Rev32 - The Marriage of The Lamb - Rev 19:1-10
For Two Weeks - We’ve talked about - A Tale of Two Cities
We’ve Contrasted
The JOY of being a Citizen of the Heavenly Jerusalem - with
The Judgment of being a Citizen of the Worldly Babylon
& in a sense - this comparison kinda continues into Rev 19
But instead of Two Cities - in Ch 19 we have
a Comparison of TWO SUPPERS (or Feasts)
We have the Great Marriage Feast of the Lamb which will be
the Absolute BEST of Times for those in attendance
& We have the “Great Feast of God” which will be
the Absolute “Worst of Times” for all those in attendance
The Marriage Supper of the Lamb - is where We FEAST
in Celebration & Joy - as the Bride of Christ (this Wk)
The Great Supper of God (Nxt Wk) - is where the Enemies of God
Become the FEAST - as the Birds Feast on their Bodies (Armageddon)
AND - Most importantly - we are at the THRESHOLD today
of the 2nd Coming of Jesus Christ - Which we’ll see Nxt Week
Let’s Pray
Rev Ch 19 - is the BRIDGE
between the 7 Yr Tribulation - & the 1,000 Yr Millennium
In Ch 19 - the Tribulation Ends, w/ the Battle of Armageddon
& in Ch 20 the 1,000 Yr Millennium - of the Saints
Reigning With Jesus on Earth - Begins
In the last two Msg’s we’ve seen the Controlling “System”
of the Antichrist on earth - completely DESTROYED
& Apparently - HEAVEN has been WATCHING !!
Because we Start Today by seeing Heaven’s Response to
God’s Judgment & Victory - over the Antichrist’s World System
Revelation 19:1 (esv)
1 After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, crying out, “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,
John starts a new section - by saying “After This” -
which has been his signal thru the book - the scene is changing
& when he says “After This” - He means AFTER all the Judgment
we’ve seen FALL on the World System the past few Ch’s
We’ve seen a LOT of Judgment - But THIS is the Turning Point
Ch 19 is the CRESCENDO of the Book of Revelation
In Fact - some see it as the CRESCENDO of the Entire N.T.
Because this Ch ENDS - with the SECOND COMING of Jesus Christ
& it’s Easy to see - That Revelation (& Most of the N.T.)
ALL LEADS UP to the 2ND COMING of Jesus Christ
& then the Final Ch’s of Revelation will “Paint a Picture” for us
of what Life with Jesus looks like - going into Eternity (it’s good)
& so The Great Multitude in Heaven is Crying out - HALLELUJAH !!
Salvation and glory and power belong to our God
Hallelujah - is a Combination of TWO HEBREW Words
Hallel (Praise) - Yah (short for Jehovah) - Praise Jehovah
& this is the ONLY place in the N.T. where it’s used
Maybe in anticipation of how JEWISH Rev 20 is
The Great Multitude in Heaven is Crying Out HALLELUJAH
& in Revelation 19:2-3 - we see more of WHY they are (esv)
2 for his judgments are true and just; for he has judged the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her immorality, and has avenged on her the blood of his servants.”
3 Once more they cried out, “Hallelujah! The smoke from her goes up forever and ever.”
The 2nd HALLELUJAH - for Victory over The Great Prostitute
Who Corrupted the Earth - & Who Killed the Saints
In Ch 17 we saw The Great Prostitute - Riding on the Beast
As Symbol’s of the World System under the Antichrist
& here we see the SMOKE from God’s Judgment on The Great Prostitute
(& the Antichrist’s “System”) - goes up Forever & Ever
An Obvious Ref to Eternal Judgment
As we cont - in V.4 John is trying to convey Just HOW MASSIVE
This Heavenly Celebration is
Revelation 19:4 (esv)
4 And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who was seated on the throne, saying, “Amen. Hallelujah!”
Three Times in Four Vs’s - HALLELUJAH !!
