Faith

The Royal Wedding of the Ages

by Sandra Wells
08/01/18
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           May 19, 2018 - the date of the Royal wedding; Prince Harry and Meghan Markle became man and wife. Preparations for this wedding were immense, it was after-all a fairy-tale wedding. Meghan's prince had truly come, and from all the Face-Book posts most of the world, at least the women, were glued to their televisions. It was a moment not to be missed.
       
          Cinderella, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty and all the other Disney Princesses would have turned green with envy, so grand was the event. Those not of royal blood, most of the world,  lived vicariously through the incredible romance, only to return to their lack-luster lives as mere peasants awaiting the next great romance. Would our prince, or King, ever come? Could we ever hope to be swept away in the awe and romance of a grand, Royal Wedding? Actually, yes.
       
           Jesus referred to His church as His Bride. He said that He goes to prepare a place for us, His Bride, (The Church) and will return for us soon - the rapture or catching away. To truly understand what His words mean we need to step away from anything and everything to do modern westernized weddings, even royal weddings, and into traditional Jewish culture and wedding practices.
       
           As was the custom, the groom leaves his father's house and goes to the home of his prospective bride.  The Mishnah Kiddushin (the section of the Talmud dealing with “dedication” or betrothal) says that the groom acquires the bride in very specific ways. The groom leaves his father's house and travels to the bride's home to purchase her for a price. The groom gives a token or dowry, the value of which must be known to the bride. The bride can only be acquired with her consent. The marriage covenant, or Ketubah, is established and the bride is sanctified exclusively for her groom. It is custom for the bride and groom to drink from the same wine cup over which a betrothal benediction is said. (Taken from: Are there parallels between Jewish weddings and our relationship to Christ)
       
           After the marriage covenant has been established the groom then leaves the bride's home and returns to his father's house to prepare a place for her. This would usually take about a year. This is the time of separation. The Jewish bride is separated from her groom while he prepares a home for them. It is only when his father sees that the job is complete that he tells his son to go and gather his bride
       
           So, what does his bride do during that time? She uses the time to prepare for married life. Even though she has a general idea when her groom will return, she doesn't know the exact day or hour so she must be ever prepared. The old song, "Give Me Oil In My Lamp," while sung by children, is exactly what the Jewish bride needed to do. Since the bridegroom could make his appearance at any time of the day or night, even midnight, the bride needed to keep her lamps trimmed and filled with oil so she would be ready.
       
          The groom would leave his father's house with male escorts and parade to the bride's father's house with torches lit. As bystanders witnessed what was happening they would gather together and shout, "Behold the bridegroom comes!" This shout would continue along the way until it arrived at the bride's home. The purpose of the shout was to alert the bride that her groom was on his way so she could prepare herself. This was the night! Her groom was coming to take her with him! The time of separation had ended!
       
           When the Jewish groom came for his bride he did not go into her father's house, but waited outside. His bride and her attendants (bride's maids) would come out and meet him. The bride and groom, as well as an extended wedding party, would return to the groom's house where a special room called a hoopa had been prepared. The groom and his bride would spend 7 days alone in the hoopa, unseen by all. At the end of the 7 days the groom would come out of the hoopa with his bride at his side, for all to see. Does any of this sound familiar?

            Jesus, our Bride Groom, did all of this. He left His Father's House (Heaven) and came to the home (Earth) of His prospective Bride (the Church). Every single moment of His life was preparing to establish the Marriage Covenant between Himself and His Bride. His Covenant was established at a table surrounded by His twelve closest, one being His betrayer, as they shared the wine cup, and He told them to Remember Him.

            The Jewish Groom had to purchase his bride at a price, his dowry. Jesus also purchased His Bride at a great price. His dowry, however, was not cattle or goats or quantities of gold. No, our Groom paid the price with one perfect lamb. He paid the ultimate price for His Bride with His very life. His was a Blood covenant, establishing the Marriage Covenant with His Bride. Because He loves us so much He became the sacrificial lamb, He gave His blood...for us. No earthly prince or King has ever paid this price for his bride. Only our Groom!

             We are currently living in the time of separation, and sadly many of His Church have forgotten. It's been over 2000 years after all. But if I know one thing about Jesus it's that He's a man, a God, of His word. He will come for His Bride very, very soon! Our time of separation will come to an end. Not one single thing has to happen before He comes for His Bride - before His second coming, yes.

            Our Groom will leave Heaven when His Father gives the word, and with a loud shout and a trumpet blast will come for His Bride, His Church - The Rapture. He will not come all the way to earth, but will catch us up with Him in the air. He will come with an escort, 1st Thessalonians 4, refers to an Arch angel. We will then be taken to His Father's House that He has been preparing for us. We will remain in Heaven with Jesus, unseen by the world, for 7 years. This is when, to my understanding, the Marriage Feast of the Lamb will occur, and we will be at the table with Him. I can hardly wait!

            This will truly be the Royal Wedding of  the ages! None other can compare. We are not merely peasants straining to see the royal event, we are the Bride purchased by our amazing King at great cost. Let us keep our lamps filled and truly be Christ's Church, His Betrothed, while we wait. (Down here one earth it will be the time of the 7 year Tribulation / Great Tribulation, and all hell will literally break out -  an event I don't plan on attending.)

                        When this 7 year period ends Jesus will come again, and this time He will come all the way to earth, and He will bring His Bride, The Church, with Him - right out in the open, for all to see who His Church truly is.

Living in anticipation,
Sandy Well
sandyjwells.com