The Church – Its Consummation Is Righteous Joy – The Marriage Supper Of The Lamb And The Church’s Return To Earth - Part 1 (Part 12 In The Series) Series

THE CHURCH – ITS CONSUMMATION IS RIGHTEOUS JOY – THE MARRIAGE SUPPER OF THE LAMB AND THE CHURCH’S RETURN TO EARTH - PART 1 (PART 12 IN THE SERIES)

[1]. THE INTRODUCTION TO THIS SUBJECT

We are coming to one of the most wonderful events in scripture, so glorious and so majestic but generally not very much thought is given to it. It is always termed “The Marriage Supper of the Lamb,” and only three verses are devoted to it. We must look at the setting for this event. We will look at the relevant verses – {{Revelation 19:5 A voice came from the throne saying, “Give praise to our God, all you His bond-servants, you who fear Him, the small and the great.” Rev 19:6 I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude and as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty peals of thunder, saying, “Hallelujah! for the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns. Rev 19:7 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,” Rev 19:8 and 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. Rev 19:9 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.”}}

[2]. WHAT DOES IT MEAN “THE BRIDE HAS MADE HERSELF READY?”

In verse 7 it states “the Bride has made herself ready.” How was that accomplished? In what way can the Bride do that for herself? We look at this soon.

What is the Bride here in the Revelation passage? The more common names for the Bride are the CHURCH and the BODY of Christ. We studied all these terms in an earlier Part. The ingathering of all the redeemed men and women and children since the time of Adam to the very second of the Rapture, are all those souls that make up the Bride. In my opinion, I believe in some miraculous way it also includes all the aborted human lives. It is made up of individuals; there must be many billions, and all are one perfect unity, and it says here corporately, that the Bride has made herself ready.

There are many views in this area from writers for centuries. I have mapped my own conclusions through all this with the Lord’s help I believe, and I know right now that some will not agree with me. It is amazing how a few get nasty when you don’t agree with their pet ideas. I have read a lot of commentaries and channels on this event over time and I know that a number of people do not see all the redeemed of the Old Testament being part of the “now” Church. They like to think the Church is a separate entity from Pentecost onwards. If that is the case then all the Old Testament believers are in heaven but not part of the Church. Who then are they? When the Church returns to earth at the Second Coming with Christ, then where are these Old Testament believers; still in heaven? That makes no sense. The Church comprises all Old Testament and New Testament believers.

Those believers from the Old Testament needed the sacrifice of Calvary to eradicate completely the penalty of sin to have full redemption. Although they did not realise it at the time, they were looking forward to Calvary’s full redemption whereas we look back to Calvary’s full redemption. There would be no doubt that Adam and Eve knew the depth of their fall and sacrificed for sin as God showed them. They are now part of the Church.

Eve is a type of the Church you know. She came from Adam, flesh of his flesh and bone of his bone. He was the head of the physical creation and she was the bride. Eve was presented to Adam and they became one. The Church came from Christ, flesh of His flesh and bone of His bone. Christ is the Head of the Church, the Head of the new creation, and this glorious Church will be presented to Him one day. See Ephesians 5:22-31. As the first Adam received his bride in union, so shall the Second Adam receive His Bride in an eternal union. That union is confirmed; is consummated in the marriage supper (marriage) of the Lamb, our subject for today.

I think we must dismiss the notion of western marriages where emphasis is on the bride. In the Middle East the centre of attention is on the groom. The Bride made herself ready. We know how that is done in earthly marriages but this is a marriage in heaven, not on the earth.