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THE TRUE BRIDE OF CHRIST

    There are some in the church who are to be the bride, and some who are not, they will be servants.  The difference is whether they are acting as a bride or not, and this depends completely on the condition of the heart..  Following are scriptural reasons for my stand on this subject.  Some are in a position of separation because they did not patiently await the return of the bridegroom.  They have no relationship with their husband to be, and are about their own business, ignoring the desires of their husband. They want the privileges of the marriage (salvation) but want to fulfill their desires here and now.  (see also Jewish Marriage)  To understand what is to follow, one must believe in the rapture, the catching away.  If you do not believe in this event, see RAPTURE, for there is absolutely a difference between the second coming and the catching away.
    Most Christians know that Jesus Christ is the bridegroom.  With this in mind, let's start with the parable of the ten virgins.

The Ten Virgins

Mt 25:1 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins
    (Understand here that the kingdom of heaven has members that are not heaven bound.
        Being in the kingdom does not mean one is eternally saved. [see The Kingdom])  The word says in Mt 8:12 that the children of the kingdom will be cast into outer darkness.  The children of the kingdom, according to Mt 13:38, are the good seed in the field of the world.  The only other children are the children of the wicked one.  Notice that the good seed grow up and produce fruit.  The only way to know if the seed is good or not is by the fruit they produce, or don't produce.)
Mt 25:1They took their lamps and went forth to meet the bridegroom
    (Notice that they went forth to meet the bridegroom.  That is something only Christians
        could do.)
Mt 25:3 Five foolish virgins took their lamps but no oil (oil is the Holy Spirit)
Mt 25:4 Five were wise and took oil in their vessels with their lamps
    (Notice that they were all virgins.  They were not harlots or divorced because they weren't the bride yet.  They haven't been to the marriage of the lamb yet.  They are awaiting the bridegrooms return, just like the Jewish betrothal.)
Mt 25:6 The bridegroom (Jesus) came
Mt 25:  While the five foolish virgins were getting oil for their lamps, the bridegroom came
    and they missed him.  They came later but He said he did not know them.
    (We are to let our light shine and the word is a lamp unto our feet and a light on our path. 
    We need the light and the lamp to light our way, not to show the bridegroom the way; we
     go forth to meet him.  If  we have the oil, he knows us because we shine.  The foolish
    ones probably did not keep in the word and did not have any oil.  They probably
    disregarded what the Holy Spirit was telling them because they turned a deaf ear to Him.)

    The ten virgins were to be the bride of Christ but only half of them made it.  Now we will look at Revelation chapter seven where the word tells us that a multitude missed the rapture
because they soiled their garments.

A MULTITUDE BEFORE THE THRONE

    A little understanding of where we are in time reveals that these have missed the rapture.  The Lord is opening the seals and the twelve tribes of Israel have been sealed for their protection during the Great tribulation which is come.  After this, John saw a multitude.

Rev 7:9 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all
    nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the
    Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands
Rev 7:13 And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed
    in white robes? and whence came they?
Rev 7:14 And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest.
Rev 7:14 And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have
    washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
    (One must see that these are before the throne in their robes which are white.  It also needs to be noticed that they went through the Tribulation because they needed to wash their robes in the blood of the Lamb.  God does not give dirty robes.  There are no robes given to us at birth.  Rev 6:11 tells of some who were given white robes.  They apparently were slain for the word of God and were under the alter.  The multitude were similar to those mentioned in Rev 3:4-5.  These scriptures tell us that a few in the church at Sardis didn't defile their garments.  They will walk with the Lord in white.  Those who overcome are clothed in white.  To overcome one must trust and have faith in the Lord Jesus.  If one is clothed in white at that time, it is later that one defiles them.  It is not the mistakes that one makes that causes the defilement, but rather a turning around to walk away from the Lord.  Repentance is the key and if one walks away from the lord, they are no longer in that state.  I do not say they will go to hell, but will pay a price for their actions.  Their eternal destiny depends upon their position at the time of their death.)

IS A RIB THE BRIDE 

    In Genesis it is spoken that God took a rib from Adam to form Eve.  If Jesus is the second Adam, and the church is the body of Christ, is it possible that only part of the church, the rib, is caught up as the bride of Jesus Christ.  This is not put forth directly, but is hinted at in the scriptures.  Here's how I come to this conclusion.

The church is the body of Christ
1Cor 12:27 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.
    (The previous 26 verses of 1Cor. tell us how we, the church, are the body of Christ.)

Eph 1:22-23 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and
    some, pastors and teachers;  For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry,
    for the edifying of the body of Christ:

Eph 4:11-12 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and
    some, pastors and teachers; ¹² For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry,
    for the edifying of the body of Christ:
   
Eph 5:29-30 but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:  For we are
    members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.

    Now what does the scripture tell us to do if the eye offend, or the hand, or the foot?  It is better to lose it than that the whole body be cast into hell.  What do you think Jesus thinks about his own body if we are told to remove the offending part?  Is it a coincidence that in Mt 5:27 Jesus is talking of adultery and then in Mt 5:31-32 He speaks of divorce with the scriptures of the offending body parts placed between them?  He will not divorce us, but Paul says, 1 Cor 7:15, that the unbeliever that departs is to be allowed to go.  We aren't even married until the wedding happens so where do we stand in this teaching?

Rev 19:7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is
    come, and his wife hath made herself ready.
    (It is the death and blood of Christ that takes away our sin, but we must act on the things we hear, like repent , endure, continue, and trust Jesus as we go.  The bride made herself ready is also the truth of God.  Some think that Jerusalem is the bride, but if one looks closely, the verse (Rev 21:2) says that Jerusalem is adorned as a bride, not as the bride, or for a bride.  Jerusalem could not make herself ready either.)
Rev 19:8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white
    (The order of clean and white may mean nothing, or it may be God's perfect wording.)
Rev 19:14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in
    fine linen, white and clean.
    (It would almost appear that the bride was clean and remained white; where the armies were white but had to be clean.  Obviously they are all clean at this point in time.  It is just a
curious observation.)