"For your Maker is your husband,
The LORD of hosts is His name;
And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel;
He is called the God of the whole earth."
Isa. 54:5
Jesus tells a parable of Himself as the Bridegroom in Matthew 25, and His Bride and His marriage are referred to in the Book of Revelation as well:
"Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready."
Rev. 19:7
"Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to me and talked with me, saying, "Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb's wife."
Rev. 21:9
There are other references in the New Testament of this special married relationship that Jesus has with His Church: 2 Cor. 11:2-3, Rom. 7:4, Eph. 5:25-27, and 31-32.
I would like to relate a dream I had, with special thanks to PK for his inspiration and help in understanding.
THE DREAM OF THE BRIDEGROOM:
I dreamed I was a bride dressed in a wedding gown attending my wedding. We were all assembled in a banquet room, sitting at round tables. Even though I was the bride, I was seated at the tables with the guests, who were dressed in their wedding finery. I had seen in a small chapel area that a Jewish wedding Chuppah or canopy had been put up, but the area was empty. As we were waiting, I looked across the room and saw my groom. To my surprise he was a very young Orthodox Jewish man. He was wearing black pants and jacket, white shirt with no tie, and a wide-brimmed fur hat. When he took his hat off, his hair was black and wavy, cut short. He was very average in physical appearance, nothing remarkable about him.
He was very determined that the wedding take place. I wondered why he wanted to marry me so much, because I was neither young, nor Orthodox Jewish. I grew concerned that his parents wouldn't approve of the marriage because of these things. I looked at the table where his parents were sitting. I could not see his father well, who seemed to be sitting in a shadowed side of the table. He sat very still and quiet. However, I saw the bridegroom's mother clearly, and she was ecstatic over the marriage, simply thrilled about it. Interestingly, she wore a dress of many different colors that blended together. The fabric of her dress was almost iridescent in how the colors shone. I relaxed because the parents seemed to be in favor of the marriage.
As I looked back at the bridegroom, I noticed that he was wearing a vest-style, or girdle-style prayer shawl under his jacket. I could see the fringes of the prayer shawl garment hanging down below where his black jacket ended. It was at this point that I began to feel an attraction toward the groom. The prayer shawl made him attractive to me. My eyes were drawn to him. I began to watch him as he supervised the preparations for the wedding. He was determined and sure as he dealt with the details.
The planned wedding had experienced a few delays. First, a previous wedding held in the banquet hall had run overtime, causing a delay in the start of our wedding. Secondly, the facility had said that there was money due on the bill, but the groom saw to this mix-up, and the facility came back and said they had made a mistake. They had found the record of the fact that that no monies were owed, that all was paid in full. It seemed that there was one delay after another.
My father had come to the wedding and I was glad to see him. But while the delays occurred, he had wondered away, as if the delays caused his attention to shift away. I looked around for him, because I knew that once the groom had dealt with the delays, the wedding would go forward immediately. I was afraid my father would not be back in time for it. I thought, if that was the case, I would have to walk down the aisle by myself, because the groom would not be put off any longer. He was sure and determined about this wedding. He dealt with the delays with maturity, authority, without anger nor impatience. He handled every problem with great confidence that he would resolve all. I was proud of how he handled himself, and admired his strength and sureness of purpose. The more I saw, the better I liked this groom!
It was the groom who was the driving force behind the wedding, not me, nor either set of parents. He was very calm, very resolute. I just sat in my finery watching him walking around the room, seeing to every delay.
Awaking, as I considered this dream, I became aware that I had seen how Christ was so looking forward to His marriage to His Bride. He is in full control, and will not be deterred. I am deeply touched that I was given this glimpse of our Lord, and His deep commitment to me, to the Bride. Let us not be discouraged, nor grow cold by what we see as delays in His coming. Let's not let our attention wander away. Let us not disregard the importance and divine purpose accomplished by the wedding of the Lamb of God, and His Bride. I will never be the same after seeing Him, and His strong character in this dream. I say wholeheartedly, "Blessed is He Who comes in the Name of the LORD."
"And the Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely."
Rev. 22:17
Our Father, and His Son, the Lamb of God, are bridegrooms.
"A Song for the Bride of Christ"
"The Bride and the Bridegroom"
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