Will You Marry Me?Sample

I Now Pronounce You Husband and Wife

Jack and Diane are about to tie the knot. Before they say “I do,” Diane needs to receive a ceremonial cleansing or ritual bath, then put on her wedding garments or dress.

Diane has now made herself ready and Jack has her by his side. She has on her linen wedding gown and veil, and they step into a “huppah,” a Hebrew word meaning “tent” or “covering.” The bride and groom are ready for their wedding ceremony.
Jack presents the ketubah, the original contract, to his bride. Jack and Diane then exchange vows and rings—something we still do today.

Next, Jack and Diane select special guests to recite seven blessings over them. After each blessing, the bride and groom drink from a shared cup of wine symbolizing their union.

Then, the groom breaks a piece of glass by crushing it with his foot, which is said to symbolize that joy must be tempered. It also represents the Jewish people’s suffering over the destruction of the Jerusalem temple. The ceremony is now complete and the happy couple heads to their wedding chamber.
 

The married couple now enters the bridal chamber and consummates the marriage, representing a blood covenant made between them. Jack and Diane will spend seven days here together growing in intimacy and a deeper understanding of one another. When they emerge after seven days, the feast begins! 

In Jewish culture, there are many feasts—and this feast is held in celebration of the bride and groom. All the family members and wedding guests will participate in eating wonderful food, drinking fine wine, laughing, and dancing to wonderful music. They’ll tell family stories, share traditions, and grow in intimacy celebrating together. It’s a marvelous party! 

In today’s Bible reading, we see how this wedding celebration plays into our relationship with Christ. 

Like Diane in this illustration, we too receive a ceremonial cleansing when we invite the Holy Spirit to dwell in our souls. We’re washed clean and made new. The blood of Jesus covers us and we’re seen as righteous—pure as snow. 

When we drink the cup of acceptance and say yes to Jesus, we become betrothed to Him. We won’t see Him face to face until we depart from this earth and enter into eternity, but we know that right now, He’s preparing our rooms in His Father’s house and He’ll come back for us when the Father gives Him the command. 

The wedding will happen right after we’re raptured. Jesus will take His church, the bride, out of the world and a time of tribulation will happen on earth. The second coming will mark the new heaven and earth prophesied in Revelation—we’ll dive deeper into that later in the study. 

We’re not sure when this prophecy will be fulfilled, but what we do know is that the wedding of all weddings and party of all parties is coming. We only have a picture and we only understand in part, but one day, we’ll see it all clearly. 

Jesus is coming and He’s longing to marry His bride. It’ll be the party of a lifetime!