(Rough Draft) Jesus the Bridegroom King: Hosting a Wedding (Rev. 19:1-10) I. THE WEDDING AND THE WAR (REV. 19) A. In Revelation 19, John reveals Jesus as a Bridegroom King. In the first half (Rev. 19:1-10), he describes Jesus as a Bridegroom hosting a wedding and in the second half (Rev. 19:11-21) Jesus as a King waging a war. The final battle of natural history results in Jesus ruling the earth in partnership with His Bride (Rev. 20:4-6). He goes to war to remove all that hinders love. Jesus is hosting a wedding in the sense that that He paid for it with His own blood and that He is the honored guest as the Bridegroom and as the One who presents the Bride to Himself (Eph. 5:27). B. Natural history ends with a glorious wedding and a global war. They both point to the same reality of Jesus’ desire to fill the earth with love and righteousness. W must read both halves of Revelation 19 together to understand the wedding and the war. We will not understand the great value of the wedding without seeing how extreme the war is. We will not understand His motive for the war without seeing His desire for a wedding unto ruling the earth with His Bride. C. There is no contradiction in Jesus as a Bridegroom and a King. The war is shocking as He openly confronts rebellion on a global level. The wedding is even more shocking in that the uncreated God binds Himself in marriage forever to human beings. D. Gods ultimate purpose for His creation is to provide a family for Himself and a Bride for His Son as His eternal companion to reign with Him forever (Eph. 5:31-32; Rev. 19:7-9). The guiding principle of the Father’s activity throughout history has been to raise up a prepared Bride for His worthy Son. He has been training the Bride to rule the earth with Jesus (Rev. 3:21; 5:10). 7The marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready…9He said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb.’” (Rev. 19:7-9) E. God’s mission statement for creation is the marriage of the Lamb. Natural history ends with a Bride being made ready for her marriage to Jesus (Rev. 19). History can only be understood through knowing this. God is producing the context for people to voluntarily love Jesus. Our natural mindset is to make it our goal to be happy in this life without preparing for the wedding. F. The inheritance that the Father promised Jesus is a people whom He fully possesses. Jesus’ inheritance includes the mandatory obedience of all creation and the voluntary love of His Bride. 8I will give You, the nations for Your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for Your possession. (Ps. 2:8) G. Paul prayed that we would know the riches of the glory we receive in being God’s inheritance. We see a two fold revelation—riches of His worth to us and the riches of our worth to Him. II. JESUS’ COMMITMENT TO HIS WEDDING: ALL OF HISTORY CENTERS AROUND IT A. History began in Eden with Adam and Eve joined as a bridegroom and bride (Gen. 2:18-24). Paul interpreted Genesis 2:18-24 as speaking of Jesus and the Church. In the relationship of Adam and Eve, we see a prophetic picture of Jesus joined to His Church as a Bride. 31A man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall be one flesh. 32This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. (Eph. 5:31-32) B. Natural history ends in an Eden-like city with Jesus and His people joined as a bridegroom and bride (Rev. 21-22). The New Jerusalem is called the Bride because it was prepared for the Bride and is where she experiences a face-to-face relationship with God (Rev. 22:3-5). The description of this city is given in relational terms or by our nearness to God (Rev. 21:1-8) and then in functional terms as the ultimate garden of Eden and Holy of Holies (Rev. 21:9-22:5). 9I will show you the Bride…10showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem… (Rev. 21:9-10) C. Jesus began His ministry at a wedding (Jn. 2:1-12), and ended it describing the kingdom as the Father preparing a wedding for Him (Mt. 22:1-14). He began His ministry by revealing Himself as a Bridegroom (Mt. 9:15) and ended it by calling the apostles to cultivate intimacy with Him as the Bridegroom God (Mt. 25:8). His ministry was introduced by John functioning as a friend of the Bridegroom (Jn. 3:29). History ends with the Church in a bridal identity (Rev. 22:17). D. The nature of God is love. Love by definition is relational. We can only properly understand God’s eternal purposes and how He views us in the context of a relational paradigm of God. How we view God matters. Some see Jesus as if He were a great yet distant king, whose primary interest in us is to save us so that we will praise Him and work for Him without relating to Him. 16God is love, and he who abides in [lives in] love abides in God… (1 Jn. 4:16) E. The nature of God’s kingdom is love—in deep relationship and partnership with Jesus. Love is God’s eternal nature and personality. It is not something He does, but it is something that He is. He is an eternal overflowing fountain of desire for His people. Desire implies want, but not lack. God desires to share the joy of His love. Love must have an expression to be love. F. The Bridegroom message is about Jesus’ emotions for us, His beauty, His commitments to us (to share His heart, home, throne, secrets, and beauty), and our response of wholehearted love and obedience to Him. This message starts with experiencing Jesus’ heart, emotions and affections for us. He delights in us, enjoys us, values our work, is committed to our greatness, and partners with us in ministry. We refuse all sensual overtones in proclaiming Jesus as the Bridegroom. G. Jesus desires is to make us feel loved and desires that we would celebrate our dignity and value. He finds pleasure in us—in sharing His heart with us—and in relating to us. He wants to partner with us in the work that His Father has entrusted to Him. What we do matters in our interaction with God. What we do moves His heart. Our love for Him has a real impact on Him. We are a great part of Jesus’ story. The very existence of a Bride, equally yoked in voluntary love filling the earth, is a significant part of His glory and supremacy being manifest before all. H. He is magnified in us as we fully receive Him as the God of love (1 Jn. 4:16). We magnify God in His enjoyment of releasing His love in and through us as His Bride. Jesus enjoys us delighting in His love for us. “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him” (John Piper). I. A man wants his wife and children to have everything he has. He is filled with joy in seeing his family observe his extravagant love for them. Jesus does not want us to walk in false humility that minimizes how “He loves loving us” and how He loves “us enjoying His love.” He is magnified when we boldly believe in His love and receive it. J. Israel understood God as a King with power, not as a Bridegroom with desire for relationship. 