Bible TimeThe Wedding Day
The first chapter of John provides an intricate prophetic calendar for various events between the start of Mankind at Adam and the wedding supper of the Lamb.
Background
The first chapter of the Book of John tells a progressive story of various events early in Jesus’ public ministry. These stories are linked together by an interesting chain of day-transitions so we are able to track the days on which various things happen. This is interesting because we find the writer of John felt these day transitions were important to the story.
40 John 1:1-43
1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2The same was in the beginning with God.
3All things were made through him; and without him was not anything made that hath been made.
4In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
5And the light shineth in the darkness; and the darkness apprehended it not.
6There came a man, sent from God, whose name was John.
7The same came for witness, that he might bear witness of the light, that all might believe through him.
8He was not the light, but came that he might bear witness of the light.
9There was the true light, even the light which lighteth every man, coming into the world.
10He was in the world, and the world was made through him, and the world knew him not.
11He came unto his own, and they that were his own received him not.
12But as many as received him, to them gave he the right to become children of God, even to them that believe on his name:
13who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
14And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld his glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father), full of grace and truth.
15John beareth witness of him, and crieth, saying, This was he of whom I said, He that cometh after me is become before me: for he was before me.
16For of his fulness we all received, and grace for grace.
17For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
18No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.
19And this is the witness of John, when the Jews sent unto him from Jerusalem priests and Levites to ask him, Who art thou?
20And he confessed, and denied not; and he confessed, I am not the Christ.
21And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elijah? And he saith, I am not. Art thou the prophet? And he answered, No.
22They said therefore unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself?
23He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said Isaiah the prophet.
24And they had been sent from the Pharisees.
25And they asked him, and said unto him, Why then baptizest thou, if thou art not the Christ, neither Elijah, neither the prophet?
26John answered them, saying, I baptize in water: in the midst of you standeth one whom ye know not,
27even he that cometh after me, the latchet of whose shoe I am not worthy to unloose.
28These things were done in Bethany beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
29On the morrow he seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold, the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world!
30This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man who is become before me: for he was before me.
31And I knew him not; but that he should be made manifest to Israel, for this cause came I baptizing in water.
32And John bare witness, saying, I have beheld the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven; and it abode upon him.
33And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize in water, he said unto me, Upon whomsoever thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and abiding upon him, the same is he that baptizeth in the Holy Spirit.
34And I have seen, and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.
35Again on the morrow John was standing, and two of his disciples;
36and he looked upon Jesus as he walked, and saith, Behold, the Lamb of God!
37And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.
38And Jesus turned, and beheld them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? And they said unto him, Rabbi (which is to say, being interpreted, Teacher), where abideth thou?
39He saith unto them, Come, and ye shall see. They came therefore and saw where he abode; and they abode with him that day: it was about the tenth hour.
40One of the two that heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother.
41He findeth first his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messiah (which is, being interpreted, Christ).
42He brought him unto Jesus. Jesus looked upon him, and said, Thou art Simon the son of John: thou shalt be called Cephas (which is by interpretation, Peter).
43On the morrow he was minded to go forth into Galilee, and he findeth Philip: and Jesus saith unto him, Follow me.
40 John 2:1
1And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there:
What was John trying to tell us? That Jesus will attend a wedding on the 14th day. What wedding? In this prophetic sense his own. Lets turn to look at the days in the first chapter of John.
Days 1-7 The first 18 verses of the first chapter of John tell about the Word of God becoming flesh. This passage reflects many truths about God himself, the important one for our story here is that God Created. The account of the creation in Genesis is quite clear. God created in various ways across 6 days and then he rested on the seventh. 7 days of creation. The first seven days of John chapter 1.
Day 8 Beginning at verse 19 and running through verse 28 we have an account of a day. The 8th day in our story. In this day John is asked to identify himself. His answer? That he is the one who will prepare the way for the Lord.
Day 9 Verse 29 starts with "the next day" and John explains that he would not have known Jesus if the Holy Spirit had not revealed it to him.
Day 10 Verse 35 contains "the next day" and moves our attention to the 10th day. This day involves John showing Jesus to two disciples. They want to known where he is staying and he shows them. This day includes a reference so we know for sure that we are in the 10th day. The reference? The 10th hour.1 This verse also saying that they spent the day with him, completing this day for us.
