A long title for a short post.
The prophets sometimes portray the collapse of Jerusalem by saying that the “voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride will be heard no more” (Jeremiah 7:34; 25:10; 33:11; Revelation 18:23). ”I say there shall be no more marriages,” Yahweh says. But of course the voices of the bridegroom and the bride are also the voices of Yahweh and Israel. Those voices too cease: Yahweh no longer will woo His bride, His bride will no longer speak her admiration of her Husband. When the temple falls, even the divine Bridegroom and His bride fall silent. ”I say there shall be no more festivals,” Yahweh says.
No wonder John rejoices when he hears the Bridegroom’s voice (John 3:29). If the Bridegroom starts speaking again, Daughter Zion is going to be called back to her Lover, the temple will be restored, the voice of gladness will again be heard.
Dear Reader,
Can I be direct with you?
War abroad. Socialists on the rise. AI upending human life. Endless uproar online. The modern attention economy doesn’t want readers — it wants users enslaved to the tyranny of the present.
First Things is the antidote: literary excellence, timeless truths, and a fixed point of reference in a culture that has lost its bearings.
But we can’t do it without readers like you.
Our goal: Raise $150,000 by November 1 to sustain First Things in the year ahead.
Your gift anchors readers in the permanent things.
Make your Fall Campaign gift now using the button below.
If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Giovanni Del Piero, Director of the Editor’s Circle, at gdelpiero@firstthings.com or 212-627-1985.
The Church in the Age of Therapy
In 1966, Philip Rieff wrote in The Triumph of the Therapeutic that “Religious man was born to…
Canada’s Deadliest Blind Spot
On September 20, the Daily Mail ran a story with the provocative headline, “Our 83-year-old Christian grandmother…
The Faithful Joy of Dolly Parton and Fulton Sheen
Dolly Parton and Fulton Sheen seem to have had little in common. She favored rhinestones; he wore…