This was posted as a reply on another post, but I am putting it up as a separate post:

There is so much straining at gnats and swallowing camels regarding the body of Christ & the Bride of Christ that it is mind-boggling. God is not the author of confusion. He has made His plan simple enough for a child to understand - period. Why? It is due to His nature which is clearly spelled out - God is not willing that ANY should perish but that all should come to repentance/salvation. (Note: repent does not mean groveling or crying continually but changing your mind). He is not trying to keep people OUT of heaven but to get them IN.

God who lives in timeless eternity created time and connected it to His creation of man for whom He had plans (Jeremiah 29:11). Time ends when that plan is completed and reaches its fulfillment. Then all who have chosen God continue with Him into timeless eternity.

Within that span of time, He has different dispensations or "planned times" dealing with different groups of people.

We are currently in a dispensation of time set aside for the church which is also the bride of Christ and body of Christ-all different titles -same group. During the time between Jesus ascending into heaven until He comes in the rapture, the church/body/bride of Christ is being completed. Whether Jew or gentile, once Christ is chosen becomes part of this third people group - the church. At a time only the Father knows, He closes the church age which will be clearly marked by the rapture or catching away of the bride.

He then turns to the final stage of His plan for Israel. During this time of closing out the book/plan for Israel, it will also be judgment for the ones who have allied themselves with satan - the 'god' of this world.

There will still be gentiles (non-Jews) and Jews who have not aligned themselves with either kingdom (God's or satan's) who, in the crush of judgment will be forced to make a clear choice. Those who choose Jesus will be put to death for it. They will be in heaven by the way of being matyred, killed for their choice. They will be guests at the wedding, not part of the bride. That dispensation will have been closed, completed.

Those who want to heap up requirements and create special standards for those who will/won't make the rapture, be part of the body but not part of the bride, are adding to the Word or interpreting it wrongly. It's become like an elaborate board game where if you make a wrong move, "Do not go past GO, do not collect $200 dollars". To me it reeks of elitism or hierarchy. The Bible I read says that God does not play favorites - He is no respecter of persons. So glad to know that I am accepted in the Beloved. Not special just saved by grace. Hope you know you are too.

TY T/Sue for posting this article seperately from that other thread.

BTW, this is an excellent post...and TY for your reassurances of knowing that we're saved by grace too.

Love it!!! powerful, T/Sue, to the point, a child gets it.

How true, confusion subsides when understanding the dispensations.

Jesus spoke profoundly and simple, He just did, .

Amen, I agree wholeheartedly.

I praise Him everday, for while we were yet a sinners, Christ died for us". We are living in the dispensation of Grace. Hallelujah! I praise Him for His Free gift of salvation. All praise, honor, and glory to the Lamb of God. He clothes me in His righteousness. Thank you, precious Savior, eternal Father, Almighty God.

SisterInChrist, Donna and AbideInHim, the whole story can be wrapped up in that one word - G-R-A-C-E. Everything we have received and all that we become in Christ is purely God's grace. What a wonderful word. Only when we get home will we have a more complete understanding of it.

Remember the old song -
"Grace, grace, God's grace;
Grace that will pardon and cleanse within.
Grace, grace, God's grace,
Grace that is greater than all our sin."

This thread is great...

I was thinking to myself how I would be at the throne recieving rewards (hopefully was not sure after reading some posts) and I could see myself at Jesus' feet and crying saying i am not worthy and then He gives me the best reward...He takes me in his arms and fills me with His love and does not let go, it was over powering... I think He is letting me know that i am His and I will be with Him which is the only reward I want. I felt as if He was filling me wih His love for all the times that I did not feel love or was abused in some way or rejected.

Any way thats all I can share today..I have to get one last thing done for school then spring break....

Sue my dear Sis,

Thankyou

I needed to read this today
Love ybiC / Paul

Joyful Susan and Paul,

I love the verse in Isaiah prophesying of Jesus when it says that "He will bind up the brokenhearted". God has seen how often and how deeply we have been broken by this world - the people in it and even our own choices beat us up. But He comes in His great love to bind up and heal us. Such wonderful love and such care from the One Who created us and loves us with an everlasting love. He will not lose us on the way home. We will come in safely and be safe forever.

