
                THE MARRIAGE AND MARRIAGE SUPPER OF THE LAMB
                ============================================

                            Revelation 19:7-9

                          by Renald E. Showers

INTRODUCTION
------------

Where will the Church be during the 70th week of Daniel 9 (the last
seven years prior to the Second Coming of Christ, which has been
popularly called the Tribulation period)?  Several things presented in
the Book of the Revelation indicate that the Church will be in Heaven
with Christ during that time period.  One of those things is the
marriage and marriage supper of the Lamb.

THE REFERENCE TO THE MARRIAGE AND MARRIAGE SUPPER OF THE LAMB
-------------------------------------------------------------

In Revelation 19:7 John recorded part of the loud proclamation of a
great multitude in Heaven (vv. 1,6): "Let us be glad and rejoice, and
give honor to him; for he marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife
hath made herself ready."  Concerning the wife of the Lamb, John
continued to write, "And to her was granted that she should be arrayed
in fine linen, clean and white; for the fine linen is the
righteousnesses of saints. And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they
who are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb" (vv 8-9).

 A study of Revelation 5-7; 12-15;17;19;21-22 clearly indicates that
the Lamb is Jesus Christ, the King of kings and Lord of Lords who shed
His blood to cleanse sinners.  Romans 7:4;  2Corinthians 11:2; and
Ephesians 5:22-33 indicate that the wife of the Lamb is the Church.  In
light of these identifications, it is evident that Revelation 19:7-9 is
referring to the marriage of Jesus Christ to the Church and the
subsequent marriage supper.

QUESTIONS AND VIEWS RELATED TO THE MARRIAGE AND MARRIAGE SUPPER OF THE
LAMB
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Revelation 19:7-9 prompts two major questions:  When and where will
the marriage and marriage supper of the Lamb take place?  At least
there answers to these questions have been proposed.  First, the
marriage will occur when the Church is raptured to meet Christ in the
air at His Second Coming, and the marriage supper will take place on
earth during the Millennium.  Second, the marriage will occur in Heaven
when the Church is raptured before the 70th week (Tribulation period),
and the marriage supper will take place on earth during the Millennium.
Third, the marriage will occur in Heaven when the Church is raptured
before the 70th week (Tribulation period), and the marriage supper will
take place in Heaven during the seven years of the 70th week.

THE RELATIONSHIP OF REVELATION 19:7-9 TO JEWISH MARRIAGE CUSTOMS
----------------------------------------------------------------

     There are good reasons for being convinced of the third view; but
before those reasons are examined, two things should be noted.  First,
the terms "marriage" and "marriage supper" in Revelation 19 are related
to Jewish marriage customs in Bible times.

     Second, Jewish marriage customs in Bible times involved three major
steps.  The first step was betrothal, the establishment of the marriage
covenant that bound the man and woman together as husband and wife
(Mal. 2:14; Mt 1:18-19).

     The second step was the taking of the bride of wife by the groom
from her house to his father's house (Mt 25:1-8).  "The essence of the
marriage ceremony or festivities was the taking of the bride from her
father's house and bringing her to the house of the bridegroom or his
father."(1)  This taking of the bride was usually done at night
approximately one year after the betrothal. (2,3)  It involved the
consummation of the marriage through physical union of the bride and
groom on the first night at the groom's father's house. (4)  Since this
second step was the essence of the marriage ceremony, it was regarded as
the wedding or marriage (Mt 22:2-13; 25:10).  Thus, it is this second
step that corresponds to the expression "marriage of the Lamb" in
Revelation 19:7.

    The third step was the marriage supper or feast to which guests had
already been called and assembled.  Once the marriage had been
consummated by the bride and groom, the wedding guests would feast and
make merry for seven days. (5)  Thus, the marriage supper lasted for one
week (Gen 29:21-23, 27-28; Jud. 14:1-2, 10-12,17), and it corresponds to
the expression "marriage supper of the Lamb in Revelation 19:9.

