THE SECOND PART: A BIRD’S-EYE VIEW OF THE NEW TESTAMENT
Revelation
Message Four—The Marriage of the Lamb and the Wedding Feast
Scripture Reading: Eph. 5:25-27; Rev. 19:7-9; Matt. 22:1-2, 11-14; Psa. 45:13-14
I. The marriage of the Lamb is the issue of the completion of God’s New Testament economy—Rev. 19:1-4, 1 Thes. 4:15-17:
A. God’s economy in the New Testament is to obtain for Christ a bride, the church, through His judicial redemption and by His organic salvation in His divine life—Gen. 2:22; Rom. 5:10:
1. In the past, Christ as the Redeemer gave Himself up for the church for redemption and the impartation of life—Eph. 5:25; John 19:34.
2. In the present, Christ as the life-giving Spirit is sanctifying the church by the washing of the water in the word—Eph. 5:26.
3. In the future, Christ as the Bridegroom will present the church to Himself as His counterpart for His satisfaction—v. 27; S. S. 8:13-14.
B. The marriage of the Lamb and the reign of God, the kingdom of God, will take place after the destruction of Babylon the Great, the great harlot—Rev. 19:1-4:
1. This is the reason the great multitude of the saved rejoice and praise with hallelujahs (vv. 1, 3, 6), and the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures join them in praising God (v. 4).
2. The wedding will bring in the reign of the Lord, the kingdom, because all the guests invited to the wedding will be both the corporate bride and the co-kings of the Bridegroom— 20:6.
C. The marriage of the Lamb will come after the rapture of the majority of the believers—1 Thes. 4:15-17.
D. The marriage of the Lamb will also follow the judgment at the judgment seat of Christ—2 Cor. 5:10:
1. If we are rewarded at the judgment seat of Christ, we will participate in the wedding feast; the guests will be the corporate bride.
2. If we are not rewarded but are disapproved of by the Lord, we will not perish; yet we will suffer a loss like that described in 1 Corinthians 3:15.
3. According to Matthew 25:1-13, the five prudent virgins will be admitted to the wedding feast, and the five foolish ones will be rejected.
4. After the judgment seat of Christ, which will be set up in the air, and after the wedding, Christ will descend with His chosen ones as His army to fight against Antichrist in the war at Armageddon—Rev. 19:11-21.
E. The wife, the bride of Christ, in Revelation 19:7-9 consists only of the overcoming believers during the millennium, whereas the bride, the wife, in 21:2 is composed of all the saved saints after the millennium for eternity:
1. The readiness of the corporate bride depends upon the maturity in life of the overcomers— Rev. 19:7; Heb. 6:1; Phil. 3:12-15; Eph. 4:13.
2. We need to adorn and consummate the New Jerusalem as the bride of Christ with God the Father as the gold, God the Son as the pearl, and God the Spirit as the precious stones— Rev. 21:2, 19a; 1 Cor. 3:12; S. S. 1:10-11.
II. Christ lived out of the saints as their subjective righteousness becomes their wedding garment— Rev. 19:8:
A. The righteousness we received for our salvation is objective and enables us to meet the requirement of the righteous God (1 Cor. 1:30), whereas the righteousnesses of the overcoming saints are subjective (Phil. 3:9) and enable them to meet the requirement of the overcoming Christ.
B. The second garment, the wedding garment referred to in Matthew 22:11-13, is the Christ whom we live out and who is expressed through us in our daily living as our surpassing righteousness—5:20; Rev. 3:4-5, 18.
C. The wedding garment is typified by the raiment of embroidery in Psalm 45:
1. At the time of our salvation, we received a golden garment that enabled us to be in the presence of God—v. 13.
2. Only those who have the second garment produced by the embroidering work of the Holy Spirit will be chosen and qualified to attend the wedding feast of the Lamb—v. 14; Matt. 22:14.
III. The marriage dinner of the Lamb is the wedding feast, the kingdom of one thousand years, which is one day in the eyes of God, as a reward to the overcoming believers—Rev. 19:9; Matt. 22:2, 11-14; 2 Pet. 3:8:
A. To be called to the marriage dinner of Christ, which will usher the overcoming believers into the enjoyment of the millennium, is to be blessed— Rev. 19:9.
B. Eating and drinking Christ in order that we may feast on Christ is the central thought in God’s economy—1 Cor. 5:7-8:
1. The beginning of the Christian life is a feast:
a. The Lord Jesus likens the gospel of God’s full salvation to a great dinner—Luke 14:16-23.
b. The penitent sinner is not only clothed with Christ the Son as the God-satisfying righteousness to judicially redeem him but is also brought to the Father’s house to feast on the rich Christ to organically save him—15:22-23; 1 Cor. 1:30; Eph. 3:8.
2. The continuation of the Christian life is a feast:
a. The Christian life continues with the Lord’s table until He comes—1 Cor. 11:26.
b. The divine concept is that to remember the Lord is simply to eat and drink Him, to enjoy Him—vv. 24-26.
c. The Lord’s table is a weekly proclamation, a declaration to the whole universe, that we daily enjoy Christ as our food and drink.
d. Even while we are fighting on the battlefield, the Lord prepares a table for us in the presence of our adversaries for us to feast on Him—Psa. 23:5.
