“Marriage Made in Heaven” | Revelation 19 | Pastor Keith

Let's open our Bibles. Please open our Bibles.

The Book of Revelation, Chapter 9.

Revelation 9 · chapter mention

If you've got a Bible and you brought it, hold it up.

We haven't lifted up. Lifted up.

Yeah, let's see those Bibles. Great.

You rare. You are rare breed.

Let's let's open them up. Revelation chapter 19.

Revelation 19 · chapter mention

As we're doing that, let's pray over our offering.

Heavenly Father, to be able to give your word commands us that

Lord, you want us to test you in this way.

And so we give. We give the first, not what's

leftover. We give you the best.

And Lord, we know that you will continue to bless us as we do

this, as we learn to trust you. Use what we give.

Lord, help us to be wise to yours and use it for your glory.

We pray and ask your blessing upon the offering now in Jesus

name, Amen. Amen.

Chapter 19. I've wrestled with it.

We're only going to do 10 verses in Revelation 19 as we come

closer to the end of the Book of Revelation.

The first half of this chapter takes place in heaven and

describes the marriage of the Lamb and then the other thing

called the wedding feast or the marriage supper of the Lamb. 2

distinct things when the church is united in glory to Jesus

Christ. The title of this morning's

message is the marriage made in Heaven.

And that's what I said to Helen when I proposed to her.

Helen, you're going to get a marriage made in heaven.

She said. Where am I going to get that?

There is something about a wedding and the wedding supper

that follows. We have one coming up shortly

here in church. It is truly a joyful day of

human celebrations. And now we shift and there's a

seismic shift from we've been going from Chapter 6 all the way

up till now with the judgments of God, the seven seals, the

seven trumpets, the seven bowls, and the judgments of God upon a

world that continues to reject God, that no matter what happens

to them, they're covered in sores or there's an earthquake

after it's all over, they, they go, we don't care about you,

God. And they just blasphemy him all

over again. And, and, and we've, we've

brought to this point, it's been, it's been a hard, arduous

time, hasn't it? Each time we've come Sunday

going well, we got another earthquake this week or what we

got, we got sores this week. We got tidal wave this week.

We have 35K hailstone blocks falling down from heaven this

week, meteorite shower. What is it?

Demonic hordes coming out of the abyss.

What's happening? Well, today it's different

following the obliteration and judgement of religious Babylon,

the one world church system, which is actually in its

infancy, not probably beyond its infancy.

It's in its median stages now, which will be headed by the

false prophet who will work with the Antichrist during the seven

year tribulation period. God judged it and then in

chapter 18 he judged the political and commercial

Babylon, that is the political system, the powerhouse

government, the the, the, the abuse of dictatorship that the

Antichrist has over the world during this period, particularly

in the last 3 1/2 years of the seven year tribulation.

And now we come to a period of massive celebrations, praise and

worship as we move into heaven now and it breaks out in waves

of praise verse one after these things, after what?

After chapter 17 and chapter 18, I heard a loud voice again, no

hearing hearing aids, no, no trumpets, you know, plugged to

our ears going in heaven. No one will be saying what,

what? Because everything's in heaven

is going to be loud. Prepare yourself.

It's loud in heaven if you go to Israel.

I pray that we can one day. Lord willing spoke to Yaniv the

other day. He said tourists are starting to

come back September. It's looking good for him.

And he just asked the blessing to be upon us here back home.

But in Israel, everything that they do is loud.

It's kind of like the Italians. The Italians can just talk about

fruit, fruit and fruit and fruit, food, food and fruit and,

and they go sit down, sit down, have something, a cup of coffee

here, sit, sit. It's loud.

They're arguing, but they don't actually.

And they're not arguing. They say, isn't the weather

great? No, it's not.

It's wonderful. That's how they are in Roma and

and in Israel they're even louder.

Again. We saw a bar mitzvah heading up

to the Western Wall and you could hear it coming from miles

down now banging drums and now people as this young boy was

becoming a man in the Jewish tradition.

