QUESTION:
Why is God's Bride Not Churches?
ANSWER:
“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” [Ephesians 2:10]
“And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; and that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.” [Ephesians 4:23-24]
“Thus the grain of wheat that became a plant for the harvest is the record of the church. And even as not all the wheat plant is wheat seed, and as not all the plant is used in the harvest, so with the church:--all the church is not the bride, and neither is it all given eternal life, but a PART of it is gathered into the garner, and a PART of it is kept that it might enter into eternal life in the second resurrection, and PART of it which is accounted chaff is burned in the lake of fire. And this is exactly what John the Baptist and Jesus said, for John said that the wheat would be garnered and the chaff burned. Jesus said, "Bind the tares, and then gather the wheat." The ecumenical move will bind the tare churches together, for the tares must be bound FIRST, and though their end is burning, they are not burned at their binding but are reserved to a later date, which is at the end of the thousand years, or the second resurrection. But once the tares are bound the rapture can take place and does so at some time between the binding and the revelation of antichrist. Then will come the day when ALL stand together as seen in Daniel. The King will be there with His bride and in front of them will be the multitudes who are to be judged. Yes. ALL are there. All the books are opened. A final disposition of ALL is made. The harvest is indeed over. The books once opened are closed.” [Church Ages Book p. 285]
"Seven days, eat unleavened bread." No leaven shall be found amongst the Bride, no--no word added, no nothing. Remember, one word caused every death that's in the earth; every illegitimate child was borned because Eve, the first church, the bride of the first Adam, doubted God's Word and accepted a denominational, or a intellectual, or a school exceptions of It; because It was reasoned out, and "Surely, God is a good God." God is a good God, but He's also a just God. We must keep His Word! School, she accepted it.” [God's Only Provided Place Of Worship, Shreveport, LA 65-1128m]
“So is the church, when she tries to mix creed and denomination with the Word of God. She can't be married to a denomination, and be the Bride of Christ, at the same time. She's got to be dead to one or the other. The law says so, here. There's plenty of laws in God's Word. And that's His law, Paul speaking the same thing here. She cannot be married to a church of worldly creed, and be the Bride of Christ, because (she) one is contrary to the other.” [The Invisible Union Of The Bride Of Christ, Shreveport, LA 65-1125]
“As long as you hold to man's tradition of denominations, you are called, in God's Word, "a adulteress." As long as you're a denominational creed-seeker, belonging to a denominational church that denies the Word, you are "an adulteress," what the Bible said. Jesus said, "You cannot serve two gods at the same time. You either serve God or mammon." Mammon is "the world." "He that loves the world, or the things of the world, the love of God is not even in him." The Seed of God can't be in him the same time (the love of God) the love of the world is in there. When the Seed of God is operating through you, that's the Word of God. The love of the world can't be in there at the same time. Now where is the short hair, and the shorts, and the painted faces? Now where is it at?” [The Invisible Union Of The Bride Of Christ, Shreveport, LA 65-1125]
“First John 2:15, He said, "If you love the world, or the things of the world, the love of God is not even in you." See? So how can you be pregnated with the Word of God which condemns the world, condemns Hollywood, condemns all of its fashion, condemns all these parties and carrying on, and so-called that they have in the name of religion? It condemns it. How can the Word pregnate a person: how can a bobbed-haired woman, painted face, wearing shorts? How can a preacher, goes out here to a seminary, and looks at Acts 2:38 and sees that there's not a person in the Bible ever baptized in those titles, and then still say he's pregnated with the Word of God? Telling you a lie! He sold his birthright. He's committed adultery against the very Thing that he said. He is put away, in divorce. God is going to have a virtuous Church, just exactly, a Bride. Bible said, "The Word is not in you." So what kind of a children are you bearing? Pregnated denominationals. There has been no death to separate you from your first lover.” [The Invisible Union Of The Bride Of Christ, Shreveport, LA 65-1125]
“See now who is the leader of this modern, religious, evil age? It's the devil, taking that tree of good and evil, and placing it out there, notice, bringing his beautiful church bride to the ecumenical council for a wedding. That's a good one. His beautiful scientific church, with all the--the--the degrees that can be gotten; the Ph.D's out of the church of Christ, the Ph.D's out of the Baptist, Presbyterian, Pentecostals, and all. Bringing them all, with their decorated fineries and big churches, all to the ecumenical council, "We are one." It'll never be forgiven them. A denomination, to wear the brand of a denomination, is the mark of the beast. We've done been through it on here; to do it. Flee it, children, flee it! See? Great, beautiful church to the ecumenical wedding, wearing his mark! Shorts, sure, worldly dress, sexy, paint, really good disciples of the devil, to catch the sons of God; marry a good full-born boy off into some old reprobate like that. That's right.” [The God Of This Evil Age, Jeffersonville, IN 65-0801m]
“When you see a church that's in the world, acts like the world, anticipating in the world, partaking of the world, counting God's Commandments as if He never had wrote Them, then you--you can just imagine Christ ain't going to take a Bride like that. Could you imagine taking the modern church today for a Bride? Not my Lord. I don't... I could hardly see that. No. Remember, now, a man and his wife are one. Would you join yourself to a person like that? If you would, it would certainly kind of disappoint my faith in you. [Par] And, then, how about God joining Himself to something like that, a regular denominational prostitute? You think He would do it, "Having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof"? He would never do it. She must have His character in her. The real, true born-again Church must have the--the character that was in Christ, because the husband and wife are one.
