| The Marriage and the Marriage Feast continued: This distinction between the two parts of a marriage is clearly shown in the biblical story of Joseph and Mary, Jesus' parents. Matthew tells us that Joseph and Mary were "espoused" (1:18), that she was his "wife" (:20), although they were not yet cohabiting (:18, 20, 24). When he found out she was with child, he determined to "put her away" (:19) -- a phrase used by the Jews to mean divorce (cf. Matthew 5:31-32). But being reassured by an angel, "he took unto him his wife" (:24) -- they now began to live together -- although he "knew her not" (in consummation) until Jesus was born (:25). The parables that speak of the marriage and marriage feast(s) relate these events to the coming of Christ. We saw above, however, that Christ "comes" three times: to the throne in heaven to receive power; in the clouds, to take up his Church; and to Earth, to fight the Battle of Armageddon and thereafter set up his kingdom in Jerusalem. Most commentators, when interpreting the parables pertaining to the marriage, have combined the Rapture, the Battle, the Marriage, and the Feast into one single and continous event. We will now see that the parables portray a traditional two-part marriage, rather than a single 'ceremony.' Here is the first of the New Testament marriage parables: The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son, and sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come. Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come to the marriage. But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise: And [some of them] took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them. But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. Then he said to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy. Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage. Matthew 22:2-3,5-9 This is probably another of the biblical double-fulfillment prophecies: one case is fulfilled generally and historically, while the second case is fulfilled specifically in the End Times. (See pages 15 and 20.) In the historical sense, the prophecy of Matthew 22 is easily applied to Christ's first appearance as follows: 1) The "kingdom of heaven" was preached from the first. Cf. Matthew 10:7. 2) The "servants" sent out, some of them slain, were prophets sent to Israel to prepare the people for Christ. "I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall slay and persecute...[their] blood...[shall] be required of this generation." Luke 11:49-50 3) The "city" of the "murderers" to be "burned up" was Jerusalem, destroyed by the Romans in 70 A.D. 4) After "they which were bidden were [found] not worthy," because "they made light" of the message, the word was taken "into the highways" to all the nations (Gentiles). "It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you [the Jews]; but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles. Acts 13:46 In its end-time fulfillment, the parable has the same general meaning, but the roles of the players are being reversed. "The times of the Gentiles [are to] be fulfilled." Luke 21:24 They are rejecting the kingdom of heaven and its messengers, which are then, in return, being offered to the remnant of Israel. (In the former days, of course, not all of Israel rejected the kingdom, as in the latter days not all of the nations will reject it.) The end-times fulfillment of Matthew 22 is probably best applied to a relatively short era, perhaps 31/2 years, leading up to and including the Rapture. The sending out of the servants, some of then being afflicted and killed, fulfills Matthew 24:9-14; and it, in turn, parallels the 5th seal of Revelation 6:9f.: * Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. . . And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness [Greek marturion] unto all nations; and then shall the end come. Matthew 24:9, 14 [Thereafter "the sun shall be darkened," etc., Matthew 24:15-29.] And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony [Greek marturian] they held. Revelation 6:9 [Thereafter "the sun became black," etc., in verses 12f., when the sixth seal is opened.] * It's long been recognized that the first four seals of Revelation 6:2-8 parallel Jesus' prophecy in Matthew 24:5-7. Both refer to or symbolize 1) false Christs; 2) war; 3) famine; and 4) pestilence. (Luke 21:12f. puts the persecutions "before" the events of the four seals. Taking this together with Matthew, we can infer that persecutions begin before the seals, then magnify during them.) This period is the most likely one wherein "that great city Babylon ... shall be utterly burned with fire" (Rev. 18:8f.), thereby fulfilling the end-time part of Matthew 22's "burned up their city" quoted above. (See pp. 106 and 109-10.) The Matthew 22 parable is similar to yet distinct from the one in Luke 14, which was shown in chapter 6 to parallel part of the Esther allegory. Luke 14:16f. is focused on the allegorical feast of Ahasuerus for his chief ministers and the false queen, with its latter-day fulfillment in the 2002/3 period. Matthew 22 focuses on Esther's and the king's later marriage, and all the associated events that led up to it, which fits the span from 2003-2006. Matthew 22's "servants" who gather the guests are apparently the "angels [who] gather together his elect" (Matt. 24:31; Mark 13:27), and correspond to the servants king Ahasuerus sent to gather out the fairest virgins of the land to his palace for the marriage of the king. A second parable in Matthew describes the approaching marriage in another way. Jesus likened the wait for his coming to be like virgins (again the Esther parallel) waiting for a bridegroom to come to his wedding ceremony. Five of the virgins were prepared for a long wait, and brought extra oil for their lamps; five more were foolish, and did not. After a long wait, the latter's lamps burned out, and they had to go seek more oil. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. Matthew 25:10-12 This parable testifies in a different way that, as we saw earlier, Christ will come "in the clouds" to gather his Church, but will not descend at that time. The door to heaven will be opened and then quickly shut. Continue Return to previous page Return to Index |