The Marriage of the Lamb

Transcript

GR 1563
04/11/10
The Marriage of the Lamb
Revelation 19:7-10
Gil Rugh

We're in Revelation 19 in your Bibles. And obviously we are moving toward the close of this great prophetic book, the unfolding of the plan of God in bringing to completion His work in dealing with sin in the world and providing complete redemption and deliverance for His people.

We've come through the destruction of Babylon in chapters 17-18, satanic system religiously, politically, commercially that has been in existence since back in the early chapters of Genesis 10-11. But it will come to be a focal point with the city of Babylon in closing days. It has been destroyed and there is rejoicing in heaven over that destruction. Now these are days of grace and God is patient as Peter says, not desiring that men would perish but that “all should come to repentance.” But there comes a time when grace is withdrawn and wrath becomes more fully displayed and poured out. And there is no sentimental emotional reaction to this. There is rejoicing in heaven over the destruction of the wicked. And so we saw that in the first part of chapter 19. Verses 1-2: “…a great multitude in heaven saying, ‘Hallelujah! Salvation, glory and power belong to our God because His judgments are true and righteous; for He has judged the great harlot…” That's a cause of rejoicing and celebration in heaven of giving praise to God, declaring the greatness of His salvation, His glory and power. Because with the destruction of the enemies of God we have preparation for the reason for the other celebration of heaven; and that will be the coming of the kingdom that Christ will establish on the earth.

Verse 3 we had repeat of that hallelujah. “Her smoke rises up forever and ever,” still celebrating the destruction. And then the twenty-four elders, four living creatures, hallelujah. And then everyone is encouraged, all the servants of the Lord small and great, verse 5, to “give praise to our God.” Then verse 6: “…hallelujah, for the Lord our God the Almighty reigns,” to the God who is sovereign over all is about to bring His kingdom to this earth. We'll talk later about the eternal kingdom of God and the earthly kingdom, and then ultimately the blending of that eternal reign of God in the earthly kingdom. God Almighty reigns and His reign is about to come to earth in the person of His Son.

That hallelujah, “the Lord our God reigns” leads right into the continuing of the thought in verse 7: “Let us rejoice and be glad and give glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready.” So here we are on the brink of the return of the Lord to earth and the events of Armageddon with the destruction of the wicked, the judgments that will take place there. So that chapter 20 can open up and we'll have the establishing of the millennial kingdom. Then we'll be ready to move into the eternal phase of the kingdom after the millennium, the first thousand years of the earthly kingdom.

But here there is celebration because of the marriage of the Lamb and the coming marriage supper of the Lamb. So verse 7: “Let us rejoice and be glad and give glory to Him for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready.” And then verse 9: “…blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb…” So these are reasons to rejoice, to be glad, to give glory to God because even as the judgments of the wicked, as Babylon has been judged, our cause of giving God glory and praise for the fulfillment of what He has promised. So the marriage of the Lamb is also cause to give Him glory. That's the purpose of it all. That's the contrast between heaven, between those who belong to God and those who don't. Remember back in 16:9, in spite of all the judgments and the plagues that have taken place through this 70th week of Daniel, we are told, men were scorched with fierce heat, “…they blasphemed the name of God who has the power over these plagues and they did not repent so as to give Him glory.” That becomes the battle, remember, Satan desiring the glory that belongs to God for himself. Fallen humanity refuses to give God glory by their submission and obedience. But when you come to chapter 19, “let us rejoice,” verse 7, “and be glad,” for the servants of the Lord, those who fear Him as they were described in verse 5, there is celebration. And it is here to focus on the marriage of the Lamb has come.

