A Marriage Made For Heaven

Feature 4 – May 2024 – Grace & Truth Magazine

A Marriage Made For Heaven

There are several marriages recorded in the Old Testament that provide an insight into the most anticipated event that may not be long in coming. Two of these provide a prophetic picture of the marriage of the Lamb. Before examining these ceremonies, it may be helpful to look at the general protocol associated with the ancient Jewish wedding as seen in the following six steps.

1. The contract and bride-price. When a young man desired to marry a young lady in ancient Israel, he would prepare a contract, or covenant, that would be presented to the prospective bride and her father at their home. The contract showed his willingness to provide for her. A very important part of the agreement was the bride price – the value of goods that the bridegroom had to pay to marry his chosen one. Once this was finalized, the bride was set apart, consecrated or betrothed to her husband. Such an arrangement was far more binding than engagements today.
2. The betrothal period. This time would typically last a year or two. In anticipation of a future together, the bridegroom would present his betrothed with gifts to show his appreciation of her and to help her remember him during the seemingly long betrothal period.
3. The separation. Both of the betrothed had preparations to make during the prolonged period of separation. The bridegroom would prepare a home with a wedding chamber for the honeymoon. The chamber was typically built in the bridegroom’s father’s house or on his property. The wedding chamber had to be a beautiful place to bring the bride, as they were to spend seven days there. The young man would be allowed to go and get his bride only when his father approved.
   Meanwhile, the bride would prepare herself by taking a Mikveh, a ceremonial cleansing bath in what was termed living, or running, water. She would invest in lovely raiments and cosmetics, and she would always be ready to grab her things when she would hear the shofar, which is a ram’s horn trumpet. The sound, or signal, told the bride that her bridegroom was coming for her at last.
4. The wedding call. When the bridegroom’s father deemed the wedding time had come and preparations were made, he would tell his son to go to receive his bride. Coming toward her home, he and his wedding entourage would shout and blow the shofar so his betrothed would have a warning to come and meet her groom. When they reached each other they would turn around and head to the place he had prepared at his father’s house.
5. The wedding. There would be a seven-day wedding feast. After the actual ceremony the bridegroom would take his bride into the wedding chamber and the marriage would be consummated. During the celebration, the bride would remain in the wedding chamber for the whole seven days while the groom might remain with her or leave the chamber from time to time to attend to the guests and other business.
6. The presentation. At the end of seven days, the groom would bring his bride out of the chamber and present her to the community as his wife.

Biblical Examples
A number of weddings have been recorded in Scripture. While most do not show the complete pattern noted above, we see from several that the protocol was established very early in Jewish history. Consider these two examples:

• When Jacob sought to marry Rachel, he paid a bride price of seven years labor. At the end of that time, Rachel’s father Laban made a great feast and gave Leah to the bridegroom instead. Jacob finished the seven-day ritual with Leah, during which time he left the bridal chamber to confront his father-in-law for deceiving him. This resulted in a further agreement that Jacob serve another seven years for the one he truly loved: Rachel (see Gen. 29:15-30)
• Samson asked his parents to make arrangements – to draw up a marriage contract – for him to marry a Philistine woman. And “after some time … he returned to take her” (Jud. 14:8 NKJV). At the wedding ceremony he posed an unsolvable riddle to his friends. Secluded in the marriage chambers, his bride “wept on him the seven days while their feast lasted” (v.17). Meanwhile, it appears that Samson attended to his guests and business at hand.

No Feasts Noted
There are two weddings recorded in the Old Testament where some of the ancient protocol appears to be followed but where there is no record of the seven-day feasting and presentation of the bride, the wife. These have special prophetic significance.

• Abraham sent his servant as his representative to a far country to arrange a marriage for Isaac (Gen. 24). A number of gifts were provided for the bride-to-be and her family, and she agreed to go with the servant to be Isaac’s bride. They traveled back to the bridegroom’s father’s home and Rebekah met her betrothed out in the field. While there is no seven-day feast mentioned, it is noted that Isaac took her into his mother’s tent and she became his wife; and he loved her (v.67). This is the first mention in the Bible that a husband loved his wife – something positively and beautifully significant!
• Boaz made arrangements for Ruth to become his wife after they had agreed to a possible marriage (see Ruth 3:1-11). He paid the bride price by redeeming the inheritance that had belonged to Mahlon (4:10). Notably, he bought the land, and the bride came with it (v.5). Then the Bible reports that “Boaz took Ruth and she was his wife” (v.13). Again, there is the conspicuous omission in the wedding protocol: there is neither mention of a publicly attended seven-day feast nor the presentation of the bride.