     In light of what has been seen, the following conclusions can be
drawn concerning the relationship of the three steps of Jewish marriage
customs to the marriage of Christ and the Church.  First, the betrothal
of Christ and the Church is taking place during the present Church age
as people trust Jesus Christ to be their Savior (2 Cor. 11:2).  Second,
in the future Christ will take His bride, the Church, from this world to
His Father's house in Heaven when He comes to rapture it (John 14:2-3;
1 Thess. 4:13-18).  this will be the "marriage of the Lamb."  Third,
after the Rapture of the Church, the "marriage supper of he Lamb" will
take place with the wedding guests who will have already been called and
assembled.

EVIDENCES FOR THE THIRD VIEW
----------------------------

     Earlier it was stated that there are good reasons for believing
that the marriage of the Lamb will occur in Heaven when the Church is
raptured BEFORE the 70th week (Tribulation period) and that the marriage
supper of the Lamb will take place in Heaven during the seven years of
the 70th week.  Those reasons will now be examined.

     First, normally the wedding or marriage (the second step) did not
take place at the home of the bride. "One must remember that the
established custom was to hold the wedding in the house of the
bridegroom of his parents.  The bridegroom fetches the bride and brings
her to his house, where the bridal table and chamber are ready. (6)  In
harmony with this custom, Christ indicated that after preparing living
accommodations for His bride in His Father's house in Heaven, He would
come from there again and receive His bride unto Himself so that His
bride could be where He is (in His Father's house in Heaven)
(John 14:2-3).  Christ did not say that He would come and join His bride
so that He could be where she is (on the earth).  This established
marriage custom and Christ's teaching in harmony with it indicate that
the Rapture of the Church and marriage of the Lamb will not take place
at the Second Coming of Christ, because at His Second Coming Christ will
not return to His Father's house in Heaven.  Instead, He will come to
the earth.  Thus, the Rapture of he Church and marriage of the Lamb must
take place sometime before th Second Coming of Christ, and the Rapture
of the Church and marriage of the Lamb must be separate events from the
Second Coming.

     Second, in Bible times the marriage was a joyous, festive occasion.
The taking of the bride by the groom was characterized by mirth and
gladness (Jer 7:34; 16:9; 25:10; 33:11).  Jesus indicated the same thing
when He emphasized that it is impossible to mix the joy of the wedding
with the mourning of a funeral (mt 9:15; Mk 2:19; Lk 5:34). (7).

     It should be noted that the mood at the Second Coming will be just
the opposite of the joyous, festive mood of the marriage.  The
description of the Second Coming in Revelation 19 portrays Christ, not as
a happy groom coming with joyful companions to take His bride to His
Father's house, but as a terrifying warrior-king coming with armies from
Heaven to administer judgment and death upon rebellious humanity.  The
marriage customs of Bible times provided a festive marriage supper for
wedding guests, but the Second Coming will provide a radically different
kind of supper - a funeral supper of dead flesh for the fowl of the
earth (Rev 19:17-18,21).

     Since Jesus taught that it is impossible to mix the joy of a
wedding with the mourning of a funeral, and since the Second Coming will
produce death for a great mass of humanity, it must be concluded that
the marriage of the Lamb will not occur at the Second Coming of Christ.
The Rapture of the Church and marriage of the Lamb must take place
sometime before the Second Coming and must be events separate from the
Second Coming.

     Third, it was customary for the marriage supper to be held at the
home of the groom or his parents, not at the home of the bride.  One
writer declares, "The bridegroom escorted the whole wedding party, now
including the bride and her companions (Ps 45:14b), to his own or his
father's house for the 'marriage supper' (Rev. 19:9).... The wedding
feast... was normally given by the father of the groom." (8)
Matthew 22:1-4 indicates the same thing.  Concerning the location of the
marriage supper, another writer states, "The older tradition points to
the house of the groom's parents as the proper place" (9)  In harmony
with this custom, the marriage supper of the Lamb should take place at
Christ's Father's house in Heaven, not at His bride's dwelling place on
earth.  This militates against an earthly marriage supper of the Lamb.

     Forth, the marriage supper began on the same night that the groom
took his bride to his father's house and consummated their marriage
through physical union.  After the marriage was consummated, the groom
announced the consummation to his friend standing outside the bridal
chamber (Ps 19:5; Jn. 23:29), and the announcement was then delivered to
the wedding guests who had already assembled at the groom's father's
house.  Upon receiving this news, the guests began to feast and make
merry. (10)  Thus, the marriage supper began very shortly after the
groom brought his bride to his father's house.  In harmony with this
custom, the marriage supper of the Lamb must begin very shortly after
Christ takes His bride, the Church, to His Father's house in Heaven at
the time of the Rapture.

