Revelation 19:7-10
Purpose: To describe the blessed eternal union of all believers with Christ.
Aim: I want the listener to rejoice in God’s grace.
INTRODUCTION: In the first six verses of this chapter we see a heavenly vision of the awesome power and glory of God. He is the ultimate and undisputed ruler of His own creation. In our text today we see that this all powerful God will forever join Himself with sinners He has washed pure in the blood of Christ.
"In normal [ways of speaking] the wedding is spoken of as the marriage of the bride, but here it is the marriage of the Lamb." [1] Normally the bride is the center of attention, but here the groom is the center of attention and rightly so. Jesus is the one who made the wedding possible. Christ is the one who purchased His bride with His own blood. Isaiah 61:10 I will rejoice greatly in the Lord, My soul will exult in my God; For He has clothed me with garments of salvation, He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. (NAU)
1 Corinthians 13:12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known. (NAU)
REVIEW:
1:1-20 I. John’s Vision of the Past "the things which you have seen"
2:1-5:14 II. Christ’s Vision of the Present "the things which are"
Ch.6-22 III. John’s Vision of the Future "things which will take places"
6-7; 12-14 A. Satan’s war against God’s creation: the first six seals
8-11; 13:11-18; 15-18 B. The wrath of God: the seventh seal
Ch.19-20 C. The worship of God
19:1 1. A description of worship "salvation...glory...power"
19:2-6 2. Four reasons to worship God
Vs.2 a. God brings holiness to the earth "true and righteous"
Vs.3 b. God’s holiness is eternal "forever and forever"
Vs.4-5 c. God loves without partiality "small and the great"
Vs.6 d. God rules "the Almighty, reigns"
LESSON:
19:7-10 3. The Believer’s eternal union with Christ
Vs.7 a. The church is prepared to meet Christ "made herself ready"
Jewish weddings as a picture of our salvation
Jewish weddings are divided into four stages. Each stage illustrates our relationship to Christ.
#1 Engagement
This is like our present day engagements except they are legally binding. For example, when Joseph learned that Mary was pregnant he "... planned to send her away secretly" (Matthew 1:19 NAU) because they were legally married even though the marriage ceremony hadn’t happened yet.
Our marriage ceremony to Christ hasn’t happened yet, but we are already legally owned by Christ. Notice how Paul explains this truth: Ephesians 1:4-5 just as He chose us [present tense] in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be [future tense] holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, (NAU) Ephesians 1:11-12 also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory. (NAU)
#2 Payment
The groom would then give a dowry (a gift) to the bride’s father in order to seal the marriage agreement. God, sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge. (2 Corinthians 1:22NAU)
Jesus offered His own blood in payment for our sin so that we could be His eternal bride. Hebrews 10:19-20 Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, (NAU)
#3 Procession
Then the groom dressed in his best clothes and accompanied by his best friends, leaves home to go get his bride. Psalm 104:1 Bless the Lord, O my soul! O Lord my God, You are very great; You are clothed with splendor and majesty, (NAU)
Psalm 93:1 The Lord reigns, He is clothed with majesty; The Lord has clothed and girded Himself with strength .... (NAU)
Matthew 16:27 For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels ... (NAU)
He then escorts her back to the home he has prepared for her. John 14:2-3 "In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. "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. (NAU)
#4 Celebration
The wedding feast lasted seven days and is the happiest event in Jewish life. This is the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. Revelation 21:9 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and spoke with me, saying, "Come here, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb."(NAU)
Vs.8 b. The church is pure before Christ "bright and clean"
Those that are pure have Revelation 7:14 ... washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. (NAU)
Jesus is the one who makes us clean enough for heaven. Ephesians 5:25-27 ... Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 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. (NAU)
Our righteous acts, or good works, weave a garment that brings glory to God. There are two ideas wrapped up in one here. On the one hand the desire and the ability to do right are gifts from God. Verse eight starts out with: "It was given her." We cannot be good on our own.
Isaiah 61:10 I will rejoice greatly in the Lord, My soul will exult in my God; For He has clothed me with garments of salvation, He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. (NAU)
On the other hand, we are responsible to do what is right in the sight of God. Paul explained it this way, 1 Corinthians 15:10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me. (NAU)
Ephesians 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. (NAU)
So, this verse shows us that the more we turn away from sin the more beautiful our heavenly garment will be. Dr. Lehman Strauss put it this way: "Has it ever occurred to you... that at the marriage of the Bride to the Lamb, each of us will be wearing the wedding garment of our own making?"
