Sukkot is a wedding feast. The Bridegroom is Yah'shua (Jesus) and the Bride is the faithful, Torah-obedient, overcoming Remnant, the children of the first resurrection, being the bikkurim or "firstfruits unto Elohim (God) and to the Lamb" (Rev.14:4, KJV), the 'choicest pickings', as it were. They are also known as the firstborn, as in "the general assembly and community (church) of the firstborn who are registered in heaven" (Heb.12:23, NKJV). They're an 'assembly' which means they have to be gathered in one place, at some point, which is one of the goals of the Final Gathering

Now this marriage isn't literal, of course - but an allegory to describe the deep, intense reciprocal spiritual ahavah- or agapé-love that exists between believers (the collective uniplural Bride) and the Master Yah'shua (Jesus) (the Bridegroom). In other words, it's like marriage, but not of the kind that produces children. One of the most important characteristics of the parties to that marriage covenant is that aspect of divine love known as loyalty - the parties stay true to one another no matter what difficulties they may encounter. It's a rare quality these days, even in earthly marriages, which makes it all the more prized.

At the final Sukkot the loyal, commandment-keeping qodeshim (saints, set-apart ones) get fully married. Until then, we are betrothed. No one - either among the living or the dead - is fully 'married' to Christ, or can be, until He returns, thus completing our salvation. The relationship is not yet complete, just as betrothed couples, if they're following the biblical tavnith or pattern, aren't fully married until the union has been consummated. The 'Feast' of Sukkot, described metaphorically as a banquet, a giant 'Master's Supper' in which the Bridegroom is 'eaten' and 'drunk' (suggesting complete incorporation), is the parallel spiritual consummation, at which time we are plunged headlong into the fullness that is the mystery and glory of Messiah. It's a seven-'day' period of bliss as the Firstborn Remnant adjusts to the newer and fuller reality of what it means to belong to Yah'shua (Jesus).

Yesterday I talked a little about 'tasting' the mayim or waters of the seven wells of salvation. We also talked a bit about wine. We, as Messianic Evangelicals, don't drink alcohol in this covenant, because in that regard the Remnant are Rechabites who have declared: "[We] shall drink no wine...forever" (Jer.35:6, NKJV). This higher Melchizedek Covenant Yahweh looks upon with great favour, declaring: "...the son[s] of Rechab shall not lack a man to stand before Me forever" (Jer.35:19, NKJV). In other words, Yahweh can absolutely count on Rechabite loyalty like a firstborn, firstfruits temple bride, for as you know even in the Levitical Covenant, cohenim (priests) on duty in the Temple in Jerusalem were forbidden to drink wine so that they would be fully alert during their assigned course. We, as Melchizedek cohenim (priests), are to be fully alert spiritually too.

The Bridegroom is "a cohen (priest) forever according to the order of Melchizedek" (Ps.110:4, NKJV) and the Bride must therefore be complimentary in every respect for we are forbidden to be "unequally yoked" in marriage "with unbelievers" (2 Cor.6:14, NKJV). A failure in loyalty is a testimony to unbelief and Yah'shua (Jesus) will not link Himself to unbelief to such a degree of intimacy because unbelief cannot enter into Yahweh's rest (Heb.3:19).

The Melchizedek Priesthood, which is the New Covenant 'Levitical' Priesthood, demands such loyalty and that is why those who drink alcohol can never be a part of it until they have quit and proven their Rechabite loyalty. In the New Covenant, as I mentioned yesterday in our discussion afterwards, the Temple is our physical bodies and therefore we are cohenim (priests) on duty 24/7.

