The Rapture
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Revelation 20:4-5 (HCSB)
[SUP]4 [/SUP] Then I saw thrones, and people seated on them who were given authority to judge. ⌊I⌋ also ⌊saw⌋ the people who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of God’s word, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and who had not accepted the mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with the Messiah for 1,000 years.
[SUP]5 [/SUP] The rest of the dead did not come to life until the 1,000 years were completed. This is the first resurrection.
Luke 1:31-33 (NIV)
[SUP]31 [/SUP] You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus.
[SUP]32 [/SUP] He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David,
[SUP]33 [/SUP] and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end."
The Earthly Kingdom is transformed into the Eternal Kingdom after the 1000 Year Earthly Kingdom.
HOWEVER, going into His Earthly Reign from David's Throne, (and like True Believers of the N.T., O.T. Saints will be raised too, so David will be there too); IT SAYS THIS:
Zechariah 14:16-17 (NIV)
[SUP]16 [/SUP] Then the survivors from all the nations that have attacked Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, the LORD Almighty, and to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles.
[SUP]17 [/SUP] If any of the peoples of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD Almighty, they will have no rain.
[SUP]4 [/SUP] Then I saw thrones, and people seated on them who were given authority to judge. ⌊I⌋ also ⌊saw⌋ the people who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of God’s word, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and who had not accepted the mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with the Messiah for 1,000 years.
[SUP]5 [/SUP] The rest of the dead did not come to life until the 1,000 years were completed. This is the first resurrection.
Luke 1:31-33 (NIV)
[SUP]31 [/SUP] You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus.
[SUP]32 [/SUP] He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David,
[SUP]33 [/SUP] and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end."
The Earthly Kingdom is transformed into the Eternal Kingdom after the 1000 Year Earthly Kingdom.
HOWEVER, going into His Earthly Reign from David's Throne, (and like True Believers of the N.T., O.T. Saints will be raised too, so David will be there too); IT SAYS THIS:
Zechariah 14:16-17 (NIV)
[SUP]16 [/SUP] Then the survivors from all the nations that have attacked Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, the LORD Almighty, and to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles.
[SUP]17 [/SUP] If any of the peoples of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD Almighty, they will have no rain.
It says he appears in the clouds, that is not a COMING as HIS FEET have to touch the Ground for it to BE A COMING.
That is why Titus 2:13 is my favorite verse.
Titus 2:13 (GW)
[SUP]13 [/SUP] At the same time we can expect what we hope for—the appearance of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.
How do we know this is TRUE? HE SAID SO:
John 14:3 (CSBBible)
[SUP]3 [/SUP] If I go away and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to myself, so that where I am you may be also.
That is NOT a coming to EARTH, because HIS FEET NEVER TOUCH THE GROUND. And NOTICE IT SAYS HE IS TAKING US SOMEWHERE TO WHERE HE BUILT A PLACE FOR US. That expression comes straight out of a Jewish Wedding Proposal. The Bridegroom always left the Old Dwelling place of the Bride saying an expression like that. HE then always went to His Father's house to build that NEW DWELLING PLACE for His Bride. If they were poor, it would just be an add-on room, known as the Bride-Chamber. If they were Rich it could be a second house near the Father's house on His property. Either way, the Bridegroom NEVER SET FOOT IN THE OLD DWELLING OF THE BRIDE UNTIL AFTER IT WAS BUILT, AND APPROVED BY HIS FATHER, AND THE SEVEN DAY WEDDING CEREMONY, CONSUMMATION, and WEDDING SUPPERS WERE HELD IN OR NEAR THE FATHER'S HOUSE. Then and only then would the Bridegroom return with His Bride to her Old Dwelling Place, where they would repeat the Ceremony, Wedding Vows, and have another Wedding Supper with HER RELATIVES. This was frequently done in Christ's day because of the great distances people had to travel if the Bride and Groom were from places far apart.
HOW DO WE KNOW HE IS OUR BRIDEGROOM?
HE SAID SO:
Matthew 9:15 (YLT)
[SUP]15 [/SUP] And Jesus said to them, `Can the sons of the bride-chamber mourn, so long as the bridegroom is with them? but days shall come when the bridegroom may be taken from them, and then they shall fast.
