BRIDE OF CHRIST

MARRIAGE SUPPER OF THE LAMB

The Marriage Supper of the Lamb represents a blessing to those who are invited to attend. The Marriage Supper of the Lamb will occur some time just before the Lord will return with His Armies of Heaven, made up of Saints and Angels, to the Battle of Armageddon. Revelation 19:6-9

The Rapture provides the means of allowing prophecy to be accomplished, where the Saints will escape the plagues of the Great Tribulation, and be on hand for the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. While there is no description in the Bible of the actual Wedding of the Lamb, there are a number of scriptures that discuss the Marriage Supper.

MARRIAGE SUPPER OF THE LAMB ANNOUNCED

• "Then I heard a sound like the voices of a great multitude like the roar of many waters, and like sound of mighty peals of thunder, saying: "HALLELUJAH! For the Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us be glad and rejoice, and give him glory and honor! For the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready. She was granted the right to be clothed in fine linen, bright and clean, which was given her to wear." [The fine linen represents the righteous acts of the saints.]

Then the angel said to me, "Write: Blessed are those who are called (invited) to the marriage supper of the Lamb!" And he added, "These are the true sayings of God." Revelation 19:6-9

A KING MAKES A MARRIAGE DINNER FOR HIS SON

Jesus made reference to the Marriage Supper when He gave the illustration of the King who made a Marriage Dinner for His Son. The story is given as an example of the Kingdom of Heaven or The Kingdom Age in Matthew 22:1-14:

• The guests first invited, proved to be unworthy. They made light of the call to the wedding by spitefully treating those who were sent to call them, even to the extent of killing them. So, they were destroyed.
  
  The invitation was then extended to all.
  
  Of those who accepted the invitation and came to the wedding feast, the guest who was unprepared was cast out into outer darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. Since the wedding garment was made available for him, his arrival without it was inexcusable. The way is made available for us through Jesus Christ the Lamb of God.

This story demonstrates the importance of treating, with respect and honor, the invitation of our God Most High to the wedding supper of the Lamb, His Son. God is sovereign, and His invitation has eternal consequences attached to it. God does not accept our refusal of His invitation, or the disrespect displayed when we try to come by our own way in our own righteousness. He has provided the only acceptable way, indicated by the wedding garments.

• Jesus said that the man who climbs in by any other way is a thief and a robber (see John 10:1-16).

Peter indicated that there is no other way to find salvation when he said:

• "Salvation comes through no one else, for there is no other name under heaven that is given among men by which we must be saved." Acts 4:12

THE BRIDE

PREPARATION OF THE BRIDE

Look again at Revelation 19:6-9, "His wife has made herself ready. She was granted the right to be clothed in fine linen, bright and clean, which was given her to wear. [The fine linen represents the righteous acts of the Saints.]"

The bride herself is not described at this point, but only her garment, which is symbolic. The garment which represents the righteous acts of the Saints, is not necessarily a literal garment, but expresses the preparation of the bride. The garment could also be called adornment as in the adornment of the New Jerusalem..

THE BRIDE IDENTIFIED

• I John, saw the Holy City, New Jerusalem coming down from God out of Heaven. She was prepared like a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of Heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men. He shall dwell with them and they shall be His people. God Himself shall be with them and He shall be their God . Revelation 21:2-3
• One of the seven angels, who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues, came to me and talked with me saying, "Come here, I will show you the bride, the Lamb's wife." And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the Great City, the Holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God." Revelation 21:9-10
• "Nothing shall ever enter it that defiles, nor anything that causes an abomination, nor anything that makes a lie; but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life." Revelation 21:27

There is no scripture that identifies the Bride of the Lamb as any other than the HOLY CITY NEW JERUSALEM.

Many Christians consider themselves to be "the Bride of Christ." However, it is not confirmable. Nowhere in the teaching of the scripture is the Church called "The Bride." However, Scripture does makes it quite clear that the Church is the Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:12-27).

The actual identification of the Bride is found in Revelation 21:2-3, and 21:9 thru 22:17 describing the Holy City the New Jerusalem. This is where the Church will reside in the presence of God, the Father and the Son. The Church is called God's people.