So prepare yourselves. No wax in the ears when we get

to heaven. I heard a loud voice of a great

multitude in heaven saying and I want you to count these

Hallelujah, that's the first one.

Salvation and glory and honour and power belong to the Lord our

God. Salvation, glory, honour and

power, they all belong to God, for true and righteous are His

judgments. Because he has judged the great

harlot who corrupted the earth. That's the religious one with

her. Fornications has avenged on her

the blood of his servants shed by her.

Again they said, Hallelujah, that's true.

Her smoke rises up forever and ever.

So they're praising the Lord over the destruction of the

religious Babylon. And the 24 elders and the four

living creatures fell down and worshipped God, who sat on the

throne saying Amen, Hallelujah, that's three.

Then a voice came from the throne saying, Praise our God,

all you his servants, and those who fear him, both small and

great. And I heard as it were, the

voice of a great multitude. When you see that term great

multitude, it means there's so many they can't number them as

the sound of many waters. That's the raging sound,

thunderous ocean or the Victoria Falls or Niagara Falls.

That's how loud it is. As the sound of mighty

thundering saying Hallelujah, how many is that?

That's for for the Lord God omnipotent.

That's his title. That means the Lord God who is

all powerful over everything else.

He reigns and rules and has dominion over everything else

reigns. Let us be glad and rejoice and

give him glory. Why?

For the marriage of the Lamb. Who's the Lamb?

Jesus has come, and his wife. Who was that?

Who's his bride has made herself ready?

Who his Who is his bride? The bride is the Church of Jesus

Christ, you and I. It's talking about what we're

going to go through and experience after the rapture.

In verses 1, 3-4 and six we have 4 hallelujahs.

We proclaimed Hallelujah with. The A is the Greek translation

of the Hebrew word Hallelujah made up of 2 words, halal

meaning praise and Yah. Yah is short for Jehovah God.

Praise the Lord, in other words, is Hallelujah.

Hallelujah is used 22 times in the book of Psalms 400 and

465,000 in many churches on a Sunday morning, some a bit over

the top. Hallelujah is used 22 times in

the book of Psalms, but in the New Testament only in chapter 19

is it found is this word mentioned so verse one.

After these things, I heard a loud voice of a great multitude

in heaven saying Hallelujah. Salvation and glory and honour

and power belong to the Lord our God.

This is the Hallelujah. It's hard saying Hallelujah.

I'm going to say Hallelujah. It's fine, Connor, Hallelujah.

It's a bit difficult, so I'm going to say Hallelujah.

It's the Hallelujah of salvation.

We have been saved. If you're here today and you've

received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour, you partook in

communion today. Salvation took place when at our

conversion there was a moment in time Jesus said you must be born

again. Billy Graham was asked why do

you always preach that you must be born again?

He said because the Bible says you must be born again.

You must be born again. Jesus said John chapter 3 to

John 3 · chapter mention

Nicholas. What was his name?

Nicodemus. That's it.

His brother Nicodemus. Nicholas was his brother, owned

the fruit veggie shop down the corner.

Nicodemus, he came. Jesus said you're a religious

man, but you don't know anything.

You don't know anything. You must be born again.

And that happened the moment you repented of your sins because

you can't do that. You can't get saved until you

repent. That's what Jesus told his

disciples to do, repent and believe.

You've got to repent before you believe.

You can't just come up and say, yeah, I believe in Jesus.

No, no, you've got to realise you're a Sinner.

Realise that all of sin have fallen short of the glory of

God, that there's none righteous, no, not one.

That we need salvation. Pastor Marlon put it so

beautifully here. We couldn't save ourselves.

There was nothing we could do to get out of our sin.

Jesus did it all. That's why we remember him and

it he saved us from the penalty of our sins and he gave us

instead eternal light John chapter 5 verse 24, Jesus said

John 5:24

most assuredly I say to you hear this.

This is how you become a Christian.

He who hears my word now a lot of people here, but here's the

second part and believes in him. That means believes that Jesus

Christ died on the cross for them, for their sins.

