When YESHUA spoke to His disciples about eternal life, He spoke to them using marriage terminology that they understood and YESHUA paints a beautiful picture of Him being the bridegroom coming back for His bride Yisra’el. In order to understand His words and the connections that He was making we have to look at the ancient Galilean weddings and how they were conducted.
I firstly want to cover the stages of a Hebrew wedding to establish the foundation of what YESHUA was saying. There are two stages in a Hebrew wedding, the first stage is called the Erusin or Kiddushin which is the betrothal/engagement stage which is as binding as a marriage for they both sign a ketubah which is a marriage contract, therefore the couple is technically married but not yet officially married. This is what we see with Joseph and Mary in Matthew 1 where Joseph was the engaged husband and Mary was the engaged wife. This is a lot different than an engagement in the western society as they are not considered married.
Matthew 1:18-19
“Now the birth of YESHUA, the Messiah, was like this: while Mary His mother was BETHROTHED to Joseph, without them being united, she was found pregnant by the RUACH HA’KODESH (The Set-Apart Spirit). But Joseph, HER HUSBAND was just and did not desire to expose her, yet he was thinking in secret that he would dismiss (divorce) her.”
As we see Joseph was considered the husband of Mary while betrothed to her and he wanted to divorce her which is only something you can do if you are married to them, so this proves that they were considered to be married even in the first stage of engagement.
The second stage is called “Nisu’in”, where the couples status changes from being technically married to officially married. At this stage it becomes what ELOHIM has brought together let no man separate for they are officially one flesh in wedlock.
The Pure Bride
I wanted to cover the two stages to show that we are currently betrothed to YESHUA which means we are in the first stage of the wedding and are waiting for Him to come back to take His bride (Yisra’el) to be with Him forever!
2 Corinthians 11:1-2 (CJB)
“I would like you to bear with me in a little foolishness---please do bear with me! For I am jealous for you with ELOHIM’s kind of jealousy; since I promised to present you as a PURE VIRGIN IN MARRIAGE TO YOUR ONE HUSBAND, THE MESSIAH…”
During the betrothal stage in a Hebrew wedding, the only thing that could terminate the marriage contract was death or fornication, so Paul is using this language here to show that we must be pure undefiled virgins by coming completely out of this world, drying to self, obeying the Torah and not committing spiritual adultery. This makes since when we examine this further:
Leviticus 21:10-14 Complete Jewish Bible (Parenthesis mine)
“The priest who is ranked the highest (The high priest) among his brothers, the one on whose head the anointing oil is poured and who is consecrated to put on the garments, is not to stop grooming his hair, tear his clothes, go in to where any dead body is or make himself unclean, even when his father or mother dies. He may not leave the sanctuary or profane the sanctuary of his ELHOHIM, because the consecration of the anointing oil of his ELOHIM is on him; I am YAHWEH. He is TO MARRY A VIRGIN; he may not marry a widow, divorcee (divorced during the betrothal stage before being officially married), profaned woman or prostitute; but he must MARRY A VIRGIN from among his own people and not disqualify his descendants among his people; because I am YAHWEH, who makes him set-apart.
As we see the high-priest was to marry a virgin; and likewise YESHUA is our High-Priest and is only coming back for a pure virgin bride just as Paul said in 2 Corinthians 11:1-2.
Ephesians 5:27 (Complete Jewish Bible)
“In order to present the Messianic Community to Himself as a BRIDE to be proud of, WITHOUT SPOT, WRINKLE or any such thing, but set-apart and WITHOUT DEFECT.”
These are those who have been spiritually reborn and being led by the RUACH HA’KODESH (The Set-Apart Spirit) to keep the commandments and trust in YESHUA. Leviticus 21 also says that a high-priest cannot marry a PROSTITUE/WHORE which is another reason why we are told to flee from the WHORE of Babylon.
Revelation 17:1-5 (Hebrew)
“Then one of the seven messengers who had the seven bowls came and spoke with me and said, “come, and you will be shown the judgment of the GREAT HARLOT who sits over much waters, with whom the kings of the earth and those whom she had made drunk with her wine have committed ADULTERY.” Verse 5 “And on her forehead was written the name of the secret of the great city Babel, the MOTHER OF THE HARLOTS AND UNCLEANNESS OF THE EARTH.”
