The Announcement Of The Marriage Supper Of The Lamb Series

Book of Revelation Commentary

Tom Lowe

8/8/17

Lesson: IV.C.5: THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE MARRIAGE SUPPER OF THE LAMB (Revelation 19:6-10)

(Revelation 19:6-10, KJV)

6 And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.

7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.

8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.

9 And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.

10 And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

Introduction

Considerable controversy has raged over the identity of the bride. Some claim the bride is Israel, others that she is the Church. It is true that in the Old Testament Israel was said to be the wife of Jehovah; but it was Hosea’s great lament that she was divorced for her unbelief and repeated infidelities. Though in a coming day the divorced wife will be forgiven, cleansed, and restored, that hardly satisfies the scene now described. What we have here is the bringing together at last of Christ and His Church. Paul declares that his ministry was to win believers to Christ through the preaching of the Gospel, so that, as the Church, they might be presented to Him as a chaste virgin (2 Corinthians 11:2). All believers from Pentecost to the rapture are seen collectively and symbolically as the bride of Christ.

The prophesized union between God and Israel is an event to take place on the earth, and must not be confused with the marriage of the Lamb to His Bride, which takes place in Heaven. Now I will not deny the possibility of two marriages, one at which the Church and Christ will be united and one at which Israel and Jehovah will be united. Nor is it impossible that each might attend the marriage feast of the other. But to fail to distinguish between the two of these actions only tends to confuse the whole issue.

Verses 6-10 describe the marriage supper of the Lamb, but the event does not occur at this point. This foreshadows the actual event, and its appealing description is meant to invite the readers to take part in the banquet.

Commentary

6 And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.

“And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude,”

The multitude was singing, rejoicing, exalting, and giving glory to God in a time of celebration like nothing ever seen before, for it will celebrate the marriage of the Lamb, referring to Christ. This next great vision, the bride getting ready for her wedding, contrasts with the “great prostitute” of 17:1. His bride has made herself ready—the bride is the New Jerusalem (21:2, 9-10{4]), the Church, and the believers, those redeemed by Christ’s blood. The Church is the dearest object in the entire universe to the Lord of glory, for she is His bride. It is a recurring theme in the Pauline epistles. At the moment of conversion we are espoused to the Lord Jesus and receive the “engagement ring,” the earnest (security), of the Holy Spirit.

It was said of Babylon that “the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee” (18:23), but now that the harlot has been exposed and expelled, the true Church, which is the Bride of Christ, is brought into view. There has been no mention of the Church since chapter 4, where she is caught up to Heaven. During the tribulation, the saints were in Heaven preparing for this important event. I believe that the Church for whom Christ gave Himself, and which will be presented to Him “holy and without blemish,” is made up of those saints from Pentecost to the rapture (Ephesians 5:25-27{1]). This is the full and final union between Christ and his Church.

“and as the voice of many waters,”

John uses terms here that all can clearly understand. Most of us have been to the ocean or to great falls, and have heard the continuous roar of “many waters” breaking against the shore or rushing over the rocks and through the rapids.