The Kingdom is not uniform but has different degrees and glories, as Paul taught the Corinthians (1 Cor.15:41-42). It's up to you to choose which inheritance you will receive by choosing what kind of faith you will exercise and whether you will be obedient to the mitzvot (commandments) or not. For you know as well as I do, if you believe Scripture before the traditions of men, that only those who keep the mitzvot (commandments) may have "the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city (New Jerusalem)" (Rev.22:14, NKJV). You also know, if you "tremble at His Davar (Word)" (Is.66:5) as the true believers do, that similarly in the Book of Revelation, the firstborn qodeshim (saints, set-apart ones) "keep the mitzvot (commandments) of Elohim (God) and the emunah (faith) of Yah'shua (Jesus)" (Rev.14:12, NKJV). I remind you of these things so that you in no doubt who the Bride is.

Though we should never be complacent, we can at least be grateful that the Marriage Feast of the Lamb has not yet taken place. We're not 'fully married' but 'betrothed' so we still have time to better prepare and demonstrate our loyalty.

To help you understand this better, let me tell you a little bit more about the Hebrew betrothal covenant (not to be confused with the modern idea of 'engagement') which was binding for life. After the couple got betrothed in the bride's house, they separated and the bridegroom returned to his own father's house for a season to build a home for his betrothed bride. When it was ready, he had to seek his father's permission to collect her at her parents' home.

Outwardly, nothing changed for the betrothed bride. She was absent from her betrothed husband and just got on with her daily tasks in the home of her father as usual as she was still under his authority. Her surroundings were exactly the same as before but there is now a difference - she's married. A woman thus betrothed carrying on as before in her father's house was known as a kalah.

Two millennia ago the Heavenly Bridegroom journeyed to the 'house' of His Bride, planet earth. Elohim (God) journeyed to our world, to our homes, into our lives, in order to make a betrothal covenant with us at the Feast of Shavu'ot or Weeks (wrongly called 'Pentecost'). The Bridegroom was obliged to leave earth viâ the Cross in order to go and prepare a home for the Kalah in Heaven, with this promise:

"I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also" (John 14:2-3, NKJV).

Does that sound similar to the Hebrew marriage practice of the first century? Indeed it does. So Messiah left planet earth for His Father's world or dimension, returning from whence He had come before the incarnation. And here we are, those of us who have not died yet - the hopeful Bride - 'in' our own 'house' waiting patiently. Do you remember the passage I quoted from Revelation 14:12 about the qodeshim (saints, set-apart ones) as being those who have faith in Yah'shua (Jesus) and obey the Torah? Well, what I didn't quote was the part where it says, "Here is the patience of the qodeshim (saints, set-apart ones)..." - or the Kalah. Waiting for the Bridegroom requires PATIENCE, which is one of the qualities of true love and loyalty, is it not? "Love is patient, love is kind" (1 Cor.13:4, NIV), where patience is "long-suffering" (NKJV).

So we are in exactly the same situation as the Hebrew betrothed bride or Kalah of two millennia ago patiently waiting for her betrothed husband to return to collect her. Things around us may look the same as they were before we were saved because the world chugs on as it always has done. We're still in the same 'house' called mortality, this present world, but there's a fundamental difference to the way we were - you have changed inside, I have changed inside. That means that whilst we are still in the world we are no longer of it, or belong to it, because our identity has changed and with it has come a change of where we belong. We don't belong to our present circumstances, we don't belong to our past, and we don't belong to our sins which we discussed yesterday. We don't even belong to our old limitations. We are no longer bound to these things because we no longer belong to the world system - we are citizens of our Husband's world now until He comes back to reclaim planet earth, dismisses its present fallen rulers, and install His system - the Kingdom of our Elohim (God). Now we belong to the Bridegroom. We're free. We're the Kalah!

The challenge, then, given the reality of our circumstances, is to live as the Bride patiently, obediently and loyally waiting in the tent or sukkah of the flesh, but as ones no longer bound to our circumstances because now we belong to the Bridegroom. We are free of this world even though we are still in it waiting to be collected.

Today is the sixth day of Sukkot, which corresponds to Yom haKippurim (Atonements) and to the Ruach haSheshi into whose well we are invited to dip our cups once more. Tomorrow is the last day of Sukkot which is then followed by Shemini Atseret, the last Great Day, and a High Sabbath. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow. Amen.

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