The BRIDE of Christ 2 of 2

Looking at the BRIDE, THE GREAT CITY, THE HOLY JERUSALEM, from Scripture [Revelation 21] her gates are the 12 tribes and her foundations, the 12 apostles - what about the Jews of today?

Galatians 4
21 Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not hear the law?
22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons:
....the one by a bondwoman, the other by a freewoman.
23 But he who was of the bondwoman was born according to the flesh,
....and he of the freewoman through promise,
24 which things are symbolic. For these are the two covenants: the
....one from Mount Sinai which gives birth to bondage*, which is Hagar [flight]
25 for this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia [barrenness], and
.... corresponds to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children
26 but the Jerusalem above is free, which is the mother of us all.

Galatians tells you of 'two women':
1. the woman of 'promise' - the BRIDE, the twelve Jewish tribes receiving their
... bridegroom CHRISTas witnessed in the 12 apostles, the foundations of the BRIDE,
2. the bondwoman according to the flesh WHICH CORRESPONDS TO THE JERUSALEM
... WHICH NOW IS and is in BONDAGE.

*bondage is NEVER to the law, bondage is to EGYPT, the beggardly elememts of the world. (The next post will show the Scriptures on BONDAGE which almost always mentions Egypt, but never 'to the law.') Egypt is as a place of 'distress', being besieged. The beginning of this passage in Galatians confirms that BONDAGE is to the beggardly elements of the world - NOT to the law.

Galatians 4:
..3 Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world.
..4 But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son,
..... born of a woman, born under the law,
..5 to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.

..8 then, indeed, when you did not know God,
.....you served those which by nature are not gods.
..9 But now after you have known God, or rather are known by God,
.....how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements,
.....to which you desire again to be in bondage?
10 You observe days and months and seasons and years.

.Revelation 11 verifies that Jerusalem is spiritually called Sodom and EGYPT

Revelation 11:8
- - the great city which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt,
....where also our Lord was crucified.

.To be in bondage to Egypt is to be in bondage to 'sin and death'.
.Christ is life - all else is death.

Romans 16:
8 And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin,
..and of righteousness, and of judgment:
9 of sin, because they do not believe in Me ...

The covenant of Sinai was JEWISH - not Arab. Sinai means 'thorny':

Luke 8:14
Now the ones that fell among THORNS are those who, when they have heard,
go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life,
and bring no fruit to maturity.

God chose to make His presence known in the THORNY place, the BARREN, FRUITLESS place - to deliver them from the cares, riches and pleasures of this world. ARABIA means 'barrenness': not having fruit. The WORKS of the law bring no fruit to righteousness, but the law itself is a tutor to bring one to Christ. The Jerusalem which NOW IS is HAGAR. Jerusalem today, the 'Jerusalem that now is' -with her children (Jews), is yet in 'bondage (to spiritual Egypt), choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life. Jerusalem is allotted by inheritance to the tribe of Benjamin (son of the right hand). Jesus Christ is as Benjamin: 'son of the right hand' [Ephesians 1:20]. Hagar's child, Ishmael (God will hear), is a covenant child of Abraham [Genesis 17:20] who 'will be as a wild man, his hand against every man and every man, his hand against him.' The 'covenants' (according to nationality) are JEWISH, not Arab. God has an inheritance for the Arab people as well - - he is not a respecter of persons and loves all his creation.

Joshua 18:28
Zelah (a rib), Eleph (thousand), Jebus (threshing place) (which is Jerusalem), Gibeath (hill)
This was the inheritance of the children of Benjamin according to their families.

Zelah is a city belonging to the tribe of Benjamin (son of the right hand). Note Zelah (a rib): God formed woman from a 'rib'. Christ's bride is formed from his rib. The word 'rib' in Hebrew 'tsela' means 'to limp', to be 'one-sided'. But when 'two walk together the 'limp is supported', the two walk as one. When Jacob wrestled with the angel his hip was out of joint and from then on 'tsela' : he limped. Jacob's blessing was his name change to Israel (God prevails). Jacob and God will walk together. Jacob went to Succoth - the place of abiding. When Christ was crucified as the Passover Lamb, Passover is 'pachah': limp, to be lame, to leap). Jesus came and healed the 'lame man' who leaped and from then on walked with HIm.

God took a rib [tsela: to limp] from Adam: woman was made manifest
Jacob limped [tsela: to limp]: Israel was made manifest
Christ was crucified [pachah: to limp]: the BRIDE was made manifest

A thought on Hagar [flight], the Jerusalem that now is, and is in bondage with her children. Jerusalem [Hagar - Jews not Arabs] will again be 'in flight' during the time of tribulation. Her child, her son Ishmael: 'God will hear' - - God WILL hear at that time.