Revelation 18:1-4 (Hebrew)
“And after this I saw another messenger descending from the heavens, and he had power and great strength, and the earth shone with his light. And he cried out with all his power and said. “Fallen, fallen has the great city Babel! And it became a dwelling of satans, and to hide all the unclean ones of the birds and creeping things. For all of them have drunk of her wine, and the kings of the earth have committed FORNICATION with her, and all the merchants have become rich by her great desires. Then I heard another voice from the heavens, and he said, GO OUT OF HER MY PEOPLE, that they be not punished with her because of her iniquities!”
YESHUA our High-Priest cannot marry a whore; therefore, you cannot be spiritually involved in whoredom of false religion, idolatry and the unclean things of this world, so come out of her and walk in the truth.
The Ancient Galilean wedding
During the betrothal ceremony the bridegroom would pour a cup of wine called the “CUP OF JOY” and give it to the bride to drink. At this point she can either accept the covenant/proposal by drinking the wine or reject the covenant by not drinking the wine. This is an interesting parallel because the bridegroom gives the bride the “CUP OF JOY” for the covenant, just as the Bridegroom YESHUA gave us the “TORAH OF JOY” on Mount Sinai to join in covenant with Him.
James 1:25 (Hebrew)
“But whosoever sees with fullness into the LAW OF JOY, and establishes it, and does not forget what he heard, but DOES IT, this one will be blessed in all his deeds.”
Psalms 19:7-8 (Complete Jewish Bible)
“The TORAH of YAHWEH is perfect, restoring the inner person. The instruction of YAHWEH is sure, making wise the thoughtless. The precepts of YAHWEH are right, REJOICING THE HEART. The mitzvah (commandments) of YAHWEH is pure, enlightening the eyes.”
Exodus 19:5-6
“Now if you will pay careful attention to what I say and KEEP MY COVENANT, then you will be My own treasure from among the peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you will be a kingdom of priests for me, a nation set-apart.’ These are the words you are to speak to the people of Yisra’el.”
We as the bride Yisra’el accept the Torah of Joy and YESHUA is the Living Torah made flesh who shed His blood for us. Therefore, we enter into covenant with YAHWEH just as the bride drinks the Cup of Joy to enter into covenant with her husband. We can either obey YAHWEH to walk in His covenant or reject it by not obeying the terms of the covenant, which is the same option the bride has with her husband. This is the beauty of our ELOHIM is that He wants us CHOOSE Him, He does not force Himself on you. By choosing Him you show that you love Him, want to follow Him, and obey Him, you have the option to choose life and not death.
John 6:38-40 (Hebrew)
“For I, I descend from the heavens, not in order to do My will, only the will of Him who sent Me. And this is His will, that all these which He gave Me, I should not let any of them be destroyed, but that I should raise them up in the last day. For this is the will of the Father who sent Me that every man who CHOOSES THE SON AND BELIEVES, will have everlasting life; and I will raise Him up alive in the last day.”
If she drinks the wine, she is saying “I do” and chooses life with a righteous husband, just as we choose to want to live with YAHWEH and YESHUA forever, which is similar to how the children of Yisra’el responded by agreeing to the terms of the betrothal covenant/marriage contract with the Righteous King YAHWEH and YESHUA in:
Exodus 19:7-8
“Moses came, summoned the leaders of the people and presented them with all these words which YAHWEH had ordered him to say. All the people answered as one, “EVERYTHING YAHWEH HAS SAID, WE WILL DO.”
After she drinks the cup of joy (the wine) then the bridegroom publicly says, “You are consecrated to me according to the Law of Moses and I WILL NOT DRINK THIS CUP UNTIL I DRINK IT NEW WITH YOU IN MY FATHERS HOUSE.”
Everyone during that time knew that this was a reference to the wedding feast and the consummation of the marriage, and that is why YESHUA says the exact same thing:
Matthew 26:27-29 (Hebrew)
“And afterwards He TOOK THE CUP and did a prayer of thanksgiving, and gave it to them, and said, “DRINK THIS-all of you, for this is the blood of the new, which will be shed to atone for your iniquities. And I say to you faithfully that from now and onward, I WILL NOT DRINK OF THIS SMOOTHNESS OF THE VINE UNTIL THAT DAY THAT I WILL DRINK IT WITH YOU ANEW IN THE KINGDOM OF MY FATHER.”
