A Messianic Love Story

By

Dr. Hal Harless

November 16, 2005

I. Introduction

A.     Mark and Brigitte renewing vows at Baruch Ha-Shem.  When we think of Scriptural teachings such as election or redemption, there is an unfortunate tendency to forget that these doctrines are not just theological; they are intensely relational.  These and other scriptural terms describe Christ's love story with His bride, the Church.

B.     Rev 19:6–9

1.      "Marriage" (gamos) means a "wedding celebration" or a "wedding feast" and is translated that way in Rev 19:9.[i] 

2.      "Bride" (hē gynē) is literally "wife" (ASV, KJV) not "bride" (hē nymphē).  The marriage had already been consummated. 

3.      The rabbis write that "this world is the betrothal, … the wedding will be in the days of the Messiah."[ii]  There were several steps in the Jewish marriage of the 1^st century.

II. Jewish marriage customs

A.     The father of the groom chooses a bride for his son.

1.      OT

a.      Abraham sent his servant to find a wife for Isaac (Gen 24:4).

b.      Hamor, king of Shechem, negotiated on behalf of his son with Jacob for his daughter, Dinah (Gen 34:8).

2.      NT

a.      Jesus said

i.        "All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out" (John 6:37 NASB).

ii.      "My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand" (John 10:29 NASB).

iii.    "Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world" (John 17:24 NASB).

b.      Paul writes, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him" (Eph 1:3–4 NASB).

B.     Betrothal

1.      The groom pays the bride price (Heb. môÊār) to purchase his bride.

a.      Paul writes, "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?  For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body" (1 Corinthians 6:19–20; cf. 1 Cor 7:23 NASB).

b.      John writes, "Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation" (Rev 5:9 NASB).

2.      The parties establish a marriage covenant by signing a contract (Heb. kětûbāh) and drinking a cup of wine and reciting a blessing, "Blessed art Thou, O Lord, who sanctifies Israel through canopy and sanctification" (b. Ketubbot 7b).  This results in a betrothal (Heb. 'êrûsîn, "agreement to a betrothal"). 

a.      When the hour had come, He reclined at the table, and the apostles with Him.  And He said to them, "I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I say to you, I shall never again eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God."  And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He said, "Take this and share it among yourselves; for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine from now on until the kingdom of God comes."  And when He had taken some bread and given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, "This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me."  And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, "This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood" (Luke 22:14–20 NASB).

b.      Paul writes that "the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, 'This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.'  In the same way He took the cup also after supper, saying, 'This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.'  For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes" (1 Cor 11:23–26 NASB).

C.    The intermediate period

1.      The couple is now considered married and a divorce would be required to separate them.

a.      Malachi calls the wife of one's youth "your companion and your wife by covenant" (Mal 2:14)

b.      Joseph would have had to divorce Mary in order to put her away (Matt 1:18–19). 

c.      Paul writes to the Corinthians, "For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy; for I betrothed you to one husband, so that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin.  But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ" (2 Cor 11:2–3 NASB).

2.      The groom returned to his father's house and began to prepare the couple's future home. 

a.      Jesus said, "In My Father's house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.  If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also" (John 14:2–3 NASB).

b.      John writes, "And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as [simile!] a bride adorned for her husband" (Rev 21:2).  Jerusalem is compared to a bride because it is the bride dwelling place.

3.      The bride awaited and prepared for his return.

a.      Paul writes that "our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ" (Phil 3:20 NASB). 

b.      Paul writes to the Corinthians that "you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed" (1 Cor 1:7 NIV).

c.      Paul tells the prophecy-obsessed Thessalonians that they are "to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come" (1 Thess 1:10 NASB).

D.    The return of the Groom

1.      After approximately one year, at a time unknown to the bride, the groom and his friends would come for his bride. 

a.      Jesus warns, "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone" (Matt 24:36 NASB).

b.      Just before Jesus ascended into Heaven "they were asking Him, saying, 'Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?'  He said to them, 'It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth'" (Acts 1:6–8 NASB).

2.      The groom's arrival was announced with a shout.  Paul writes, "For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.  Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord" (1 Thess 4:16–17 NASB).

3.      Then the wedding party would return to the father of the groom's house for the wedding.  Jesus promised, "I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also" (John 14:2–3 NASB). 