     Since, as noted earlier, the Rapture of the Church and the marriage
of the Lamb will take place sometime before the Second Coming, and since
the Millennium will begin after the Second Coming (Rev. 19-20), it
appears that the Millennium will not begin very shortly after Christ
takes His bride, the Church, to His Father's house in Heaven at the time
of the Rapture, and the marriage supper of the Lamb will not, therefore,
take place during the Millennium.

     Fifth, the Old Testament teaches that during the Millennium there
will be another marriage supper, different from the marriage supper of
the Lamb.  This millennial marriage supper will be associated with the
second marriage of God and the nation of Israel.  At the beginning of
Isaiah 25:6ff, a passage describing the blessings of the future
Millennium, Isaiah declared, "And in this mountain shall the LORD of
hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on
the lees,"  The word for "feast" in verse 6 is the same as that used for
the wedding feast in Judges 14:10, 12, 17.  Isaiah's statement indicates
that the wedding guests at this millennial marriage super for God and
Israel will be all the other people living in the world at that time.
"Isaiah was speaking of a future time when (after God's worldwide
judgment) His people in Israel and other nations will feast together in
peace and prosperity.  This is the 1,000 year reign of Christ." (11)

The background behind this millennial marriage feast is as follows:
The Old Testament teaches that God betrothed Israel (bound the nation
to Himself as His wife) through the Mosaic Covenant at Mount Sinai
(Jer. 2:2; Ezek. 16:8), but Israel repeatedly broke the covenant
through spiritual adultery (Jer. 3:1-3, 6-9, 20; Ezek. 16:32,59
Hos. 1:2; 2:2, 5; 3:1; 4:12,18; 5:3-4; 6:7, 10; 7:4; 8:1; 9:1).
God divorced Israel, but not permanently (Isa. 50:1; 54:7-8; Jer.3:12).
He did not regard the divorce as a termination of His marriage with the
nation (Jer 3:14; cp.v.8).

God has been judging the nation for its adultery (Ezek. 16:38).
Through this judgment He will stop Israel's unfaithfulness, calm His
fury, and lose His jealousy and anger (Ezek. 16:41-32).  When Israel
repents in the future at the Second Coming of Christ (Hos. 3:5; 5:15;
6:1; Zech. 12:10-14), God will cleanse the nation (Zech. 13:1), love it
freely (Hos. 14:1-4), and betroth it to Himself forever (Hos. 2:19-20)
through the establishment of an everlasting covenant (Isa 55:3; 61:8;
Jer. 32:40; 50:4-5; Ezek. 16:60-62; 37:21-28).  Israel will be adorned
like a bride (Isa 61:10); God will delight in and rejoice over Jerusalem
as a groom rejoices over his bride; and the land of Israel will be
married to God (Isa. 62:1-5).  Thus, at the Second Coming God and Israel
will go through betrothal and marriage a second time, and then their
marriage supper will take place during the Millennium after the Second
Coming.

The following quotation relates the rabbinical view of this Old
Testament teaching.

  But the final renewal of the covenant between God and the people,
  intimated by the prophet, was expected by the Rabbis in the days of
  the Messiah.  thus we often find the view that in these days there will
  take place the true marriage feast.  In this connection the present 
  age is that of engagement, the seven years of Gog will be the period
  immediately prior to the marriage, and the marriage itself will dawn
  with the resurrection and the great marriage feast will be eaten in
  the future world. (12)

This future marriage of God and the marriage of the Lamb have two
different brides.  The marriage of God has the nation of Israel as its
bride.  As noted earlier, the marriage of the Lamb has the Church as its
bride.  It appears that these marriages also have two different grooms.
As noted earlier, the marriage of the Lamb has Christ (the Messiah) as
its groom.  By contrast, on scholar asserts, "But nowhere in the OT is
the Messiah presented as a bridegroom." (13)  This means then, that the
future marriage of God to Israel presented in the Old Testament has God
the Father, not the Messiah, as its groom.