"Those who want to heap up requirements and create special standards for those who will/won't make the rapture, be part of the body but not part of the bride, are adding to the Word or interpreting it wrongly. It's become like an elaborate board game where if you make a wrong move, "Do not go past GO, do not collect $200 dollars". To me it reeks of elitism or hierarchy. The Bible I read says that God does not play favorites - He is no respecter of persons. So glad to know that I am accepted in the Beloved. Not special just saved by grace. Hope you know you are too."

The rapture is different then just being saved and going to heaven otherwise why would Jesus tell us about the 10 waiting virgins and 5 went to the wedding supper & 5 did not...yet all were saved and filled with the holy spirit. The 5 that didn't get to go didn't have enough oil (holy spirit) So in this case he was a respector of people.

Darlene, Jack Kelley has a wonderful clear teaching on the 10 virgins at his website. The virgins are guests at the wedding, they are not the bride. They are the ones who come through the trib and are part of the second coming teaching. The Bride is the church.

Found the song referred to above. Beautiful...

T/Sue - I just got around to reading this just now - thank you soo much for your encouragement - you explain things so clearly, clear enough for a child to understand. Your words here have filled me with the peace that I needed today ... that God didn't make it "hard" for us to enter Glory with Him, He assures us of His Love as a Good Father for His children, even wayward children who finally come home to Him. I'm so thankful to know this truth and the peace it gives me... even though I know I'm unworthy.... but He loves me still.

Thank you Sue for these blessed words of encouragement to your family. I love you and can't wait to give you a big ole hug.... along with every other sis & bro in Christ - that's gonna take a "while"!!!

Shirley, I am looking forward to that wonderful day when we finally get home and have lots of time for hugs and laughs and dancing and singing...won't it be wonderful there. God wins us to Himself with the love He pours out on us - the Bible says it is His love that brings men to repentence. So very true. It is a hunch, and I think a good one, that as we get closer to home, we will feel His love in greater degrees and at a higher level than we have ever known. Hugs to you dear Shirley (((HUGS)))

I agree, Shirley, . . . our Texas Sue blesses us here with her gift of encouragement.

Texas Sue, at just the right time, you post for us Christ's Heart and His wisdom, with encouragement needed. It's easy to sense God's leading you, speaking clarity much of the time, Truth without confusion.

Yep, it's the confidence of faith that's in you, I think, in the Spirit to comfort when we're feeling discouraged . thanks, girl . .

Thank you Donna. When I see posts dividing up and classifying Christians as worthy, unworthy, going in rapture, not going, good enough, not good enough, it runs counter to what I have experienced with God. Any thing or idea that causes fear, condemnation, and hopelessness is not from heaven.

The heart of the Shepherd is to protect the sheep and provide safety, food and shelter, and to care for them when they have suffered injury. He doesn't take one who wanders from the flock and leave him for the wolves. He gently leads him back to the flock. That is the God I know and love. When I see anything that is outside that picture it is difficult be silent.

Lisaleenie, that is an awesome way to put it - intimates. Jesus loves all of His brothers and sisters. Jesus doesn't choose favorites, but we can choose to be close, closer or closest. The choice of how close we want to draw to the Lord is up to us. We can choose to be friends or intimates. Outstanding Leenie!

INSIDE THE GATES OF HEAVEN
CHAPTER 18
SEVEN SPIRITUAL INTIMACIES/ Oden Hetrick/ Heavenly Class

#1/ The first intimacy is the delight enjoyed by a spiritual soul as it dwells in a glorified body and senses the delights of this Celestial City. This is the intimacy of BEING. It will be fulfilled in your glorified body, after the resurrection.

"May your spirit and soul and body
be perfect and complete
at the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ."
1 Thessalonians 5:23

#2/ The second intimacy is God's Spirit united with your spirit so that you appear as one person. Of course, you would not be here without this experience, but after the resurrection you will also be one with God's Spirit in your glorified body. Because God's Spirit dwells in every person, and controls all activities in this eternal Home of the redeemed, He places His guidance so gently on your mind that you think it is your own desire. This is the intimacy of SPIRIT or of BAPTISM.

#3/ Intimacy number three is the intimacy of WINE. It is a love feast for partaking of God's Spirit as the New Wine of Heaven.

