A Tale of Two Weddings

 

The title of this message is taken from the Charles Dickens' novel, "A Tale of Two Cities". That book begins with the well known sentence that says in part, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...". With that beginning, Dickens was describing the moral and spiritual conditions of the society at the time, which served as not only the background of his novel, but also as a driving force behind the events in the book. Those same conditions also describe the times in which we are living. His book dealt with the themes of resurrection, water, darkness, light and justice.

We will see those same themes play their part in our "Tale of Two Weddings".

This weekend, the world gathered to witness and watch what was called, "the wedding of the year". It was the royal wedding of Prince Harry, the son of a future king, and Meghan Markle, an American commoner of bi-racial background, now the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. The theme of the wedding was "Love", and the cost of it was over $40 million.

The coming Marriage of the Lamb will be the wedding of all ages. It is a marriage, like Prince Harry's, created in love, rather than social, financial or political convenience. The cost of the Marriage of the Lamb cannot be measured in dollars. Its cost is no less than the priceless, matchless blood of the Son of God.

A most interesting fact is that this wedding occurred on the Feast of Pentecost, the last of the spring feasts of the LORD, which was fulfilled by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon those who belong to the Messiah, Jesus Christ. When the Holy Spirit fell, it appeared as tongues of fire (Acts 2:3). This feast takes place fifty days after Passover, and includes a wave offering of two leavened loaves of bread, and an offering by fire (Lev. 23:15-22). It was on this feast that Israel also received the Torah (teaching) on Mt. Sinai ("thorny"), fifty days after their exodus from Egypt on Passover. The rabbis teach that when the Torah was delivered, it went out from the mountain, and over the congregation in palpable waves, and returned back to the mountain as flames of fire.
Pentecost is also about the LORD's instructions regarding the harvest (Lev. 23:22). Fields were to be harvested while leaving the edges unharvested for the poor (humble, lowly, afflicted) and strangers (temporary inhabitants, a newcomer lacking in inherited rights). Peter delivering his message on Pentecost, stirred the listeners to repentance and baptism (water). It led to the harvesting of more than 3,000 souls to salvation (Acts 2:36-41).

The Reverend Curry, an American Episcopal priest, who delivered the message at the royal wedding, spoke of the world-changing power of love, and the history-changing power of fire. He most assuredly had Pentecost in mind. Our heavenly Father gifted us His Son in love, and out of that love, also came the promise of the fire of the Holy Spirit:

"For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved...but he that believeth not is condemned already...this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil..." excerpt Jn. 3:16-19

"...ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call."

                                                                                                                 Acts 2:38-39

Jesus instructed his disciples about the promise of the Holy Spirit, and the power of Its fire:

"And behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high."   Lk. 24:49

This power being given by the Holy Spirit was for the purpose of the harvesting of souls (v.47).

Many at the royal wedding this weekend appeared uncomfortable, or displeased, even mocking of the message that Bishop Michael Curry delivered. There is a powerful parallel in scripture in a parable that Jesus taught about a wedding of a king's son:

"The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son, and sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come...they made light of it and went their ways...the remnant took his servants, and treated them spitefully, and slew them...when the king heard thereof, he was wroth...Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy. Go ye therefore...and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage."   Mt. 22:2-9

The king's servants rounded up all they could find, both good and bad, and gathered them to the wedding. The only requirement for these new invitees was that they should be arrayed in the proper wedding garments. One man came without the proper garment. He had no answer to give as to why he was not wearing the proper garment, and was thrown out of the wedding. The place outside the wedding was a place of darkness, a place of bondage, weeping and pain. (v.11-14).

As in Jesus' parable, those invited to the royal wedding this weekend also had instructions of what was considered to be proper attire for those attending.
The royal bride had also carefully prepared her beautiful gown that not only adhered to royal expectations, but also included meaningful symbols of the kingdom into which she was marrying. The Bride of Christ must also be arrayed in her fine, clean, white linen, which is the garment of her righteousness. Markle's racial and national heritage is also reflected in the inclusive nature of the kingdom of God: out of every kindred, tongue, people, and nation (Rev. 5:9).

The royal wedding that the world watched this weekend was not only a showcase of grandeur, but a spiritual sign. As we can see, so many things about it serve as a reminder that another royal marriage is about to take place. The marriage supper of the Lamb has come, and his wife has made herself ready. Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb (Rev. 19:7-9).

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To Receive Christ as your Savior, to receive the promised Holy Spirit, and to be ready for the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, begins with a simple, sincere prayer from your heart:
From Romans 10-

⁹ That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
¹⁰ For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
¹¹ For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

It's Time to Wake Up - A Prophetic Alarm

 

One of the great parables of Jesus is found in Mt. 25:1-13. It serves as a wake-up call, as a warning, and as a picture of the miraculous work of the salvation of God through Christ. This parable immediately follows the vivid prophetic description Jesus gives us in Mt. 24, of the tribulation and shakings that will occur at the end of the age, just before His return. It is clearly evident, when we read Mt. 24, that we are seeing in our time these described prophetic signs come to pass. It is at this point, that the parable of the ten virgins and an impending wedding, takes place.