So YESHUA gave them the literally “cup of joy” as the bridegroom gives to the bride and as we saw earlier also the Torah of Joy that He gave on Mount Sinai. The disciples being from Galilee themselves knew exactly what YESHUA was saying, and that He was referring to the consummation of the marriage, meaning the marriage supper of the Lamb to be with Him forever. The same way the bridegroom announced publicly that he would not drink the cup until he drank it new with his bride in his fathers house, meaning they would become one flesh in marriage forever.
Next phase:
After the betrothal ceremony the bridegroom would make preparations and go back to his fathers house to add a room onto his fathers house for his soon to be bride, and this is the reason why YESHUA said:
John 14:1-3 (Hebrew)
“Let not your hearts become terrified; believe in EL, AND believe in Me. In the HOUSE OF MY FATHER ARE MANY DWELLING PLACES. Truly I say I’M GOING TO PREPARE A PLACE FOR YOU. And if I go to PREPARE THE PLACE, I WILL COME AGAIN AND BRING YOU UNTO ME—so that in the PLACE WHERE I AM, THERE YOU MAY ALSO BE.”
Just as the bridegroom prepares a room onto his fathers house for his bride so they can be together forever, is how The Bridegroom YESHUA goes to prepare an eternal home for us His bride Yisra’el.
Only the Father knows the day and hour
As the bridegroom goes back to his father’s house to prepare a place for his bride, he would be waiting for his father to tell him to go and get his bride, because only the father knew the day and the hour of the wedding, and the son did not know. This is why YESHUA says He does not know the day or the hour, NOT BECAUSE HE IS NOT EL (GOD) Himself, it’s just an illustration of YAHWEH and YESHUA staying true to the ancient Galilean wedding custom that the disciples would understand:
Matthew 24:36
“And no man knows the day and the hour, neither the messengers, NOR THE SON, but ONLY THE HEAVENLY FATHER.”
Also, the bride knew that the bridegroom would be coming to take her within that year, but she did not know exactly when he was coming, so she had to ready and WATCHFUL! Which is why YESHUA says:
Matthew 24:45-51 (Hebrew)
“And what do you think of a wise and faithful servant? His master sets him over all his company, that he should give them food in their time. Blessed is that servant whom his master finds WATCHFUL and doing so. Truly I say to you that he will set him over all his goods. But if the wicked servant will say in his heart, “My master will tarry long to come,’ and will begin to beat the other servants, and begin to eat and to drink with the drunkards, the master of that servant will COME IN A DAY THAT HE DOES NOT EXPECT, AND IN AN HOUR THAT HE DOES NOT KNOW. And he will remove him from his supervision and will place him with the deceivers, and there he will bear weeping and quaking of teeth.”
The bride also had to keep oil ready for her lamps just in case the bridegroom came at night. This is why YESHUA gives us the parable:
Matthew 25:1-13 (Hebrew)
“And then the heavenly kingdom will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to the path to the BRIDEGROOM and the bride. Five of them were foolish and five of them were wise. And the five foolish ones did take their lamps. And while the bridegroom DELAYED to come, all ten virgins slept for long—until the MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT. A man shouted, ‘Get up! Behold the bridegroom is coming, go out to him to the path! Then all the virgins got up and LIT ALL THEIR LAMPS. And the foolish ones said to the wise ones, ‘Give us of your oil, for our lamps have gone out.’ But the wise ones answered and said, ‘Perhaps it will be not sufficient for us, go to the sellers and buy for yourselves.’ But as they went to buy, the bridegroom came. And those who were ready, entered with him into the wedding and the door was shut behind them. And afterwards came the foolish virgins, and cried, ‘Master, master, open for us! But He answered and said, ‘Truth I do not know who you are.’ Therefore you must be AWAKE, for you do not know the day and the hour.”
Just as the bride had to stay ready with lamps and oil, and even sleeping in her wedding dress because she did not now the day or the hour of the coming of the bridegroom, is the same way we the bride of YESHUA must be ready because we also don’t know the day or the hour of His coming.
Coming for the bride
When the father finally tells the son that it is time for him to get his bride, the shofar is sounded and heard by all in the town which parallels:
Matthew 24:31 (Complete Jewish Bible)
“And He will send out his angels with a GREAT SHOFAR; and they will gather together his chosen people from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”
Then the bride is picked up and put on a litter also known as a palanquin. A palanquin is defined by Oxford languages as “In India and THE EAST) a covered LITTER for ONE PASSENGER, consisting of a large box CARRIED on two horizontal poles by four or six bearers.”
