References for Video One

  1. The Bible is the Overarching Chiasm and the Source of Chiastic Structures. Just as the Bible is accepted by many scholars as the source of using types and shadows in other literature, so it was the source for the chiastic structures present in other literature. For, as traditional Jews and Christians believe, it was the first of all literature, and it was written with internal chiastic structures.
  2. Sources on Jewish Wedding Traditions. Jewish wedding traditions were patterned after the covenant the Lord had set with Israel. [Marvin R. Wilson, Our Father Abraham, (Wm B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.: Grand Rapids, MI), pp. 203-213]. For a more detailed treatment of Jewish wedding traditions and the Lord as Bridegroom, see Donna B. Nielsen, Beloved Bridegroom, Onyx Press, 1999.
  3. Mormons and the Cross: To avoid worship of any symbols, none are used inside LDS chapels where they worship. Pictures of Jesus the Christ are often used in other parts of the building. Overall, the main reason the Cross is not used as a symbol on or in LDS Churches is that they want to emphasize “The Living Christ.”  For they know that He still lives, and still speaks and has appeared in the Last Days to prophets.
  4. Biblical Chiastic parallels with scriptural citations.

God’s Old Covenant    _    God’s New Covenant

         Genesis Revelation

  1. A Bounteous Paradise (Eden) A’ A Far Greater Paradise to come

    (Genesis 2:8-17)     (Revelation 21-22)

  1. Tree of life; Fountain of waters                            B’ More Fruits from Tree; Greater Fountains

    (Gen. 2:9-10)                 (Rev. 22:1-2)

  1. Bridegroom reigns C’ Bridegroom to reign

    (Gen. 2:15)                                                                    (Rev. 19:11-16)

  1. Bride comes from Bridegroom’s side to be One         D’ Bridegroom lifts Bride to side as One

    (Gen. 2:21-24)     (Rev. 19:7; 21:2; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17)

  1. Bride takes Bridegroom’s name E’ Bride to take Bridegroom’s name

    (Gen. 2:23)     (Rev. 22:4)

  1. Bride eats forbidden fruit (wine from grape?)   F’ Bride to drink cup of consummation

   (Gen. 3:1-6)     (Mark 14:25; Rev. 19:9)

  1. Bride to be cast out of God’s presence G’ Bride to re-enter God’s presence

    (Gen. 3:6, 23)                  (Rev: 21:2-3)

  1. Bridegroom takes on Bride’s guilt H’ Bridegroom to bear Bride’s stains

    (Gen 3:6, 17)                  (Rev. 19:13, 15)

  1. Bridegroom (Jehovah) provides covering garments I’ Bridegroom to provide glorious garments

    (Gen 3:21)      (Rev. 19:8)

  1. Bridegroom and Bride cast out J’ Serpent to be cast out

    (Gen. 3:23-4)                  (Rev. 20:2-3)

  1. Bridegroom covenants Home & Seed K’ Bridegroom prepares Home for Seed

    (Gen. 13:14-16)      (John 14:2; Rev. 3:21)

  1. Israel receives covenants              L’ Israel to again receive covenants

    (Gen. 15)         (Romans 11:26-36)

  1. Bride (Israel) is unfaithful M’ Bride (Gentiles) will be unfaithful

     (Ezekiel 16:8, 38)      (Romans 11:21-25)

  1. Bridegroom promises covenant with Gentiles N’ Bridegroom covenants with Gentiles

    (Shown in Book of Ruth)       (Acts 10:34, 47)

  1. Whore is cast down    )                     O’ Whore is cast down

     (2 Kings 9:30-35)      (Revelation 17-18)

X = The Atonement

Christ comes, as Bridegroom, and fulfills all Bridegroom symbolism.

Bridegroom offers covenant to Israel; Bridegroom purchases Bride with sacrificial blood of

     His At-one-ment.

The Fate of Mankind is reversed upon a cross.

I have actually found 23 parallels (and more references to the bridegroom on both sides that do not have exact parallels). The set of 23 is outlined in Yvonne Bent, ed.,

Discovering Chiasmus, A Pattern in All Things, (New York: Digital Legend, 2011), pp. 85-93.

  1. Bride is Lifted Up. In many Jewish weddings today, the bride is lifted up in a chair after the wedding. In others, both the bride and bridegroom are lifted up in chairs. This is considered by some as an illustration of how in marriage the participants should “lift each other up.” (See Wilson, op.cit. p. 213).  However from the scriptures we can see it foretells how Jesus will eventually “lift up” His bride and bring her to His home.

 

  1. The Forbidden fruit Adam and Eve partook bringing death may have been the grape, [or its juice] according to several ancient accounts of Adam. One, Baruch (IV, 13-15) even has an   angel promising Noah, who hesitates to replant the grape vine, “For Adam was destroyed by it,” “…plant the vine; its bitterness shall be changed to sweetness, and its curse shall be changed to a blessing. What it yields shall be the blood of God.” (CF 257:373), as quoted in Hugh Nibley, Abraham in Egypt, (Deseret Book: Salt Lake City, UT, 1981), p. 156.

  So there is special meaning when the same fruit which brings death into the world crosses over through the Savior and His offering of His blood/wine and becomes the fruit which brings life back into the world.

  1. Taking Home the Bride. The bridegroom took his bride to live in his family’s house after his father said it was ready. Particularly in the Mid-east, families have traditionally lived in extended family compounds. One can still see homes today with metal rods extending up from the roofs in anticipation of eventually building additional rooms for future family sub-groups. However, in modern Israel, such ancient traditions are often replaced by community compounds, or kibbutz.

 When Jesus spoke of many mansions in His Father’s House, He was likening it to the ancient tradition.

 Also, “Married sons… remained under the authority of the head of the household until he died…” Leo G. Perdue, The Israelite and Early Jewish Family, 1997, p. 180.

 So it was the respected, aged Father who was looked to for guidance. In like manner, Jesus referred to His Father as alone knowing when He would return for His bride.

  1. The Whore is Cast Down. This parallels does not fit the exact order on each side. But that is true in many chiastic structures. All other parallels are in exact order. No one organization is intended to be represented here but pertains to the following: “She is a harlot because she and her children have left their true husband — [Jehovah or] Christ — to live with the world. [signified by the number seventy]. Because they do this for money and power, they have sold themselves.” S. Michael Wilcox, “The Revelation” in the New Testament and the Latter-day Saints (Orem, UT: Randall Book Company, 1987), p. 365.