Vs.9 c. The church is privileged to marry Christ "Blessed are
those who are invited"
"The word supper (δειπνον) occurs only twice in Rev. (19:9, 17). It referred to the evening meal, which to the Jew meant the beginning of the new day." [2] The celebration of our marriage to Jesus Christ is just the beginning of a new day for us.
Just as verse 8 talks about the church’s HOLINESS verse 9 talks about the church’s HAPPINESS.
Why are believers blessed? Because they have been called by God to follow Him.
1 Corinthians 1:9 God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. (NAU) Romans 1:6 among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ; (NAU)
I read somewhere about a dream that Martin Luther is supposed to have had. In the dream, he stood on the Day of Judgment before God Himself--and Satan was there to accuse him. When Satan opened his books full of accusations, he pointed to sin after sin of which Luther was guilty. As the proceedings went on, Luther’s heart sank in despair. Then he remembered the cross of Christ. Luther turned to Satan and said, "There is one entry which you have not made, Satan." The Devil shot back, "What is that?" And Luther answered, "It is this--... the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. (1 John 1:7 NAU)
Think about the high privilege that Jesus has granted to His followers.
Jesus began calling His followers SLAVES. Luke 17:10 "So you too, when you do all the things which are commanded you, say, ’We are unworthy slaves; we have done only that which we ought to have done.’ " (NAU)
Later Jesus called His followers FRIENDS. John 15:15 "No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you. (NAU)
Then we were called CHILDREN. 1 John 3:1 See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. (NAU)
Here in Revelation Christ’s followers are now called His WIFE! Oh, what a marvel that we could have such an exalted position with such a holy God!
Vs.10 d. The church worships ONLY Christ "worship God"
Today we find people worshiping angels or even dead people. When John worshiped at Christ’s feet in rev 1:17, he was not rebuked. Jesus just encouraged him not to fear. But here, and in 22:8--9, John is forbidden to worship the messenger. Worship is to be reserved for God alone. No creature in heaven, on the earth, or under the earth is permitted to receive worship. Romans 1:25 For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. (NAU) We should NEVER bow down or pray to anyone except God alone.
Everything in the Bible points to Jesus Christ. "Jesus is the spirit of prophecy" so the OT prophecies pointed to Jesus and the NT prophecies point to Jesus. Much of modern day teaching about prophecy focuses on what they think the future will be like, but any teaching about prophecy that does not keep Jesus in the spotlight is false teaching.
CONCLUSION: Jesus is coming back to claim His bride. Will you be among those that He claims as His own? Luke 12:36 "Be like men who are waiting for their master when he returns from the wedding feast, so that they may immediately open the door to him when he comes and knocks. (NAU)
Matthew 22:2-10 "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son. "And he sent out his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding feast, and they were unwilling to come. "Again he sent out other slaves saying, ’Tell those who have been invited, "Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and my fattened livestock are all butchered and everything is ready; come to the wedding feast." ’ "But they paid no attention and went their way, one to his own farm, another to his business, and the rest seized his slaves and mistreated them and killed them. "But the king was enraged, and he sent his armies and destroyed those murderers and set their city on fire. "Then he said to his slaves, ’The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. ’Go therefore to the main highways, and as many as you find there, invite to the wedding feast.’ "Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered together all they found, both evil and good; and the wedding hall was filled with dinner guests. (NAU)
We can know that we belong to Christ if we keep our grasp on the importance and the glory of the Gospel--what Jesus has done to pay for our sin. 2 Corinthians 11:2-3 For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy; for I betrothed you to one husband, so that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin. But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ. (NAU)
Do you long to praise the Lord for His gift of grace to you? In an old out of print book titled "English Hymns" is a story about a church problem. Rev. Dr. Samuel West pastored a church in New England. The choir didn’t like a song they were given to sing so pastor West decided to start the Sunday worship service with the hymn "Come, we who love the Lord" and he asked the congregation to sing the second verse: "Let those refuse to sing who never knew our God."
Do you have a desire to praise the Lord for His greatness and power? Do you have a deep and abiding affection in your heart for the Lord? If you heart is cold toward God today, then are you willing to bow your heart to Christ and confess your sin of ungratefulness for all that He has done for you?
He, who does not long to know more of Christ, knows nothing of Him yet.
-C.H. Spurgeon
[1]KJV Bible commentary. 1997, c1994 (2708). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
[2]Custer, S. (2004). From Patmos to Paradise: A commentary on Revelation (212). Greenville, S.C.: BJU Press.
