Central Thought: Keeping our garments spotless before God guarantees our participation in the marriage feast of the Lamb.
Hymn: “When the Trumpet of the Lord Shall Sound”
Text: Revelation 19:1-10; Matthew 25:1-13
The Church comprises a people who have been called out from the life of sin and the influence of the kingdom of darkness, into a life of righteousness and the kingdom of the Son of God. To restore the original plan of God for humanity which is that man should have unbroken fellowship with God, this marriage of the Lamb establishes this unbroken fellowship, since the church shall by the marriage be in an eternal union with Christ. The marriage supper of the Lamb is thus, an event at which all believers of all ages, races, languages, and in all continents will be joined in marriage to Christ who is the Lamb that was slain from the foundation of the world.
With the marriage of the Lamb at which only those whose garments (hearts) are washed by the blood of Jesus will be allowed to participate thereof. There is the need for believers who want to be a part of the marriage supper of the Lamb to ensure that their lives are kept pure and in a good state to receive the bridegroom. Such preparations will include being vigilant in prayers, abstaining from anything which defiles, and actively serving the Lord in His vineyard.
The marriage supper of the Lamb is the glorious hope which propels the believer in his walk with the Lord.
Lesson Objectives:
- To have an understanding of the marriage feast of the Lamb.
- To know those who are invited to the marriage feast.
- To know when this marriage feast will take place.
- To know those who qualify to be a part of the marriage feast.
- To understand what the marriage supper of the Lamb is intended to achieve.
- To emphasize the personal preparations required for the feast.
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What is the marriage feast of the Lamb?
Over many centuries of man’s existence on this earth, there are individuals who have distinguished themselves in their walk with God. They have lived godly lives, abstained from evil, and honored God by their lifestyle. Up till this moment, there has never been an occasion of meeting by this multitude of faithful believers. At the marriage feast of the Lamb, such a meeting shall take place. At that feast, the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Israel, will fellowship with the Prophets, Elijah, Elisha, Isaiah, Ezekiel and others, the first century saints, Peter, Paul, John and others, and with the saints of our contemporary times. At this great feast, a union will take place between all saints and the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ. What a great union that will be? It will be a union that will restore the original plan of God for humanity which is that there should be an unbroken fellowship between man and God.
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Who are those that are invited to the marriage feast?
The parable of the kingdom of Heaven given by our Lord Jesus Christ in Matthew 22:1-14 about a king, who prepared an elaborate wedding banquet for his son, provides a clue on those invited to the marriage feast. When everything for the feast was set, the king sent for his invitees who rejected the invitation and maltreated the servants sent by the King. This invitation refers to that made to the Jews who gave it a light treatment. With the refusal of those first invited to come, the King now turned the invitation to anyone that can be found: “Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to come to the marriage”, Matthew 22:9. When the Jews who were first called refused to heed the call of the Master, the Lord directed His call to anyone who is willing to heed His call. By this parable, it is obvious that the invitation to the marriage feast is directed at every living being, and that accounts for the gospel message of Christ which is directed at everyone, irrespective of race or color. Because of this universal appeal of the gospel, no one can make any excuse for not being a part of the marriage feast.
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When will the marriage feast of the Lamb take place?
God has a calendar of dealings with the human race. For instance, this period is the age in which God deals with the body of Christ, the church. When we look closely at Scripture we observe that this marriage will not take place here on earth, but in Heaven, Revelation 19:6-8. That being the case it means that every single saint from Abel would have left the earth and come before the presence of the Lord in Heaven. That gathering of all saints is described in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, and popularly referred to as the rapture of the saints. After this gathering, then shall be the marriage feast of the Lamb. From the foregoing, it seems that the event that is most critical in God’s dealings with the church is the rapture, and that suggests that we should be watchful so that we are not caught unprepared.
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Who qualifies to be in the marriage feast of the Lamb?
We are told in Revelation 19:8 that the bride of Christ will be adorned at the marriage feast of the Lamb with “fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of the saints”. This is quite in line with the special attire expected of guests who attended the wedding of the King’s son in the parable of the lord in Matthew 22:1-14. It was customary then for the master of the feast to present costly robes to guests before they take their seats. Thus the man without a proper wedding garment had no genuine excuse to be without one. He was and individual who did not follow the proper procedure for gaining access into the wedding feast, and being an odd person at this feast, he was readily identified and thrown out of the wedding hall. At the wedding feast of the Lamb, the garment of the bride is the righteousness of the saints, implying that only those who walk in righteousness before the Lord shall be admitted into this wedding feast. To walk in holiness before the Lord is not optional for the believer; it is only by so doing that he will avoid being turned back at the marriage supper.
The parable of the ten virgins in Matthew 25:1-13 only strengthens the point earlier made. Five of the virgins were considered to be wise because they took extra oil for their lamps, while the other five were foolish because they did not take extra oil. All ten virgins were expecting the arrival of the bridegroom, but because he delayed only the five wise virgins had enough oil to keep their lamps lit when he eventually arrived. The bridegroom, Christ, appears to be delayed in coming, and that has caused many believers to become lukewarm, while some have compromised their faith and gone back to the world. We need to be reminded to be watchful because we do not know the hour when He will come, Matthew 25:13.
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What would the marriage supper of the Lamb achieve?
The marriage supper of the Lamb would serve to formally usher into God’s kingdom all Saints of all ages. It will be a great gathering where saints of contemporary times will be united, and would share their experiences with Saints of other ages.
It will be a time of thunderous worship of the Lord. Saints of all times shall gather to worship the Lord and glorify His name for the great things He had done: “Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns”, Revelation 19:6NIV. Since true worship stems from hearts of appreciation, the worship of the saints at the marriage feast will be the outcome of saints recalling the varied ways the Lord had them in their pilgrimage of faith on earth. At the marriage feast of the Lamb, every saint shall be able to say that it was worth brazen up to trials and temptations, that it was worth serving the Lord faithfully, that it was worth making the sacrifices, and that it was worth trusting in the Lord. There will be no saint who will ever regret any “bitter” experience that took place on the earth at the marriage feast.
Daily Living Application:
Being part of the marriage of the Lamb should be a priority for all mortal men. It does appear that this is not the case today because of the multiplicity of the distractions that hunt many of us so badly. The unbeliever is content with being a financial member of a local church, but would avoid anything that will cause him to deal with his sin problem, his unpreparedness to repent of his sins and accept Christ as His Lord and Savior will deny him a place in the marriage of the Lamb.
What is even more disturbing today is those who were Christians some years back who today are living as if there will be no rapture nor the marriage feast of the Lamb. To such, there is the need to revisit their first love and enthusiasm they once had for the Lord, and believe god for a new work of regeneration by the Holy Spirit. The garment for this wedding feast remains the righteousness of the Saints, and that cannot be compromised.
Memory Verse:
Ephesians 5:27 – “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.”