WHO IS THE BRIDE OF CHRIST?

Hello all!

This phrase has been used to describe a special body of believers that go to be with Christ before the Tribulation. Everyone whom believes in a Pre-tribulation Rapture sees themselves to be this special part of the Lord's chosen people. It is written about constantly, on every pre-trib web-site, there have been a multitude of books written about this Bride, and it just seems to be an accepted FACT among the great majority of believers. I used to believe it, and wrote about it and saw absolutely nothing wrong with this concept, until I looked into God's Holy Word and found out how non-existent the evidence is for this being so.

The phase "the Bride of Christ" is NOT even in the whole of the Bible!! Not one time is this phrase used to describe the Church, or even Israel, of any one special "body" of believers!!! How can this be so? How can such a doctrine exist without one instance of it being mentioned in the Bible?

Most likely, the term "Bride of Christ" has it roots in the Roman Catholic Church. Where priests "marry" the Church and take vows of celibacy. As a result, the term "Bride of Christ" was eventually coined in relation to this practice. Today, this concept and terminology has spilled over into our own fundamental Christian doctrines.

The only instance where the Bride is mentioned she is called the Lamb's wife.

Rev 19:7 says, "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."

Rev 21:2
And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

These are the only true references to a Bride of Christ, and they do NOT point to the Church, as a body of believers, they point to exactly what God tells us the bride is, the Holy City of Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride. This verse is not even directly say this Holy City is the Bride, just that she is prepared as a bride.

Where in the Bible is the body of believers called Christ's Bride? The Church is called His BODY of believers. How can the Bride be His Body and also His wife? Is Christ going to marry His own body? Did He ever tell His disciples that they would be His Bride? And if that be so, would it follow the example of a Jewish wedding,as if the only true Bride would have to be Jews? None of it makes any sense once we really look at what the Bible tells us.

We are to be "sons of God" not the wife of God. We are Christ's Body, here on earth, and He tells us this over and over, Himself, and through His disciples. Let's see where in the Bible, this is so.

Rom 7:4
"Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the BODY of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God."

We are already married to Christ when we become members of His Body...here the word married is used to show the joining of our life with His. When we are born again, and have His Spirit within us, we are part of His Body and partake of and participate in His Spiritual kingdom.

Rom 12:5
"So we, being many, are one BODY in Christ, and every one members one of another."

1Cr 10:16
"The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the BODY of Christ?"

1Cr 12:12
" For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one BODY, being many, are one BODY: so also is Christ."

1Cr 12:27
"Now ye are the BODY of Christ, and members in particular."

Eph 4:12
"For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the BODY of Christ:"

Eph 3:6
"That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same BODY, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:"

Now, let us take a look at the term "sons of God", as part of His Body we become the "sons of God", not His bride! Can we be both His sons, and His bride? That is not possible and it is NOT what the Bible tells us!!

Jhn 1:12
"But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the SONS of God, even to them that believe on his name:"

Rom 8:14
"For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the SONS of God."

Rom 8:19
"For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the SONS of God."

Phl 2:15
"That ye may be blameless and harmless, the SONS of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;

1Jo 3:1
"Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the SONS of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not."

1Jo 3:2
"Beloved, now are we the SONS of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is."


There you have it, many many verses that tell us that the members of the Church are members of His Body, and as members of His body we are called " the sons of God". With all these verses that tell us who the Church is, there is NOT ONE verse that tells us we are "the bride of Christ", not one!!!! It sure bothers me that for over 30 years I believed what pastors and preachers, and authors and scholars were telling me, and went on from there to believe all the other doctrines they have come up with to try and make this so.
All I had to do is look in the Holy Bible to find out that this doctrine, that has been built up to such a great degree, is not valid in any way shape of form!!

Yet, that is not the worst of what this false doctrine is putting out there. Let's go back and look at Rev. 19:7;

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."

Look at the words, "made herself ready". Now, does that not speak of doing something to make herself ready, and doing something on her own that will make herself ready? This requires "works" to be done by the Christian to get ready.

The Word clearly tells us that we are already made righteous, and are already sanctified. So then, the church, in God's eyes, is already ready.

The "Bride of Christ" teaching says the church has to do something to make "herself ready", to be perfect. If this is true then there is absolutely no way Jesus will ever return and get us. We can't get "ready" ourselves out of our own doing something to be perfect. It'll never happen. We are not perfect and we can never be perfect outside of his gift of righteousness. It is just not possible. It will never be possible!