In the marriages of Isaac and Boaz there is a prophetic picture of our dear Lord and His Church. Not all types in the Old Testament provide the whole story of the antitype – they can’t – but in looking at these two marriages we get a more complete picture of a marriage made for heaven.

The Marriage Of The Lamb
Having examined the ancient wedding protocol and two examples of marriages where the practices were only partially recorded in the Scriptures, it is time to look at the most wondrous wedding possible: the marriage of the Lamb!

1. The contract and bride-price: Still active today, the Father, like Abraham, sent His Servant (the Holy Spirit) to a far country to draw out (Jn. 6:44) a Bride for His Son. The bride-price did not include “corruptible things, like silver and gold … but … the precious blood of Christ” (1 Pet. 1:18-19). This marriage contract is absolutely binding and even more secure than that of the ancient practice (Jn. 10:28-29). Furthermore, not only did the Lord pay for His pearl of great value (the Church, His Bride) but also for the field in which a treasure (the Jewish nation) was hidden (Mt. 13:44-45).
2. The betrothal period: Upon acceptance of the marriage contract – our redemption – the Holy Spirit commenced to teach each member to be ready for the Bridegroom’s return. In this instance the betrothal period is not just one or two years but several thousand! This is because of the mercy of the Lord, who “is not slack concerning His promise … not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Pet. 3:9). Upon becoming part of the Bride, each believer is given a most precious present – the Holy Spirit, “who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession” (Eph. 1:14). Other precious gifts were given to the Church to sustain and equip her (4:11-12), and to assist her to remember that her Bridegroom would return. A most precious reminder to help in this is the breaking of bread, “in remembrance of Me” (1 Cor. 11:24-25).
3. The separation: Having completed the contract requirements and given his espoused her gifts, the young man (picturing our Lord) left to prepare the place to which he would receive her (consider Jn. 14:2). Meanwhile the bride-to-be prepared herself by taking her Mikveh, the ritual cleansing bath in living water. Every Christian has this admonition, “beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God” (2 Cor. 7:1). Thankfully, His Bride does not have to make her wedding gown as one will be granted her (Rev. 19:8).
4. The wedding call: “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord” (1 Th. 4:16-17).
5. The wedding: When looking at the accounts of Isaac and Boaz’s special day, there we find no record of the wedding or seven-day feasting. These parts of the marriage protocol may have been absent from the sacred record as they picture the future marriage that will be out of this world and too intimate to describe! The types suggest that the world will not be present – this wedding will be in the Father’s house, in heaven.
   Thankfully it is recorded that there will be a wedding! Revelation 19:9 speaks about the ceremony only in saying, “Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!” While the ancient seven-day feast protocol is not noted specifically here in the Scriptures, prophecy about the end-time suggests that the feasting period may be during the seven years of the tribulation period on earth. If so, there is no doubt that the Bride, who is not mentioned as being secluded in the wedding chamber (heaven itself), will be experiencing a celestial ecstasy as noted in 1 Corinthians 2:9. There we read: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” Meanwhile, the Bridegroom – our Lord – may be in and out of the chamber to deal with matters on earth (see Rev. 6–18).
6. The presentation: When the seven-year tribulation is completed, the Lord will come out of the heavenly wedding chamber with His Bride and introduce her to His guests and the whole world. This presentation will exalt the Lord when He comes “to be glorified in His saints and to be admired among all those who believe” (2 Th. 1:10).

“To God be the glory, great things He has done” and is going to do!

By G. H. B., adapted from the detailed description at TOV ROSE.

To God be the glory, great things He has done! So loved He the world that He gave us His Son, Who yielded His life an atonement for sin, And opened the life-gate that all may go in! —Fanny Crosby (1820–1915)