The Last Trump
I was reading John Hagee's latest book called "Final Dawn over Jerusalem" and would like to retype a section that I thought was a wonderful description of a Jewish betrothal and wedding. It reminds me so much (and rightfully so) of the relationship between Jesus and his Bride (us) of which the custom foretells.
The context is speaking about the significance of the Last Trumpet during the Feast of Trumpets.
"In a traditional ancient ceremony, the hopeful bridegroom went to the home of his potential bride carrying three things: his best financial offering, a betrothal contract, and a skin of wine. If the father was impressed and accepted the bridegroom's offering, he called the daughter for her response. If things were acceptable to her, the bride-to-be drank the wine, and immediately a trumpet sounded to announce their betrothal.
During the following year of betrothal, the couple could not see each other alone, and a chaperone always accompanied them wherever they went. During this year, the bridegroom went to his father's house to prepare a place, a chupah, or honeymoon bed.
No engraved invitations were sent out for the wedding. If people preparing the calendar wanted to reserve a day for the celebration, they had a problem. When the young bridegroom was asked for the date of his wedding, he could only reply, "No man knows except my father." Why? Because he could not go get his bride until the father approved of his son's preparation.
The bride, therefore, had to be in a state of constant readiness lest the bridegroom's arrival catch her by surprise. Often she kept a light burning in the window and an extra jar of oil on hand, lest the bridegroom come in the night and find her unprepared.
When the groom's father decided everything was in place and released his son to go fetch his bride, a second trumpet was blown. This trumpet, to announce the groom's coming, was called the "last trump." Thus announced, the bridegroom took the marriage contract to present to the father of his intended bride. He claimed her as his bride and took her from her father's house to his father's house. His father would be waiting to receive the couple, and then the groom's father would take the hand of the bride and place it in the hand of his son. At that moment, she became his wife. That act was called the presentation.
After the presentation, the bridegroom would bring his bride to the place he had gone to prepare. There he would introduce her to all the society of his friends who had heard the trumpet and come to celebrate the marriage at the marriage feast. In 2 Corinthians 11:2, Paul wrote to the church, "For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ."
What a powerful picture of what God has prepared for us. We are the betrothed bride of Christ, purchased at Calvary with His precious blood. Paul said, "For you were bought at a price" (1 Cor. 6:20). The Almighty Father looked down from heaven and accepted the price of our redemption. We, the bride, accepted the Groom and the evidence of His love for us.
In this interim, as we wait between Pentecost and Trumpets, Jesus Christ, our Bridegroom, returned to His Father's house to prepare everything for our arrival. Before He departed this earth, 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 to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also" (John 14:2-3).
How do we accept the proposal of Christ? Just like the bride, each time we take the Communion cup and drink the wine, we proclaim our wedding vows to our beloved Lord. We demonstrate that we love only Him, that we are loyal to Him, and that we are waiting for Him. Like the eager bride, we keep our lamps burning and strive to be ready, for we don't know when He might come.
Our Bridegroom will soon come for us. Make no mistake, we must wait with our ears attuned to hear the last trumpet sound."
There is so much wisdom and truth God wants us to understanding concerning the Bride and Bridegroom relationship. My heart can only praise His Holy name for His love for us and the wisdom He imparts to those who have ears to hear. Jerry
