Behold, The Bridegroom Cometh!

One of the most profound analogies about Jesus second coming is the evocative paradigm set forth by the traditional Jewish marriage customs.  The typical marriage of modern day custom is far different than that practiced by first century Israel, when Jesus was a young man. 

To truly and fully understand what Jesus attempted to convey to his disciples, and also to us; when he used marriage metaphors to picture his imminent return; then we need to understand what a courtship and marriage were like in first century Israel. 

When we compare the aspects of a typical Jewish marriage to the present dynamics of the church, we can view an amazing parallel. It portrays that God was willing to pay an exceptionally costly price to secure a highly-valued bride for his Son, and having paid such a price; will by no means fail to send his Son to claim that Bride at the most optimum time! 

The first step in the Jewish wedding system was the "Shiddukhin", or the arrangement, or the making of the match. The father of the Groom usually took the initial steps, by evaluating or approving the girl that would be the best match for his son. This step could be taken at any time, either when the couple were still children, or later when a son might choose a prospect and seek his father's wisdom. Additionally the father could employ an agent, or send some of the servants of his house to conduct a search for a suitable match from among a desirable ideal. Likewise, all children of God are instructed by the father to seek for complicity in their Shiddukhin, or arrangement, with the ideals of their Heavenly Father. 

In Deuteronomy 7:1-4, God instructed the fathers of Israel to refrain from entering into any marriage covenants with the pagan peoples who already dwelt in the promised land, because these marriages would only serve to turn them from following the Lord. 

In the Old Testament, Israel is represented as the wife of Jehovah. Israel was unfaithful to Jehovah, and thus was dispersed by the Father to the wilderness of the world, but Israel will one day be restored to favor when Jehovah cleans her up. On the other hand the Church is presented as the Bride of Christ, the son; and he has returned unto his Father to prepare a place for her. In the interim, the bride is making herself ready for his return. 

To Israel, the Father says: 

Isaiah 54:5 For your husband is your maker, whose name is the Lord of hosts; And your redeemer is the Holy One of Israel, who is called the God of all the earth. 

For the Lord has called you, like a wife forsaken and being grieved in spirit, even like a wife of one's youth when she is rejected: 

To the Church the Father says: 

II Corinthians 11:2 For I am jealous for you with a Godly jealousy; for I betrothed you to one husband, that to Christ I might present you as a virgin. 

The Bible reveals that Jehovah God is the Lord of the universe, and refers to him as Father in both the Old and New Testament. He has been raising sons and daughters for thousands of years. We all readily recognize the value of a human father; but the need for a Creator father is far greater! 

Our Heavenly Father designed us to have a spirit relationship with him, and implanted within each of his children a soul that needs love. He continually expresses that love toward his children by imparting his active involvement in arranging a love contract! 

Many children in America today are growing up in situations where there is no father present in their lives. Children need caring and loving Fathers! One indication of a society in decline is the absence of Fatherdom. In cultures where the role of fathers has deteriorated, to the point where he is either absent, preoccupied with work, or is uninvolved or detached for whatever reason, the tendency is that the Great Mother persona seems to abound to an extreme. A whole religion of Great Mother envelopes our society today. This tendency leads to glorification of the old Queen of Heaven fallacy exhibited in Jeremiah 44. 

Remote, indifferent, unavailable human fathers can lead children to perceive that God is also detached and uninterested in them. On the contrary, God in Heaven is not uninterested in his children. He has in fact provided the ultimate example of love! 

The "Shiddukhin that our Heavenly Father paid for us; his sons and daughters; is that he made a John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that He gave his Only Begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life! 

"Our Heavenly Father has already followed through by making the necessary arrangements"!

Then comes step two: 

The next step is the giving of gifts, accompanied by a promise from the groom. 

The father of the groom would transfer the bridal price and a gift from the groom himself over to the father of the prospective bride. This gift was called the "Mohar".

The Mohar was simply an object of value that was presented in order to reflect the prestige of the giver. The gift established a bond not merely by creating a sense of obligation or intentions, but rather conveying something of the life of the giver to the recipient. In this way a gift would serve to establish a comparable blood-covenant between the two involved. 

A marriage wasn't simply an incidental transaction between the two families; rather it intended to create or cement a relationship or alliance between them. One family gave away a very precious possession, a loved daughter; while the other family compensated by the giving of an esteemed and valuable present. 

