11. The marriage ceremony will have a
       sacred procession.

  For this reason, the bridegroom (Yeshua) will be led to the chupah first. When
  the bridegroom approaches the chupah, the cantor chants, "Blessed is he who
  comes." "Blessed is he who comes" is an idiomatic expression meaning
  "welcome." Yeshua said that He would not return for His bride until these words
  were said (Matthew 23:39). The groom is greeted like a king under the chupah.
  During this time Yeshua, the bridegroom, will be crowned King under the
  chupah, which is Heaven.

  He would abduct his bride, usually in the middle of the night, to go to the bridal
  chamber where the marriage would be consummated. This is the full marriage,
  known in Hebrew as nesu'in. The bride and groom will go to the wedding
  chamber, or chadar in Hebrew, where the marriage will be consummated.
  They will stay in that wedding chamber for seven days, or a week. At the
  end of the seven days, the bride and groom will come out from the wedding
  chamber. This can be seen in Joel 2:16.

  The word week in Hebrew is shavuah. It means a "seven." It can mean
  seven days or seven years. An example of the Hebrew word for week
  (shavuah) meaning seven years can be found in Daniel 9:24, as it is written,
  "Seventy weeks [shavuah, 490 years] are determined upon thy people..."
  and in 9:27, "And he [the false Messiah known as the antichrist] shall confirm
  the covenant with many for one week [shavuah, seven years]...." The week
  referred to in Daniel 9:27 is known to Bible believers as the tribulation
  period. The Jewish people understand this time to be the birthpangs of the
  Messiah known in Hebrew eschatology as the Chevlai shel Mashiach.
  This is taken from Jeremiah 30:5-7.

 12. Finally, there would be a marriage supper
       for all the guests invited by the father
       of the bride.

  The bride and the groom would be in the wedding chamber for seven days.
  When the bride and the groom initially went into the wedding chamber, the
  friend of the bridegroom stood outside the door. All the assembled guests
  of the wedding gathered outside, waiting for the friend of the bride-groom
  to announce the consummation of the marriage, which was relayed to him
  by the groom. John (Yochanan) the Immerser (Baptist) referred to this in
  John 3:29. At this signal, great rejoicing broke forth. The marriage was
  consummated on the first night (Genesis [Bereishit] 29:23). The
  bloodstained linen from this night was preserved. It was proof of the
  bride's virginity (Deuteronomy [Devarim] 22:13-21).

  On the wedding day, the bridegroom is seen as a king and the bride as a
  queen. During the consummation of the marriage, the bridegroom (Yeshua)
  will be crowned King over all the earth and the bride (the believers in
  Yeshua, the Messiah) will live with Him and rule with Him forever. The
  crowning of the King and the marriage can be seen in Isaiah 62:3-7.

  After the consummation of the marriage there will be a wedding supper in
  the Father's home after which the bride and groom leaves the Father's
  home to go to the place where the bride and groom shall live. At this time
  the veil will be removed from the bride and all will then know who the bride
  was. The home of the bride (the Christian believers who were taken to the
  Father's house) is Jerusalem. It is from Jerusalem that the believers in the
  Messiah during the Messianic age, or Millennium, will reign with the Messiah.
  This can be seen in Revelation 21:1-3; Ezekiel 43:1-2,7; Isaiah 2:2-4;
  Micah 4:1-5; and Zechariah 2:l0-12.

  In concluding this section on the wedding, whenever anyone hears the
  message of the basar (gospel), it is a wedding proposal by G-d to accept
  Him and be a part of His bride. G-d desires that we accept His invitation and
  give Him our response of "I do." In fact, Revelation 22:20 is a proposal by
  Yeshua Himself to accept Him and be a part of His bride. His message in this
  verse is "Come." Will you say, "I do" to the Messiah's proposal to you?

I believe that it is very important to understand the significance
that there is between Christ as the groom and the Church as the bride.
My previous post described the Jewish wedding analogy.
Let me recap.
 

1. The selection of the bride.
    

2. A bride price was established
    

3. The bride and groom are betrothed to each other.
    

4. A written document is drawn up, known as a ketubah.
    

5. The bride must give her consent.
    

6. Gifts were given to the bride and a cup called the cup of the covenant
   was shared between the bride and the groom.
    

7. The bride had a mikvah (water immersion), which is a ritual cleansing.
    

8. The bridegroom departed, going back to his father's house
   to prepare the bridal chamber.
    

9. The bride was to wait eagerly for the return of the bridegroom.
    

10. The bridegroom would return with a shout.
     

11. The marriage ceremony will have a sacred procession.
     

12. There would finally be a marriage supper.
     

  However, there is another important aspect of this whole question.
  It is the timing.

