Who doesn’t like a wedding feast? It’s a happy and joyous occasion! It’s the celebration of the union of two people who love each other and want to spend the rest of their lives together. The Galilean wedding feast is key to understanding the Rapture and Heaven. Why? Let’s dig in…
You’re Invited to a Galilean Wedding Feast!


This wedding is the New Covenant — a marriage contract or agreement — between Jesus and His Church — His born-again believers. To fully understand this, you must grasp the local culture of first-century Galilee. First, keep in mind that all of Jesus’ disciples were from Galilee. Thus, they understood what Jesus was talking about. In fact, 2/3 of the Gospel takes place around the Sea of Galilee! Let’s look at what a Galilean wedding was like in Jesus’ time.
The Betrothal
Before the wedding feast, there has to be a betrothal. In a Galilean wedding, the groom-to-be offers his bride-to-be a cup of wine. She has to take it and accept his proposal of marriage by drinking from it. Everything hinged on the bride — whether she drank from the cup or not. If she does, then the groom drinks from the same cup securing the betrothal. The groom then says publicly…
“You are now consecrated to me by the laws of Moses. And I will not drink of this cup again until I drink it anew with you in my father’s house.”
Our Betrothal was at the Last Supper


When Jesus raised the cup at the Last Supper, He did the same thing…
27 And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them and said, “Each of you drink from it, 28 for this is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many. 29 Mark my words—I will not drink wine again until the day I drink it new with you in my Father’s Kingdom.”
Matthew 26:27-29 NLT (emphasis mine)