Since these marriages have two different brides and grooms, it must
be concluded that the future marriage of God to Israel and the marriage
of the Lamb are two different marriages.  Since these marriages are
different, the marriage suppers associated with them must also be
different, and it is very probable that these different suppers will
take place at different times.  Thus, since the marriage supper
associated with the future marriage of God to Israel will take place
during the Millennium, the marriage supper of the Lamb probably will not
occur during the Millennium.

Sixth, as noted earlier, it was customary of the wedding supper of
Bible times to last for one week, or seven days. (14)  It is the
conviction of this writer that, in relationship to the marriage supper
of the Lamb, the seven years of the 70th week of Daniel 9 will correlate
to that time period.  According to this view, then, the Rapture of the
Church and marriage of the Lamb will occur before the 70th week
(Tribulation period), and the marriage supper of the Lamb will take
place in Heaven during the 70th week.

CONCLUDING CONSIDERATIONS
=========================

The conclusion drawn from all that has been seen concerning the
marriage and marriage supper of the Lamb is that the Church will be in
Heaven with Christ, not on the earth, throughout the entire 70th week.

If the marriage and marriage supper of the Lamb are not to take
place at the Second Coming and during the Millennium, why are they
mentioned in Revelation 19 between the judgment of the great whore and
the Second Coming of Christ?  Two possible reasons are as follows:
First, to draw a contrast between the great whore, with all her impure
unions, and the bride of Christ, with her pure union with Christ; and
second, to draw a contrast between the blessing of those called to the
marriage supper of the Lamb and the judgment of rebels at the Second
Coming of Christ.

One side issue should be noted.  According to Revelation 19:9,
wedding guests will be called to the marriage supper of the Lamb, and
those who are called will be blessed.  Since wedding guests are not the
bride, it must be concluded that the guests at the marriage supper of
the Lamb will not be part of Christ's bride, the Church.  But since the
guests at the marriage supper of the Lamb will be blessed and will be in
Heaven (since that is where the marriage supper of the Lamb will take
place), they must be believers (cp. Rev 20:6).  The fact that the guests
will be believers, but not part of the Church, forces one to conclude
that not all believers of all ages of history belong to the Church.  God
has groups of believers distinct from the Church.  The souls of Old
Testament saints will already be assembled in Heaven when the Church
arrives there at the time of the Rapture and marriage of the Lamb.
Those Old Testament saints will be guests at the marriage supper of the
Lamb.

ENDNOTES
--------
1) John Rea, "Marriage," Wycliffe Bible Encycloopedia, Vol. 2 (Chicago:
Moody Press, 1975), p 1082.
2) George B. Eager, "Marriage," The International Standard Bible
Encyclopedia, Vol III (Grand Rapids; Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company,
1957), p. 1998.
3) "marriage," The universal Jewish Encyclopedia, Vol. 7, ed. Issac
Landman (New York; Universal Jewish Encyclopedia Co., Inc., 1948),
p. 372.
4) Ibid.
5) "Huppah," the Universal Jewish Encyclopedia, Vol. 5, ed. Issac
Landman (New York: Universal Jewish Encyclopedia Co., Inc., 1948), p.
504.
6) Joachim Jermias, "numphe, numphios," Theological Dictionary of the
New Testament, Vol. IV, ed. Gerhard Kittel, trans. and ed. by Geoffrey
W. Bromiley (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1967),
p.1100
7) Ibid.
8) Rea, "marriage," p. 1082
9) Eager, "Marriage," p.1998
10) "Huppah," Vol 5, p. 504.
11) John A. Martin, "Isaiah," The Bible Knowledge Commentary - Old
Testament, ed.John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck (Wheaton: Victor Books,
1985),pp.1073-74
12) Ethelbert Stauffer, "gameo, gamos," Theological Dictionary of the
New Testament, Vol. I, ed. Gerhard Kittel, trans.and ed. by Geoffrey W.
Bromiley (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1964), p.654
13) Jeremias, "numphe, numphios,"p.1101.
14) "Huppah," Vol.5,p.504.

           Renald Showers serves on the faculty of the Institute of
Biblical Studies and as a conference speaker and Bible teacher for the
Friends of Israel.

    Israel My Glory
    Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry, Inc.
    June/July 1991 issue
    1150 North Almonesson Road,
    Deptford Township, Westville, New Jersey 08093


