This article is another piece of my manuscript, Waiting for The Day and Hour:
After the rapture of the body of Christ, followed by its judgment at the bema seat of Christ in the heavenly realm, the marriage ceremony of the Lamb to his Bride and the marriage supper will follow (Rev. 19:6-9). The marriage ceremony and the wedding feast will happen while the people on earth are experiencing the seven-year Tribulation Period. But some believe the marriage of the Lamb will not happen until Christ’s millennial reign. I disagree with their theory and believe it happens in heaven during the 70th week of Israel. We have to remember that the Bride of the Lamb is the New Creation, the Church, and not the nation of Israel—the new creation is both Jews and Gentiles who put their faith in Jesus Christ as Lord. I presume the marriage ceremony and supper will happen after the seventh angel pours the seventh bowl of God’s wrath into the air (Rev. 16:17-21).
The reason, why I believe the
marriage ceremony and supper will happen after the seventh bowl is released is
because the judgment of God upon the inhabitants of the earth is finished at
this point. The seventh angel pours out his bowl and a voice from the temple,
literally from the throne of God, says, “α γέγονεν (a gégonen) “it happened”
(Rev. 16:17c, mGNT). Most English translations say, “It is done.” What does,
“it happened” or “it is done” mean? In this instance, it means the wrath of God
has come to pass, it has been completed. The wrath of God is finished with the
outpouring of the seventh bowl (Rev. 15:1). The voice that shouts from the
throne could be either God the Father, or God the Son. Once the wrath of God,
and the Lamb, has happened (it will be a joint effort) then I believe the
actual marriage ceremony and marriage supper of the Lamb will come.
The marriage proceedings of the Lamb will happen before Jesus descends from heaven to the earth and strikes down the nations—his 2nd coming (Rev.19:11-15). However, time in the eternal realm is not like time on Earth. Heaven operates on eternal time. Meaning: Time has no beginning or end in eternity; it is immeasurable. Time on Earth is measured by its rotation around its axis. The Earth’s time standard is called Universal Time (synonymous with mean solar time).[1] Therefore, time in the eternal realm from when the seventh bowl is finished to the 2nd coming of Jesus could be a very long time compared to time on Earth, because heaven operates on eternal time. And, time in heaven from when the marriage proceedings of the Lamb begin to when he descends to the earth to battle the Antichrist could be a very long time compared to time on Earth. But, from the time the seventh bowl judgment happens on Earth to the moment Jesus descends from the eternal realm, it will be a matter of days or hours. Once the Antichrist forces a covenant of peace upon Israel (Isa. 28:15, 18-20) and its enemies, which will begin Israel’s 70th week (Dan. 9:27a; Rev. 6:2), there are only seven years (360-day years) to when the events in Revelation 19:11-21 will happen. But the time in heaven during those years is immeasurable. The time in heaven that passes once the seventh bowl judgment is completed until Jesus descends back to the Earth, will be enough time for the marriage ceremony and the marriage supper of the Lamb to be fully celebrated.
We
should consider what the apostle Peter recorded. He said: “That with the Lord
one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day” (2 Pet. 3:8b,
ESV). He stated this as fact: ἓν δὲ τοῦτο μὴ λανθανέτω ὑμᾶς ἀγαπητοί (én dé
toúto mí lanthanéto ymás agapitoí) “But this one thing I do not conceal from
you, beloved” (2 Pet. 3:8a, mGNT). Many English Bibles have recorded this as
fact also (ESV, CSB, NASB20, AMP, RSV). I assume he meant, that one day on
Earth is 1000 years in the eternal realm, and 1000 years on Earth is a day in
the eternal realm. Does he not mean that with the Lord, being he is in the eternal
realm, where he dwells, time is fathomless? Therefore, 1000 years can go by on
Earth but in the eternal realm, it is just one day, and one day can go by on
Earth, however in the eternal realm, 1000 years go by. That is because time is immeasurable
or fathomless in the eternal realm. Because time is fathomless in eternity, could
today’s events on Earth have happened 1000 years ago in eternity? And could
events 1000 years in Earth’s future be happening in the eternal realm right now?
I have always heard it said that
the marriage ceremony and supper of the Lamb will be happening throughout the
seven-year Tribulation (I have even said it). They reason that in ancient
Israel a wedding feast could be seven days or longer.[2]
Therefore, it is assumed the marriage supper of the Lamb will happen while the earth’s
inhabitants go through seven years of severe tribulation. That would mean the
marriage of the Lamb would have to occur no later than the first day of when
the 70th week of Israel begins. But if that were true, Jesus would
be celebrating his marriage proceedings, and releasing his wrath upon the
fallen angels and their rebellious servants, at the same time. Maybe he will do
both things at once, but I doubt it. I believe that because time is immeasurable
in eternity, Jesus will release his wrath, and then when finished, partake in
his marriage ceremony with the church. Then he will join the marriage supper
with the church and all the guests invited. Since the marriage of the Lamb and
the wedding feast to follow happens in the eternal realm, Jesus will have
plenty of time to make it to his 2nd appearance on the earth on the
last day of the Tribulation Period. He will not have to rush or be in a
frenzied state either.
