Greetings dear reader. Here’s a continuation of my article on the Bride of Christ in relation to the rapture. Forgive me for any ugly ads or gaps in this post. There’s a link to part one at the end of this post.
WHEN WILL THE WEDDING SUPPER OF THE LAMB TAKE PLACE?
There’s some disagreement as to the actual timing of the marriage supper mentioned in Revelation chapter 19. Is it shortly after a pre-Tribulation rapture when the tribulation is about to commence; just before the middle of the tribulation when things will really begin to heat up on the earth; towards the end, just before the physical return of Christ, or even after the return of Christ to the earth?
We’re introduced to the wedding supper by an angel in verse 9 of chapter 19. He speaks immediately after a great multitude in heaven declares that the “wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready” (verses 6-8). It seems to be a natural conclusion that this multitude in heaven, spoken of before Christ rides out of heaven on his white horse, who are praising God for the wedding and the wedding supper, must indeed be the raptured Church, meaning that the rapture occurred before or at least during the tribulation. But when we read the chapter a little more carefully we find some serious problems with this conviction.
AFTER THE DESTRUCTION OF THE WHORE?
First, the wedding supper is announced at some time after the destruction of the “great prostitute”, or false religion, is celebrated in chapter 19 verses 1 to 3. It’s the Antichrist and his ten henchmen “kings” who are the ones to destroy the prostitute. In other words, the destruction of the prostitute occurs during the Tribulation, and if we see these passages as being in chronological order, the Wedding Supper is announced after that:
“They will bring her to ruin and leave her naked; they will eat her flesh and burn her with fire” (Revelation 17:16).
Why would the wedding supper be spoken of after the destruction of the prostitute and not before, if it does indeed take place before that? Can we really think that the reference to the supper in chapter 19 is a random interjection; an “Oh by the way-don’t forget that the wedding will be before this” sort of reference, for something which already happened years ago, and that the supper is not at all related to its position in the dialogue?
Since Antichrist can only rule for the last three and a half years of the tribulation (13:5 with 17:12) and his destruction of the “great prostitute” is announced just before the wedding and the wedding supper are also announced, it would seem logical to deduce that the wedding supper of the Lamb is being announced after the mid point of the proposed seven year tribulation, because this is when Antichrist and the ten will gain power. There is therefore no certainty that the Bride-if this really is the Bride in chapter 19- has been in heaven for the entirety of the assumed seven-year period.
IS THE BRIDE EVEN IN HEAVEN WHEN THE SUPPER IS ANNOUNCED?
There’s no certainty that the bride is in heaven at all when the wedding and the wedding supper are being proclaimed. As she’s mentioned in chapter 19 before Christ rides in glory to the earth, it’s assumed by pre-Tribulation people that she’s been in heaven for the entire seven years of tribulation which they foresee-or more-and that the supper is either occurring in chapter 19 or has already taken place. But is she actually, really there at all? The alternative is that the announcement of supper time is speaking of an even yet future event: it hasn’t yet happened.
THE MULTITUDE ISN’T THE CHURCH
A great multitude shouts:
“Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready” (19:7 NIV).
“His bride has prepared herself” (NASB).
“… and his Bride has made herself ready” (ESV)
Notice that short of a faulty translation in all the above versions, the multitude is speaking in the third person: “his bride has made herself ready”. The KJV also uses the word “herself”. None of them say, “We have made ourselves ready”. The multitude seems to be shouting about other people, not about themselves or even those to whom they’re shouting, in which case, they are not the Church.
NO DESCRIPTION OF SUPPER
The bride is not located, identified or pointed out in this chapter 19 scene. Notice that John does not say anything like, “And behold, I saw the bride of the Lamb standing by the throne”. He doesn’t say “The Bride has made herself ready for battle”. He doesn’t say that he sees her, which seems like a strange omission-it would be such an important component of Tribulation events. The wedding supper event is not described at all: it’s not in progress. If it’s already been held, it seems almost inconceivable that it hasn’t been at least mentioned or noticed by John before. And how many grooms would have a wedding supper with his bride and then take her straight out onto the battlefield?
We’re reading about the invitation to the wedding supper, not the wedding supper itself!
AN INVITATION
The angel tells John in chapter 19 to write, “Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb” (verse 9).
We’re reading about the invitation to the wedding supper, not the wedding supper itself! Again, if John was living through these events in real-time, it seems he would have described or at least mentioned the supper, if it had already been held, particularly as Revelation is written “For the churches” (Revelation 22:16). If Jesus Christ was seeking to reassure and inform the Church of His grand plan, why is there no description of the marriage supper?
WHERE IS THE BRIDE?
