Living in the Last Days (21)

“The Marriage Supper, the Second Coming, and the Battle of Armageddon”

Revelation 19:7-10 “Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God. And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”

I. Intro

After the interlude describing the fall of Babylon, John hears Heaven celebrating because God’s justice is being dished out. The multitude shouts, “Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honor, and power, unto the Lord God.” The word ‘Alleluia’ is a transliteration of a Hebrew phrase that means “praise the Lord.” Heaven is also praising God ‘for He hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand.’ A second time the voices shout, ‘Alleluia. And her smoke rose up forever.’ This indicates God’s judgment is final and eternal. The twenty-four elders, who represent the church, and the four living creatures, who are cherubim angels, say Amen, indicating their agreement. They fall down and worship God, who is seated on His throne, saying “Alleluia.” Next, an unidentified voice, probably the voice of an angel, comes from the throne, saying, “Praise our God, all ye His servants, and ye that fear Him both small and great. This is a command directly from God’s throne. Then, John hears what sounds like a vast crowd shouting. It is like the sound of many waters, and the rumbling of loud thunder. In contrast to God’s judgment on earth, which resulted in torment, weeping, and wailing, all Heaven bursts forth in celebration and praise to God for the destruction of the final, evil world power called Babylon.

II. The Marriage Supper of the Lamb

The marriage of the Lamb has come and his wife hath made herself ready. Jesus referred to Himself as a Groom, as recorded in three gospels. John the Baptist also referred to Jesus as a Groom. John 3:29 “He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled.” The loud voices shout that Christ’s bride is ready because she has clothed herself in fine linen, clean and white. In (Eph. 5:27) we discover the reason for Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. Eph. 5:27 “That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.” Now, we come to the fourth of seven beatitudes (blesseds) in the book of Revelation. The angel says to John, “Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb.” This supper is by invitation only. The Bride is the church collectively. However, individual believers are there because they have accepted what invitation of Christ to people burdened with the guilt of their sin. The angel also says to John, “These are the true sayings of God.” This is a reminder that every word of Scripture is true. 2 Timothy 3:16 “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:” Because this scene is overwhelming, John falls down before the angel to worship him. However, the angel tells him not to worship him, because like John, he is just a servant of God. Therefore, the angel tells John to worship God only. Finally, the angel tells John, ‘for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophesy.’ This means Jesus is the central theme of prophesy. The essence of prophesy is not telling the future; it is telling about Jesus.

III. The Second Coming

1. The Second Coming is confusing to many because the Bible says living believers will meet the Lord in the air. 1 Thess. 4:17 “Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” However, in (Zech. 14:4) it says that the Lord’s feet will actually touch down on the Earth. Zech. 14:4 “And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, Which is before Jerusalem on the east, And the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, And there shall be a very great valley; And half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, And half of it toward the south.” The reason for the two different descriptions is one describes the Rapture of the church and the other describes the Second Coming of Christ. John writes that he sees a white horse, like those ridden by victorious Roman generals when they returned to Rome. He then adds, and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. This Rider is in contrast to the Antichrist, who came on a white horse at the beginning of the tribulation, with empty promises and made unrighteous war. The eyes of Jesus are as a flame of fire, indicating He sees and knows everything because He is omniscient. Therefore, He can judge with righteousness. On His head are many crowns, worn by kings or rulers. John continues his description, saying that Jesus has a name written that only He knows. ‘And He was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood.’ This probably represents the blood of His enemies. And His name is called the Word of God. There is no confusion about the identity of this Rider. This is because John also writes John 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Following Jesus are the armies of Heaven, dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Their clothes are not bloody like their king’s robe because they will only be observers, not participants, in the coming battle. John explains, “And out of His mouth goeth a sharp sword that with it he should smite the nations.” The voice that spoke and created the world, the voice that atoms, molecules, and planets obey, will now speak. At that instant, His enemies will be destroyed. Then, He shall rule them with a rod of iron. Psalms 2:9 “Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; Thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.” ‘And he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.’ A winepress is a large vat in which grapes are stomped and crushed to make wine. It is a picture of God’s judgment.

IV. The Battle of Armageddon

This will be the most gruesome battle ever, with masses of dead bodies like never seen before in the history of the world. With a word, Christ will destroy His enemies. Therefore, John sees an angel standing in the sun, shouting to vultures in the sky. Rev. 19:17 “And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God;” At this supper, the birds will eat the flesh of kings, generals, warriors, etc. It will be a worldwide slaughter, because the armies of the world will have been lured by demons to the battle site, Armageddon, to fight the armies of Heaven. Remember, chapters 17 and 18 were an interlude to explain Babylon-her sins and destruction. The account of the Battle of Armageddon resumes in (19:17) picking up from the pause at Rev. 16:16 “And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.” Therefore, John sees the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat upon the horse, and against his army. However, they are powerless against the returning Christ. Unlike Hades, the temporary home of the lost dead, this is the ultimate, eternal home of all who do not follow Christ. The beast and the false prophet-the most vile and evil people to ever live-are the two first to arrive at this horrible place. A thousand years later, when Satan is cast into the lake of fire, they are still there. Rev. 20:10 “And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.” Those who followed the beast will be slain with the mouth of Christ, and birds will eat their dead bodies. The rest of the lost dead are in Hades awaiting the Great White Throne Judgment that determines the degree of their eternal punishment. However, the lake of fire was not the original eternal destination intended for humanity, it was originally intended for Satan and his angels or demons. Matt. 25:41 “Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:”

V. Conclusion

As events yet to come, the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, the Second Coming, and the Battle of Armageddon are warnings for unbelievers to repent. They are also motivations for believers to live for Christ. Knowing about these events should also motivate us to do everything we can to bring the lost world to faith in Christ so they can avoid the coming judgment of God.