Unlike today’s modern wedding, the 1st century Jewish wedding ceremony had very different customs. Learning about the wedding customs during Jesus time on earth has helped me better understand the rapture of the church.
1.To establish a marriage convenient the groom would leave his father’s house to travel to the home of the bride. The groom would then negotiate a price with the bride’s father. Once the price was agreed upon the young man would pay the price for the bride.
2.The groom would then leave his bride behind and return to his father’s house. The Bride would not know precisely when the groom would return but anticipated that he would return in about a year. The Bride was to keep herself ready for the groom’s return.
3.The groom remains at his father’s house for about a year. During this year, the groom prepares living accommodations for his bride.
4.Then one night, after the Groom has everything ready, he calls his best man and the other young men together. The time has come to go and receive his bride.
5.The groom and his party proceed in a torchlight procession through the streets of the city. The bystanders recognizing the wedding ceremony shout out, Behold the Bridegroom comes. The cries of the onlookers are to warn the bride, hurry and get ready, because the bridegroom comes.
6.The groom and his escorts then wait outside of the city for the bride. The bride then calls her bridesmaids to help her prepare to meet her betrothed.
7.The groom then receives his bride and takes her back to his father’s house.
8.The bride and groom then enter the bridal chamber where they remain for seven days. During this time their marriage would be consummated. Then after being hidden from view, the groom presents his bride for everyone to see.
SO HOW DOES THE 1ST CENTURY WEDDING COMPARE TO JESUS AND HIS BRIDE( THE CHURCH) AS DESCRIBED IN THE BIBLE?
1.Over 2000 years ago, JESUS LEFT HEAVEN to come to earth to make a marriage covenant with his bride. “For your Maker is your husband, the Lord of hosts is his name; and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer, the God of the whole earth he is called.” Isaiah 54:5.
2.JESUS PAID THE PRICE FOR HIS BRIDE.“You were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.” 1 Corinthians 6:20.
3.JESUS RETURNED TO HEAVEN.“Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, ‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.” Acts 1:9-12.
4.JESUS PREPARES A PLACE IN HEAVEN FOR HIS BRIDE.“My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?” John 14:2.
5.THE BRIDE AWAITS THE GROOM WHO WILL WAIT OUTSIDE THE EARTH, FOR HER TO JOIN HIM IN THE AIR. See the parable of the Ten Virgins in Matthew 25. “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.”
6.JESUS COMES FOR HIS BRIDE.“For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever” 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17.
7.JESUS TAKES HIS BRIDE TO HIS FATHER’S HOUSE “Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb, has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure”— for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.” Revelations 19:7-8.
8.THE BRIDE AND GROOM ARE TOGETHER IN HEAVEN FOR 7 YEARS. “Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth.” Revelation 3:10.
9.AFTER 7 YEARS OF TRIBULATION ON THE EARTH, JESUS AND HIS BRIDE WILL RETURN TO EARTH. “Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! He who sat upon it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems; and he has a name inscribed which no one knows but himself. He is clad in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, followed him on white horses. From his mouth issues a sharp sword with which to smite the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron; he will tread the wine press of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has a name inscribed, King of kings and Lord of lords.” (Revelation 19:11-16).
10.JESUS SETS UP HIS MILLENNIUM KINGDOM ON EARTH.“Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” Matthew 19:28.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN THAT THE CHURCH IS THE BRIDE OF CHRIST?
Portrayed as the bridegroom in this relationship, God reveals Himself to be faithful, loving, and committed to a covenant union with his church, comprised of all who believe in Jesus Christ and have accepted His atoning grace and gift of salvation.
Within the pages of Scripture, there is a comparison made between an earthly bride and the church. Within this comparison, we are commonly referred to as ‘The Bride Of Christ.’ But have you ever wondered what that means? My goal is to help you understand clearly who is the bride of Christ in the Bible—but also for you to know why it matters so much.
To understand this analogy fully, it helps to understand marriages during biblical times. This will shed some light and help you see the imagery of the bride of Christ.
HOW DID MARRIAGES WORK IN THE BIBLE?
There were a series of different events culminating in a marriage ceremony. Let’s consider them:
• The Betrothal – This was more than an engagement like we think of today. The betrothal was actually just as binding as being married. The woman who was betrothed to her future husband was bound to the husband.
She was considered married even though the actual wedding ceremony would probably not take place until later; likely for another six months to a year.
• The Friend of the Bridegroom – The bridegroom would choose a close and loyal friend whose responsibility was to assist the bride in preparation for the wedding. He would stay by her side throughout this entire betrothal period and make sure she was ready for the bridegroom on the wedding day.
• The Procession – On the day of the wedding, the bridegroom would leave from his father’s house and proceed to the house of the father of the bride to receive his bride. The bridegroom would not announce in advance the exact moment when he was coming, so the bride had to be prepared, ready, and waiting for the bridegroom.
