Last 5 Days
With great anticipation!
6 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. 7 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; 8 it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure”—
for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.
9 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.” 10 Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God.” For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.
Have you ever looked forward to something in great anticipation and feeling that the joy within you is brimming, waiting to burst at the seams? I remembered holding my breath in anticipation on the day of my wedding, looking excitedly to meeting my groom. I also remembered wondering if it was all a dream that would burst upon waking up. It was definitely a mixture of apprehension and excitement.
However, here, in today’s passage is a marriage that we can all look forward to in great anticipation, knowing that it will definitely happen. In describing this marriage, John had written that “these are the true words of God”. This was a marriage that God Himself had assured and promised.
This promised marriage is that of the Lamb and His bride - the Lamb of God will be joined with His people, and it is a union so close that it can only be compared to the marriage of a man and a woman. The bride will be ready, dressed in special array. But unlike the beautiful bridal gown that we imagine our brides of this day to wear, the bride of the Lamb will be adorned in the “righteous deeds of the saints”. This gown will be beautiful to the groom, the Lamb of God.
On the day of this promised marriage, God, too, had promised a splendid banquet. During this banquet, He will destroy death, and there will be no tears and shame (Isaiah 25:8). This promise of the banquet was presented as a beatitude, a blessing, that those who were invited would be blessed. This literary form of using a beatitude was used as an encouragement to persevere, and it surely was encouraging God’s people to persevere till when they see God again at the promised banquet.
On this promised day, when the promise of vindication arrives, the righteous will sing Hallelujah with great joy. Hallelujah because God had begun to reign and He reigns sovereignly! Our sweet fellowship with Jesus today is but a foretaste of this future blessing. Our praises on earth today are only dim shadows of the Hallelujah that we will sing on the day when God begins to reign.
Dear brothers and sisters, know that our Lord is God, and that we are His people, the righteous who will partake in the wedding banquet, who will make up the bridal array, who are promised this permanent union. How do we get ourselves ready for this marriage? Our lives are continual acts of sanctification that God does in us, and we must be willing to let Him take the throne of our lives. May we persevere in living our lives loyal and faithful to our Lord, may we continually draw close to Him through praise, prayer, and Word. On that day when the promised marriage and banquet comes, may the measureless flood of delight fill our souls, may we shout HALLELUJAH in joy that we do not yet know we are capable of.
