The Marriage Supper of the Lamb - Revelation 19:7-10
INTRODUCTION:
Several years ago, the board felt it necessary to add a new statement to our statement of faith defining what we believe marriage to be. It was presented to the congregation along with a source document that further explained our position. This morning by way of introduction to this message I would like to read the statement and a portion of the source document to set the tone for our passage in Revelation this morning.
Our statement of faith reads: We believe marriage is a holy covenant between one man and one woman set up by God with the specific purpose of glorifying Him by magnifying that relationship of covenant-keeping grace that exists between Christ and His Bride, the Church. (Genesis 2:18; 2:21-24; Ephesians 5:22-33).[1]
The source document is entitled “Why should we care about the definition of Marriage?” It was adapted from a letter from a pastor to his church. Let me share some of this document with you: For the definition of marriage “to have an impact on our lives and on the marriages within our church we must know why God has defined marriage as being between one man and one woman.
Marriage is a wonderful, beautiful, and glorious institution. But the truth is that marriage is not those things in and of itself. God has designed marriage to be a symbol, or a picture, that points to something greater than itself. And it is only wonderful, beautiful, and glorious because of that something greater that it points to: The Gospel of Jesus Christ. That is, after man rebelled against God in the Garden by sinning against Him, their sin separated them from God and subjected them to spiritual death. Because no human being could ever atone for his sin, the Father lovingly sent His Son Jesus to live the life we should have lived and to die the death we should have died, so that everyone who trusts in Him alone for their righteousness before God should not suffer eternal punishment, but should be saved. And of all those whom the Father has given to the Son, He will lose none. He will never forsake His bride, but will always live to make intercession for them (Hebrews 7:25).
Marriage is an institution set up by God with a specific purpose: to glorify Him (to make much of Him) by magnifying that relationship of covenant-keeping grace that exists between Christ and His Bride, the Church.
In Ephesians 5, the Apostle Paul gives the most amazing, breathtaking instruction on marriage in all of Scripture. For, he quotes Genesis 2:24, just like Jesus did in Matthew 19:5 and Mark 10:7-8: “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and shall be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” (Ephesians 5:31, NASB95) Then the very next thing he says is, “This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church.” (Ephesians 5:32, NASB95)
He is speaking about marriage with reference to Christ and the church. Keep that in mind as we consider other things he has said in this passage.
Earlier, in this passage, Paul was giving the Ephesian church instruction on how to conduct themselves in their marriages. He basically lays out a plan of loving headship on the husband’s part (Ephesians 5:25-30) and respectful submission on the wife’s part (Ephesians 5:22-24). Now, what is absolutely astounding is the reasons he gives for why a husband must lovingly serve his wife and why a wife must respectfully submit to her husband.
Ephesians 5:22-23 - “Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body.” (Ephesians 5:22–23, NASB95)
Ephesians 5:24 - “But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything.” (Ephesians 5:24, NASB95)
Ephesians 5:25-28a - “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless. So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies.” (Ephesians 5:25–28a, NASB95)
Ephesians 5:28b-30 - “He who loves his own wife loves himself; for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church, because we are members of His body.” (Ephesians 5:28b–30, NASB95)
This is absolutely staggering. Throughout Paul’s instruction on marriage, the basis for his commands is the work of Christ in His relationship with the Church. The Gospel is why husbands must love their wives and wives must submit to their husbands.
What is this telling us? It is substantiating the claim I made above: that marriage is a symbol, or a picture, or a parable, of Christ and the Church – of the Gospel of Christ’s covenant-keeping grace with a people to whom He committed Himself, and who have committed themselves to Him. When Paul says that “This mystery is great,” and then tells them that he is speaking about Christ and the Church, he is establishing that marriage is designed to point us to the gospel: that precious Good News that has saved us from sin, wrath, just punishment, fruitlessness, and a wasted life; that precious Good News that has gotten our sin out of the way so that we can enjoy fellowship with our Creator and Redeemer, “His face forever to behold” as He dwells among His people in love in the Paradise of the New Creation.