• The Ceremony and Feast – Once the bridegroom had received his bride, they would proceed to the house of the father of the bridegroom. They would then have a wedding ceremony followed by a spectacular wedding feast. The feast would last up to a week.
SO, WHO IS THE BRIDE OF CHRIST?
If you belong to Jesus Christ…if He is your Savior…then you are his bride. Men, we don’t have to put on a wedding dress; it’s just an analogy!
YOU ARE BETHROTHED TO CHRIST
And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit – Ephesians 1:13
The moment you heard the message of the gospel and received salvation you were in a sense betrothed to Christ. Your eternal life began that very moment. There is a space of time between now and when you reach your eternal destination. However, as the betrothed bride is considered married to her bridegroom, the same principle applies to you.
Even though your faith has not yet become sight, and you have not experienced heaven in its fullness, you can be confident that your eternal home with Jesus is secured. You belong to him both now and forevermore.
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. – John 14:3
THE GOSPEL
1 Corinthians 15:1-4
1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
With Christ’s life, death on the cross, and resurrection, Jesus became the living embodiment of the bridegroom and a faithful husband who was willing to give up His life for the one He loved.
As it is written in 2 Corinthians, “I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him” (2 Corinthians 11:2).
Through Jesus Christ’s sacrifice, intimacy with the Father can be restored and sins forgiven.
In Ephesians 5:22-33, Paul compares the union of husband and wife to that of Christ and the church.
That is approached in Ephesians 5:22–33. A major analogy is that of the body. Just as husband and wife are to be “one flesh”, this analogy for the writer describes the relationship of Christ and the church. … When Christ nourishes and cherishes the church, he nourishes and cherishes his own flesh.
The imagery and symbolism of marriage is applied to Christ and the body of believers known as the church. The church is comprised of those who have trusted in Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and have received eternal life. Christ, the Bridegroom, has sacrificially and lovingly chosen the church to be His bride (Ephesians 5:25–27). Just as there was a betrothal period in biblical times during which the bride and groom were separated until the wedding, so is the Bride of Christ separate from her Bridegroom during the church age. Her responsibility during the betrothal period is to be faithful to Him (2 Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 5:24).
At the RAPTURE which is the next event on God’s prophetic calander, the church will be united with the Bridegroom and the official “wedding ceremony” will take place and, with it, the eternal union of Christ and His bride will be actualized (Revelation 19:7–9; 21:1-2).
Believers in Jesus Christ are the bride of Christ, and we wait with great anticipation for the day when we will be united with our Bridegroom. Until then, we remain faithful to Him and say with all the redeemed of the Lord, “Come, Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20).
The documentary examines the Biblical context of the Rapture. The part of ‘Before the Wrath’ that I liked the best is as to how they show us what a First Century wedding was like in Galilee, and the awesome and beautiful connection that has to the doctrine of the Pretribulation Rapture of the Church. It is without a doubt, the best part of the movie and the most-powerful point it makes for the Pretrib. It is so powerful, that I will leave it as a complete surprise for you to experience yourself.
Actor/narrator Kevin Sorbo has teamed up with film producer Brent Miller, Jr. for a new film, “Before the Wrath ”. Bible scholars continue to debate the timing of the Rapture, but why is such a mysterious event prophesied to happen in the first place? Is there a deeper understanding surrounding this occurrence that we’ve lost over the millennia that those living in the first-century clearly understood? Newly rediscovered ancient anthropological evidence from the time of Christ finally reveals unprecedented findings that could prove the upcoming Rapture is not only real to a skeptical world but sheds new light on how and why this event must take place.
“Before The Wrath’ features commentary from some well-known favorites like Jan Markell of Olive Tree Ministries and Pastor JD Farag. I absolutely recommend you see this movie. You will definitely enjoy it, you will learn something new about the Pretribulation Rapture you didn’t likely know before! “Before the Wrath” will captivate believers and non-believers alike; revealing new depths of theological understanding regarding what Jesus revealed to the ancient Galileans about the end of the world in ways you could never have imagined.
These findings resulted from 10-years of research in Israel by leading ancient anthropological scholars which rediscovered lost Middle-Eastern views regarding how and why the biblical “catching away” was prophesied to occur.
While everyone has been debating “when” this event is to happen, we’ve forgotten to ask “why” it does, and the answer could be the greatest theological discovery of our time. To fully present the impact this genuine eye-opening discovery has on the world, award winning documentary writer and director Brent Miller Jr, reproduces what Jesus Christ Himself unveiled to the ancient Galileans regarding the end of the world through emotional and beautiful cinematic reenactments with over 60 actors and Theologist and Eschatologist Pastor JD Farag and many more. ‘Before The Wrath’ is an excellent movie to watch if you have some friends who attend doctrine-deficient megachurches and are not really sure what the Pretribulation Rapture is all about.