Sometimes our translators did us a dis-service when they did not TRANSLATE what HE said LITERALLY. THERE in Young's Literal Translation, HE links the foundation of N.T. Believers, the Disciples, with the Bride-Chamber that ONLY THE BRIDEGROOM and BRIDE enter.
I absolutely believe the new dwelling places in the NEW CITY JERUSALEM are our BRIDE-CHAMBER. What does it mean to adorn a House like a Bride? IT MEANS, WITHOUT A DOUBT, THAT IS WHERE THE WEDDING WILL TAKE PLACE:
Revelation 21:2-3 (NCV)
[SUP]2 [/SUP] And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. It was prepared like a bride dressed for her husband.
[SUP]3 [/SUP] And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Now God’s presence is with people, and he will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them and will be their God.
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how does this work with the great tribulation in revelation which is clear signs?
[h=1]Matthew 24:37-39New American Standard Bible (NASB)[/h][FONT="]37 For [a]the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah.38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, 39 and they did not [b]understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be.[/FONT]
[h=1]Matthew 24:37-39New American Standard Bible (NASB)[/h][FONT="]37 For [a]the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah.38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, 39 and they did not [b]understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be.[/FONT]
Here I will help with your search for Native American Tribes that worshipped the Great Spirit:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Spirit
Native American Indian Legends and Stories About The Great Spirit
Not even CLOSE.
I have been trying to encourage all of you to consider the fact that Jesus did Not say "I will build my CHURCH."
He actually said, "I will build my ASSEMBLY" - singular. The Greek word did not mean CHURCH, which is only a substitution for ASSEMBLY. ASSEMBLY is the sum total of both O.T. True Believers and N.T. True Believers.
Now your discussion is degenerating into a mud slinging competition.
May I suggest that you take a long look in the mirror, before you throw the next handful of mud.
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That is not talking about the Great Tribulation, nor the Second Coming.
It is talking about the Calling Out of the Bride to go the Wedding of the LAMB.
The Bridegroom did not announce when he was coming for the Bride. Primarily because only HIS FATHER had the right to do a final inspection of the New Dwelling Place or Bridal-Chamber. SO THE SON did not ever know when the Father would finally approve the room or building as being DONE. It might take SEVERAL inspections and add-on suggestions, before the Bridegroom got, "It is finished, go get your Bride!", from His Father.
Matthew 24:36-37 (NCV)
[SUP]36 [/SUP] “No one knows when that day or time will be, not the angels in heaven, not even the Son. Only the Father knows.
[SUP]37 [/SUP] When the Son of Man comes, it will be like what happened during Noah’s time.
Remember the Son of Man comes to Call Out a BRIDE,
While the KING of Kings comes to make War on the Nations that oppose HIM.
When the Son was finally given permission to go get His Bride, it frequently was at Night. So the Bride had no forwarning of the day or the hour. She may have some clues that the time was near, but never the day or the hour. Therefore she would invite her Wedding Party to sleep over, keeping their lamps filled with oil, so that they were prepared to go to the Bridegroom at a moments notice, even at night. {The oil in the Lamps pictures being filled with the Holy Spirit, ready and waiting for the Bridegroom to send the Archangel to SHOUT, and Call Us Out.} They therefore they literally would come to steal the Bride away, like a Thief in the Night.
[video=youtube;2fv3QhWq16A]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fv3QhWq16A&list=PLUBa7VFiDiQQY05VtA6YkMsx c8E4-U7ey[/video]
1 Thessalonians 5:2 (ESV)
[SUP]2 [/SUP] For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.
Matthew 25:1-13 (RSV)
[SUP]1 [/SUP] "Then the kingdom of heaven shall be compared to ten maidens who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom.
[SUP]2 [/SUP] Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.
[SUP]3 [/SUP] For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them;
[SUP]4 [/SUP] but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps.
[SUP]5 [/SUP] As the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.
[SUP]6 [/SUP] But at midnight there was a cry, `Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.'
[SUP]7 [/SUP] Then all those maidens rose and trimmed their lamps.
[SUP]8 [/SUP] And the foolish said to the wise, `Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.'
[SUP]9 [/SUP] But the wise replied, `Perhaps there will not be enough for us and for you; go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.'
[SUP]10 [/SUP] And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast; and the door was shut.
