The bride of Christ has been discussed by many, confused with The body of Christ, confused with Israel and left to hang as a sort of unsolved mystery. Oh-- make no mistake about it, many will tell you what such and such commentary says.

We will try to make the subject a little more understood with both Scripture and studying what we understand as Truth. Let us understand though, a carnal mind will have to take backseat for a while. Certainly we see that a “body” needs a head.

Although I could go into this, I think we can all agree that the Head of the body of believers is Yashua Messiah, Jesus the Christ. Now the scriptures prove many times over that a nation called “Israel”, whose very name means “Rules with God” makes up this body of believers. And, as it is written, ALL Israel shall be saved . (Rom 11:26).

God says He has an unconditional love for Israel, and He said, 'By myself have I sworn.' And He makes these covenants and promises to Israel. He said, 'I have loved you with an everlasting love.' (Jer 31:3) 'I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands.' (Isa 49:16) ' Whoso toucheth you toucheth the apple of my eye.' (Zech 2:8). Through all of the nation Israel’s sin, yet He still loved Israel. Now Israel was so bad that He actually divorced her (Jer 3:8), but said, 'Ye shall be known as the sons of the living God.' (Hos 1:10)

And yet in the depths of her sin in relation to the Hosea prophecies you still find that He says 'I will re-betroth her and bring her unto rnyself.' This is important. Don’t read over this, God remarries Israel in the book of Revelation. Israel will be Gods wife. Now, what was a wife before, except a bride?

Now God's love is directed towards persons other than Abraham of course - all mankind is His creation. But He does feel this particular regard towards Abraham and his descendants. Abraham bears that marvelous title 'Friend of God', and He had a companionship with Abraham that was unlike any other.

Ohh I can hear it now, What of the Church?? Well listen up. It is interesting that God always portrays the church as female, never male. The backsliding or false church is described as a whore, an adulteress, and all the bad things possible. But on occasion He also calls her a virgin daughter. He divorced her. But in the light, Father has the ability to clean that He will. He will reclaim that that is His. As individuals Father cleans us, and makes us His church . There are many ‘churches’ which are not as clean of falsity as some of their members. Notice something important, though. God never promised to restore, or ordain a church to anything. He did promise to REDEEM. The 'restoration' of the church is man’s concept. It is a false one.

The very last thing said by our Lord, before His ascension was in answer to the question; 'Wilt thou at this time restore, notice that word, restore the kingdom to Israel?' And, what was His answer? Essentially He replied 'don't worry about THAT--get to work.' Thus there is nothing at all which indicates that He said it is going to be given to the church and Israel is being set aside for ever. The early church knew this national concept all along and our Lord confirmed it. His parables were about the kingdom, nowhere in the Scriptures does the Bible say the kingdom is taken from the nation and given to a church.

In fact man's whole concept of 'church' is a multi- national concept because it is people of all colors, all races. It is true that all who accept Christ can become by faith as Abraham's seed and heirs. It's not exclusive but it's a mystical, universal body of believers regardless of nationality. And therefore the church can in no way at any time be classified as a kingdom. Now these are the things that I think we ought to be careful of and know about.

Ask. Is the church so righteous they should inherit all these blessings after all? We all know that the church stands condemned to a greater degree than even the nation Israel because the early church has been the repository of sublime Christian truths, and later we have walked away from them. The nation has also but there is probably more of an inherent sense of righteousness within the people than there is amongst the ministers and the watchmen and the false shepherds. So then there is no great redeeming factor in the church to justify all these covenants and promises being transferred to them.

Well, what are we to think then? Surely the believers make up the bride of Christ. Yes indeed. Lets see how. As is written, Jesus loved HIS church so much that He gave His life for her. He bought her with his flesh blood, thereby redeeming Her.

First, though, let us attempt to resolve this flesh issue of the gender of the church. Why is the 'church' female? Lets think back think back to Eve, the first female, and also think about the significance of the first marriage.

The Word is wonderful, lets see how this first fits with the last marriage of Christ to His bride. Remember He said 'the first shall be last, and the last, first?'

Note foremost that Christ is referred to as “the second man Adam” (1 Cor 15:45). Now Christ is our Priest, right? Well, so Adam was God’s Priest, made a tiller of the ground (worshipper, bondservant see Strong’s word for 'till' ). God even showed him the animal sacrifice for sin (Gen 3:21). So Adam was the initial “type” for Christ.

Remember now. At first, Adam was alone. God took from Adam’s body and made Eve, a female. This act enables the “peopling” of the world, for Adam. Thus, as Adam was a prototype priest, Eve was also a type of the first ‘church’. (Adam's congregation) You know what? The first ‘church’ whored with Satan too. There is nothing new under the sun. We are not done, yet.

The female role will be over in the eternity, for it’s role will be complete. (See Matt 22:30) Thus the female Eve, is actually the mother of all the seed line of believers, and as Adam said prophetically, Eve is “the mother of all living”. Physically true, for all of Adam's descendants, Spiritually, it is, that you are either in the 'nation' of believers, or you will not be living eternally. Prophetically, God has named this body of believers Israel, or literally “Rulers with God”, thus making them, spiritually, a nation, so that they may bea part of Israel, or "rulers with God."

Now can you see the beauty of Fathers Truth? In the wedding, the “church” will be reinserted into the Body of Israel, the nation ,and becomes the bride and wife. We will all have one Head, that is Christ. Thus the ‘church’ either becomes believers, (joins the nation of Israel) or ends up dead.

Let's go even a little deeper here, for there is much more to consider: Put on your Spiritual thinking cap.

