I agree with you that not all born-again Christians will be raptured in the
first rapture. As indicated in the parable of the Ten Virgins, only those who
have been living and growing in their faith will be a part of the Bride in the
first rapture.
The following is a brief excerpt pertaining to the eligibility requirements
to be a member of the Bride of Christ. Not all of the Church will be the Bride.
This is an assumption that many make and need to carefully review based on the
Biblical verses presented in Mize's web site.
That's it for now. This is a touchy subject to many and I do not want to
say more since I do not want to stir up trouble.
----------------------- Excerpt from Lyn Mize's web site
---------------------
The Church and the Bride are not the same.
The Scriptures confirm that the bride of Christ comes out of the body of Christ.
They also give the Biblical criteria for being a member of the bride of Christ.
As stated above, pure and sincere devotion to
Christ is one of the criteria. Preparing for oneself a wedding garment of good
works is another criterion. It is also required that a Christian be found
watching at the time of the Firstfruits Rapture of the Church.
The bride of Christ will come from those
Christians that are longing for the Return of Christ. They will be among the
Five Wise Virgins that have trimmed their lamps and beckoned for the
Lord’s return at the midnight hour. The bride of Christ will be among the
watchful and waiting Christians anxious for the Lord to return for them. She has
separated herself from the cares of this world, and the riches of this world do
not deceive her. The Main Body of the Church does not see her as worthy, and it
may even see her as being eccentric, fanatical or even too heavenly minded to be
of any earthly good.
The first bride in Scripture was Eve and her
origin (Gen. 2:22-23) is well known among Christians, but few understand the
prophetic significance of her origin.
The different methods for the creation of Adam and Eve were for a reason. Adam
is a type of Christ, and just as Adam’s bride was taken out of his body,
Christ’s bride will be taken out of his body, the Church. Eve was made from a
small portion of Adam’s body. She was made out of one rib and the flesh attached
to that rib. The type is accurate for the bride of Christ, since the bride of
Christ will come from a very small portion of the body of Christ.
Adam was put to sleep before his side was
opened. Christ was also put to sleep before his side was pierced and blood and
water poured out. The blood represents the salvation of the spirit, which is by
grace. The water represents the salvation of the life, which is a work and is
attained by the washing
of water by the Word (Eph. 5:25-27). Thus, the bride of Christ must “be
born of water and the spirit.” Many in the Church are not “born of water”,
since they do not avail themselves of the cleansing that Jesus is now providing
as our High Priest (1 John 1:9), and they do not study the Bible and apply it to
their lives.
The bride of Christ will come out of those
who not only see the kingdom (John 3:3), but those who enter the kingdom (John
3:5). The bride will be at the highest level in reigning and ruling with Jesus
Christ. The Four Living Creatures in Revelation represent her. The bride will
share the throne of Jesus Christ—unlike the 24 elders that have their own
thrones and occupy the second level in the kingdom of the heavens.
The bride of Christ constantly confesses her sin,
is filled or controlled by the Holy Spirit and performs righteous deeds that
prevent her from being put away because of her unfaithfulness. Just as Ruth (Book of Ruth)
did before she met Boaz, the bride washes herself, anoints herself with oil and
dresses herself in the wedding garment of good works. The bride has made herself
ready, just as the following Scripture confirms:
(Rev 19:7-8 NASB) (7)
"Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the
Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready." (8) And it was given to her
to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the
righteous acts of the saints.
The bride of Christ remains faithful
to Christ until the end, and she has the pure and sincere devotion that
qualifies her for the prize of the high calling of God, which is to be presented
as the bride of Christ.