30 Day Jesus Challenge - Day 26 The Bridegroom

Isaiah 61:10 I will rejoice greatly in the LORD, My soul will exult in my God; For He has clothed me with garments of salvation, He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

Friends, this is a deep and complex subject, but my promise to you at the beginning of this challenge was a minute a day.

Waiting on the Bridegroom

So in a nutshell, in 1st Century Jewish culture a man that was accepted by a woman became betrothed.  It was a contract equivalent to marriage and the man went to prepare a house for his bride.  When his Father declared the house was ready he returned for the bride, often in secret.

Jesus said, "I go to prepare a place for you, that where I am you might also be."  He is today, preparing that place and as the Bride of Christ we eagerly await his return.

Pray - Lord, I want to be among those that you have chosen and loved.  I eagerly look for your coming.

The Virgin's Cloth

Research into the marriage customs of ancient Jews as it relates to the Rapture and the Bride of Christ led me to an interesting thought.  I considered writing a blog about this but I try not to regurgitate other people's work so if you are unfamiliar with the marriage customs, I'd invite you to read The Bride and also Marriage in the Bible.  For our purposes here, I'd like to concentrate and study the Virginity Cloth in Hebrew call the Chuppah.  Did the Lord leave such a physical reminder?

Briefly, the Bridegroom would pay the bride price for his wife and then would spirit her away to her bedroom where they would consummate the marriage.  The virgin bride would lay a cloth under her as proof of her virginity.  Afterward, the Bridegroom would pass the cloth to his waiting groomsmen and the witnesses would testify that the bride had been a virgin on her wedding night.  The cloth would then serve as proof thereafter.

Peter and John at the Tomb with the Shroud

Did the Lord leave his groomsmen such proof?  For as with all things in the church, we are not virgins and since virginity is required at the wedding, again the Lord had to do that for us.  His shed blood though, is the bride price and the proof all in one.  Hidden away in the tomb, symbolically, the Lord consummated the marriage with his church.  He then passes the cloth to his groomsman as witness.  (John 20:6-7)

This is a bit out of order for the marriage custom for the bride and the groom do not consummate until his return but I do not know of any teacher or theory that states we will consummate our marriage to the Lord after the Rapture, so in essence the theory is plausible.  Since the Lord was without sin, he was the virgin on the wedding night, his tomb was the bridal chamber.  He is the hero, he is the savior, he is the groom.

So what of these cloths that He passed to His closest friends?  Peter and John are undoubtedly the closest disciples and retrieve the cloths from the bedchamber.  Where are these now?  I present that they are in Spain and Italy.  The head cloth is called the Sudarium of Oviedo and is in Spain and the Shroud of Turin is in Italy.  Study of these two cloths can consume hours, days, and even decades but there is compelling evidence that these are indeed the articles retrieved from the tomb.

Images on the Shroud and the Sudarium of Oviedo

Is the cloth ever mentioned again in Scripture?  Perhaps, look at 2 Timothy 4:13, Paul asks Timothy the cloke that he left with Carpus.  The word for cloke in the Greek is phelones, (Strong's number 5341)  it is used only once, here.  The word is thought to be a derivative of phaino (Strong's number 5316) which does not mean clothing or garment but light - to bring forth the light.  It is extrapolated that the image on the shroud was caused by a pulse of light brighter than a nuclear explosion.  So Paul was not asking Timothy to bring him a coat, for he does not use the possessive mine but "the" and he does not use the Greek word for clothing, raiment, or robe.  It is highly likely that Paul in his travels would present the cloths as evidence of the Lord's sacrifice just as Fathers would produce the virginity cloth as proof of their daughters virginity.

So when scoffers come forth and claim that the Lord was not sacrificed, that he was not raised, we are called forth to present the evidence - the physical evidence of his sacrifice and suffering.  We can do so today with both cloths.

Parable of the Ten Virgins - Is Not About the Church - Millennium Bible Study Part 7

Abigail and Dolley readers I have been contemplating the parable of the Ten Virgins as outlined in Matthew 25 1:13 which reads, 1 "The Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of ten bridesmaids who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. 3 The five who were foolish took no oil for their lamps, 4 but the other five were wise enough to take along extra oil. 5 When the bridegroom was delayed, they all lay down and slept. 6 At midnight they were roused by the shout, 'Look, the bridegroom is coming! Come out and welcome him!' 7 "All the bridesmaids got up and prepared their lamps. 8 Then the five foolish ones asked the others, 'Please give us some of your oil because our lamps are going out.' 9 But the others replied, 'We don't have enough for all of us. Go to a shop and buy some for yourselves.' 10 "But while they were gone to buy oil, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was locked. 11 Later, when the other five bridesmaids returned, they stood outside, calling, 'Sir, open the door for us!' 12 But he called back, 'I don't know you!' 13 "So stay awake and be prepared, because you do not know the day or hour of my return.

For the purpose of this blog, I'd like to examine who the bridesmaids are in the parable.  For many years, I heard that the bridesmaids are the church at the time of the Rapture but it is interesting to note that the church is the Bride, not the Bridesmaid. Also the timing of the parable in the Olivet Discourse refers to the Second Coming, not the Rapture.  "In fact, the Bride is never mentioned anywhere in the parable, and in any case could never be refused admittance to her own wedding banquet.  She was obviously spirited away earlier while the bridesmaids slept. The bridesmaids represent people on Earth during the Great Tribulation after the church has gone." (source)

The Bridesmaids

A good understanding of Jewish weddings in the first century is helpful to interpretation. Also, understanding the symbolism in the Bible is essential to understanding the parable.  The bridegroom in Scripture is always Christ, oil is always the Holy Spirit. Through this parable we have a clear warning and understanding of the nature of salvation during the Tribulation.

Each virgin was given a portion of oil (Holy Spirit) at the time they come to faith. This is evidenced that when the Bridegroom (Christ) returns they all light their lamps but some do not have enough oil (Holy Spirit).  Salvation and the Holy Spirit can not be shared, I can not give you part of my salvation.  The foolish go to "buy" their oil at the market but faithfulness can not be bought and they are shut out.

This parable serves as a warning for those who come to faith during the Tribulation but then afterwards in the Millennium.