At the last Supper, Christ said, He would not drink of the fruit of the vine until He drinks it once again in His Father’s kingdom. He was of course speaking of the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. One day all believers will attend this wedding ceremony as we the bride, will be presented to Christ (the bridegroom). But where exactly does this celebration occur in the future timeline of God’s Kingdom and who will be the wedding guests? Join Carl now as he shares details of this ceremony and a revealing typology within the Old Testament, regarding its guests…
Here is a complete transcript of the podcast (below)…
Friend, today we will discuss the somewhat mysterious event that all Christians will partake in at some point, in the not-too-distant future, and that is the wedding supper of the lamb, also known as the marriage supper of the Lamb. To the average believer of course, this wedding celebration is the last thing on people’ minds as they go about their business on a day-to-day basis but friend, this wedding feast or banquet is of great significance to us in particular. One day, you and I will be seated at a banquet table that could be perhaps, miles long, arrayed and adorned in fine glistening robes, with cutlery and plates of exquisite material, all in celebration of our marriage to Christ himself. One day our struggle with sin and temptation will be over, as we bask in the total purity of our resurrection and reward.
The Marriage Supper of the Lamb is mentioned explicitly, in the Book of Revelation. Let me read, Rev. 19:9 for you, “And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb.” This marriage friend is a future event between Jesus Christ and His bride the church. In the Old Testament the people of Israel were called the wife of the Lord, yet in the New Testament the church is the wife of Christ as the apostle Paul mentions in Ephesians 5:25–32. Trouble is, one wife was found faithful and the other was not, as we’ll soon see. Paul also taught that Christians are married to Christ by the new covenant in Romans 7:1-6.
It’s important to remember there are two components to a Jewish marriage, and don’t forget the groom is Jewish in this case. It’s the marriage of a Jewish carpenter to His Gentile Bride, the church. In those days the actual arrangements of the wedding were the responsibility of the groom and his father, not the bride, as is the custom today. So, Jesus and our Heavenly Father will be picking up the tab for this one. Now, regarding the Jewish ceremony itself, first came the betrothal in which there was an agreement of the intent to marry. It’s little known that even before the marriage itself, Jewish tradition reveals, the groom and bride called each other “husband” and “wife” and remained faithful to each other, but there was no consummation of the relationship…yet. Right now, friend, Jesus is betrothed to us, the church, yet He eagerly awaits His consummation of the marriage and that will take place in heaven, after we the bride have been raptured. In fact, the rapture is a means of escape from God’s coming wrath, for Christ’s to consummate His marriage to us.
Now, following the betrothal period, it was tradition for the groom’s procession to visit the bride’s house and then escort her back to his home for an elaborate wedding feast, which lasted several days. And certainly, a cursory reading of the Gospels shows, that many of the Jewish wedding celebrations extended over several days. Now during our brief time on earth, we’re preparing for our marriage to Jesus. We as the Bride are making ourselves ready. In fact, twice in the book of revelation, 12:17; 14:12, the bride is admonished to ‘make herself ready.’ Paul describes the church-as-bride and “a radiant church without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish” in Ephesians. 5:27. Our bridal attire is described as fine linen, bright and clean. The Apostle John indicated our attire is the righteous acts of the saints, or more literally “the righteousness of the saints.” Throughout Christian history, every holy attitude and good deed prompted by God’s grace have been woven into the tapestry of the bride’s attire. The marriage itself will take place in Heaven just after our judgments of reward, in other words, after our rewards for service to Christ at the Judgement seat of Christ, also known as the Bema seat of Christ, and before we the church returns with Christ at the Apocalypse. Who will be the judge? Jesus, Rev 20:11 and John 5:22, reveal all judgment has been granted to the Son of God and does not reside with the Father.
