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Let me throw out a slightly different perspective, one I have studied in Footsteps of the Messiah, App IIIB, by Dr Arnold Fruchtenbaum.

In Jewish tradition, well used in the time of the first advent, when our Lord Christ Jesus was here prior to the Cross, marriage was known as a 4-stage event.

It might be noted that the Church is referenced as the Bride of the Messiah, and Israel as the wife of Jehovah.

The Marriage begins with the Espousal (2Cor 11:2), where the Church as an engaged Bride, not yet joined by marriage to her husband.

The second stage is Sanctification or maturing of the Bride (Eph 5:25-27). Note the purpose of His death and His relationship with the Bride prior to the Second Coming is so that He might sanctify the Bride, so that a glorious virgin is presented to the Messiah, without blemish (no visible defilement), without wrinkle (no evidence of age or corruption) and holy, without blemish (no evidence of sin).

The 3rd stage is the Marriage (Rev 19:6-9).

In the Jewish system, in the 1st stage the Father of the groom made the arrangement for the Bride and paid the bride price (same relationship between persons of God the Father, the Son, and the Bride for the Son, the Chruch). The 2nd stage was frequently separated from the 1st stage by much time, at least a year, sometimes marriages were arranged at childbirth and not fulfilled for major portions of a lifetime.

The 2nd stage, also known in Jewish tradition as ‘the fetching of the bride’, the groom would go to the Bride’s home to fetch her and bring her to his home. It should be noted, though, that the Father of the Son determined the time of the fetching, not the groom. Since the fetching was to bring the bride to a new home, this implies the groom had already prepared a home for the bride prior to the fetching, which was determined to be allowed at a time by the father only.

The third stage stage was the marriage ceremony, where only a few were invited, preceded by ritual immersion for ritual cleansing.

The fourth stage was the wedding feast, which might last as long as 7 days.

In the case of the Bride of the Messiah, the 1st stage has been completed, wherein the bride price has been paid by the blood of Christ (Eph 5:25-27).

Today we are in the process of sanctification, which continues through, until the marriage ceremony of the Church.

In the 2nd stage, the fetching of the Bride is unmistakeably synonomous with what we call the Rapture of the Church, described in 1st Thes 4:13-18. The fetching time is not determined by anybody BUT the Father. This preserves the sanctity of the witness of the marriage. It isn’t performed arrogantly by the Son, nor by the Bride, but by a third party, with wisdom and love for both, namely the Father (Matt 24:36) and after our Lord Christ Jesus has prepared a place (John 14:1-3).

The 3rd stage or marriage ceremony takes place in Heaven, described in Rev 19:6-8, prior to the 2nd Coming at the end of the Great Tribulation. In this event, the Bride is wearing her complete bridal gown, indicating the process of sanctification has been completed at that time and after the Judgment Seat of the Messiah, when all saints are rewarded for their divinely judged good works on earth. (1Cor 3:10-15).

Then comes the Marriage feast (Rev 19:9). (Some note that the Old Testament saints shall be resurrected AFTER the Tribulation and Rapture, but before the 2nd Coming, to be present at the wedding feast.)

Considering the close parallel of the 4 stage wedding process in Jewish tradition, IMHO, the Rapture comes first, then a 7 year wedding feast which likely occurs in heaven, while those missing it on Earth, are enduring the consequences of the cosmic system they had placed before God, and will be reaping the whirlwind.

There are also strong arguments that the Rapture doesn’t necessarily occur at the immediate beginning of the Great Tribulation, although there also are strong indicators the two events closely coincide. The Great Tribulation might also lag the Rapture, rather than begin immediately, since the GT focus is more upon Israel and her return to God, removal of evil, and a consequence of her signing a covenant with the AntiChrist.

Well, this guy belongs to the “whacko crowd” ....

And I don’t mean he belongs to the “whacko crowd” because of “Bible prophecy” in general — but because of — “slaughtering Bible Prophecy”.... :-)

I mean I believe that the Bible is right in regards to a coming 7-year Tribulation and the Rapture and the rebuilding of the Third Temple, and so on — but I don’t have to be a whack-job to talk about it.

Quote — The Seven Year Tribulation Period began with a “peace agreement” on July 9, 2009, which was the 17th of Tammuz on the Jewish calendar. The “peace agreement” will allow the Jewish people to rebuild their Temple in Jerusalem, in order for the Jewish people to re-establish the ritual of daily sacrifice in their attempt to atone for the Jewish people’s sin. Information concerning the existence of that “peace agreement” has not been made available to the general public, as it is necessary for the Islamic governments to prepare the Islamic public for the fact that the Islamic people are going to share the Temple Mount in Jerusalem with the Jewish people; and the government of Israel must prepare the Jewish people to accept the concessions that the Israeli government made in order to facilitate the “peace agreement”. There is also a delay while various politicians posture themselves prior to the public announcement of the “peace agreement” in order for the various politicians to claim a percentage of the credit for the “peace agreement”. One of the politicians who is posturing himself in order to claim credit for the “peace agreement” is Barack Hussein Obama. We are in a very short time period before information concerning the “peace agreement” must be made available to the general public, as the Jewish Temple will be rebuilt and completed, and daily sacrifice will begin following sundown on March 15, 2010.

Just forgetting all the other nutty stuff that this guy is writing (or I should say “slaughtering”) — in just talking about the peace agreement, it presents a really peculiar and weird and twisted idea.... :-)

This is a “peace agreement” (apparently the one the Bible talks about) in which no one in the world knows about it and or even aware of it — except for him, of course... LOL... I suppose he’s got his little “beaner cap” on and that how he knows about it.

Neither the Hamas in Gaza or the Fatah in the West Bank, or Abbas of the Palestinian Authority know anything about it. Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel doesn’t know anything about it, or he’s not talking to the Israeli citizens about it, and they certainly don’t know about it.

President Obama, obviously doesn’t know a thing about a peace agreement, because with all the troubles he’s been having recently, he sure would like to announce the “good news” to the world. And no one in the U.S. knows about it (except maybe for this one guy I saw walking down the street the other day hollering and yelling to himself, staggering back and forth on the sidewalk; I might have caught something from him about this... LOL...).

Heck! This guy Pardue says that the Temple can be built in about seven or eight months. Well, maybe so..., but built without anyone seeing it being built?! What are they using “stealth technology” or a “Romulan cloaking device”...? :-)

I mean, if the Temple is being built right now, and those sacrifices are to start in another seven months from now, then where does someone actually see the construction going up? And since those Muslims over there don’t even know about the peace agreement, are they going to sit in their lawn chairs, drink lemonade and watch these Jews put up a building in their front yard? LOL....

I mean — come on... it’s not even April 1st and you’re posting this article...

This article is too ridiculous — right on the face of it and with the very facts that we know right now and *today* — to even give it consideration...