First we need to establish which part of the marriage ceremony
the 10 virgins (bridesmaids) participate. I believe it is important because
knowing which part and therefore the timing should make this parable more
understandable as to whom the 10 virgins represents.

 So lets take a look at where the 10 virgins fit in and the subsequent
 timing of this participation.

Scripture throughout talks about the believer in Christ as being His bride.
In order to understand the events that have taken place and shall take place
we need to learn about the Jewish wedding ceremonies during the time of Jesus.
By using this allegory of the Jewish wedding ceremony, we can see clearly
the sequence of events that shall lead to the Kingdom of Heaven.
Some of this is review, however, I will now incorporate scripture
from the book of Revelation to put this in a time sequence.

The Wedding of the Lamb

The first step that is taken is to become betrothed; a spouse must be chosen.
Usually the parents of the young man chooses his wife and then make marriage
arrangements. Rarely did a man marry against the wish of his parents.
The girl was sometimes asked whether she consented.

Romans 8:30 does say, "And those whom he predestined he also called;
and those whom he called he also justified; and those whom he justified
he also glorified." Because of God's foreknowledge, He chose the bride
whom shall be the wife of His Son.

Once the bride was chosen then the actual betrothal takes place.

The betrothal is a covenant. The bridegroom-to-be is to give the
bride-to-be a gold ring, something of value, or simply a promise
that he would marry her. This is done in the presence of witnesses.
He would say something like this to her: "See by this ring--or this token--
thou art set apart for me, according to the law of Moses and of Israel.
" The wedding will not take place for at least another year.

Jesus, the groom, has made a covenant with His bride; every believer
who makes up the church since Pentecost. By making this covenant
He has give to us something of extreme value. This valuable token is
the new spirit of life as well as the giving of the Holy Spirit to work in
our life as a helper. This sets us apart for Him. ". . .
to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus . . ."
(1 Cor. 1:2).  Notice, the wedding does not take place right away
but is sometime in the future. This is where we are now.
The believer is betrothed to Christ and we are now awaiting
that glorious wedding day.

The Wedding

According to Revelation 19:7 a wedding does take place,
"Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory!
For the wedding of the Lamb has come . . ."
But when does this take place? Let's look at the previous verses.

It must be stressed that the book of Revelation was written in chronological order.
In verse one and two, it is said, "The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God
gave him to show his servants what must soon take place; he made it known
by sending his angel to his servant John, who testified to the word of God
and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw." What is about
to be given to John are those things which shall soon take place; beginning with
"what is." Jesus said so much in chapter 1 verse 19,
"Now write what you have seen, what is, and what is to take place after this."
It would not make any sense if these things shown of John were out of order
 chronologically. Because it would take pages to show how this is true,
I will not attempt to do so here. However, if this cannot be established in your mind,
then the book of Revelation will not make much sense. And So, let us
now look at the quoted verses found above.

Verse one starts out, "After this." After what? After the destruction
of the religious and political Babylon spoken of in the previous chapters.
This clearly makes the time of the wedding in the midst of the 7 year period
that is the 70th week of Daniel. In particular, it is at the end of the
tribulation period perpetrated by the anti-Christ. What follows in
verses 2-6 are the glorious praises to God for His judgement --
probably led by the martyred saints during that time of tribulation --
that He has brought upon the beast and the whore of Babylon.

This praise peaks to a thunderous roar. Why?

• Christ is preparing to return to earth,
  Soon they "shall beat their swords into plowshares,
  and their spears into pruning hooks:
  nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
  neither shall they learn war any more" (Isaiah 2:4).
   

• And the Millennial Kingdom is very close at hand.

But first, the wedding of the Lamb. This is what must take place
before all else can continue. Keeping this verse in the context of which it is written,
can we honestly deny that the wedding, indeed, takes place
in the Kingdom of Heaven?   It is very difficult to see that the
wedding takes place on earth after the tribulation of the anti-Christ.

 To understand this,
 let's take a closer look at what happens during the preparations
 of a Jewish wedding.

 Prior to the wedding the bride and groom must be prepared.
 Let's see how the groom is dressed.

The Apparel of the Groom. When the night arrived for the
wedding festivities to begin, and it was time to go for the bride, the groom
was dressed as much like a king as possible. If he were rich enough
he would wear a golden crown, otherwise, he wore a garland of fresh flowers.
His garments would be scented with frankincense and myrrh,
his girdle would be brightly colored silk.