The bride-price was high as a means of repaying the family for raising their daughter; as well as being an expression of the bridegroom's love for his bride; and his immense desire for her. 

The gift from the bridegroom to the bride was known as the "Mattan". This gift specifically showed the enormous love the groom held for his adored one. 

The final gift was called the "Shiluhim". This gift was given by the father of the intended bride to his daughter. It was usually a portion of an inheritance. Specifically, it was intended to enable the daughter to make preparations for herself for the inevitable event of her marriage. Traditionally a father's sons would succeed their father, while a daughter would leave her father's estate, and go to live with her husband. 

Contrastingly, there seems to be no scripture in the Bible which makes any allusion to a dowry. A bride was considered to be most precious, far more valuable than rubies; particularly of course when she had the love of her father. 

Please notice that everyone involved with this step gave gifts, except the bride! She was the sole reason that a marriage would even take place. She was the object of love and desire! Neither does anyone have to give something to Jesus for him to love us. We simply have to do what the Jewish bride would do in the next step. 

The next step was called the "Ketubah".

Jewish marriages were legally formalized by using a written marriage contract. That contract called the "Ketubah" stated within it the bride-price, and it included all the promises of the groom made to the bride, and also clarified all the rights extended to the bride. 

"Wow! It almost makes me wish I were a woman!" 

Who says that a piece of paper doesn't make for a nice marriage? It surely wasn't a good Jewish woman! 

But seriously now, any man might well envision himself making this kind of contract if they had found such a bride as Proverbs 31:10-13 speaks of: 

Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies. 

The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil. 

She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life. 

Proverbs 18:22 Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the Lord. 

Proverbs 12:4 A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband. The Ketubah, in essence served to put a high premium on untainted, spotless, perfect, righteous and Godly young Jewish women! 

There are always three concerned parties interested in a marriage. Today it is the Husband, Wife, and the State. In Jewish tradition it was the groom, the bride, and the families. The marriage was solely a voluntary arrangement between a male and a female, and their guardians. 

A Jewish husband was held responsible for all of his wife's medical needs, for the constant support of her daughters, and the provision of an inheritance to the sons, and also to provide a proper resting place and a respectable funeral upon her passing. 

The Jewish Bride's sole compliance was to love her husband and make a home with him. 

Upon finishing the written marriage Ketubah, the groom would make a promise to the bride to return to abduct his bride after he had gone back to his father's estate and completed building a place for the two of them to live. The bridegroom, upon signing his name to the Ketubah, would present two cups of wine. He would drink the first cup, an act depicting his love for the young lady. The second cup would remain on the table while the bridegroom prayed, extolling honor and praise upon the Eternal God of Israel.

At that point, the prospective bride chose to drink from the second cup, or to let it stay. By drinking from the cup she signified her acceptance of the Bridegroom! By letting it sit on the table, she signified her rejection of the Ketubah. Once the bride drank from the cup, the Ketubah was forever sealed, and the young couple were known to be Betrothed! 

The Betrothal, or "Kiddushin" was not like today's engagement period. It included a one year period in which Jewish men were excused from military service for the express purpose of preparing and building a bridal chamber facility, replete with every provision befitting a Queen. 

Compare with John 14:1-3

Let not your heart be troubled; ye believe in God, believe also in me. 

In my Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 

And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. 

Similarly, Jesus has promised in his Ketubah to come back from his Father's house upon completing a mansion for all Christians, and to fetch us away with him to dwell in his bridal chambers. 

The betrothal time, or Kiddushin, for the bride was in actuality a year long time for preparation and demonstration of her purification. The bride always wore a veil whenever she would go out in public, to show that she was out of circulation, and therefore was set apart for marriage to her bridegroom. She was by all accounts considered to have been purchased with a bride-price, and everyone knew she was consecrated to another. 

The Hebrew word describing a consecrated bride was, "Kudeshet"; meaning one who is betrothed, and sanctified, or dedicated to another. 

The young Kudeshet lived in anticipation of the impending return of her groom. She never knew for sure just when he might appear, so she had to keep constant vigilance. She routinely kept an oil lamp lit in a visible place every night before retiring for bed. Often at night, with the bride unaware; the groom would sneak down to a prominent hill or overlook to see if his bride was burning the midnight oil in his honor. 

On some occasions a bridegroom might leave some signal that he had been distantly present, to give assurance to the bride that he was indeed returning someday. 

