THE BODY-THE BUILDING-THE BRIDE-THE WIFE-THE CITY-THE TEMPLE-AND-THE CHURCH...DIFFERENCES AND SIMILARITIES

“The Body”, “The Building”, “The Bride”, “The Wife” “The City”, “The Temple” and “The Church” are all one and the same organism. I have posted a few passages of scripture and hope that the highlighted portions help make clear the emphasis in this regard. I know that this is not exhaustive, but it is a start that can be used for further study of other New Testament passages that deal with the topic.
Ephesians 2:14-3:6
14. For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;
15. Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;
16. And that he might reconcile both unto God in one BODY by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:
Paul declares One body defined as Jew and gentile together
17. And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.
18. For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.
19. Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the household of God;
20. And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;
21. In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:
22. In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.
You get the idea.
Paul continues in the same context showing that that one body is also the building that is now the habitation of God.
Romans 12:5 So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.
1 Cor 6:19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.
For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. 1 Cor 12:12-13

Paul here is declaring that we are “One Body” consisting of Jew and Gentile, Bond and Free. Where is the mystery here, plain declaration in unambiguous language of one body consisting of Jew and Gentile…not two bodies.

Ephesians 2:14-3:6
14. For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;
15. Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;
16. And that he might reconcile both unto God in one BODY by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:

Paul declares One body defined as Jew and gentile together.

17. And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.
18. For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.
19. Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the household of God;
20. And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;
21. In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:
22. In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.

You get the idea.
Paul continues in the same context showing that that one body is also the building that is now the habitation of God.

Romans 12:5 So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.

1 Cor 6:19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.
For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. 1 Cor 12:12-13

Paul here is declaring that we are “One Body” consisting of Jew and Gentile, Bond and Free. Where is the mystery here, plain declaration in unambiguous language of one body consisting of Jew and Gentile…not two bodies.

Ephesians 3
1. For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles,
2. If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward:
3. How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words,
4. Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ)
5. Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit;
6. That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:
Here again, Jews and gentiles are recognized as part of the same body, not two distinct entities at all. It is through the Gospel that they have become one. Where is the passage that declares that they have been separated again. And why would God go through the trouble of all the he did in his son at the cross to bring them together, to then have them separated again…he made ONE body, not two. The body is comprised of Jew and Gentile AFTER the wall of partition was taken out of the way.

1 Cor 3:9 For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.

Eph 2:21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:

Heb 9:11 But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;

Heb 11:10 For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

Heb 11:16 But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.

Heb 12:22 But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,

The writer of Hebrews seems to be using the imagery of a city and the heavenly Jerusalem interchangeably.

Rev 21:3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.

Rev 3:12 Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.

Here in Revelation 3 John is telling us that those who overcome (another name for believers) will be made into pillars in the temple, which he then describes as New Jerusalem coming out of heaven.

Revelation 21
1. And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
2. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
(The city here is described as a bride adorned for her husband.)

3. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
4. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
5. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
6. And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
7. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
8. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
9. And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife.
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What is it that the angel tells John that he is about to show him?
“I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife.”
Verse ten he goes on to show him.
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10. And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,

Take note…the angel is describing for John a city, coming down from heaven.
But wait, Mr. Angel, you said you were going to show John “The Bride, the Lambs Wife”.
In fact that is exactly what the angel is doing, for in the imagery of biblical language the bride and the city are one and the same. The church and the body are one, the body and the Bride (or Wife), the city and the bride, the building and the bride are one. All of the different pictures are different ways of describing one and the same thing. Paul in Ephesians tells us that the body is made up of Jew and Gentile together. Then he tells us that the body is also the building, the habitation of God. Here John later in Rev 21 shows that this city which is also the bride is the habitation or dwelling place of God.
Jesus made this clear about the comforter who will be IN US.
In John 14:16-29 we see that Jesus prays to the Father to send the comforter so “that he may abide with you forever”. This is the Spirit of truth who (verse 17) “Dwelleth with you and shall be IN YOU”. Jesus Promises that he will not leave us comfortless, but will “COME TO YOU”. And in verse 20 we see Jesus declaring that HE is IN the Father and Jesus is IN us.
What a glorious privileged, we not only have the indwelling Holy Spirit, we have the “Fullness of the God head”. We are partakers of the divine nature, according to Peter, It appears (to me at least) that we are indwelt by The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit. We have the fullness of God dwelling in us. If this is incorrect, please show me, I do not want to be mistaken in this regard.
If indeed it is true that we have each member, of the Godhead dwelling in us and we are the habitation of God, the city not made with hands that Abraham was looking for by faith, then wherever God dwells – we are. (And being the son’s of Abraham “BY FAITH”, and “heirs of the world” with Abraham, then we have indeed been made partakers of that same city not made with hands in the heavenlies). “That where I am you may be also.” It is very apparent to me (and I could go on) that The Body, The Bride, The Building, The City, are all the church and are all one and the same and are all comprised of both (believing) Jew and gentile (remember it is all by faith). There are many other passages that illustrate this multiple use of different images to describe the same thing, but you would not read them all if I posted too many.

John 14:16-20
16. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
17. Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
18. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
19. Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.
20. At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.

Note further in revelation that the angel continues to describe a city, stones, gates, walls, foundations. He measures the city, the gates are described, and the types of precious stones are named. And yet he NEVER in this text describes anything that would resemble a bride or a wife. Did the angel err? Was the angel confused or addled? I think not, I believe that the angel was intentional in declaring that I will show you the bride the lambs’ wife and then intentionally described the city, the New Jerusalem, the “City Foursquare”. Again I believe that this illustrates that they are all one and the same.

Back to Revelation 21:
11. Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal;
12. And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:
13. On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates.
14. And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
15. And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof.
16. And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal.
17. And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel.
18. And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass.
19. And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald;
20. The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst.
21. And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass.
22. And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.
23. And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.
24. And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honor into it.
25. And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there.
26. And they shall bring the glory and honor of the nations into it.
27. And there shall in no wise enter into it anything that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life.

This same angel later spoke to John in Revelation 22:10, commanding “And he said unto me, SEAL NOT the sayings of this prophecy of this book, for the TIME IS AT HAND.”

In Daniel this angel declared similarly, in 12:4 “But thou o Daniel, shut up the words, and SEAL THE BOOK, even unto the time of the end… (note, it is my opinion that the time of the end is the end of the old covenant age, not the end of the world, this is due to the time frame references of the prophecy beginning in chapter 9, “70 Weeks are determined upon THY PEOPLE (which people? Daniels People-Israel), and the Holy city (Which city? Jerusalem). )

If you will take note, the angel told Daniel to SEAL THE BOOK, why? Because the time was not yet, it was far off, and that was the prophecy of the 70 weeks or 490 years. But this same angel tells John SEAL NOT the sayings of the prophecy of THIS BOOK (revelation), and the “hyper-dispensationalist wants to make its fulfillment 2000+ years. Again I ask, is the angel confused, lying or is this some secret hermeneutic that only special people are privy to.

Take a good look at all the passages in the New Testament that talk about the Body, Building, Bride, Wife, City, Church of the living God. I think you will find that all of these pictures overlap again and again and again