Him who sent me has everlasting life.

John 316 For God so loved the world that he gave His only

begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not

perish, that is, be separated from God by death, but have

everlasting life, eternal life, and shall not.

Jesus says in John 5 shall not come into judgement, but has

passed at that moment from death to light.

So the moment this body fails, the moment it shuts down and

says it's all done, shops closed from that moment.

In that instance, in the speed, Paul says in the twinkling of an

eye to be absent from the body is what he adds is to be present

with the Lord. That's a wonderful piece.

That's a wonderful place. If you're going into the

intensive care and the doctor say, well, we just hope things

go well. Whichever way I'm good, I'm

good, whichever way I'm good. Because to be absent from the

body is to be present with the Lord.

Secondly, we are being saved. So we have been saved the day of

your conversion. Secondly, we are being saved.

What does that mean? Philippians 116 being confident

of this very thing, that he who has begun a good work in you

will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.

Tell me, have you got it all down?

You know, are you the perfect believer right now, man?

No, that's why 1 John 19 and 10 says we can come before the Lord

as Christians each day and go, God forgive me today.

You know, I was a lousy dad even on Father's Day.

I didn't say the right thing. I wasn't appreciative of what

the kids did. We sin.

We sin by things we do and by we sin by things we don't do.

Omission and Commission. And so we're in the process.

I'm not finished yet, I'm living in a sinful body and I still

fail God and so I'm being saved. Thirdly, we will be saved when

we are united with Christ in heaven and in His Kingdom.

Ephesians one verse 13 says in him that's Jesus you also

trusted after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your

salvation in whom also having believed so there it is you hear

it you believe you were sealed the moment you heard God's word

and you believe that God says now I'm sealing you with the

Holy Spirit. Now I identify you as mine.

The ceiling was used in the days where we get a term signet ring.

Some of you guys used to get them in the old days they get

signet rings. Well, signet rings was a ring

used by the owner of the business and he putting goods

and products overseas and they would put a wax, BLOB of wax on

it. Then he'd get his signet ring,

he'd place his mark and that signet ring, that means that

goods, that product that's been sent somewhere, that's his.

Well, you and I don't have a mark on us as such.

That's why the Antichrist does this, you know, this, this whole

thing of putting another mark on, he just copies it with a

pathetic setup. A pathetic setup.

We're sealed not by a tattoo, not by a chip, not by a mark.

We're sealed by the Holy Spirit. God has a mark upon us, sealed

with the Holy Spirit of promise. We made Christ forever.

In verse 14 of Ephesians one who is the guarantee.

That's their that's our guarantee of the inheritance

until the redemption of the purchase, possession to the

praise of his glory until we get to be with the Lord, you and I

sealed. How often do you wonder?

You know, Lord, I've blown it. Sometimes my mind wanders with

the things of the word of God. Lord, sometimes I doubt you,

sometimes I struggle. God says that's fine, I've got

you sealed. I've got you sealed.

That's what grace is because otherwise you would wake up

every day and go, oh, I'm still safe today at the Raptors not

coming when I was lousy when I was driving on the road and

doing road rage or doing something stupid.

Grace saved. It's this third aspect of

salvation and our union with Jesus Christ in heaven that is

being spoken of here in chapter 19.

Hallelujah. Salvation, glory and honour and

power belong to the Lord our God.

All that we have, all that we have longed for is to be with

Christ as his bride. It's happening here, it will

happen. Some of you are getting married.

We have a couple getting married next month.

They can't wait the days. How many days it is.

You know it's getting closer. You and I are the same.

I'm longing to meet the Lord now.

I know we have tasks to do, work to do, and that I won't leave

this body or leave this world until God says you're done,

you're finished. But I long for the early church

all longed for they all expected, they yearned for the

coming of Christ. Peter wrote about it in depth

here in heaven it says verse 2. Now we have the Hallelujah of

judgement, for true and righteous are his judgements.