So, is this marriage between bride and bridegroom, something we have conjured up ourselves or is this mentioned in in scripture? Yet we know from scripture that Jesus describes himself as a bridegroom in Jn 3:29, He said,” Can the children of the Bride-chamber mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them?” In the parable of the virgins Jesus also refers to himself as the bridegroom. We would be remiss to not mention here there are two brides outlined in scripture. In the OT we have Israel as a bride, and in the NT the bride is the church. Isaiah 54:5-8 says, ‘Thy maker God is your husband” speaking of Israel in that text. Sadly, because of her whoredom and adulteries, Israel was cast off as God’s wife, and she will be dragged through the tribulation period because of it. Jesus is to marry a virgin at the marriage supper, but sadly Israel is no longer a virgin because of her infidelities. These infidelities are mentioned in the Books of Jeremiah chapter 3, Ezekiel chapter 16 and Hosea chapters 2 and 3, as she went after other gods, namely Baal, Ashtaroth, Molech etc. Therefore, Israel shall be seated in the earthly Jerusalem, and the bride of Christ shall be seated in the New Jerusalem. Indeed, it is in the last chapter of revelation, chapter 21, that the Apostle John calls us WIFE, not bride, for the first time, as we are married at that time.
Friend, let us now embark upon the romantic journey that Christ took. Consider this, the Bride of the Lamb (that’s us), was originally wretched and outcast, because of our sin and disobedience in the Garden of Eden. Yet despite this, Christ the Bridegroom left his home in heaven, to redeem his Bride from a cursed earth, where he was rejected by his own brethren and family, seized and mocked, and nailed to a cross where he voluntarily laid down his life, for the bride he loved so dearly. This sacrificial act was tantamount to the measure of love He had for us. He then left her to return to His father’s house to prepare a home for her. This HE is doing presently, and during this period of of betrothal, better known as the church age, he sent the Holy Spirit to protect and teach her in his absence. Then one day the bridegroom will return for his bride in the air at the rapture of the church, taking here to the bridal halls of heaven, and finally the consummation of his marriage and feast that follows shortly thereafter.
The obvious question then becomes, what are we going to wear to this wedding? Do we need to go to Nordstrum’s and get some swanky threads? Well, it’s at the Judgment seat of Christ, where all our false works will be consumed and we will put on a robe of righteousness and garment of salvation. Our garments will be without spot or wrinkle in glorious white and this new attire will suffice for the wedding itself. And who will be the guests at this wedding if the church is the bride? Well, it will be the OT saints who will be there to celebrate our union with Christ and invitees to this great celebration. That would include Abraham, Isaac Jacob, the 12 tribes, Joseph, David, Isaiah, Jeremiah, David, Elijah, Elisha, Deborah, Esther, Samson and the whole host of OT saints etc., they will all be onlookers to this wedding celebration. And there will also be a blood washed multitude that came out of the tribulation period, after the church has been caught up. This blood washed multitude were saved by not receiving the Mark of the Beast, and endured until the end. Will there be angels present too? Most likely. Wil there be music, yes, merriment yes, wine? Yes, for Christ said he would not drink it with us again until his wedding day in Matthew 26:29he said – “But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”
Friend, once the banquet of the marriage is over, Christ takes His bride to the New Jerusalem, the Holy City, adorned to rule and reign with Him. Our honey moon will last 1000 years and oh what a joyous and glorious time it will be! Following that we will enjoy the creation of a new heaven and new earth. We know very little of this but it’s in the word of God nonetheless.
Now some people have asked; is there a type or typology of the bride of Christ in the Bible? Indeed, yes there is, just as the Old Testament Patriarch’s, Joseph and Isaac are typically both referenced as a type of Christ, it is Rebekah, Isaac’s wife who is listed as a type of the Bride of Christ. Here are seven reasons, outlined by the Reverend Clarence Larkin in his classic, Dispensational Truths, revealing Rebekah as a type of the Bride of Christ:
- As Rebekah yielded to and believed the pleadings of Eliezer, so to the church believes and yields to the Holy Spirit.
