7.

Marriage Supper of the Lamb & Bride

“Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.” (Revelation 19:6-8)

 In his vision in Revelation 19:7–10, John saw and heard the Heavenly multitudes praising God because the wedding feast of the Lamb—literally, the “marriage supper”—was about to begin. The concept of the marriage supper is better understood in light of the wedding customs in the time of Christ.

These wedding customs had three major parts. First, a marriage contract was signed by the parents of the bride and the bridegroom, and the parents of the bridegroom or the bridegroom himself would pay a dowry to the bride or her parents. This began what was called the betrothal period—what we would today call the engagement. This period was the one Joseph and Mary were in when she was found to be with child (Matthew 1:18; Luke 2:5).

The second step in the process usually occurred a year later, when the bridegroom, accompanied by his male friends, went to the house of the bride at midnight, creating a torchlight parade through the streets. The bride would know in advance this was going to take place, and so she would be ready with her maidens, and they would all join the parade and end up at the bridegroom’s home.

This custom is the basis of the parable of the ten virgins in Matthew 25:1–13. The third phase was the marriage supper itself, which might go on for days, as illustrated by the wedding at Cana in John 2:1–2.

What John’s vision in Revelation pictures is the wedding feast of the Lamb (Jesus Christ) and His bride (the Church) in its third phase. The implication is that the first two phases have already taken place. The first phase was completed on earth when each individual believer placed his or her faith in Christ as Savior. The dowry paid to the bridegroom’s parent (God the Father) would be the blood of Christ shed on the Bride’s behalf. The Church on earth today, then, is “betrothed” to Christ, and, like the wise virgins in the parable, all believers should be watching and waiting for the appearance of the Bridegroom (the Second Coming). The second phase symbolizes the Rapture of the Church, when Christ comes to claim His bride and take her to the Father’s house. The marriage supper then follows as the third and final step. It is our view that the marriage supper of the Lamb takes place in Heaven between the Rapture and the Second Coming (during the Tribulation on earth).

Attending the wedding feast will be not only the Church as the Bride of Christ, but others as well. The “others” include the Old Testament saints—they will not have been resurrected yet, but their souls/spirits will be in Heaven with us. As the angel told John to write, “Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb” (Revelation 19:9). The marriage supper of the Lamb is a glorious celebration of all who are in Christ!

Who is the Bridegroom - The question has but one answer. The Bridegroom can only be "the king's son" of Matthew 22:1-14, the Lord Jesus Himself. In John 3:29, long after John the Baptist had introduced Jesus as "the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29)

John was asked to identify himself. He made it clear that he was not the Christ; in John 3:29 he referred to Christ as "the bridegroom," to himself as "the friend who attends the bridegroom [and who] waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom's voice." Clearly Christ is here referred to as the Bridegroom as well at the Lamb. Thus, Christ is the Bridegroom at the Marriage of the Lamb.

Who is the Bride - A verse of importance is found in Ephesians 5:32. The Apostle Paul, speaking to husbands and wives of their relationship together, likens the husband to Christ and the wife to the Church. He sums it up in v.32 by saying, "This is a profound mystery - but I am talking about Christ and the Church," clearly indicating that the perfect picture of the relationship between the Lord Jesus and His Church is that of a bride and a bridegroom.

Therefore, when a person accepts Jesus Christ, he or she becomes a member of the Church, the true invisible Church, and is automatically espoused or engaged to Christ. This engagement will be finalized at the Marriage of the Lamb.

Where and When Will This Marriage Take Place - The Marriage of the Lamb must take place in Heaven, for in Revelation 19:11, after the Marriage of the Lamb and the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, we find the Lord Jesus coming in what we call "the Glorious Appearing" to set up His Kingdom.

For this reason we must conclude that the marriage and the supper have occurred in Heaven. Their location in Revelation 19 shows these events to have taken place at the end of the Tribulation, just before the Millennial Reign of Christ on the earth.

Ephesians 5:27 indicates the manner in which the Bride will be presented to Christ: "a radiant Church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless." This condition will exist only after the Judgment Seat of Christ when believers have been completely cleansed and the Church is made whole.

For that reason we believe that the Judgment Seat of Christ, which will take place during the Tribulation, will precede the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, and immediately after the judgment of reward has been presented to the last believer, the Marriage of the Lamb will take place. All Christians who have trusted in Christ during the age of grace, from the day of Pentecost to the Rapture of the Church, will make up His Bride.

How Does the Bride Make Herself Ready - We ought properly to take periodic inventories to see if we are truly serving Christ. In that Day, all unfaithful Christians will rue their unfaithfulness, for it will not only keep them from the position with Christ they might desire, but will limit the extent to which they rule and reign with Christ during the Millennial Kingdom.

The attitude of the Apostle Paul should characterize every Christian: "What shall I do, Lord?" (Acts 22:10) That kind of attitude will provide such motivation in believers that they will not only receive a "full reward" but hear the Savior say, "Well done, good and faithful servant! Come and share your Master's happiness!" (Matthew 25:21)

The Identity of the Guests - Some invited to the wedding ceremony are guests and not the Bride. Obviously, a bride is never invited to a wedding supper, nor is a bridegroom. Those who are invited are the friends of the bride and groom. Who are these friends or guests? It cannot be the Church because the Church is the Bride.

John the Baptist, one of the last Old Testament saints, indicated that he was a friend of the Bridegroom (John 3:29.) These Old Testament saints will be in Heaven and will have their rewards, but they are not the Church, not the Bride of the Christ. They are the friends of the Bride and Bridegroom, who at this point can be seen as the ones invited as guests to the feast.

So then all the believing dead from Adam until the resurrection of Christ will be guests at this feast. In addition to them, will appear those who have received the Savior during the Tribulation, both Jew and Gentile, many of who will have been martyred for the testimony of Christ.

Not to imply that the Old Testament saints are inferior to the Church, or the body of Christ, but merely to point out that this is a special blessing for the Church. Now Israel, or the guests at the Wedding Supper of the Lamb, have promises and relationships to Him in which we shall not share; however, the Marriage Supper of the Lamb is an experience reserved for the Church.