Sermon Central
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A Marriage Made In Heaven Series
Contributed by Carl Allen on Feb 11, 2009 (message contributor)
Summary: The second of two great events that will take place in Heaven while the tribulation is taking place on earth.
A Biblical View of the End Times
A MARRIAGE MADE IN HEAVEN
Intro: We all know what a spectacle a wedding can be. Thousands of dollars are spent trying to produce a perfect moment in time that will join a couple together in marital bliss. It is a special moment in the lives of those two individuals and for the people who know and love them. Weddings, here on earth, are a special thing!
Today, we come to an event in heaven that will take place while the earth is in the midst of the Tribulation Period. It will happen after the Judgment Seat of Christ and it will involve all of God’s children. This event is commonly referred to as The Marriage Super Of The Lamb. It will be a time of great joy for all the redeemed people of God! You see, for the church, the end times shape up like this: In the Rapture, we will be Caught Up; at the Judgment Seat of Christ, we will be Cleaned Up; and at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, we will be Cheered Up! It is this event that I want to tell you about tonight.
My desire in preaching this sermon is to help those who are saved understand that there are some blessed days ahead for the people of God. I also want those who do not know the Lord to know that they need to get ready to meet the Lord. He is coming and He will take His people to Heaven. But, He will only take His people! The rest will be left behind to endure the Tribulation and face the fires of Hell. Therefore, let’s take a trip to Heaven and see how marriages are made over there.
I. THIS WEDDING IS PRECEDED BY A CELEBRATION (vv. 1-6)
• This is sort of backwards. Typically, a wedding is followed by celebration.
o The time before a wedding is usually filled with tremendous stress and many hours of preparation time.
o While it is a happy time for those involved, it is anything but a time of celebration.
• In Heaven, things are different!
o It seems from this passage that Heaven rejoices before and after the wedding. I like that!
o The cause of all this rejoicing in mentioned in verse 7.
o It seems that the marriage of the Lord Jesus is the catalyst for Heaven’s anthems of praise.
o Those in Heaven lift their voices in four "Hallelujah’s" that fill the heavens with praise.
A. The Hallelujah Of Redemption (v. 1)
• Heaven praises the Lord for all He has done for them, (The cross, the blood, the empty grave, etc.)
• They are saved, they are in Heaven and they have a reason to shout!
B. The Hallelujah Of Retribution (vv. 2-3)
• The residents of Heaven praise the Lord for executing His judgment upon a lost, sinful and rebellious world!
o They know that His judgments are fair, they are right and they are perfect.
o Therefore, they praise His name!
• Lest we forget, we are serving a God who has already won the war with evil!
o That is enough to shout about now!
C. The Hallelujah Of Realization (vv. 4-5)
• If you take the time to look at the book of Revelation, these 24 elders who are mentioned show up about 6 times, and, every time they do, they are doing the same thing: falling on their faces and worshiping the Lord!
• Just to let you in on a secret, those 24 elders represent the redeemed of God; if you are saved, they picture YOU!
• Well, why are they praising the Lord so much?
o Because in Heaven, they are finally free from the limitations of the flesh and they can see God like He really is!
o They are no longer afraid or ashamed to worship Him, but now they are ready, willing and able to fall down before the Lamb of God and shout His praises!
D. The Hallelujah Of Regulation (v. 6)
• Then, they praise the Lord for His reign.
o They glorify the Lord that, at last, He is honored, exalted and worshiped by all His creation!
o Thank God, there is coming a day when the Lord will have the glory and honor He deserves all the time.
o I look forward to being in that number when we stand around the throne and lift our "Hallelujahs" to the glory of God!
o I want to call your attention to verse 4!
o There are two heavenly words mentioned hear that you and I need to look at just for a moment.
o They are: Amen and Hallelujah.
The word Amen is a word signifying agreement with and approval of the Word of God.