[SUP]11 [/SUP] Afterward the other maidens came also, saying, `Lord, lord, open to us.'
[SUP]12 [/SUP] But he replied, `Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.'
[SUP]13 [/SUP] Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.
It is talking about the Calling Out of the Bride to go the Wedding of the LAMB.
The Bridegroom did not announce when he was coming for the Bride. Primarily because only HIS FATHER had the right to do a final inspection of the New Dwelling Place or Bridal-Chamber. SO THE SON did not ever know when the Father would finally approve the room or building as being DONE. It might take SEVERAL inspections and add-on suggestions, before the Bridegroom got, "It is finished, go get your Bride!", from His Father.
Matthew 24:36-37 (NCV)
[SUP]36 [/SUP] “No one knows when that day or time will be, not the angels in heaven, not even the Son. Only the Father knows.
[SUP]37 [/SUP] When the Son of Man comes, it will be like what happened during Noah’s time.
Remember the Son of Man comes to Call Out a BRIDE,
While the KING of Kings comes to make War on the Nations that oppose HIM.
When the Son was finally given permission to go get His Bride, it frequently was at Night. So the Bride had no forwarning of the day or the hour. She may have some clues that the time was near, but never the day or the hour. Therefore she would invite her Wedding Party to sleep over, keeping their lamps filled with oil, so that they were prepared to go to the Bridegroom at a moments notice, even at night. {The oil in the Lamps pictures being filled with the Holy Spirit, ready and waiting for the Bridegroom to send the Archangel to SHOUT, and Call Us Out.} They therefore they literally would come to steal the Bride away, like a Thief in the Night.
[video=youtube;2fv3QhWq16A]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fv3QhWq16A&list=PLUBa7VFiDiQQY05VtA6YkMsx c8E4-U7ey[/video]
1 Thessalonians 5:2 (ESV)
[SUP]2 [/SUP] For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.
Matthew 25:1-13 (RSV)
[SUP]1 [/SUP] "Then the kingdom of heaven shall be compared to ten maidens who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom.
[SUP]2 [/SUP] Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.
[SUP]3 [/SUP] For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them;
[SUP]4 [/SUP] but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps.
[SUP]5 [/SUP] As the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.
[SUP]6 [/SUP] But at midnight there was a cry, `Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.'
[SUP]7 [/SUP] Then all those maidens rose and trimmed their lamps.
[SUP]8 [/SUP] And the foolish said to the wise, `Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.'
[SUP]9 [/SUP] But the wise replied, `Perhaps there will not be enough for us and for you; go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.'
[SUP]10 [/SUP] And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast; and the door was shut.
[SUP]11 [/SUP] Afterward the other maidens came also, saying, `Lord, lord, open to us.'
[SUP]12 [/SUP] But he replied, `Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.'
[SUP]13 [/SUP] Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.
I have been trying to encourage all of you to consider the fact that Jesus did Not say "I will build my CHURCH."
He actually said, "I will build my ASSEMBLY" - singular.
The Greek word did not mean CHURCH, which is only a substitution for ASSEMBLY.
ASSEMBLY is the sum total of both O.T. True Believers and N.T. True Believers.
Now your discussion is degenerating into a mud slinging competition.
May I suggest that you take a long look in the mirror, before you throw the next handful of mud.
I seen no twisting and chopping, but I see a lot of willfully being blind and uneducated about Jewish Wedding Traditions. That attitude baffles me, because as soon after I was born again and I noticed that Christ called Himself the Bridegroom; I determined I NEEDED TO KNOW ALL I COULD LEARN ABOUT JEWISH WEDDING TRADITIONS and CUSTOMS. Yes, I learned a lot from Dr. John MacArthur, and Dr. Gil Rugh, but I went several steps farther, in that I listened every week to ZOLA LEVITT's program, and after I got a computer, I eagerly searched Messsianic Jewish Christian sites. I did not gain a different understanding, but certainly did gain a MUCH DEEPER UNDERSTANDING. The attitude of "I don't need to study Jewish Traditions and Customs", in my opinion cripples and limits one's understanding of a lot of Scriptures.
So no it does not take a lot of twisting and chopping, because, the Parable of 10 Virgins has always been about Calling Out of Bride of Christ. Therefore any mention of the BRIDEGROOM, or references to Jewish Wedding Traditions and Customs are also applicable to the Calling Out of the Bride of Christ.
