The Jewish Wedding…. a Picture of the Rapture

The old-time Jewish wedding custom is a picture of what will happen at the “Rapture”.

The “Rapture” is when Jesus will come in the clouds and will catch up the believers into the clouds to take them to heaven.

In other lessons that I have written you will find things about the rapture. I have not included the Bible verses here as I have written about these things in my other lessons with the Bible verses.

In the old-time Jewish wedding these things happen:

A young Jewish man talked with his parents about getting married.

His parents and the parents of the girl——-talk together.

A bride “price” is agreed on. A “bride price” is the amount of money, animals, or property that will be given to the bride’s parents from the groom when the two get married.

In England and Europe years ago it was the opposite. The bride brought a gift of money, or property with her as a gift to the groom when they married.

After the “price” was agreed on, the parents sealed the agreement. This agreement was binding and legal. It could not be broken unless they went to a judge and court and had it broken legally. It was a legal engagement.

(This is why Joseph thought about “have a divorce” from Mary when he found out she was pregnant with Jesus. Their engagement was a legal agreement.)

In some nations, the young man and young woman had some say in who they would marry. In other places, they did not have any say in it—–the parents decided everything.

In the Jewish marriages, even in the Old Testament, it seems that the young people had some say in whether they would marry a certain person.

After the agreement was made with the young people and both sets of parents. The young man returned to his home with his parents. There he made a place for his new bride and him to live.

This time period was usually about one year. When the young man had everything ready, he would talk with his father. If his father thought all was in order and ready, he would tell the groom—-okay. The father had the final say. Then it was time to go get the bride.

The bride knew that in about one year the groom would come for her, but she did not know exactly what day it would be. Often the bridegroom came at midnight.

The groom would get his friends together to go with him to get his bride. They would lead a procession (parade) down the streets to the bride’s house.

People would see them coming. They knew it was a groom coming for a bride.

They would begin to call out, “The bridegroom comes!”

All along the way people would call out. As they got nearer to the bride’s house, she could hear people calling out. She knew it was time to get dressed and ready.

This means that she had to have her dress and everything all ready and laid out so she could get into everything quickly. Her friends were probably already staying with her those last few days or weeks because they knew the year was almost over and the groom would be coming soon.

So they helped the bride. As soon as she was ready she and her bridesmaids left her house and went out to meet the groom. (The groom did not come into her house.)

The two groups the bride and her women and the groom and his men met together into one big parade and the groom led them to the banquet hall or the place that was prepared where the wedding and supper would be.

After the wedding, the groom took the bride into a private room, place where they hid away for 7 days by themselves. It was their time to be private. To come together physically as man and wife. To have time alone.

During this time the people attending the wedding were having a feast for 7 days. After the 7 days, the groom brought his bride out to meet the people.

The groom took the bride with him back to his father’s house. He took her to the place/house where he had prepared for them to live.

The Rapture:

Jesus left his Father’s house in heaven and came to earth.

The “bride” was to be all the believers in Jesus.

The Bible calls the church of true believers “the bride of Christ”.

Jesus paid the “bride price”. The price was his death on the cross. Instead of us dying for our sins, Jesus said he would die for us. He was beaten with whips, spit on, beard pulled out, mocked, and nailed to a cross. Jesus took all the sin of the world on himself. The Father looked away. This was the hardest part for Jesus to bear. Being separated from the Father for even a short time. Sin separates from the Holy God.

Jesus paid the death price. Then Jesus came alive again. He won/ conquered over death. He won/conquered over sin. He broke the power of sin and death. In Jesus, sin and death will have no power over us—-if we depend on Jesus’ strength.

Jesus told the disciples that he would leave this earth and go back to heaven to his Father. And while he was there, he would prepare a place for us “the bride” so that we could be with him. John Chp. 14

Jesus said that we should watch for his coming. He said that only the Father knew the day or the hour.

Jesus told a story about the 10 virgins waiting for the bridegroom to come…..5 were ready and 5 were not ready.

Paul tells about the rapture in Thessalonians. He tells that Christ will come with a shout, with a sound of trumpet, and we will rise up into the clouds to be with him.

Just as the bride went out to meet the groom we will join Christ in the clouds.

We need to be ready. We know about what time He will come. How do we know? Because we read and study the prophecies written about the end times, and we see things happening in our world. And we know what will happen in the world just before Jesus comes.

We do not know the day or the hour we do know that the time is very near.

We will be in heaven for 7 years having the “supper” with Christ. The Bible talks about “the marriage supper of the Lamb”. Jesus is called the “Lamb” of God.

During this time, our good works done after we became a Christian will be judged as to whether they are “hay, wood, or stubble” or “gold, and precious gems” .

I Corinthians 3:12-15 Rewards will be given according to our work.

Our sins have been forgiven so we will not be asked about our sin.

During the 7 years that we are with the “groom” in heaven. Hidden away from the world. The world down here will be going through terrible times called the Tribulation.

In Revelation, we read that when Christ comes down to earth for the second time—he will rule the earth. And when he comes back, he will bring with him many in white robes. Rev. 19:7-14, Rev. 5:10

Christ brings his “bride” the believers dressed in white robes back down to earth with him to help him rule over the earth. Christ will be King over all the earth, and we will help him rule.