"7 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.” 8 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.
9 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.” 10 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."
Everybody loves a wedding. When you see a car decorated "Just Married" and you
immediately take notice. You just can’t help it. There
is joy, there is laughter, there is celebration and there is hope. Everything is new and exciting, anticipating the bright future ahead. Sure, at some point, there will be bumps in the road, but right now,
there is nothing but sunshine and blue skies. And the road ahead, though uncertain, it an adventure. No matter what lies ahead, today you are invincible. The key to promises and vows, is keeping them, to have set boundaries in place in the event somebody breaks them. The reality is, nobody's perfect. What makes a good marriage on earth will unveil truths about our spiritual relationship with Jesus! It all comes down to how much do we love Him.
Well, today we will be talking about a wedding, the marriage of the Lamb. The anticipation of the theme of this book coming to its realization, the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. This text essentially invites us to our own wedding. This should certainly cause our hearts to rejoice.
The imagery here is of a marriage. The image of a marriage is often used in Scripture, the metaphor of and bride is employed in the Old Testament, to
depict the deep covenant relationship that God has between Himself and His people. But also, their responsive obligation to be faithful and to be pure.
Let us pray
Heavenly Father,
Father, we thank You for Your Word. As we anticipate Your coming, our hearts are so filled with joy. We are thankful, that though we are unworthy, You betrothed us as Your own. Even before the world began, knowing our sins and our short comings, You called us Your own. We understand that You want to keep us pure, so You keep cleansing us from all sin, chastening our rebellion, because You love us. So, that someday we will be presented in glory, as a virgin bride.O Lord, we thank You for all that You have already done, all that You continue to do and that which will be done in faith believing. As we look at the world around us today, we are reminded that though we are in the world, we are not of the world. Oh, how we long for Your return, help us to live in that anticipation. Make us faithful to proclaim the Good News of salvation to a world unbelieving. May it be for Christ's sake and for Your glory.In Jesus' name we pray.
Amen
Today's Message: A Wedding In The Sky
Weddings are an elaborate and grand event today. However, in biblical times, they were more elaborate, more grand, certainly more involved. The ancient Hebrew marriage consisted of two, some would say three stages. The first stage was the kiddushin. It is the betrothal or the engagement period, as it is called today. It consisted of a contract, whereby the couple were actually considered to be legally
married. It often lasted at least 12 months and it was a time for them
to prove their sexual fidelity, to make sure that the young lady was not
pregnant and so forth and a time for a young man to go and to prepare a
place for his bride.
You may find it interesting to know, that very often, those contracts were signed even before the children
were born. It was kind of like, "When I have a son, I want him to marry
your daughter, when you have a daughter." Unlike many people today, family was the most important thing. So, it was more important to choose the family than to choose the individual. And, actually, it makes perfect sense. So betrothal was a very, very important issue. By the way, this was a binding, legal contract.
The two sets of parents would get together, realizing that there was a
great affinity in the families, common values, common goals and purposes in life,
and that there was obviously a great potential of a wonderful friendship among
those families and a wonderful relationship between their children. So, they would contract that marriage. They were wise enough to know that if you attempt to build a relationship on spontaneous romantic love, you’re bound to have some major disappointment. However, if you have the solidarity of values, standards, morals and strong beliefs, there’s something cohesive in that.
At the close of the betrothal period, the groom would then go to his
bride, often unannounced and take her to his father’s house to present
her to his family and to his friends over a period of time that
typically lasted a week. It was a time of great festivities, great celebration. If you think a wedding costs a lot today, just imagine if you had to entertain all the guests, feed them and house them for an entire week. And, if the family was very wealthy or royalty, the celebration could go on for several weeks. During this time, they still lived in their own homes apart from one another until the presentation.
