SEVEN FINAL VISIONS (3) | THE WEDDING'S SUPPER ANNOUNCED (REVELATION 19:7-10)

1. Revelation  

a) John wrote Revelation while a prisoner on the Island of Patmos, approximately 85-95 A.D. Its purpose is to give encouragement and hope for all Christians to continue watching for the return and triumph of the Lord Jesus Christ. It also is to warn of the Final Judgment that nonbelievers will endure on that Last Day.

b) John wrote that Revelation is special because,“Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near” (Revelation 1:3).

c) A brief view of the Book of Revelation. It gives you some basic understanding of the book of Revelation. 

2. Marriage Of The Lamb

Revelation 19:7-10 
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.” 8 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.

9 Then 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.” 10 Then I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “Do not do that; I am a fellow servant of yours and your brethren who hold the testimony of Jesus; worship God. For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”

3. The Lamb Takes A Bride

Revelation 19:7-9

a) The Lamb and his bride 

i) The songs end with jubilation: "Let us rejoice and be glad and give glory to God, for the marriage supper of the Lamb has come and his bride has made herself ready" (Revelation 19:7).

ii) The bride is a sign for the church of Christ. By the way, the word “church” in Greek εκκλησια (ekklesia) means “called-out” people —those who have heeded God’s call portrayed in a previous song about Babylon, "Come out of her my people" (Revelation 18:4).

b) Clothe herself 

i) It was given to the bride to clothe herself "in fine linen bright and clean" which represents "the righteous acts of the saints" (Revelation 19:8). This reminds us of Paul’s assurance to the Galatians, "You have clothed yourselves with Christ" (Galatians 3:26-28).

ii) The idea behind this is more than good works, as important as these are —the fine linen is a sign of sanctification or holiness, which means being set apart as sacred to Christ and suitable for him. "Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, so that he might sanctify her... that he might present the church to himself in all her glory having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she should be holy and blameless" (Ephesians 6:25-27).

c) Invited to the marriage supper 

i) The angel commands John to write the beatitude, "Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb" (Revelation 19:9). The lovely thing is that everyone is invited, and none is prevented from accepting. At the end of Revelation we come upon this invitation: "Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the water of life freely" (Revelation 22:17)..

4. Truth Prevails

Revelation 19:10

a) True words of God 

i) The angel declares that the things he has told John "are the true words of God" (Revelation 19:9). Again we are reminded that the book of Revelation is not the invention of a man or an angel, who are but servants of God. The visions and words of this book come from God through Christ (Revelation 1:1).

b) Testimony of Jesus 

i) The angel tells John that he and his fellow Christians "hold the testimony of Jesus" (Revelation 19:10). Christians hold the testimony of Jesus in the sense that they believe and obey it (cf Revelation 12:17). The angel also says, "The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy" (Revelation 19:10). This shows us what prophecy is mainly about: to bear witness of Jesus is the main purpose of prophecy.

ii) The spirit or essence of prophecy is not history; it's not the prediction of kingdoms and wars and judgments. The spirit of prophecy, its essential purpose and message, is to give testimony of Jesus Christ the Messiah. The book of Revelation has this same spirit. It's not about “end times” but about who Jesus is, what he is bringing to pass, how your painful life fits in to his plan, and why you should give your full allegiance to him.

c) Worship God 

i) When John, awestruck, falls down to worship the angel, he is told "Don't do that!" (Revelation 19:10). The angel declares himself to be a servant of John and his fellow Christians. Angels are "spirits sent out to render service for the sake of those who are heirs of salvation" (Hebrews 1:14). We are grateful to angels; but we are not to worship them. 

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