The Marriage Supper of the Lamb part 3 (the gathering)

In this article I’m going to talk about the marriage supper of the lamb described in Revelation 19, how it relates to the parable of the king who arranged a wedding for his son in Matthew 22 and how it relates to the “glorious church” presented to Christ for marriage in Ephesians 5.

Let’s begin by reading Revelation 19:7-9

7 …the marriage of the Lamb is come, 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.

9 …Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb…

Rather than look at this portion of scripture in isolation and apply our own private interpretation to it, let’s look at it in light of the bible as a whole and allow the bible to interpret itself.

A good place to start is the parable of the King who arranged a wedding for his son.

Matthew 22.

2 The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son,

3 And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come.

4 Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage.

5 But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise:

6 And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them.

7 But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.

8 Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy.

If we continued on in this parable, we’d see there were two distinct groups bid to the wedding. 

Verses 2-8 pertain to the first group. Who were they? 

It’s important we understand who they were, in order to understand the second group and the meaning of this parable.

Let’s take a step back and look at the chapters surrounding Matthew 22, to give us some context.

Matthew 3

1 In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea,

2 And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

8 Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:

10 And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

In these verses John the Baptist is warning the Pharisees and Sadducees to bring forth “fruits meet for repentance”, for every tree that does not bring forth fruit will be cut down and cast into the fire.

Then if we fast forward to Matthew chapter 21 we read

43 Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.

45 And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spake of them.

These verses directly precede the parable in Matthew 22, therefore the first group of people bid to the wedding were the “chief priests and pharisees” who rejected Christ as the messiah and had him killed. 

The kingdom of God was “taken” from them and “given” to a nation bringing forth fruits meet for repentance.

Now let’s go to the chapter directly after the wedding parable.

Matthew 23

37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!

38 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.

God wanted to gather Jerusalem however they “would not”. Therefore their house was left “desolate” which we see described in the next chapter of Matthew.

Matthew 24

1 And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple…

2 And Jesus said unto them… there shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.

Jesus prophesied the Jewish temple being “thrown down”. Furthermore he said…

34 …this generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.

The temple was “thrown down” in 70AD.

Josephus, a first century historian wrote:

Now as soon as the army had no more people to slay or to plunder…[Titus] Caesar gave orders that they should now demolish the entire city and Temple…

there was left nothing to make those that came thither believe it [Jerusalem] had ever been inhabited…

According to Josephus 1.1 million people were killed during this siege, the majority of which were Jewish.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Jerusalem_(70_CE)

Whilst Jerusalem “would not” be gathered by God, a gathering did take place in Matthew 22.

9 Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage.

10 So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests.

This is the second group bid to the wedding. Who were they?

It might help to consider a similar gathering described in Ephesians 1

9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will…

10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:

This gathering is elaborated upon in the next chapter of Ephesians…

Ephesians 2

14 For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;

15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;

16 And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:

The “one new man”, comprised of both Jews and Gentiles gathered into one body, was the second group bid to the wedding in Matthew 22. 

Thus the wedding in Matthew 22 pertains to the formation of the early church under the New Covenant.

To enter the New Covenant, Jews had to repent of their dead religious works whilst Gentiles had to repent of their sinful pagan ways ie. fulfilling the lusts of their flesh (Ephes. 2:3).

Ephesians 4

22 That ye put off…the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;

24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

Putting off the the “old man” is to forsake one’s old ways in order to “put on the new man” “created in righteousness and true holiness.”

Let’s look at the last portion of the parable in Matthew 22.

11 And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment:

12 And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless.

13 Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

14 For many are called, but few are chosen.

The word “chosen” also appears in Ephesians 1

4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:

In Matthew 22 being “chosen” is connected to having put on the wedding garment.

In Ephesians 1 being “chosen” is connected to having “put on” the “new man” (Ephesians 4).

Under the old Covenant the Israelites were God’s chosen people.

Deuteronomy 14:2 

For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God, and the LORD hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth.

Under the new Covenant the “one new man” represents God’s chosen people. All those who have put off the old man and put on the new man through repentance.

1 Peter 2

9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people

that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:

Let’s proceed to Ephesians 5

Ephesians 5.

25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

The “one new man”, comprised of all those who have “put off…the old man” and “put on the new man” is the “glorious church” without “spot or wrinkle” presented to Christ for marriage in Ephesians 5.

Therefore the “one new man” is also the “wife” “arrayed in fine linen clean and white” “ready” for the “marriage supper” in Revelation 19.

Hence Matthew 22, Ephesians 1-5 and the marriage supper of the lamb in Rev. 19 all point to the formation of the early church under the New Covenant. 

This is when “the kingdom of God” was “taken” from the “chief priests and Pharisees” and “given” to a nation bringing forth fruit. 

This is when those willing to repent from their old ways became a “chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation” unto God.

John’s message of repentance still rings out today! 

God is still calling people to repent from their old ways thus be joined to the “glorious church” without “spot or wrinkle”, the “wife” “arrayed in fine linen clean and white”.

Let us each work out our salvation with fear and trembling. God bless.