The marriage of the Lamb is talking about the marriage that involves the church and Christ. Interestingly in the Old Testament Israel is called the bride of Jehovah. Let's look at several passages. Come back to Isaiah 54 where we see Israel is referred to as the bride of Jehovah. As we'll note then, this is different than being the bride of the Lamb, Christ. Isaiah 54, talking about God's blessing on Zion, this is just after chapter 53 of course, but we're well familiar with chapter 53 and looked at it recently. Verses 5-8: “For your husband is your Maker, whose name is the Lord of Hosts. And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel who is called the God of all the earth. For the Lord has called you like a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit, even like a wife of one's youth when she is rejected, says your God. For a brief moment I forsook you, with great compassion I will gather you. In an outburst of anger I hid My face from you for a moment, but with everlasting lovingkindness I will have compassion on you, says the Lord your Redeemer.” We'll see, we're going to look at several passages; emphasis is often on Israel's unfaithfulness as the wife of Jehovah. But you'll note that is not the end of the relationship because God is going to restore Israel in spite of their unfaithfulness. He is going to bring them back to Himself. Verse 8: “…with lovingkindness I will have compassion on you.” Verse 10: “For the mountains may be removed and the hills may shake, but My lovingkindness will not be removed from you, and My covenant of peace will not be shaken says the Lord who has compassion on you.” So in verse 5, “your husband is your Maker,” is addressing Israel. But you are like a wife who has forsaken her husband. You got married in your youth, but you've become unfaithful with the passing of time. But that relationship will be firmly reestablished.

Come to Isaiah 62. Again we're talking about Zion and Israel as the chapter opens up. Verses 1-2: “For Zion's sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not keep quiet, until her righteousness goes forth like brightness, and her salvation like a torch that is burning. And the nations will see your righteousness, and all kings your glory…” And the chapter goes on, talking about the restoration of Israel, their glory in the coming kingdom that we'll get to when we get into Revelation 20. Come down to verse 5: “For as a young man marries a virgin, so your sons will marry you and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so your God will rejoice over you.” We see that picture again of God's relationship to Israel as a bride and His rejoicing over them. And again the chapter goes on about celebrating that glorious time.

Stop in Jeremiah 31 where it is about the new covenant, and the same idea. Not marriage stressed here but the covenant relationship which will be a marriage relationship for Israel and Jehovah. Verses 31-2: “Behold days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant which I made with their fathers…” Specifically the covenant made with Moses and that's a fulfillment of what we saw like in Isaiah. Those days of blessing will come and days of salvation.

Come over to Ezekiel 16. Here we see Israel's unfaithfulness to the Lord who had called them. Verse 3: “…Thus says the Lord God to Jerusalem…” Come down in the context to verses 7-8: “I made you numerous like the plants of the field. Then you grew up became tall, and reached the age for fine adornments; your breasts were formed, your hair had grown. Yet you were naked and bare. Then I passed by you and saw you and behold you were at the time for love; so I spread My skirt over you and covered your nakedness. I also swore to you and entered into covenant with you so that you became Mine, declares the Lord.” You see that picture of His taking Israel to Himself as His wife. Had no one else, but the Lord took her for Himself. And all He did, verse 12: “I also put a ring in your nostrils, earrings in your ears, and a beautiful crown on your head.” He did all of that for them as in effect the wife He took for Himself.

Perhaps the most familiar portion in the Old Testament is Hosea 2. Obviously the picture here is about the unfaithfulness of Israel and the picture was what Hosea was to carry out. Chapter 3:1: “…Go again, love a woman who is loved by her husband, yet an adulteress…” That carries on to what was said in 1:2: “…Go, take to yourself a wife of harlotry and have children of harlotry…” Why? Because that pictures the land commits harlotry against the Lord. So this is the context. Israel's relationship to the Lord is pictured by Hosea's relationship to his wife. Hosea marries a woman who is unfaithful to him. And that pictures the relationship that God has with the nation Israel. He has taken them for Himself and they have been unfaithful.

Hosea 2:16, God talking about His dealing with them, we'll break into the thought here, you can read the context if you haven't read it for a while. Verse 5: “For their mother has played the harlot…” Verse 16: “it will come about in that day.” And don't even use the name Baali, which obviously is associated with Baal, but also could be used for master or husband. But they'll only refer to him as “Ishi” for husband. A name that could be used because of its association with the Baals won't even be used. But the other name for husband there. It will happen in that day. Verse 18: “In that day I will also make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field…” This will go on during the time of the kingdom and the establishing of the kingdom. Verses 19-21: “And I will betroth you to Me forever. Yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness, and in justice, in lovingkindness and in compassion. And I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness. Then you will know the Lord. And it will come about in that day…” This anticipates the coming day when all these things will take place and the blessing on the creation when the curse is lifted. So verse 23: “And I will sow her for Myself in the land. I will also have compassion on her who had not obtained compassion, and I will say to those who are not My people, ‘you are My people.’ And they will say, ‘you are my God’.” So that is the picture of Israel as the wife of Jehovah in the Old Testament. And that will be the relationship yet in the future. Now when you come to the New Testament the church is portrayed as the wife of Christ. So Israel is the wife, if you will, of God the Father, Jehovah and the church is the wife or bride of God the Son, Christ. So that's the picture.

