Jesus, the Bridegroom

In the Bible, God’s relationship with Israel is compared to a marriage covenant (Isaiah 54:5-6, Ezekiel 16:8) enacted at Mount Sinai (Exodus 19:1-8). The Old Testament portrays God as a husband to Israel, but due to Israel’s repeated unfaithfulness and idolatry (Ezekiel 16:15-32), God metaphorically divorces her (Jeremiah 3:6-8). God’s enduring love for Israel is evident in His calls for repentance through various prophets and, ultimately, through His Son, Jesus Christ. Sadly, they were all rejected! In Matthew 23:38, Jesus laments, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! … See, your house is left to you desolate.”

From that point onwards, while there’s a prophetic hope for Israel’s future repentance and restoration (Jeremiah 3:12-14; Zechariah 12:10; Isaiah 62:4-5), the immediate focus shifted to Christ as the Bridegroom and the Church as His Bride. The New Testament underscores this unique relationship with rich symbolism and imagery of the Church as the Bride of Christ. (Romans 7:4; 2 Corinthians 11:2; Revelation 19:7, 22:17). A study of the Galilean marriage custom reveals astonishing parallels between the steps of a traditional Galilean wedding and the stages of the relationship between Jesus Christ and the Church—the betrothal, preparation, and consummation of the union. Hence, the parables and teachings of Jesus mirrored the sequential events of a customary year-long Galilean wedding.

Jesus has gone to prepare a place for the Church in Heaven (John 14:1-4). The believers, as a betrothed bride awaiting the fulfillment of God’s promise, are to be committed to readiness for the Groom’s return (Revelation 19:7; 1 John 3:2-3). The Rapture is the most significant event of all ages that the Church is waiting for. It is the catching away of all true believers in Christ to meet the Lord in the air (I Thessalonians 4:16). The imminent nature of the Rapture calls sinners and nominal Christians to repent and accept Christ urgently (Revelation 22:17). Believers are urged to watch and pray lest that day should come upon them unprepared (Matthew 24:42-44).