Revelation 19:6-10

March 21, 2021

Lord’s Day Worship

Sean Higgins

The sermon starts around 20:10 in the audio file.

Series: Just Conquer #51

Introduction

What sort of message could you imagine receiving that would cause you to fall on your knees and start worshipping the messenger? Imagine you were the apostle John, and you had already been given visions of heaven and of the worship of angels and the redeemed, as well as visions of beasts and falling stars and great earthquakes, what remains that could surprise you or excite you to bow down and worship the messenger? What if I told you that this exact thing happened…about a wedding supper invitation?

The metaphor of a bride and bridegroom is a metaphor of joy. In the Old Testament Israel is betrothed to God, and in the New Testament the Bride of Christ is the church. The Father has chosen a Bride for His Son, and His Son loves her and has sacrificed for her and is preparing her for presentation to Himself in holiness and blamelessness (Ephesians 5:25-32). It is a relationship of love, a relationship of fellowship, a relationship that will be consummated. We would count down the days if we knew the exact day (see Matthew 24:36).

Beginning in Revelation 19:6 we meet the Bride, a truly glorious woman compared to the great prostitute introduced to us in 17:1, who has occupied the prophecy in her painted on beauty and deceptive immorality. The scene has been about judgment. Now the scene shifts to joy. The prostitute is left with nothing, the Bride will be forever loved by the Lamb.

I think the climax of The Odyssey is not when Odysseus kills the suitors who have been spoiling his house, though that is a crucial and necessary part of the plot. The goal of his getting home is his getting back to Penelope. When his wife finally recognizes him, the story is complete. When the Bride in Revelation 19 is presented to the Lamb, the great redemptive love story will be consummated. This will be the event of the eschaton. Though the wedding itself doesn’t happen in these two short paragraphs, the invitations have gone out.

How long have these wedding preparations taken? In one sense, longer than human history, no matter how long human history still has to go before the wedding day. How many angels have been waiting to see the Father’s Son in his glory ad Bridegroom? In John’s vision the Bride is ready. No Bride has been more ready, EVAR. She is dressed in white, and dinner is staying hot in the chafing dishes and the champagne is on ice.

The scene of praise continues from the start of the chapter, and the fourth Hallelujah is shouted. But the mood shifts from avenging the blood of the servants to recognizing the Bride.

The Lamb’s Ready Bride (verses 6-8)

There is nothing quiet about this response of praise.

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!

The great multitude returns from verse 1. There they had a loud voice, here the voice is compared to crashing tidal waves, to a Niagra-sized waterfall, and to a thunderstorm. They begin with “Praise the Lord!” the translation of the Hebrew word, Hallelujah!

For the ninth time in the Apocalypse, God is the Almighty, the παντοκράτωρ, the All-Powerful, the Omnipotent One. The Lord our God the Almighty reigns, also part of the chorus in Revelation 11:15, “he shall reign forever and ever.” This anticipates the Millennial reign on earth (20:1-6) but will continue forever.

Now we get to the particulars of the paragraph:

Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, land his Bride has made herself ready; (verse 7)

Rejoice and exalt (or “be glad” NASB) are jubilant imperatives. A few things about this. First, this is the way that God receives glory: not quietly. Second, this is the way that weddi[...]