This is all that God has done, because He has from chapter 6 to

chapter 19, Judge the great harlot who corrupted the earth

with her fornication. That is all false religion God's

put down. He has avenged on her the blood

of His servants shed by her. I want to recommend to you to

buy as a family Fox's Book of Martyrs.

Fox's Book of Martyrs tells of all the Saints who've been

persecuted for their faith. And today in Africa, in Pakistan

and places around the world where people are dying for their

faith, God is avenging them. Here in chapter 19, the

servants, the blood shed by her, by the great harlot church,

again they said Hallelujah, her smoke rises up.

And here's this term forever and ever all of heaven breaks out in

praise of God's righteous judgements because he's judged

who? The false religious system of

Babylon. He has judged the corrupt

worldly commercial and political system of government, of rule

and power. It's burned to the ground.

Read the previous chapter. It's gone in a day, gone in a

moment. And all the world looks on and

goes, Oh man, can't, don't get near it.

Look at it, it's burning up. The smoke is seen all the world

for both those the Gov, the government's corrupt, the

religious system corrupt, oppose God, kill his servants, the many

innocent followers of Christ who sadly died for their faith.

And that's why in heaven there is judgement now that's been

poured out upon these false systems.

All of heavens is righteous and true.

Hallelujah that you've judged them.

God, you've avenged us. So all of heaven proclaims and

rejoices now. No one in heaven I read this is

accusing God or questioning him. You often read of these so

called rock stars and media stars and all you know who just

blab on and dribble from their mouths.

Now when I get to heaven, I've got a few things.

George Clooney, I've got a few things I want to say to God if

he exists. Georgie, Georgie, no one in

heaven questions him. No one says go God, that's a bit

unfair. I mean 35K hailstone block could

have been 5 kilos. Surely, you know, come on, back

off. No one, no one says a word in

heaven because they look down and they see with all clarity

that what God and how God is judged is actually right on.

It's perfect for what needs you and I, You know, we, we, we see

our court systems, don't we? And we see situations and we go,

how do they get away with that? Or guess what, no one gets away

with anything. That's why God says vengeance is

mine. Everyone will stand before God.

God will judge every person in that regard.

No one in heaven at this place is accusing God, questioning

him. However, everyone is praising

and honouring him. Now.

Most people don't believe and don't want to have to believe in

eternal judgement. Don't mention how I don't.

Don't talk about how Jehovah Witnesses said well we won't

have that, we'll tear that out. Don't need that part and so they

have had to rewrite their own Bible.

They don't believe that Jesus is the son of God.

What will tear that be there be not one that and so they created

their new world translation. But the Bible, Jesus spoke more

on hell than he did on heaven. And there is eternal judgement

because it says here the Bible is explicit about the eternal

nature of God's punishment of the wicked.

And we have this classic example, verse 3.

And they said, Hallelujah, her smoke rises up.

That's Babylon forever and ever. That means the judgement on

Babylon goes on and on and on. It's not like, oh, that'll do,

it's on forever. But as we read this at the same

time, if it well, that's a bit tough, isn't it?

Hang on a minute. As we read this, let us not

forget at the same time Peter tells us to Peter 39, the law

does not slack concerning his promise as some count slackness

that is his coming again, but as long suffering his patient

toward us. Why is God patient?

Why hasn't God returned as yet? Because it says he is not

willing that any should perish. All the perishing that happens

between chapter 6 and chapter 19 is self indulgent.

It's chosen. No one is unfairly judged by

God. Because God's word says I don't

want anyone to perish. No one, it goes on to say, but

that all should come. And here's how you come to God

to repentance. Realise I'm a Sinner, I'm lost,

I need saving, I need a Saviour. Ezekiel 3311 says this say to

them, and this is God as I live, says the Lord God, I have no

pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked I

wish they would turn from his way and live in his everlasting

life. And then he says, turn, will you

turn, turn from your evil ways? For why should you die?

You see God, God says, what? Why do you reject?

Why you want to live eternally in darkness?

