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Rev19_2009M.doc

The Wedding Supper of the Lamb

Revelation 19:1-21

Key Verse 19:9

Today we get an opportunity to study Revelation chapter 19. There are only 22 chapters in the entire book so we are going to be studying a chapter near the end. So why study this chapter? Next weekend we are going to be having a conference at Whittier College entitled, “Follow Me.” The theme of the conference is Jesus’ calling—we pray that those who attend will accept Jesus’ blessed calling for their lives and be saved. So as a way to prepare for the conference our passage today will show us what Jesus is calling us to and where following him ultimately leads. Let’s pray that this revelation will help us to see more clearly the glory and hope we have in heaven and thereby strengthen us as work to follow Jesus on earth. <Pray>

Often times when we study the book of Revelation we end up with more questions than answers. However, to see the meaning of our passage today we have to understand the time this book was given and to whom the revelation came.

The author of this book is the Apostle John (one of the original 12 disciples). Apostle John lived far longer than any of the 12 disciples. Having lived so long John had seen the rise of Christian persecutions at the hands of the Roman Empire. By the time he received the visions found in this book John had seen so many saints killed and their blood spilled by cruel punishers.

According to Foxe’s Book of Martyrs there were 10 waves of early persecutions which started with the emperor Nero. This insane ruler of Rome is well known for having devised the most cruel and unusual torture of Christians. For instance, as a way of mocking the Christians’ claim to Jesus being the light of the world, Nero on many occasions had believers dressed in waxed clothes died up to posts and lit a blaze so that they became human torches to light his garden parties. Under Nero’s persecutions Christians were devoured by lions in the coliseum on a regular basis. Another one of his cruel tortures was to have believers sown inside of dead beasts that were then thrown to packs of wild dogs which then proceeded to eat them alive. Compared to the other Apostles who went to heaven relatively quickly, the Apostle John remained on earth to see far more blood shed and butchering of believers than any of his fellow Apostles.

Eventually John himself was captured and thrown into a cauldron of boiling oil. Miraculously he escaped without dying. Soon thereafter he was exiled to Patmos, an island used for criminal detention. It was there on Patmos island that God gave John the visions that became the book of revelation. God gave this book to the church during the time when the tide of persecution was continuing to rise and at a time when Apostle John was the most weakened to help Jesus’ flock.

The intended purpose of Revelation was to strengthen, encourage and refresh the persecuted Church by giving a vivid and clear vision of the hope they had in heaven and the victory Christ had accomplished. So as to help them to keep following Jesus God gave a book that would crystalize their hope and describe in detail the glory they would soon have. Though we don’t face death on a daily basis like the early church, Jesus’ church today needs the encouragement to keep following Jesus like only the book of Revelation can bring.

Now a days we don’t see the same kind of persecution as in the days of Apostle John. In my opinion we face more dreadful ones, that is we see resistances, stumbling blocks and fiery temptations which are all aimed at one thing: to distract people from following Jesus. All types of incitements and lifestyles are being promoted so that people are persecuted into not following Jesus. Whereas in John’s time the point of persecution was to scare people from becoming Christians the point of modern day persecutions is to confuse people and tempt them away from following Jesus. These persecutions are exactly the same but they are perhaps more dreadful because of their deceptive nature.

So how did God help the Apostle John and encourage the church to follow Jesus?

Part 1 — The Wedding Supper of the Lamb

Look at verses 1-8.

1After this I heard what sounded like the roar of a great multitude in heaven shouting: “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, 2for true and just are his judgments. He has condemned the great prostitute who corrupted the earth by her adulteries. He has avenged on her the blood of his servants.” 3And again they shouted: “Hallelujah! The smoke from her goes up for ever and ever. 4The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God, who was seated on the throne. And they cried: “Amen, Hallelujah!”

5Then a voice came from the throne, saying: “Praise our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, both small and great!” 6Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: “Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. 7Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. 8Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear." (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.)

In these verses John “heard” two sets of praises. The first set of praising can be found in verses 1-5 and is related to an event called the fall of Babylon; the second set of praising is described in verses 6-8, they too are related to an event but one that is much different called the “wedding of the lamb”.

So who is this “great multitude”? The great multitude mentioned here are the body of believers who have lived by faith in Jesus. Some of them are the ones who died so sacrificially and the people whom John would have known. If we are faithful to follow Jesus we too will be part of this praising.

