Revelation 19:7

Monday, 5 July 2021

Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” Revelation 19:7

The four Alleluias have been called out, and God has been exalted through the praise of His people over the judgment of Babylon. With that accomplished, the voice of the great multitude continues now by saying, “Let us be glad and rejoice.” Being glad and rejoicing is an often-repeated set of words from elsewhere in Scripture, where God’s people are glad and rejoice for His wondrous works.

In this, the victory of the Lord over the falsities of Babylon the great is accomplished. The truth of God in Christ has been vindicated, and the knowledge of the Lord shall cover the earth as the waters cover the seas. It is a reason to be glad and rejoice, but that state only anticipates what lies ahead. But for these things, the people continue by saying, “and give Him glory.”

The idea here is that stated in Psalm 115 –

“Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us,
But to Your name give glory,
Because of Your mercy,
Because of Your truth.” Psalm 115:1

God alone deserves the glory for what has occurred. His word was written long before, and it foretold what would come about, showing His transcendence over time. But more, His word tells of how sin entered the world, and it tells of all that God would do in the stream of human existence to make the redemption come about, including the sending of His Christ to accomplish all that was necessary for it to be so. This includes the thought of Christ’s sacrifice. As it said in Revelation 13:8 –

“…the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.”

God sent Christ to die. Hence, He is called “the Lamb slain.” Now, the rejoicing and giving of glory to God is shouted out with that specific thought in mind. As it next says, “for the marriage of the Lamb has come.”

It is the sacrificial death of Christ that is focused on, and it is that which has made what lies ahead possible. It is through His death that victory has been realized. It is through His death that life has been granted. And it is the Lamb slain, and who was raised again, to whom the marriage is to be made. And it is through the Lamb slain that “His wife has made herself ready.”

It is Christ who prepares His people for the marriage. This will actually be explained in the next verse. As far as the idea of the wedding in relation to the Lord, many passages in both the Old and New Testaments give insights into it, such as Isaiah 54:1-8; Ezekiel 16:7-14; Hosea 2:19, 20; Matthew 9:15; John 3:39; 2 Corinthians 11:2; and Ephesians 5:25-27.

There are even typological hints of what Christ would do for His people throughout the books of Moses such as in the story of Isaac and Rebekah, the story of Jacob and his wives, and even in such obscure passages as those found in Deuteronomy 22:13-29. These, and other such references, give us information concerning what is now being presented in Revelation.

However, the idea of a single betrothal/marriage is not all there is in the prophetic scenario. Believers are individually betrothed to Christ when we believe the gospel. The church will be presented as the Bride of Christ as stated in Ephesians 5. This will occur at the rapture of the church. Israel will be united to Christ as a bride as is indicated in various Old and New Testament passages. And then there is the general thought of being united as a bride to Christ in Revelation 21.

It is true that in Revelation 21, the “holy Jerusalem” is called “the bride, the Lamb’s wife,” but it has already been said in the epistles and earlier in Revelation that the temple is made up of believers (Ephesians 2:21, Hebrews 3:6, 1 Peter 2:5, Revelation 3:12, and etc.).

Life application: In stark contrast to the great whore of the preceding chapters comes the description which follows her destruction – a bride is made ready. A bride is normally dressed in white, a color that symbolizes her purity, and such is the case – as we will see in the coming verse – with the bride of the Lamb.

This is in contrast to the outward refinements of the whore. She was dressed extravagantly, but she was filled with impurity and wickedness. Such is the case with all false religion, but the world will see that there is One God, and He has chosen one avenue of restoration to Him – which is through Jesus Christ.

All souls who have followed false religion will realize the error of their ways when they see those who have given up on self and placed their trust in Jesus for their salvation being brought into the very presence of the Creator. The great multitude (verse 1) exclaims that this is a time of being glad and rejoicing. It is a time of giving God the glory for His wondrous works. The time of the marriage of the Lamb.

At the beginning of the Gospel of John, John the Baptist said – “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is He of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me’” (John 1:29, 30). The Greek word John used there which is translated as “Lamb” is amnos. It was used in the Greek version of the Old Testament to indicate a “sacrificial lamb.” However, the term used in Revelation is arion. The sacrificial and atoning element of Jesus’ work was completed at the cross.

The Lamb of Revelation is the one who has prevailed. The atonement is complete, and it is only through His work that salvation is possible. The only other time the word arion is used outside of the book of Revelation is at the end of the book of John, after the cross, when Jesus met with the apostles. At this time, Jesus called His followers His “lambs,” using this term. In other words, those who have called on Him are like Him – pure, spotless, and undefiled; they bear His image.

The bride of Christ “has made herself ready” through the blood of Christ. The imagery is both beautiful and astonishing. If you ever have doubts about God’s good plan for you, put them away. Christ really came, He really paid the sin-debt for His people, and He really will come again to take us to Himself. We will be in the presence of Christ forever and ever… a spotless bride with the perfect Husband – He is JESUS!

Heavenly Father, You sent Your only-begotten Son to pay our sin debt, and then You raised Him up to everlasting life and have called us to You through Him. And now, just as You presented Adam with an innocent and beautiful bride, so You have readied us to be a bride to Jesus, having purified us through His blood. Great and awesome are You, O God! Hallelujah to the Lamb! Amen.