Song of Solomon 3:7 (Aramaic Peshitta)
“Behold, the LITTER of Solomon is surrounded by sixty mighty men of the valiant of Israel.”
Amplified Bible
“Behold, it is the COUCH (PALANQUIN) of Solomon; sixty mighty men around it, of the mighty men of Israel”
NASB 1977 translation
“Behold, it is the TRAVELING COUCH of Solomon, sixty mighty men around it, of the mighty men of Israel.”
So, the bride is picked up, lifted into the air and placed on a litter, which parallels:
1 Thessalonians 4:16 (Complete Jewish Bible)
“For the Master Himself will come down from heaven with a rousing cry, with a call from one of the ruling angels, and with ELOHIM’S SHOFAR; those who died united with Messiah will be the first to RISE; then we who are left still alive will be CAUGHT UP WITH THEM IN THE CLOUDS TO MEET THE MASTER IN THE AIR; and thus we will always be with the Master.”
So as bride is lifted up in the air and carried back to the fathers house of the bridegroom for the wedding feast and to be with her husband forever, is how we will be lifted up in the air and carried back to His Father’s House for the marriage supper of the Lamb and to be with YESHUA forever.
The Marriage Supper
Once they bring the bride to the house of the father of the bridegroom is when the marriage supper takes place. Things are now in order for the second stage of the Hebrew wedding the consummation (Nisu’in).
Revelation 19:7-8 (Hebrew)
“Let us be glad and give Him honor, for the time of the WEDDING OF THE LAMB has come, and his wife prepared! And it was given to her to be clothed in fine linen, pure and good and beautiful.”
Once everyone is inside the door is shut!
Matthew 25:10
“But as they went to buy, the bridegroom came. And those who were ready, ENTERED with him into the wedding AND THE DOOR WAS SHUT BEHIND THEM.”
Genesis 7:16 (Aramaic)
“And they that ENTERED, males, and females of every living thing went in, as ELOHIM had commanded him. Then YAHWEH SHUT HIM IN.”
This is a representation of those who are in covenant with YAHWEH will enter into the wedding feast, just as those who were in covenant with Him entered into the ark. Those who did not make it into the wedding feast are outside the covenant and will perish, just as those who did not make it on to the ark were not in covenant with YAHWEH and perished.
Wedding feasts in ancient Yisra’el usually lasted for seven days:
Tobit 11:19
“And the WEDDING of Toviyah was kept SEVEN DAYS WITH GREAT JOY.”
Judges 14:1-17 (Seputagint)
Verse 1-2 “And Samson went down to Timnath and saw a woman in Timnath from the daughters of the Philistines. And he went up and told his father and his mother and said, I have seen a woman in Timnath from the daughters of the Philistines; and now take her for me AS A WIFE. Verse 10 “And his father went down to the woman and Samson made a banquet for SEVEN DAYS THERE, FOR SO THE YOUNG MEN ARE USED TO DO.” Verse 17 “And she (Samson’s wife) wept before him the SEVEN DAYS DURING WHICH THEIR BANQUET LASTED…”
Jubilees 28:8-9
“And Laban said to Jacob, “Let the SEVEN DAYS OF THE BANQUET of this one pass, and I will give you Rachel, that you may serve me another seven years, that you may pasture my sheep as you did in the former week.” And on the day when the SEVEN DAYS OF THE BANQUET of Leah had passed, Laban gave Rachel to Jacob, that he might serve him another seven years, and he gave Bilhah, the sister of Zilpah, to Rachel as a handmaid.”
I believe the seven-day theme is a representation of the Marriage Supper of the Lamb and it’s connection with Passover.
Revelation 19:9 (Hebrew)
“Then he said to me, “Blessed are those whom He calls to EAT THE FEAST WITH THE LAMB.”
The footnote for “The Feast” says literally the “EVENING MEAL”. And as we know according to scripture we eat Passover on the EVENING of the 14th Day of the 1st month which is the start of the 15th Day of the 1st month which ties it in with The Feast of Unleavened Bread. This would match the words of YESHUA when He said:
Matthew 26:27-29 (Hebrew)
“And afterwards He TOOK THE CUP and did a prayer of thanksgiving, and gave it to them, and said, “DRINK THIS-all of you, for this is the blood of the new, which will be shed to atone for your iniquities. And I say to you faithfully that from now and onward, I WILL NOT DRINK OF THIS SMOOTHNESS OF THE VINE UNTIL THAT DAY THAT I WILL DRINK IT WITH YOU ANEW IN THE KINGDOM OF MY FATHER.”