This time from the 24 Elders - Who Represent the Church
& the 4 Living Creatures - The Worship Leaders of Heaven (Ch4)
They ALL are Falling Down in WORSHIP -
& Crying out - Hallelujah !! - - Praise The Lord !!
& then - Just in Case someone in Heaven is not “Getting It”
Revelation 19:5 (esv)
5 And from the throne came a voice saying, “Praise our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, small and great.”
It’s a CALL to ALL of Heaven - To Break Out in PRAISE
& we’ll see at the End of our Text Today
ALL of Heaven see themselves - as SERVANTS of God
& here they are in Full-Scale - Praise & Worship
HEAVEN KNOWS - The BATTLE between Satan & God
is All OVER - Except for the FINAL STEP (see nxt wk)
& Heaven is Breaking Loose In Worship
Revelation 19:6 (esv)
6 Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns.
Listen - I don’t want to OVER DO this . . .
BUT - When Heaven GOES OFF in Worship
It’s Like the ROAR of Many Waters - &
It’s Like Mighty PEALS of THUNDER
& it’s NOT Just that they have a Bigger Sound System (tho they do)
It’s that All of Heaven is CRYING OUT !!
Heaven is CRYING OUT
“Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns
& Believe me - There IS a Great Lesson Right there - for US !!
& Revelation 19:7 says - they’re crying out (esv)
7 Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready;
One more thing about WORSHIP in Heaven . . . The Verbs
Rejoice - Exult - Give - are all STRONG EXHORTATIONS
& you may not be Familiar with the English Word - EXULT
It means LIT - To LEAP UP, or - To LEAP for JOY !!!
& WHY is it - That Heaven is REJOICING - & LEAPING for JOY ??
Because the Marriage of the LAMB has COME !!
and his Bride has made herself ready
& THAT is The EVENT we’ll spend the Rest of the Msg on
The MARRIAGE of the LAMB has COME
ALL thru the Bible - God’s Relationship with His people
has always been likened - to MARRIAGE
Because the Marriage UNION - is the Most incredible, intimate,
One Flesh Relationship that God created
In fact - God Created Marriage at this Intense Level to GIVE US
an IDEA - of How He Created our Relationship with HIM to Be
Just like He uses Our Relationship with our Children
to give us AN IDEA of HOW He Feels about US as His Children
In the same way - God uses MARRIAGE in the Bible
to Illustrate how Incredible, & Intimate, & One Flesh
Our Relationship with Him - CAN Be, & One Day WILL Be
The Famous Marriage text in Eph Ch 5 - Is Incredible IN CONTEXT
& maybe NOT so Incredible when used OUT of Context
But PLEASE - Write down Eph 5:22-33
& Read it according to its PROFOUND MYSTERY
Ephesians 5:32 is the Profound Mystery of Marriage (esv)
32 This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.
Read Eph 5:22-33 - with THAT Profound Mystery
With THAT Higher Truth - With THAT Eternal Truth
Read it thru FIRST - Seeing YOURSELF AS the Bride of Christ
& then - When God says - IN THIS WAY
Husbands & Wives are to LIVE in the Marriage Relationship
THEN you say - Oh, I get it - Our Marriage is supposed to be
a PICTURE of Our UNION with Jesus Christ
We are made in the Image of God - & our Marriages are made
in the Image of our Relationship with Jesus Christ
& it’s Important to Hear THIS - the N.T. Makes it clear
WE (All True Believers) are - - “The BRIDE of Christ”
Now - Jewish Weddings are NOT LIKE American Weddings
& Our Marriage to Christ - Follows the JEWISH Wedding
& there are 3 steps to Complete a Jewish Marriage
STEP #1 There’s a Marriage Contract - Committed to
LONG BEFORE the actual Marriage - called The Betrothal
The Betrothal is MUCH MORE than our “Engagement”
It’s a Binding Marriage Contract (broken only by Divorce)
This is where Mary & Joseph were at when Mary became Pregnant
which is why Joseph considered “Divorcing” Mary Quietly
Now - Where WE Exist - in this TIME Continuum
Our Betrothal to Jesus Occurs the Day we made our
FULL Commitment to Him as Our Savior & Lord
But - Where GOD Exists - OUTSIDE of TIME - Eph 1:4 says
This Betrothal Occurred BEFORE the Foundation of the World
So - If you are Saved TODAY - Or if you WILL BE Saved
God has ALWAYS Seen you as BETROTHED to Jesus Christ
Now - in a Jewish Wedding
During this Betrothal Period - TWO things Happen
1) The Bride begins preparing herself, (espec her Wedding Dress)
& 2) the Groom will Go & Prepare a Place for His Bride
& Very often this would be a ROOM - BUILT ONTO His Father’s
House - where the BrideGroom would soon BRING His Bride
This is exactly what Jesus is referring to with His Disciples in
John 14:2–3 (esv)