Why won't you receive love and forgiveness?

Why would you choose eternal separation from God?

Why would you choose judgement? This is the reason Jesus came to

save us, to rescue us. Why?

To show God's great love we didn't deserve it, He came

anyway, and that we can receive forgiveness.

You know the greatest thing that happens in a person's life is

when you're forgiven by God. I have sinned.

I've said things, done things that I'm just so embarrassed

about in a marriage. It's the greatest thing that you

can do as a husband and wife is to be gracious and forgiving one

to another. There's nothing more wonderful

than being forgiven. You know why?

Because you know you deserve judgement.

You give them forgiveness. It makes you humble, doesn't it?

Thank you, thankful. You see, God came that we may

receive them the most gracious gift, forgiveness and not only

just be forgiven, but cleansed. All that stuff that I've done

and said, removed, taken away so that God doesn't remember it.

Through faith in Christ and we can have eternal life instead of

eternal separation from God. We can have a future.

I know what happens to me when I die.

I have a hope. I know I'm going to experience

heaven. Oh, I can't wait to.

It's going to be like opening Christmas presents every day to

look forward to that after death.

Another reason why there is rejoicing in heaven at this time

is that this judgement is against the demonic world

system. Have you seen and I I have.

You see systems and situations on TV.

There's one place that I had to go to once a week as a chaplain

for the police, which was the child abuse centre.

It's the one place as two officers were talking about a

situation. I won't go into detail, but I

said I can't listen to this, I'm going to move away.

How can such evil occur? How can such horror be taken out

upon certain people by individuals?

Or guess what, this is the place where God says, you know what,

all that demonic work that's been done, I'm judging it right

now. I'm judging it right now, and

I'm judging it completely. And also that the praise goes

up. Why?

Because he's removing the demonic influence that came in

in the Garden of Eden through the serpent as you deceive

Jesus, sorry, as he deceived Adam and Eve, that whole

poisoning, this whole evil corrupt system that exists now

in the world, Jesus says I'm going to remove it completely,

taking it out. When our Saviour Jesus Christ

hung in agony on the cross at Calvary, he cried out.

It is finished. What was finished?

His sacrifice for our sins was finished.

Our salvation was wrought. Now at this time, during the

great tribulation, as it draws to a close, we see the end of

Satan's demonic influence in the world.

This is why heaven is rejoicing. Praise the Lord.

Now a third Hallelujah, and this is the Hallelujah of agreement,

verse four and the 24 elders and the four living creatures,

they're the cherubim, remember, surrounded by the throne

creatures, the eyes, they have faces on each face and wings.

And in the book of Isaiah, we have this full description on

these powerful angels that are seated around, stand around the

throne of God that go holy, holy, holy is the Lord God

Almighty. And they do that over and over

and over and over. It says on the 24 elders and the

four living creatures, the cherubim fell down and

worshipped God who sat on the throne saying Amen.

What do they say? Amen before Hallelujah.

Then a voice came from the throne saying, praise our God,

all you his servants, and those who fear him, both small and

great. Back in chapter 4, we learned

that the 24 elders, remember, represented all of God's people,

12 tribes, 12 apostles. There's a representation here.

So 1 Firstly, heaven rejoices. Why?

The four living creatures, the cherubim and the angels gathered

around the throne of God. All the angels of heaven praise

the Lord too. And then all the Saints, the

elders in agreement, rejoice in God's judgement collectively,

this great heavenly chorus of agreement with God, what he has

done. And so they shout, Amen,

Hallelujah. They say, hey, Amen.

Because they go, it is right on what you've done, it is so be

it. What you've done, it's right.

What you've done, Hallelujah, Amen.

Meaning, so be it. So they are proclaiming, so be

it. Praise the Lord what you've

done. God in all your judgement,

absolutely Amen to that, but you cannot say Hallelujah to your

first say Amen, our fourth and last Hallelujah.

This is the Hallelujah of communion.