You can no doubt imagine the ecstasy that each would feel, being out of contact for a whole year; when some little signal like the lamp being on, or some personal memento being left out on a distant hill might cause. Undoubtedly there were many very anxious moments during the betrothal year. 

The betrothal period also served to give each party time to reflect on the sanctity of their relationship. The groom put forth the extra care to prepare the absolute best environment for his new bride. He had the great wisdom of his father available to guide him and inspect every phase, to ensure that it was being done perfectly. The bride took every precaution to be able to present herself without spot, wrinkle, or any stain of unholiness or blemish; on her wedding day! 

Everyone probably will recall that Mary was betrothed to Joseph, and that suddenly during her Kiddushin, the angel appeared to announce that she was pregnant. This would have been the ultimate disaster in this process of purification. And, Joseph, being a carpenter by trade, personifies the aspect of a bridegroom in the construction phase of building a place for Mary. 

Just as the nation of Israel would be found impure before the father, so also God was able to sanctify the institution called the Church, and bring it into his family; and also to bring Jesus from Mary and Joseph's dilemma. Someday Israel will enjoy the same purification. 

The next step in the Jewish wedding system was called the "Nissuin", or the nuptials. When the father of the bridegroom deemed that the bridal chamber estate was in perfect condition, he would grant his approval for the groom to depart to catch away his bride. 

There was great jubilation ringing all throughout the father's estate upon this announcement. Finally, at long last, the bridegroom gathered together all his closest friends and laid out plans for the ensuing trip to actually fetch away his bride! 

For the bridegroom, this was his moment! 

Typically, the bridegroom took great pains to enact a secret entourage that could effect a travel mission overland at midnight to maximize fully the element of surprise at the very moment he would sound out the blasting of the shofar; to catch away his waiting bride! 

The Hebrew word "Nissuin", means to take, or to abduct. The idea was to literally steal his bride away from out of the house. This action was filled with much fanfare for the abductors, and was intended to be a romantic thrill for the bride. 

All Jewish brides longed to be stolen away by her prince. What a thrill for her, to be snatched up, and carried off into the night by the one who loved her so much; that he was willing to pay the highest price he could pay for her. 

John 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friend

This is the brideprice that Jesus paid for his bride; the Church! 

Upon arrival at the home of the bride, the groom's party would not go into the house. Rather, upon the signal from the groom, the best friend of the groom would sound out a blast on the shofar; the tradition of the blowing of the trumpet. 

Then; they would all cry out; "Behold; the Bridegroom Cometh! Come ye out to meet him"!

Matthew 25:6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh: "Go ye out to meet him!" 

At this point, trying to write, as I sit here crying, tears running down my cheeks; I can't help but ponder about what happened if the young lady didn't come streaking out to meet the young groom. 

No doubt all the fanfare and happy feeling built around this moment led to quite a climax. The call has been issued, and then, nobody comes out to greet the groom. 

Now suppose the young girl, suddenly appears at her window, only to say, "I am not ready yet; go away and come back later". How would the bridegroom feel in that situation? His friends have all made the long trip with him, only to see him embarrassed by a bride who isn't even keeping watch for him! 

Everything to this point has been done explicitly for her benefit. Might her lack of exuberance at the sight of her bridegroom’s sudden appearance indicate she has another lover? 
Folks, this scene breaks my heart! It makes me downright angry too! To think that Jesus has paid the ultimate price for us, for us to have everything; granted many gifts to us; and then for the Church to not be eagerly yearning for his sudden appearance is an insult to the Father! 

I would like to think of the other scenario. I can see the scene. The trumpet of arrival has sounded! A call rings out "Come ye out"; and immediately there is a flash of a beautiful young, gorgeous girl darting about in the shadows from the light of her oil lamp; then just as suddenly; she is bursting out through a window and straight toward the outstretched arms of the one she loves! 

Oh what a beautiful scene! Oh what a wonderful feeling! Doesn't Jesus deserve such a scene? Wouldn't any bridegroom exult in such a scene? 

Oh, I wonder what I could have done, to deserve God's only son! 

Can you imagine the long kiss and embrace that the young couple enjoyed on this occasion? Assuredly there was a lot of extra exhilaration in this meeting. Having claimed his bride, the groom's party would then proceed on a proud and victorious, and robust procession back under cover of darkness toward the Father's estate! 

