Revelation 19:6-10 (Marriage Supper)

Introduction

English Standard Version Chapter 19

Rejoicing in Heaven

19 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,

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.”

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!” 5 And from the throne came a voice saying,

“Praise our God,

all you his servants,

you who fear him,

small and great.”

The Marriage Supper of the Lamb

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.

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;

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.

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.” 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.” For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

In our last time we reached a pivotal point, or a turning point, in John’s Apocalypse. God’s judgment against the great prostitute, against Jerusalem, has finally reaching its conclusion. In chapter 18 one final call was given to the church to come out of her, to separate itself from unbelieving Israel, so that the church would not partake in her judgment. Then the rest of chapter 18 was filled with lament, a lament coming from the kings and merchants of the world, those who had committed sexual immorality with her, who had lived in luxury with her, and profited from her fornications. The nations and merchants were described as standing far off, in fear of her torment, and those who had gained wealth from her were described as weeping and mourning for her, since there was no one buy their cargo anymore.

Two celebrations, two suppers

Then, at the beginning of chapter 19 we’re told that John “heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, crying out,

English Standard Version Chapter 19

“Hallelujah!

Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,

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.”

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!” 5 And from the throne came a voice saying,

“Praise our God,

all you his servants,

you who fear him,

small and great.”

And they celebrated for a couple of reasons, 1) because John had said, repeatedly, that in her was found the blood of the prophets and saints, that Jerusalem had been a great threat to God’s people, therefore his judgments against her brought relief and salvation, 2) they celebrated because God had vindicated them, that the word of their testimony, the witness that they bore was not put to shame. Just as Jesus was vindicated when he rose from the grave, so God vindicates his people, he does not let others put us to shame. The world may mock our proclamation, and even persecute us for it, but we can take heart that God will not let us be put to shame.

But there’s more, look with me there in verse 6,

English Standard Version Chapter 19

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.

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;

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.

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.”

There’s another cause for celebration, “for the marriage of the Lamb has come.” In chapter 19 we need to recognize that there are two celebrations described by John. The first celebration is that God has judged the great prostitute, and the second celebration is that the marriage of the Lamb has come. And each celebration is accompanied with its own feast, or supper. Notice again there in verse 9,

English Standard Version Chapter 19

9 And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.”

then later in verses 17-18,

English Standard Version Chapter 19

17 Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and with a loud voice he called to all the birds that fly directly overhead, “Come, gather for the great supper of God, 18 to eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all men, both free and slave, both small and great.”

The first supper celebrates the marriage of the Lamb, while the other celebrates the destruction of the great prostitute.

Lamb takes a new wife

And these two events are fundamentally connected to one another. The destruction of Jerusalem is her divorce, Judaism is overthrown, the Temple era has come to an end, and Jesus is making all things new. And immediately following the divorce of Israel, the Lamb takes a new wife. The bride takes the place of the harlot, and as the old covenant is brought to an end the Messianic age begins. The church is established as the new Jerusalem, the city whose builder and maker is God, which had always been the trajectory of redemptive history. The earthly kingdom of Israel, its Temple, its priests, and its kings were all copies of the heavenly things, pointing ahead to Christ, and find their fulfillment in Christ and his church. He is the true king, and the high priest who “appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.” (Heb. 9:26)

And what I think many Christians miss today is that John’s Apocalypse is meant to chronicle and explain these incredible events, the dawning of the messianic age, and to describe the significance of Jesus’ first coming. This is why chapter 20, shortly after this, will describe the period immediately following Jesus’ first advent as Christ reigning for a thousand years. This is meant to be a reference to the messianic age that was inaugurated at Jesus’ first advent.

One of the lesser known Christian holidays is ascension day, 40 days after Easter Sunday. It’s based on Acts chapter 1 when the disciples witnessed Jesus taken up into heaven 40 days after his resurrection, and exalted to the right hand of God. Signifying the fulfillment of his ministry, and the establishment of the kingdom of God under a new covenant, ushering in the messianic age.

Millennial kingdom

The reason many believe the millennial kingdom won’t be established until after Christ’s second coming is because they believe chapter 19 is describing his second coming, therefore they assume that what’s described in chapter 20 must follow Christ’s second coming. So, you can see how your understanding of the millenium described in chapter 20 is directly affected by your understanding of the chapters that precede it. Now, we’ll look at this in further detail in our next time, but I want to whet your palate, and help everyone to see how chapter 19 connects and impacts the chapters after it.

Marriage Supper of the Lamb

That being said, let’s consider the events of chapter 19, particularly the marriage supper of the Lamb. God has often described his relationship to his people using marriage as an analogy, even in the OT. Like John, the prophets were fond of this comparison. Isaiah 54:5 says, “For your Maker is your husband", and Hosea 2:19 says, “And I will betroth you to me forever. I will betroth you to me in righteousness and justice, in steadfast love and in mercy. Or in Jeremiah 31 when the LORD described himself as Judah’s husband. Or Ezekiel 16:32 when speaking against Jerusalem, he wrote, “Adulterous wife, who receives strangers instead of her husband!"

Then, when we reach the new testament, the analogy is used in greater frequency, and often explained in even greater detail. For instance, marriage is used to describe the kingdom of God, marriage is used as a parable of Christ and the church, and the analogy of marriage distinctively marked Jesus’ earthly ministry.