Here is another one. At the Last Supper, when Jesus passed that CUP (actually the third cup in a Passover Meal), that was a Wedding Proposal, and because the Disciples drank of it, the BRIDE PRICE HAD TO BE PAID, no later than the NEXT DAY. The Bride Price was a HOLY BLOOD SACRIFICE.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (HCSB)
[SUP]19 [/SUP] Don’t you know that your body is a sanctuary of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own,
[SUP]20 [/SUP] for you were bought at a price. Therefore glorify God in your body.
There is the mention of the Bride Price. You miss all that if you do not study Jewish Wedding Traditions and Customs.
More food for thought and evidence of a Pre-Trib, Calling Out of the Bride, is found in 2 Thess., Chapter 2. In the KJV, this is extremely difficult to understand because of old English expressions, but in a new version, such as the New Century Version (NCV), it is easy to understand:
2 Thessalonians 2:1-16 (NCV)
[SUP]1 [/SUP] Brothers and sisters, we have something to say about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and the time when we will meet together with him.
[SUP]2 [/SUP] Do not become easily upset in your thinking or afraid if you hear that the day of the Lord has already come. Someone may say this in a prophecy or in a message or in a letter as if it came from us.
[SUP]3 [/SUP] Do not let anyone fool you in any way. That day of the Lord {the Rapture} will not come until the turning away from God happens and the Man of Evil, who is on his way to hell, appears.
[SUP]4 [/SUP] He will be against and put himself above anything called God or anything that people worship. And that Man of Evil will even go into God’s Temple and sit there and say that he is God. {So we may see that Dictator come to power and orchestrate a Seven Year Peace Treaty with Israel and her Enemies, but I seriously doubt if we will still be here when he takes over the TEMPLE and claims he is God. He deceives the masses by the miracles he does. Mat. 24:24.}
[SUP]5 [/SUP] I told you when I was with you that all this would happen. Do you not remember?
[SUP]6 [/SUP] And now you know what is stopping that Man of Evil so he will appear at the right time.
[SUP]7 [/SUP] The secret power of evil is already working in the world, but there is one who is stopping that power. {That is the Holy Spirit in us.} And he will continue to stop it until he is taken out of the way. {Satan cannot come to full power as Antichrist as long as the Holy Spirit is here on earth to STOP HIM. And IF HE LEAVES, we have to go with HIM, because GOD SAID HE WOULD ABIDE WITH US FOREVER. John 14:16. AND the Holy Spirit is our SEAL from our Bridegroom, that HE IS COMING BACK FOR US, after He finishes the New Dwelling Place. THERE IS THE RAPTURE, THEN COMES THE FOLLOWING.}
[SUP]8 [/SUP] Then that Man of Evil will appear, and the Lord Jesus will kill him with the breath that comes from his mouth and will destroy him with the glory of his coming. {Rev. 19:19-21}
[SUP]9 [/SUP] The Man of Evil will come by the power of Satan. He will have great power, and he will do many different false miracles, signs, and wonders.
[SUP]10 [/SUP] He will use every kind of evil to trick those who are lost. They will die, because they refused to love the truth. (If they loved the truth, they would be saved.)
[SUP]11 [/SUP] For this reason God sends them something powerful that leads them away from the truth so they will believe a lie.
[SUP]12 [/SUP] So all those will be judged guilty who did not believe the truth, but enjoyed doing evil.
[SUP]13 [/SUP] Brothers and sisters, whom the Lord loves, God chose you from the beginning to be saved. So we must always thank God for you. You are saved by the Spirit that makes you holy and by your faith in the truth.
[SUP]14 [/SUP] God used the Good News that we preached to call you to be saved so you can share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
[SUP]15 [/SUP] So, brothers and sisters, stand strong and continue to believe the teachings we gave you in our speaking and in our letter.
[SUP]16 [/SUP] May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father encourage you and strengthen you in every good thing you do and say. God loved us, and through his grace he gave us a good hope and encouragement that continues forever.
So no it does not take a lot of twisting and chopping, because, the Parable of 10 Virgins has always been about Calling Out of Bride of Christ. Therefore any mention of the BRIDEGROOM, or references to Jewish Wedding Traditions and Customs are also applicable to the Calling Out of the Bride of Christ.