The bridegroom then would go to the house of the bride, he would gather
the awaiting bride, along with her maidens, and take them to his house, where the festivities would begin as he presented his lovely bride. Then, you have the hupah or what we refer to as the marriage ceremony, where the actual vows were exchanged and there would be a final meal. After the guests left, and the friend of the bridegroom would ensure that they would, the marriage was then consummated. This was in contrast to what we have today, the bridegroom was the center of attention, not the bride.
This gives us a better understanding of Jesus' words in John 14, when He said "In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also." As you can see, the Lord used the same imagery in relationship to His church. This period of betrothal, is also a period of sanctification, as we are now as a church being prepared for a day of presentation. This is what is meant by the statement, "makes herself ready."
Paul describes it this way in Ephesians 5, "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."
What a horrifying thing it would be to have to present you on the day of your wedding as a defiled bride.
It is my honor and great privilege to share God's Word with you today. Open with me your Bibles to the book of Revelation, chapter nineteen. Revelation
chapter19. I invite you to follow along with me as I read these first
three verses to set the text in our minds, as we prepare our hearts for
what the Spirit of God is saying to us. Listen for the voice of our
Lord. Revelation 19:7-10.
"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."
Obviously, the bride refers to the church of Christ, I believe that's the only way we can view this passage. Some seem to get confused about that. I must say, I don't quite understand it, because the language is very clear. It literally says the marriage of the Lamb is come and His bride has made herself ready. The imagery of marriage fits the church, which is often referred to in Scripture as the bride of Christ. And, Jesus referred to Himself as a bridegroom. I believe that this presentation will occur at the rapture.Let's look at verse 7, "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."
Now, look at Matthew 9, "And Jesus said to them, “The
attendants of the bridegroom cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is
with them, can they? But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken
away from them, and then they will fast." The Jews had accused Jesus’ disciples of not fasting. Jesus is saying while the bridegroom is here, it's a time for joy. Fast when He’s gone.
And, in Matthew 22, He said "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son. And he sent out his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding feast, and they were unwilling to come. Again he
sent out other slaves saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited,
“Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and my fattened livestock
are all butchered and everything is ready; come to the wedding feast.”’But they paid no attention and went their way, one to his own farm, another to his business, and the rest seized his slaves and mistreated them and killed them. "
Here, we can clearly see the parallels to the church. In any country, there's only one king. For a king to throw a party for his son who was getting married, it would have been the greatest celebration those people would ever know in their entire lifetime. To be invited as a guest to such an event, would be the most unimaginable privilege. I'd like you to notice, there’s no mention made of a bride. The point here is not the bride, but the greatest celebration of a lifetime. I believe in this parable, we see God, who is the King, and Christ, who is His Son and the celebration is the Kingdom. And He is inviting people to come as His guests. Incredibly, people paid no attention The rest seized his slaves and mistreated them and killed them. Do you see what Christ is talking about here?
Now, look at verses 7-10, "But the king was enraged, and he sent his armies and destroyed those murderers and set their city on fire. Then he *said to his slaves, ‘The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. Go therefore to the main highways, and as many as you find there, invite to the wedding feast.’ Those
slaves went out into the streets and gathered together all they found,
both evil and good; and the wedding hall was filled with dinner guests." The imagery here is astonishing and so wonderful, yet sad, as I'm sure many who are in the church will not be there. What tragic spiritual commentary this is on those of us who are indifferent to His Coming. May we say with the Apostle Paul, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I’ve kept the faith."
Because this is the Lord saying to Israel, "You don't want it? I invite those who were not previously invited. And notice, those
slaves went out into the streets and gathered together all they found,
both evil and good; no matter how wretched they were and the wedding hall was filled with dinner guests. This is the church, how beautiful. Marriage is used as an illustration here in Revelation 19, though similar, we cannot confuse the illustrations. Though the church is raptured, I do not believe the marriage is fully consummated until eternity future, when the new heavens and new earth has come.