Wedding at Cana

John, in his Gospel, for instance, curiously, recounts Jesus’ first miracle, turning water into wine at a wedding in Cana of Galilee. And this wasn’t without a purpose or a point. He wrote,

English Standard Version Chapter 2

2 On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. 2 Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. 3 When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” 4 And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” 5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”

6 Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. 7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. 8 And he said to them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.” So they took it. 9 When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom 10 and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.” 11 This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him

None of Jesus’ miracles were arbitrary, he didn’t perform miracles just because he could, they always served a purpose. This is why his miracles were often referred to as “signs”, because they are meant to signify something. There’s a reason John wrote that this was the first of his signs, and that it manifested his glory. This miracle not only represented his power over creation, but it was meant to announce and explain his ministry, that he brought the wine of the new covenant, and that it was cause for celebration, akin to a wedding feast.

Jesus the bridegroom

Then, later, when the Pharisees and scribes asked Jesus why his disciples didn’t fast, he answered then,

English Standard Version Chapter 5

“Can you make wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? 35 The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days.”

Jesus not only brings the equivalent of wine to a wedding, but he also describes himself as the bridegroom.

In Matthew chapter 25 when Jesus admonished his disciples to stay awake and watch for his second coming, he used the analogy of ten virgins waiting for the arrival of a bridegroom. (Matthew 25:1-13) The parable paints a picture of a wedding celebration, and Jesus is portrayed as the bridegroom who has come for his bride, and there are ten unmarried women who are a part of the bride’s wedding party (think bridesmaids), and they have been waiting for the bridegroom, to meet him and escort him and his party to the begin the celebration.

Wedding context

Jesus even used the analogy of a wedding when instructing his disciples in Luke 14:8-11,

Luke 14:8–11 ESV

“When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in a place of honor, lest someone more distinguished than you be invited by him, and he who invited you both will come and say to you, ‘Give your place to this person,’ and then you will begin with shame to take the lowest place. But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when your host comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at table with you. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

And I don’t think Jesus’ use of a wedding feast is an accident there either, while his central point was to teach his disciples to humble themselves, it was within the context of a wedding, because this was how Jesus frequently likened the kingdom of heaven. Jesus loved to compare the kingdom of heaven to a wedding, because it was fundamentally analogous to his ministry.

Blessed are those invited to the marriage supper

And probably Jesus’ most well known wedding parable is found in Matthew 22:1-14, so if you have your Bibles, turn with me to Matthew 22. The context here is Jesus’ conflict with the Jews at Jerusalem, dealing particularly with their unbelief. Despite Jesus’ many signs and wonders testifying to the credibility of his ministry and to his identity he encountered fierce opposition, and so he gave several parables to describe the hard-heartedness and the indifference of the Jewish people to his ministry. We read there, beginning in verse 1,

English Standard Version Chapter 22

22 And again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying, 2 “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son, 3 and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. 4 Again he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.” ’ 5 But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, 6 while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them. 7 The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. 8 Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy. 9 Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.’ 10 And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests.

11 “But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment. 12 And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. 13 Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ 14 For many are called, but few are chosen.”

What’s important for us to realize is that the kingdom of heaven is akin to a great marriage supper. God the Father has thrown his Son a wedding feast, and he sent his servants, at first, to those who were invited, the Jews, but they would not come; some of them even killed his servants. So, the Father sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city, and then he sent his servants out into the main roads to invite as many as they could find to the feast.

This is the marriage supper, or the wedding feast, that John is describing here in Revelation 19. We can see this connection especially when John writes in Revelation 19, verse 9,

English Standard Version Chapter 19

Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.”

Not a one time event

Now, I think most of us think of the marriage supper as merely a one time event at the end of history, however, we have to keep in mind the “already, but not yet” tension presented in the NT as it relates to the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God has already come, but the kingdom has not yet reached its full expression. Jesus inaugurated the kingdom at his first advent, and will consummate it at his second. Which is why the kingdom is often described as both present and future. Therefore, the marriage supper is not simply a one time event at the end of history. Though it’s clearest expression may not be until Christ’s second coming, it’s still a present reality as a result of Christ’s ministry.

One commentator described the marriage supper like this, “The marriage supper is neither a one-time event at the beginning of Christian history nor an event punctuating the end of Christian history … Rather it is an image of the ongoing calling and saving of sinners which brings them into the joyous continuing celebration of union with Christ.” (The Marriage Supper of the Lamb, Gentry)

And not only have we been invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb, but whenever we take the Gospel to our neighbor we’re inviting them to the banquet, we become the servants in Jesus’ parable, going out into the roads and gathering whoever we can find willing to come.

Lord’s Supper

And more than that, whenever we celebrate the Lord’s Supper together, we’re not only looking back at the bride price paid by our Bridegroom with his blood, but also symbolically celebrating the marriage supper together, and looking forward to the coming of Christ and the consummation of the kingdom in all its glory.

Bride has made herself ready

Then John says there in verse 7, that the,

English Standard Version Chapter 19

Bride has made herself ready;

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.

This analogy of a wedding is a mixed metaphor, from one perspective we’re the ones invited, from another we’re the servants handing out invitations, and yet from another angle we’re the bride.

Here the church is described as making herself ready. She does so by clothing herself with fine linen, bright and pure, and we’re told that the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. This doesn’t mean that we make ourselves pure by our righteous deeds, as though we are justified by our works, but rather it says we’re granted to clothe ourselves. This speaks of the God’s grace. Yet it is our responsibility to walk in the good works, which God prepared beforehand, for us to walk in. Or as Philippians 2:12-13 puts it,

English Standard Version Chapter 2

work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

We’re not justified by our righteous deeds, but by faith alone, however, genuine faith is never alone, true faith always produces good works. Our righteous deeds prove that our faith is genuine. And if we fail to clothe ourselves in this way we will be like the man who showed up to the party without a wedding garment, and the king bound him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. The righteous deeds of the saints demonstrate their faith, and so should ours.

Conclusion

Prayer