## The Bridegroom Who Will be Wed (vs. 7-10) Revelation 19:7-10 ### A Joyous Marriage and Marriage Supper #### The Marriage Supper > Revelation 19:7—Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come,… Now that the harlot has fallen, the faithful woman comes to her rightful honors. The bethrothed, now becomes a bride. The time of her marriage has come, and grand banquet that follows, will begin. > Revelation 19:9—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. #### The Wedding There is no question who the Bridegroom is, but who is the Bride? Some say, that ALL who are born again make up the Bride. Let's consider Psalm 45 in light of this. Here is a brief outline of Psalm 45:8,9,14. vs. 8 First, the King Comes Forth Out of the Ivory Palaces (Alone) vs. 9 Second, the King with the Queen vs. 14 Third, we see the virgins who are the companions, associates or bosom friends of the Queen These virgins do not go with the Queen when she is taken, but they follow after her. > Psalm 45:14—She shall be brought unto the king in raiment of needlework: the virgins her companions that follow her shall be brought unto thee We also see this truth in the parable of the ten virgins of Matthew 25. Implied in this parable is that not all those who finally get to heaven are of that class which makes up the Bride. To understand who the Bride is, we need to observe the different classes of persons given in the text. 1. The Voice of the one who says "Let us be glad", vs. 10 2. Those who are to rejoice with him ("us") vs. 9 These are considered blessed to a) witness the marriage and to b) participate in the banquet. The Bride is not merely going to witness a marriage or eat a celebratory feast, but she is one of the two reasons for the grand day! She is the Bridegroom's heart's desire and the one He has chosen to unite with as one. (Amos 3:3; 2 Corinthians 6:14) ### The Preparation of the Lamb's Wife > Revelation 19:7,8—…and his wife hath made herself ready. 8 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 Making of the Bride How does this bride so capture the eye and heart of the groom? What has led her to this grand wedding day? Three things catch our notice in her preparation: ##### Her Self Activity - "made herself read" The Bridegroom does not prepare her directly, but she will ready herself by applying what He has provided. ##### The Action of Bestowing of the Gifts of Grace- "to her was granted" ##### The Action of Faith and Obedience - "arrayed in fine linen" The garments reveal the nature of preparation. The outstanding characteristics of her garments are: clean (free from impurity) and white (shining and brilliant). The fine lines she wears is the "righteous acts" or "equitable deeds" of the saints. There is righteousness that is imputed by faith which is the free gift of God in Christ. There is also righteousness that is imparted which is the fruit or works of faith. Consider Philippians 3:8-14. In Psalm 45:13-14, her clothing is of wrought gold (divine righteousness) and her raiment is also of needlework (righteous acts or works of faith). #### The Marks of the Bride ##### She Will have a Lamb's Nature ##### She Will be Meek and Lowly ##### Humble ##### Obedient ##### Overcomer ### The Marriage of the Lamb What is the marriage of the Lamb? John did not see it, but he did hear the heavens rejoicing! We can assume a few things about this "wedding" based on the terms used. Any marriage being a union, the Bride will be united with the Bridegroom. Being with Him, she will reign with him and share with Him in all His glorious inheritance. We are not told what the ceremony will hold. It is still a grand and glorious mystery! ### John's Response > Revelation 19:10—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.