Here is another one. At the Last Supper, when Jesus passed that CUP (actually the third cup in a Passover Meal), that was a Wedding Proposal, and because the Disciples drank of it, the BRIDE PRICE HAD TO BE PAID, no later than the NEXT DAY. The Bride Price was a HOLY BLOOD SACRIFICE.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (HCSB)
[SUP]19 [/SUP] Don’t you know that your body is a sanctuary of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own,
[SUP]20 [/SUP] for you were bought at a price. Therefore glorify God in your body.
There is the mention of the Bride Price. You miss all that if you do not study Jewish Wedding Traditions and Customs.
More food for thought and evidence of a Pre-Trib, Calling Out of the Bride, is found in 2 Thess., Chapter 2. In the KJV, this is extremely difficult to understand because of old English expressions, but in a new version, such as the New Century Version (NCV), it is easy to understand:
2 Thessalonians 2:1-16 (NCV)
[SUP]1 [/SUP] Brothers and sisters, we have something to say about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and the time when we will meet together with him.
[SUP]2 [/SUP] Do not become easily upset in your thinking or afraid if you hear that the day of the Lord has already come. Someone may say this in a prophecy or in a message or in a letter as if it came from us.
[SUP]3 [/SUP] Do not let anyone fool you in any way. That day of the Lord {the Rapture} will not come until the turning away from God happens and the Man of Evil, who is on his way to hell, appears.
[SUP]4 [/SUP] He will be against and put himself above anything called God or anything that people worship. And that Man of Evil will even go into God’s Temple and sit there and say that he is God. {So we may see that Dictator come to power and orchestrate a Seven Year Peace Treaty with Israel and her Enemies, but I seriously doubt if we will still be here when he takes over the TEMPLE and claims he is God. He deceives the masses by the miracles he does. Mat. 24:24.}
[SUP]5 [/SUP] I told you when I was with you that all this would happen. Do you not remember?
[SUP]6 [/SUP] And now you know what is stopping that Man of Evil so he will appear at the right time.
[SUP]7 [/SUP] The secret power of evil is already working in the world, but there is one who is stopping that power. {That is the Holy Spirit in us.} And he will continue to stop it until he is taken out of the way. {Satan cannot come to full power as Antichrist as long as the Holy Spirit is here on earth to STOP HIM. And IF HE LEAVES, we have to go with HIM, because GOD SAID HE WOULD ABIDE WITH US FOREVER. John 14:16. AND the Holy Spirit is our SEAL from our Bridegroom, that HE IS COMING BACK FOR US, after He finishes the New Dwelling Place. THERE IS THE RAPTURE, THEN COMES THE FOLLOWING.}
[SUP]8 [/SUP] Then that Man of Evil will appear, and the Lord Jesus will kill him with the breath that comes from his mouth and will destroy him with the glory of his coming. {Rev. 19:19-21}
[SUP]9 [/SUP] The Man of Evil will come by the power of Satan. He will have great power, and he will do many different false miracles, signs, and wonders.
[SUP]10 [/SUP] He will use every kind of evil to trick those who are lost. They will die, because they refused to love the truth. (If they loved the truth, they would be saved.)
[SUP]11 [/SUP] For this reason God sends them something powerful that leads them away from the truth so they will believe a lie.
[SUP]12 [/SUP] So all those will be judged guilty who did not believe the truth, but enjoyed doing evil.
[SUP]13 [/SUP] Brothers and sisters, whom the Lord loves, God chose you from the beginning to be saved. So we must always thank God for you. You are saved by the Spirit that makes you holy and by your faith in the truth.
[SUP]14 [/SUP] God used the Good News that we preached to call you to be saved so you can share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
[SUP]15 [/SUP] So, brothers and sisters, stand strong and continue to believe the teachings we gave you in our speaking and in our letter.
[SUP]16 [/SUP] May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father encourage you and strengthen you in every good thing you do and say. God loved us, and through his grace he gave us a good hope and encouragement that continues forever.
Here you go my friend. The following comes from "Got Questions"
Question: "Are there parallels between Jewish wedding traditions and our relationship to Christ?"