1. As a King He manifests His power—as a Bridegroom He shares His heart 2. As a King He wants service—as a Bridegroom He wants partnership 3. As a King He gives mandates—as a Bridegroom He wants conversation 4. As a King He rules over us—as a Bridegroom He rules with us 5. As a King He wants obedience—as a Bridegroom He wants loyal love 6. As a King He is worshiped by His people—as a Bridegroom He is moved by His people III. THE BRIDE’S RESPONSE ON THE GREAT WEDDING DAY (REV. 19:1-4) 1After these things I heard a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, Alleluia! Salvation and glory and honor and power belong to the Lord our God! 2For true and righteous are His judgments, because He has judged the great harlot who corrupted the earth with her fornication; and He has avenged on her the blood of His servants shed by her. 3Again they said, Alleluia! Her smoke rises up forever and ever! 4And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sat on the throne, saying, Amen! Alleluia! (Rev. 19:1-4) A. John describes the Bride’s response on her wedding day. The first thing recorded is the Bride’s full agreement with Jesus’ leadership. John saw the Bride as the great multitude from the nations (Rev. 7:9-10) rejoicing over God’s judgments (Rev 19:1-4). The context is after God’s most severe judgments in history are poured out on the Antichrist and the harlot Babylon (Rev. 6-18). B. Two main reasons for God’s judgments are corruption and oppression or immorality and martyrdom (v. 2). Both are related to attacking the Bride’s love for Jesus. The Bride will agree with Jesus’ temporal judgments (v. 1-2) and His eternal judgments (v. 3). This will be the first time in history that 100% of God’s people are in 100% agreement with God. C. Four facets of the mystery of God were defined by Paul: to have a new heart (Col. 1:27), a new body (1 Cor. 15:51), deep unity in the Church (Eph. 3:3-6), and intimacy with Jesus as His Bride (Eph. 5:30-32). God’s original purpose will be fully restored as people live this way on the earth. 7The mystery of God would be finished, as He declared to His…prophets. (Rev. 10:7) D. Those in the top governmental positions in heaven (v. 4) are overwhelmed at seeing all the redeemed throughout history standing in voluntary love and obedience to Jesus. They see that the Father kept His promise to give Jesus His eternal inheritance from all the nations (Ps. 2:8). IV. REJOICING OVER GOD’S REIGN AND JESUS’ WEDDING (REV 19:6-10) A. The multitude rejoices over God’s reign being openly manifest on the earth (through Jesus) and in Jesus’ marriage to a prepared Bride (Rev. 19:5-6). The Bride consists of the redeemed and the New Jerusalem (Rev. 21:9). They are so connected to each other that one represents the other. 6I heard…the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns! 7Let us be glad and rejoice…for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready. (Rev 19:6-7) B. She made herself ready: she is not magnifying her abilities but her voluntary responsiveness. It’s a statement of her desire, not a statement of her spiritual power and maturity. Jesus does not want anyone in the marriage that does not want to be. She responded from her own free will under the influence of the Spirit. She will fully acknowledge that it was granted by God’s grace. C. The Bride’s garments: Eternal rewards express how Jesus feels about our love for Him. He is so moved by the way that we love Him that He expresses how He feels. He will openly declare the way that He feels about the way that you loved Him in this life. 8To her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. (Rev 19:8) m. 9He said…, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’” (Rev 19:9) E. Isaiah described a kingdom banquet for all the nations on Mt. Zion (Isa. 24:23) where Jesus reigns from in the Millennium. Here, Jesus will destroy the veil and remove death (Isa. 25:6-9). 6And in this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all people a feast of choice pieces… 7And He will destroy on this mountain the surface of the covering cast over all people, and the veil that is spread over all nations. 8He will swallow up death forever… (Isa. 25:6-8) F. The blessing is for all who have responded to God’s call to salvation and thus, will participate in the wedding supper. Many refuse to accept this call (Mt. 22:3). Those who respond are called blessed. This blessing was pronounced on believers who were still alive and enduring trials in John’s generation. The hope of that day purifies us now. In verse 7-9, the corporate Church is referred to as the Bride. Individual believers throughout this age are those “called” to the supper. Thus, the Church is both the Bride and those called to the supper Similar fluidity of metaphorical language is seen in Jesus being both the Lamb and the shepherd (Rev. 7:17). 3Everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself. (1 Jn. 3:3) G. John’s response to the revelation of the Bride of Christ in the Father’s plan is to be overwhelmed. 10I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, See that you do not do that! (Rev 19:10)
Posted on: Fri, 07 Mar 2014 10:45:34 +0000
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