Verse 6 and I heard as it were, the voice of the great multitude

is the sound of many waters of the sound of mighty thundering,

saying Hallelujah for the Lord God hears his title omnipotent 1

reigns, that is, he is all powerful.

How loud this massive break out of heavenly praise is thundering

like a raging waterfall. They rejoice and are glad

because the time for the marriage of Christ and his bride

has come. The Lord God all powerful

reigns. So between chapter 6 and chapter

19, everyone in heaven saying God, you've been in control the

whole time. Pastor Marlon, Pastor Nat spoke

on it this morning. People who were pregnant were

worried. I remember during when Helen and

I first became believers, there were people who were pregnant

going, well, I know I'm not going to have kids, Sorry

though, thinking of pregnancy. We're not going to have kids.

Who could bring a child into this?

Such an evil world. Well, here's the deal.

God rules the world. God is in control, God is on His

throne. He is the omnipotent one or

powerful one, and God has revealed now that He is in

charge. I have judged.

Everything's going to plan, and now he's about to return.

His will will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

This 4th Hallelujah is all of heaven rejoicing over God's

power and the marriage between Christ the Lamb and His Bride,

the Church. Who's the bride, you and I.

To truly understand the next few verses, we need to have a bit of

understanding of the background of a traditional Jewish wedding.

Normally at a wedding the focus is on the bride and it's all

about the bride. But in chapter 19, in this case,

the focus is on the bridegroom who receives the honour.

Verse 7. Let's be glad and rejoice and

give him glory. Why?

For the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his wife has made

herself ready. Note those words.

His wife, that's the bride, has made herself ready.

When talking about weddings, the first question is what did the

bride wear? Helen always asked me when I do

a wedding. So what were the bridesmaids

like? I got no idea.

I don't know. Plus I can't describe colours.

There's red, black, blue, green, there's always amber, beige and

then there's Bony colour. I got no idea what you're

talking about. Is it red, black, blue or green?

I don't know. What did the bride wear?

The bride in this case is the Church of Jesus Christ, and his

wife has made herself ready. Now when the bride of Christ

arrived in heaven, she arrived at the rapture of the church.

She arrived at the judgement seat of Christ.

So as we're raptured, the first event, and this is all occurring

in heaven, as the tribulation is happening upon the earth, the

first event that happens for you and I is we each stand as

believers before the Bema seat of Christ.

It's not a judgement on sin and salvation.

No, it's the judgement where we are judged by Christ on what we

have done in serving Him and pleasing Him in our time after

our conversion. Is it wood, hay, stubble, or is

it gold, jewels? It doesn't last.

It says we stand before the judgement seat of Christ before

the marriage, Christ the bridegroom.

And it says in Ephesians chapter 2, verse 10 that when we're

Ephesians 2:10

saved, we are created for works. James speaks of it.

He says I'll show you my faith by my works.

I'm not saved by my works, but by the way that I live.

You'll see my faith in Ephesians 210 says Paul says we are his

workmanship created in Christ Jesus.

Why? For good works which God

prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

So the moment that you were saved, God says, OK, Tom, Fred,

Mary, Jack, this is what I want you to do.

And when you stand before the beamer seat of Christ, it will

be did you do what I asked you to do?

Did you do what I Well, no, but I came up some great programmes.

We had golf, wet surf day and a knitting day.

I didn't ask you to do any of that.

I asked you to love your neighbour.

I'll ask you. I asked you to be a godly father

to your children. I asked you to serve me, to

honour me, to trust me. Why is this written so?

Through the ages, believers have been performing righteous acts

which have been accumulating. Now we have a wedding garment.

Our garment is grace, but there's an adornment to the

wedding garment. After the wedding, the wedding

gown is laid aside and the church will reveal His glory in

Ephesians 2. Seven, that in the ages that

come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace and his

kindness, which is toward us in Christ Jesus.

At the judgement seat, the bema seat, it deals with the things

done while in the body, whether good or bad.

Paul talked about this in Second Corinthians chapter 5, verse 10.

