A Galilean Marriage 2000 years ago … What does is represent?
Jesus and His disciples were from Galilee. Their customs concerning marriage were quite unique. His parables and literal teachings about His Second Coming and marriage were designed to imitate an event that they were all familiar with, A MARRIAGE BETWEEN A GROOM AND HIS BRIDE , which involved a year-long sequence of events.
The Bride; the Parable of the Ten Virgins, some being prepared and some not; the Groom coming “at an hour you do not expect”, “as a thief in the night”; that “only the Father knows the day and the hour”; that it will happen at night; “the trumpet will sound an alarm” and the bride is lifted up and carried away to the Father’s house, all were shadows and symbolic of Jesus Second Coming for the Church.
The Galilean Marriage begins with the Groom leaving his father’s home going to the home of the Bride. His father officiates the betrothal with the terms and dowry (price and down payment). Terms of the marriage were read publically and agreed upon. Gifts are given to the bride. A “cup of joy’ (wine) is shared and given to the Bride, who has a choice to accept it or reject it. She says yes, The wine is drunk and the covenant is irrevocable.
1 year betrothal agreement, a cup of wine shared and the groom promises not to drink of the wine until the marriage is consummated.
During this time, Bride and bridesmaids choose clothing and make dresses. This usually took months.
The Groom builds or buys and prepares a new home for the bride and feast.
Close to the time, within a week of the estimated year timeframe, but without a specific date, the bride and bridesmaids would wait in their clothes day and night for the Shofar to sound. Neither the groom nor the bride would know the exact date, only the father.
In the middle of the night, the father would decide and notify the son to go get his bride!
The Groom would sound the Shofar, walk through the streets towards his bride’s home and all the guests that were waiting for that day, ready to go, join them in the procession and/or meet at the Father’s house. Everyone needed to be ready, dressed and have enough oil for their lamps.
The Bride would hear the Shofar from a distance and go out and meet the groom and the bridesmaids nearby as well. The Bride would be placed in a seat, two men would lift her up in the air and carry her off to the wedding chamber in the Father’s house. *It was a chair on a stretcher like platform with two poles, one on each side.
The procession would enter into the Father’s house and the door was shut – no late comers allowed! The wedding and reception could last up to seven days.
Symbolism:
The groom leaves his father’s house and goes to where the bride is = Jesus comes from heaven to earth and becomes flesh and dwells among us.
Father = Father God
Betrothal period = Jesus First Coming, His New Covenant given, the Gospel goes out to the world
Cup of wine given to the Bride, a choice given = Cup at Last Supper representing New Covenant, the gospel is given to all and we have the choice to accept it or reject it
Once the Bride drinks the cup, the covenant is irrevocable = Once we have received Christ as our Lord and Savior, we believe and follow Him, our covenant with God is irrevocable, OSAS.
The Groom now states to the betrothed Bride, “You are now consecrated to me by the law of Moses and I will not drink this cup again with you until we drink it together in my father’s house” = Jesus likewise made the same claim during the Last Supper (Luke 22:18)
Dowry, down payment = Death (His payment) and resurrection of Christ , the belief in this grants us the Promise of Eternal Life
Groom’s preparation for the Bride’s home = “In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places, if it were not so, I would have told you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.” John 14:2-3
The Groom does not know the day or hour of the wedding! = “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.” Matthew 24:36
Bride and bridesmaids needed to have lamps and oil = The Ten Virgins , but only half were prepared = represents the Bride/Church, prepared, they have their oil (Holy spirit) for their lamps. The others (Jews at that time or later, as unbelieving Gentiles did not have the Holy Spirit and so were not allowed into the kingdom of heaven.
The Father tells the son, “go get your Bride”, the Groom blows the trumpet to announce his coming, receives his bride , she is lifted up and carried off to the wedding chamber = “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord”. 1 Thes. 4 :16-17
The Bride is lifted up in the air and carried off to the Father's house = Rapture
The Bride enters the wedding chamber and sees guests waiting = these are Old Testament saints in Heaven
Wedding Feast = Marriage Supper (Rev.19:7-9)
“Looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, Who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.” Titut 2:13-14
Jesus and His disciples were from Galilee. Their customs concerning marriage were quite unique. His parables and literal teachings about His Second Coming and marriage were designed to imitate an event that they were all familiar with, A MARRIAGE BETWEEN A GROOM AND HIS BRIDE , which involved a year-long sequence of events.