What about the contents of their praise? In the first instance the great multitude is praising God for for his “Salvation”, “glory” and “power”. They are rejoicing in God’s justice because he has “condemned the great prostitute” and because he has “avenged” on her the blood of his servants. This beckons the question, “Who is the great prostitute?” In short, the great prostitute is the World and all the godless people who make up this World’s systems, governments and lifestyles. The term “great prostitute” is God’s way of described the spiritual nature of the World. Prostitutes have no commitment and no shame. Likewise the World and it’s people resist commitment to Jesus as their spiritual husband and they go about sinning without shame or remorse. In a previous chapter John saw the spiritual nature of the “great prostitute” in shocking detail. Here is an excerpt,

3Then the angel carried me away in the Spirit into a desert. There I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns. 4The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and was glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls. She held a golden cup in her hand, filled with abominable things and the filth of her adulteries. 5This title was written on her forehead: MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. 6I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of those who bore testimony to Jesus.

This great prostitute (a.k.a. the World) who was drunk with the blood of those who bore testimony to Jesus was now utterly destroyed and John heard the praises of the multitude as they rejoiced in God’s justice. Since the time of Abel’s murder, people like Cain and his descendants had been building up the kingdoms of men and had resisted the kingdom of God by killing God’s servants. Finally, after so long a time God’s justice had brought an unequivocal end to all the World’s wickedness. And as they said in verse 3, “The smoke from her goes up for ever and ever.” the end of the great prostitute was complete and everlasting with no hope of being restored.

What impact did “hearing” this event have on Apostle John? Surely, this helped John to vividly see how the persecuted church would have the final victory over the World. With such a clear impression of God’s judgement John could keep encouraging the Church to continuously resist the persecution. He could even encourage Jesus’ flock to continue being innocent martyrs as a testimony of Christ.

In our days the wickedness is increasing to unimaginable levels. Many Christians are losing heart because the World seems to be gaining ground and winning. The Church is mocked and ridiculed and is put in a terrible light by many. Just by paying loose attention to news sources you quickly see that believers are painted as being intolerant, simple minded and fools for believing in Jesus. The World has put pressure on Christians to be ashamed of their faith and to not speak up. It is easy to want to give up resisting this World and just live as an undercover Christian. Yet, in view of God’s vision to John we must testify boldly of Jesus Christ and resist this World. We have the victory over this World and we therefore should not grow weary in resisting it.

The second set of hallelujahs found in verses 6-8 are all based on another event called the “wedding of the lamb”. This event is the polar opposite of the first event. Instead of rejoicing over the end of something wicked the same “great multitude” are rejoicing over the beginning of something beautiful. Let’s look at these verses more carefully.

Look at verses 5-8.

What is the “wedding of the lamb”? This event is the most important event for believers because it is the time of being fully united with Christ. Much like how a husband and a wife become one flesh when they are united, so Jesus and the church will be made truly one at this time.

Attending a weddings is always exciting and beautiful but no wedding is greater than your own wedding. Being a guest at a wedding and being the one getting married are two completely different endeavors. But at the “wedding of the Lamb” everyone who is a guest is also getting married. It works this way because Jesus sees us collectively as his church and as his bride. We can understand the “great multitudes” call to “rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come…” For in this passage we are finally being united with Christ and so we should praise God and rejoice even now. Amen.

Why then is it called the “wedding of the Lamb” and not the “wedding of Jesus”? To answer this we need to appreciate Jesus‘ total sacrifice as the Lamb of God. Lamb’s are known in the Bible as being both innocent and as being sacrifices. When you consider what kind of person you want to be eternally united with “sacrificial” should be at the top of our list. Jesus is truly sacrificial and caring for all of us. He makes us happy as he builds us up and blesses us eternally. The quality of Jesus as our bridegroom is so high that we will only be amazed day after day for all eternity. But in his title the “Lamb” is another meaning.

As the Lamb he cleanses us of sin and gives us life. He frees us from our bondage to sin and gives us a new life. This week all the Summer Growth Programs are concluding. Through Jesus‘ seven I am statements we saw a common theme of what Jesus is to us. He our good shepherd, he is the vine, he is the way, the truth and the life. Jesus is in many ways the complete solution to man’s life and the one who gives life to us fully. The Lamb is a reference to Jesus as our solution to all the problems that plague man. Recently, I so called pop king died. Evidence has shown a huge abuse of prescription medication. Why did he take so much medication when he wasn’t even sick? It was simply to dull or deaden the internal pain and burden of sin. This way of pain relief can’t work for long for the burden of sin cannot be quenched with a pill or money but only through a pure relationship with the Lamb.

