:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(webp)/GettyImages-115866622-c4ebe97d4151470aa8143081141798b9.jpg)
.........................................................................................................................................
Marriage Supper of the Lamb
Bible Study Guide Revelation 19:6-9
by
Mary Fairchild
In the book of
Revelation, the apostle John hears
(rather than sees) the conclusion of history and compares it to the sound of a
great wedding feast — the marriage supper of the Lamb.
This imagery of a wedding
celebration depicts the believer’s intimate and everlasting fellowship
with Jesus Christ,
which begins at the end of the ages in the re-created paradise of the
New Jerusalem.
Key Verses -
Revelation 19:6-9
“Then I 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.’” (ESV)
What Is the Marriage Supper of
the Lamb?
The marriage supper of the Lamb
is a symbolic representation of the joyful, intimate, and eternal fellowship
that takes place between Jesus Christ (the Lamb of God) and his bride (the Church).
This future picture of a great
wedding feast is drawn from both Old Testament and New Testament imagery.
Old Testament Imagery
Old Testament writers often
used weddings,
betrothals, brides, bridegrooms, and marriage unions as
powerful illustrative resources.
The nation of Israel was
frequently likened to the wife of God by the prophets.
Over and over, when Israel broke
her covenant vows with God, she was compared to a wayward, unfaithful wife who
had broken her marriage vows (Hosea 1–2; Jeremiah 2–3; Isaiah 50; Ezekiel 16; 23).
The development of the Lamb of
God as imagery for the Messiah also began in the Old Testament with
frequent animal
sacrifices.
In the story of Abraham
and Isaac, the Lord provides the sacrificial lamb, foreshadowing
God's sacrifice of his only son, Jesus Christ, on
the cross at Calvary, for the sins of the world.
The book of Isaiah describes
the Suffering
Servant as a “lamb led to the slaughter” (Isaiah 53:7).
New Testament Imagery
The picture of Jesus Christ as
the sacrificial Lamb of God reaches fulfillment in the New Testament.
When John the Baptist first
sees Jesus, he declares, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of
the world!” (John 1:29,
36).
The earliest Christians believed
Jesus was the Suffering Servant of Isaiah (Acts 8:32).
The apostle Paul describes
Jesus as the Passover Lamb (1 Corinthians 5:7).
The apostle Peter explains
that believers are redeemed “with the precious blood of Christ, like that of
a lamb without blemish or spot.” (1 Peter 1:19, ESV)
Likewise, marriage and wedding imagery expands
and is made complete in the New Testament with the coming of Jesus Christ.
Jesus’ first miracle takes place
at the wedding feast in
Cana (John 2:1–11).
John the Baptist calls Jesus the
Bridegroom (John 3:27–30).
And Jesus himself often speaks of
the Kingdom of God in
terms of a joyous wedding feast (Matthew 8:11;
22:1–14; 25:1–13; 26:29; Luke 13:28–29; 14:15–24).
Paul introduces the metaphor of
the Church as the bride of Christ.
In Ephesians 5:25–27, he explains
that the relationship between husbands and wives is like the relationship
between Jesus Christ and the Church.
Historical and Cultural Context
To fully understand the imagery
of the marriage supper of the Lamb, it’s essential to consider the historical
context of weddings in the culture at the time of Christ.
For a Jewish couple to enter into
matrimony, they had to go through a multi-phase process.
The initial step involved the
signing of the marriage contract, or Ketubah,
which was executed by the parents of both the bride and the groom.
The groom’s family would pay a
dowry to the bride’s family, sealing the betrothal. As such, the official
engagement period would begin.
The betrothal was bound by the
terms of the marriage contract. During this period the couple did not live
together or have sexual relations with each other.
Typically, one year after the
initial betrothal, a nuptial procession took place from the house of the bride
to the bridegroom’s home (as seen in the parable of the ten virgins in Matthew 25:1–13).