2 In my Father’s house are many rooms . . .
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.
Jesus was NOT saying he was going to build us
a Prosperity Teaching MANSION
Jesus was making a Direct reference to the Jewish Wedding
Which perfectly Illustrates our UNION with HIM
STEP #2 - is when the GROOM would come for His BRIDE -
To Take her back to His Father’s House
But the Bride would only know the Approximate Time
that Her BrideGroom would come for her
So - She would watch for the Signs of His Coming
& she would make herself READY - along with her Bridesmaids
Which is the Perfect Picture - of US, & the RAPTURE
We see the Signs of our Bridegroom’s Imminent RETURN
& so we make ourselves READY - & WATCH for His Appearance
& when the Time is RIGHT - The Bridegroom will come,
w/ His Bridal Party - & Take Away the Bride & Her Bridesmaid’s
& they would make a Grand Procession back to the Groom’s home
Where there would be - the Wedding Ceremony
Then Step #3 (cool part) - After the Wedding Ceremony
Would come the Marriage FEAST (Supper)
The Marriage Feast would often last 7 Days - OR MORE
where all the guests would take part in the JOY of the Marriage
The Marriage FEAST is a non-stop celebration of JOY
It was at a Marriage Feast - they ran out of Wine in CANA (Jn 2)
& Jesus performed his 1st Miracle - Turning Water into WINE
NOT because it was Alcohol - Because WINE is the Symbol of JOY
& Jesus was Extending the JOY of the Marriage Feast
Now - The Length of the Marriage Feast is determined
by the Wealth & Status of the Family of the GROOM (not Bride)
The more Wealth & Status the Groom has
The longer the Marriage Feast will Last
So - when the Groom is Jesus - & His Family is the GODHEAD
HOW LONG do you think the CELEBRATION
of this Marriage Feast is gonna LAST ??
How about 1,000 Years - Just for STARTERS
Where we will Reign with Christ on Earth for the Millennium
But Again (look closely) - the end of Rev 19:7 says
for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride (that’s us)
has made herself ready
HOW do we make ourselves READY for the Marriage of the Lamb?
Well - Revelation 19:8 says (esv)
8 it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure”— for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.
The Bride goes thru A LOT to get ready for a Wedding
In Fact - The entire time the BrideGroom is preparing a place
the Bride is preparing - & watching for His Return
& one of the KEY Preparations for the Bride
is always - preparing her Wedding Dress
& so V.8 says - it is GRANTED to the Bride - to clothe herself with
fine linen, bright and pure”— for the fine linen is
the righteous deeds of the saints
If you are Saved today - If you Belong to Jesus - It has been
GRANTED you, to prepare your own Wedding Garment
& this word translated “GRANTED” is an Interesting Word
it can mean - Given Unconditionally . . . OR
it can mean “Given the Opportunity to” . . .
& so the Scholars get all “DEBATING”
about which meaning is intended here
& I say - “What if the Holy Spirit was referring - TO BOTH”
Notice - Our Wedding Garment is NOT the Righteousness of Christ
It is the “Righteous DEEDS of the Saints”
& The Bible is clear - Our Salvation is THRU FAITH ALONE
With NOTHING But Receiving the Gift Done on our Part
Ephesians 2:8-9 (esv)
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,
9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
So - the ‘Righteous DEEDS on the Saints”
Have NOTHING to Do with SALVATION
But then - The Very Next Vs in Eph 2 - is the “OUR PART, Part”
Ephesians 2:10 (ESV)
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Your FAITH ALONE in Jesus Christ -
“Covers You” in His Righteousness - For Salvation
But how you WALK in that Salvation . . .
