“Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” (Revelation 19:7-10, NASB)

I love weddings, especially my own. I remember my bride walking down the aisle, beautiful, young, and pure. We were so young then, and we were so ready to begin a new life together. I also remember the food, the family and friends, the guests, the vows we made, the gifts, the celebrative spirit, the honeymoon, and yeah, did I mention the food? I love weddings because they remind us of the greatest wedding of all time, coming very soon. It is called “The Marriage of the Lamb.” Do weddings remind you of the marriage of the Lamb? Apostle John heard a voice saying,

“‘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.’ And 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. And 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.’ And I fell at his feet to worship him. And 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.’”

This is how the Bible views the Second Coming of Christ on earth! Jesus, the bridegroom, will come victorious and triumphant. The saints, who are his bride, will be clothed in “fine linen, bright and clean, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.” They will be brought together to consummate the marriage that was prepared before the beginning of the world, and they will live happily ever after. Then, according to Revelation 19:11-14, the Lamb and his bride will return to earth riding on white horses to establish a thousand-year reign. And this, my friends, is not a fairy tale story. Are you one of the blessed guests who are invited to that wedding? As followers of Christ, we are not only blessed guests, but we are also his bride whom he has purchased with his own blood.

In the Bible, God uses the act of marriage as a perfect symbol of His relationship with His people. In the story of Hosea and Gomer, we see God loving and redeeming a wife who is immoral, unfaithful, and unclean. In the Song of Solomon, we see God’s passionate love for His people in a picture of a king’s love for his bride. In the story of God and Israel, we see a God who loves His people in a covenant relationship, remaining faithful to the promise even though His bride was unfaithful to the vow. The Bible says, “If we are faithless, He remains faithful; for He cannot deny Himself” (2 Tim.2:13). In the story of Christ and the church, we see a God who loved His people so much that He was willing to die for His bride. Therefore, it is no surprise that God commands us to keep the marriage holy and honorable and the marriage bed undefiled (Heb.13:4).

Regarding marriage, Apostle Paul instructs wives to submit to their husbands by respecting them, and husbands to submit to their wives by loving them. He writes, “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that he might present to himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she should be holy and blameless” (Eph.5:25-27). Therefore, every time you attend a wedding, let it remind you of God’s invitation to His Son’s wedding. And live in such a way today with your husbands and wives so that it will remind you of the marriage with Christ forever and ever.

• What do you picture in your mind as you are invited as a guest to the marriage supper of the Lamb?
• How should you ready yourself as a guest invited to the marriage of the Lamb?
• How should we, as the bride of Christ, ready ourselves for the marriage of the Lamb?