Then, in verse 8 John says "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." This is an amazing transformation that will one day take place. I believe that the words "was given to her" draws our attention on God’s grace. It refers to what was given to her by God. She puts on the righteous acts and all those gifts Christ has given to the church which enable
believers to produce good works for God and to glorify Him. In John 15, our Lord
declared that, "… apart from Me you can do nothing......as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine." It refers to the reward the Lord will give for faithful service or the righteous deeds done in the power of the Holy Spirit. In Christ, we are blessed with every spiritual blessing. Now, the church will have righteousness of it's own, no longer a garment of righteousness put over her to cover her sin. The church has been made holy, pure and spotless. The chaste virgin ready for the final ceremony. At the Bema Seat, all that detracted from her glory has been burned up, only her magnificent beauty and purity remains.
Verse 9, "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." Notice the reference to the custom of inviting guests to the wedding feast as seen in Matthew 22. This is a beatitude, a pronouncement of blessing upon those invited. The millennial kingdom will be the most blessed time in the history of the earth. Just as the Tribulation was an unprecedented time of torment and misery. The point here is, all are invited but to enter and be a part, one must accept the invitation and come with the right wedding garment, the dikaiosunh, clothed in the righteousness of Jesus Christ.
By the way, in the Greek text, the word "true" is emphatic, further stressing the
element of the veracity of this event. This underscores the absolute
certainty of this beatitude. The bride is distinctively the church, but it is far more than the church. Daniel says that at the end of the time of the tribulation, the Old
Testament saints are going to be resurrected. They will be gathered
together with the New Testament church. During the tribulation,
tribulation saints will be gathered together into heaven, into glory. During the time of the millennial Kingdom, people on earth will come to the knowledge of God, they will believe, and will be born again!
In Matthew 8, Jesus identifies faith and says the Kingdom will be made up of the faithful. They’ll come from all over the world, "many shall come from east and west." They’re part of the invited guests. The Old Testament prophets died before the Holy Spirit inaugurated a new dispensation. The humblest of us who belong to Christ are called to something very special. God is going to put on the greatest celebration the world has
ever known! We have to include those who we deem unworthy, because we
ourselves are unworthy. We don't deserve it, we've done nothing to earn
it, it was granted to us by the grace of God. We're not to be ashamed of
that, we are to proclaim it to the world! He's a God to heals and
restores all who will come to Him, it's not exclusive to us. We have to
share it with others. In Hosea verse 4, God says “I will heal their apostasy, I will love them freely." It’s wonderful to see the grace of God in action. But we have to tell others about it, we have to demonstrate His grace in our own lives. So that they will see Him in us. There is only one God, we have to share that with those who are being deceived, lest they shall perish. There’s no place for that in our lives today, we have allowed the world to change us, instead of the other way around. We can't allow that in our lives.
I'm not condemning anybody, but it's time we speak the truth, God's
truth. And, I pray that you will receive it in the love in which it is
intended.
That brings us to verse 10, here we see that John is overawed by this revelation of
the marriage supper of the Lamb and falls at the feet of the messenger,
but he is immediately rebuked by the messenger’s words. There is a very
important message in this verse for all believers as it pertains to the
giving and receiving of the Word 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."
There’s no room for worshiping angels, the angel himself says "Do not do that." Hebrews chapter 1 makes this as clear as anywhere else in Scripture. "Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?" Don’t worship anything or anyone else, worship God. In fact the angel says, "I’m a fellow servant of yours. I’m sent by God to serve those who
preach the gospel. You worship God, for the testimony of Jesus is the
spirit of prophecy."
The spirit of prophecy literally means to stand and speak, preaching, and proclaiming the truth. Not our version of of it. It's all about the testimony of Jesus Christ. And, if you're not doing that, if you're not preaching the gospel, you're not being loyal to God. God wants to make sure that that message gets across the way He intended, and He sends His angels to help us. You
have a responsibility to hold those teaching God's Word accountable to
faithfully teach. And, as pastors, we have a responsibility to ensure
you're living in God's ways as best we can. Because we are going to
answer for the souls who are in our care.
May it be so..
And now may the Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen
the Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen
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