The "bride of Christ" doctrine tells us once we "stand up and have all the wrinkles out of our wedding dress" then we will be ready (that comes from the scripture that says "..once the bride hath made herself ready..."). It tells us the Lord will return and get us once we "make ourselves ready", are without "spot or blemish" and when the church is perfect and ready. Nothing can be further from the truth.

Being ready is a GIFT and a GIFT we already have. Let's look at what the Bible says on this issue.

2Cr 5:21
"For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him."

Rom 3:26
"To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus."

1Cr 1:30
"But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:"

2Cr 9:10
"Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness;)"

These verses, above, tell us we have been made the righteousness of God already. We are already without "spot or blemish". We are already perfect and righteous. Jesus can return now if God tells Him to. He can return at anytime. More importantly is the fact that if we are made righteous through the blood of Jesus then it takes away from us "the works" that we will have to do to become perfect.

It makes it all about grace again and not something we do on our own. It makes it all about HIS ability to save us and His ability working in us to give us the power to overcome sin in our own lives. This is the fundamental reason Jesus gave His life for us.
"The bride" teaching removes the fundamental purpose in the plan of salvation. Our salvation becomes about works and about making ourselves perfect and ready. Grace is denied. Its by grace we are saved and it will be by grace that He will return and get His church.


Eph 2:6
"And HATH raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:"

Eph 2:7
"That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus."

Eph 2:8
"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:"

Eph 2:9
"Not of works, lest any man should boast."

Please note that Eph.2:6 says Christ "hath" raised us up together. He has already done that, and we already sit together in heavenly places in Jesus Christ. This verse definitely hints at the fact that we are already in His Kingdom, right now....but that is another study that I have already written, and is posted here, if anyone is interested.

Just by doing this short study, I have come to see that this Bride of Christ doctrine heald by those who also believe in a Pre-Trib rapture is NOT BIBLICAL, just as a pre-trib rapture is not Biblical.
Who and what are we to be believing?? The Holy Word of God, or men who twist it and mold it to fit their preconceived notions and ideas. Anyone with a Bible can find out what I just did...we need to start doing that.

So, who or what is the Bride of Christ? The only verse in the whole of the Bible that deals with this directly we have already seen, and it clearly states that it is THE HOLY CITY NEW JERUSALEM.

Rev 21:9 "And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife."

Rev 21:10
" And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,"

There it is, plain and simple....the holy city adorned with all the born again believers who will live in their many mansions that the Lord went and prepared for them. It is the totality of His born again people, from the beginning of time and until the end of time.

I hate to say this, because I believed these doctrines for so long, but they are false and they are preaching another gospel. Most are building their relationship with Christ on this false foundation of the church being the Bride, and of Christ coming in a secret rapture to take her away. IT IS NOT IN THE BIBLE!!!!

I have to say, if there was such a thing as this bride, she certainly would not be teaching false doctrines to millions of people and doing so for her own glory.

I really challenge anyone out there to prove biblically that there is a pre-trib rapture and that the Church is the bride of Christ. You have to do it with only the Word of God, and not just some preconceived notions of men. You cannot, and therefore these notions are not the Truth of God. And these false doctrine would have to be called the traditions of men.

I rest my case. Let's wake up people, find out for yourself, and share the Truth with others and not fall for what the wolves in sheep clothing are telling you.

In Christian LOVE for you all!!

JESUS IS ALL AND EVERYTHING!!!

Patti C.

Dear Patti, I enjoyed your evidence so much that I sent out an email to all on my mailing list so that they can benefit from it. Here is what I said in my post that went out. Thanks for all your work on this. gerlinda

This discussion of whether the believers are the Body Christ or whether they are the Bride is one I've had a few times with people who were taught the same as I was and only through my own Bible study, did I find out the truth. Here is much scriptural proof of which she is, the body of Christ or the Bride of Christ.....she cannot be both. It is one or the other. I believe you will find this article by Patti C a complete study. g

WHO IS THE BRIDE OF CHRIST?
http://pub39.bravenet.com/forum/static/show.php?usernum=3330765498&frmid=8549&msgid=920042&cmd=show

BLESS YOU GERLINDA!!!

YOU MADE MY DAY!!!

Patti C.

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