In my estimation, the opponents of the Pre-Tribulation Rapture fall short in consideration of several aspects in the study of eschatology. They fail to see the "big picture" if you will.

Consider this…when Christ walked with the apostles what was his main method of teaching? He used parables: Timeless stories relating to real life that would be applicable to all ages. Let''s now take the next logical step in this progression of thought. Students tend to emulate their teachers. It only makes sense that the apostles, when relaying the Gospel, would use the same parables and possibly (as we will show) some of their own.;

By denying the Jewishness of Christianity, or replacing Israel with the Church, opponents to a literal understanding of Scripture do not gain the proper insight to the message being told. These stances deny the parallels between the picture being painted by the authors of Scripture and the various long-standing traditions of Jews. This is an apparent oversight that is common among the more liberal theological stances.

One of the best examples of this is the consistent referral to the Church being the Bride of Christ and Christ being the Bridegroom. When you compare the Jewish tradition of the marriage process and the Scriptural account of the Rapture the parallelism is uncanny.

The Jewish tradition marriage is a several step process. At each step of the marriage process I will place the appropriate verses aligning with the doctrine of the Rapture.

First is the acquisition or purchase of the Bride. This is normally done by money, and the Bride must know the value of the purchase price, AND she can only be acquired with her consent.
(The scripture here is numerous, salvation, the crucifixion etc.)

The next part of the ceremony is when the bridegroom gives the wife a ketubah, or marriage contract. The ketubah spells out the bridegroom''s obligations to the wife during marriage, conditions of inheritance upon his death, and much more.
(Jeremiah 31:31; Matthew 6:27-29; 1 Corinthians 6:20; John 14:2-3)

Next comes the process of the marriage, the kiddushin and nisuin. The kiddushin (commonly translated as betrothal) occurs when the woman accepts the money. At that point the bride is the bridegroom''s. The nisuin (from a word meaning "elevation") completes the marriage. In the past the kiddushin and the nisuin would routinely occur as much as one to two years apart.
(Again, look at the concepts of salvation and Christ''s work on the cross, in regards to the waiting period - Luke 5:33-34)

Following the kiddushin, the bridegroom would leave to prepare a home for the new family. Along with the new home, he is also preparing the chuppah or bridal chamber which is located in his father''s house. There was always the risk that during this long period of separation, the woman would discover that she wanted to marry another.
(John 14:1-4)

The other aspect of the ceremony between the kiddushin and nisuin is that the bride was to always remain ready as she did not know when her bridegroom would come for her.
(2 Corinthians 11:2; Luke 19:13; 1 Corinthians 13:1; Luke 12:40)

Apparently during this period the bride would also participate in the mikvah, which was a ritual immersion. Women were immersed for various reasons. This is an ancient Jewish practice dating back to the time of Moses.
(Matthew 3:11; Mark 1:4; Luke 3:3; Acts 13:24; Acts 19:4)

Also of note here is the bridesmaids. Tradition has the bridegroom arriving to collect his bride at night and the bride''s unmarried friends who attend to the bride provide light for the groom who comes at night. This is a traditional custom for friends to light candles in the processional or during the veiling ceremony.
(Matthew 25:1-13)

Also, the bridegroom did not know when he would return…only his father did. When the bridegroom''s father was satisfied with the work on the new home and the chuppah done by the bridegroom would he release his son to gather up his bride…he did this with the sounding of trumpets. The groomsmen would run ahead fo the groom, sound the Shofar, and shout that he was coming. While the father''s head was turned, the groom would steal his bride and carry her back to his father''s house where he prepared the bridal chamber.
(John 3:29; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Matthew 24:36)

At this point comes the Nisuin or ceremony. The word Nisuin also can mean "to lift up" or "carry". Lifting up the bride is an ancient wedding custom of carrying the bride to the ceremony in a carriage lifted by poles. Although seldom done today, the ceremony still bears the name. The Chuppah is not only related to the bridal chamber, it is also "lifted" by poles like the ancient carriage. Both the bride and groom are then lifted up in this processional.
(1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)

Following the ceremony the bride and groom enter the bridal chamber (chuppah) where the marriage is consummated. The remain in the chamber for 7 days. The party waits outside and rejoices until the groom tells the best man that is consummated. After the seven days is the wedding supper.
(Daniel 9:27 - 7 days, one week, Daniel''s 70th week clearly showing the bride (the Church) will not be present for the Tribulation; Revelation 19:5-10)

At the completion of the marriage supper the bride and bridegroom would then depart for their new home.
(Revelation 19:11; Revelation 21)

In sum, what we have is the Lord, who provided us with the Scripture, speaking through the apostles and Christ Himself showing us the reliability of the concept of the Rapture. Nothing is a coincidence. What is also significant is how the blowing of the trumpets in the marriage process following the "waiting period" aligns with the Feasts of Jehovah found in Leviticus 23…in particular is the Feast of Trumpets in which the Shofar is blown as a "wake-up call" at the beginning of the feast. Again, nothing is a coincidence.

Tags: jewish | rapture | tribulation | wedding