2 Corinthians 5:10

He says to believers, to Christians, For we must all

appear before the judgement seat of Christ, the Bema seat, that

each one may receive the things done in the body according to

what He has done, whether good or bad.

And at the marriage, Christ's bride will have made herself

ready with fine linen, which depicts the righteous acts of

the Saints overlaid God's gift of grace.

We're able to do these things because of God's grace.

Because we've been saved by grace, Now we're be able to

perform acts of grace. When the bride arrived in heaven

at the judgement seat of Christ, she was not all beautiful

because the Bible says in fact she was covered in spots,

wrinkles, and blemishes. Ephesians 527 Jesus might

present her, the bride to himself, a glorious church, not

having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should

be holy and without blemish, not having spot or wrinkle.

The idea isn't that the bride is in this state before the wedding

day, but on the wedding day. We are made this pure in heaven

when we are joined to Jesus Christ as his bride and we're

married. The married the the wedding

occurs. But now after that, the bride is

radiant in her glory. She has made herself ready for

the public ceremony. Now in a Jewish wedding, there

were three areas that occurred. One, there was the initial

engagement or betrothal. From the moment the couple, the

boy and the girl were legally bound like husband and wife.

From the moment they were espoused or engaged to another,

they went living together, sleeping together, but they were

called and had the same rights as a husband and wife.

It was called condition, and this relationship could only be

broken now because they're betrothed by divorce.

This is why when Mary came to Joseph, she said I'm pregnant

even though they weren't married.

He says I'm going to have to divorce them now.

Most of the time it was parents who had arranged the couple to

get married, some even before they were born.

You're going to marry my son if I have a son, Well, and he's

going to marry your daughter if you have a daughter.

It was arranged before the couples or the kids were born.

This too happened to you and I in Ephesians 14, According as He

has chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world.

You and I were chosen to be the bride of Christ before we were

born. We have an arranged marriage.

Secondly, as the bride prepares herself along with her

bridesmaids for her wedding day. As the day approaches, she would

make her own wedding dress while the the groom would prepare a

place where the couple would live after the marriage.

As a young Jewish boy he would not have the means to buy a

house outright. He and his father would build A

room where off his parents house.

John chapter 14 verse 2. In my father's house are many

John 14:2

mansions. If it were not so, I would have

told you I go to prepare a place for you.

Thirdly, the bride knew the time was near but didn't know the

exact hour when the bridegroom would arrive.

This is a beautiful picture of the bride.

We know Jesus is coming. We know the wedding is soon, but

we don't know when he's coming. It's the rapture of the church.

The wedding was ceremony itself would last seven days.

Seven days. The period of the great

tribulation is the period of the wedding.

Today, 2025 September. The church, you and I, we're

engaged, we're betrothed. We're not married yet.

We love the Lord even though we have not seen Him, Peter says,

Whom having not seen you love, though now you do not see him,

yet, believing you rejoice with joy, inexpressible and full of

glory. So very soon the bridegroom,

Jesus Christ will return. And take His bride.

John 14, verse 3 by Go and prepare a place for you.

John 14:3

I will come again and receive you to myself, that where I am,

there you may be also. We call this the rapture of the

Church. 1 Thessalonians chapter 4.

1 Thessalonians 4 · chapter mention

Now at the judgement seat of Christ, all the bride's works

will be judged in all the spots and blemishes removed.

And when this is complete, the church will be ready.

Second part after the wedding with her bridegroom because

they're married at the close of the tribulation to reign with

him in glory. Verse 9.

Then he said to me, right, blessed are those who are called

to the marriage supper of the lamb.

This is not the wedding. This is the supper we call it

today what the breakfast, don't we?

And he said to me, these are the true sayings of God.

This is what's going to happen now.

No bride is invited to their own wedding.

Oh, I got an invitation to my wedding.

I've got that. I'm glad.

Wasn't sure whether I'll RSVP now or what.

Now no bride is invited to their own wedding, and neither is this

the case here. So who are the invitations to

the wedding feast for? Because the church, we're there.

