Two Weddings and a Funeral

I recently had the honor of reading the Bible scripture of the Wedding of Cana (John 2) precisely at the location where the event is believed to have taken place, now known as The Franciscan Wedding Church at Cana in Galilee, Israel. 

A section of the reading included this scripture verse where Jesus was responding to Mary’s request for help with the lack of wine provisions:

Jesus said to her, "Woman, what does that have to do with you and me? My hour has not yet come."

~John 2:4

At first glance, it sounds like Jesus was speaking somewhat disrespectfully or harshly to His Mother.  That is, until we get underneath to the true meaning of this scripture. 

Here’s a breakdown of what I humbly believe Jesus was ACTUALLY saying: 

Woman:  addressing the True Church/Bride of Christ

What does that have to do with You and Me?:  We are not the Bride and Bridegroom at this wedding.
My Hour has not yet come:  The End of the World, when Jesus will be the Bridegroom at the Final Wedding Supper

Like the gematria meaning of the numbers Chapter 2 & Verse 4, the End Times will be a time of DIVISION…Separating those who believe in LIFE from those who promote DEATH.   

2=Unity of Church/Division and Separation of Apostasy

4=Four Corners of the Earth/Worldwide

 Abortion and gay marriage—two issues that have come to the forefront recently with questionable comments by Pope Francis--both have to do with LIFE and DEATH.  Birth is the beginning of earthly LIFE and a man/woman marriage creates this LIFE.  Abortion is DEATH and gay marriage is ultimately DEATH for all of mankind—creating an inability to procreate as ordained by God.  The Chastising Judgment during the End Times will separate the “men from the boys”…forgive my pun regarding so-called homosexual “marriage.” 

And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.”

~Revelation 19:9

The scripture is CRYSTAL CLEAR on this matter, unlike the Pope’s ambiguous comments: 

"Or do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, swindlers, shall inherit the kingdom of God.

~1 Corinthians 6:9-10

Sadly…this scripture is not stated often by those wishing to tickle every ear.  We have most Christian denominations trying to put forth some “politically correct” doctrine so as to throw their parishioner net as wide as possible.  Yet, the Kingdom of God is one of WINNOWING down, a PECULIAR people walking a STRAIGHT and NARROW pathway.  BROAD and WIDE is the pathway to destruction!  There will be no heavenly celebration at the Final Marriage Supper for those who imbibe of gay marriage.

In ecumenical circles, there is some debate over whether it was truly wine or some sort of grape juice.  Some theologians question whether Jesus would really create a beverage that could cause intoxication?  However, spiritual insight tells me that it HAD to be “spirit”-filled wine.  It was a shadow-picture of the religious ecstasy and delirium we will feel as God pours out His Spirit on the Final Century Church in anticipation of the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. 

  

Kiss me, make me drunk with your kisses! Your sweet loving is better than wine.

~Song of Solomon 1:2

So, in God’s perfect order of the Universe, He started His earthly miraculous ministry by turning water (represents bland, tasteless apostasy) into wine (spirit-filled Christians, crushed by His chastisement into Repentance).  Think of these lyrics from “The Battle Hymn of the Republic”:

Mine eyes hath seen the glory of the Coming of the Lord

He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored

The song links the judgment of the wicked at the end of time with the horrors of the American Civil War.  Not coincidentally, the author of the lyrics, Julia Ward Howe, was inspired by Revelation 19!

So what does this have to do with a funeral, you may ask, as mentioned in the title of this blog?  When you drink too much, people claim the antidote is a “little hair of the dog that bit you.”  Interestingly, snakebite venom is the potent ingredient in the anti-venom!  Eve got “bit” by the snake’s lies saying “you surely will not DIE.”  I’m not advocating a vodka and orange juice for your “morning after” hangover, but perhaps there’s a spiritual analogy here. 

What “ails” human beings is DEATH.  Since the time of the Garden of Eden, Death has hung over us like a frightening specter.  We weren’t SUPPOSED to die in the original plan.  We were created in the Image of God, to be eternal beings enjoying fellowship with God forever.  Yet once Adam and Eve DISOBEYED God’s one and only command, at the urging of the Devil’s (snake) lies, they became subject to DEATH.  The exact opposite of what the Devil told them happened.  We need to be wary of anyone, including the Pope, who tells us when we disobey God, “you surely shall not die!”  

Jesus came so we can have LIFE and have it more abundantly.  Yet, in order to enjoy this abundant life, INDEED first we need to have a funeral…we have to die!

Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it abides alone: but if it dies, it brings forth much fruit.

~John 12:24

We must DIE to sin.  Then, and only then, can we enjoy the Second Wedding that Jesus will attend.  This time we will be the Bride and He will be the Bridegroom.

Then, we will be “sealed with a kiss”…just like an earthly wedding ceremony.  Judas sealed the Death sentence on Jesus with a Kiss.  Jesus HAD to die before He could impart LIFE.  We must seal the deal on Repentance with a kiss also…the kiss of Death to our old life. 

So, like a wedding and a funeral, I bring you some good news and some bad news today.  The Good News is the Gospel.  In the Old English, it literally means “Good News” translated as gōdspel (gōd "good" + spel "news").

Sadly, for the rest of the world there will be chastisement and judgment.  Jesus made note of the world’s unrepentant state in this scripture verse: 

We played wedding songs, and you didn't dance, so we played funeral songs, and you didn't mourn.

~Matthew 11:17   

Here’s the “bad news” for the Vatican and the whole world:  If you are living in apostasy or unrepentant sin….

It’s Terminal.

___

It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society.
~Jiddu Krishnamurti

A nation can survive its fools, and even the ambitious. But it cannot survive treason from within. An enemy at the gates is less formidable, for he is known and carries his banner openly. But the traitor moves amongst those within the gate freely, his sly whispers rustling through all the alleys, heard in the very halls of government itself. For the traitor appears not a traitor; he speaks in accents familiar to his victims, and he wears their face and their arguments, he appeals to the baseness that lies deep in the hearts of all men. He rots the soul of a nation, he works secretly and unknown in the night to undermine the pillars of the city, he infects the body politic so that it can no longer resist. A murderer is less to fear. The traitor is the plague.

~Marcus Tullius Cicero

Prayer: 

At this late hour this is my prayer:  Abba Father, in Yeshua/ Jesus’ Holy Name, I pray that Your Bride would today fully awaken to follow Your Words only and respectfully fear You more than man.  Forgive us for following our own thinking and for being slow to repent.  Lead us today in Your paths of righteousness for Your Name’s sake so that we will be ready for You at Your soon coming as the Bridegroom.   I pray in Yeshua/ Jesus’ Holy Name. AMEN. “

~Posted by permission of Pastor Jeffrey Daly

www.dayofrepentance.org