02.55. LECTURE No. 55 -- Rev_19:9-12
LECTURE No. 55 -- Revelation 19:9-12 The Marriage of the Lamb Will Be an Important Event - The Marriage Supper Will Follow the Wedding and Will Take Place Upon the Earth After Christ Returns with His Bride the Church - There Are Two Great Suppers Mentioned in This Chapter, i. e., the Supper of the Great God - Who the Guests Will Be at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb - Not the Church Saints of Today - A Prophetic Foreview of Christ Coming to the Battle of Armageddon Christ As a Great Warrior Will Make War in Righteousness Against the Antichrist and His Armies
IN our last lesson based upon Revelation 19:1-9, we spoke chiefly of the four “Alleluias” of the glorified saints which will be sung immediately upon the downfall of commercial Babylon, which event was vividly described to us in Revelation 18:1-24.
We also discussed the interesting subject of the marriage of the Lamb, which is stated in Revelation 19:7-8, where it says,
“Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.” The Marriage Supper Which Will Follow the Wedding
We are now ready to advance in our study by reading what is written in verses Revelation 19:9-10, where it says,
“And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, these are the true sayings of God.
“And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”
In our last message, I pointed out that the marriage of the Lamb will be one of the greatest events of all time. Of course, we understand that the Lamb in this case is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ and that the bride is none other than the church, which is being called out during this present age of grace, through that preaching of the Gospel, from among both Jews and Gentiles as a people for his name.
When those who are to make up that body have been called out, the rapture of the church will take place as described in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, at which time all who belong to the body of Christ will be resurrected or changed while living and caught up to meet Him in the air.
Following this wonderful and glorious event, the marriage of the Lamb will be consummated in heaven, which of course, will be followed by the marriage supper of the Lamb, which is mentioned in the ninth verse of our lesson text where it says,
“And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb.”
This is a very brief passage which brings to our attention an important event but in no wise explains it. It is left to us, therefore, to find out as best we can just what the marriage supper is and the significance of it. It certainly must be of some importance or else it would not have been mentioned at all in this important book. The Marriage Supper Always Follows the Wedding
First of all, we wish to point out that the marriage supper is not the wedding itself. The marriage supper is always that which follows after a marriage has already been solemnized.
This marriage feast will be of such importance that John said, “Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb.”
Certainly, my friends, it will be a grand event!
Two Great Suppers Mentioned in This Chapter
It is interesting to note that in this same chapter, mention is made of two different suppers, the first of which is the marriage supper of the Lamb. The other is a supper which God will prepare for the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, and is mentioned in Revelation 19:17-18, where John said,
“And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.”
From these words we see that the present age or dispensation of grace is going to end with two great suppers, which will be the marriage supper of the Lamb and the supper which God will provide for the fowls of the earth, which, of course, will be following the battle of Armageddon, as we shall see. Certainly, these two suppers stand out in contrast one against another.
It was natural, therefore, that John should say, “Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb.” The Wedding in Heaven - The Marriage Supper on the Earth In considering the subject of the marriage supper, I am constrained to believe that even though the marriage itself will take place in heaven, the marriage supper will take place upon the earth, for according to Oriental custom, the marriage supper is always held after the wedding in the future home of the bridegroom and the bride, which in this case will be here upon the earth. The fact that the marriage supper will take place upon the earth when Christ returns with His bride, seems to be taught or implied in the parable of the ten virgins, recorded in Matthew 25:1-13,
“Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.
“While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.
“And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.
“Afterward came also the other virgins, saying Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.” The Bridegroom Returns with the Bride
You will recognize that these words teach the second coming of Christ from heaven back to this earth accompanied by His bride, at which time a marriage supper will be held, to which there will be invited guests. At the marriage supper some will be accepted and others refused entrance, because they lack special qualifications. The Only Safe Thing to Do Is to Watch In view of these things, the admonition is “Watch, therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh,” (that is, the marriage supper). These word apply, of course, to those who will living upon the earth at that time when Christ returns with His bride to the earth where the marriage supper will be held. Who Are the Guests to Be?
One more question remains, however, concerning the marriage supper, and that is, “Who are the guests?”
This is a rather difficult question but I am inclined to believe that it will include all of the Old Testament saints, from Abel to John the Baptist. John the Baptist, you will remember, announced himself as a “friend of the Bridegroom.”
This is confirmed in John 3:28-29, where John said,
“Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him. He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice: this my joy, therefore is fulfilled.” The Guests Could Not Be Church Saints
It stands to reason, that we who are Christians of the present are will not be guests at the marriage supper of the Lamb for we are members of the church, which is His bride. We could not, therefore, be considered as guests at the marriage supper of the Lamb.
The guests at the marriage supper will no doubt include the blood-washed multitude that will come out of the great tribulation after the church has been caught away to be with Christ, for they, too, are to be included in the first resurrection.
We may safely say, therefore, that the invited guests at the marriage supper of the Lamb will include all the saints of God in every age who are worthy except those who belong to the elect body the church itself, which are declared to be the bride of Christ.
