Revelation 19:9; The Marriage Supper of the Lamb (3)

Revelation 19:9 (KJV)  And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God. 

The very blessedness which the truth diffuses through the soul that take It to our thoughts is a voucher for its heavenly reality. The holy being who told of it to the seer propounds it as the sum of all sacred revelations, and says, “These are the true sayings of God.”

Ah yes, there is a Lamb, once slain, now risen and glorified, moving serene and mighty amidst the principalities of eternity, Himself the highest of them all, to whom all believers stand betrothed and plighted, preparing and waiting for a wedding day to come, when they shall be joined to Him in fellowship, glory, and dominion forever. There is a city of gold, and light and jewels for God’s people, building for these many ages, and now near its readiness for their everlasting habitation. There is in store a banquet when once the honoured Bride sets foot upon its golden streets, the call to which, if heeded, is man’s superlative blessedness. Room for doubt, is none; for “these are the true sayings of God“.

The revelation to John was overpowering. It so thrilled upon his soul, and so stimulated his sense of grateful wonder and adoration, that he fell down before the angel’s feet to worship him. It was an error to offer such honour to a fellow-servant with himself, and the same was promptly checked; but it helps to tell the entrancing magnificence of the final portion of the saints – the overwhelming majesty of the glory to come when the. Bridegroom comes. It bends the soul in awe even toward the messengers who tell of it. It is more than heart of flesh can well stand up under, even in prospect. What then will be the actual realisation? A holy apostle falls upon his face in adoration when he hears of it, and glorified in heavenly cry, “Let us rejoice and exult, and we will give glory to God,” when the time it arrives.

What then, O man, O woman, is the state and feeling of your heart concerning it? To you has come the call to the supper of the marriage of the Lamb; what is the response you have made of it? To you is offered the wedding garment to appear there in honour and glory; have you accepted it and put it on, and kept its purity unsoiled? The cry had been ringing about, your lights burning, and ye yourselves like unto those who wait for their Lord? Five virgins once set out to reach that festival, but when they came “the door was shut.” They knew what was required; but the Bridegroom came, and this was the consequence of their unreadiness. God forbid that this should be your experience!

Wake, awake, for night is flying,

The watchmen on the heights are crying;

Awake, Jerusalem, at last!

Midnight hears the welcome voices,

And at the thrilling cry rejoices;

Come forth, ye virgins, night is past!

The Bridegroom comes, awake,

Your lamps with gladness take;

Alleluia!

And for His marriage feast prepare,

For ye must go meet Him there.

Joseph A. Seiss, The Apocalypse – An Exposition of the Book of Revelation, Kregel, 1987, 432-433]