Keep studying Micah. Everything ray said is very very solid and i havn't seen anyone that refute anything he has said.
Good luck with that if you're trying to do that.
The Bride of Christ is not an unscriptural statement and i don't think ray was saying that He was quoteing scripture.
Kat pointed to some scriptures which give us an idea as to who the bride of Christ really is.
As for adam dieng for eve. My gosh where do i begin to explain this.
Okay pay close attention.
I wrote this article a while ago to explain it and i posted on here before but ill post it again. I hope it helps you understand how we can see adam as a figure and shadow of Christ the spiritual reality.
Begin Article:
1 Cor 11:3 But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.
Now this isn't my point here, but i wanted to ask you all, does God really mean 'every man' when He says it? Was Christ the head of Hitler? Is He the head of Bush, or me? How many of you believe that God means, everyman when He says it?
Rom 1:20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
With that in mind let us continue;
Gen 2:18 "And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.
Gen 2:20 "And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him."
Gen 2:21 And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;
Gen 2:22 And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.
Gen 2:23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.
What we are being told here is that as humanity [eve] came out of Christ [adam], so did Christ come out from the Father;
John 16:27 For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God.
Now many of you are probably wondering where i got 'humanity' out of adam and eve, well let me show you;
Gen 3:20 And Adam called his wife's name Eve; because she was the mother of all living.
What are we told about the 'eve,' or 'all living things?'
Genesis 3:16 Thy desire shall be to [properly translated AGAINST] thy husband and he shall rule over thee"
Now many see this as teaching that Man is to rule over women, but how did the apostle paul see this?
Rom 5:14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.
Ephesians 5:31-32 "For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
Now notice what paul says about the church's relationship to Christ's;
Ephesians 5:30 For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.
What did adam say about his wife?
Gen 2:23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.
Adam is the figure, a shadow, a type of Christ, he is the visible, making the invisible clearly seen. Eve is a represents humanity, and all of us, likewise 'the church.' This shows how the church, and all humanity will be ruled over by 'Christ.'
Ephesians 5:23 "For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body."
We are also told that this 'women' the 'mother of all living' [eve] is naturaly against her 'husband' or 'man'[adam]. What does this reveal to us? It shows us that all of humanity [eve] is naturaly AGAINST God [ adam the figure of Christ to come], by the very sinful nature he was created in.
Romans 8:7 "Because the carnal mind is enmity [Deep seated hatred] against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be."
1 Corinthians 2:14 "But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
So understanding that Adam is the figure of Christ, and Eve represents all humanity, we can understand Eve is 'bone of my bone, and flesh of my flesh' for adam, so is all humanity for Christ, we all came out of Christ, and we all are 'in Christ.'
Ephesians 1:10 "That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:
Colossians 1:17 "And he is before all things, and by him all things consist"
Colossians 1:20 "And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.
Romans 11:36 "For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.
Talking to pagan Athenians, Paul make this amazing statement:
Act 17:28 For in him[God, through Christ] we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring
Now we are coming to the point and reason i am writting to you and i hope you recieve it all, keeping in mind what has been said;
1 Timothy 2:14 "And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.
What is really being said here? Isn't the fact that adam wasn't decieved, but eve was, make adams sin far worse then eve's because he willingly partook of that fruit when he was not decieved?
The point being made here is NOT that adam's sin was far worse, the point is that Adam [through his LUST for eve] willingly partook of the FRUIT OF DEATH, so that he would NOT be SEPERATED from Eve.
Likewise, Christ [OUT OF PERFECT LOVE] died for HUMANITY, so Humanity would NOT be seperated from Him.
Adam did this out of LUST for eve, while Christ did it out of PERFECT LOVE for humanity.
Hebrews 2:9 "But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.
What is the ultimate point of understanding that Adam willingly died with eve so not to be seperated from her as a shadow and type of Christ and humanity?
It is to see that;
1 Corinthians 15:22 "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive"
End article.
Now i don't want to speak on behalf of ray but this is how i understand it and perhaps this can help you as well. Maybe ray has a different way of explaining it, but this always made sence to me.
I hope it helps.
God bless,
Alex