white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear…"

Adam and Eve had a spiritual covering that they lost when they sinned in the garden, and they then knew they were naked.

Gen. 3: 7 "And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons."

Here the Lord was speaking to the Church and telling them that they were "naked." They had lost their spiritual covering.

"Raiment" is used in Scripture to typify character. "…Clothed with Majesty…" (Psalm 93: 1) "…Clothed with Honour…"(Psalm 104: 1)

"Raiment" also typifies Salvation, Righteousness andPurity.

Job 29: 14 "I put on righteousness, and it clothed me: my judgment was as a robe and a diadem."

Psalm 132: 16 "I will also clothe her priests with salvation: and her saints shall shout aloud for joy."

Isa. 61: 10 "I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, He hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels."

Zech. 3: 4 "And He answered and spake unto those that stood before Him,saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him He said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment."

The believers that are in the Church need to overcome this condition of "nakedness" to be in the Bride.

A State of Complete Deliverance

Lk. 21: 28 "And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, andlift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh."

The Time of Complete Deliverance

The first thing to notice is the time of complete deliverance.

"And when these things begin to come to pass…"

Deception is the first thing that Jesus talked about in this list of events that will take place in the end-time.

Lk. 21: 8 "And He said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in My name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye nottherefore after them."

Matt. 24: 11 "…Many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many."

Matt. 24: 24 "For there shall arise false christs, and false prophets, andshall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, theyshall deceive the very elect."

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

II Tim. 3: 13 "…Evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse,deceiving, and being deceived."

II Pet. 2: 19 "…They promise… liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption…"

I Jn. 3: 7 "Little children, let no man deceive you…"

We are living in the time of great deception, which indicates that we are living in the time of complete deliverance.

The Preparation for Deliverance

The next thing to notice is the preparation for deliverance.

Lk. 21: 28 "…Look up, and lift up your heads…"

"Anakupto" -- "look up" -- actually this is a compound word inthe sense of reversal; to unbend; straighten up. There is a lot of spiritual bending and bowing today in this age of deception and compromise. God iscalling His people to straighten up, and line up with His Word. "Ana" -- repetition-- Straighten up and keep straightening up.

Not everyone will take heed to the Lord's warning #39;tostraighten up,' but the Bride will take heed to the warning and prepare herself for the promised deliverance.

The State of Release or Complete Deliverance

Lk. 21: 28 "…For your redemption draweth nigh."

To comprehend the truth stated in this text you need tounderstand the meaning of the word "Redemption." In the Greek scripture there are several different words used to describe "Redemption," "Redeem," "Redeemed,""Redeemedst," "Redeemeth" and "Redeeming." Therefore, it is necessary tounderstand from the Greek the true meaning of the word "Redemption" inthis text.

We will now look at the other Greek words translated in theKing James version by one of these words of Redemption, or Redeeming.

There is the word "Agorazo" in Rev. 5: 9. This word has themeaning "to buy" -- "a price paid." "…For Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed (Agorazo) us to God by Thy blood…" Christ is spoken of as havingbought His people at the price of His blood.

"Exagorazo" -- is a strengthened form of "agorazo" -- "tobuy." The prefix "ex--" gives the meaning of purchasing or buying with a view to release.

Gal. 3: 13 "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law…"

Christ bought us with His blood to release us from thecurse.

"Lutroo" -- which is a verb, speaks of a process of release.

Titus 2: 14 "Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem (Lutroo) usfrom all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of goodworks."

Christ paid the full purchase price for us, but there is aprocess of releasing "…us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people…"

"Lutrosis" -- is a noun revealing the fact that Christ haspurchased for us a state of release.

Heb. 9: 12 "…By His own blood He entered in once into the holy place,having obtained eternal redemption ("Lutrosis" -- a state of release) for us."

Although Christ purchased the state of release for us, it isour responsibility to enter into that state. Because Christ purchased it forus, some say it is an automatic thing for us to be in that state, no matter what we do or how we live. God's part is eternal, done, completed. God madethe provision, but we must, by Grace and Faith, enter into this state.

"Apolutrosis" "Apo" -- complete "Lutrosis" -- state of release

Lk. 21: 28 "…When these things begin to come to pass, then look up (straightenup and keep straightening up), and lift up your heads; for your redemption ("Apolutrosis"-- complete state of release) draweth nigh."

In Ephesians we have the promise of this " complete state of release" and the promise of our full inheritance, which is the fullness of the Spirit. We have only had the earnest of our inheritance until now.

Eph. 1: 13, 14 "In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the Word oftruth, the gospel of your salvation: in Whom also after that ye believed, yewere sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest ("Arrhabon"-- a pledge as security for the rest; a down payment; assurance of somethingmore to come) of our inheritance until the redemption ("Apolutrosis" -- thecomplete state of release) of the purchased possession…"

The believer, "…the purchased possession…" is giventhe earnest of the Spirit (the Baptism of the Spirit) "which is the earnest of our inheritance…" until the believer is completely released. We are now in the process of being released. However, we are moving into the time ofcomplete release and the fullness of the Spirit.

I Pet. 1: 3--5 "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,which according to His abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively (living)hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritanceincorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven foryou (remember, we do not have it as of yet), Who are kept by the power of Godthrough faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time."

"Soteria" -- "Salvation" -- a deliverance or complete state of release

This state of release is "…ready to be revealed in thelast time." We are in the last time (or last days) and are looking forward for this "Soteria," this End Time Deliverance (the complete state of release of the purchased possession that Christ purchased with His Blood). Not everyonewill be a part of this deliverance; it is exclusively for the Overcomer (theBride).

Lk. 21: 36 "Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accountedworthy…"