To understand the setting of the parable, it is necessary to understand the Jewish marriage customs at the time of the parable. Two families enter into a covenant of marriage. The bridegroom then goes to prepare a place for himself and his soon bride in his father's house. When the father of the bridegroom is satisfied that all preparations for this bridal chamber have been completed, he tells his son to go and get his bride. The bridegroom then goes to "steal" his bride away from her house, and brings her to their marriage chamber. Jesus describes Himself as this bridegroom according to the Jewish customs, in the following verses:

"Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house, are many mansions (dwelling, to wait for, await one, to tarry, to endure, to remain as and not to become something different): if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there ye my be also. And wither I go ye know, and the way ye know. Jn. 14:1-4

Of the timing of His return, Jesus again refers to the Jewish wedding customs when He says:

"...when ye shall see all these things (the prophetic events of Mt. 24), know that is near, even at the doors...But of that day and hour knoweth no man,...but My Father only. But as the days of Noe (Noah) were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be."  Mt. 24:33-37

Since we are seeing the fulfillment of Mt. 24 taking place before our very eyes, it is important to learn from this parable of Mt. 25.

The ten virgins have gone out (Rev. 18:4) to meet the bridegroom, taking their lamps with them. Jesus tells us that five of the ten are wise, because they took an additional vessel of oil (the Holy Spirit, the oil of gladness, the oil of anointing that sets apart, and consecrates) with them, as well as their lamps. The five remaining are called foolish, because they are not well prepared, and have no oil. The bridegroom tarries, is delayed, so the ten virgins, even the wise, fall asleep. At midnight the cry (shriek, scream, Heb. thunderings) sounds, "Behold, the Bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet Him." (v. 6). All ten virgins rise to go out again, and they trim the wicks in their lamps to prepare them for lighting. The five foolish virgins, having been ill-prepared, do not have any oil left with which to light their lamps. Since the Bridegroom was delayed, and didn't appear when they had thought He would, the foolish five, still did not prepare to have the extra oil on hand for the actual coming of the Bridegroom. They had the opportunity to do so, because of the delay, but did not.

The meaning of the word "wise"  used in the parable means to know, to be thoughtful, discreet. It also means to reign in, or curb, feelings and thoughts in order to (properly) perceive and judge. The delay of the Bridegroom served to show who was genuinely prepared for His coming, and who was not. His failure to appear when and how expected caused the unedifying emotions, and preconceived ideas regarding His return, and the timing and the circumstances of His coming, to be exposed in the foolish. Their true feelings were shown in their lack of preparation.
The "wise" virgins, on the other hand, shone in the light of their oil-filled lamps. The wise had prepared themselves, and like the wife in Revelation, "had made herself ready" (Rev. 19:7).The prophet Daniel describes the wise:
"And they that be wise shall shine (send out light, be light) as the brightness of the firmament, and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars forever and ever." 
                                                                                                             Dan. 12:3
The five unprepared, foolish virgins in this parable were not allowed to enter in with the Bridegroom.
Don't be "fooled". The season is upon us. The prophet Daniel tells us that the final portion of the prophetic age began when the Messiah was cut off (Dan. 9:25-26). Jewish Rabbis know that the prophetic timetable has brought near the appearing of the One they await, their Messiah. Matthew 24 tells us the specific signs of the season of His appearing, and the end of the age, which we are seeing fulfilled.
There is another important piece of information in this parable to keep in mind. The cry that the Bridegroom comes came at midnight. The word "midnight" has great spiritual meaning. Many important events in scripture happened at midnight.

There are two Hebrew words used for midnight. One means the depth of night, a season, calamity, misery, protective covering, from a root meaning winding spiral stairs that fold back upon themselves. As in climbing a spiral staircase, facing one direction lay calamity and misery, but at the same time, and in the same space, at the turn of the spiral, a different direction provides a protective covering. The two exist in the one space.
A second Hebrew word for midnight means an arrow dividing, to divide or cut in two, to halve, pierce or sever, to cut off in the midst, be finished. It is a time when there is a division or separation from, when something is cut off or finished.
In Ex. 11:3, the plague of death struck the Egyptian first born at midnight, but passed over the homes of the Hebrews, who had covered their doorposts and lintels with the blood of the lamb. In one direction lay death, and in another came deliverance.
In Judges 16:3, although the enemy had set an ambush for Samson ("like the sun", glittering, shining) outside the city of Gaza (strong, mighty, fierce), Samson tore out the protective gates and posts of the city at midnight, and left it defenseless.
In Ruth 3:8, Boaz awakens at midnight, and finds Ruth at his feet. His personal destiny, and the future line of Messiah, suddenly take a turn.
In 1 Kings 3:20, a dead and living child are switched at midnight, and the wise King Solomon, discerns the true mother's heart by threatening to divide the living child into two halves (see definition of midnight).
Job 34:20 describes a moment, which occurs at midnight, when even the rich and powerful fall into the hands of God, and all of their power becomes useless.
In Psalm 119:62, the psalmist rises, like the ten virgins, to give thanks (yadah) at midnight because of the righteous judgments of God.

When the cry sounds at midnight proclaiming the coming of the Bridegroom, don't let it catch us unprepared. Let us be wise, prepared, and shining with the light of the abundant oil of our lamps, having made ourselves ready.

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