Determines whether you’ll be wearing a White POTATO SACK
- Or something a Little Nicer - As the Bride Of Christ
The 12th Msg in this REV Series was called
“Judgment, Rewards, & Loss”
& we looked at the fact that - HOW we Live for Christ here
DOES have an Impact - On our Eternity with Him there
& this Vs (Rev 19:8) is another clear reminder of that truth
Now - in every Wedding - there’s The GROOM, The BRIDE,
AND those who are INVITED to the Celebration
& have you ever seen a Wedding where the Bride & Groom
Are whisked off somewhere Beautiful for the Wedding Ceremony
& then come back to have a Big Reception in town?
Well - Many Scholars believe THAT IS Exactly what happens with
the Marriage of the Lamb - & the Marriage FEAST (Supper)
Revelation 19:9 (esv)
9 And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.”
It seems - The Marriage of the Lamb is in Heaven
But, The Marriage Supper of the Lamb is on earth
So - the Bride & BrideGroom are Whisked Off
to the GLORY of HEAVEN - for the Actual Wedding
& then we come back to Earth for the 1,000 yr Celebration
of The Marriage Supper - also known as - The Millennium
So - if The Church is the Bride of Christ - WHO are those
who are INVITED to the 1,000 yr Marriage SUPPER?
They are the Believers who SURVIVE the Tribulation on Earth
& who will Enter the Millennium in their Natural Bodies
& they are especially - those of ISRAEL Who will Believe EN MASS
during the Final Days - & Especially at The 2nd Coming
The Millennium has an Absolute TON to do with ISRAEL
& God’s Promises to Israel - Especially re: The Promised Land
& God WILL make GOOD on those Promises
& Israel will occupy the ENTIRE Promise Land
& a King in the Line of DAVID Will Rule from Jerusalem
& ALL of THAT Occurs in The Millennium - Which will be
The Greatest Wedding FEAST of All Time & Eternity
& the O.T. Saints will be there
& the Believers who come thru the Tribulation will be there
& All of Believing ISRAEL will be there
& the BRIDE of Christ (US - the NT Church) - WE will be there
& it will be a 1,000 yr Celebration with Jesus Christ on Earth
Just to KICK OFF Our Eternity with Him
& so - I PRAY today
that YOU have been “Betrothed” to Jesus Christ
& that you are Waiting & Preparing - for Him to Come
& Take you to His Father’s House - For the Marriage of the Lamb
So that you can come back to Earth - to Take Part in
The 1,000 Yr - Marriage Supper of the Lamb
& Pls HEAR ME
If you Haven’t Been “Betrothed” to Jesus - You CAN be, TODAY
Now Finally - in v.10 - The Apostle John is SO OVERWHELMED
he falls down at the feet of the Angel in Worship
Revelation 19:10 (esv)
10 Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God.” . . .
& then the Angel makes it Very Clear
what the PURPOSE (spirit) of All Prophecy is . . .
Revelation 19:10(b) (esv)
10 . . . For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.
It means The HEART - The FOCUS
The PURPOSE - of ALL Prophecy . . .
Is to Give a CLEAR Testimony of WHO Jesus Christ is
& In This Ch - Jesus Christ is the BrideGroom of the Church
He wants to be “Betrothed” to you - TODAY
He has gone to Prepare a Place For you
He is Going to Return - & He wants you to BE where He is
He wants you to be Part of the Bride of Christ . . .
& He wants you to be Part - of The Marriage FEAST of the LAMB
That Kicks off with a 1,000 yr celebration
with Him - here on earth - in the Millennium
Let’s Pray
Rev 19:1-10
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