I think we may safely say, also, that angels will be spectators of this wonderful event, but the Bible says nothing about their being included among those who are guests, because that honor is reserved for only those who have been redeemed by the blood of Christ.
Understanding these things, we do not wonder at what is stated in tenth verse of our lesson text, where John said,
“And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”
The vision of the marriage, and the marriage supper of the Lamb were so great and wonderful that John was impressed with a desire to worship and he was about to worship the messenger who had revealed to him these things, but this he was forbidden to do by the messenger himself. There seems to be no way of telling who the messenger was, but whoever he was, he commanded John to worship God, for the testimony of Jesus was the spirit of prophecy.
In other words, all prophecies, whether in the Old or New Testaments, speak directly or indirectly of Christ, and look forward to the time when the marriage of the Lamb and the marriage supper of the Lamb will take place. The Return of Christ to Armageddon
We now come to a very interesting and important part of the chapter, where we have an unusual word picture of the second coming of Christ in great power, back to this earth to fight the battle of Armageddon.
In verses Revelation 19:11-16 of our lesson text, John said,
“And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.
“And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.
“And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
“And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.” An Unusual Revelation of Christ
Frankly, my friends, this is a revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ, which is new and hard for many to understand. We are so accustomed to think of the Lord Jesus Christ in the language of the 53rd chapter of Isaiah, where He is presented in His humiliation, as a Man, despised and rejected, and as a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, that it is hard for us to picture Him as a mighty Warrior, who is coming to wage war against His enemies.
We are so accustomed to think of Jesus as the One who submitted Himself to His enemies in the Garden of Gethsemane and who was falsely accused and who was buffeted and spit upon and mocked by His enemies, and Who was finally nailed to the cross; that it is difficult for us to realize that He will ever come again in the manner described in our lesson text.
But one portion of the Word of God is just as true as another. Therefore, if we believe what is stated of Christ in Isaiah 53:1-12, and what is stated of Him in the gospels of the New Testament, we must believe what is stated of Him in this passage also.
If we will remember that Jesus Who was crucified, also rose again from the dead on the third day, and ascended into heaven, where He is highly exalted and has received a name above every name, we will not find it difficult to believe and to understand what is written of Him here in this unusual passage.
He Will Make War in Righteousness In Revelation 19:11 John said,
“And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.”
These words reveal Christ in heaven all prepared to depart from heaven back to the earth to judge and to make war. He is pictured riding upon a white horse.
We should be careful, however, not to confuse this white horse rider with the white horse rider mentioned in Revelation 6:2.
We have already pointed out that the white horse rider in that instance was none other than the coming Antichrist, who shall go forth conquering and to conquer.
But in order to keep us from being confused, the Rider upon this white horse is called, “Faithful and True,” and we are told that in righteousness he will judge and make war.
Certainly this name and these characteristics stand out in contrast to those of the Antichrist, who will go forth conquering and to conquer, all right, but who will judge and make war in unrighteousness!
There can be no question, therefore, but what the words of our lesson text refer to the true Christ, for He alone could rightfully be called, “Faithful and True.” He alone is the One who can, and who will judge and make war in righteousness.
Wars are raging in the earth today in many places, but frankly, they are being waged in unrighteousness by those who are responsible for them.
But when Jesus comes to judge and make war, He will not champion an unrighteous cause but He will make war against His enemies in order to deliver His own people and to destroy those who are wicked out of the earth.
This is justly a part of His work and for this very purpose, He was manifested.
This is confirmed in 1 John 3:8, where it says,
“He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.”
Jesus Will Act in His Own Right
Therefore, in coming to wage war against those who are the servants of Satan, Jesus will be acting entirely within His own right and we should not in any wise criticize Him for doing so, for the deliverance of the righteous depends upon the destruction of the wicked.
Marks of Identification To further identify this Rider upon the white horse, in Revelation 19:12 John said,
“His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.”
We cannot read these words without thinking of what is written of Christ in Revelation 1:14-15, where it says,
“His head and His hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.”
Certainly, my friends, these words identify the One mentioned in our lesson text as the true Christ, Who is now in heaven. The fact that His eyes were as a flame of fire reveals that He will come with divine intelligence and that by the very look of His eyes, He will search out the hearts of men as with a powerful X-ray and will be able to judge them in righteousness before executing judgment upon them for their sins.
The fact that He is described as having many crowns upon His head indicates His true kingship and that He will come invested with all the authority of heaven to execute judgment against the wicked.
John said also that He had a name written that no man knew but He Himself. We do not need to be surprised at this, for in Matthew 11:27, Jesus said,
“All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.”
Some Things Yet Secret in God’s Plans and Purposes From these words, we discover that there are some things, which are yet secret between the Father and the Son, and it is neither our right nor our privilege to inquire into the secret things of God.
But the words of our lesson text in Revelation 19:13 indicate that when Jesus comes in righteousness to judge and make war, He will know exactly what He is about, and that He will do so in order to fulfill the secret purposes which are known to Himself and to His Father only.
In Revelation 19:13-16 of our lesson text it says,
“And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”
~ end of lecture 55 ~