Does lift equal weight in level flight?
When you consider the aircraft as a whole, lift equals weight in level flight. This must be true following the laws of physics.

However, if you break down the forces, the lift produced by the wings does not necessary equal to the weight of the aircraft. Lift is also generated by the body (albeit very inefficient) and by the tail. Most horizontal stabilizers generate negative lift, but some (e.g. the A380) generate positive lift.

If we ignore the fact that fuselage produces lift, and assume a configuration where the tail produces downward force, then you are correct. But the fuselage does produces lift. Modern aircraft designs use software to take that into account.