Matthew 24:
15 Therefore when you see the "abomination of desolation,' spoken of by Daniel
.... The prophet, standing in the holy place" (whoever reads, let him understand),
16 "then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.
17 Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house.
18 And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes.
19 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days!
20 And pray that your FLIGHT may not be in winter* or on the Sabbath.
21 For then there will be GREAT TRIBULATION, such as has not been since the beginning
....of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.
22 And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved;
....but for the elect's sake those days will be shortened.

*Hagar [FLIGHT'S] son ISHMAEL [GOD WILL HEAR]. Though his hand be against every man, and every man against him - GOD WILL HEAR, and make him a great nation bearing twelve princes. (The remnant?) The siege of Jerusalem in 70AD ended with the destruction of the temple on the 9th of AV (the 5th month). The winter months, Tishrei, Chesvan, Kislev, are the 7th, 8th, and 9th months and are significant for the High Holy Days - Rosh haShanah (Feast of Trumpets), Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement), and Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles) when God's power and glory will be against ALL unrighteousness.

THE COVENANT OF THE 'FREEWOMAN' IS ACCORDING TO PROMISE

Genesis 17:19
Then God said: "No, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son,
and you shall call his name Isaac [to laugh, mock, make sport (of death);
I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant,
and with his descendants after him.

Not all Jews received Christ when he came in the flesh. They instead chose Barabbas (the son of the father) , a man of the flesh (the devil) versus the spirit, who was a murderer. Jesus Christ 'laughed,' made sport of death, when the grave could not hold him. He is not dead - He is alive!

Romans 9
6 But it is not that the word of God has taken no effect.
..For they are not all Israel who are of Israel,
7 nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham;
..but, "In Isaac [to laugh, make sport (of death)]
..your seed shall be called."

Peter: crucified
Andrew: crucified
James (Zebedee): beheaded with sword
John (Zebedee): thrown in boiling oil, but unharmed; died natural causes
Phillip: crucified
Bartholomew (Nathanael): crucified
Thomas: lanced and burned up in oven
Matthew: axed
James (Alphaeus): thrown down from Temple tower - not dead so
..............................clubbed to death at age 94
Jude (Thaddeus): crucified
Simon (Zealot): crucified
Matthias: stoned and beheaded

John the Baptist: beheaded
Stephen: stoned
Paul: beheaded
First resurrection: beheaded for their witness - had not worshiped the beast
............................or his image ...

Romans 9
8 That is, those who are the children of the flesh, ..these are not the children of God;
..but the children of the promise are counted as the seed.
9 For this is the word of promise:
..."At this time I will come and Sarah shall have a son."

Romans 11
1 I say then, has God cast away His people? Certainly not!
2 God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew …
5 Even so then, at this present time there is a remnant
..according to the election of grace.

11 I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not!
....But through their fall, to provoke them to jealousy,
....salvation has come to the Gentiles.
12 Now if their fall is riches for the world, and their failure riches for the Gentiles,
....how much more their fullness!

16 For if the firstfruit is holy, the lump is also holy; and if the root is holy, so are the branches.


1 Corinthians 15
20 But now Christ is risen from the dead. and has become the firstfruits
....of those who have fallen asleep.
21 For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead.
22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.
23 But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward
....those who are Christ's at His coming.

........Revelation 14
........1 Then I looked, and behold, a Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him
...........one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His Father's name
...........written on their foreheads.
........2 And I heard a voice from heaven, like the voice of many waters, and like
...........the voice of loud thunder.
...........And I heard the sound of harpists playing their harps.
........3 They sang as it were a new song before the throne,
...........before the four living creatures,
...........and the elders; and no one could learn that song except the
...........hundred and forty-four thousand who were redeemed from the earth.
........4 These are the ones who were not defiled with women, [Babylon / Jezebel]
..........for they are virgins.
..........These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes.
..........These were redeemed from among men,
..........being firstfruits to God and to the Lamb.
........5 And in their mouth was found no deceit [guile],
..........for they are without fault [amomos: without blemish]
..........before the throne of God.


Romans 11
23 And they also, if they do not continue in unbelief, will be grafted in,
...for God is able to graft them in again.
24 For if you were cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature,
...and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree,
...how much more will these, who are natural branches,
...be grafted into their own olive tree?

27 For this is My covenant with them when I take away their sins."
28 Concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sake,
... but concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers.
29 For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.

The BRIDE is yet making herself ready - to become ONE - in the body of Christ.

Selah
Shalom!