reply to post by Theone2000
Ill try and explain this as simple as possible and as short as possible although it is a big topic in itself that has many branches that relate.
Im going to use some bible quotations that are relevant to your question but ill keep them short too because you said you are not so into the bible.
Ill also compare it to jewish traditions of those times to try and make it clearer to you because I am not understanding what makes you think Jesus
would come back in the manner you speak of, if he did come back like you are asking, that would be a false preacher and theres plenty of them
already.
Anyways...
If you look at jewish wedding traditions back in biblical days and even the words used in the bible it is literally a marriage between Jesus and his
church. Not the church of bricks but the believers.
There are 7 biblical traditions when it comes to jewish marriage customs, I mean, just look at this for a second...
The Match (also known as Shidduch)
1st - The father gets a matchmaker to help them pick the bride, this is called "the match" in english and Shidduch in traditional Jewish
language.
John 15:6 "You did not chose me, but I chose you"
John 6 v33-37 "All that the father gives to me will come to me... No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him"
God matched us to Jesus in other words and the bride must accept the fathers proposal.
The Bride Price (also known as Mohar)
2nd - The Bride Price, this was decided between the two parties and the groom would pay the price for his bride.
1Corinthians 6:20 "You are not your own. For you have been bought with a price.."
1Peter 1:18 "Knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things... but with the precious blood.. the blood of Christ"
Jesus died for everyone, that was what we were worth and he paid it so that we might accept him, love or what?
The Love Gifts (also known as Mattan)
3rd - The Love Gifts, this is where the groom would offer the bride gifts that were voluntary as an expression of love.
John 10:27-28 "My sheep hear my voice and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish; and no
one shall snatch them out of my hand"
John 14: 27 "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.."
John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrightousness"
John 15:11 "I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete"
Jesus gave us eternal life, peace, forgiveness and joy as gifts for us accepting him.
He did not have to do this, it was completely voluntary. (pretty good gifts huh?)
The Dowry (also known as Shallen, spoken as "Shelloween")
4th - The Dowry, this is where the father of the groom would give gifts to the bride, specifically to help equip her in a new life with the groom.
John 14:16-17 "And I will ask the Father and He will give you another helper...That is the spirit of truth"
This is a gift from God to help you live for Jesus.
Romans 12:6 "We have different gifts, according to the grace given us"
This is an actual person specific gift given to you to serve Jesus.
2Corinthians 1:21 - 22 "Now He who established us with you in Christ and anointed us is God, who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our
hearts as pledge"
This word Pledge, translated into Greek is ARRABWN which is the word for ENGAGEMENT RING!
This is the gifts that God gives as the Father.
The Marriage Contract also known as (Ketubah)
5th - The marriage contract, this was a legal document outlining the bride price, the promises of the groom and the rights of the bride. At this point
in the marriage ceromany the groom would offer the bride a cup but she did not have to take it, if she did take it she was saying she agrees to marry
forever.
Guess what that is??
1Corinthians 11:25 "In the same way, He took the cup also after supper, saying "This cup is the new covenant in My Blood; do this as often as
you drink it, in remembrance of Me"
He is saying that this is the new contract signed with my blood, he paid the price with his blood, do you accept?
The Betrothal (Kiddushin)
6th - The Betrothal, after the marriage contract was signed, this meant that they were legally married but they still did not live together. Two
things had to happen at this point,
1) The groom had to go away and make preparations for their lives together. During that time the Bride had to demonstrate their purity and prove that
they would not sell themselves out to other suitors.
2) The groom would go back to the Fathers house and had to build an addition onto the Fathers house called the Bridal Chamber. If a Jewish Father had
5 kids, 5 additions would be added to the house if they got married. They lived in mansions over time as families grew. The father had to be satisfied
that the Bridal Chamber was good enough or too his liking before they could move into it.
John 14: 2 - 3 "In my Fathers house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you and
if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again, and recieve you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also."
If it took God 6 days to create the universe, can you imagine what is waiting after over 2000 years?
The Taking also known as (The Nissuin)
7th Stage - The Taking, once the bridal chamber was completed and the Father had inspected it, he would tell the son to go and get his bride. This
could take a week, a month or years in the making as the Bridal chamber had to be perfect and to the Fathers satisfaction with the craftsmanship etc.
Nobody knew the hour that the decision would be made because only the Father knew.
The Bride would wait, with no contact with the groom during this time and no idea when the groom was coming to take you away. When the groom came
(anytime, during the night or day) you had to be ready to leave for good, the bridegroom would blow a horn and shout, that heralded his arrival for
the bride and she would run out to join him, she would be taken away to the fathers house.
1Thessalonians 4:16,17 "For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout..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"
Jesus is not coming back in a celebrity like fashion or as a man to teach like before. The second coming will be about the church, not to be mistaken
for the church of bricks but actually believers themselves.
I hope this answers your questions or at least gives you something to think about. If you do want to understand, you really must read the bible and
have patience to understand it. There is a tonne of depth within every book of the bible and its not a hobby, its a way of life that is like no other,
the other reason many people find it very hard to understand is because you must believe to see, not the other way around. If you are wondering why,
the whole post I have just made should clear it up for anyone.
The first step is telling God in prayer that you accept Jesus dying for you as I have explained above.
Cheers.
[edit on 30-4-2010 by XXXN3O]