Here Comes The Groom
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Traditional Jewish Wedding
Traditional Jewish Wedding
There are 12 major milestones in a traditional ancient Jewish wedding: Here are the first 6 that I present to you with parallels that I think you will identify
Betrothal Period
the bride doesn’t see the bridegroom in person
1 Corinthians 13:12 “12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.”
Bridegroom Preparing A Place For The Bride
The Groom doesn't see his bride, he goes to prepare a place for her.
1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
2 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
The Father Make The Decision of the Bridal Chamber is ready.
36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
The Coming of the Bridegroom
When the father has approved of the place prepared for the bride, the groom comes like a thief in the night for his Bride
6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.
15 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.
2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
The Bride & Grooms Hiding Place
the bride and groom “hide” in the wedding chamber that was approved by the father for a period of seven days until they are presented at the marriage supper.
The Marriage Ceremony
at the marriage ceremony, the bridegroom is crowned as the king of his household
There is a process to the marriage. It begins with the Bridal Selection
The Process
The Process
The Bridal Selection
Traditionally the Bride was chosen by the father of the groom.
The father would begin a search for who would be the bride to his son.
Abraham secured a bride for Isaac, and Rebekkah.
If you study they Typology of the Marriage of Isaac and Rebakkah you will find some deep connections with the coming of Jesus Christ and the church as His bride.
Some examples:
The birthplace of Rebekah was a world of idols under the authority of demons
likewise the bithplace of the church is also a world of idols
Rebekah was chosen and prepared to be given to Issac,
The church was chosen and is being prepared to be the Bride of Jesus Christ
The Price Is Established
Secondly, the bride price was established.
The agreed upon price was called a mohar in Hebrew.
Adam and Eve the creation of humanity, had a personal relationship with God.
God loved them as he loves us, He talked with them and would come to them in the garden.
God gave them a free will, however he gave only one restriction.
Adam and Eve disobeyed God by eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and brought spiritual separation from God to all humanity.
The results of their sin of disobedience were catastrophic.
As the first parents, they represented the entire human race, and their sin affected everyone. Their sin cursed the earth. Then the curse of death is introduced.
When our bodies die, our spirits are separated from our bodies.
Our spirit is eternal and goes right on living, either in heaven or hell, after our physical death.
Spiritual death, on the other hand, means that our spirit is separated from the God who loves us.
The disobedience of Adam and Eve separated all of us from God, who is pure holiness - but God loves us too much to allow us to be eternally separated from him.
The God of unfathomable power who created the universe by speaking it forth can do anything. God manifestedHimself as human known as the son, miraculously born of a virgin birth, then a supernatural star led the wise men to him, Jesus' earthly miracles and Jesus' resurrection from the dead.
Jesus Christ came to earth to ransom us from the misery and sin that Adam and Eve subjected the human race to.
Thus the price for the bride was the redeeming sacrifice of Jesus Christ at Calvary.
Jesus, whose blood was divine and not therefore tainted with a sinful nature, led a sinless life. His death was the redeeming price for you and me.
Jesus came to die for us.
Sin had to be punished, so Jesus Christ came to take upon himself the punishment we each deserved.
Jesus willingness to suffer unspeakable humiliation, torture and crucifixion comprise the greatest love story in history.
Jesus Christ paid the price for all of humanity's sins.
He is called "the last Adam" in I Corinthians 15 because he, too, represented the human race.
Jesus already paid the price for His Bride And we see this in
20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.
and in
1 Corinthians 15:3–4 (KJV 1900)
3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
And also in
18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;
19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
The Bride Gave Her Consent and then Gifts were given.
The groom seals the deal with a gift and bride accepts it.
This completed rite is known in Hebrew as kiddushin, which means “sanctification.”
In Acts 2:38 we see that we are to receive the gift that God has for us which is the Gift of the Holy Spirit
38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
This Gift, the Gift of the Holy Spirit is guarantee or as our earnest money of the coming of the Groom. 2 Corinthians 1:21-22
21 Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God;
22 Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.
and He showers His bride, the church with many more gifts.
The Covenant
After the gift was given, the couple was given a cup of the covenant that was shared between the bride and the groom. The couple share and from the cup. The Cup is first given to the groom to sip, and the is given to bride.