Answer: Jewish wedding traditions at the time of Christ are a fascinating study topic, and certain parallels can be seen between those customs and Christian theology. In the Bible, the Church is sometimes metaphorically understood to be Jesus’ Bride (Revelation 21:2, 9–10; 19:7; 22:17).
The Mishnah Kiddushin (the section of the Talmud dealing with “dedication” or betrothal) specifies that a bride is acquired by a groom in one of three ways; one involves the groom leaving his father’s home and traveling to the bride’s home to “purchase” her for a price. The groom gives a token or a dowry, and its value must be known to the bride. In all cases, the wife can only be acquired with her consent. The marriage contract, or ketubah, is then established, and from that moment on the bride is sanctified, or set apart, exclusively for her bridegroom. It is customary for the groom and bride to drink from a cup of wine over which a betrothal benediction has been said.
This prenuptial process can be seen as symbolic of Christ’s work on our behalf. Jesus left the home of His Father (heaven) and traveled to the home of His prospective Bride (earth) to purchase her for a price; that is, His own blood (1 Corinthians 7:23). His Bride has joyously consented to the match. He has given her a priceless token, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:6–16). With the establishing of the ketubah (the New Covenant), Jesus’ Bride was sanctified for Him (1 Corinthians 6:11). The communion wine is symbolic of the covenant by which Christ obtained His Bride.
The Shulkhan Arukh, an exhaustive presentation of the details of Jewish law, elaborates regarding the two stages of marriage: the betrothal (kiddushin, meaning “sanctified”) and the consummation of the marriage (nisuin, translated “elevation”). Kiddushin is not engagement as we understand it. It is a binding agreement in which the woman is legally considered the wife of the man. It was routine in Jesus’ day for kiddushin and nisuin to be separated by as much as a year. During that time the bridegroom would construct the marital home.
This, too, can be viewed as a metaphor for spiritual truth. After sealing the covenant with the Church, Jesus ascended to His Father’s home to prepare a dwelling place. Just prior to His death, Jesus told His disciples, “My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am” (John 14:2–3).
According to Jewish marriage law, when the time came for nisuin, the groom would return for his bride, accompanied by male escorts. The exact time of his arrival was not usually known in advance (see Matthew 25:1–15). The groom’s arrival was announced with a shout. The Church’s Bridegroom has been separated from His Bride now for nearly 2,000 years, and one day He will come for her and snatch her from the earth to meet Him in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:17). We don’t know when exactly this will happen; we must be ready and remain faithful (Mark 13:33). Jesus will be accompanied by an angelic escort, preceded by a shout, when He returns for the Church (1 Thessalonians 4:16).
After being whisked from her home, the Jewish bride remained hidden at the groom’s father’s house for seven days. Similarly, the Church will remain “hidden” for a period of seven years, during the prophesied Tribulation period. After the seven days, the Jewish bride left the bridal chamber unveiled; likewise, after seven years the Church will return to earth with Christ, in full view of all (Colossians 3:4).
Viewed as an analogy, Jewish wedding customs have great significance for both believers and unbelievers. If you are a believer, you must remember your devotion to your Bridegroom so as not to commit spiritual adultery against Him (see James 4:4). The apostle Paul says to the Church, “I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him.” He then warns us not to allow our minds to be “led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ” (2 Corinthians 11:2–3).
If you are an unbeliever, now is the time to reevaluate your belief system in light of Jesus’ words and the prophecies of Revelation. Don’t be left behind in the Rapture. Jesus offers eternal life to all who repent and believe.
Question: "Are there parallels between Jewish wedding traditions and our relationship to Christ?"
Answer: Jewish wedding traditions at the time of Christ are a fascinating study topic, and certain parallels can be seen between those customs and Christian theology. In the Bible, the Church is sometimes metaphorically understood to be Jesus’ Bride (Revelation 21:2, 9–10; 19:7; 22:17).
The Mishnah Kiddushin (the section of the Talmud dealing with “dedication” or betrothal) specifies that a bride is acquired by a groom in one of three ways; one involves the groom leaving his father’s home and traveling to the bride’s home to “purchase” her for a price. The groom gives a token or a dowry, and its value must be known to the bride. In all cases, the wife can only be acquired with her consent. The marriage contract, or ketubah, is then established, and from that moment on the bride is sanctified, or set apart, exclusively for her bridegroom. It is customary for the groom and bride to drink from a cup of wine over which a betrothal benediction has been said.