This is the why of marriage, why we care about the definition of marriage, because anything other than one man and one woman mars the picture of that precious Gospel that marriage is designed to be. If marriage is given to us in order to point us to the reality of Christ’s covenant-keeping grace with His people, and if the husband pictures Christ and the wife pictures the church, then any tampering with those participants confuses and makes the Gospel more difficult to understand.”[2]
This morning’s message completes this picture, this symbol of the relationship of covenant-keeping grace that exists between Christ and His Bride, the Church. Before reading our Scripture let’s pray.
--PRAY--
SCRIPTURE:
Turn in your Bibles again this morning to Revelation 19:6-10, we will be looking at verses 7-10, but we will read verse 6 to pick up the context. Please stand if you are able in honor of the reading of God’s Word and follow along as I read.
Revelation 19:6-10,
“Then I heard something like the voice of a great multitude and like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, saying, ‘Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready.’ It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. Then he said to me, ‘Write, “Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.”’ And he said to me, ‘These are true words of God.’ Then I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, ‘Do not do that; I am a fellow servant of yours and your brethren who hold the testimony of Jesus; worship God. For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.’” (Revelation 19:6–10, NASB95)[3]
THE MARRIAGE SUPPER OF THE LAMB ANNOUNCED (Revelation 19:7)
Verse 7 is a continuation of the great multitude that is praising God, after the final hallelujah and announcing that the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns, this loud voice goes on and says, “Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready.” (Revelation 19:7, NASB95)[4] This great multitude announces here a major feature of the Lord’s reign upon the earth, the celebration of His marriage to His bride. Here in this verse the multitude expresses their joy and gladness by giving glory to the Lord, rejoicing that the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.
Where will this great celebration take place? Our passage does not clearly state where this is to take place, it merely announces that the marriage celebration of the Lamb has come. This event takes place after the judgment and destruction of Babylon, which I believe happens at the end of the Tribulation and is immediately followed by the second coming of Christ, the celebration then I believe will take place on the earth at the beginning of the millennial reign of Jesus Christ.
It is important for us to understand the wedding preparations and celebrations of the first century and earlier if we are to see the beautiful picture that is presented to us here. Marriage preparations consisted of three distinct stages: (1) A marriage contract was drawn up and agreed upon by the parents of the couple who were to marry, usually while they were yet children or infants and not ready to take on adult responsibility. The payment of a suitable dowry was often included in the marriage contract. The contract was legally binding and the couple even though infants or children were considered legally married and the contract could only be broken by divorce. (2) At a later time when the couple had reached a suitable age, the second stage of the marriage took place. This was a ceremony in which the bridegroom accompanied by his friends would go to the house of the bride and escort her to his home. (3) The third stage would follow the arrival the groom and his bride at his home, the marriage supper or celebration, to which guests were invited would take place and could last several days.
The bride of Christ as already seen in the introduction is the church and the marriage symbolism is beautifully fulfilled in the relationship of Jesus Christ to His Church. The wedding contract is consummated at the time that the church is redeemed, the contract was drawn up before the foundation of the world was laid, in eternity past. When Christ comes for His church at the rapture, the second stage of the wedding is fulfilled, the Bridegroom goes to receive His bride and escort her to His heavenly home. The third stage follows which has just been announced, that is the wedding feast or celebration.
Unfortunately, most translations use the word “bride” in verse 7. The Greek word used here is usually the word used for “wife” and there is another Greek word that is more often used for “bride.” This is important to understand; this verse is saying that the bride is already the wife of the Lamb. The Lamb, Jesus Christ, has already come for His bride prior to His second coming which we will begin next week. What is being announced here is not the wedding union, but the wedding feast. So the order of events is important here. The third stage of the wedding is about to take place, the wedding celebration, which means the bride was already raptured.
Not only is this great multitude rejoicing that the wedding celebration is announced, but also that the wife of the Lamb has made herself ready.
THE WIFE OF THE LAMB (Revelation 19:8)
John goes on in verse 8 to explain what this means that the wife has made herself ready. We are given a beautiful picture of the holiness and the righteousness of the church at this time. We are told that she is given to her to put on clothes of fine linen, bright and clean. And John goes on to further explain to us what this raiment represents, he says the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. This is not referring to the justification by faith that was received at salvation, that righteousness was imputed to us from Christ. Rather this is referring to the righteousness produced in the lives of the saints who make up the church, those who are the wife of the Lamb.