• "And they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them, and be their God". Revelation 21:3.
• "He that overcomes shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be My son. Revelation 21:7

THE BRIDEGROOM is THE LAMB

The Bridegroom is the Lamb. Throughout the New Testament, the Lord Jesus Christ is referred to as the Lamb of God. John the Baptist said: "He that has the bride is the Bridegroom." (See John 3:28-30)

THE MARRIAGE

The PARABLE OF "Ten Virgins" is an ILLUSTRATION OF invitation and readiness (see Matthew 25:1-13). It indicates that those who were ready went with the Bridegroom to the marriage, not as the bride but as invited guests. This also is an illustration of the Kingdom Age, which occurs after the Battle of Armageddon.

Regarding the concept of marriage to a city or land, we find it mentioned in Isaiah:

• For Zion's sake I will not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until her righteousness goes forth as brightness, and her salvation as a burning lamp. And the Gentiles shall see your righteousness, and all kings your glory.
  
  You shall be called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord shall name. You shall also be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God.
  
  No more shall you be termed "Forsaken;" nor shall your land anymore be termed "Desolate;" but you shall be called Hephzibah and your land Beulah, for the Lord delights in you, and your land shall be married. Just as a young man marries a virgin, so shall your sons marry you; and just as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you. Isaiah 62:1-5

The actual WEDDING of the Lamb is not described at all in scriptures. The closest we can get to the Wedding of the Lamb is:

• The preparation of the bride Revelation 19:7-8
• The blessing for those invited to the Wedding Supper Revelation 19:9
• The New Jerusalem described and identified as the Bride of the Lamb Revelation 21:2 & 21:9-10
• The inviting Bride Revelation 22:17

In the story of the "Ten Virgins," all ten are virgins and were invited to the marriage. In other words all are believers. The difference between the wise and the foolish was the amount of the `oil of commitment' they were prepared with.

To try to get into the Kingdom of Heaven on your own without the cleansing blood of Jesus, is trying to do it by your own righteousness; which to God, is like filthy rags. The end is destruction.

• We are all like an unclean thing, all our righteous acts are like filthy rags, we all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities have taken us away like a leaf driven by the wind. Isaiah 64:6

The `righteous acts of the Saints' spoken of as the `Approved Wedding Garment,' are the works done by the Saints of God out of love for Him because of the price He paid; that being the sacrifice of Jesus His Lamb, which provides the cleansing of our sins.

Our being accepted at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb is dependent on our faith in Jesus and our dependence on the salvation provided by the Grace of God through the Blood of the Lamb. It is also dependent on our response to this salvation by loving obedience to the commandments of Jesus, and our testimony of Jesus coupled with commitment to endure to the end in the face of all opposition.

Jesus is the final judge of all that we have done, He is Lord of all. He rewards everyone according to what each one has done in this life, whether good or bad.

Our salvation is based on the Grace of God which is revealed in the blood of Jesus provided to wash away all our sins. If we believe that this is true, then we must realize that God holds the blood of Jesus as a precious thing. He will not tolerate our disrespect and abuse of treading the blood of Christ underfoot through disobedience and mockery expecting to be saved without responsibility for our actions.

Our obedience is not to gain salvation, but to show the love we hold in our hearts for God, because of His Grace, and for the blood of Jesus provided for our sins. Obedience, plus our testimony of Jesus, are the evidences of our love and respect for God and His gift of love demonstrated in Jesus.

Without these evidences, our belief in Christ is in serious doubt, and our confidence of being welcome at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb is desperately shaken.

SCRIPTURES OFTEN TWISTED IN AN ATTEMPT TO DEMONSTRATE THAT THE BELIEVERS ARE THE BRIDE OF CHRIST

2 Cor 11:1-15
Verse 2, For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. (NKJ)

Also: Hosea 2:2-7, Jer 3:29-32, Jer 52:1 thru 54:8, and Isaiah 54:5

A close look at these Scriptures in their full context will demonstrate that the message is not intended to establish the believers as "the Bride of Christ." It is, however, to establish the responsibility of faithfulness they should have toward God in their obedience to Him and showing God’s care and provision for His people.

The marriage relationship of faithfulness and love of the wife, and loving provisions provided by the husband, is the best human relationship to express the relationship God desires with His people.

Let us therefore not place so much emphasis on the Church being called the "Bride of Christ," but on us being "the people of God" with a responsibility for living as examples of Holiness toward God and lights to a darkened world.

Perhaps we can join in calling others to come as "invited guests" to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. Remember, the Spirit and the Bride say "come." This does not infer that the Bride is inviting herself to come, but rather the "New Home" is calling to all who will to come and dwell with God on the New Earth as His people.