Doug L (23 June 2019)
"WHY ALL CHRISTIANS
ARE NOT CHRIST'S BRIDE AND WHY ONLY THE BRIDE OF CHRIST
CAN EXPECT TO BE RAPTURED AT THE END OF THE CHURCH AGE."
According to biblical-Hebrew tradition when a man and woman
became bethrothed to each other they were considered married
however, the marriage was not yet consumated until after
the husband went to prepare a place for them and then returned
to get His bride. The bride during this time, which could take
up to a year, must remain faithful, pure and ready to go with
Him at a moments notice when he calls for her - even in the
middle of the night or be divorced if not faithful.
Joseph (bethrothed to Mary) was told not to divorce her... whom
he thought was
unfaithful.
God divorced Israel who was unfaithful.
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Romans 10:13 --- For "WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD
WILL BE SAVED."
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All new believers in Christ, as their Savior, are saved from the
condemnation of sin and from an eternity in Hell. All new
believers, now sealed by the Spirit, become worthy of life
eternal in heaven with God.
Not all believers go on to become disciples of Christ and are
full of His Holy Spirit. Not all believers become worthy of
Christ and His bride.
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Matthew 10:37,38 --- Whoever loves father or mother more than me
is not worthy of Me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than
Me is not worthy of me. 38And whoever does not take his cross
and follow Me is not worthy of me.
Luke 21:36 --- Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may
be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come
to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.
Romans 11:20-22 --- you stand by your faith. Do not be
conceited, but fear; 21for if God did not spare the natural
branches, He will not spare you, either. 22Behold then the
kindness and severity of God; to those who fell, severity, but
to you, God’s kindness, IF YOU CONTINUE in His kindness;
OTHERWISE you also will be cut off.
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Who then is Worthy ? Only God knows. We are told to be
faithful, pure and ready and to pray that we might be counted as
worthy.... to escape (taken out, raptured) the things that are
coming upon this earth.
All ten virgins were waiting for their Lord - only five were
faithful, pure - filled with the Holy Spirit and ready when He
called for them. Five were not but were told to go and get ready
for another future event....(tribulation, second coming?)
They were disqualified, remained and were not taken in but
rejected at that time.
God sees those whose hearts are perfect towards Him to whom
Jesus is their first love. Many who are the bride of
Christ have been taken out from the Church and this world
already and await the end of the Church Age when those who are
the bride (still living) will be raptured - taken out by
Christ their husband.
**Eve, Adam's bride, was a part taken out from his body and so a
part from the body of Christ (The Church) will be taken
out to be His bride.
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2 Chronicles 16:9 --- For the eyes of the LORD roam to and fro
over all the earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those
whose heart is fully devoted to Him.
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Matthew 16:24-27 --- Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever
wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their
cross and follow me. 25For whoever wants to save their life will
lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.
26What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet
forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for
their soul? 27For the Son of Man is going to come in his
Father’s glory with his angels, and then He will reward each
person according to what they have done.
Revelation 19:7,8 --- The wedding day of the Lamb is here, and
His bride is ready. 8She will be given a wedding dress made of
pure and shining linen. This linen stands for the good things
God's people have done.”
--- And to her was granted (given the privilege) that she
should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine
linen is the righteousness of saints.
Luke 14:7-11 --- Now he told a parable to those who were
invited, when he noticed how they chose the places of honor,
saying to them....
8“When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not sit
down in a place of honor, lest someone more distinguished than
you be invited by him, 9and he who "invited you both" will come
and say to you, ‘Give your place to this person,’ and then you
will begin with shame to take the lowest place. 10But when you
are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when your
host comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher.’ Then you
will be honored in the presence of all who sit at table with
you. 11For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he
who humbles himself will be exalted.”
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God chooses (from the many who are called) those whose place
(privilege) will be next to Christ.
Not all believers become disciples of Christ. Not all believers
remain faithful, pure - full of the Holy Spirit when Christ
comes for them.... whether by death or the Rapture.
Each of us will be rewarded according to what we have done as
believers in this life.
God never changes, by His justice and according to His complete
knowledge of each one of us - He will choose those who are the
bride of Christ.
If all believers are taught that this highest privilege is a
given simply because they have received pardon for their sins,
that all believers receive the same reward regardless of how
they lived their lives, faithful or not.... disciples or not....
full of the Holy Spirit or not.... it removes the fear of the
Lord, the motivation to deny themselves to follow Him and the
desire to draw as close to Him in the most intimate fellowship
possible.
It is wrong teaching. It denies God's true nature disregarding
His purity, justice and promise that judgment first begins in
His House and that He discplines and corrects each child that He
calls His own.