It is certainly popular among messianic jews. However, that in itself wouldn't make it wrong. What would make it wrong was if it was inconsistent with scripture.
Vic for starting a new thread on this - I really am going to look forward to studying this in depth - I wont be able to contribute much to this thread this evening but what alerted me weeks ago was the following:
Quote:The Torah provides very little guidance with regard to the procedures of a marriage. The method of finding a spouse, the form of the wedding ceremony, and the nature of the marital relationship are all explained in the Talmud.
( From Jewish Library)
The reason I want to look into this is because this is how I got interested in Hebrew Roots and others get involved in HR this way too - some HR folk dangled this parallel as a carrot on a stick to us and then subtly brought in more and more false teaching. If you go on to most pretrib forums and some Messianic ones - you will see it being mentioned time and time again.
After I discovered this parallel 2 years ago on the net - I just had to join a Messianic forum to learn more about "hidden" things in the bible!
So now I am glad to say that I'm alot wiser and can see that this is a very dangerous route to take and thats why I would like to study this further so that we could inform others before they go down the HR avenue.
4given
(04-29-2009 03:59 PM)Anddra Wrote: [ -> ]It is certainly popular among messianic jews. However, that in itself wouldn't make it wrong. What would make it wrong was if it was inconsistent with scripture.
There is only one article I read on the Rapture...comparing it to the Jewish Wedding. It was an article written by Dr. Renald Showers: Behold! The Bridegroom Comes! It was an artice Dr. Showers wrote for the Friends of Israel publication, Israel My Glory. The first time I read it was in 1975. It didn't lure me into the Messianic Movement/HRM...I was already in it at that time. As a matter of fact, the Messianic fellowship didn't even believe in the pre-trib Rapture...and they refuted most of what the article said. Dr. Showers was basing much of the article on John 14:1-3. I thought it was a great article.
My
for now.
Another who teaches on this is Dr Arnold Fruchtenbaum (a messianic Jew). If it is OK with the mods, I will post an extract from one of his articles for your comment (I won't post the link as I don't have enough posts yet). If it's not OK, then please delete.
Quote:II. THE CHURCH: THE BRIDE OF THE MESSIAH
What God has to say about the Church and her relationship as the Bride of the Messiah is radically different from what has been said regarding Israel as the Wife of Jehovah. The Bride of the Messiah is the universal body of true believers. The “local church” is that portion of the universal Church living in a specific geographical area. But the Bride of the Messiah is not limited to some local church somewhere nor is it limited to any specific denomination. It is composed of all believers regardless of their geographical location and denominational affiliation.
There are four key passages of the New Testament that speak concerning the relationship of the Church as the Bride of the Messiah. It must be kept in mind, however, that the Church is pictured today as an engaged Bride who is not yet joined by marriage to her husband.
A. The Espousal: II Corinthians 11:2
For I am jealous over you with a godly jealousy: for I espoused you to one husband, that I might present you as a pure virgin to Christ. Speaking to the local church found in the city of Corinth, Paul declares that by means of evangelism, they were espoused ... to one husband for the purpose of eventually being presented as a pure virgin to Christ. Unlike Israel, who was guilty of adultery, when the union comes between the Messiah and the Church, the Church will be presented as a pure virgin.
B. The Process of Sanctification or Maturing of the Bride: Ephesians 5:25-27
Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself up for it; that he might sanctify it, having cleansed it by the washing of water with the word, that he might present the church to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. The purpose of the death of the Messiah in His relationship with the Church is that He might sanctify her. This is necessary in order for the Church to be presented as a pure virgin as pictured in I Corinthians 11:2.
The Church is sanctified by a continual washing in the water of the Word of God. The Holy Spirit is working in the Church so that the true Church is slowly being conformed to the Word of God. The water in this passage is not water baptism but a description of the Word of God in its cleansing ministry. The aim of this process of sanctification and cleansing of the Church is that the Church might be presented a glorious virgin to the Messiah.
C. The Marriage: Revelation 19:6-9
The Jewish wedding system that was common in Yeshua’s day had four distinct stages, which are found in the relationship of the Church as the Bride of Messiah. In the first stage, the father of the groom makes the arrangement for the bride and pays the bride price. In this case, the bride price was the blood of the Messiah. This was described earlier in Ephesians 5:25 27. While the first stage has already been completed, the other three stages are still future. The second stage is the fetching of the Bride. Just as a long period of time could transpire between the first and second stages in the Jewish system, so it has been with the Church. Two thousand years have passed since the first stage was accomplished. However, someday the second stage will take place when the Messiah will come in order to fetch the Bride to His home. This fetching of the Bride is referred to today as the Rapture of the Church, and is described in I Thessalonians 4:13-18.
The third stage of the Jewish wedding system is the marriage ceremony to which only a few are invited. The marriage ceremony will take place in Heaven just prior to the Second Coming of the Messiah at the end of the Tribulation, and the ones who will be present are only those in Heaven at that time. This is described in Revelation 19:6-8.
The fourth stage is the marriage feast described in Revelation 19:9: And he said unto me, Write, Blessed are they that are bidden to the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he said unto me, These are true words of God. Since many are bidden or invited to come to the marriage feast, this passage indicates that it will be at a different place than the marriage ceremony. We know from the Word of God that the Old Testament saints are not resurrected with the Church before the Tribulation; they are resurrected at the end of the Tribulation (Dan. 12:2). John the Baptist, who was the last of the Old Testament prophets, called himself a friend of the bridegroom and did not consider himself to be a member of the Bride of the Messiah, the Church (Jn. 3:27-30). Hence, the “many” who are bidden [to attend] the marriage supper on earth are all the Old Testament saints and the Tribulation saints resurrected after the Second Coming of Messiah.
While the marriage ceremony will take place in Heaven just before the Second Coming of the Messiah, the marriage feast will take place on earth after the Second Coming of the Messiah. In fact, it would seem that the marriage feast is what begins the Millennium or Messianic Age; the Church’s co-reigning with the Messiah will start with a tremendous marriage feast!
D. The Eternal Abode of the Bride: Revelation 21:9-22:5
The final picture that the Scriptures give of the Bride of the Messiah is contained in the closing chapters of the Bible itself. In Revelation 21:9, John states: And there came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls, who were laden with the seven last plagues; and he spoke with me, saying, Come hither, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb. In this passage, the bride is now the married wife. In the following verses (Rev. 21:10-22:5), there is a graphic description of the glorious, eternal wife of the Lamb in her eternal abode.
cuz i was sold on this for the rapture as well, til i got corrected. i would like to see this thread expand, lots to learn in this
And we will be only too happy to present our research and evaluation of it. 
as a solid teaching. 