Indeed, had the supper happened during the events of the tribulation, and since John was supposedly “raptured” at its commencement according to pre-Trib theology, he should have been a vital part of it. He would surely say something like, “And behold, I saw the wedding supper of the Lamb, and feasted with my fellow disciples”. Instead, though the bride is said to have “made herself ready” in chapter 19, she’s nowhere to be seen, and her groom is on the way out the door to slaughter his enemies and gather his elect!
ARE THE ELECT NOT INVITED?
Context is always vitally important in interpretation of scripture. The context here in chapter 19 and the next chapter is that the great whore has been destroyed, the wedding supper of the Lamb “has come”, and the Lamb himself, Jesus Christ, is about to turn roaring lion and burst forth onto the world in the most spectacular event of the ages. He’s going to defeat his enemies, then he’s going to send angels to gather his elect from the four winds. Perhaps we’re getting the proverbial cart before the horse.
This gathering of the elect is described in the Olivet Discourse as happening upon the glorious, visible return of Jesus. Is it possible that Jesus Christ would hold that wedding supper without inviting his elect- those who had remained faithful to Jesus (Revelation 14:12) during the Tribulation; those who had been bravely and faithfully opposing the Antichrist and refusing his mark; those who had been upholding the testimony of Jesus, and gaining great victory over the beast, the false prophet and the world? Would Jesus Christ really hold that wedding supper without them? I personally very much doubt it.
We’re told that those who are invited are blessed (19:9). Are the elect-those who have remained faithful to Jesus and withstood Antichrist, not blessed? Could they not be at least a part of his Church? They are, after all “his” elect (Matthew 24:31). And remember that once the groom in the parable of the ten virgins had taken his bride, the door was shut and no-one else was allowed to the wedding: there was only one collection of the bride by the groom-not two.
Could it be that the “elect” are Christ’s bride? Could it be that the gathering of his elect which we read about in the Olivet Discourse is the point at which the resurrection takes place and believers still living are gathered, as Paul shared in his first letter to the Thessalonians?
The entire issue of the bride thickens in chapter 21 of Revelation: it isn’t quite so straightforward as we think it is before we dive into the subject. Paul spoke of the marriage between a man and a woman as representing the relationship between Christ and the Church (Ephesians chapter 5). He called the relationship a “mystery”, just as he called the rapture a mystery. We’ve seen how, in Revelation chapter 19 the “bride” has made herself ready for marriage, but when we get to chapter 21 we’re confronted with something of a challenge to our view of the bride, and also to the timing of that wedding.
It is after the new heavens and new earth appear at the start of chapter 21 that we find another mention of a bride. Here the bride is a city, or is it actually the Church metaphorically described as a city: the New Jerusalem? This is a difficult passage, because we evangelicals think of the New Jerusalem as a literal city which we will live in. But when an angel tells John that he will show him “the bride, the wife of the Lamb”, he shows him not a multitude of people, but a seemingly literal, physical city, with gates, walls, a river, trees, and all kinds of decorations. But how can the bride of Christ, the Church, made up of millions of believers, be seen as a literal city? Are both somehow synonymous, so that the Church along with the city are the bride? Or is there perhaps no literal city at all?
It seems unlikely that there will be no cities in God’s creation for eternity: why could there not be a literal New Jerusalem? And if we look further into the chapter we see more reference to apparently literal, physical objects and actions. For example, “…its gates will never be shut” (verse 25). How can this be describing people?
It seems that this appearance of the New Jerusalem, which is described as being both “like” a bride (21:2) and as the bride herself (22:9) must be a thousand years after the glorious return of Jesus to the earth and after his thousand year reign (21:1-2). Each is seen by John to descend out of heaven at this time. Perhaps the bride has been based in heaven for the millennium but is transferred to the new earth after it. This is obviously a subject for debate, research and prayer: it is for now its own “mystery” which will only become clear when the time is right.
THE BRIDE APPEARS
When does the bride make her first actual appearance, rather than being just spoken about? Is it in Revelation chapter 4, when John arrives in heaven to see the events of the tribulation? No. Is it in chapter 19, before the conquering, vengeful Christ rides out of heaven? No, it’s in chapter 21. It’s after Antichrist and the false prophet are thrown into the Lake of Fire (19:19-20); after those beheaded in the tribulation are raised (20:4); after the first resurrection (20:5) and after our introduction to the thousand year reign (20:6-10).
It’s true that the bride does indeed come out of heaven, but only just in time for the beginning of eternity after the millennium. In verse 2 of chapter 21 the city-the bride- appears, and she has been “prepared”:
“I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband”.
Remember that the bride of chapter 19 was also “prepared”, but she made no appearance at that point:
“…his bride has made herself ready” (19:7).
It’s only when the New Jerusalem appears, after the millennium, that we’re told God is now living with his people:
“Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them” (21:3).
Fuel for Faith, Food for Thought 