Grafted into Israel

 

Who is the bride of the Messiah? Most Christians say it is them, the Jewish people who believe in the Messiah and are part of the tribe of Israel and the foreigners that have grafted themselves in say it is them, but who is truly the bride of the Messiah. Many Christians think that they have replaced Israel and now they are the true Israel, but does this line up with scriptures, my answer to that is no.  They did not replace Israel, this is called a replacement theology and it is not biblical. Remember that God cannot change His mind and the covenant with Israel is a forever covenant. In Romans 11:1-2 says that God never rejected His people Israel.  Also Romans 11:28-29  28 With respect to the Good News they are hated for your sake. But with respect to being chosen they are loved for the Patriarchs’ sake, (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob) 29 for God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable. ( This means the covenant with Israel cannot end, it cannot be annulled or it cannot be recalled).

 

So what does this mean? All Christians are going to Hell? NO, of course not. As we read further we will understand what we are to call ourselves for those who have accepted Yeshua as their Messiah and observe the Torah not for salvation but for sanctification so you can be set apart from the rest of the world. But if you don't graft yourselves in to become a part of Israel then you will not be the Bride but the Bride's maid. Let's look at what Paul taught and understand Biblically what the true believers were really called before Constantine and the Roman Church tainted the teachings of the Apostles to the point that most believers don't know their true identity.

 

Rav Shaul whom you call Apostle Paul never taught that the Israelites had to convert to become Christians but the opposite. In Romans 11:11-27, Rav Shaul taught that the Gentiles had to join in to become part of Israel because Israel is the bride and has always been the Bride. This is why Rav Shaul taught in Romans 11:25, that until the fullness of the gentiles has come in then the other unbelieving branches will also be grafted back in.  So right here it says that until the gentiles has fully come in, come into what, it is not Christianity but it is Israel the original bride. That's why Rav Shaul said in Romans 11:17 that on the cultivated olive tree (Israel), not all branches was broken off but only the unbelieving ones so that means there are some remnant of Israel that remained on the original tree and then the branches from the wild olive tree (the Nations) was broken off to be grafted into the original cultivated olive tree along with the other original branches that was already there so that they all would become one and the same.

When the Gentiles accepted Yeshua and the renewed covenant then that was when the Gentiles were brought in by the blood of the Messiah which is the blood covenant and now they too will share in the inheritance of Israel.

 

One of God's most beautiful pictures of God's love for us is the Jewish wedding. It consist of three phases: the betrothal phase, the wedding phase and the celebration phase. So here I will explain about the Jewish wedding process and compare it to what Yahshua did and is going to do.

 

The Betrothal phase

The betrothal phase is the first phase in the Jewish wedding. The Young man prepares a marriage contract or a covenant which he presents to the young woman and her father. The Hebrew word for this contract is called a Ketubah. It is a formal written document which explains the terms of the marriage proposal that he is making to her. This is the same as when Yahshua said to the believers in John 14:15

15 “If you love me, keep my commands". That was His terms of the marriage covenant.

The price for the bride is a very high price and it is an expression of the young man's love for her and is willing to pay that ultimate price for her. Just like Yahshua said in John 15:13 No one has greater love than a person who lays down his life for his friends, and this is exactly what Yeshua did, He laid down His life for Israel, the ultimate price that He paid for her which was acceptable to the father.

 

The Acceptance Cup

Now the young man will pour a cup of wine for his beloved and wait anxiously to see if she will drink it.

This cup of wine represents the blood covenant for commitment in union which would bind them together as husband and wife. If she drinks the cup, this shows that she accepts the marriage proposal and everything in the covenant, it is her way of saying yes to the proposal.

This is the same as when Yeshua poured out the wine for the disciples to drink on Passover before He was crucified.

Matthew 26:28

For this is my blood, which ratifies the renewed Covenant, my blood shed on behalf of many, so that they may have their sins forgiven. So the disciples all drank of the cup. You all who have accepted Yeshua as your Messiah also drank the cup of the blood covenant, it is the same as you saying yes by accepting the marriage contract and everything in it and that is to follow God's commandments.

Now at this point they are betrothed, so now the young man announces to her that he is going away to prepare a place for her and as soon as it is done and approved by the father of the groom then he will come back for her. This is the same when Yahshua told His disciples that He is going to prepare a place for them.

John 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.

The bride would then ask how long will you be gone? The Groom would answer "I don't know, only the father will know.

