The marriage of the lamb
Revelation 19:6-10
Main Idea: We prepare for the marriage of the Lamb through grace-fueled repentance, faith, and worship.
I. The Lamb (19:6, 10)
Revelation continually emphasizes that what awaits us at the end of time is the reign of Triune God over all of creation. The chaos of the world right now, seduced by the influence of the great harlot (17:1-6), the mighty beast (17:8-13) , and the ancient serpent (12:1-9) over the kingdoms of this world will one day come to a definitive and decisive end (cf. 12:11; 17:14).
Revelation 11:15: Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.”
John is so overcome by the glorious, good news of this vision that he begins to worship the messenger (19:10). He is quickly reminded that the angel is a “fellow servant” and he must worship God alone. Though this “unveiling” seems almost too good to believe, John is reassured that the testimony and revelation of Jesus are true.
II. The Bride (19:7)
The announcement of the certain reign of the Lord and the Lamb over all of creation should produce rejoicing, exultation, and glory from his people, because it ushers in the long-awaited “marriage of the Lamb.” The picture of the Lord as the groom and his people as the bride is found all throughout Scripture (cf. Isa. 54:5; 62:4-5; Jer. 3:20; Hosea; Mt. 22:1-14; 25:1-12) and finds its consummation here.
In the time of the Bible, weddings had the following pattern:
The couple would become “betrothed” (engaged), often arranged ahead of time
The groom would pay a “dowry” to the father of the bride during
The wedding would begin with a processional of the bride to the home of her husband; great preparations were made for this presentation to her groom
The groom then receives his bride and the lengthy (often week-long) wedding feast begins
“The kingdom and the marriage are two aspects of the same reality, when God will finally be our all in all (1 Cor. 15:28), with no more distance, no more absence, no more waiting, but faith finally turned into sight, hope into possession, and earthly sorrows into pleasures forevermore... Unlike the marriage of the Lord with his old-covenant people Israel, which failed miserably, now the bride is so fully prepared for the approach of her glorious husband that she will be unable ever to spoil this eternal marriage.”
~ Ray Ortlund, Marriage and the Mystery of the Gospel
III. The Dress (19:8)
The clothing for the bride of the Lamb is meant to be in contrast to the gaudy appearance of the harlot (cf. 18:16). This “dress” represents both sides of our salvation, both our justification and our sanctification:
Justification: “it was granted to her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure…” (cf. 7:14; Eph. 5:27; Matt. 22:11-14)
Sanctification: “... for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.” (cf. Isa. 61:10; Eph. 2:10; 1 Jn. 1:9)
Titus 2:11–14: For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.
“The gospel calls us to cleanse ourselves from everything dishonorable (2 Tim. 2:21) and to reach by faith and repentance for everything excellent (2 Pet. 1:3-11). This is the bride’s part, for the strong hope of that glorious wedding celebration above acts upon us now with purifying power (1 Jn. 3:2-3). And it is important to see that the bride does not wait to prepare herself until after all her oppressors have been judged and dispensed with… the church remains under pressure during her season of preparation. But her calling is not to defeat her enemies; her calling is to make herself ready for her groom.”
~ Ray Ortlund, Marriage and the Mystery of the Gospel
IV. The Invitation (19:9)
The angel tells John: “Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the lamb” (cf. Lk. 14:15) This is the fourth ‘blessed’ promise of Revelation (cf. 1:3; 14:13; 16:15). We resist the seductive ploys of the great harlot of Babylon by living our lives in anticipation for this immeasurably great and endlessly glorious banquet feast that awaits the saints in the future.
Isaiah 25:6-9: On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples
a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine,
of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined.
And he will swallow up on this mountain
the covering that is cast over all peoples,
the veil that is spread over all nations.
He will swallow up death forever;
and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces,
and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth,
for the Lord has spoken.
It will be said on that day,
“Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us.
This is the Lord; we have waited for him;
let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”