This prenuptial process can be seen as symbolic of Christ’s work on our behalf. Jesus left the home of His Father (heaven) and traveled to the home of His prospective Bride (earth) to purchase her for a price; that is, His own blood (1 Corinthians 7:23). His Bride has joyously consented to the match. He has given her a priceless token, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:6–16). With the establishing of the ketubah (the New Covenant), Jesus’ Bride was sanctified for Him (1 Corinthians 6:11). The communion wine is symbolic of the covenant by which Christ obtained His Bride.
The Shulkhan Arukh, an exhaustive presentation of the details of Jewish law, elaborates regarding the two stages of marriage: the betrothal (kiddushin, meaning “sanctified”) and the consummation of the marriage (nisuin, translated “elevation”). Kiddushin is not engagement as we understand it. It is a binding agreement in which the woman is legally considered the wife of the man. It was routine in Jesus’ day for kiddushin and nisuin to be separated by as much as a year. During that time the bridegroom would construct the marital home.
This, too, can be viewed as a metaphor for spiritual truth. After sealing the covenant with the Church, Jesus ascended to His Father’s home to prepare a dwelling place. Just prior to His death, Jesus told His disciples, “My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am” (John 14:2–3).
According to Jewish marriage law, when the time came for nisuin, the groom would return for his bride, accompanied by male escorts. The exact time of his arrival was not usually known in advance (see Matthew 25:1–15). The groom’s arrival was announced with a shout. The Church’s Bridegroom has been separated from His Bride now for nearly 2,000 years, and one day He will come for her and snatch her from the earth to meet Him in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:17). We don’t know when exactly this will happen; we must be ready and remain faithful (Mark 13:33). Jesus will be accompanied by an angelic escort, preceded by a shout, when He returns for the Church (1 Thessalonians 4:16).
After being whisked from her home, the Jewish bride remained hidden at the groom’s father’s house for seven days. Similarly, the Church will remain “hidden” for a period of seven years, during the prophesied Tribulation period. After the seven days, the Jewish bride left the bridal chamber unveiled; likewise, after seven years the Church will return to earth with Christ, in full view of all (Colossians 3:4).
Viewed as an analogy, Jewish wedding customs have great significance for both believers and unbelievers. If you are a believer, you must remember your devotion to your Bridegroom so as not to commit spiritual adultery against Him (see James 4:4). The apostle Paul says to the Church, “I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him.” He then warns us not to allow our minds to be “led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ” (2 Corinthians 11:2–3).
If you are an unbeliever, now is the time to reevaluate your belief system in light of Jesus’ words and the prophecies of Revelation. Don’t be left behind in the Rapture. Jesus offers eternal life to all who repent and believe.
I understand that .But it did not answer my question. What is the purpose for building or rebuildng what the eyes see(the temporal) ? Can God reign from heaven in the hearts of men as King of kings by faith, the unseen, or is He a man as us and we must walk by sight, killing the preceived competiton in the name of zeal for God .
Hello VCO,
"I will build" is in the future tense. This would infer something that didn't exist yet from the time He said it. Something that is yet to be built. If the OT saints were included, then the church would have already begun to be built a long before Jesus said it. The OT saints are not apart of the church, but belong to Israel.
"I will build" is in the future tense. This would infer something that didn't exist yet from the time He said it. Something that is yet to be built. If the OT saints were included, then the church would have already begun to be built a long before Jesus said it. The OT saints are not apart of the church, but belong to Israel.
Those who are TRULY of our Covenant will be in Heaven, while the 70th WEEK of Daniel is the conclusion of the Old Covenant:
Luke 13:29-30 (NIV)
[SUP]29 [/SUP] People will come from east and west and north and south,
and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God.
[SUP]30 [/SUP] Indeed there are those who are last who will be first,
and first who will be last."
And you had you had no idea why HE said that.
Luke 13:29-30 (NIV)
[SUP]29 [/SUP] People will come from east and west and north and south,
and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God.
[SUP]30 [/SUP] Indeed there are those who are last who will be first,
and first who will be last."
And you had you had no idea why HE said that.
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