QB36 Who Are the Elect?

Matt 24:29-31 29 “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”

Today I want us to pause and reflect for a moment on what it really means to adopt a bridal perspective on matters of the end times. We know from church history, that there has been much controversy and disagreement over matters of the future, at times aggressive even leading to denominational splits within the Body of Christ. Was this ever the Lord’s intention to leave us in a quandary over such things, was He not always clear in His teaching? Even when using parables so “they may be ever hearing but never understanding” Luke 8:10 He would then explain the meaning to His disciples, and the Gospel writers would give us the interpretation. The problem over Matt 24 would never arise if the Lord didn’t use the term ‘the elect’ as He does in verse 31 “And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” If only the Lord had said ‘the angels will gather the tribes of Israel’, then there would be little doubt what He meant. Similarly, if He had said ‘the angels will gather the church’, then we would also be clear. The debate hangs on the identification of who Jesus meant when He said the Elect. We have no record of the disciples asking Jesus about this, I strongly suspect they knew exactly who the Elect were. The Greek word for Elect is ‘eklektos’ (ek-lek-tos) and means ‘chosen by God’. Certainly, there are no shortage of Old Testament passages which refer to Israel as the Chosen (or Elect) of God. For example:

Deut 7:6 For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. He has chosen you to be his people, prized above all others on the face of the earth.

Ps 135:4 For the LORD has chosen Jacob for himself, Israel as his own possession.

These and many verses tell us Israel are the Elect of God, furthermore Paul writes in Rom 11:1 I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! For I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew.

What are we to make of this? The answer comes when we understand the Elect to be the bride! Had Jesus said ‘the angels will gather Israel’ or ‘the angels with gather the church’ we would have taken it to be mutually exclusive as we do today, and argue depending upon whether we are ‘pre-trib’ or ‘post-trib’, for the Elect to be either Israel or the church but not both. As though there were two plans of salvation, one for Israel and one for the church, two covenants, one for Israel and one for the church, or even two Elects or two Chosen Peoples with two different gatherings. But this is not true. There has only been and will ever be One Chosen People, One Elect and One Covenant. There has only been and will ever be One plan of Salvation for both Jew and Gentile. The Bridal mind cannot separate Jew from Gentile, she has been healed in Christ to think from a One New Man perspective. When we take a side, we are not seeing as the Bride should. She is indelibly changed to think differently, to think as her Bridegroom thinks and see how He sees, and what He sees is His Bride. All the promises the church has received have come to her through the Covenant God made with Israel, the New Covenant is made with Israel (see Quick Bite 19), whatever blessing we have is only because we have been grafted into the Olive Tree. The Promise of Salvation, for a Messiah was made to Israel, the promise to be Gathered was made to Israel, what promise did God ever make separately to the church for her to raptured in a way that would tear her apart from the tree. He has one plan of Salvation, one resurrection of the righteous, and one gathering of the Elect, His bride! Now that we are grated in, are we to be torn away, and leave the Bride upon the Earth? By no means, we are not the Bride on our own, but corporately together. When He comes for His Bride, He will not take her one member at a time, but as a whole. Now I’ve just made some pretty radical points, so let me back this up with a scripture that we’ll find in Matthew 22. I’m sure you’ll remember the parable of the wedding banquet, when the imposter was thrown outside because he didn’t have the wedding garments on, well Jesus concluded His teaching in verse 14 saying “For many are called, but few are chosen.” And what was the word for chosen? It is the exact same word as the Elect.

Did you enjoy this article?

Why not help us to spread the word and use the facebook or other social sharing links below. We'd really appreciate it, thanks!


Other Posts in 'Quick Bites'

May be an image of text that says "God is Love nOM "To know such love is our greatest reward for there lies the home our restless heart seeks.""

QB86 God is Love

6 Nov 2023
“(16) And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in...

May be an image of text that says "The Day of Û the Lord is key to Understanding the Middle East"

QB85 Why the Day of the Lord is Key to Understanding the Middle East (Part 2)

4 Nov 2023
“(9) Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, (10) Declaring the end...

May be an image of text that says "The Day of the LORD and the Middle East"

QB84 Why the Day of the Lord is Key to Understanding the Middle East (Part 1)

1 Nov 2023
“(9) Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, (10) Declaring the end...

May be an image of heart and text that says "There is a glory only attainable in the Bridal desert, preparation that can come no other way. Not amongst the cacophony If religious voices but by embracing the solítude hiddenness. Not Nottobe to be alone, but to be alone with Him. আমই"

QB83 The Bride in the Wilderness (Part 1)

30 Oct 2023
In the last Quick Bite (QB82), the Wedding at Cana, I brought attention to the first time the Lord’s glory was revealed. But what’s really interesting to note is...

No photo description available.

QB82 The Wedding at Cana

27 Oct 2023
And he said to him, “Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the...

May be an image of 1 person and text that says "The Rapture of the Bride (Part 3)"

QB81 The Rapture of the Bride (Part 3)

24 Oct 2023
Last time we explored the parable of the Wedding Feast (Matthew 22:1-14) and discovered the Wedding of the Lamb arranged for Israel was not cancelled but extended to include...

May be an image of 1 person and text that says "The Rapture of the Bride (Part 2)"

QB80 The Rapture of the Bride (Part 2)

23 Oct 2023
Previously I shared there can be no wedding before the resurrection because to become “one flesh” with our Bridegroom first requires our lowly bodies to be transformed to be...

May be an image of 1 person and text that says "The Rapture of the Bride (Part 1)"

QB79 The Rapture of the Bride (Part 1)

20 Oct 2023
As we see the escalation of tumult, depravity, suffering and destabilisation across the world I feel it is time to talk once more about the rapture from a bridal...

May be an image of 1 person, flower and wedding

QB78 Contending For the Birthright of a Nation

10 Oct 2023
When looking at spiritual warfare from a Bridal perspective the picture is indeed most glorious for it is no less than contending for the birthright of a nation. You...

May be an image of 1 person and text that says "The place of overcoming begins with being still"

QB77 The Warrior Bride (Part 3)

9 Oct 2023
Partnering with Heaven’s Armies through the Posture of Peace Probably the last thing we think about when considering spiritual warfare is not the recital of scripture, or the vocalising...

Looking for something? Try the search facility

About the author: Mike Pike

Live with my wife Jo in Cornwall UK, together we have raised five children and have served the Lord for over thirty years within the UK and in many other nations. My passion is for the coming of Jesus the Bridegroom King, and I long to see the Bride call upon Him to come.

CONTACT US


GET CONNECTED

Join our Facebook Group and become part of this growing movement around the world. On the group you'll join the Call2Come family and have the opportunity to participate and discuss various topics and teaching. Being part of the Call2Come family on the Facebook group includes

  • Regular updates and teaching
  • Meet others with a passion for the Lord's return
  • Grow in your own Bridal journey towards the Bridegroom
  • Latest news and developments

CONNECT WITH US

JOIN OUR FACEBOOK GROUP

SUBSCRIBE

If you want to receive our newsletter, simply provide your email in the box below. You will then be sent a confirmation email immediately which you need to respond to. Thank you!