Page 40 - The Prophetic Word Newsletter Archive 2009

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Let us now consider these passages individually:

“...CHRIST ALSO LOVED THE CHURCH AND GAVE HIMSELF FOR HER,
THAT HE MIGHT SANCTIFY AND CLEANSE HER WITH THE WASHING OF WATER BY THE WORD,

THAT HE MIGHT PRESENT HER TO HIMSELF A GLORIOUS CHURCH, NOT HAVING SPOT OR
WRINKLE OR ANY SUCH THING, BUT THAT SHE SHOULD BE HOLY AND WITHOUT BLEMISH...

FOR WE ARE MEMBERS OF HIS BODY, OF HIS FLESH AND OF HIS BONES...
THIS IS A GREAT MYSTERY, BUT I SPEAK CONCERNING CHRIST AND THE CHURCH.”

Eph 5:25-32

We have been well taught that “Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her.”
However, we have not been as well taught pertaining to why He did so. The two
uses of “that”, above, tell us what are Christ’s higher purposes in giving Himself for
the church. The first reason is that He wants a sanctified church that is washed not
only in the Blood of Christ, but also one that is continually washing in the
sanctifying and cleansing water of the Word!

Secondly, Christ gave Himself for the church in order that He might present this glorious sanctified church that
is without spot, blemish,wrinkle or any such thing, to Himself as His Bride. Let us add another revelation of the
apostle Paul to the above concept:

“ FOR I AM JEALOUS FOR YOU WITH GODLY JEALOUSY. FOR I HAVE BETROTHED YOU
TO ONE HUSBAND, THAT I MAY PRESENT YOU AS A CHASTE VIRGIN TO CHRIST.
BUT I FEAR, LEST SOMEHOW, AS THE SERPENT DECEIVED EVE BY HIS CRAFTINESS,
SO YOUR MINDS MAY BE CORRUPTED FROM THE SIMPLICITY THAT IS IN CHRIST.

FOR IF HE WHO COMES PREACHES ANOTHER JESUS WHOM WE HAVE NOT PREACHED, OR
IF YOU RECEIVE A DIFFERENT SPIRIT WHICH YOU HAVE NOT RECEIVED, OR A DIFFERENT

GOSPEL WHICH YOU HAVE NOT ACCEPTED, YOU MAY WELL PUT UP WITH IT!”
2 Cor. 11:2-4

Paul intends, so to speak, to “walk the bride down the aisle;” to present her to Christ as a “chaste virgin.”
However, he does not present this as an absolute guarantee even though the church is betrothed to Christ.
Rather, he expresses a fear of corruption by Satan such as he pulled on the original Eve in the garden. This is
an important comparison that Paul makes. Satan went after the first Adam’s bride with doctrinal delusion, and
Paul is fearful that he will do so with the last Adam’s Bride, the church! (Paul refers to Jesus Christ as “the last
Adam” in 1 Cor. 15:45.) Perhaps Paul had another thought in the back of his mind in likening the church to the
deception of Eve in the garden (2 Cor. 11:2-4). God put the first Adam to sleep and then formed Eve, his bride,
from a part of Adam’s body. It is likely that while the Body of Christ sleeps, God will form the Last Adam’s Bride
out of a part of that sleeping church. Paul’s expressed fear for the members of the Body of Christ (the church)
is that their minds would be corrupted once again with doctrinal delusion such as the presentation of “another
Jesus, a different Spirit or a different gospel” than what he has taught the church. Such delusion would
disqualify them as “chaste virgins” (“not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing, but that she should be holy
and without blemish”- Eph. 5:27). Jesus prophetically predicted that such corruption would indeed plague His
“virgins” when He comes as the Bridegroom for His Bride:

“...THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN SHALL BE LIKENED TO TEN VIRGINS...NOW FIVE OF THEM WERE WISE, AND
FIVE WERE FOOLISH...AT MIDNIGHT A CRY WAS HEARD, ‘BEHOLD, THE BRIDEGROOM IS COMING; GO OUT

TO MEET HIM!’...THE BRIDEGROOM CAME, AND THOSE WHO WERE READY WENT IN WITH HIM TO THE
WEDDING, AND THE DOOR WAS SHUT. AFTERWARD THE OTHER VIRGINS CAME ALSO SAYING, ‘LORD, LORD,

OPEN TO US!’ BUT HE ANSWERED AND SAID, ‘ASSUREDLY, I SAY TO YOU, ‘I DO NOT KNOW YOU.’
Matt. 25:1-13 excerpts

We cannot claim the promise of being betrothed to Christ as His Bride-to-be chaste virgins (2 Cor.11:1-3) and
then reject the parable in which Jesus comes as the Bridegroom for His virgins (Matt. 25:1-13) as not being
applicable to the church. Many do not want to claim this parable as applicable because of the rejection of the
foolish virgins by Christ. Only half the virgins are taken, the others are left behind. Only “those who were ready”
went in with Christ to the wedding. Is this not the very scenario Paul was expressing fear that would happen?
Because of the presentation of “another Jesus, a different Spirit, and a different gospel”, as much as half of the
espoused virgins to Christ are found not ready when the Bridegroom comes due to a watered-down, half-truth
presentation of the contents of the gospel message. What is missing? Washing in the water of the Word so that
we end up with “a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and
without blemish...”