I've got my Invitation

Revelation 19:9

“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.”

There is something special about being invited to a wedding; the invitation alone tells you that you were selected to be part of something very special in the life of that person.  You may be thinking that many are invited, even the old uncle that no one in the family likes, but you will have to agree that for most weddings the list is confined to those that are special to the bride and groom and their parents.  On a few occasions, I’ve been the guest at the rehearsal dinner, and that is a very select group of people whom are very special to the bride and groom.  To be part of the dinner you must have a very exclusive relationship with the wedding party, and that is what verse nine is all about.

Isaiah the prophet gives us insight to the Lamb that is being referred to above; “He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.” (Isaiah 53:7).  The gospel of John gives this insight; “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29)  It is very clear in Scripture that Jesus is the Lamb but whom is the bride that is being referred to?

The apostle Paul gives us some insight on the bride in 2 Corinthians 11:2, “I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy.  I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him.”  What makes marriage so special is that God the Father designed and established it for a man and a woman as one of His first actions.  In the book of beginning we see the following, “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.” (Genesis 2:24)  One flesh, and when we enter into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ we enter into His life, that is why the church is referred to as His bride.  It is not referring to a building, or religious order, the church is all who enter into Christ by faith, believing in His ability to keep His promises.  That is why Galatians 2:20 has such special meaning to me; “I have been crucified with Christ.  It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.  And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” 

How special that wedding supper is going to be for all of us in Christ, I can only imagine that moment, our Jewish brothers understand this so much better than we do, in that it was the custom for the groom to go and prepare for his bride, and the bride to be ready when the groom came with his wedding party to get her, but only when the father said it is time.  That is what Jesus is waiting for, the moment when His Father will say; it is time to go get your bride.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice