Wednesday, 7 July 2021
Then he said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’” And he said to me, “These are the true sayings of God.” Revelation 19:9
The previous verse spoke of the granting of the great multitude the fine linen, clean and bright. It then noted that the fine linen “is the righteous acts of the saints.” As explained, the words should read “righteousnesses of the saints.” With that stated, it now says, “Then he said to me.” Who it is that is being referred to here is not easily determined.
It could be the mighty angel of verse 18:21. If that is so, then that angel is not Christ, as will be seen in a moment. It could also be the angel of verse 17:1, or some other recorded voice that was not specified as to its source.
Whoever “he” is, it is certainly not the Lord Himself speaking. This will be understood from the next verse. For now, that same angel now says, “Write.” At times, a prophet is given the word of God and only later records it. At times, God uses the actions and living accounts of people (such as the book of Acts) as a part of His word. Sometimes, as here, there is to be a direct one-to-one, word-for-word account of what God wants written. This is such a verse.
He is giving specific instructions to John to carefully write down what he will next say. The direction to “write” is given twelve times in Revelation. This is the eleventh, and it is the only time that it is not the Lord who directly tells John to do so. The others are spoken by the Lord directly, or – as in verse 14:13 – it is implied when that verse noted, “Then I heard a voice from heaven.”
For now, what John is instructed to write is, “Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!” This is now the fourth of seven blessings stated in Revelation (see Revelation 1:3, 14:13, 16:15, 19:9, 20:6, 22:7, and 22:14).
The marriage supper is a concept Jesus spoke of to Israel in Matthew 22:1-14 and in Matthew 25:1-13. It is also spoken of in Luke 14:15-24. A dining event is also alluded to in Revelation 3:20 where Christ speaks to the church.
As this is the “marriage supper of the Lamb,” it signifies that those who have been invited are those who have been cleansed by Christ in His sacrificial role as the Lamb of God. The call is referring to being made acceptable to God through His work. This sacrificial aspect of this supper is typified by the taking of the Lord’s Supper that Paul details in 1 Corinthians 11 –
“For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; 24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” 25 In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”
26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.” 1 Corinthians 11:23-26
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown notes of the word “called” that it means “effectually, not merely externally. The ‘unto,’ or ‘into,’ seems to express this: not merely invited to (Greek, ‘epi’), but called INTO, so as to be partakers of (Greek, ‘eis’).” It is the same expression used by Paul in 1 Corinthians 1 –
“I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given to you by Christ Jesus, 5 that you were enriched in everything by Him in all utterance and all knowledge, 6 even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you, 7 so that you come short in no gift, eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, 8 who will also confirm you to the end, that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” 1 Corinthians 1:4-9
With these things understood, the verse continues, saying, “And he said to me, ‘These are the true sayings of God.’” The meaning is that what has been conveyed is absolute truth, based on the nature of God, who is True. They are reliable and will come to pass exactly as they have been relayed.
Life application: In the parable in Matthew 22:1-14 (referenced above), Jesus speaks of the kingdom of heaven and about a wedding ceremony. An invitation goes out and it is rejected by a host of people, and so the invitation is extended to more people, even “the bad” are invited. At the end of the parable, we see the results of rejecting the invitation where those who were initially called and didn’t come, and those who attempted to come in without proper garments, are cast into “outer darkness” where “there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” The parable ends with, “For many are called, but few are chosen.” In other words, just because everyone is given an invitation, the true “called” are only those who accept it.
For those who follow the concept of “universalism” where all will go to heaven, there will be a sad surprise. Jesus’ offer is made to everyone, but only those who accept it will be allowed entry into God’s paradise. Those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb are termed “blessed.” If one is in attendance, it is because they have accepted the work of Christ and shunned all other supposed avenues to God. The state of blessedness will be fully realized when we behold the Lord in all His glory. Because all things were created by Him, every hope and desire is fully realized in Him.
Further, the statements of the Lord are sure, because what the Lord conveys is a reflection of who He is. What is pronounced about the marriage supper is as sure as the ground under our feet. Nothing can change it, and nothing will hinder it. Have you received your wedding garments? If not, call on the Lord today. The banquet will be glorious, and it is available to any who call out to JESUS.
Oh God, how precious is the hope we possess! Thank you for Jesus, thank You for His cross, thank You for the resurrection. Through Him, we have the opportunity for complete restoration of all that was lost. And when we call on Him, that opportunity becomes the surety of a promise which cannot be thwarted. How we long for that day! Amen.