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THE LAMB AND HIS WIFELesson #35
Revelation 19:7-10
Revelation 19:7-10 describes that blessed, glorious day when the marriage of Christ and his chosen bride, the church of the living God, which he purchased with his own blood, shall be fully consummated. When Babylon has fallen, when the wicked and unbelieving have been destroyed by the power of his wrath, in the end of the world, our Lord Jesus Christ shall come again. Those who sleep in Jesus shall be raised from the dead (I Cor. 15:51-58). Then, we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will be translated (I Thess. 4:13-18). In that day, there will be a great general judgment of all who have ever lived upon the earth (John 5:28-29; II Cor. 5:10-11; Rev. 20:11-12). Then, God’s elect shall be gathered to the great marriage supper of the Lamb and shall be publicly united to Christ our Husband in perfection (Eph. 5:25-27). This is what is described in Revelation 19:7-10.
Throughout the Scriptures the relationship of a bridegroom and his bride is used to portray the relationship between Christ and his church (Isa. 50:1; 54:1; 62:5; Jer. 2:32; Hos. 2:1; Matt. 9:15; John 3:29; II Cor. 11:2; Eph. 5:32; Rev. 21:9). In fact, the marriage of a man and woman was intended from the beginning to be a picture and type of the union of Christ and his bride, the church.
William Hendriksen helps us in our understanding of this majestic passage of Scripture by describing the marriage customs prevalent among the Jews during the time in which the apostle John lived. Hendriksen tells us that in a typical Jewish marriage there were four distinct elements.
1. The Betrothal - This might be compared to our engagements; but it was much more binding. In the betrothal the terms of the marriage were publicly accepted and God’s blessings were pronounced upon the union. From the day of the betrothal the man and woman were looked upon as husband and wife. They were legally married (Matt. 1:18-19).
THE MARRIAGE OF THE LAMB is presented to us as a matter of great joy in heaven (v. 7). Everything in heaven has been anticipating this great event since the beginning of time. When it finally comes, the angels shall call for all the heavenly hosts (elect angels and saved sinners) to rejoice and give honor to Christ, the Lamb of God. God the Father planned everything from eternity for this great day. God the Spirit is the earnest of this day in the hearts of his saints. God the Son sees this great day as the day of his joy and satisfaction. The angels of heaven and the glorified spirits of the redeemed anxiously await this great day. And all God’s saints living upon the earth live in the blessed hope of this glorious day.
2. The Interval - There was an interval between the betrothal date and the wedding feast. Sometimes this interval was very long and sometimes very short. During this interval, the groom paid a dowry to the bride’s father for the honor of her hand in marriage (Gen. 34:12). The dowry might be paid in money, cattle, property, or even service (Gen. 29:20).
3. The Wedding Procession - At the close of the interval, the bride would prepare and adorn herself for her wedding. The groom, arrayed in his finest garments and accompanied by his friends, would go in a grand, singing procession to the home of his bride. Once he received his bride, they would return in another grand procession, either to his or to his father’s home (Matt. 25:1; John 3:29; Song. of Sol. 3:6-11).
4. The Wedding Feast - The wedding feast was a lavish, extravagant banquet, provided entirely by the groom and his father (Matt. 22:1). Usually, these marriage suppers would be celebrations lasting at least seven days. At the wedding feast the bride and groom were publicly and permanently united. It is the wedding feast itself which is described in Rev. 19:7-10. This is no ordinary wedding feast, but "the marriage supper of the Lamb." Here we are informed that there is a day appointed when the Lord Jesus Christ will gather his bride out of the world and bring her into his Father’s house for a glorious everlasting wedding feast.
Today, the church is betrothed to Christ (II Cor. 11:2). Though the marriage has not yet been brought to this glorious consummation, our union with the Son of God is a matter of legal record in heaven. Christ is our lawful husband and we are his lawful, betrothed wife. He pledged his troth to us in old eternity in the everlasting covenant of grace (Hos. 2:16-3:3). Having betrothed himself to us in eternity, our dear Husband paid a dowry for his bride, the church. The dowry was his own life’s blood, paid to satisfy the debt we owed to God’s offended justice.