Look at II Corinthians 11:2: “For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy; for I betroth you to one husband, that to Christ…” That was just the same kind of terminology we saw of Israel with Jehovah in the Old Testament. I will betroth you to Me, that commitment we'll talk about in a moment. That picture, you have been bound in a marriage relationship to Christ. We sometimes call the betrothal the engagement period, but as you are aware it was more binding than our engagement. It was a binding relationship that would only be broken by divorce, but it was an unconsummated relationship for a time, until the formal marriage ceremony would take place.

Ephesians, and then we'll talk about this marriage relationship. Ephesians 5 has the instructions for the relationship of wives and husbands. In the context of being filled with the Spirit or controlled by the Spirit here is the kind of conduct wives will manifest toward their husbands and husbands will manifest toward their wives. The marriage problems are a result of sin and when we are believers as husbands and wives; then if we're living under the control of the Spirit, those conflicts are taken care of. Wives are to function a certain way, husbands are to function a certain way. But look in verse 32: “This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church.” So there is a relationship here between Christ and the church that permeates and gives the example for how our physical marriages on the human level are to take place. It is a comparison between Christ and the church. Verse 25: “Husbands, love your wives just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her.” And the previous instruction was comparing the relationship of the wife to the husband to the church to Christ. And the church is subject to Christ in everything, so the wife is to the husband in everything. Of course the world is in intense reaction against such teaching, but this teaching is for those who are filled with the Spirit, according to verse 18. So we don't expect unregenerate men who refuse to give glory to God, to fear Him and obey Him to be receptive to such teaching. We just need to be careful that that attitude doesn't permeate into our relationships and we begin to chafe because this is the relationship established by God and it's the relationship that exists between Christ as the husband of His bride the church. Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her. Why? Verses 26-7: “That He might sanctify her, having cleansed her with the washing of water with the word; that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she should be holy and blameless.” Now we're back to husbands, love your wives in the same way. And then remember, verse 31, that it was God who established marriage and this has been His intention from the beginning. Sin has come in and corrupted the relationship. So that's important to recognize.

If I can just throw out an aside to marriage: the woman's submission to the husband is not a result of sin. And the husband's role is not a result of sin. That was the way God established it in the beginning before there was sin. And God intends us to function in light of His purpose by the enabling power of the Spirit who indwells us, to control us and make this possible. But the relationship of Christ to the bride, He died for her.

During biblical times, there was an arrangement that took place for this man to be married to this woman and the agreements are established, the provisions are established, payments are made and so on. So then the betrothal, the commitment is there. That's the period of time in which we are now. We say the bride of Christ is being called out from the world to Christ. We present the gospel, we share that here has been the provision; here has been the payment for your sin. You come to believe in Christ you are betrothed to Christ. That's what Paul was talking about in II Corinthians 11, “I have betrothed you,” he writes to the Corinthians. What did he do? He came and presented the gospel to them that Christ had died, He had paid the penalty for their sin, so that when they responded to that and accepted that by faith they are betrothed to Christ. They are now one who belongs to Him, they are committed to Him. Now that marriage relationship hasn't been joined in its fullness yet, that's yet future. But we are in a binding relationship now to Christ. That's the picture. And the arrangements have been made, the price has been paid, we belong to Him. We are no longer our own. We have been bought with a price; therefore, we glorify God in our body. That relationship of now we belong to Him and we are to glorify God in our bodies. And that's what Paul said in II Corinthians 11, I want to present you to Christ as a chaste, pure virgin. But I'm afraid satan will make his way in and turn you aside from the purity of devotion to Christ.

