Hi Major,
I realize this view of the Body of Christ has been taught by some people, however I was taught differently. Thus it behoves me to present what I have been taught for others to look up scripture too.
Now I see you are basing your view on -
Eph. 5: 24. `Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.` That is just an exhortation to wives to be subject to their husbands. That is NOT saying that the Body of Christ is not female.
2 Cor. 11: 2. `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.` Here Paul is talking to his disciples and wants them to be pure, and saying that he wants to present them to Christ. Paul, however DOES NOT present us to the Lord, for it is the Lord Himself who will present us to Him.
`Now to Him who is able to keep you from falling and TO PRESENT YOU FAULTLESS before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy...` (Jude 24)
No scripture saying we are the bride uniting with bridegroom at the rapture.
There are NO promises to the Body of Christ, the new man, saying that they will now be female.
Rev. 19: 7 - 9. `Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His WIFE has made herself ready. And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen represents the righteous acts of the saints. Then he said to me, "Write, "Blessed are those called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!" ...
The title `the Lamb` is only used in relationship to Israel, referring to their sacrifices.
The `wife,` is Israel as seen in OT scripture.
`For your Maker is your husband....like a woman forsaken...` (Isa. 54. 5 & 6)
`I will betroth you to me for ever...` (Hosea 2: 19)
Our righteousness is the Lord not our righteous acts. `But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God - and righteousness....` (1 Cor. 1: 30)
Thus there is NO foundation, NO scriptures to show that the New Man is now a female.
Marilyn, Ephesians 5:24 has nothing to do with male or female as the body of anything at all. It is a "symbolic" representation Specifically, men to love their wives the same way Jesus loved the church. This means a sacrificial, humble, loving leadership. Paul is not advocating male dictatorship, or female slavery in any way.
You are correct in
2 Corinthians 11:2. I personally do not know and have never heard anyone suggest that Paul is presenting the Church to God. From my experience and understanding of this Scripture, Paul knew that the Corinthians were in danger of believing false teaching about God's grace and faith in Christ. Paul's feelings of protectiveness are given a poetic turn here. As the one who founded the church in Corinth and led many of them to Christ, Paul sees himself as a spiritual father. He builds a metaphor to describe his role in their lives as that of a father betrothing his virgin daughter to be married. In their case, they are betrothed to Christ.
In the culture of Paul's day, the betrothal period was much more binding than the modern concept of an engagement. A father would betroth his daughter to a man to be married months or years in the future. The father's responsibility, in part, was to protect his daughter's virginity and well-being until she was safely married to her husband.
Using that background, Paul describes the Corinthians as betrothed to Christ. They belonged to Christ in the same way that a promised bride belonged to her betrothed husband in the ancient world.
You said............
"No scripture saying we are the bride uniting with bridegroom at the
rapture."
I think that you are right and wrong!
I believe that the Bible teaches us that the Church, which is made up of all who believe in Jesus and are saved, whether Jew or Gentile, is the Bride of Christ, NOW. That group, the Chruch, who will be wed to Him after we are raptured and given new, immortal bodies and enter our Bridal Chamber in His Father's House.
Until that time we (all who are saved) are betrothed, but not yet married to Jesus.
You said........
"There are
NO promises to the Body of Christ, the new man, saying that they will now be female."
I am not sure what your point here is but God said in
Galatians 3:28.........
"There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus."
You said................
"The title
`the Lamb` is only used in relationship to Israel, referring to their sacrifices."
I can not believe that you would not agree that The Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ is referred to as the Lamb of God from His premortal life through His triumphant millennial reign. HE is not the nation of Israel. Care to explain that????????
The prophet Enoch in his vision of the Savior of the world.......
“The Righteous is lifted up, and the Lamb is slain from the foundation of the world", establishing the lamb as a symbol of Jesus Christ’s sacrifice at least 4 thousand years before His birth.
Six thousand years ago, Adam and Eve were given SKINS to cover their sin. The lamb was a symbol of the Savior from the beginning. It is the pure, unblemished firstling of the flock, and in making a sacrifice there is an act of obedience, freely offered in accordance with the will of the Lord, where blood is shed and life is given.
One reason Israel cannot be the Bride of Christ is because of the marital requirements that God has placed on the High Priest in Leviticus 21:10-15 which states in Leviticus 21:10-15...........
" And he that is the high priest among his brethren, upon whose head the anointing 10 oil was poured, and that is consecrated to put on the garments, shall not uncover his head, nor rend his clothes; Neither shall he go in to any dead body, nor defile 11 himself for his father, or for his mother; Neither shall he go out of the sanctuary, 12 nor profane the sanctuary of his God; for the crown of the anointing oil of his God is upon him: I am the LORD. And he shall take a wife in her virginity. A widow, 13 14 or a divorced woman, or profane, or an harlot, these shall he not take: but he shall take a virgin of his own people to wife. Neither shall he profane his seed among his 15 people: for I the LORD do sanctify him."
The Lord Jesus Christ is our HIGH PRIEST. He could not marry a divorced wife. Also, according to the New Testament, the Bride of Christ is a chaste virgin which we have proven that the nation of
Israel cannot be.
Marilyn, you have stated that you were not taught like I have been taught. May I say to you with all respect and Christian love that I have to agree and what you are promoting comes from a teaching taught by Anglican scholar E. W. Bullinger and many others including many other ultra (hyper) dispensationalists.
I would encourage you to visit this web site for further enlightenment................
http://earnestlycontendingforthefaith.com/docs/IsraelIsTheWifeOfGodAndNotTheBrideOfChrist.pdf