Marriage Of The Church Series

The Revelation of Jesus Christ

“The Marriage Preparation of the Bride” Revelation 19:7-10

INTRODUCTION

We are coming closer to the culmination of God’s grand plan for restoring His prize creation to His original intent. Revelation unveils the events of the final years of the fulfillment of every last prophetic word. We have not heard much concerning the church until chapter 19 where a heavenly call to rejoice at the final wedding plans of Christ and the church. My thought is that Jesus returns to catch up His church to heaven where she makes final wedding preparations and becomes the spotless bride of Christ. This all takes place before His spectacular and victorious return to the earth WITH His bride.

"Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready." 8 It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. 9 Then he said to me, "Write, 'Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.' “And he said to me, "These are true words of God." 10 Then I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, "Do not do that; I am a fellow servant of yours and your brethren who hold the testimony of Jesus; worship God. For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." Revelation 19:7-10

John saw a prophetic vision of the return of Christ starting in verse 11.

• In the Jewish marriage tradition the prospective bride groom would take the intuitive and travel to the home of the prospective bride.

• He would then negotiate with the father the price to be paid to secure his bride.

• Upon payment the marriage covenant was established and they couple were considered betrothed with legal obligations requiring a written divorce to break.

• The groom and the bride would then drink from a cup over which the betrothal benediction had been pronounced.

• The groom then left to prepare a place for his bride.

• The bride prepares herself and waits for her groom to come back and get her.

• He comes back to get her and provides her with wedding clothes.

• They proceed to the home he has prepared and the wedding is consummated and a feast celebrated.

Do you find any similarities to Jesus and the church?

• Jesus left the glory of His father’s house to seek a bride.

• He paid the ultimate price for our redemption.

• He ate and drank with His bride before returning to His father’s house.

• He left to prepare a place for us.

• He left instructions to prepare for our wedding.

• He continually works to purify a bride for Himself.

• He will come back to gather His bride.

• He will come back with the wedding clothes.

• We will all enjoy the wedding feast.

Today we will observe two significant Biblically mandated ceremonies that so wonderfully picture the marriage of Christ and the church.

First is baptism which serves as the public declaration of our decision to identify with Jesus.

Second is communion which serves to illustrate our continued intimacy with Jesus.

The Marriage and Christ and the Church (Baptism)

Lets first review the picture of marriage with Jesus. I believe that Jesus will return to gather His bride at the beginning of the 7 year tribulation. At that time, He will whisk us back to His Father’s house. The purification process will be completed and we will be made ready for a life of intimate relationship with Jesus far beyond anything anyone has yet experienced to this point in time. There will never again be a separation. There will never be any dark times.

No dark nights of the soul. No sense of aloneness or abandonment. No silence. No ambiguity.

Only amazing face to face connection with the one who gave His life for us.

We will be the blameless and spotless bride of Christ which has been His intent all along.

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, 26 so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless. 28 So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself; 29 for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church, 30 because we are members of His body. Ephesians 5:25-30