"You have kept the good wine until now."
John 2:10

#4/ Two illustrations will introduce intimacy number four. As you are now one with God's Spirit, and as Adam and Eve were originally together as one, so companions here can unite together, masculine and feminine as one person. After the resurrection your glorified bodies will be able to unite in the same way. This intimacy is necessary for worship in the Most Holy Place. It is called PERFECTION, an important and much needed intimacy in Heaven. In this intimacy we are called Sons of God.

God made Adam and Eve from one lump of clay (Gen.2:23). God met with His people at the mercy seat, and this mercy seat was watched over by two cherubim, both made from one piece of gold (Exo.37:7-8). Christ and His Bride the Church will become one (Eph.5:31-32).

A woman should not pray unless she is covered (1Cor.11:5-6), and a man should not appear before the Lord empty (Deu.16:16). In this intimacy of Perfection, both of these requirements are met; the man is filled, and the woman is covered, and the two as one are accepted to worship in God's presence.

"In the Lord,
the man and the woman are not independent of each other."
1Co.11:11

#5/ These first four intimacies prepare you to minister in God's presence, because they produce an ecstasy so sublime that it cannot be contained. And since the expression of this ecstasy includes all your heart, soul, mind and strength, it is really worship and must be expressed to God. So intimacy number five is the intimacy of WORSHIP when united Spirit-filled companions in the Most Holy Place of Heaven, the very presence of God, lose themselves in the rapture of wonder, love and praise to their Heavenly Father!

"Now unto Him who is able to
keep you from falling
and to present you faultless
before the presence of His glory
with exceeding joy,
to the only wise God our Savior,
be glory and majesty,
dominion and power,
both now and forever."
Jude 24-25

#6/ After the worshipping saints have completed their expressions of love to God, they submit themselves completely to the control of the Holy Spirit, Who carries them up to the Throne where God breathes upon them. God breathed into Adam the Breath of Life. Jesus breathed on His disciples the Holy Spirit. God breathes on His saints in Heaven an exceeding great reward (everything at one time). This is the intimacy of RAPTURE.

"The Word of the Lord
came to Abram in a vision saying,
Fear not Abram,
I Am your Shield
and your exceeding great Reward."
Genesis 15:1

"O send out Thy Light and Thy Truth:
let them lead me,
let them bring me to Thy Holy Hill,
and to Thy Tabernacles,
Then will I go to the alter of God,
to God my exceeding Joy."
Psalm 43:3-4

#7/ The final intimacy is when companions become one in Christ and in God, the intimacy of DIVINE LIKENESS.

"At that day you will know
that I Am in My Father,
and you are in Me,
and I Am in you."
John 14:20

These are the seven intimacies between covenant companions in this eternal Paradise. And this Paradise is far better than the Garden of Eden.

When you leave this room, please exit to your right. One more announcement and then you may rise and be dismissed. Your Divinely-ordained covenant companion is the lady to your right!

(End of class)

These companions now enter more completely into the fellowship of Heaven and into a higher bliss of worship in the Most Holy Place.

From here these companions will go to the instructor's City mansion or chamber, which is also located in this wall of the Temple. That will be our next stop after a brief introduction.

Email: michaelneal35@msn.com

Joyful Susan, I need to get off the computer and go to bed so I can get up early tomorrow morning for a short work assignment. However, after seeing your good news I can't leave without a little victory dance for you dear Joyful!


Have a good rest over spring break and enjoy the freedom! Maybe Jesus will come before the week is up - that will be a real break!

Thank you for celebrating with me... I have to get off of here toooo! we are getting up early and going to the museum all day.... we have every day planned this week...yay....oh oh I forgot that we went to eat a pei wei lol how ever you spell it...and my son brought me a cookie... well he brought a few and had opened the others then I opened mine and it said!! ( and do not worry I am not into chinese fortunes just incase anyone is thinking so) it said something about being prepared for a wonderful opportunity that is about to happen (or something like this) I kind of danced in my seat and said I LIKE this one.... and my son read it and shook his head and said ahhhhhh and laughed a little... I said what do you think it MeaNS (wink) and he giggled and said I knwo what you are thinking....I was like thank you Jesus..

It was good because last night we spent the night talking and lisstening to classical music (wonder why I wanted to listen to this...lol... no I am kidding not only for the good things the music does for your body but that just happens to be one of my classes and my son loves classical music).. I feel God drawing my son closer to Him...He knows we are living in the times that God can come any min .... and that cookie was perfect :)

God bless everyone....and good night.