Come back to Matthew 1, very familiar account of Mary and Joseph. Verse 18: “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows. When His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit.” There could be some time, some would say at least a year but it might be much longer, depending on the age of those who were betrothed and so on. And if you have an edition of the Bible like I do, you have a marginal note here on betrothed. This is the first stage of marriage in Jewish culture usually lasting a year. The betrothal period was before the formalizing of the marriage ceremony. But it would only be broken by divorce. So when Mary is found to be pregnant the assumption is she has been unfaithful. So verse 19: “And Joseph, her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, desired to put her away secretly.” He's going to divorce her but he's not going to make a public example of her. So he was going to divorce her privately, send her away secretly, divorce her in a private way. He could make an issue of it because he's been wronged, she has been unfaithful. He was able to divorce her even though they haven't yet come together where their relationship would be consummated.

So that's the picture we have with the church. We have been betrothed to Christ as, if you will, the terms of the marriage have been presented. In your sinful wretched condition Jesus Christ died for you. That's Ephesians 5. He gave Himself for the church. So we agree to that, in effect, when we believe in Him, trust in Him. And so the relationship is established. We are now bound to Christ, betrothed to Him. So we live in this period of time where our purity is tested and developed. That's sanctification. We belong to Him now.

When the next step comes, and in that culture the bridegroom would come to take his bride to the house he had prepared for her. Usually in connection with his father's home he would come and have a place that had been prepared there for the new bride. And he would come and get her, and that's what will happen at the Rapture. John 14, do not let your heart be troubled over the fact that Jesus was leaving. Believe in God, believe also in Me. John 14:2-3: “In My Father's house are many dwelling places, if it were not so I would have told you, for I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am there you may be also.” And that fits what is going to be unfolded as His marriage relationship to the church that is going to be established in Acts 2. He goes away. What is He doing? He's preparing the place for His bride and her dwelling so that when He comes she will be ready.

I Thessalonians 4 talks about the Rapture of the church, the removal of the church from earth to meet Christ in the air. Verses 16-17: “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with a voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the air to meet the Lord in the air and thus we shall always be with the Lord.” That's when He comes to get us: the Rapture. We're taken to heaven to His Father's house where He has prepared the dwelling place for us as His bride.

Now what happens in this context, following the Rapture of the church we have the judgment seat of Christ and that's where in effect sanctification is completed as we see in I Corinthians 3. So the process, what we call “progressive sanctification” is going on now. And we'll say more about this in a moment. But here we get the picture. In I Corinthians 3:10, talking about the foundation that has been laid in Christ, now we're building upon the foundation and the day will come when our work will be tried, the quality of each man's work, verse 13. And every man's work which he has built on and remains, he will receive a reward. And if he hasn't been as faithful as he should he loses rewards, but he is saved on the basis of being built on Christ. So that's the picture here of the church as the bride of Christ, what is going on in the process.

Come back to Revelation, let's move a little further along here and then fill in some other details, Revelation 19. Verse 7: “Let us rejoice and be glad and give glory to Him for the marriage of the Lamb has come…” That is significant, don't get confused. In the Old Testament Israel was the wife of Jehovah. I take it those distinctions as we will see when we get into chapter 22 are maintained in eternity. Israel will be Israel; the church will be the church. Here we have the bride of Christ. This is us, the marriage of the Lamb; we are the bride of Christ as part of the church today. Now I take it at this stage it has occurred. This is an “aorist” tense, there is discussion “aorist” has different uses and significance. But I take it the point is the marriage has come in that sense that when we were taken to glory, that aspect, marriage, occurs, the formalizing of the relationship. Now we are ready for the follow through which is going to be the marriage supper.

But first we are told His bride has made herself ready. God has made provision for us, we saw through the indwelling Spirit that fills the believers, we submit to His control. And that process of purifying has gone on so that we can say; how has the bride made herself ready? The process of sanctification now is complete. Verse 8: “And it was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.” So here is God's gracious provision for us. The work of Christ guarantees our safe arrival here. But our works and our actions have a part to play, not in our salvation but when we are evaluated at the Bema seat of Christ and rewarded accordingly. This is not the righteousness we studied in Romans where we were declared righteous in the courtroom of God. These are our righteous acts, our deeds. In other words, living faithfully, what Paul was talking about in II Corinthians 11 and what he was trying to do with his ministry in helping the Corinthians in their growth and development and maturing, to maintain their purity in their commitment and devotion to Christ.