3. The consummation of the Christian life is a feast:
a. The overcoming believers will feast on a special portion of the unsearchably rich Christ at the marriage dinner of the Lamb for one thousand years—Rev. 19:9; Matt. 26:29; Luke 22:30; 13:29.
b. This is a feast that will last for eternity— Rev. 22:1-2.
Ministry Excerpts:
The wedding of the Lamb will be a universal wedding. It will be the marriage of the Redeemer and the redeemed. At the very end of the Bible we see a city, the New Jerusalem. This city is the wife (21:2, 9-10), and the redeeming God is the husband. Although this concept of the marriage of God and man is foreign to religion, we emphasize it in the Lord’s recovery in order to show that our position is that of the Bride, and that the position of the coming Christ is that of the Bridegroom. We are on earth being prepared to become the Bride to meet Him, and He is on the throne in the third heaven prepared to come as the Bridegroom to meet us. Thus, He is coming as the Bridegroom, and we are going as the Bride. The Bride and the Groom will meet, neither in heaven nor on the earth, but in the air. When we meet Him in the air, we shall have a wedding.
THE MARRIAGE OF THE LAMB
The Praise of a Great Multitude
In verses 5 through 7 we have the praise of a great multitude. Right after the destruction of Babylon comes the marriage of the Lamb. The judgment and destruction of Babylon the Great, both religious and material, bring in the marriage of the Lamb and the reign of God—the kingdom of God (v. 6). This is the reason the great multitude of the saved rejoice and praise with hallelujahs (vv. 1, 3, 6), and the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures join them in praising God (v. 4).
What an exciting event is recorded in these verses! At that time we shall have witnessed the destruction of the prostitute, we shall have passed the judgment at the judgment seat, and we shall be at the wedding. Hallelujah! How marvelous! I expect to be there, and I am eagerly waiting for that day.
Verse 6 describes the voice of the great multitude “as the sound of many waters, and as the sound of mighty thunders.” The praise as the sound of many waters proceeds continually, and as the sound of mighty thunders it displays solemnity.
The Readiness of the Bride
Now we come to a very crucial matter, the matter of the readiness of the Bride. Verse 7 says, “Let us rejoice and exult, and let us give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife has made herself ready.” “His wife” refers to the church (Eph. 5:24-25, 31-32), the Bride of Christ (John 3:29). However, according to verses 8 and 9, the wife, the Bride of Christ, here consists only of the overcoming believers during the millennium; whereas the Bride, the wife, in 21:2 is composed of all the saved saints after the millennium for eternity. The readiness of the Bride depends upon the maturity in life of the overcomers. Furthermore, the overcomers are not separate individuals, but a corporate Bride. For this aspect, building is needed. They are not only mature in life, but are also builded together as one Bride.
Christ Lived out of the Saints as Their Subjective Righteousness
Verse 8 says, “And it was given to her that she should be clothed in fine linen, bright and pure; for the fine linen is the righteousnesses of the saints.” The word pure (or clean) refers to the nature; whereas bright refers to the expression. The Greek word translated righteousnesses may also be rendered righteous acts. The righteousnesses do not refer to the righteousness (which is Christ) we receive for our salvation (1 Cor. 1:30). The righteousness we receive for our salvation is objective, that we may meet the requirement of the righteous God; whereas the righteousnesses of the overcoming saints here are subjective (Phil. 3:9), that they may meet the requirement of the overcoming Christ. Hence, the fine linen indicates our overcoming life, our overcoming living. It is the very Christ whom we live out of our being.
The Wedding Garment in Matthew 22
According to the revelation of the whole Bible, we, the saved ones, need two garments—one for our salvation and one for our reward. For our salvation we need a robe to cover us. This robe is the robe put on the prodigal son in Luke 15. Upon his return, the prodigal son said to his father, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son” (Luke 15:21). He thought himself unworthy to be in the presence of the father. But the father said to his servants, “Quickly bring out the best robe and put it on him” (Luke 15:22). This robe is Christ as our righteousness. It is for us to be justified by God in His presence. We all have this robe, the first robe, which is Christ as our righteousness, our justification, that enables us to stand before the righteous God.
However, we also need the second garment, which is the wedding garment in Matthew 22:11 and 12. This garment is not for our salvation; rather, it is for our reward, qualifying us to attend the wedding feast of the Son of God. The first garment qualifies us to meet God for our salvation. The second garment qualifies us to meet Christ for our reward. The second garment is the work of the Holy Spirit within us. It is actually the very Christ by whom we live and whom we live out. It is the Christ expressed through us in our daily living. This is the righteousnesses of the saints in verse 8.
The second garment is also the righteousness spoken of in Matthew 5:20. In this verse the Lord Jesus said, “For I say to you, that unless your righteousness surpass that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall by no means enter into the kingdom of the heavens.” This is a weighty word, and few Christians understand it. This verse clearly indicates that we must have a righteousness that surpasses the righteousness of the Pharisees. This righteousness is not the objective Christ we receive as our robe for our justification. Rather, it is the subjective Christ whom we live out as our daily living. It is not the justifying robe; it is the garment that qualifies us to receive the reward.
