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In Revelation 19 a marriage takes place. Verse 7 says, “Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” Verse 8 adds, “And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.” 

 

The Lamb - Jesus

In several places in the New Testament, the Lord Jesus Christ is referred to as “the Lamb” (John 1:29, see also John 1:36). For example, the book of 1 Peter tells us, “Knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (1 Peter 1:18-19).

 

The Lamb’s Wife – the Church

The New Testament uses marriage imagery to describe the relationship of Christ and the church (2 Corinthians 11:2, Ephesians 5:22-32). For example, Ephesians 5 teaches, “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her … that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish” (Ephesians 5:25, 27).

Then, Paul further explains how the marriage relationship mirrors the relationship between Jesus and the church, “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church” (Ephesians 5:31-32).

 

The 3 Phases of a Jewish Wedding

A typical Jewish wedding had 3 phases. The first phase of a Jewish wedding was the betrothal. This was a ceremony that bound the man and woman together as husband and wife, although the marriage was not consummated at this time. It is somewhat similar to our present-day engagement except that it was legally binding as a marriage.

The second phase of a Jewish wedding occurred when the groom took the bride from her father’s house to the groom’s house, or the grooms father’s house. This phase usually took place around a year after the betrothal, and it was customarily done during the night. This phase of the wedding is referenced in the scriptures in Jesus’ parable of the wise and foolish virgins (Matthew 25:1-13). The physical consummation of the marriage took place once the wedding party arrived at the destination.

The third phase of a Jewish wedding was the marriage supper or feast to which guests had been invited and were already assembled. After the consummation of the marriage, the supper, or feast, occurred and this feast could go on for a week (Genesis 29:21-28, Judges 14:1-2, 7-8, 10-18). This phase of the wedding is referenced in the scriptures by Jesus’ parable of the wedding feast (Matthew 22:2-11) (Showers, The Marriage and Marriage Supper of the Lamb, 1991). 

 

The Marriage of the Lamb – Revelation 19:7-8

The betrothal. Most likely the betrothal is taking place now in this age as people come to accept Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord. The apostle Paul said to the Corinthian church, “For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ” (2 Corinthians 11:2).  

The marriage. In John 14 Jesus says, “In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also” (John 14:2-3).  The language used here sounds like it could be describing phase 2 of the Jewish wedding. Remember that phase 2 of a Jewish wedding is where the groom (Jesus) takes the bride (the church) to his father’s house (heaven). This scripture could also be referring to the rapture of the church (1 Thessalonians 4:15-18), which could mean that the marriage of the church to the Lord Jesus Christ could take place in heaven right after the rapture.

There is disagreement between some scholars as to whether the marriage of Christ to the church happens at the rapture or at the 2nd coming. The view that the marriage happens at the rapture seems most likely to me. I agree that the marriage of the church to Christ would probably take place at the rapture (when Christ returns to the Father’s house in heaven – John 14:2-3), not at the 2nd coming (when Christ returns to earth). I also agree that the 2nd coming will be a time when Christ executes judgement on His enemies (Revelation 19:11-21) but no such judgement appears to take place at the rapture.

 

The Marriage Supper of the Lamb – Revelation 19:9

Once the bride and groom were together, and after the physical consummation of the marriage, the marriage supper (or feast) took place. This required that the wedding guests who had been invited were now assembled so that the feast could begin. Again, the setting of the parable in Matthew 22:2-10 appears to be this phase (phase 3) of the wedding.

In biblical times, the wedding feast could take as long as a week. The first miracle that Jesus did, turning water into wine, He did at a wedding because the wedding had lasted long enough for the host to run out of wine (John 2:1-11).

Who might be “called” (v. 9) or invited to the feast? The guests most likely would include Old Testament saints, including the patriarchs (Matthew 8:11) the prophets (Luke 13:28), and quite possibly John the Baptist (Matthew 11:11). The list of invitations could also extend to those among the roll call of faith (Hebrews 11), and very possibly martyrs from the tribulation that could be happening on earth (MacArthur, Because the Time is Near, 2007, 286).

 

Lessons for Us

The phrase “His wife has made herself ready” (Revelation 19:7) is an insight for what we need to give attention to while we, as the church – and therefore the bride of Christ – are on the earth.  We should seek to purify ourselves as the day of His coming for us approaches. Scripture says, “But we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure” (1 John 3:2-3). Cleansing our lives could include the following ideas.

  • Examining our lives by His Word and making appropriate changes (Psalms 119:9).
  • Flooding our lives with the pure light of His Word (Matthew 6:22-23) and seeking virtue, rather than pursuing interests that are popular in our culture. Our culture often tries to entertain us with shows that mix darkness with light (1 John 1:5-7).
  • Cleaning up our inward thoughts, not just our outward actions (Matthew 23:25-28).
  • The “fine linen” that we will wear is “the righteous acts of the saints” (Revelation 19:8). Doing good works for others, especially other Christians (Galatians 6:10), adds to those righteous acts. Also, building a “treasure chest” of good works in the name of Christ helps to cleanse our hearts because, “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21).
  • Still, cleaning out our lives and bringing in light will have to be orchestrated by the Holy Spirit, because I need the Holy Spirit’s guidance and power to make the necessary changes in my life.

Although there is some disagreement among scholars about when the marriage of the lamb takes place (at the rapture vs. at the 2nd coming), it is possible that there is some kind of celebration at both times. It may very well be that the Marriage takes place at the rapture, but that there is some other type of celebration at the 2nd coming (Matthew 26:29, Luke 12:37).  

The marriage of the church to the Lord Jesus Christ (Revelation 19:7-8), and the marriage supper (feast) that follows it must have a glory and a wonder that are absolutely overwhelming, because even the apostle John, who saw this and wrote about it, fell down at the feet of angel who was by him!

 

(Note: all scripture quotations are from the NKJV)