"From heav’n He came and sought us To be His holy bride,
With His own blood He bought us, And for our life He died!"As Christ pledged his truth to us in eternity, so we who believe pledge our truth to him in faith. Faith in Christ is nothing less than the willful, deliberate consecration of our hearts to him (Rom. 7:4). By faith we are wed to the Son of God.
This age in which we now live is the interval of separation. Our Savior has gone to prepare a place for us in the Father’s house. It was expedient for us that he go away. But as soon as the appointed time of separation is over, Christ Jesus will come again to receive us unto himself (John 14:1-3; 16:7). During this interval,. Christ’s chosen bride must make herself ready. But how do fallen, sinful men and women make themselves ready for marriage to the Son of God? They bathe themselves in the fountain of his blood and put on his robe of righteousness by faith. At the end of time Christ will come in a great, glorious procession from heaven, accompanied by his heavenly angels to receive his bride, the church (Matt. 25:31-34). He will gather the bodies of his sleeping saints and those who are yet living upon the earth unto himself. Then the wedding feast will begin. It is a feast that will last not for a week or two, but for eternity! This feast will be the climax of God’s everlasting purpose of grace. It shall be an holy, blessed, everlasting, perfect union of Christ and his church, an endless, joyous honeymoon for the Son of God and his bride. All the promises of God in the gospel will be fully realized in this great wedding feast.
THE BEAUTY OF THE BRIDE is displayed in verse 8. Before the marriage supper takes place, the bride must be prepared. This is no ordinary bride. Her attire is no ordinary attire. Her beauty is no ordinary beauty. She has no natural beauty. But God’s sovereign grace has made her beautiful. Here is a great contrast: The great harlot (Babylon - The false church, representing all false religion) was arrayed in the gaudy tapestry of the world (Rev. 17:4); but the bride of Christ is arrayed in garments of purity, righteousness, and light - the garments of salvation. Her wedding garment of "fine linen, clean and white" is called "the righteousness of saints." This garment does not represent the personal righteousness and good works of believers (Read Isaiah 64: 6!) Without question, God’s saints do walk in righteousness and perform good works in the tenor of their lives. But these things have nothing to do with our acceptance with God. Our righteousness cannot be compared to "fine linen, clean and white." This "fine linen, clean and white" represents the righteousness of Christ, given to all believers by God’s sovereign grace (Isa. 61:10; Ezek. 16:6-14; Zech. 3:1-5). Christ’s righteousness is imputed to his people in justification (Rom. 4:3-5, 22-24). And his righteous nature is imparted to them in regeneration (Col. 1:27; II Pet. 1:4; I John 3:5-9).
THE BLESSEDNESS OF THE CALLED is declared in verse 9. Many are bidden to the marriage by the preaching of the gospel. But there is no blessedness in that outward call. In fact, to be bidden and yet refuse to come will only add to one’s eternal condemnation (Lk. 14:15-24). However, those who are "the called," being compelled by God’s irresistible grace, effectually called by the sovereign power of the Holy Spirit to come to "the marriage supper of the Lamb" are here pronounced "Blessed." And blessed they are! Grace made them willing to come who otherwise would never have come (Psa. 65:4; 110:3). Their sins are all washed away (Jer. 50:20). They have on the wedding garment of Christ’s imputed righteousness.
"And with His spotless garments on
They are as holy as God’s own Son!"In Christ, because of Christ, they are worthy of heaven’s glory (Col. 1:12). "These are the true sayings of God."
THE TESTIMONY OF HOLY SCRIPTURE must always be kept and followed (v. 10). Filled with wonder and ecstasy, John fell down to worship the one who showed him these things. Perhaps he mistook the glorified messenger for his glorified Lord. We are not told. But he was sharply rebuked for his error. In the rebuke John received, four things are clearly taught.
1. God alone is to be worshipped, never angels or men.
2. All true believers are one in Christ and equal in him.
3. All God’s servants in every age proclaim one message: "The testimony of Jesus." "We preach Christ!"
4. The spirit, the inner content, of all Scripture is the testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ (John 5:39; Lk. 24:27, 44-47). Christ crucified is "all the counsel of God" (I Cor. 2:2; Acts 20:27). The purpose of Holy Scripture is to show chosen sinners who Christ is and what he has done and bring them to this great wedding feast robed in his righteousness.