If the nation of Israel was looked upon as the faithless wife of Jehovah, the Bride

represents the faithful remnant that remained true to the Lord all through; such, from

faithful Abraham onwards, looked forward by faith to the better country linked with the

heavenly Jerusalem whose destiny is the new earth (Rev. 3: 12; 21: 2, 10) and this city

is the Bride of the Lamb (Rev. 21: 2, 9). This sphere would include the faithful and

those that went on to perfection (Heb. 6: 1) in the Acts period, and those who are tested

and found faithful on the future Day of the Lord, and it was Paul's great aim that those to

whom he ministered, including the believers at Corinth, should be included in this

favoured company. It is important to grasp that the heavenly city is a reward sphere for

overcomers in Israel and those Gentiles linked with Israel. There is, therefore, no need to

confuse this with the later revelation of the "Joint Body" of Christ, yet to be blessed with

Christ in the heavenlies, `far above all'.

Paul's godly concern for these Corinthian believers made him fear:

This fear centred in the possibility of `another Jesus' being presented to them by his

enemies, together with `another gospel' and `a different spirit' to what they originally

received. Here is Satan with his most deceptive wiles, the `angel of light', preaching a

`Jesus' and a `gospel' which, although appearing to be right on the surface, is false to the

core and has one object, to oust the Christ of the New Testament from His rightful place

as the only Saviour and Lord. And we can be sure of one thing, this activity of Satan has

been going on in Christendom in this same way ever since.

Every professing Christian movement must of necessity bring in Christ, but we should

ask ourselves in all seriousness, is it the Christ of the Scriptures, the holy Word of God,

or the Christ of men's imagination? Too often, alas, it is the latter, and undiscriminating

listeners, who keep the Book shut, are easily deceived into thinking that the Christ they

hear about and profess to follow is the Lord Jesus Christ of the New Testament! False

Christs today are being proclaimed everywhere from pulpits and platforms just as the

Lord Jesus predicted would be one of the characteristics of the `end of the age' with its

Satanic deception (Matt. 24: 4, 5, 11, 24, 25). Never was there more need for all to test

what they hear over the radio or television or in the churches, with the Word of God.

We should beware too of the use of the word `gospel'. Like the word `democracy', it

can mean anything the user cares to make it mean. Every church or chapel today

professes to `preach the gospel', but how often is it the true gospel which Paul stated he

had received `by the revelation of Jesus Christ'? (Gal. 1: 11, 12). To the Galatian

churches he complained some were being `removed from Him that called you into the

grace of Christ unto another gospel: which is not another; but there be some that trouble

you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ' (Gal. 1: 6, 7), and this is still going on

around us. There never was such a time of world-wide confusion and deception, and we

should remember that the Saviour warned that the ultimate object was, if possible, `to