- As Rebekah was willing to separate himself from her kinsfolk for Isaac’s sake, so the believer is willing to separate himself from his kinsfolk for Jesus’ sake.
- As Eliezer on the way to Isaac, told Rebekah all about his master and what was in store for her, so the Holy Spirit as we journey on our earthly pilgrimage tells us what’s in store for us when we meet Jesus.
- As Rebekah was a Gentile bride, so the Church of Christ is a gentile bride. While Rebekah was a kinswoman of Isaac, she was a gentile, for while Abraham was the first Hebrew, his kinsfolk were gentiles (because the Jews were the descendants of Judah, the fourth son of Abraham’s grandson, Jacob).
- As Rebekah did not have to pass through any tribulation, having safe passage, before she left her home to go to Isaac, so the church will not have to pass through the tribulation before we meet Jesus.
- As Isaac left his home and went out into the field to meet Rebekah, so Jesus will descend from Heaven to meet His bride, the church in the air.
- As it was evening when Isaac met Rebekah, so it will be the evening of this dispensation when Jesus meets His church.
Now, if you want to do a mini bible study for yourself, you can read of Rebekah’s account in the Book of Genesis, chapter 24. Now, let me end this broadcast, with a revelation that will bless you friend. Are we close to Christ’s return? I think so, and the bible says so. If you go to our website, www.carljosephministries.com, click on the resource or blog section and you will see an article entitled, ‘12 Signs of Christ’s return,’ which goes into more detail about the immanency of Christ’s return.
But, let me share something with you now, that is exciting. When Mary and Joseph visited Jerusalem for the Passover feast, when Jesus was 12 yrs. old, they left him accidentally at the temple as he debated the Pharisees at that time. You could say Mary and Joseph had a Home Alone moment…lol. Now, teenager Jesus was not apologetic after he was found by his parents, saying, “Did you know that I must be about my Father’s business?” The point being is that although Jesus was able in many ways at such a premature age, he was not ready for public ministry at that time. It was but 17 years later, at the wedding feast of Cana, that Mary had a change of opinion. Jesus now approaching 30 years of age, has reached full maturity. Mary had witnessed the capabilities of Jesus as she raised him but she would not release him into ministry until that witness was born in her spirit. It was at this wedding when the host ran out of wine, Mary made Jesus aware of this dilemma. Jesus replied saying, “What does your concern have to do with me? My hour has not yet come” (Jn 2:4). But this time, Mary said to the wedding host, ‘whatever He says to you, do it!”
The time had come friend, for Jesus to be released into public ministry and Mary had sanctioned it. Jesus was submitted to his parents and they released him to perform the first documented miracle of his ministry, turning water into wine. Jesus in fact, turned 6 stone pots of water, each containing 20-30 gallons of water into wine. This was indeed the beginning of his ministry, but let me interject here friend, is it a coincidence there were 6 pots of water? We know from biblical history; the word of God represents a span of 600 years. 4000 years from creation to Christ and 2000 years from Christ to the present time. Remember, Jesus said in Matthew 26, “he will not drink of the wine again until, he drinks it with us at the wedding feast of the Lamb, with us his bride.” Could it be that each of the pots represents the expanse of 1000 years. Did God’s word embed a hidden clue of the expanse of humanity in this wedding feast? The point being is there was a gap between his private and public ministry, when he was embraced openly and there is a gap of 2000 yrs. until he returns again. Something to consider.
Friend, I’m excited for what is to come. The sufferings of this present time will pale into insignificance when we are to meet the Lord in the air and receive our incorruptible bodies, which will enable us to partake of the heavenly sustenance He has prepared for us at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. The fruit of the vine, will taste so sweet on that precious and Holy day, when we celebrate our union with Him! Are you preparing yourself for this heavenly banquet? Are you making yourself ready for His return? I cannot wait and I pray you cannot either. God Bless.
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