A Biblical View of the End Times
A MARRIAGE MADE IN HEAVEN
Revelation 19:1-9
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.
• When Amen appears at the beginning of a sentence, it means "truly".
• When it is spoken concerning the words uttered by another, it means "I agree" or "so be it".
• Amen is said to be the most known word in the world!
The word Hallelujah is a Hebrew word meaning "Praise the Lord".
• It is used only one time in the New Testament and that was to give honor and glory to the Lamb.
• It is heaven’s praise word!
• I just want to say that if you and I intend to be in tune with Heaven, then we need to learn to use a little heavenly language.
o It is all right to praise the Lord!
o If something blesses your heart, just try "Amen!"
o If the Lord is moving in your soul, just try "Hallelujah!"
o I will guarantee you one thing. It won’t hurt you!
II. THIS WEDDING IS PERFECTED BY A CONSUMMATION (vv. 7-8)
• This marriage made in Heaven will be the consummation of some very important and powerful events.
A. A Plan Will Be Consummated (v. 7a) –
• Notice the words "has come".
• These words imply a sense of relief that a long anticipated event has finally arrived.
• Nothing could be more true!
• At this moment, God’s plan for the ages is finally complete.
• Since man sinned in the Garden of Eden, God has been working to bring man back into fellowship with Him.
• This is the moment when Jesus gets to receive His Bride unto Himself.
• This will be the most special moment in all the history of creation!
• It will be the moment when the Lamb of God takes His Bride unto Himself!
B. A Preparation Will Be Consummated (vv. 7b-8)
• Notice that the text says "his wife hath made herself ready."
Typically, Old Testament brides prepared their own wedding garments.
It could be as elaborate our as simple as they chose to make it.
Usually, it consisted of two pieces. One, an inner garment called a tunic and two, the outer garment. It was the bride’s responsibility to get herself ready for the wedding!
• You and I need to understand that we are to prepare ourselves for that day that is coming as well!
You see, verse 8 says that the Bride of Christ will be clothed in white linen and that this linen is the righteousness of the saints!
I take that to imply that how simply, or how elaborately we are dressed may depend on the kind of life we lived while we were in this world!
• Let me illustrate. There are three kinds of righteousness that a person can have.
1. Personal Righteousness
• This is the righteousness you can produce all by yourself.
• It is basically evil and no good at all can come from it. In our own righteousness, we are literally dressed in rags before the Lord.
2. Provided Righteousness
• This is the righteousness we are given when we trust the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior.
• This refers to that tunic, or inner garment.
• We have been provided with a spotless inner garment of righteousness!
3. Practical Righteousness
• This is the righteousness we live out each day we are in this world.
It refers to how we conduct ourselves.
How well we submit to authority.
And. How we use the opportunities, gifts, responsibilities and privileges we are given as children of God.
This speaks of the outer garment that the world sees.
I believe, how well we are dressed at the Wedding may depend on how we live here!
• Whatever the scenario that is played out here, the fact remains that the bride has made the proper preparations and she is ready for the wedding!
This means that the faith she place in Jesus was not misplaced.
It means that all her trials and struggles are behind her.
It means that she has trusted the Lord to save her and He has!
She is home!, She is loved! And, she is ready to enter into the joy of her Lord!
III. THIS WEDDING IN PUNCTUATED BY A CONTINUATION (vv. 9-20:3)
• This wedding doesn’t end with the couple coming together to live.
• But, this wedding will continue with a celebration like nothing this universe has ever seen!
• Let me just mention a few brief thoughts!
A. The Guests At The Wedding Supper
• There will be guests at this heavenly wedding.
• Who? They will be the Old Testament saints.
• That will be quiet an assembly!
B. The Glory Of The Wedding Supper
• After a wedding, there is always a celebration.
• The length and the opulence all depended on the wealth of the Bridegroom, in those days.
• When rich men married, their wedding celebrations might last up to 7 days!
• The Lord Jesus is going to present His Bride with a celebration that will last 1,000 years!
C. The Groom At The Wedding Supper
• In a typical wedding celebration, the groom would mingle with the guests to be sure that everyone had every need met.
• Imagine what it will be to be in the presence of the Lord Jesus and have Him be occupied with seeing that our joy is full!
Jesus will actually serve His people in that day!
My, that is almost beyond the grasp of my mind!
Closing: I can imagine the society page in the New Jerusalem Times the next day! It might read something like this:
"Yesterday, the Lamb of God took His bride unto Himself in a service presided over by the Heavenly Father. The bride was dressed in garments of glorious white and she is spotless and without blemish. The Groom was clothed in glory as is His custom!
The angelic hosts lifted their voices together and praised the name of the Most High God, while the cherubim and seraphim hovered overhead crying "Holy, holy, holy!"
After the service, the couple left Heaven to return to the earth for a 1,000 year honeymoon. When they return, they plan to spend eternity together in the palaces of Heaven."
My friends, are you ready for that wedding in the sky? There will be a marriage made in Heaven someday, but only the redeemed are invited. Does that include you? If not it can! Please come to Jesus and be saved today.
For those who are going, consider for a moment how you are preparing for that day! What kind of garments will you be wearing when you stand there at that Royal Wedding? The time to prepare is today! The place to prepare is here! The person to prepare is yourself. Will you come and let the Lord work in your heart and life?
