Mary Fairchild
The following is based on the phonetic writing of the expository teaching tapes of Pastor Jim Mooberry.
In this chapter there are two suppers, one of purity and joy with the Son of God and His bride the church, the other one of horror and repugnance as the birds of the heavens devour the bodies of the slain on earth. Two responses of Christ’s coming: one is a continuous thunder of praise for the judgment upon the earth that is coming and the reign of Christ and the other is a storm of blasphemy and cursing from those who resist His coming. We also see two rewards. One is a dazzling robe of pure white linen to those who belong to the Lamb and live for Him. The other is a habitation of fire and torment to those who hate Him and oppose Him. The point of the whole book of Revelation lies in this chapter.
All of history is moving toward this second coming of Jesus Christ and the victory of good over evil. Paul says the creation itself is groaning right now anxiously waiting for the revelation of the Sons of God (Romans 8). When Jesus returns He is going to allow this earth to be renovated. It will be like it was in the garden. Right now the earth is under a curse and
bondage and looks forward to that day.
Chapter 19 resumes the chronology that was left off at chapter 16. The final acts of a godless world. The world war will build into Armageddon and cities will be leveled by this great earthquake. The earth will be on the verge of annihilation when the heavens open and Christ return. In verses 1-10 we see the heavenly preparation for Jesus’ return to earth. There is cheering in heaven as they watch the Savior mount the horse and get ready to return.
If you are a Christian you will be in the verses 1-6. We are going to be around the throne shouting hallelujah as we see the Savior prepare to come back. The scene is antiphonal praise. We see one group saying “hallelujah.” Then we see another group responding singing “hallelujah.” It goes back and forth in antiphonal praise. First we see a great multitude (Rev. 7:9,14; antiphonal praise in a great multitude and John is asked if he knows who this is and he is told that these are the ones that come out of the great tribulation and have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb). This great multitude is all of those who have lost their life during the tribulation period. The martyrs who would not take the mark on their hand or their forehead. Probably the Old Testament saints are also here going clear back to Adam. All of those believers other than those believers who have become believers since Pentecost.
Hebrews 12: 22-24 tells us that there are three groups in heaven at this point. The angels, the church, and the souls of righteous men made perfect (Old Testament saints, and those of the tribulation). They praise God for His judgments. They say four things about them. 1. His judgments are true. 2. They are righteous. 3. They are avenging. 4. They are final.
The second group begins to cry out (24 elders and the 4 living creatures). These are the closest the throne. The four living creatures are angelic beings of the highest order. They alone are right around the throne of God. The 24 elders are the church. These elders are seated on thrones and they have crowns on their head and white robes (the exact things Jesus promises to the churches in the letters in chapters 2 and 3). Then there is a voice from the throne in verse 5. We don’t know who this voice is, but the command is for all of the inhabitants of heaven to join in the chorus. The chorus literally says “has begun to reign”—perhaps at that moment He is mounting his horse, preparing the army, girding Himself up to leave heaven and return to earth. The promises to Israel, and David, and Abraham and all of those will now be fulfilled at the coming of Jesus Christ.
As their praise continues a wonderful announcement is made for us, the announcement of the marriage supper of the Lamb is made (vs. 7-10). Marriage and Marriage supper are the same word. If you look back into ancient history in to the time of John and how marriages were contracted, they involved 3 steps. 1. A contract was made between the parents concerning their children. It is called the betrothal. At that point they are considered married even though they are not in union. A dowry was paid by the bride’s family and the date was set sometime in the future. 2. The marriage ceremony. It involved a procession to the groom’s home. When the couple reached a suitable age of maturity the grooms friends would go to the brides house and escort her back to the house that he had prepared for them to live in. 3. The marriage supper. Sometimes the guests would be there for days celebrating this union.
This is a wonderful picture of Jesus Christ and the church. First of all, the contract was made by God in eternity past. The Son agreed to execute it by dying on the cross for us. The Holy spirit agreed to apply it to our hearts. And there was a time in history when Christ came and He paid the dowry for us because we could not pay it. The moment a person enters into a
union with Christ by, faith in Him, they become betrothed to Him. We are His, we are joined to Him.
THE WEDDING SUPPER: THE MILLENNIAL KINGDOM OF GOD ON EARTH
After that will be the wedding supper. The wedding supper is the kingdom of God on earth. It is the millennial kingdom; the messianic kingdom. It is a supper that will last 1,000 years. It is the celebration; the feast of a renovated earth and of a reigning King (Matt. 26:29 “..I will not drink of this cup again until the kingdom of my Father.”). The bride is distinguished from the rest of the multitude (the bride is the church). In chapters 20 and 21 we will see that once this earth is gone and a new earth comes and a new heaven, all distinctions are wedded together in the new Jerusalem. At this point the bride
is distinguished. It says she makes herself ready. The bride is clothed in fine linen clean and white (purity Eph. 5:27). This clothing was given to her; that is the grace of God. In Galatians 3:27 says for all who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. You are not baptized into Christ through water, you are baptized by the Spirit when you believe in Him for salvation. The clothing from God is called “the righteous acts of the saints.” That’s the other side of it. We can never justify ourselves with our own works.
We can only be justified when God declares us to be just. He does that when we believe in Christ. That is called imputed righteousness. It is imputed to our account. We are not righteous right now, we know that, but in God’s sight we have been declared righteous. We are betrothed.
OUR MARRIAGE GARMENTS: OUR RIGHTEOUS ACTS
In this daily life theologians call it sanctification. The outworking of the Spirit of God in our life. It is imparted righteousness not imputed. It is what God is imparting into us; making us more like Christ as we walk in faithfulness to Him. God values that very highly and He is going to reward that. The righteous acts of the saints, the outworking of
the salvation of God are what the robes consist in. It was common in John’s time for the bride to make her own dress. Our marriage garments that are given to us after the rapture are said to consist of our righteous acts. In some way we have
prepared them ourselves because it says that the bride has prepared herself. When we go in the rapture to be with Jesus Christ we are told that there is going to be a judgment. It’s the judgment seat of Christ. It’s not for sin, you will never be reminded of sin because Christ paid for sin. It is an evaluation of our life and of our service for Him (1 Cor. 3). Know the will of God and obey it. Then everything we do is something that He will reward.
The supper is announced in verse 10. There will be those who are invited other than the bride and the bridegroom. Those are the friends; those who have lived through the tribulation period (not in glorified bodies yet but still mortals and they
will repopulate the earth.), all of those saints from Adam until Pentecost will be there too. John 3:29 John the Baptist says he is a friend of the bridegroom.
Luke 13:39, Matt. 8:11. many shall come to the table. John is overwhelmed at the magnificence of this vision. John’s angel was so great in glory that he illumined the earth but he was still a creature not the Creator. Worship only God. Bookstores contain rows of books about angels. The world has begun to take notice of angelic beings and spirits. There are spirit beings that are contacting people, but it’s not the angels of God (Gal. 1:8). The faith was once for all delivered to the saints Jude says. There is no more additions or improvement. There is also a message here for Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons
and other New Agers. The angel says tells John to worship God—Him alone.
WORKS CITED
- Revelation and Church History
- Church Age
- “THE MARRIAGE OF THE LAMB,” Revelation 19:1-10, #JMREV34; The Faithful Word. Pastor Jim Mooberry.