Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife hath made herself ready. Revelation 19:7
One of my uncles had little interest in attending weddings, and made many jokes about them. For any of the few weddings that he did attend, he had lists of everything that went wrong and complaints about everything that he found uncomfortable. He was an exception, of course. Most of us enjoy weddings, if for no other reason than to celebrate the union of the happy couple. We appreciate the beauty of the ceremony, the sweetness of the exchange of vows, and the delightful introduction of the wedded couple after the register is signed. Most wedding receptions have good food and entertainment, lots of jokes and merriment, and plenty of good friends and relatives to visit with. But the best weddings we ever attended are as nothing compared to the one our text is referring to!
We have a decision to make when we get a wedding invitation, to accept or decline. Some invitations are easy to decline, others easy to accept, or at least difficult to decline. But the Marriage of the Lamb is one event that accepting or declining the invitation is not an option; those who are not saved simply don’t have a reservation, and those of us who are saved are irrevocably booked to be there. The assurance of a place at that great and joyous event is one of the enduring blessings that God has given to His people. Whenever our earthly path turns dark and weary, we are comforted with the glorious prospect that we are to be forever the bride of the Lamb. The joys of Heaven focus on this one great event, when earth’s festivities and delights fade away for lack of comparison with it. Coupled with the rapture, the believer’s hope is anchored in the anticipation of our Lord’s unfolding of our glad future with Him.
Preparation for a wedding can take months of work and can be very expensive. The bride and her attendants can look so lovely arrayed at the altar, but the preparation for all that loveliness is often almost overwhelming. How very different is the preparation of the bride of the Lamb! More lovely than the fairest bride of earth, how does this bride obtain her beauty? Her beauty is the result of being arrayed in the righteousness of the Lamb. Earth’s most beautiful gowns and accessories cannot compare with that! Is it any wonder then that our text speaks of giving honour to the Lord? As we anticipate the marriage of the Lamb, we need not be concerned about whether we will meet expectations. Our Lord has already looked after that.
The wedding day is coming, our presence is assured; our joyful hope today is forever with the Lord. -Jim MacIntosh