Likewise, This cup, known as the cup of covenant, spoken of in Jeremiah 31:31-33
31 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, That I will make a new covenant With the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:
32 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers In the day that I took them by the hand To bring them out of the land of Egypt; Which my covenant they brake, Although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord:
33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, And write it in their hearts; And will be their God, And they shall be my people.
Jesus spoke of the cup of the New Covenant in Luke 22:20
20 Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.
in the ESV it reads: And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.
The Bride Was Ritually Cleansed
Mikvah was the ceremonial act of purification by the immersion in water.
It indicated a separation from a former way to a new way.
In marriage, it indicates leaving an old life for a new life with your spouse as written in Genesis 2:23-24 and in Ephesians 5:31
Genesis 2:23-24
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.
24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
Ephesians 5:31
31 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.
Immersing in the mikvah is considered spiritual rebirth.
The reason is that a mikvah has the power to change a person completely.
Concerning the marriage to Israel at Mount Sinai, God said in Ezekiel 16:8-9
8 Now when I passed by thee, and looked upon thee, behold, thy time was the time of love; and I spread my skirt over thee, and covered thy nakedness: yea, I sware unto thee, and entered into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord God, and thou becamest mine.
9 Then washed I thee with water; yea, I throughly washed away thy blood from thee, and I anointed thee with oil.
Jesus spoke to the Pharisee, Nicodemus, that he must be born anew (immersed) to enter into the Kingdom of God John 3:1-7
1 There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:
2 The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.
3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?
5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
In the marriage process with Jesus, we are to be immersed, baptized in the name of Jesus!
Preparing A Place
Preparing A Place
After all the above mentioned things take place,
The Groom departs, and goes to prepare a place for the bride.
It was understood to be the man’s duty to be with his father, build a house, and prepare for the eventual wedding.
Before groom goes, traditionally he would make a statement of this nature to the bride. “I go to prepare a place for you...”
This is the same statement Jesus made in John 14:1-3
1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
2 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
The Brides Duties
The Brides Duties
The bride was consecrated and set apart for a period of time while the bridegroom was away building the house.
The bride would not know when the Groom was coming as Jesus implies in Mark 13:32-37
32 But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.
33 Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.
34 For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch.
35 Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning:
36 Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping.
37 And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.
Meanwhile, the bride eagerly waits for the return of the groom.
In the mind of the bride, the groom could come at any time, even in the middle of the night. Therefore, she had to be ready at all times.
Jesus referred to this in Mark 13:32-37
and
our opening scriptures Matthew 25:1-13
While waiting for her groom to come, the bride had to live everyday ready for her groom to come.
Church, Jesus is coming and He is coming for a Pure, Holy Rapture ready Bride The church of the living God!
Listen,
Clouds are an indication of coming rain.
It does not always rain when it gets cloudy, but when we see clouds, it is a reminder that rain may soon be on the horizon.
The Signs of Jesus return act much the same way.
Even an abundance of signs does not mean Christ will return today, but the more signs we see, the higher the probability His return is near.
Some of the signs the Bible tell us are happening. One of the most prevalent recently is “wars and rumours of wars”
6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
7 And when ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars, be ye not troubled: for such things must needs be; but the end shall not be yet.
People were talking about the start of World War III, the rumors of war are here.
Another sign is earthquakes
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.
11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.
Have you heard the mass earthquakes all over the world?
Another sign Jesus mentions in Luke 21:25
25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;
is, “distress of nations, with perplexity.”
Some synonyms for perplexity are bewilderment, confused, head-scratching.
It appears nations will have problems that will leave a lot of people bewildered on which direction to go for a solution.
What do you do when Greece gives away so much the nation goes bankrupt, and the people no longer have their “entitlements?”
What do you do with people who are born here, but are technically illegal because their parents came here illegally before they were born?
What do you do with nations that call for the destruction of another country?
These problems and a score of others are perplexing. Everyone either has an answer that does not seem to work, or no one knows what to do.
The moral decay of society is another sign.
Romans 1:32-32 describes part of the fall into moral decay.
21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.
24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:
25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:
27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.
28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;
29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,
30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:
32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.
and 2 Timothy 3:1-5 list heart attitudes and actions that will take place “in the last days.”
1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
It is not that everyone will be like this, but it is that these actions and heart conditions will be prominent in society.
It would be hard to argue that these elements are not prevalent today.
For those with gray hair can testify that these things are more prevalent today than at any time in the years past.
Some claim that earthquakes, wars, rumors of war, immoral people, severe political problems, and other signs within the Bible have been going on since the beginning of time.
