Oddly, the question should not be about the Bridal motif that runs throughout all of the Scriptures. The question that needs to be asked, is how do I get Eternal Life? And how is that marriage?
YHVH, our G-d, is a very family-oriented Being, and set up the way our human bodies work best in his creation. He likes putting a man and a woman together, adding himself into the picture in a spiritual way, and getting more humans created without his direct intervention. He created us, he instructed our original parents, and they, although at that point fallen beings on a fallen, free will plane/t, had children…who had more children, and populated the earth, however barbarically and clumsily.
Fortunately, mankind (or is it personkind these days?) remembered that there was a Creator Being, and that this life was not our only experience of life…but a bit like boot camp. You either make it through honorably, and become a soldier, or you wash out. Except that it’s not about war, but love, and relationship, not duty.
And thus, we have a G-d who, in the days of Abraham, taught the idea of an eternity with him as a marriage contract. It made sense to those of our ancestors, but over time, has gotten a bit confused. We, personally, do not marry the being who is YHVH, or his Messiah, Yeshua, or the Ruach haKodesh. It is a spiritual marriage of G-d to the entire group of us who make it through boot camp, and graduate to eternity…the one we could have had if that damnable serpent had stayed out of the Garden of Eden and tempted no one to take knowledge they were not ready for.
And the Scriptures lay out the marriage contract. G-d gives us life, and reasonable comfort and prosperity and opportunity as mortal humans for a single lifetime…if we are in tune with him spiritually, as a group, and as a single person. If we are not in tune with him spiritually, and do not seek him out, or try to please him in what little ways we know how to, we pretty much just get this life. That is the most simplistic way of putting it, and what eternity there is for those that do not want YHVH is at best a dubious matter of things called ‘outer darkness, and gnashing of teeth’. The Lake of Fire is pretty much reserved for those who follow the fallen Watchers, and act as they act…not loving G-d and not loving others.
The ‘Bride’ that was supposed to be in tune with G-d was Israel…and Israel was not to remain a single closed group but to act as teachers to anyone who would listen, and join in. But the entirety of Israel eventually broke into two countries…the Northern ten tribes of Israel plus some Levites, and the Southern two Tribes of Judea plus a lot of Levites, and no doubt a lot of refugees from the Northern Kingdom who sought refuge in Judea when attacked by Assyria.
Unfortunately, most of the Israelites did not keep to the betrothal contract they had with G-d. That Betrothal Contract is the Mosaic Covenant. Israel was divorced by G-d, and ended dispersed into Assyria, and then around the world, losing their identity. Judea, acted the harlot (Idolatry) even worse than Israel had, but Abba gritted his teeth, and hung on because Messiah was to come through Judah.
And thus, we come to the crux of the problem. YHVH wants all of the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to return to him, in addition to all the of the Nations that are not Israel. Unfortunately, his own laws prevent him from remarrying his divorced wife.
It is thus especially convenient that the Mashiach Yeshua, as a stand-in for the Father, is able to die not only for mankind’s sake, but for his own sake, and his Father’s. YHVH put all power and authority into Yeshua’s hands, including the role of Judge and Ruler, and made Yeshua that Kinsman Redeemer…the Goel that Job lamented not having...the one Being powerful enough and wealthy enough and loving enough to stand in for us, ransom us, even get us untangled from a divorce no longer wanted or needed, and thus can stand in for G-d as well man, being both G-d and Man, because when Yeshua died, all ties to the divorced Tribes of Israel were severed, and YHVH is free to remarry Israel.
Thus, all the bridal terminology is actually far more relevant and even more important than the lovely idea of being forever with the Creator and the Messiah and the Ruach haKodesh, to grow, learning and loving forever. It also reconciles YHVH to one of the wives of his ‘youth’, so to speak, and allows him to take anyone who will come to him.
YHVH says, “Return to me, and I will return to you,” but he says it not just to Israel and Judea, but to whomsoever will turn to him, even if it is the first time of meeting. And because of all the Bridal stuff, because of the Torah that G-d keeps even when we don't, even YHVH needs a Goel to satisfy his heart, even as we need Yeshua to get past boot camp.