Philippians 2:12: “So then my beloved, just as you have always obeyed not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling.” Paul is in prison when he writes this. But he wants them to continue to be obedient to the word of God that he is giving to them. See that's their responsibility. The salvation they have received through faith in Christ, now you continue to work it out. You are not on your own. Verse 13: “for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” We struggle with keeping a biblical balance and perspective. Either we go to the side that we do the work of God in our own strength; or we go to the other side and we just let go and let God. That's not it; you “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” There is a recognition that my responsibility and accountability to my God, to my Lord who has in effect chosen me for Himself as part of His bride. But I understand it is God who is at work in me, so I apply it with all my effort, all my concern, to be faithful to Him. I have a healthy fear of displeasing Him, marring the purity that is to be mine as one who belongs to Him. But I recognize He is at work in me, the Spirit of God dwells in me. But that does not free me from my responsibility. There is the balance of working out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you.

Back up to Ephesians 2:8-10: “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast. For we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works…” So God intends us to live holy and godly lives, lives of faithful obedience to Him. It's difficult, it's hard; it's a struggle. Of course it is. Satan is at work constantly to try to lure us away from the purity of faithful devotion to Christ. Sin and the attractiveness of the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, it is relentless. But God has prepared these works for us that we should walk in them. That's our life, walking faithfully as God intends for us as His people.

Back up to II Corinthians 5, ties in with what we were talking about with coming judgment. Here we have our individual responsibility in II Corinthians 5. Verses 6-8: “Therefore being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body; we are absent from the Lord—for we walk by faith, not by sight--we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and be home with the Lord.” I mean, death has its deliverance for us as believers. Death itself is an enemy; none of us look forward to the process of dying but to be with the Lord, what an exciting hope. Verse 9: “Therefore also we have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him.” You see that's what controls us, to please the Lord. We get it turned around and say, I don't enjoy this; I'm looking for my own happiness. Wait a minute; it's all about Him, to be pleasing to Him. Verse 10: “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body according to what he has done, whether good or bad.” This judgment is referred to as the Bema seat and all that is entailed here. My faithfulness to Him as one who has been betrothed to Christ will be evaluated here. Believers can't avoid it. I'm not threatened with judgments. The Great White Throne judgment that will result in people being sentenced to hell, but there will be recompense here. We saw that was alluded to for the church also in I Corinthians 3 where their works will be burned up, a wasted life. Here, what have we done? We want to be pleasing to Him.

Stop in Revelation 14:13: “And I heard a voice form heaven saying, ‘Write, blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.’ ‘Yes,’ says the spirit, ‘that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow with them.’” And that's true for all of us. Here you talk about martyrs in the tribulation. Well their deeds will follow with them. But that's true for all of us; our deeds will follow with us. We're going to the Bema seat with our deeds, our works, not because we earn salvation, not because we merit acceptance before God, but for evaluation as faithful servants of slaves of the Lord. That ought to put a healthy fear in us. I'm going to give an account. We say, it won't matter, I'm going to heaven, I don't care about those things. You will care, I will care. I may not understand how it is all working out but I will care when that comes. When God tells me it is significant, it is significant. It's like your children, they might say, I don't care and you say; you're going to care. Do you think God told me about this so I can say I don't care, I'm going to heaven? I don't think when we stand before that judgment seat we'll say, it doesn't matter to me, I don't care. I'm going to heaven, I've trusted Christ. It will matter. What we do with our lives matters, how we live for Him every day matters.

So when you come back to Revelation 19:8: “And it was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean, for fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.” You have the church here that has appeared already at the Bema seat and the rewards have been given and the evaluation is done and you'll note, we arrive in heaven because of the righteousness of Christ but there is a place for our righteous acts. The fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. So the reward for our faithfulness and the purity of devotion to Christ has been carried out.