In comparison, the people of the World choose to ride (or be united with) a beast (a.k.a. the devil) who only cheats them and uses them and will eventually destroy them. We must work hard to open the eyes of the blind and turn people from the power of Satan to God so that they may take part in the wedding of the Lamb. We must continue to follow Jesus because the unity with him will be so sweet.

So what will the church be wearing to the wedding? Thank God we won’t be wearing a dress! In verse 8 it says, “Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.” We learn here that these linens are not actually linens at all but are the righteous acts of the saints. This is an important point because what are righteous acts? They are the things we do in and through Jesus Christ. Apart from him we can do nothing but as we remain in him we are empowered to do something honorable, noble and godly.

So after hearing the great multitude praising God an angel came up to John and said, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” And he added, “These are the true words of God.” When John heard this he fell at the angels feet to worship him. But he said, “Do not do it! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”

So we have to know why John was struck so deeply after hearing, “Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb! These are the true words of God.” What hit John so hard that he had to fall to the ground and worship, even mistakenly, the messenger who brought the Word? There are only two places John falls down to worship, here in this passage and in chapter 22. The answer is that John was overwhelmed by glory he heard. The reality of the saints being invited to such a glorious wedding of the Lamb made him fall down in worship. Surely, the torture of seeing Jesus‘ flocked led to the slaughter was relieved and he was filled with peace and overwhelming joy at God’s victory over the World and the eternal blessedness of the wedding of the Lamb. The angel’s remarks that “blessed” are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb probably restored John’s sense of mission to bring the gospel to the ends of the earth. For us who read this now we realize clearly that when we were invited to follow Jesus we were invited to attend this wedding supper of the Lamb.

Apostle John’s vision has the power to ease our heavy hearts and to comfort us when following Jesus requires so much. I know many missionaries who sacrificed lucrative careers to participate in bringing the gospel to the ends of the earth. I know of many mothers and fathers who take the blunt of raising their children so their spouse can have time to do teach the Bible and serve the LORD. I know many young people who lived in far better neighborhoods than Downey but who willingly downgraded themselves so as to share in the sufferings with God’s people. I know many Bible teachers who take upon themselves the sticky and difficult problems of their Bible students. All these people are like modern day Apostle John’s who need to be refreshed by the overwhelming glory of what we are invited to. Likewise, new disciples need Apostle John’s vision of the wedding supper of the Lamb so they can continue to keep following Jesus out of this World and into God’s kingdom. With this vivid hope we gain the necessary strength that makes following Jesus joyful and wonderful. May God bless us to open our eyes to see how blessed we are to be invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb! Amen.

Part 2 — The Great Supper of God (11-21)

In this part of the chapter Apostle John sees a vision of Jesus riding out to fully conquer the inhabitants of the World. He sees Jesus’ glory as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. This is a much more austere and fearsome image than that of the Lamb. Here Jesus eyes are blazing with fire and out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. There will be many rebellious people who will meet Jesus in this terrible manner. They will not be united with Jesus but will instead be ruled by an “iron scepter” which means punished most severely. On these people verse 15 says “He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty.”

If that wasn’t worse enough it was just the beginning. In verses 17-18 John sees an angel calling out in a load voice to all the birds of the air, “Come, gather together for the great supper of God, so that you may eat the flesh of kings, generals, and mighty men, of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, small and great.” Here, instead of enjoying supper with Jesus, God makes the wicked people who refused to follow Jesus the supper for the birds of the air. This is the polarized opposite of what the believers experience in heaven. We see that there is truly no other way to go than to follow Jesus and accept humbly the invitation to the wedding supper of the lamb.

Lastly, the Apostle John sees the “beast” and “false-prophet” being captured and thrown into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. The people of the earth had followed these instruments of Satan instead of following Jesus. They were instantly judged and thrown into the lake while anyone left was destroyed by the sword that came from Jesus’ mouth. This part is written so that we can see clearly how blessed we are by having a relationship with Jesus and having been invited to the wedding of the Lamb.

As we pray for the coming Bible conference let’s remember to invite as many people as possible for by doing so we are blessing each and every person. May Jesus help us to have in our hearts the vivid vision Apostle John has shared with us so that we never grow weary in following Jesus.

One Word: Blessed are those who are invited.