The Two Suppers
Introduction:
A small child, sitting in church asked his father, “Dad, what is a Christian?”
The father replied, “A Christian is a person who loves and obeys God. He loves his friends and neighbors, and even his enemies. He prays often, is kind, gentle, and holy, and is more interested in going to heaven than in all earthly riches. That, son, is a Christian!”
The boy looked puzzled and thought for a minute, then asked, “Have I ever seen one?”
When people see you do they see a Christian? We live in a culture that is constantly defining sin downward. What was once detestable is now acceptable. What was once wrong is now right. The devil is very clever. He knows that men want to be good and it is our nature to want to be perceived as good. So he deceives people into believing that what is evil, is actually good. Isaiah said 'woe unto them who call good evil and evil good, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter, who put darkness for light and light for darkness.'
Preachers must preach the word to convict and reprove people of their sins. The problem is that no one wants to come to church to feel criticized, and pastors don't want to risk losing members so they figure its best not to talk about sin altogether. But if the church does not define what sin is through the Bible then rest assured the devil will define what it is through the world. We are seeing it every day! And there will be consequences church! There will be consequences for your obeying Christ or disobeying him!
Some of you might remember when I came and preached a message about the two judgments. There is the Bema seat judgment and there is the great white throne judgment, one is for believers and the other is for the damned! (By the way if you have any questions about what will happen in the last days, the rapture, the millennium, the tribulation. the mark of the beast, what's the difference between the rapture and the second coming of Christ, the new Jerusalem, prophecy etc. just ask me after church) This morning I bring a similar message of the two Suppers. Its similar in that it shows there are two types of people, two walks of life, and ultimately two destinies.
If you are any type of student of prophecy or of the Bible, You can not escape the obvious signs that we are living in the final days before the rapture of the church. As the end is drawing near and our life on earth is almost over. I want to take the opportunity this morning to explain something that you may have not known before about what will happen after the rapture. (I'll have to come back some other time to give you more details.) But In the new testament there are four suppers mentioned. First, There is The Marriage Supper parable which is used as a metaphor for Heaven where Jesus explains that there will be many people who will give excuses for resisting the invitation to be saved and because of that there is so much room in heaven that Jesus calls us to go anywhere and everywhere to find anyone to come and fill it up. Second, is the Last supper where Jesus explains his death and resurrection to his disciples and calls for all of us to always remember the sacrifice through the blood and the body for our sins. But it is upon the last two Suppers mentioned in Revelation. These two suppers are different than the other two suppers because the two in revelation are coming in the future.
Transition: They are conveniently found in the same chapter in the same book in Revelation 19. Let's look at the first; The Marriage Supper of the Lamb in Revelation 19:7-10
The Marriage Supper of the Lamb
"Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure”— for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, "These are the true words of God.” 10 Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God.” For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." Rev. 19:7-10
First it is important to understand the Jewish customs of the day to understand why these things were described the way they were. Weddings to the Jews usually happend in three stages: First, a marriage contract was signed by the parents of the bride and bridegroom - This began the betrothal period - what we would today call the engagement.
The second step in the process usually occurred a year later, when the groom, accompanied by his friends, went to the house of the bride at midnight, creating a torchlight parade through the streets. The bride's maids would know in advance this was going to take place, and so they would meet the groom some distance away to light the path to his brides house. This is the basis for the parable of the ten virgins lighting the path to the brides home. but some didn't have enough oil in their lamps to do it. So Always be ready for the coming of the Lord!
The final step of the Jewish wedding ceremony is what John’s vision in Revelation pictures. It is the wedding supper. In this case, it is the wedding supper of the Lamb (Jesus Christ) and His bride (the Church). There is nothing stopping the Rapture from happening. It can happen today, the sense we get in the Bible is not only to be ready but to have a sense of urgency in seeing others be ready as well.
I admit I can get discouraged when I see people mocking the Lord, defying him, or just living in utter ignorance to his word, and it sometimes seems that the enemy is gaining his point with the those around me and on those days that I think I'm going to burst if I can't fly to Jesus SOON!! But I want to tell you that as much as we so desperately want to be with the LORD, it can not match the anticipation that He has to be united with us!
Imagine the beauty and joy after all the rewards and crowns have been handed out by the LORD! The beginning of the feast begins with a toast. An announcement of their mutual love for one another and what delight we will have in one another.
What an incredible joy there will be. "That marriage feast will be the grandest display of Christ's magnificent generosity in a banquet."
We usually put on a show at wedding banquet more than any other occasion, and what a show this feast will be! It will be the grandest display of perfect beauty for the greatest occasion! All the angels and saints of God will be all around us. Even the thought of anything negative will be utterly impossible.
Here is what is going to happen soon: First the Rapture of the Church, You and I will ascend into heaven the same way Jesus ascended into heaven centuries ago, but first -all of those Christians who have died and are buried will come out of the ground and fly up toward heaven to be filled with their spirit that is waiting now with Jesus.
"By the word of the Lord, we declare to you that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who have fallen asleep. 16For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a loud command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will be the first to rise. 17After that, we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord forever." I Thess. 4:15-17
The first thing after the rapture will be the Bema seat judgment, where all of our works will be rewarded. Those who used their talents wisely will be given their cities to rule. The five different crowns will be given out to those who deserves them. We do not earn a place in heaven, but through our obedience to Christ, we lay up treasures in heaven. After that-
We will all participate in the Marriage Supper of the Lamb (Rev. 19:7) this is the span of 7 years. Then all the saints will fly back down to earth with Jesus who will be on the white horse. The enemies of Israel will have gathered together in the valley of Meggido (Armageddon) to fight one another, but they will pause from killing each other when Jesus returns to turn the wrath toward him and then they will all be destroyed. The Word says the blood will be at least 3 feet deep.
