Pre-Trib Only The Rapture and Jewish Weddings

AlwaysInquisitive said:

The Rapture and Jewish Weddings

There is an interesting parallel between a Jewish wedding and the Rapture. Only a Pre-Tribulation Rapture will fit into this scenario.
Three groups of people were present at every Jewish wedding—the groom, the bride, and the invited guests.
Three groups of people will also be involved in the marriage of the Lamb.

1. The Groom—this is Jesus (2 Cor. 11:2, Eph. 5:23-27)
2. The Bride—this is the Church (2 Cor. 11:2, Eph. 5:22-32, Rev. 21:9-10)
3. The Guests—these are people saved after the Rapture (Matt. 25:1-10).

Some people have mistakenly interpreted the 10 virgins as the Church.
However, they are the guests invited to the wedding feast and are not the bride.

Three Aspects of a Jewish Wedding
There were also three aspects of every Jewish wedding. The same is true with the marriage of the Lamb.

1. The Wedding Contract (Betrothal).
This is when a person is saved (2 Cor. 11:2).

2. The Wedding Ceremony (Groom receives Bride).
This is the Rapture (John 14:2-3). Revelation 19:7 literally reads, "The marriage of the Lamb came and His wife prepared herself." The wedding already occurred at the Rapture, and now the Lamb and the Church are about to return to earth for the wedding feast. This parallels what Jesus said in Luke 12:36, "And be like men who are waiting for their master when he returns from the wedding…
” (It should read “wedding,” not "wedding feast" as some versions say. Why would someone wait after the wedding feast when the celebration is over?)

3. The Wedding Feast (Guests are invited to the celebration).
This is the Second Coming (Matt. 25:1-10) "Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb" (Rev. 19:9). A bride is not invited to her own wedding! The Church was married to Christ at the Rapture and the wedding feast will occur on earth after the Second Coming. Those people saved after the Rapture (the tribulation saints) will be invited to participate in the wedding feast.

And here's one more thought to ponder…

Three Times of Redemption (“Redemption" means "to purchase.”)

1. When you were saved by receiving Jesus as your Lord, He redeemed your spirit. (1 Peter 1:18, Eph. 1:7)
2. At the Rapture, Jesus will redeem your body. (Rom. 8:23, Eph. 1:14, 4:30).
3. At the Second Coming, Jesus will redeem the earth. (Rom. 8:19-22) At this time, the curse which was placed on it because of the fall of man (Gen. 3:17-19) will be lifted (Zech. 14:11).

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AlwaysInquisitive said:

Sorn, please give us a bible verse or two to back up your claim that either
a) ISRAEL is called "The bride of Christ", or that
b) Jerusalem is called the "The bride of Christ"

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AlwaysInquisitive said:

This is how I interpret Rev 21:1-27

Rev 21:2 Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

Here, the holy city, New Jerusalem is not called or named “the bride”.
Rather its glory is likened to the beauty of a bride prepared and adorned for her husband.

Rev 21:9 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to me and talked with me, saying, "Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb's wife.”
Rev 21:10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,

You can take this two ways. Only one makes sense to me.
1) The Lamb will be marry a city (New Jerusalem), or
2) The city (New Jerusalem) is the dwelling place of the Lamb’s bride

I choose to believe the latter.

This is how I interpret John 3;29:

There are 3 individuals mentioned: the bride, the bridegroom, and the friend of the bridegroom.

Joh 3:29 He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled.

Taking the whole passage (John 3:22-36) in it’s historical context:
The Lord Jesus Christ was the bridegroom. John the Baptist was merely the friend of the bridegroom, the “best man.” The bride does not belong to the friend of the bridegroom, but rather to the bridegroom himself. Therefore, it was fitting that the people follow Jesus rather than John.

“The bride” was used in this passage to refer in a general way to all who would become disciples of the Lord Jesus (i.e. those who had left John the Baptist when the Messiah appeared). It did not mean either Israel or the church. It was John’s great joy to hear the bridegroom's voice. He was satisfied that Jesus was receiving all the attention. His joy was fulfilled because Christ was receiving praise and honour from men.

Click to expand...

AlwaysInquisitive said:

This is how I interpret Rev 21:1-27

Rev 21:2 Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

Here, the holy city, New Jerusalem is not called or named “the bride”.
Rather its glory is likened to the beauty of a bride prepared and adorned for her husband.

Rev 21:9 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to me and talked with me, saying, "Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb's wife.”
Rev 21:10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,

You can take this two ways. Only one makes sense to me.
1) The Lamb will be marry a city (New Jerusalem), or
2) The city (New Jerusalem) is the dwelling place of the Lamb’s bride

I choose to believe the latter.

This is how I interpret John 3;29:

There are 3 individuals mentioned: the bride, the bridegroom, and the friend of the bridegroom.

Joh 3:29 He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled.

Taking the whole passage (John 3:22-36) in it’s historical context:
The Lord Jesus Christ was the bridegroom. John the Baptist was merely the friend of the bridegroom, the “best man.” The bride does not belong to the friend of the bridegroom, but rather to the bridegroom himself. Therefore, it was fitting that the people follow Jesus rather than John.

“The bride” was used in this passage to refer in a general way to all who would become disciples of the Lord Jesus (i.e. those who had left John the Baptist when the Messiah appeared). It did not mean either Israel or the church. It was John’s great joy to hear the bridegroom's voice. He was satisfied that Jesus was receiving all the attention. His joy was fulfilled because Christ was receiving praise and honour from men.

Click to expand...