Jesus used the local culture so His disciples and followers would understand. It was called the “Cup of Joy”, the act of drinking from the same cup was a “common union“. Hence, we get the word “communion“.
Remember, Jesus’ first miracle was at a wedding in Cana! There He turned water into wine. If you want to read the story it’s in John 2.
Next Came the Preparation of the Wedding Feast
Following the betrothal, the Galilean groom, went to his father’s home to build a room for His bride — an addition to his father’s house. Subsequently, once the groom finished the expansion, he prepared the wedding feast. This took up to a year or more.
Jesus made this very promise to us…
“Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. 2 There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? 3 When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. 4 And you know the way to where I am going.”
5 “No, we don’t know, Lord,” Thomas said. “We have no idea where you are going, so how can we know the way?”
6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. 7 If you had really known me, you would know who my Father is. From now on, you do know him and have seen him!”
John 14:1-6 NLT (emphasis mine)
Get Ready, then Wait Patiently
In the meantime, the bride was with her bridesmaids buying the material for her wedding dress and the bridesmaids’ dresses, along with oils, perfumes, and jewelry for the wedding. She got herself ready for the wedding feast.
Interestingly, once the preparations were completed, the groom was not the person to decide when the wedding would be. The bride wasn’t either. It was the father of the groom who told his son when it was time to go get his bride. The bride, having to always be ready, actually slept in her wedding dress!
The groom’s father could wake up in the middle of the night and say, “It’s time! Go get your bride!” The groom then gets the shofar (trumpet) and blows it to awaken the bride, the bridesmaids, the groomsmen, the invited wedding guests, and yes, the whole town. Only those who were prepared could quickly rise and join the festivities.
The groom then went to get his bride from her father’s house and she was raised in honor as she was carried in a litter, to his father’s house. This was known as “Flying the Bride to the Father’s House.” Let the wedding feast begin! We, His true Born-Again Believers, will be raised in honor at the Rapture.
Can you see how the Galilean wedding was different? There was no date set! Only the father of the groom knew when the wedding would take place.
Jesus told us…
36 “However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows...
…“So you, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know what day your Lord is coming. 43 Understand this: If a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was coming, he would keep watch and not permit his house to be broken into. 44 You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.
Matthew 24:36, 42-44 NLT
The Future Wedding Feast of the Lamb
6 Then I heard again what sounded like the shout of a vast crowd or the roar of mighty ocean waves or the crash of loud thunder:
“Praise the Lord!
For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns.
7 Let us be glad and rejoice,
and let us give honor to him.
For the time has come for the wedding feast of the Lamb,
and his bride has prepared herself.
8 She has been given the finest of pure white linen to wear.”
For the fine linen represents the good deeds of God’s holy people.9 And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb.” And he added, “These are true words that come from God.”
Revelation 19:6-9 NLT
The Marriage Supper of the Lamb is one of the rewards that we, as born-again believers have to look forward to after the Rapture.
Like a Thief in the Night
Anyone who claims to know when the Rapture will happen is a liar, a false prophet. Jesus warned us about them. In fact, it was the first thing that He told His disciples when they asked …
When will all this happen? What sign will signal your return and the end of the world?
Matthew 24:3 NLT
Jesus replied…
“Don’t let anyone mislead you, 5 for many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah.’ They will deceive many.”
Matthew 24:4 NLT
DO NOT BE DECEIVED!
In the New Testament, we are warned not to be deceived…
11 So God will cause them to be greatly deceived, and they will believe these lies.
2 Thessalonians 2:11 NLT
But evil people and impostors will flourish. They will deceive others and will themselves be deceived.
2 Timothy 3:13 NLT
You must warn each other every day, while it is still “today,” so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God.
Hebrews 3:13 NLT
The Parable of the 10 Virgins
Now that you know what a Galilean wedding is like, let’s look at my favorite parable in Matthew 25. Then we’ll look at Jesus’ promises to HIS BRIDE!
“Then the Kingdom of Heaven will be like ten bridesmaids who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. 3 The five who were foolish didn’t take enough olive oil for their lamps, 4 but the other five were wise enough to take along extra oil. 5 When the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
6 “At midnight they were roused by the shout, ‘Look, the bridegroom is coming! Come out and meet him!’
7 “All the bridesmaids got up and prepared their lamps. 8 Then the five foolish ones asked the others, ‘Please give us some of your oil because our lamps are going out.’
9 “But the others replied, ‘We don’t have enough for all of us. Go to a shop and buy some for yourselves.’
10 “But while they were gone to buy oil, the bridegroom came. Then those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was locked. 11 Later, when the other five bridesmaids returned, they stood outside, calling, ‘Lord! Lord! Open the door for us!’
12 “But he called back, ‘Believe me, I don’t know you!’
13 “So you, too, must keep watch! For you do not know the day or hour of my return.
Matthew 25: 1-13 NLT
All 10 began, but only 5 finished. The oil symbolizes the Holy Spirit. The foolish, unwise bridesmaids didn’t have enough oil to keep their lamps lit until the groom arrived.
The wedding feast lasts 7 days and 7 nights. The Great Tribulation will begin sometime after the Rapture and last 7 years. So, while the world is feeling God’s wrath for not believing in Him we born-again believers will be enjoying the Wedding Banquet of the Lamb.
My question to you is are you one of the foolish or wise ones? Are you ready? More importantly…
Does Jesus KNOW YOU?!
Here’s another of Jesus’ wedding parables…
Jesus also told them other parables. He said, 2 “The Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a king who prepared a great wedding feast for his son. 3 When the banquet was ready, he sent his servants to notify those who were invited. But they all refused to come!
4 “So he sent other servants to tell them, ‘The feast has been prepared. The bulls and fattened cattle have been killed, and everything is ready. Come to the banquet!’ 5 But the guests he had invited ignored them and went their own way, one to his farm, another to his business. 6 Others seized his messengers and insulted them and killed them.
7 “The king was furious, and he sent out his army to destroy the murderers and burn their town. 8 And he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, and the guests I invited aren’t worthy of the honor. 9 Now go out to the street corners and invite everyone you see.’ 10 So the servants brought in everyone they could find, good and bad alike, and the banquet hall was filled with guests.
11 “But when the king came in to meet the guests, he noticed a man who wasn’t wearing the proper clothes for a wedding. 12 ‘Friend,’ he asked, ‘how is it that you are here without wedding clothes?’ But the man had no reply. 13 Then the king said to his aides, ‘Bind his hands and feet and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
14 “For many are called, but few are chosen.”
Matthew 22: 1-14 NLT
Here, “wedding clothes” symbolize being born again, pure enough to get into Heaven. Notice it’s by invitation only. Yet, only a “few are chosen“.
Jesus will come to collect His bride — the church — His true born-again believers when God the Father says so. That, friend, is the Rapture!
Our Heavenly Home
It’s by the Grace of God that our Home is in Heaven, where we will dwell with Him for all eternity. That promise is the Book of Revelation…
6 Then I heard again what sounded like the shout of a vast crowd or the roar of mighty ocean waves or the crash of loud thunder:
“Praise the Lord!
For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns.
7 Let us be glad and rejoice,
and let us give honor to him.
For the time has come for the wedding feast of the Lamb,
and his bride has prepared herself.
8 She has been given the finest of pure white linen to wear.”
For the fine linen represents the good deeds of God’s holy people.9 And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb.” And he added, “These are true words that come from God.”
Revelation 19:6-9 NLT (emphasis mine)
If you reject the invitation, you will be left behind!
Those of you who are out, are OUT! Left out — left behind. You are then destined to participate — whether you want to or not — in the Great Tribulation. This is when God lets loose His wrath of judgment on the world that rejected Him. Believe me, you do not want any part of that.
Here’s a quote by Amir Tsarfati in his book, Revealing Revelation, which I highly recommend. It’s available in my Christian Bookstore!
It will be a horrific time. I don’t understand the gluttons for punishment in the church who so desperately look for evidence that the bride of Christ is destined to endure those days. As Jesus explains in the Luke passage above, they are days of vengeance and times of woe. The Jews must endure this period so that they will finally turn to the Messiah. The unsaved Gentiles will face it because it is the just punishment for their sins. But for those who have already given themselves to Christ, salvation has come and all in the church have already been fully purified by the blood of Jesus. There is simply no purpose in the tribulation for the church.
Amir Tsarfati, in Revealing Revelation (Christianbook Affiliate Link)
It’s a choice you need to make now, while you’re alive and coherent before it’s too late!
If you’re not sure if you’re saved or not, if you truly want to be born again and have the assurance of salvation, receive the Holy Spirit, feel His Shalom — a peace that surpasses all understanding, and get a 1-way, non-stop ticket to Heaven after you die, or that you won’t be left behind at the Rapture, which can happen at any moment, this is what you have to do…
Believe. Repent. Be Baptized. Receive the Holy Spirit.
- Believe — have Faith — that Jesus is the Christ and He died taking your sins away forever and that He rose from the dead 3 days later.
- Repent of your sins — stop sinning! Do a complete 180-degree turn in your life and surrender your life to Him. When you ask Jesus to forgive you He will. ALL your sins will be wiped clean — past, present, and future! And All means ALL!
- Be Baptized by water baptism — show the world and yourself that you have died to your old life and are born again in Christ.
- Receive the gift of Holy Spirit in your heart.