The bride and the bridegroom would also dress in their elaborate wedding garments and be carried aloft on the trip back home, being treated as a King and Queen all along the way. 

So, the bride and bridegroom, along with all their friends in the bridal party trekked on back home to the Father's house. A typical bridal parade might include; a train of baggage, musicians, kinsmen, and a whole lot of fun-filled noise. 

Upon arrival at the Father's estate, the new couple would be greeted like royalty. Immediately after the greetings the bride and the groom would retire into the specially prepared place for the bride called the "Huppah". The Huppah symbolized the fact that the bride was now under the canopy of the groom's roof of protection. The word Huppah, means canopy. 

Oh, to be under our Bridegroom’s canopy today! 

The bride and bridegroom would spend the next week inside alone. It was, in essence a honeymoon, but more than that, it was a time of total privacy whereby they had all provisions possibly needed, already laid up in store. 

Meanwhile, the Father was acting as the host for a lavish feast for the entire week. He undoubtedly talked glowingly of the majestic Bride that had been purchased for his honorable Son. The Father treated his guests to a sumptuous feast, and waited with eager anticipation for the reemergence of the bridegroom, when yet another elaborate final celebration would finalize the marriage. 

After this week of celebration and enjoyment, the young couple began their lives together as a family, a journey in life that would last eternally. 

The new bride would remain inside the Huppah for yet another seven days, hidden from view, until her new life could be assimilated to her suitability. Every detail of her needs and desire was accorded the utmost priority! 

This is precisely the pattern that Jesus will utilize for the Church when it is raptured. He will carry us away to Heaven, to be protected under the canopy of his roof, while the rebellion back on the earth is being subdued. Our needs will be accorded highest priority in his house! 

HIGH IN THE FATHER'S HOUSE ABOVE
MY MANSION IS PREPARED,
THERE IS THE HOME, THE REST I LOVE,
AND THERE MY BRIGHT REWARD. 

WITH HIM I LOVE, IN SPOTLESS WHITE,
IN GLORY I SHALL SHINE;
HIS BLISSFUL PRESENCE MY DELIGHT,
HIS LOVE AND GLORY MINE. 

ALL TAINT OF SIN SHALL BE REMOVED,
ALL EVIL DONE AWAY;
AND I SHALL DWELL WITH GOD'S SON
THROUGH GOD'S ETERNAL DAY!" 

As Abraham was willing to submit his son Issac as a payment to God; so our Heavenly Father also has deemed the Church to be a worthy bride for his son, Jesus; and has submitted to arrange the full bridal payment for our betrothal to him. 

Jesus might have refused to pay the bridal price. He could have argued to his Father; Do you realize how much payment is required to obtain her? Isn't her price a little too high? Can't you negotiate some more reasonable Mohar for her? 

No doubt, this kind of predicament arose in the minds of some Jewish young men. Not all grooms could pay an extravagant bridal-price. But, the fact that Jesus submitted himself to his Father's will out in the Garden of Gethsemane, shows that he loved us enough to pay the ultimate price. 

It was on the cross, that Jesus drank the Cup of Acceptance to his Bride! He extolled the glory and majesty of God while upon that tree, and finished his "Shiddukhin" mission. He signed the "Ketubah" with his own blood, and imparted the free gifts (the Mohar and Mattan) of Salvation and eternal life to his betrothed! Have you accepted them? 

Jesus has embarked upon his mission to construct a Huppah for his bride to dwell in, and some day soon when his Father judges that all is completed, He will announce to Jesus to go and steal off with his waiting "Kedushet", or bride! Can’t you just see Jesus streaking out the portals of Heaven on his way To fetch away his Bride? 

For those of us who make up the Bride of Christ, the next thing we can expect to hear is a roaring blast of the Shofar, or the Trumpet, calling us to immediately; in the twinkling of an eye; to bound up and out of this world and zoom off to the opened wide arms of our bridegroom, "Jesus himself"!

Do you want to fool around in this old world clinging on to things here and there, or to postpone the impending call to come out? If so, then perhaps you probably are in love with another lover. 

In a flash, even a twinkling of an eye, our lives will find an eternal abode, either with the one who loves us enough to die for us; or with the one who has made you his prostitute, the Devil. 

WHAT THE FATHER BEGAN WITH A MOHAR;
WILL END WITH A BLAST ON THE SHOFAR!

Darrell G. Young
Copyright©2000

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