There is nothing new; therefore, there is nothing to these “signs of Jesus’ return”
Well, the Bible tells us that when the response to the Biblical signs is that “it has always been this way,” it is a sign unto itself. 2 Peter 3:3-4
3 Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,
4 And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.
Jesus is coming and He is coming soon!
The bridegroom suddenly returns with a shout and the sound of the shofar.
The time of the return of the bridegroom was usually at midnight.
When the bridegroom did come, he came with a shout a day with the blowing of a shofar
The marriage between the bride and the groom would take place under the chupah or wedding canopy.
Heaven is a type of chupah, we can see that when Jesus gives a shout for His bride, accompanied by the blowing of a shofar, the marriage between Jesus and His bride will take place in Heaven.
The marriage ceremony would have a sacred procession.
For this reason, the bridegroom will be led to the chupah first.
When the bridegroom approaches the chupah, the cantor chants, “Blessed is he who comes.” “Blessed is he who comes” is an idiomatic expression meaning “welcome.”
Jesus said that He would not return for His bride until these words were said.
The groom is greeted like a king under the chupah. During this time Jesus, the bridegroom, will be crowned King under the chupah, which is Heaven.
He would abduct his bride, usually in the middle of the night, to go to the bridal chamber where the marriage would be consummated.
This is the full marriage, known in Hebrew as Nesu’in.
The bride and groom will go to the wedding chamber, or chadar in Hebrew, where the marriage will be consummated.
They will stay in that wedding chamber for seven days. At the end of the seven days, the bride and groom will emerge from the wedding chamber.
The word week in Hebrew is shavuah. It means a “seven.” It can mean seven days or seven years.
An example of the Hebrew word for week (shavuah) meaning seven years can be found in Daniel 9:24, as it is written, “Seventy weeks [shavuah, 490 years] are determined upon thy people…” and in 9:27, “And he [the false Messiah known as the antichrist] shall confirm the covenant with many for one week [shavuah, seven years]….”
The week referred to in Daniel 9:27 is known to Bible believers as the tribulation period.
The Jewish people understand this time to be the birthpangs of the Messiah known in Hebrew eschatology as the Chevlai shel Mashiach.
This is taken from Jeremiah 30:5-7. From this we can see that the believers in the Messiah will be with the Messiah in Heaven for His wedding while the earth will be experiencing the seven-year tribulation period, or the Chevlai shel Mashiach, in Hebrew.
Finally, the marriage supper for all the guests invited by the father of the bride.
The bride and the groom would be in the wedding chamber for seven days.
When the bride and the groom initially went into the wedding chamber, the friend of the bridegroom stood outside the door.
All the assembled guests of the wedding gathered outside, waiting for the friend of the bride-groom to announce the consummation of the marriage, which was relayed to him by the groom.
On the wedding day, the bridegroom is seen as a king and the bride as a queen.
During the consummation of the marriage, the bridegroom will be crowned King over all the earth and the bride (the believers in Jesus the Messiah) will live with Him and rule with Him forever.
The crowning of the King and the marriage can be seen in Isaiah 62:3-7. At the end of the week (seven-year tribulation, or birthpangs of the Messiah), the marriage supper will take place. The marriage supper will not take place in Heaven. After the marriage, the bride and Groom will return to earth.
The marriage supper will be taking place on earth and only the invited guests of the Father of the Groom (God the Father) will be present at the banquet meal.
This can be seen in Revelation 19:7-16 and 20:4.
Jesus spoke of the marriage supper and the banquet in Luke 12:35-38 and Matthew 8:11.
The wedding supper is a theme of the festival of Sukkot. During Sukkot, the people were instructed by God to build a temporary shelter.
One of the things God instructed the people to do there is eat. When they eat, they set a plate for seven people these include Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Matthew 8:11).
The unbelievers in the Messiah will attend a separate banquet where the fowls of the air will eat their flesh (Revelation 19:17-18). You don’t want to be in that banquet!
What does all this mean?
We as the bride of Christ must be ready and anticipating the coming of our bridegroom!
Genesis 7:13–16 (KJV 1900)
In the selfsame day entered Noah, and Shem, and Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah’s wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, into the ark; They, and every beast after his kind, and all the cattle after their kind, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind, and every fowl after his kind, every bird of every sort.
And they went in unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh, wherein is the breath of life.
And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the Lord shut him in.