The Bride; the Parable of the Ten Virgins, some being prepared and some not; the Groom coming “at an hour you do not expect”, “as a thief in the night”; that “only the Father knows the day and the hour”; that it will happen at night; “the trumpet will sound an alarm” and the bride is lifted up and carried away to the Father’s house, all were shadows and symbolic of Jesus Second Coming for the Church.
The Galilean Marriage begins with the Groom leaving his father’s home going to the home of the Bride. His father officiates the betrothal with the terms and dowry (price and down payment). Terms of the marriage were read publically and agreed upon. Gifts are given to the bride. A “cup of joy’ (wine) is shared and given to the Bride, who has a choice to accept it or reject it. She says yes, The wine is drunk and the covenant is irrevocable.
1 year betrothal agreement, a cup of wine shared and the groom promises not to drink of the wine until the marriage is consummated.
During this time, Bride and bridesmaids choose clothing and make dresses. This usually took months.
The Groom builds or buys and prepares a new home for the bride and feast.
Close to the time, within a week of the estimated year timeframe, but without a specific date, the bride and bridesmaids would wait in their clothes day and night for the Shofar to sound. Neither the groom nor the bride would know the exact date, only the father.
In the middle of the night, the father would decide and notify the son to go get his bride!
The Groom would sound the Shofar, walk through the streets towards his bride’s home and all the guests that were waiting for that day, ready to go, join them in the procession and/or meet at the Father’s house. Everyone needed to be ready, dressed and have enough oil for their lamps.
The Bride would hear the Shofar from a distance and go out and meet the groom and the bridesmaids nearby as well. The Bride would be placed in a seat, two men would lift her up in the air and carry her off to the wedding chamber in the Father’s house. *It was a chair on a stretcher like platform with two poles, one on each side.
The procession would enter into the Father’s house and the door was shut – no late comers allowed! The wedding and reception could last up to seven days.
Symbolism:
The groom leaves his father’s house and goes to where the bride is = Jesus comes from heaven to earth and becomes flesh and dwells among us.
Father = Father God
Betrothal period = Jesus First Coming, His New Covenant given, the Gospel goes out to the world
Cup of wine given to the Bride, a choice given = Cup at Last Supper representing New Covenant, the gospel is given to all and we have the choice to accept it or reject it
Once the Bride drinks the cup, the covenant is irrevocable = Once we have received Christ as our Lord and Savior, we believe and follow Him, our covenant with God is irrevocable, OSAS.
The Groom now states to the betrothed Bride, “You are now consecrated to me by the law of Moses and I will not drink this cup again with you until we drink it together in my father’s house” = Jesus likewise made the same claim during the Last Supper (Luke 22:18)
Dowry, down payment = Death (His payment) and resurrection of Christ , the belief in this grants us the Promise of Eternal Life
Groom’s preparation for the Bride’s home = “In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places, if it were not so, I would have told you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.” John 14:2-3
The Groom does not know the day or hour of the wedding! = “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.” Matthew 24:36
Bride and bridesmaids needed to have lamps and oil = The Ten Virgins , but only half were prepared = represents the Bride/Church, prepared, they have their oil (Holy spirit) for their lamps. The others (Jews at that time or later, as unbelieving Gentiles did not have the Holy Spirit and so were not allowed into the kingdom of heaven.
The Father tells the son, “go get your Bride”, the Groom blows the trumpet to announce his coming, receives his bride , she is lifted up and carried off to the wedding chamber = “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord”. 1 Thes. 4 :16-17
The Bride is lifted up in the air and carried off to the Father's house = Rapture
The Bride enters the wedding chamber and sees guests waiting = these are Old Testament saints in Heaven
Wedding Feast = Marriage Supper (Rev.19:7-9)
“Looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, Who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.” Titut 2:13-14
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