The following is an excerpt from my latest book “Mystery of the Ketubah” Chapter 1 The Chosen Bride. Starting tomorrow, January 22, 2019, this will be the first topic we discuss in the Mystery of the Ketubah Series. For a copy of my book visit the resource tab above or bocpublishing.com to get your copy today. Also, fill free to add your comments below, ask questions and join in the discussion. GOD bless you and I hope to hear from you tormorrow during the broadcast. If the mysteries of the Tanakh and the Talmud would have been revealed to the Gentiles along with the Gospel, it would not be necessary to explain who the Bride of Christ is today. When Jesus ministered to Israel through idioms and parables associated with common wedding traditions and customs, they knew He was speaking to them as their redeemer.  They believed His Word, understood His message, and received healing and deliverance. This was demonstrated when thousands of Jews acknowledged Him as their Messiah. Referring to Himself as a Bridegroom would not have been a revelation to the Jews either when interpreting Scripture. The Mashiach, or Anointed One, came to do the will of His FATHER, fulfill all scripture, and to finish HIS work, for GOD HIMSELF entered into the Marriage Covenant with Israel. Although Jesus only directly refers to Himself once as our Bridegroom, He compares Himself and the Kingdom of GOD to common traditions and customs associated with the Jewish wedding all throughout Scripture. When the message of the Gospel was opened to the Gentiles, the identity of these wedding traditions was lost in the epistles. It would not have been reasonable to try and explain thousands of years’ worth of traditions which were not necessary to salvation. After all, the first disciples of Jesus was obviously Jewish. Today the word Christian is associated with Gentiles rather than Jews. In the early church this was the antithesis. Jesus said, “I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Matthew 15:24 This is who Jesus was speaking to in parables and idioms when referring to His own customs and traditions throughout His ministry. We will discuss this further when we delve into the Ancient Jewish Wedding Traditions. John the Baptist was the first to compare Jesus to a bridegroom when referring to himself as His friend. After Jesus’ Ascension and Paul’s conversion, Paul also refers to Jesus as the bridegroom. Finally, Jesus’ disciple John, who received the Revelation, spells it out clearly. “Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.” Revelations 19:7-9 This revelation is referring to only one Lamb and that is Jesus Christ. The wife is described as being arrayed in fine linen which is the righteousness of the saints. The saints are the body of Christ; they are the believers, the followers of Jesus and are referred to as such all throughout the New Covenant whether they are Jew or Gentile.  This scripture is not referring to the New Jerusalem and it is not referring to the 144,000 servants which come out of the Tribulation. The Saints are the only ones preparing for the return of her husband; she is His wife. Whether it is a spoken word prophesied by John, a parable given by Jesus, or a reference by Paul, deciphering the mysteries within these scriptures will reveal to us the Mystery of the Ketubah. With that said, I will not try and pretend to know every Jewish tradition, custom, or wedding precept for today or 2,000 years ago. I am not Jewish, but I have tried my best to be as meticulous as possible. What I will do is unveil the mystery GOD has revealed to me…the mystery of what it means to be called His chosen Bride. by Debra Powers