The Marriage Supper of the Lamb

 

By Dr. Ken Matto

 

Revelation 19:7-9 (KJV)   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.  {8} 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.  {9} 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.

 

Another one of the great teachings in Scripture which has been sensationalized by the prophecy book crowd is the teaching on the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.  In typical pre-tribulation teachings the Marriage Supper of the Lamb will take place at the end of the seven year judgment of the Saints.  They teach that the rapture will occur before the seven year tribulation period and the Saints will be raptured to heaven where they will stand before the Lord Jesus Christ and be judged for the lives they have lived.  Many believe at this time they will receive rewards and when the seven year judgment is over and all the good Saints have received their rewards then they will attend the Marriage Supper of the Lamb which they believe is going to be a tremendous feast in heaven.

 

(See my study on rewards at: www.scionofzion.com/rewards.htm)

 

The prophecy book crowd cannot even agree when the feast is going to take place.  At the end of the Millennium or directly at the end of the church age.  This is what happens when you create these scenarios that do not exist in Scripture.  The Marriage Supper of the Lamb need not be such a great mystery nor do you need to be confused by these prophecy book pundits.  If you notice that it takes place right before the Lord returns to earth to bring all the Elect home to heaven and all the unbelievers will face judgment which is spoken of in Matthew 25:31-46.

 

Let us look at each of the three verses individually which are Revelation 19:7-9.

 

(Rev 19:7 KJV)
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.

Now a different part of the vision of John is in view, one which focuses on the body of Christ. Here the believers are giving honor to the Lord Jesus Christ because now the consummation of the ages has occurred and the body of believers is now with the bridegroom. The body of Christ is now all gathered together as they are no more separated with some in Heaven and some on earth. All are gathered together in heaven at the marriage of the Lamb. The wife has been made ready by means of Christ’s sacrifice on Calvary. In ancient times a marriage consisted of two phases. One was the betrothal and the other the actual wedding. In the period between the betrothal and the wedding, there is a time of separation and that is a time when both parties must be faithful. We saw this when Joseph wanted to privately put Mary away when she was with child. Of course, we know that Mary was faithful and was eventually married to Joseph. It is the same with the body of Christ. The true believers, while on earth, were faithful to the Lord Jesus Christ as we have seen through the ages that they would rather give their life than deny the Lord. Of course, it goes without saying that the Lord Jesus was also faithful in going to the cross to die for His people (Matthew 1:21).

 

(Rev 19:8 KJV)
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.

Just as the bride at a wedding is dressed in white and that dress is made of the finest cloth possible, the body of Christ is symbolically dressed in the finest of linen, which is clean and white. The second half of the verse tells us that the fine linen is the righteousness of the believer and that righteousness is the imputed righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ for not even the true believer has any righteousness until they become saved and indwelled by the Holy Spirit. (Isa 61:3 KJV) To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.

(Rev 19:9 KJV)
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.

John is now being commanded to write this great commendation that those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb are blessed. It must be noted that a person is called to the marriage supper and cannot will themselves in as those who believe in free will. (Mat 22:12-13 KJV) And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. {13} Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Only the truly called are the true guests of the Lamb. All are gathered together in heaven at the marriage supper of the Lamb. This is not a big physical feast as some commentators try to sell us but it is symbolic for the body of Christ as the wife and the bridegroom who is the Lord Jesus Christ are married by reason of His sacrifice on Calvary. This marriage supper is symbolic as the body of Christ is now in full righteous regalia in Heaven and now enjoys the most intimate fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ. Then the messenger tells John that these sayings are the true sayings of God and are not the sayings of anyone else.

 

The Marriage supper comes after the marriage has taken place.  As soon as a person becomes saved by means of the Father drawing them, they are married to Christ as His bride.  Revelation 21:9 (KJV) And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife.  The Marriage Supper of the Lamb is symbolic of the final joining together of the Lamb and all the believers.  Remember John is prophesying this through what he is seeing in heaven as the last day has not come yet.  When the Lord returns to earth on the last day, he will gather all of His Elect together and not one will be left out.  Matthew 13:49 (KJV) So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, As long as there was one person yet to be saved upon earth, the body of Christ was separated as many were in heaven and many were still on earth but on the last day the final gathering of the Christians will take place and the body of Christ will be complete in heaven symbolized by the Marriage Supper of the Lamb as a sign of unity forever.  Heaven is a spiritual place and nothing physical is there so there will be no long table with a great feast of physical food.  John 6:27 (KJV) Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.  John 6:27 is speaking about the meat that endures for eternity and that is the meat that we seek is the eternal Gospel through Grace which saves a person’s soul for all eternity. It is the spiritual meat that we seek. The Lord Jesus Christ will give that spiritual meat because He is qualified to do so.  There is not going to be any great physical feast that is just twisting Scripture to make it fit a belief system that does not exist in the Bible.  The Marriage Supper of the Lamb represents the final completion of the unity of the body of Christ in heaven for eternity.

 

Conclusion

The Marriage Supper of the Lamb is not an event like a big banquet.  It is symbolic for the final consummation of the Lord Jesus Christ and the completed body of believers.  Remember when studying Revelation, it is important to rightly discern between something symbolic and something which may be literal.  For example, The return of the Lord Jesus Christ is literal and found in four places in Revelation but there is much symbolism describing the events which lead up to the return of Christ in each of those instances.  Burn those Prophecy books because they are nothing but agents of confusion.

 

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