Verse 9: “And he said to me, ‘Write, blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb…’” So you see the marriage is arranged and the agreement settled, the betrothal takes place, the bride awaits, the bridegroom goes and prepares the place. During this time the bride-to-be's faithfulness is tested and her purity of devotion to the one that she is betrothed to. Then at a coming time he comes to get her to take her to his father's house where he has prepared the place. That's followed by the wedding feast and that celebration of the marriage. So here we are told verse 7, the marriage of the Lamb has come, where it has occurred. It is that formalizing of the relationship taking place. We have been judged and evaluated; we are clothed now in the fine linen. Now blessed are those who are invited to the marriage feast. I take it that is in anticipation of the millennium, the kingdom that is to come.

Continuing in verse 9: “…And he said to me, ‘these are true words of God.’” Since this is stated, it tells us the seriousness and importance of all of this. “These are true words of God.” These are important because if you are a believer in Jesus Christ you will be here; this is us, the bride. We're going to be there just like we are gathered here; we're going to be there dressed a little better, looking significantly better in glorified bodies, in our fine linen white and clean. But this is us. Just as sure as God is God we're talking about where you and I are going to be at a point in the future when Christ comes, takes us to His Father's house where He has prepared a place. And then as we now are ready for the return to earth and the establishing of the kingdom, and then you will have friends of the bridegroom, others invited to the marriage supper. Those who are not part of the church but are believers, Old Testament saints, tribulation saints and so on. They will be the friends. John the Baptist recognized, I am not the bridegroom, I'm a friend of the bridegroom. Those will be the ones invited. So you're talking about believers outside the realm of the church who are going to be part of this exciting event.

Matthew 25 has this same kind of picture with the parable of the ten virgins. Verses 1-2: “Then the kingdom of heaven will be comparable to ten virgins who took their lamps, and went out to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were foolish, and five were prudent.” The five foolish had oil lamps but they didn't have any oil. The prudent ones were prepared. The point is five of these virgins were prepared for the coming of the bridegroom, five were not. And so the five who were prepared, they go away to purchase oil. Verse 10: “And while they were going away to make the purchase the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him to the wedding feast and the door was shut.” So you see that picture, when the bridegroom comes and it is time for the wedding feast, and that preparation. The picture here for Israel, it's not the church, but He is addressing Israel and their need to be ready for when their Messiah comes. And they aren't the bride. They are these virgins that are to be part of the wedding feast, but those who weren't prepared aren't going into the kingdom.

Come back to Revelation 19. “These are true words of God.” People have a problem with the book of Revelation. Some don't study it; some think you can't make any sense of it. God intends you to understand; these are true words of God, these are things to be understood, believed and lived in light of. A number of the blessings we've looked at, promised on those who keep these words, they live in light of them. These are true words of God; they ought to shape our lives. We get caught up in the world and we deserve to be happy, we deserve to enjoy life, we deserve this. And all of a sudden we are confused. I John 3:2 tells us that when we see Him we will be like Him, for we'll see Him as He is. That's the focal point of our lives, that keeps us on balance to love not the world neither the things in the world, because I'm looking forward to the coming of the bridegroom who will take me into the glory of the presence of His Father and the place He has prepared for me and anticipate that time when the redeemed will celebrate in the kingdom at the marriage feast of the Lamb.

Revelation 19:10, impact on John is overwhelming. This is the beloved disciple. John is an awesome figure. Perhaps he is the one who had the closest relationship with Christ. I mean you have the eleven faithful disciples; you have that inner circle of three, Peter, James and John; and it seemed that John is the closest of the inner circle, reclining at Christ's chest at supper. He had that position of closeness to Christ at that time. He was chosen by God to write the gospel of John, Revelation and I, II and III John. What an awesome figure, and yet John is overwhelmed and makes a terrible mistake right here. Verse 10: “And I fell at his feet to worship him…” You can't do that. Immediately the angel rebukes him. “Do not do that; I am simply a fellow servant of yours and your brethren.” The angel is a fellow servant, a fellow slave. I'm not worthy of worship, I am doing the bidding of my master, just like you do. You don't worship the slave, you worship the master. I'm a fellow servant of yours. And so even in this rebuke this is encouragement. The angel whose presence and message so overwhelms John reminds him, I am a fellow servant of yours and your brethren who hold the testimony of Jesus.

