A Hebrew Wedding
I believe there is a divine Hebrew wedding coming soon when the Kingdom of Jesus Christ is established and the prophecy for the New Covenant for Israel is fulfilled. It will follow the pattern of Hebrew weddings in the Bible.
For reference I used the notes in John MacArthur’s study Bible (NASB version) concerning Hebrew weddings. Hebrew weddings consisted of three phases: the betrothal (often made when the couple were children), the presentation (often several days of festivities), and the ceremony (with the exchange of vows). John MacArthur believes the church and the faithful throughout every generation are the bride. However, I believe there is more to it than that.
I believe a betrothal happened when the nation of Israel came out of Egypt. There was the exchange of vows in Israel’s agreement to keep the Ten Commandments and the festivities were in the rejoicing of the arrival in the promised land. Israel repeated her vows of allegiance to God in the promised land. (Joshua 24:24-25). Israel later broke her wedding vows and committed adultery with other gods, resulting in her divorce from God. (Jeremiah 3:8).
Years later the husband of Israel died. God died on the cross. This made Israel a widow. Jesus then rose from the dead and the prophecy is that He will re-marry the widow. “Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more. For thy Maker is thine husband; the Lord of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called. For the Lord hath called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth, when thou wast refused, saith thy God. For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee.” Isaiah 54:4-7.
The regathering of Israel and Judah is coming when the Lord returns to set up his Kingdom. The new betrothal is by prophecy, announced by the prophets who predicted the return of Israel to God. The wedding festivities are the rejoicing of Israel in the Kingdom age under Jesus Christ. The wedding vows are the New Covenant through the redemptive work of Jesus Christ on the cross and the infilling of the Holy Spirit. “But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” Jeremiah 31:33-34.
Popular teaching is that the New Covenant was made with the church, and the church is the new Israel. This is called replacement theology, where God cast away Israel and created a new virgin to marry called the church. The problem with this is that the church is only part of the Kingdom. The apostle James explained this by calling us (the church) the firstfruits, the beginning of the harvest of God. “Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.” James 1:18. There is a much bigger harvest coming when the New Covenant is established with Israel. We believe God did not cast-off Israel and replace them with the church. We believe the Anglo Saxon and kindred people are the descendants of the lost tribes of Israel and they will be the Kingdom Jesus Christ will reign over when He returns. This does not mean people are automatically given salvation because they are Israelites. Israelites must be Christian to re-marry God, otherwise they will be expelled from Israel.
I believe in revival. There are reports of revival in the U.K. and parts of the U.S.A., but I believe the great revival will happen when Satan and the demons are sent to the pit of Hell and locked up for a thousand years. I believe that day is coming soon with the glorious return of the King of Israel, Jesus the Christ.
