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…
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.
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