This was during Pesach (Passover) when He said these words, which is a beautiful match with this verse:
Jeremiah 38:8 (Septuagint)
“See, I bring them from the north and will gather them from the end of the earth to THE FEAST OF THE PASSOVER: and the people shall beget a great multitude and they shall return here.”
So, YESHUA will not drink the fruit of the vine until He sees us in His Father’s Kingdom and I believe that feast is Passover THE EVENING MEAL as we saw in The Hebrew Revelation 19:9. Ancient Hebrew wedding feasts lasted for 7 Days just like Passover which is connected to The Feast of Unleavened Bread also lasts for 7 Days.
Exodus 12:18 (Samaritan Torah)
“In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month AT EVENING (Passover), you shall eat unleavened bread, until twenty-first day of the month at evening.”
The evening of the 14th at sunset is the start of the 15th, so we see: the 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th, 20th, 21st is 7 DAYS like the 7 Day wedding feast.
I believe the connection to Passover is important because the perfect blood of the lamb was required for YAHWEH to PASSOVER AND PROTECT His people from death; likewise, this Passover the Marriage Supper of the Lamb shows that death PASSES OVER US FOREVER as we will be with Him for eternity.
Wedding feasts are celebrated with joy, just as we eat the Passover and celebrate it with joy:
Exodus 12:13 (Aramaic)
“For YAHWEH will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when He sees the blood upon the lintel and on the two side posts, YAHWEH will bring JOY to the doors and will not suffer the destroyer to come into your house to smite you.”
Jubilees 49:2
“For on this NIGHT-the beginning of the festival and the beginning of the JOY-you were eating the PASSOVER in Egypt, when all the powers of Mastema had been let loose to slay all the first-born in the land of Egypt, from the first-born of Pharaoh to the first-born of the captive maid-servant in the mill, and to the cattle.”
Jasher 80:49
“And Bathia the daughter of Pharaoah went forth with the king on that night to seek Moses and Aaron in their houses, and they found them in their houses, eating and drinking and REJOICING with all Yisra’el.”
Also, just as all leavened bread which represents iniquity is removed out of our homes during during the Feast of Unleavened Bread, so we likewise will be without iniquity in the house of YAHWEH forever.
Jubilees 1:22-28
“And YAHWEH said to Moses, “I know their defiance and their thoughts and their stubbornness. And they will not be obedient until they confess their own iniquities and the iniquities of their fathers. And after this they will turn to Me in ALL UPRIGHTNESS and with ALL THEIR HEART and with ALL THEIR BEING, and I will circumcise the foreskin of their heart and the foreskin of the heart of their seed, and I will create in them a set-apart spirt, and I will CLEANSE THEM so that they SHALL NOT TURN AWAY FROM ME FROM THAT DAY TO ETERNITY. And their beings will cling to Me and to all My commands, and they will fulfill My commands, and I will be their Father and they shall be My children. And they all shall be called children of the living EL, and every messenger and every spirit shall know, yes, they shall know that these are My children, and that I am their Father in uprightness and righteousness. And that I love them. And you: write down for yourself all these words which I declare to you on this mountain, the first and the last, which will come to pass in all the divisions of the days in the Torah and in the witness and in the weeks and the jubilees to eternity, until I descend and dwell with them in all ages OF ETERNITY.” And He said to the messenger of the presence, “Write for Moses from the beginning of creation until My DWELLING-PLACE has been built among them for all eternity. And YAHWEH will appear to the eyes of all, and all will know that I am the ELOHIM of Yisra’el and the Father of all the children of Jacob, and King on Mount Zion for all eternity. And Zion and Jerusalem shall be set-apart.”
So, I ask you all, are you ready for the Marriage Supper of the Lamb? Or you walking in covenant with YAHWEH by trusting in His Son YESHUA and keeping the commandments of the Torah? If not, it’s time to drink the cup of joy which is the torah of joy, repent and enter into covenant with YAHWEH, because YESHUA will come at a time when you least expect it, and you do not want to have the door shut in your face and hear the words “I never knew you!” For those who are walking in covenant with YAHWEH, keep clinging to YESHUA and do not let go, stay awake and be ready by having oil for your lamps as we await His return. HalleluYAHWEH!
As always may YAHWEH bless you all in YESHUA’s Name!