Day 11 Verse 40 starts the 11th day, the day that Peter meets Jesus and starts to follow him.
Day 12 Verse 43 starts with "the next day" and Jesus finds several other followers. Nathaniel believes because Jesus tells him he saw Nathaniel while he was under the fig tree, and that they would see greater things than that.
Day 14 Chapter 2 starts with the expression "on the third day." This puts the distance from day 12, as being three days. Day 12 is the first of the three, Day 13 is the second of the three, and Day 14 is the third of the three. This third day is the day that Chapter 2 puts as the day of a wedding feast. What does Jesus do here? He turns six stone water jars into wine. Taking common water and making it valuable to the master of the Banquet.
Personal Meaning
Human beings are made out of stone and water. These are common elements and not particularly valuable.
After being touched by Jesus the water becomes wine. This is what happens when we are touched by Jesus in the spirit. At that point we become valuable to God the Father, the master of the banquet.
Several of the details found in this story do not apply to personal salvation. The principle of reduction says that these other details are there for some other meaning, the prophetic meaing.
Prophetic Meaning
Jesus’ mother asked Jesus to perform the miracle of turning water into wine. Normally only the wedding party supplies wine for the banquet. This question suggests that this is somehow Jesus’ own wedding.
No other scripture suggests that Jesus had an earthly wife. This is probably not his earthly wedding. Prophetically this is part of the story. Jesus himself will have a wedding, the "wedding supper of the Lamb."
When does this prophetic wedding take place? As John tells us, on the 14th day of mankind. That day on the master of the Banquet’s calendar begins when the world has passed into the next millennium. The following shows the date report:
| Start of God’s Day 14 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Day | Bible Date | Modern Date | Roman Date | Number |
| Tue | ⇉13001/1/1 AA | 16 Feb 2010 NS | 3 Feb 2763 AUC | AAN: 4742401 |
| 3501/1/1 FE | 3 Feb 2009 OS | 3 Feb 2010 AD | JDN: 2455244 | |
Of course this is a precise date that starts this date. The 14th day lasts for 1000 years so the wedding itself can be at any point after this date within that 1000 year window. As a practical matter many of the historical dates landed on or very close to the millennium breaks earlier on the timeline. Here are some of those.
Other Interesting Days in this Story
The 9th day was the human years 8001 through 9000 after Adam. It includes the life of Abraham, the first "man of faith." The work of revealing Jesus is always an act of the Holy Spirit. It was in this time that the first man of faith, Abraham, came to believe in the same sort of Holy Spirit led way.
The 10th day is also interesting. It is the date that two are introduced to Jesus and his location. That day lasted from the year 9001 until 10,000 after Adam. As we saw with the woman at the well, hours can represent Jubilees, and in John’s story the events transpire around the 10th hour. This is the period when the nation of Israel met with God at the base of Mount Sinai, in the middle of this day, 9501. This was 500 years, or 10 Jubilees, into the 10th day. The elders of Israel went up the mountain, and saw him "where he was." Also, the house of Israel is made up primarily of two parties, Israel and Judah. The two disciples play this role prophetically in this story.
The 12th day is also interesting. Here more disciples decide to follow him. They are told they will see greater things than this. What things? From 11,001, until 12,000 after Adam is the first 1000 years of the last two millenniums. The period of the first main rise of Christianity in the world. Greater things than just the first disciples. The first adoption of Christianity as a state religion anywhere in the world.
Day 13 is noticeably absent. Why? God did not move specifically in the history of mankind in this period. At least not dramatically like a visit, or a Mount Sinai. The church, or the bride, has just been slowly advancing in various ways. The last century being the most dramatic in that growth period, but nothing as dramatic as mount Sinai. The next "big day" is day 14, which we are quickly approaching.
Conclusion
The triangulation of this story is great. It basically lays out the 7 days up to Noah’s flood, the various days since Abraham and it leaves us with one more day to come, the day of the wedding. This is the best we’ve looked at so far in terms of following ancient stories and dates and running them forward. The story gets better.
Days were not the only thing Moses told us were linked to 1000 year long periods. Moses also said that "watches in the night" were to God as 1000 year long periods were. We look at one of those next.
1John 1:39