From our Scripture reading this morning we read that Christ is sanctifying and cleansing the church with the washing of the Word so that He might present her in glory having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. Sanctification is a work of God in the life of the believer to conform them to the image of Christ. Paul also says in Ephesians 2:10, “For we are His [God’s] workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10, NASB95)[5] Even these good works or righteous acts are a product of the grace of God in our lives. All these righteous acts of the church that God prepared beforehand are collectively seen as the fine linen clothing of the wife of the Lamb. She has made herself ready for the celebration of her marriage to the Lord Jesus Christ.
THE INVITED GUESTS (Revelation 19:9)
An angel begins speaking to John, possibly the one that had shown John the destruction of Babylon. This angel tells John to write and the words he is given to write is the fourth beatitude of the seven beatitudes of the book of Revelation. John is commanded to write, “Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” (Revelation 19:9b, NASB95)[6] In this beatitude the wife of the Lamb is distinguished from those invited to the marriage supper. We have already established that the wife of the Lamb is the church. Who then are those that are invited to the celebration? The invited guests are the saints of the past and future ages.
John Walvoord writes, “The unfounded notion that God treats all saints of all ages exactly alike is hard to displace in the theology of the church. The fact that the divine purpose is not the same for Israel, the Gentile believers, or the church of the present age is plainly written in the Word of God. Such distinctions, however, should not be made greater than they really are. God does not deal with Israel on the same plane as He does with the Gentiles, not does He deal with the church on the same plane as He does with the Gentile saints [of the Tribulation] or Israel. Each has its peculiar advantages and particular place in the divine program. Just as no two individuals have exactly the same destiny, so no two nations or groups in God’s program are treated exactly alike. In all these relationships God is completely sovereign, righteous, and wise.”[7] With this said remember that there will be no second-class citizens in God’s kingdom, everyone who participates in the wedding celebration enjoys the celebration. In the new heavens and the new earth, all believers of all ages will enjoy the full glories of eternity.
The angel then reminds John that these beatitudes that he has been commanded to write are the true sayings of God. A good reminder of what John was told in the beginning of the book that this is the revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave Him to show to His servants the things which must soon take place and He sent and communicated it by His angel to His bondservant, John.
THE TESTIMONY OF JESUS (Revelation 19:10)
This vision and revelation are so awesome that John writes that he fell at the feet of this angel in an attitude of worship. Who among us having witnessed what John had witnessed would not do the same, nevertheless such a reaction is not appropriate for an angel and this angel rebukes John and tells John that he must not worship him, he too is just a fellow servant with you and with your brothers who testify of Jesus. Both men who have put their faith in Jesus Christ for salvation and the angels of God have the same obligation of obedience to the Lord. The angel tells John to worship God, He alone is worthy of all our worship, He alone should be worshipped.
Then the angel says, “For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” (Revelation 19:10b, NASB95)[8] This statement teaches us that prophecy at its very heart is designed to unfold the beauty and the glory of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. In this time in history, the present age the Spirit of God is not only to glorify Christ but also to show believers things to come as they relate to the person and majesty of Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ is not only the major theme of the Scriptures, but also the central theme of prophecy.
CONCLUSION:
This passage this morning is a reminder to us that we as the Church are the Bride of Christ. As I read to you this morning marriage between one man and one woman is a symbol, a picture of Christ and the church. Marriage is an institution set up by God with a specific purpose: to glorify Him (to make much of Him) by magnifying that relationship of covenant-keeping grace that exists between Christ and His Bride, the Church. We have seen this symbol beautifully carried out to its fullest extent this morning and we have much to look forward to as part of the Church, the Bride of Christ. Never allow your definition of marriage confuse or make the Gospel more difficult to understand.
Remember also that prophecy is designed to magnify Jesus Christ and never become so wrapped up in the details of what is to come, that we lose sight of the beauty and the majesty of our Lord Jesus Christ, to Him be all glory and praise.
[1]Constitution/By-Laws of the McCleary Community Church. McCleary, WA : Adopted Feb. 2005, Amended March 2015
[2]Emrich, Frank, “Why Should We Care About The Definition of Marriage.” Edgewood Bible Church.
[3]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. La Habra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995
[4]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. La Habra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995
[5]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. La Habra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995
[6]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. La Habra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995
[7]Walvoord, John F., The Revelation of Jesus Christ. Chicago, IL : Moody Press, 1966
[8]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. La Habra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995