Verse 10: “…Worship God. For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” You know it's amazing because John is going to make the same mistake again before we are done. Over in 22:8-9: “And I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed me these things. And he said to me, ‘Do not do that; I'm a fellow slave of yours and of your brethren the prophets and of those who heed the words…” The book of Colossians deals with the worship of angels. Some try to worship saints in some groups today, and pray to saints, created beings. Angels are fellow servants with us of the living God. There are other passages, but we won't look at that.

I want to say something back in chapter 19:10 about a “fellow servant of yours and your brethren who hold the testimony of Jesus.” The testimony of Jesus is not the testimony about Jesus, but it's the testimony that comes from Jesus. Come back to Revelation 1. It's the revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave him to show to His bond servants the things which must soon take place. He sent and communicated it by His angel to His bond servant John. So it goes from the angel slave to the human slave who testified to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. So the testimony to Christ is bearing through the angel to John, it's the word of God that comes from Christ, comes from the Father to Christ to the angel to John. That's what we're talking about, so that word of God.

When you come over to chapter 22:9 he says the same thing, “I am a fellow servant of yours and your brethren the prophets and of who heed the words of this book.” That's the same thing; it's the testimony of Jesus. That's the words of this book on this occasion, that's what he has said. And you'll note; the book of Revelation can be so hard to understand. Well we better work on understanding it because those who are the slaves of Christ are to keep the words of this book. That means it was given to us to understand because you can't keep it if you don't know what it says, what it means. We must be those who keep the words of this book. So the testimony of Jesus here is replaced with the words of this book because that's the testimony of Jesus that we started out with in verses 1-2 of the first chapter, what Christ testified to or said.

Revelation 22:16: “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things for the churches…” So you see the angel is only passing on what Jesus told him to say to the churches, local churches. Again back in chapters 2-3, early in the book of this prophetic revelation, the letters to the seven churches were local churches, for us today. 22:18-9: “I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to them God shall add to him the plagues which are written in the book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the tree of life…” Verse 20: “He who testifies to these things says, ‘Yes I am coming quickly.’ Amen. Come Lord Jesus.”

So you see it's the testimony of Christ. That's what the book of Revelation is, it's the testimony from Christ; it's the word from Christ. And we are fellow servants with the angels, fellow slaves in doing the work of our Master as they are doing the work of their Master. And we are privileged not only to be His slaves, but to be His bride. What an exalted, honored position that we are given in the redemptive plan of God.

How crucial that it is that we be living lives of purity and faithfulness to the Lord in good times and in hard times because we are living our lives for Him. This isn't our home, we are not planted here; life doesn't revolve around here. I don't have to worry about enjoying life now because this is a preparation time for me. Understand that we as the church are betrothed to Christ; this is just the preparation time. He's going to come and get us soon, maybe tonight to take us to His Father's house. Evaluation must be done at the Bema seat, then we will be rewarded, then we will be clothed in garments that reflect our faithfulness. And then in His sovereign plan we will return the fullness of glory for the destruction of His enemies and the establishing of His kingdom and the marriage feast where the saints of all previous ages will join in that time of celebration.

What an amazing thing our salvation is. Every day is an adventure for us as God's people, is it not? How is the economy doing? I don't know. Are things good or bad? For us it's good every day, right? All part of God's plan in shaping us. Understand I am looking for the coming of the One who is the bridegroom. This is just temporary, this is just preparation, and the hard times are part of that preparation, the good times as we evaluate them is God's work in our lives and we want to be faithful to Him.

Let's pray together. Thank You, Lord, for the glory You have prepared for us. How amazing we who were Your enemies, by nature children of wrath in rebellion, and yet in grace You have reached out to us, You have drawn us to Yourself. You have established us in a binding relationship with Your Son, Jesus Christ, the One who loved us and died for us so that we might be cleansed and forgiven and someday presented in the glory of Your presence as holy and blameless and without spot. Lord, may we be consumed by a passion to be faithful to You and to be that chaste virgin that would be pure when He comes for us. May our lives be a testimony to the work of Your grace as we faithfully live for You. We pray in Christ's name, amen.