Not much needs to be said here.
Christ is the King and He shall be dressed as such for the bride.

However, it is the preparation of the bride that we need to look at closely.
Let us take a look at the preparations that are made of the
bride in a Jewish wedding.

The Apparel of the Bride. The adorning of the bride was a very costly
and elaborate affair. Much time was given to the preparation of her person.
Every effort was put forth to make her complexion glossy and shining
with a luster like marble. In Psalm 144:12 David says,
"that our daughters may be as corner stones,
polished after the similitude of a palace."

Every maiden must have aspired to such. Her locks of hair
were often braided with gold and pearls. She was decked
with all the precious stones and jewels that the family
had inherited from previous generations.
Ezekial's description of the bride is very appropriate,
"I decked thee also with ornaments, and I put bracelets upon thy hands,
and a chain on thy neck. And I put a jewel on thy forehead,
and earrings in thine ears, and a beautiful crown upon thine head"
(Ezekial 16:11-12).

It was said by the prophet Jeremiah,
"Can a maid forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire?"

These two sentences are very important to consider:
"The adorning of the bride was a very costly and elaborate affair.
Much time was given to the preparation of her person."

How costly? How much time? Verse 8 of Revelation chapter 19 states,
"And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white:
for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints" (KJV). In 1 Peter 1:14-16,
it is instructed of us, "As obedient children, do not conform to the
evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he
who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written:
Be holy, because I am holy" (NIV). It is in this holiness that we are clothed.

It is the righteous deeds or acts that have been performed since
we had believed in our Saviour, Christ. Paul states in 2 Cor. 11:2,
"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.
" How will we be presented?
How is it that we can be presented as a pure virgin to our Lord?
Read 1 Cor. 3:13-15,
"his work will be shown for what it is,
because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire,
and the fire will test the quality of each man's work.
If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward.
If it is burned up, he will suffer loss;
he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames."
When is this Day that shall bring it to light? This is answered in 2 Cor. 5:10,
"For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ,
that each one may receive what is due him
for the things done while in the body,
whether good or bad."

May I once again ask, "Where does this take place?"
It seems to be quite obvious that it can only take place in Heaven.
How can this be so? The meeting in the air is not the 2nd coming of Christ.
It is simply the calling of the Bride to her home so that she is
able to prepare for her wedding day. Jesus said,
"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" (John 14:2-3).

"For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout,
with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God:
and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up
together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air:
and so shall we ever be with the Lord" (1 Thess. 4:16-17).

My friends this can only happen before the tribulation.
It is the time for our preparation so that we can be adorned in the
fine linen that are our righteous deeds while we were in the fleshly body.
Only in this way are we able to be presented to our Lord "as a pure virgin.
" Can a maid forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire?
Surely we shall not forget after the fire of purification before the
throne of Christ.

To further clarify this we need to continue on in Revelation chapter 19 verse 9,
"And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are
called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me,
These are the true sayings of God."

These are the true sayings of God and being such we now find ourselves
at the marriage supper. Let's now look at what transpires
within a Jewish wedding prior to the marriage supper which normally
takes place at the groom's home.

Going of the groom to get the bride. Sometimes the bride's relations
would conduct her from her father's house to the house of her fiancée,
where her new home was to be. But the typical and more traditional
case was where the bridegroom himself went in person to bring her to his home.
This is where the wedding festivities will take place. Before leaving the house
that had been her home, she would receive the blessing of her relatives.
In Genesis 24:60, Rebekah's relatives sent her away with a typical marriage
blessing, "Thou art our sister, be thou the mother of thousands of millions,
and let thy seed possess the gate of those which hate them."

The wedding procession. The bridegroom set out with the bride
from the house of her parents, and there followed a grand procession
all the way to his house. The streets of Asiatic cities were very dark,
and it was necessary that anybody venturing forth at night should
carry a lamp or torch (see Psalm 119:105). Those invited guests,
who did not go to the bride's home were allowed to join the procession along the way,
and go with the whole group to the marriage feast.
Without a torch or lamp they couldn't join
the procession, or enter the bridegroom's house.

The lamps that were carried by those venturing out into
the dark streets are described by Dr. Edersheim:

One thing that has struck me was that there was much festivities
and mirth along the way to the grooms home.
There was music, singing and dancing along the way. It was a time of great joy.
Even the prophet Jeremiah predicted for the Jews, because of their sins, that
these wedding joys shall be taken from them.
"Then will I cause to cease from the cities of Judah, and from the streets of Jerusalem,
the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom,
and the voice of the bride" (Jer. 7:34).