Lets begin with the Kingdom and work back to the beginning.

As to the kingdom, Yashua says:

Mark 4:11
11 And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables: (KJV)

Paul continually refers to this mystery, throughout his letters. I have no need to quote them to you. but there are 15 mentions, spread through 5 of his epistles. Bear with me while I quote 4 of the passages, so you may see the points following.

1 Cor 2:7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: (KJV)

Eph 3:5 Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit;
6 That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel: (KJV)
Now think back to Genesis with the following:

Eph 5:29 For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:
30 For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.
31 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.
32 This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church. (KJV)

Col 1:26 Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:

Do you like mysteries? Me too.

Now we know that Jesus has declared that there is nothing hidden that would not be revealed. He never said it would be revealed to all at the same time.

Also consider: Solomon has told us 'there is nothing new under the sun'. So, lets look back in history.

Paul refers to Yashua as the second Adam. Then in the man Adam, back at the beginning, was God's purpose manifested, for Paul says

1 Cor 15:45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. (KJV)

1 Tim 2:14 And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression. (KJV)

Now what does this say, but that it was not that bondservant (tiller--'abad) of God who fell first. It says Eve fell first. Adam the bondservant then fell after Eve fell.

This is very important. Adam, as the first "Adamic" man, was a father of a much greater multitude than Abraham.

Shift into spiritual significance now. Adam was not merely created. He was formed. A word which has special significance. as 'formed', means the one who did the forming had a particular purpose. Hmmm. You do understand God's purpose, right? He always has us on His mind.

Lets look at Pauls statement carefully, about the 2 adams. It seems we know much more about the second Adam, Yashua, than we know about the first one. As it is written in Genesis, Adam was in the garden with Satan for sometime, maybe even considerable time, before the portion from which Eve was formed was taken from Adams body.

During this time (? 40 days ?, ?40 years ? ) Satan for sure tried to get this Adam, just like He tried with Yashua in the wilderness. He could not fool Adam either, for it is surely written that Adam was not the first to fall. How did he try? What did He use? Whatever it was, it failed. Since the MO is consistent with Eve, Job, and Yashua, it probably was the same 3. We don't know, for sure, tho. Anyways Satan failed. He could not do it. Adam was rigid in his faith.

Now, dont this man Adam sound like he had absorbed God's Word, which maybe only was at the time "obey God" and was thus essentially a Priest? A virgin consecrated to God, that did not listen to anything else?

Now, consider also that Eve, his wife, was made from Adams body. She was not taken from a different patch of clay. Hmmm. In a way, we may even say this was a type of the virgin birth. There was no fornication, nor mixture. The same DNA of Adam's body was used to form Adams wife. God concieved and did the rest, and we know today that life begins at conception.

Eve also had a unique purpose. She was taken from the body of Adam, The first Priest, in whom was Gods first church, so to speak. Now with EVE, the church now had a physical body capable of 'growing into a multitude', and filling the earth. But she whored with Satan.

There is nothing new under the sun. The 'pastors' today have a 'body' of believers, who fall into sin. Some of the pastors do the same.

Now since there was no rule except 'obey God', what was Adam's sin? Well the same one Eve did, it is written. Thus Adam did not ultimately 'obey God', either. He was not a perfect High Priest. In the sense that his purpose was to be a shepherd, feeding and watching his flock, which was Eve. He 'harkened' to his wife. In other words, he listened to her experience, and did not judge it accordingly. Here is the lesson for us. Satan, through the 'church' body, has been able to 'force' un Godly opinions on the pastors. Shame, indeed.

But now, also consider the various other 'types' here.. Christ was not only the Son of God, by virgin birth, He was also the Son of Adam the first Priest by the flesh, (and also of course) the son of Eve, "the first church" type, which was also a virgin birth type, and Adam and Eve was the vehicle by which the church type or (Israel, "rules with God") enters the flesh age. When Yashua 'took' the kingdom from the Jews, He claimed it and having earned it for Himself, He keeps it to this very day.

In short, Christ became Israel, for truly only He alone 'rules with God'.

Now Jesus made it perfectly clear, that he had 'taken' the kingdom (promised to Abraham and later confirmed to Israel) to himself. Thus He alone holds the kingdom at this time, 'till the fullness of the gentiles be come in'.

Remember though, at the harvest, Jesus has said not the least grain will be lost.

So what meaneth this?

Now, since the purpose of God is completeness in Him, is it not a sincere possibility that the 'Body' of the bride and wife, would be as complete as Adam was? Knowing not only 'believe God', but also feeling His love? Thus is not the 'remnant' taken from Adam to form Eve to then be rejoined in an Everlasting Kingdom, Israel, (ruling with God) with Christ as it's Head?

So there you are. The female has always been the model of the 'church', (Israel) throughout Fathers Word. Father referred to her 'His virgin daughter' many times. We see more truth in this now. When she whored, He called her a whore. He divorced her, yet He LOVES her. He died for her. He will come to claim her, and she will be His wife forever.

Hence at that time, the need for a female for reproduction is through. He will replace her in the body of Adam, from which she came. We will have one body and one Head, Even as at the first, Yashua Messiah, Jesus, God's Christ.

And so, when the pieces are all reassembled into one body again, with Christ as the head, then that body will stand forever firm against the possibility of a future Satan type, just as Adam did when He was not 'divided'. No more will we be divided. We will be one in Christ, and hence even the concept of Satan will be eternally bound without andsuch memory destroyed, having no way to deceive, forever. The body of Israel will be whole again.

http://home.earthlink.net/~bobseller1/id79.html