For this celebration, the bride
would make herself ready to receive her groom.
The final phase of the wedding
ceremony culminated in a great feast, the marriage supper, which could last for
several days.
Imagery in the Book of
Revelation
The imagery reaches its final,
climactic stage in the book of Revelation.
The marriage supper of the Lamb
marks the end of the long engagement period between Jesus Christ and the Church
and the beginning of an eternal, unbroken fellowship of love.
John refers to Christ
- as the Lamb who was slain (Revelation 5:6, 9, 12; 13:8),
- who shed his blood (Revelation 5:9; 7:14; 12:11), and
- who overcame
death and the devil (Revelation
12:10-11; Romans 8:36–37).
Jesus is the victorious Lamb of
God who conquers through self-sacrifice.
Jesus Christ, the Lamb, is the
Bridegroom and the Church is his bride.
The marriage supper of the Lamb,
a great and joyous celebration, comes to this glorious climax near the end of
the book of Revelation:
“I saw the Holy
City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a
bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the
throne saying, ‘Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will
dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and
be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more
death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed
away.’
“… One of the
seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and
said to me, ‘Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.’
“And he carried
me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy
City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. It shone with the glory of
God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper,
clear as crystal.” (Revelation
21:2–11, see also 19:6–10; 22:17)
The closing passages of Scripture
vividly present the crowning moments of human history.
This picture of a marriage feast
between Christ and his Church illustrates God’s plan of
salvation — a grand and celebrated romance between the Creator and
his creation.
The metaphor of the marriage
supper of the Lamb produces a captivating portrait of the deeply loving,
personal, and everlasting relationship that Jesus Christ enjoys with his
Church.
Questions for Reflection
Believers can experience close
and eternal fellowship with
God right now, from the moment of salvation.
But when the Bridegroom returns
to take his bride into the new heavens and the new earth — when the betrothal
is consummated — that relationship will far exceed anything we can presently
experience.
Have you accepted Christ’s
marriage proposal? Are you preparing as a bride who readies herself for her
groom?
Mary Fairchild
Introduction
Christian minister since 1988
with General Biblical Studies and Missions degrees
Full-time writer and editor
specializing in Christianity, Bible study, and Christian living since 2005
Author and general editor of
"Stories of Calvary"
Experience
Mary Fairchild has worked full
time in Christian ministry since 1988. While in Bible School, she worked for a
major city church as the assistant to the dean of Christian education. Next,
Mary served on the foreign mission field in Brazil from 1990-1994. Upon
returning to the States, Mary became a pastoral assistant and office manager
for a large intercity church.
Mary worked as the general
editor on several Christian books and booklets for Calvary Chapel St.
Petersburg from 2006 until 2017. Recently, Mary joined the team of writers for
GotQuestions.org, where she provides responses to questions related to the
nature of God, the Scriptures, salvation, and other spiritual topics.
Education
Mary received a General
Biblical Studies degree from an Interdenominational Christian Training Center
in Central Florida. She also holds a Missions degree from Youth With A Mission
Discipleship Training School.
Publications
"Stories of Calvary"
(2008, Winepress Publishing)
"Exposing
Samson" (General Editor, 2009, Calvary Chapel St. Petersburg)
A Message from Mary Fairchild
Learn Religions and Dotdash
Our mission at Learn Religions
is to help you explore the practices of your own faith, understand your
neighbor’s beliefs, and familiarize yourself with the world’s major religions —
regardless of your own spiritual background.
Learn Religions is part of the
Dotdash family.
For more than 20 years, Dotdash brands
have been helping people find answers, solve problems, and get inspired. We are
one of the top-20 largest content publishers on the Internet according to
comScore, and reach more than 30% of the U.S. population monthly. Our brands
collectively have won more than 20 industry awards in the last year alone, and
recently Dotdash was named Publisher of the Year by Digiday, a leading industry
publication.
No comments:
Post a Comment