This brings us to the second supper: The great supper of God
"The angel swung his sickle on the earth, gathered its grapes and threw them into the great winepress of God's wrath. They were trampled in the winepress outside the city, and blood flowed out of the press, rising as high as the horses' bridles for a distance of 1,600 stadia (180 miles)." Rev. 14:19, 20 and WITH ONE WORD- He will slaughter all those God-hating heathens who not only refused his grace but openly sided with the Satan through The Anti-christ. Think of that blasphemy?
"I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God." Rev. 19:11-13
This robe is not his blood, but the blood of his enemies. When he raptures the church he comes as a lamb but 7 years later when he comes back with his church, he comes as a LION!
"The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.”; He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS." Rev. 19:14-16
Transition: The winepress is an analogy of the humanity that will be crushed like grapes and the blood that will be like a river. This brings us to the second Supper.
The Great Supper of God
"Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried out in a loud voice to all the birds flying overhead, "Come, gather together for the great supper of God. So that you may eat the flesh of kings and commanders and mighty men, of horses and riders, of all men slave and free, small and great." - Rev. 19:17,18
When Jesus speaks one word that slays all men that rebelled against him, he then calls all the birds to come and eat their flesh and he calls this the Great Supper of God or the Supper of the Great God. So if you don't make it to the first supper you will end up being the supper at Armageddon. I don't know why its called a battle of Armegeddon, because there isn't much of a battle. Jesus just opens his mouth and they are slaughtered. It may refer to the great battle in Israel during the tribulation shortly before the second coming. You must decide what Supper you want to be at? I don't knowabout you but I'll take the first one please. The only ones left behind are those that can't make up their minds to follow Jesus now! They are those who refuse to come to Christ and follow him.
Today we have child molesters that are trying to normalize their perversion by creating NAMBLA (North American Man Boy Love Association). Don't believe me? google it some time. NOT NOW! This past Friday the house passed a bill to protect the rights of those who are homosexual, lesbian, or bi-sexual, or anyone who fantasizes of being the opposite sex. If you stand against this madness, you are labeled a bigot, homophobe (which is a word used to alienate Christians as being the bad guy) or worse. After Christians rejoiced at the huge pro-life legislation passed in Alabama, one of them was told by many who want abortion that he should go kill himself. They sent him messages that they hoped his wife and daughter were raped. That if they saw him in public they were going to rough him up (except they didn't say these things as nice as I did, if you know what I mean) Today children are forced to bow down in schools to Allah as part of "diversity week". Children are exposed to all kinds of pornographic material under the guise of "sexual health or wellness" The democrat mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend Indiana is running for president, He is openly homosexual and makes it a point to kiss his husband at campaign events. Strippers and Drag queens are being sent out by anonymous well-funded groups threatening law suits to schools if they can not come and read stories to children. When you read 2 Timothy 3 you know all this is a sign of the soon return of Jesus Christ!
The apostle Paul speaks to this directly in Romans 13:12:
"Do this, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed. The night is almost gone, and the day is near Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy."
Some may say I don't do anything that bad so I will be ok, if you are not completely sold out for Jesus you are not ok. We all struggle with sin in one way or another. but the difference is how we respond to temptation.
Ill. If a lamb falls in the mud it get right up and moves on but if a pig falls in the mud he rolls around in it because he feels at home there. If a righteous man falls into sin he gets up and moves on but if a wicked man falls into sin, just like the pig in the mud who feels at home in it, he has to be driven out of it or he won't get out of it at all. The righteous may fall but he is disgusted by it and gets up and gets out and gets moving on! When we become a new creation, when we have a renewed mind, we love what we once hated and hate what we once loved.
The true Christian will walk away from temptation in this life in order to gain something better after this life.
Conclusion:
What is happening is more and more people who call themselves Christian are wondering why their friends are shunning them? Why are my friends ignoring me? Why do they seem afraid of me? The mistake they make is thinking that they are doing something wrong, so they try to get the world to accept them, by compromising on abortion or homosexuality or cursing or drinking or lying or whatever else. They are willing to give up some of Christ if they think it will gain them some of the worlds approval. if you are being shunned for being an outspoken Christian join my club! I've been blocked, banned, insulted, falsely accused, slandered, mocked, ridiculed and I tell those who do it, please continue. One man told me we are all laughing at you. As if I didn't know that. I told him plainly: I know you are and I am grateful to you sir because my Lord said in Matthew 5:11 "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me." King David said "The arrogant utterly deride me, Yet I do not turn aside from Your law." So, If this is happening to you, you should rejoice. Because this is part of being a Christian.
Jesus explains this in John 15:19 "If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you." The darkness of this current world will never accept the light. If I was doing something I shouldn't be doing under the cover of darkness I wouldn't want the light turned on me either. Yet that is exactly what Jesus calls us to do. It is one thing to tell the truth, but it is much better and more influential to live the truth! Those who go out of their way to tell you that they are a Christian usually are not, why would they feel the need to tell you that if they were. If your life is what it should be, then others will know you are a Christian without you having to say so.
There are two types of people in this world; there are those who are reactive and there are those who are proactive - there are those who let things happen and there are the few who make things happen. This world is never going to be accomadating to Christians! The world will never befriend Christians for the same reason the thief will never befriend the local cop. There are way too many Christians who are obsessed with what others think of them. 'If I do this they will like me!' 'Maybe if I say that I will get more likes on facebook.' The question isn't will Jesus accept you on your terms, the question is will you accept Jesus on his terms. After all, He does not need your grace, but you desperately need his. Once you turn to him: then the born again experience will purge your desire to sin and liberate you to a new and free life.
