“Let us rejoice and exult and give Him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His Bride has made herself ready.” Revelation 19:7 ESV
We were tired and ready to check in as we drove into the hotel’s parking lot. We paused as a small group of elegantly attired men crossed our path, making their way to their cars. Each man wore a long coat-like jacket made of heavily embroidered fabrics in shades of white and cream. Very impressive.
Before we reached the hotel entrance, a mother and her daughters floated through the doorway, wearing richly colored, long flowing silk gowns with gauzy wraps. They glimmered from head to toe, adorned with strategically placed gemstones that graced their satin-smooth raven hair and continued throughout their garments to the tips of their elegantly bedazzled shoes. So beautiful.
We checked in and made our way to our room, passing several other groups of similarly dressed hotel guests. Clearly, a special event was taking place somewhere in this city.
Over the next day and a half, we encountered more groups dressed in similar, spectacular styles. It was like meeting flocks of peacocks with their tail feathers fully spread, each time we walked out of our room. Truly, spectacularly beautiful.
On our last day at the hotel, I talked with some of the gorgeous people dressed in their jewel-toned finery. They were part of a three-day Indian wedding celebration that would culminate that evening. The Indian culture traditionally celebrates weddings over five days, but in our busy times, three days is socially acceptable. Five hundred guests were attending the three-day event.
I’ve since learned that the third (last) day of the wedding is the most special and spectacular, as it includes the wedding ceremony followed by a grand celebration reception and dinner. This explained the heightened level of exquisite elegance and beauty displayed by the wedding guests as they emerged from their hotel rooms on that third day like butterflies in full bloom.
The hotel lobby was a kaleidoscope of rainbow colored jewels—beautiful people adorned in beauty.
At the same time, in Venice, a billionaire spent an estimated $50 (+/-) million for his three-day over-the-top wedding extravaganza—a lavish display of opulence and extreme wealth. The wedding celebration hosted over 200 of the world’s uber celebrities—more beautiful people dressed by the world’s most acclaimed designers.
These two weddings were on my mind as Russ and I drove the last leg of our trip home following a twelve-day vacation and celebration of our 50th wedding anniversary. Reflecting on those two events—each very different from the other, but both elaborate—reminded me of the passage in Revelation 19 that talks about the coming Marriage Supper of the Lamb. It is the wedding celebration that transcends all weddings of all time.
“Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, ‘Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns.
Let us rejoice and exult and give Him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His Bride has made herself ready; it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure’—for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.
And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.” Revelation 19:6-9 ESV
God the Son, Creator of the Universe, the great Redeemer and Restorer of all Creation, the Living Word, the Great I Am, the Savior of all who come in faith believing, King Jesus is seated on His royal throne to the right of God the Father, He will rise to take His Bride—the Church.
There has never been, nor will there ever be, a wedding feast and celebration that will come close in comparison with the royal banquet Jesus has prepared for His Bride. It is a celebration that will glorify, magnify, and bring high honor to our Almighty God – this is both the culmination and the new beginning that God planned before time began for His chosen people.
Unlike typical weddings that focus on the Bride, her lovely attendants, and the other beautifully adorned women in attendance, the focus at this celebration will be on the Lamb of God. The Groom. Jesus Christ, the perfect Lamb of God, who gave Himself to ransom and redeem His rebellious children, who, transformed by the power and completed work of the Holy Spirit, will then be presented as the pure and spotless Bride of Christ—the Church.
Notice the garments we will be wearing. There is no mention of famous designers, sparkling evening gowns, or jewel-toned embroidered satins. There will be no “keeping the wedding dress a secret from the groom” because our wedding garment is a gift from the Groom Himself. It is a garment of fine linen, bright and pure.
- “Fine linen” represents the righteous acts of the saints (believers, God’s holy people) that our Holy God deems to be obedient and good.
- “Bright,” the Greek word used in verse 8, means shining, brilliant, splendid, and magnificent.
- “Pure” is spotless or clean because it has been cleansed forever in the blood of the Lamb.
This wedding garment of fine linen, bright and pure, cannot be purchased online or at any retail outlet. It is a gift from the Holy Son of God, who bought it for you with His death on the cross and His death-defeating resurrection. No worries about the size. It was made to fit only you.
The beauty, majesty, and lordship of our Savior, Jesus Christ, will be the focus of this grand marriage celebration. Jesus will give all to the glory of God the Father.
I like to think that the garments we receive as the Bride of Christ will allow us to truly reflect the beauty and holy light that streams forth from our Savior. We will each be a brilliant, living mirror of the glorious, shining image that is Jesus Christ, our Lord and King.
And in that glorious and fully transformed state, we will be able to join with the angels and all creation to praise and celebrate Jehovah God as never before.
This, my friend, is the penultimate wedding celebration feast. It is by invitation only, and you must respond with a resounding “yes” if you want to be of this most blessed assembly.
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him.
In love, He predestined us for adoption to Himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of His will, to the praise of His glorious grace, with which He has blessed us in the Beloved.
In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which He lavished upon us.” Ephesians 1:3-8
It will be most beautiful.