When we see in Revelation 19:15c,
where Jesus, “will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the
Almighty” (ESV), it means the recipients of God’s wrath (the nations) will
experience Christ’s rulership with severe discipline for wrong doing during his
millennial reign (Rev. 20:4-6; Dan 2:44a; 7:27; Isa. 11:6-9; 65:20-25; Zech.
14:9-11, 16-21). He will press beneath his feet those who are unruly: “He will
rule them with a rod of iron” (Rev. 19:15b, ESV). The people who will suffer
defeat and be killed by the sword that comes from the mouth of Jesus (Rev.
19:15a), his words will destroy them, will be those who are gathered by the
sickle of the angel; they will be crushed to death in the winepress of the
wrath of God ending with their blood flowing for about 180 miles, and as high
as a horse’s head—birds will stuff themselves on their dead bodies (Rev.
14:18-20; 19:17-19, 21; Zech. 14:2-4, 12-15).
At the marriage of the Lamb there
will be jubilation in heaven. A multitude of angels (I assume) will rejoice as
the Lord and the church will be united together in eternity. John said it will
sound like φωνὴν ὑδάτων πολλῶν καὶ ὡς φωνὴν βροντῶν (fonín ydáton pollón kaí os
fonín vrontón) “the voice of many waters and like the voice of thunder” (Rev.
19:6a, mGNT). The multitude of angels rejoicing because of the eternal
connection between the Lamb and his church, could also be those martyred during
the Tribulation—Tribulation saints (Rev. 6:9-11; 7:9-10, 13-17). Whether this
multitude are angels, Tribulation saints, or both, they will say: “Hallelujah! For
the Lord our God the Almighty reigns” (Rev. 19:6b, ESV). They will give glory
to God when the marriage of the Lamb arrives, and his church has made herself
ready (Rev. 19:7). The Scripture has used the Greek noun γυνή (gyní) woman, to
describe the body of Christ; the church. Most English translations use either
wife or bride to describe gyní (woman) when parsing it with the rest of the
sentence. Both wife and bride refer to the church. The Greek phrase γυνὴ αὐτοῦ
ἡτοίμασεν ἑαυτήν (gyní aftoú itoímasen eaftín) “His wife prepared herself”
(Rev. 19:7c, mGNT), means that the body of Christ has walked in righteousness
and holiness before the rapture occurs—as commanded. The church should overcome
and keep its earthly garment from being soiled (Rev. 3:4-5). The church is to
make no room for the sinful nature or to indulge in what the flesh desires
(Rom. 8:12-13; 13:14; Gal. 5:16-17, 24; Eph. 4:22-24). At the wedding of the
Lamb, the wife of the Lamb: ἐδόθη αὐτῇ ἵνα περιβάληται βύσσινον καθαρόν· καὶ
λαμπρὸν (edóthi aftí ína periválitai výssinon katharón: kaí lamprón) “It was
given to her to be clothed with pure, bright linen” (Rev. 19:8a, Textus
Receptus). The pure, bright linen, represents the righteousness of the
saints—meaning the holy ones in the body of Christ. The Tribulation saints are
a different group as I have mentioned before. The body of Christ will be given
fine linen to wear at the wedding of the Lamb that will shine radiantly. This
garment will be made of pure linen, free of any contamination.
The angel said to the apostle
John: “Write, ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the
Lamb’” (Rev. 19:9a, HNV). There will be quests at the wedding of the Lamb and
his bride, which will likely be those martyred during the Tribulation
Period—the Tribulation saints. They will not be seized with the church before
the 70th week of Israel for several reasons,[3]
and therefore will enter into the Tribulation. They will be killed during this
time because of their testimony for Jesus (Rev. 6:9). They will not worship the
one-world leader or his image, neither will they take the mark of the beast.
They will be invited as guests because they will be περιβεβλημένους στολὰς
λευκάς (perivevliménous stolás lefkás) “wrapped in white robes” (Rev. 7:9b,
13). They will wash their robes in the blood of the Lamb and make them white
(the color white is allusive to purity) during the Tribulation once they repent
and believe in Jesus (Rev. 7:14). They will serve God forever and he will be
their protection once they are resurrected (Rev. 7:15; 20:4, 6). They will be
resurrected after the 70th week of Israel back into their earthly
bodies that will never die again. They will reign with the Messiah for 1000
years. They will be considered blessed because they partake in the first
resurrection. They will be priests of God and the Messiah (Rev. 20:4-6). Some
believe that the Old Testament saints are also the guests invited to the
marriage supper, but I contend that their bodies are raised from the dead at
the rapture of the church (1 Thess. 4:13-17), because they had put their faith
in their Messiah long before he made his 1st appearance.
Picture: Pixabay (kalmarfoto)
Free for use under the Pixabay Content License
[1] LEGISLATIVE
SPECIFICATIONS FOR COORDINATING WITH UNIVERSAL TIME*
https://www.ucolick.org/~sla/leapsecs/seago.pdf
(Accessed
3/14/2025)
[2] After the Wedding
Ceremony
https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/after-the-wedding-ceremony/
(Accessed
3/14/2025)
[3] The reason why
these people will not be raptured with the church is because they most likely
will not put their faith in Jesus before the rapture. Or, they may believe in
Jesus but are not faithful to him before the rapture—they love the world and
the things in the world. Therefore, they will be given another opportunity
during the Tribulation Period to live for Christ and be faithful to him unto
death.