And if Jesus did only that which pleased God, kept His Word and manifested His Word, His Bride will have to be of the same kind of character. She could not, by no means, be a denomination. Because, then, no matter how much you want to say, "no," she is controlled by a board somewhere, that tells her what to do and what she can't do, and, many times, a million miles off of the true Word.” [The Choosing Of A Bride, Los Angeles, CA 65-0429e]
“Now look at the so-called bride chosen by man, and compare the spiritual to the natural of today, a modern Jezebel bewitched by her Ahab, Max Factor beauties, everything. Look at the church, the same way, but a prostitute to the Word of the living God; big denominations, big buildings, big money, big salary, all sold out. Men standing in the pulpit endorsing that that's all right, and let them get by with it. Just deceit, that's all. Truly a blind Laodicea Church Age, just exactly what the Bible said would be. "Said, 'I am rich. I set as a queen. I have need of nothing.' And knowest thou not that you're poor, miserable, blind, wretched, naked: and don't know it." If that isn't THUS SAITH THE LORD, Revelations 3, I've never read It. That's what she is, and don't know it! Think of it.” [The Choosing Of A Bride, Los Angeles, CA 65-0429e]
“And we find today, that, the modern church, a modern world church. The modern world church and also that the spiritual Church are both pregnated, to give birth to sons. One of them, a denominational birth, is going to be give, one day to these days, at the World Council of Churches, which will produce to the world the antichrist, through a denomination. That's exactly the Truth. I may not live to see it. I believe I will. But, you young people, remember that you heard a minister say that. That'll finally wind up. And that is the mark of the beast, when she forms that World Council of Churches. And she'll give birth to her son, the antichrist.” [The Choosing Of A Bride, Los Angeles, CA 65-0429e]
“And them two, today, is in the womb of the church. There's a great big system trying to be formed, called the World Council of Churches. And from the womb of the church is coming forth two children. You just mark my word. The world's... The Word must deliver the Word Bride Church. The Church has got to be delivered out of her, a Bride for Christ. Them that fell asleep in all ages will make up that Bride that come out on the Word that they come out on, like from your feet coming to your head. She gets--gets greater, and more you have to have, and so forth. As the body grows up, so does the Body of Christ grow up. And then finally the Head will come to It, the Head of It will, now, if we notice, 'cause It's--It's all linked to the Head. The Head does the turning, pulling.” [Birth Pains, Phoenix, AZ 65-0124]
“But if, there, if that seed hasn't been germinatized, it'll never raise again; it can't raise, there is nothing in it to raise it. And if we just become a nominal Christian... There is two churches in the world, church natural, church spiritual, they're all called "Christians." But the church natural cannot raise. It's doing its raising now in the World Council, council of churches. But the Christian rises to meet Christ because It's a Bride, to go to meet Him. There is a difference in them. Nature holds these secrets, to us, and we can see them as we watch them. And we see that Christianity speaks the Truth, of death, burial, and resurrection.” [The Harvest Time, Phoenix, AZ 64-1212]
“He is making a Bride. Yes, sir. He's hewing the chips now, chopping off the world. Oh, church-joining, and creeds, and denominations, and dogmas, all has to be cut away from the Church; their formal ideas, their indifference, their doctrines and things. Come back and let the Master pick up the bow. Let the Master pick you up in His hands, strike the Word, say, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever." Say, "Amen, Lord. Make me, mold me, make me, Lord, what I should be." Then there'll be a different thing. Then, "If I be lifted up from the earth, I'll draw all men unto Me." Yes, sir. He is cutting you out now, cutting you down to His Word only, cutting all the creeds and dogmas and everything, away from you, trying to get back to a Bride for the Son, another masterpiece, part of the Word. The Word!” [The Identified Masterpiece Of God, Yuma, AZ 64-1205]
“Now I'm going to say something. National force put Israel in her homeland; national force will put the church in the World Council of Churches; but the power of God will put the people in the Bride. The world forces this way, and the world forces that way, but God forces upward. The Spirit of God, which is the Word of God, "My Word is Spirit and Life," will put the Bride in Her place. Cause, She'll recognize Her position in the Word, then She's in Christ, will put Her in Her place. No national force will do it. But the national force did drive Israel to the homeland; the national forces of the Council of Churches will drive every organization into it; but the Power of God will raise the Bride into Glory, out of it.” [Recognizing Your Day And Its Message, Jeffersonville, IN 64-0726m]
“What's the denomination trying to do? Exalt itself, like Lucifer. They so-call themselves "the Church, the Bride." Which, they are in Revelation 17, as is spoke of, the false bride. Above Christ's little flock, the Bride; Lucifer thinks and exalts himself above the humble Word of God's Truth by the knowledge of the revelation, and has placed himself by a seminary education and theology until they have got themselves up. And if you don't belong in their group, then you are a out-wash.” [Christ Is The Mystery Of God Revealed, Jeffersonville, IN 63-0728]
“Lucifer comes in, cunning, like he did then, and by temptations and false promises, of power outside, apart from the Word of God. He did the same at Nicaea, Rome. He's doing the same today at the World Council of Ecumenical churches. "Let's all unite together," the pope says. "I want all my ecumenical brethren out there to unite with me. We are one." That's right, in organizations you are one. But that has nothing to do with the Bride of Christ; not a thing, brother. You'll never wash Her in anything like that.” [Christ Is The Mystery Of God Revealed, Jeffersonville, IN 63-0728]
Bible References: Ephesians 2:10; 4:23-24
[Answer provided by Bro. Ken Andes, Minister, Blaine, Washington, USA]