The Marriage Supper of the Lamb Part 2 (fine linen, clean and white)

In this article I’m going to explore the “fine linen, clean and white” granted to the Lamb’s wife in Revelation 19:7-9

7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, 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.

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.

To understand anything in Revelation we need to first understand the nature of the book. Chapter 1 verse 1 states that the “the revelation of Jesus Christ” was “signified” unto John. Signified is seimano in the Greek which means “to give a sign”. 

A sign that says Melbourne is not Melbourne, it points to Melbourne. Thus the fine linen, clean and white described in Revelation 19 is not a literal garment, it points to something else. 

To find out what that something else is, we need to look at the bible as a whole and allow it to interpret itself.

 let’s start at the parable of the king who arranged a wedding for his son.

Matthew 22

2 The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son,

8 Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy.

9 Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage.

10 So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests.

11 And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment:

12 And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless.

13 Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

14 For many are called, but few are chosen.

During bible times those invited to a wedding were provided with a garment to wear.

Rev. 19:8 states that the lamb’s wife was “granted” such a garment. “Granted” means to give, to bestow a gift.

Ephesians 2

8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God

Salvation is a “gift” in the sense that it comes via the grace of God.

Grace charis means the divine influence upon the heart.

Salvation is not possible without divine influence, hence salvation is “not of yourselves: it is the gift of God”.

Titus 2

11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men

The wedding garment has “appeared to all men” yet it’s is up to us to put it on.  

Refusing to “put on” the provided garment makes one “not worthy” to partake in the marriage supper.

This is receiving the grace of God “in vain” (2 Cor. 6:1) which will land a person in “outer darkness”.

1 Corinthians 11 

29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself…

Now consider the following verses…

Ephesians 4

22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man…

24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

We “put off” our old man through repentance and “put on” the “new man created in righteousness…” (Ephes. 4:22-24) 

Titus 2:11&12 

For the grace of God…teaching us to…live…righteously in this present world

The new man “created in righteousness” is the result of one yielding to the divine influence “teaching” us to “live righteously".

2 Corinthians 5

17 Therefore if any man be in Christ he is a new creature, old things are passed away behold all things are become new

21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him

Being a “new creature” “in Christ” means being “made the righteousness of God in him”

Justification is considered by many as a mere legal adjustment, however the word justify tsadaq means to make righteous therefore being justified is equivalent to being “made the righteous of God in him”.

There is nothing “positional” about this righteousness. It’s not magically transferred or imputed to us. We’re not hiding our true selves behind Christ’s righteousness. We’ve been transformed into a “new creature” who is IS righteous.

1 John 3

7 …he that doeth righteousness IS righteous…

How does this transformation take place?

2 Corinth. 6

1 We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.

Faith is “working together” or cooperating with God. Working together is sunergeo in the Greek from which we get the word synergy. Receiving the gift of salvation requires working together synergistically with God.

Back to Ephesians 2:8&10

For by grace are ye saved through faith and that not of yourselves it is the gift of God…

For we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works

Salvation is a “gift” we “put on” through faith.

Paul used the phrase “work of faith” (1 Thess. 1:3) to indicate how faith is active not passive thus it involves putting off the old man and putting on the new.

Hebrews 11 

7 “By faith Noah” was “moved” to build the ark.

8 “By faith Abraham” “obeyed”

Faith is always connected to action hence “faith without works is dead” (James 2:26)

Ephesians 2:8&9

For by grace are ye saved…not of works lest any man should boast

“Not of works” refers to dead religious works done apart from divine influence.

The "new man” is “created… unto good works”. These works are done in response to divine influence hence the new man is “created” by God.

The fine linen, clean and white in Revelations 19 and the wedding garment in Matthew 22 elude to the “holy garments” worn by Aaron and his sons under the Old Covenant.

Their garments had to be made of linen so as not to cause sweat.

Ezekiel 44

17 …they shall be clothed with linen garments…

18 They shall have linen bonnets upon their heads, and shall have linen breeches upon their loins; they shall not gird themselves with any thing that causeth sweat.

Adam and Eve ate freely from the trees in the garden of Eden, however when cast out of the garden they had to work for their food, producing sweat.

Genesis 3:19

In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread…

Thus sweat represents the works of the flesh, dead religious works done apart from divine influence. 

In conclusion:

The fine linen, clean and white, granted to the lamb’s wife which is the “righteousness of saints” is the “new man…created in righteousness…” “created in Christ Jesus unto good works” “made the righteousness of God in him”.

Just as the wedding garment was “granted” to the lambs wife and provided for those attending the marriage supper in Matthew 22, salvation is a “gift” in the sense that it has “appeared to all men”. 

However, it’s up to us to “put off” our old man and “put on” the new man by synergistically “working together” with God through faith. Faith is always connected to action, indeed obedience hence it includes repentance from sin. 

The “righteousness of saints” in Revelation 19 has nothing to do with dead religious works, rather works done in response to divide influence. Salvation is not possible without divine influence hence it is “not of yourselves” we are “created…unto good works”.

The fine linen granted to the lambs wife eludes to the linen garments worn by Aaron and his sons. “Linen” points to the fact that being “created…unto good works” is not of the flesh rather the result of us “working together” with God.