All the believers from the Old Testament.

Can you imagine at the wedding supper?

What's your name? Daniel.

Daniel. Nice to meet you, David.

Yeah. Pleased to meet you, mate.

Where's your seat? I'm over near Ruth and Naomi.

There you go. All the Old Testament Saints.

Saints will come. All the Saints that were saved

and martyred during the tribulation period.

During the seven year tribulation period.

Separate group. They'll be invited.

Christ has only one bride, and the bride is the church.

So we have had the wedding and now the marriage supper of the

Lamb. The marriage of Christ and His

Church will have already taken place before the feast.

We know this is the case also due to the wording in verse 7.

Let us be glad and rejoice in giving glory, for the marriage

of the Lamb has come and his wife has made herself ready.

The word, the word wife. There is a married is that word

for married woman. Now in the rapture of the

church, Jesus will take his bride to himself.

And then when Jesus returns to earth, the next portion of

chapter 19, the second coming of Jesus, he will celebrate the

union, the wedding at a great, the wedding banquet to which the

Saints of all the ages and groups will be invited.

And so the beginning and remember 7 year tribulation

period, Jesus returns what begins the thousand year reign

called the Millennium. Jesus rules and reigns.

And here's the deal. We return with Jesus at his

second coming. We see that in the next few

verses and then upon the earth, a great wedding banquet is held

to which all the Saints and all the peoples and groups are

invited. The beginning of the Millennium,

the thousand year reign of Christ here on earth from

Jerusalem after His second Coming, will fulfil the

symbolism of the wedding supper and the wedding feast taking

place at the very beginning of this thousand years.

Verse 10 And I fell, John says I fell at his feet.

That's the feet of the Angel to worship him.

But he said to me, hey, don't do that.

I am your fellow servant and I'll be your brethren who had

the testimony of Jesus. Worship God, for the testimony

of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

The Apostle John is overwhelmed with all that he's seen, the

wedding, the bride, the wedding feasts, and if ever a patches

passage of scripture prove beyond doubt that Jesus Christ

is not merely an Angel but the eternal God in human flesh, this

is it. The Angel tells, tells John to

stand and then says these amazing words for the testimony

of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

In other words, listen up John, take note all that the Old

Testament prophecy that has been written as well as all the New

Testament preaching and prophecy, it all comes down to

this. Jesus is the Messiah and our

Saviour. That's the reason for the book.

All prophecy is intended to glorify Jesus Christ.

Be careful, there's a lot of prophecy.

What do they call them groupies today they they track prophecy,

prophecy, prophecy. I love prophecy. 1/3 of the

Bible is prophecy. But here this prophecy is only

the means to look and glorify Jesus Christ.

Don't get stuck in glorifying oh and what how many days and what

now? Don't get stuck in that because

you're missing the whole point of Bible prophecy.

All prophecies intended to glorify Jesus Christ.

Any teaching of prophecy that takes our minds and our hearts

away from Him is not being properly communicated.

The Book of Revelation, remember, is what it's the

revelation of Jesus Christ. Every single text of Scripture

points to Jesus Christ. He is the Lord of all.

He is the Lord of Scripture. The history of our world, of our

lives is His story. As the worship team gets ready,

I'm going to close with these few points.

The wedding day, we see Jesus face to face.

You and I are going to experience this.

I can't, I can't fathom that we're the bride.

We're not just looking on, we're actually the bride.

We see him face to face and then we will eat with him.

Remember he said I'm not going to have this communion once

again until I meet. Eat with you once more time.

That's the time I want to ask you a couple of questions.

Where will you be when all this takes place?

One or three places 1. You might be in hell if you

haven't received Christ as your Lord and Saviour 2 You might be

on earth, having survived all the events we've been reading

out since chapter 6 or three. You'll be standing in heaven,

clothed in glory, hearing the choirs praise.

Today God invites you to a wedding, your wedding and a

feast where you're part of the honoured guests and it is all in

His honour as His bride. Are you His bride?