However, another aspect of this had struck me:
"Without a torch or lamp they couldn't join the procession,
or enter the bridegroom's house." We cannot help but think of the parable
that is found in Matthew 25:1-13. Who are the bridesmaids (virgins)
that are spoken of here?

First of all, I believe there is a duality in this parable.
This is a parable that is spoken to both those who are the hearers
for the first time and for those of us who have the privilege of seeing
this in the context of all Scripture. Those who heard it for the first time,
were basically being told only one thing in the parables that Christ
had been telling them. To be ready for the hour is not known.
This is the simple message given here. If they are not ready then
they shall not be able to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven and
 it shall be shut to them forever. However, for those of us who
can now see the allegorical significance of the wedding ceremony
and that of the believer wedded to Christ, it begs the question,
"Who are the bridesmaids?"

It is necessary to understand this because it certainly cannot be the bride.
And yet the bridesmaids are invited guests to the wedding supper.
So who do they represent? It is of my opinion that the bridesmaids
are the martyred saints during the tribulation. Why?

The bride is the church. All the believers between the day of Pentecost
and the Rapture. So how are we going to present those who come to believe
after the rapture takes place and the bride is now in preparation?
They are presented as the bridesmaids because they, too,
must be a part of the wedding dinner. Those who are wise came to
believe in Jesus during this time and it is they who will be
able to join the procession--because they had received the
oil (Holy Spirit) and were able to light their lamps--
that will culminate in the wedding dinner which is taking place in Heaven.
Those who are not wise shall not enter into the grooms home
for the wedding dinner--because they did not receive the oil (Holy Spirit)
and could not light their lamps to join the procession--
and it is now shut to them forever.

Arrival at the house of the bridegroom.
The most important moment of the entire marriage festivity was
that in which the bride entered her new home. David pictured this when he wrote,
"She shall be brought unto the king in raiment of needlework:
the virgins her companions that follow her shall be brought unto thee.
With gladness and rejoicing shall they be brought:
they shall enter into the king's palace" (Psalm 45:14-15).
After arriving at the bridegroom's house, some of the older women
had the task of arranging the bride's hair. Her hair, usually quite long,
would have to be hidden under a thick veil. From this time on,
 the custom would dictate that her face was not to be unveiled in public.
She was literally led to her place under a canopy, which was located
either inside the house, or if the weather permitted, in the open air.
Her place was beside her husband, where both would hear
new words of benediction given by one of the fathers.

Now let me clarify something.
Although, the 10 virgins join in the procession to the home of the Groom.
They do not as yet enter into His home until the wedding feast takes place.

The wedding feast.
Every guest that attended the feast was required to wear a wedding garment.
The wedding banquet was presided over by the ruler of the feast.
It was his duty to take care of the preparations, and during the feast
he would make sure that the guest should lack nothing. There is much
more that can be said, but I will end it here except for mentioning the
fact that the wedding festivities would last for a whole week.

Let us go back to verse 9 of Revelation chapter 19, ". . .
Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb."
Who are they? We have already have the Bride and the bridesmaids.
Now we have wedding guests who are in attendance to the wedding dinner.
These are all of the Old Testament saints who have been waiting for ages
for this day to come. These are all of those who believed;
from Abraham up to the time of Pentecost. This is a blessed and glorious day.
All the believers are now at the "marriage supper of the Lamb.
" The Old Testament Saints who are the guests. The bride, who is the Church,
and the bridesmaids, who are the martyred Saints during
the tribulation up to the time of the wedding.

Some have thought that the parable of the 10 virgins speaks
of those who enter into the 1000 year reign of Christ.
" However, if we are to keep true to the allegory of the Jewish wedding,
it cannot be possible. You see, the wedding feast or dinner actually
takes place before the wedding itself is performed which consists of the
"covering of the bride," the "blessing," the "covenant," and the "consummation."
The 1000 year reign of Christ takes place after the marriage of the Lamb.
In fact there are still a couple of more years before the return of Christ
after this marriage has taken place in Heaven.

There is not much written in Scripture about the 1000 years.
I believe this was not necessary because we will know of these things
as we shall be in Heaven prior to it happening. It is here where we will be taught
about what shall transpire after God's wrath is poured out upon the earth
and Christ comes again in Glory and as King, to sit on the
throne of David to rule for 1000 years.

Do you believe that Jesus (Yeshua) died for you?
By God's grace has this in anyway touched your heart?
If so then please click on the link below.

The Four Spiritual Laws

I would like to recap for you the participants of the wedding.