Revelation 19:3 – 8 “And a second time they called out: “Hallelujah! Her smoke rises forever and ever.” And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sits on the throne, saying: “Amen, Hallelujah!”
Then a voice came from the throne, saying: “Praise our God, all you who serve Him, and those who fear Him, small and great alike!” And I heard a sound like the roar of a great multitude, like the rushing of many waters, and like a mighty rumbling of thunder, crying out: “Hallelujah! For our Lord God, the Almighty, reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give Him the glory. For the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His bride has made herself ready. She was given clothing of fine linen, bright and pure.” For the fine linen she wears is the righteous acts of the saints.
“The smoke rises forever and ever…” This statement indicates that the corrupt city that has spelled doom for so many has been completely destroyed and shall never rise again. Remember that here “Babylon” or Rome represents every entity that has seduced mankind from the beginning of time. That ancient enemy of all believers has been crushed into the dirt!
Now the twenty – four elders and the four living creatures, those closest to the throne, are worshiping God. Joining them are the prophets and martyrs and all believers. When these voices cry out, the sound is like that of an enormous waterfall – greater than Niagara or Victoria Falls or Iguazu Falls in Brazil as pictured above. And what is the song that they are singing?
“Hallelujah! For our Lord God, the Almighty, reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give Him the glory…”
Ages upon ages, believers have trusted, have continued to act in faith, and have frequently have faced persecution or death as their immediate reward. But now at long last, that faith has been justified! God’s promises are coming true! Now the final union of God and His Church is about to take place.
It is the Lord God Almighty who is being worshiped. The term here in the Greek translates to “He who controls all things.” God is the ultimate Authority and worthy of all praise and worship. Here God is described as the ultimate Bridegroom with the Church as His Bride.
For the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His bride has made herself ready. She was given clothing of fine linen, bright and pure.” For the fine linen she wears is the righteous acts of the saints.” When have brides NOT concentrated on preparing for their weddings? Even in the days of the early church, brides spent time preparing their costumes, the linens they would use in their homes, and preparing their bodies so that they would be as attractive to their bridegrooms as possible. In modern times, an entire industry has grown up around weddings and the celebrations surrounding them.
Throughout the Old Testament, God repeatedly referred to Israel as the chosen bride of God. That theme comes out even more clearly in the New Testament.
Barclay explains: “The marriage symbolism runs all through the Gospels. We read of the marriage feast (Matthew 22:2); of the bride chamber and the wedding garment (Matthew 22:10-11); of the sons of the bride chamber (Mark 2:19); of the bridegroom (Mark 2:19; Matthew 25:1); of the friends of the bridegroom (John 3:29). And Paul speaks of himself as betrothing the Church like a pure virgin to Christ (2 Corinthians 11:2), and for him the relationship of Christ to his Church is the great model of the relationship of husband and wife (Ephesians 5:21-33). This may seem to us a strange metaphor. But it conserves certain great truths. In any real marriage there must be four things which must also be in the relationship between the Christian and Christ.
(i) There is love. A loveless marriage is a contradiction in terms.
(ii) There is intimate communion, so intimate that man and wife become one flesh. The relationship of the Christian and Christ must be the closest in all life.
(iii) There is joy. There is nothing like the joy of loving and of being loved. If Christianity does not bring joy, it does not bring anything.
(iv) There is fidelity. No marriage can last without fidelity, and the Christian must be as faithful to Jesus Christ as Jesus Christ is to him.
…The Church, the Bride of Christ, is clothed in fine linen, pure and shining. There is a contrast with the scarlet and gold of the great harlot. The white linen represents the good deeds of God’s dedicated people; that is to say, it is character which forms the robe which arrays the Bride of Christ.”
If the marriage metaphor fails to speak to us, it is because our modern world has cheapened marriage into a matter of ceremony for the sake of convenience. But such a tawdry concept was never God’s intent. And this marriage is a union that will last forever.
“But,” you say, “I know that I am a rotten sinner. I know that I can never be good enough to be part of such a ceremony!” Congratulations! Welcome to the human race! NONE of us are good enough. By ourselves, not a single one of us can possibly earn his or her way into heaven. That is the message of Christmas: Jesus was born as a baby to become a man, the only perfect and innocent man ever created, so that He could die for our sins and conquer death and the grave. If we accept what Jesus has done for us, that is the only invitation we will ever need… if we will accept it. But don’t let that invitation just sit there. Now is the time to follow Jesus!
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, thank you for everything you have done for me. I confess that I am a sinner. And I confess that I cannot earn my way into heaven. But thank you that because you have died for my sins, if I follow you, one day I will join you in heaven. Amen.
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