“Then I (John) heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out,
“Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns.
Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory,
for the marriage of the Lamb has come,
and his Bride has made herself ready;
it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure”—
for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.
And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.”
And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.” Revelation 19:6-9
God made marriage to be a reflection of the love that Jesus has for his bride, the church.
Marriage in the ancient world had three steps.
First, the parents signed the marriage contract for the bride and the groom and the dowry was paid. The couple was officially betrothed; we would say engaged.
Second, the groom would prepare a place for his bride. Usually, he would add a room unto his father’s house to be his new home.
Third, when he had prepared a place for his bride, he would travel with his male friends to the bride’s home at midnight to announce the marriage supper/celebration. And they would parade to the new home and celebrate the wedding for several days.
For the church, the bride of Christ, the marriage contract was signed in eternity past; theologians call it the counsel of redemption. God has chosen a bride, the church, for his Son. There is a contract.
The Son, Jesus, is now preparing a place for his bride, and preparing the bride for his place. He is gathering, and perfecting his church from every tribe, tongue and nation. “The fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.”
In this time of preparation, we come to the Lord’s Supper. We are engaged to be the Lord’s and we are walking with him, growing in maturity, and eagerly anticipating the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.
Then, finally, the marriage supper of the Lamb shall come. Jesus will return to claim his bride and bring her to himself for the never-ending celebration of marriage.
The marriage celebration is by invitation only. The invitation comes to all who believe the gospel. If you are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb, you are invited to come to the Lord’s Table today. If you are a living part of the bride of Christ, if you have faith, and have joined with a Bible-believing, evangelical church, come to the table. If you do not believe, or if you have not made a public profession of faith in Jesus Christ, don’t come.
You are engaged, you belong to the Lord. You are preparing yourself for the marriage supper of the Lamb.
Come, for all things are now ready.