 

Just like Yeshua said to the disciples, Matthew 24:36 “But when that day and hour will come, no one knows — not the angels in heaven, not the Son, only the Father.

After the young man leaves, the bride would then take a special bath as part of a cleansing ceremony to prepare her for the days ahead. The Hebrew word for this ceremonial cleansing is called a Mikveh, it is a washing or cleansing that denotes a purifying through baptism.

While the groom is away the bride is busy preparing herself . She would use the gifts the groom has given her to make her beautiful.  These gifts are parallel to the gifts that Yahshua gave to the believers through the Ruach Hakodesh (The Holy Spirit) on the Feast of Shavuot or Pentecost as the Christians call it.  

 

Although she does not know when he will come for her, she want to look her best so she changes everything in her ways of life to make herself ready for his coming. Same as the believers, we do not know the day or the hour so we must prepare ourselves by changing our ways by following God's instructions in the Torah which will make us Holy and making us beautiful for our Messiah when he comes for us.

In ancient times when the Jewish bride goes out of her house she wears a veil over her face to let other young men know that she belongs to someone else and now she is no longer available because she has been bought with a price. Same as for the believers of the Messiah, we will have the Torah in our hearts and minds and wear a Tzit Tzit, or the Torah to remind ourselves that we belong to God and everyone who sees us will know that we have been bought for a price, it is like a veil to constantly remind us that we are betrothed to the Messiah who is preparing a place for us.

 

She is set apart and consecrated to her bridegroom. She will resist any offers as she waits for her one true love who paid the bride price for her. In Hebrew she is called a Me'kudeshet, meaning one who is betrothed,  sanctified, dedicated to another.

While the bride is waiting it is customary for her to keep an oil lamp beside her bed along with her veil and her belongings. Her bridesmaids are also waiting making sure they have plenty of oil for the lamps to burn. When he comes he will come quickly  like a thief in the night, they do not know when he will come so they must all be ready because he may come at any time.

 

Just like us believers we do not know when our Messiah will come so we must make ourselves ready and keep our lamps burning because Yahshua will also come like a thief in the night, you can find this in 1 Thessalonians 5:2

because you yourselves well know that the Day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.

 

The Wedding Phase

Now the Father says it is now time to go get his bride, so he leaves with his friends to get his bride and the bridesmaids. So they rush to go get her but as they get closer they need to let her know that they are coming so they blow the Shofar (rams horn) to let the bride know that the groom is coming. When they arrive, the bridegroom and his friends rush into the house to quickly carry off the bride and the brides maids.

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17

Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)

16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a rousing cry, with a call from one of the ruling angels, and with God’s shofar; those who died united with the Messiah will be the first to rise; 17 then we who are left still alive will be caught up with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and thus we will always be with the Lord.

Revelation 14:14-16

Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)

14 Then I looked, and there before me was a white cloud. Sitting on the cloud was someone like a Son of Man[a] with a gold crown on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. 15 Another angel came out of the Temple and shouted to the one sitting on the cloud, “Start using your sickle to reap, because the time to reap has come — the earth’s harvest is ripe!” 16 The one sitting on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested.

 

The Celebration Phase

This will be the most festive and joyous time and it is called the marriage supper which is given to honor the new husband and wife.

Revelation 19:5-9

Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)

5 A voice went out from the throne, saying,

“Praise our God, all you his servants,
you who fear him, small and great!”

6 Then I heard what sounded like the roar of a huge crowd, like the sound of rushing waters, like loud peals of thunder, saying,

“Halleluyah!
Adonai, God of heaven’s armies,[a]
has begun his reign!

7 “Let us rejoice and be glad!
Let us give him the glory!
For the time has come for the
wedding of the Lamb,
and his Bride has prepared herself —
8 fine linen, bright and clean
has been given her to wear.”

(“Fine linen” means the righteous deeds of God’s people.)

9 The angel said to me, “Write: ‘How blessed are those who have been invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb!’"

When the party is over the bride will discard her veil so that all will see who she is and then the married couple will go live in their house together for all eternity.

Same with the believers we are the bride of the Messiah and the whole world will know who we are in the end and we will live with our Messiah Yahshua for all eternity.

Ezek 43:7 God said "Human being, this is the place for my throne, the place for the soles of my feet, where I will live among the people of Israel forever". God was talking about Jerusalem and the people are the Children of Israel that will live with God forever.  Amen.