YHVH, our G-d, is a very family-oriented Being, and set up the way our human bodies work best in his creation. He likes putting a man and a woman together, adding himself into the picture in a spiritual way, and getting more humans created without his direct intervention. He created us, he instructed our original parents, and they, although at that point fallen beings on a fallen, free will plane/t, had children…who had more children, and populated the earth, however barbarically and clumsily.
Fortunately, mankind (or is it personkind these days?) remembered that there was a Creator Being, and that this life was not our only experience of life…but a bit like boot camp. You either make it through honorably, and become a soldier, or you wash out. Except that it’s not about war, but love, and relationship, not duty.
And thus, we have a G-d who, in the days of Abraham, taught the idea of an eternity with him as a marriage contract. It made sense to those of our ancestors, but over time, has gotten a bit confused. We, personally, do not marry the being who is YHVH, or his Messiah, Yeshua, or the Ruach haKodesh. It is a spiritual marriage of G-d to the entire group of us who make it through boot camp, and graduate to eternity…the one we could have had if that damnable serpent had stayed out of the Garden of Eden and tempted no one to take knowledge they were not ready for.
And the Scriptures lay out the marriage contract. G-d gives us life, and reasonable comfort and prosperity and opportunity as mortal humans for a single lifetime…if we are in tune with him spiritually, as a group, and as a single person. If we are not in tune with him spiritually, and do not seek him out, or try to please him in what little ways we know how to, we pretty much just get this life. That is the most simplistic way of putting it, and what eternity there is for those that do not want YHVH is at best a dubious matter of things called ‘outer darkness, and gnashing of teeth’. The Lake of Fire is pretty much reserved for those who follow the fallen Watchers, and act as they act…not loving G-d and not loving others.
The ‘Bride’ that was supposed to be in tune with G-d was Israel…and Israel was not to remain a single closed group but to act as teachers to anyone who would listen, and join in. But the entirety of Israel eventually broke into two countries…the Northern ten tribes of Israel plus some Levites, and the Southern two Tribes of Judea plus a lot of Levites, and no doubt a lot of refugees from the Northern Kingdom who sought refuge in Judea when attacked by Assyria.
Unfortunately, most of the Israelites did not keep to the betrothal contract they had with G-d. That Betrothal Contract is the Mosaic Covenant. Israel was divorced by G-d, and ended dispersed into Assyria, and then around the world, losing their identity. Judea, acted the harlot (Idolatry) even worse than Israel had, but Abba gritted his teeth, and hung on because Messiah was to come through Judah.
And thus, we come to the crux of the problem. YHVH wants all of the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to return to him, in addition to all the of the Nations that are not Israel. Unfortunately, his own laws prevent him from remarrying his divorced wife.
It is thus especially convenient that the Mashiach Yeshua, as a stand-in for the Father, is able to die not only for mankind’s sake, but for his own sake, and his Father’s. YHVH put all power and authority into Yeshua’s hands, including the role of Judge and Ruler, and made Yeshua that Kinsman Redeemer…the Goel that Job lamented not having...the one Being powerful enough and wealthy enough and loving enough to stand in for us, ransom us, even get us untangled from a divorce no longer wanted or needed, and thus can stand in for G-d as well man, being both G-d and Man, because when Yeshua died, all ties to the divorced Tribes of Israel were severed, and YHVH is free to remarry Israel.
Thus, all the bridal terminology is actually far more relevant and even more important than the lovely idea of being forever with the Creator and the Messiah and the Ruach haKodesh, to grow, learning and loving forever. It also reconciles YHVH to one of the wives of his ‘youth’, so to speak, and allows him to take anyone who will come to him.
YHVH says, “Return to me, and I will return to you,” but he says it not just to Israel and Judea, but to whomsoever will turn to him, even if it is the first time of meeting. And because of all the Bridal stuff, because of the Torah that G-d keeps even when we don't, even YHVH needs a Goel to satisfy his heart, even as we need Yeshua to get past boot camp.
