Processional: The Marriage Supper

Processional: The Marriage Supper 84” x 96” oil by Rosemarie Adcock This monumental sized oil painting by Rosemarie Adcock is a symbolic depiction of a processional to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb from the Book of Revelation. Jesus used the traditions of the Jewish marriage ceremony which were well known to the people of His day as symbols to describe His Second Coming. After the betrothal, it was the father of the groom who decided when the groom’s preparations for a bride and family were sufficient, and the groom could go get his bride. The procession would happen at night, and the friends of the groom would run through the street proclaiming, “The bridegroom is coming! The bridegroom is coming!” During the period of time of waiting, the bride would have spent preparing for the wedding day. The 5 wise virgins described in a parable of Jesus are seen with their lanterns, prepared for their Lord’s return. The groom’s friends announce His return. The wine glass is broken, symbolizing a covenant that cannot be changed again. Easter lilies are in full bloom, and roses are thrown in celebration. When the couple became engaged, the groom went to the house of the bride to ask her father for her hand in marriage; but this time the groom meets the bride in the street, not all the way to her home, and takes her back to the father’s house where the wedding feast was to take place. Likewise, when Jesus returns, the Bible describes Him meeting His bride in the air to take her back to His Father, to Heaven, where the great Marriage Supper will someday take place, when all believers, referred to as His bride, will be taken into the presence of God to celebrate with joy.