The wedding garment in Matthew 22:11 and 12 illustrates this. In this parable the Lord speaks of a man who comes into the wedding feast without a wedding garment. When the king sees him, the king says, “Friend, how did you come in here not having a marriage garment?” The guest is speechless. Then the king says to his servants, “Bind his feet and hands, and cast him out into the outer darkness; there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth” (Matt. 22:13). The wedding garment is not the justifying garment; it is a very special garment. According to the custom of the ancient Jews, no one could attend a wedding feast without a special wedding garment. If we would be in the wedding feast of the Lamb, we must be clothed with such a garment. If you would be qualified to attend the wedding feast of Christ, you need to live by Christ and to live Him out in your daily living. This Christ, the subjective Christ, will be the wedding garment to qualify you to be admitted into the wedding feast. Therefore, we need both the justifying garment and the wedding garment.
The second garment is referred to in Revelation 3:4, 5, and 18. In 3:4 and 5 the Lord told the church in Sardis that those who have not defiled their garments will walk with Him in white and that the overcomers will be “clothed in white garments.” This is the garment for the wedding feast. In 3:18 the Lord advised the church in Laodicea to buy from Him “white garments.” Thus, in the book of Revelation the matter of the second garment is stressed. If we do not have it, we shall miss the wedding feast.
The Raiment of Embroidery in Psalm 45
These two garments are also seen in Psalm 45. In this psalm the queen has two garments (vv. 13-14): one corresponds to the objective righteousness for our salvation and the other to the subjective righteousness for our victory. The latter is equivalent to the wedding garment in Matthew 22:11 and 12. The queen in Psalm 45 signifies the church. Her first garment is of “wrought gold,” and her second is “raiment of embroidery” (Heb.). In the Bible gold signifies the divine nature of God. At the time of our salvation we received a golden garment that enabled us to be in the presence of God. In addition to this, we need another garment, a garment of embroidery. This embroidery signifies the transforming work of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit today is working on us to transform us just like an embroiderer puts many stitches into cloth. Although we have the first garment, our second garment is now being prepared under the embroidering work of the Holy Spirit. This garment will qualify us to see Christ at His judgment seat. Day by day we are under the needle, the transformation, of the Holy Spirit. How we need this second garment! This is a serious matter.
THE MARRIAGE DINNER OF THE LAMB
Verse 9 says, “And he said to me, Write, Blessed are they who are invited to the marriage dinner of the Lamb. And he said to me, These are the true words of God.” The marriage dinner of the Lamb here is the wedding feast in Matthew 22:2 (Gk.). It will be a reward to the overcoming believers. Only the overcomers will be invited to it, not all the saved ones. The five foolish virgins in Matthew 25:8-13 will miss it. However, after being dealt with by the Lord in the kingdom age, they will participate in the New Jerusalem for eternity. Hence, to be invited to the wedding feast of Christ, which will usher the overcoming believers into the enjoyment of the millennium, is to be blessed. The overcoming believers invited to the marriage dinner of the Lamb will also be the Bride of the Lamb. The blessing referred to in verse 9 is the blessing of participating in the millennium.
Matthew 22:14 says, “For many are called but few are chosen,” and Revelation 17:14 says, “They who are with Him are called and chosen and faithful.” To be called is one thing, and to be chosen is another. Those who will follow the Lord to fight against Antichrist will not only be called, but also chosen. Although we have the assurance that we have been called, we do not yet have the assurance that we shall be chosen. This will be decided at the judgment seat of Christ. After we have been raptured, we shall stand before the Lord at the judgment seat, and He will decide whether or not we are qualified to be chosen. Only those who are chosen will be invited to the marriage feast of the Lamb.
A TESTIMONY OF JESUS
Verse 10 says, “And I fell before his feet to worship him. And he said to me, Don’t do that! I am a fellow-slave of yours and of your brothers who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of the prophecy.” This verse indicates that the Bride, the invited guests, are the testimony of Jesus. Although the church today should be the testimony of Jesus, some among us are below the standard of the testimony of Jesus. However, at the time of verse 10 all the invited overcomers will be fully up to this standard. After the Lord has gained His Bride, He will be able to boast to Satan and to the whole universe, saying, “This Bride is My testimony.”
Verse 10 says that the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of the prophecy. The entire book of Revelation has a spirit, and this spirit is the testimony of Jesus. The spirit of the prophecy is the reality, substance, disposition, characteristic, of the prophecy. Thus, the testimony of Jesus is the reality, substance, disposition, characteristic, of the prophecy of this book. Today, the testimony of Jesus is the church. However, not all the members of the church have reached the Lord’s standard. Therefore, the Lord must wait until He has the Bride before He can declare to Satan, “This is My testimony. It is perfect and complete to the uttermost.” Hence, the Bride is the reality, the substance, and the element of the prophecy of the book of Revelation. This book is for the church life, for the Bride. (Life-study of Revelation, msg. 54)