E.     The Wedding

1.      The wedding consisted of qîddûšîn (Aram. "sanctification"), where the groom states to the bride, "Thou art sanctified to me according to the Torah of Moses and the custom of Israel,"

2.      6 blessings are pronounced over the couple by the rabbi (see b. Ketubbot 7b–8a),

a.      "Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, who has created all things to his glory, and ‘the Creator of man, and who has created man in his image. In the image of the likeness of his form, and has prepared unto him out of himself a building forever."

b.      "Blessed art thou, O Lord, Creator of man.  May the barren greatly rejoice and exult when her children will be gathered in her midst in joy."

c.      "Blessed art Thou, O Lord, who maketh Zion joyful through her children.  Mayest Thou make the loved companions greatly to rejoice, even as of old Thou didst gladden Thy creature in the Garden of Eden."

d.      "Blessed art Thou, O Lord, who maketh bridegroom and bride to rejoice."

e.      "Blessed art Thou, O Lord our King, God of the universe, who has created joy and gladness, bridegroom and bride, rejoicing, song, mirth, and delight, love, and brotherhood, and peace, and friendship.  Speedily, O Lord our God, may be heard in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voice of the singing of bridegrooms from their canopies and of youths from their feasts of song."

f.        "Blessed art Thou, O Lord, who maketh the bridegroom to rejoice with the bride."

3.      And the breaking an expensive glass as a warning against excessive joy (b. Berakhot 31a).

4.      The friends of the groom escort the bride and groom to the bridal chamber (Heb. Êûppah) where they will consummate the marriage.  After the marriage is consummated, the groom informs his friends who in turn announce the joyous news to the guests. 

a.      John the Baptist said, "You yourselves are my witnesses that I said, 'I am not the Christ,' but, 'I have been sent ahead of Him.'  He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom's voice.  So this joy of mine has been made full" (John 3:28–29 NASB). 

F.     The wedding party lasted at least seven days (b. Ketubbot 7b).  During the first stage of seven days, the bride and groom remained in private in the Êûppah. 

1.      The Church will be hidden from view with Christ in heaven for the 7 years of the Tribulation.

2.      Compare Rev 4:1 with Rev 19.  The Church is not on earth during the Tribulation.

G.    After seven days, the bride and groom make an appearance.  Paul writes, "When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory" (Col 3:4 NASB).[iii]

III. The marriage supper

A.     The bride's adornment

1.      "His bride has made herself ready"—This is sanctification, not salvation, cf. Eph 5:26–27.  The bride has been readying her wedding dress for 2,000 years. 

2.      "Bright and clean"—Johnson explains that "bright (lampros) is the color of radiant whiteness that depicts glorification….  Clean (katharos) reflects purity, loyalty, and faithfulness…."[iv] 

3.      "Righteous acts of the saints"—This probably indicates that the judgment seat of Christ (2 Cor 5:10; cf. 1 Cor 3:9–15) will occur before the marriage is consummated, since the bride has already received her rewards.[v]  Thus, the order of events is (1) the rapture, (2) giving of rewards, (3) the Church hidden with Christ during the tribulation, and (4) returning to the earth to rule with Christ.

B.     The supper

1.      The bride is the Church, as Paul writes, "So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself; for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church, because we are members of His body.  FOR THIS REASON A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER AND SHALL BE JOINED TO HIS WIFE, AND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH.  This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church" (Eph 5:28–32)

2.      The OT saints are the friends of the bride and Groom

a.      Daniel was told, "But as for you, go your way to the end; then you will enter into rest and rise again for your allotted portion at the end of the age" (Dan 12:13 NASB).

b.      John the Baptist said, "You yourselves are my witnesses that I said, 'I am not the Christ,' but, 'I have been sent ahead of Him.'  He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom's voice.  So this joy of mine has been made full.  He must increase, but I must decrease. " (John 3:28–30 NASB).  Since John the Baptist died before the Cross, he was an OT saint.

3.      Since only believers enter the kingdom (John 3:5), the guests must be the tribulation saints that have survived and enter the kingdom (Matt 8:11–12; 13:40–42).[vi] 

4.      Participation in the Marriage Supper by those tribulation saints is a privilege that may be lost by disobedience (Matt 24:45–51; 25:14–30; Luke 12:35–48; 19:11–27; Rom 8:17; 2 Tim 2:12; 1 Cor 6:9–11; Rev 2:26–27).[vii]  This is not a loss of salvation, but rewards.

IV. Conclusion

A.     Know that you are loved.  The Church is the bride of Christ and was lovingly chosen by the Father for Him.

B.     We must anticipate our Groom Who could come for us at any time and always be ready.  As John says, "See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are.  For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.  Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.  And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure" (1 John 3:1–3 NASB).