Rejoicing in Heaven

Revelation 19:1-4, 6-9

(1) After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, crying out,

“Hallelujah!
Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,
for his judgments are true and just;
for he has judged the great prostitute
who corrupted the earth with her immorality…

(6) Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out,

“Hallelujah!
For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns.
Let us rejoice and exult
and give him the glory,
for the marriage of the Lamb has come,
and his Bride has made herself ready;
it was granted her to clothe herself
with fine linen, bright and pure”
—for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.

And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.”

The great prostitute, Babylon, has been destroyed.  This causes great celebration in heaven, rejoicing, and praising God Almighty.  Her abominations, fornications, and immorality are extinguished.  The martyred saints, slain for the word of God, have been avenged.  

If you refer to Revelation chapter 6:9-11, the breaking of the 5th seal, a loud cry went up to heaven from those who had been killed for His name, asking, “How long, Sovereign Lord, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood”.  These saints during tribulation held onto the Lord’s word and were beheaded because of this.  Those who refused to take the mark and bow down to the beast, the antichrist.  With the removal of Babylon, the Lord has avenged them.

A marriage in heaven?  Well, let’s first look at the custom of the Jewish marriage in Jesus’ day.  The process of marriage consisted of an arrangement between the parents of the children.  Sometimes this happened very early, but generally it would have been when they were in their teens.  The son’s father would pay a dowry to the daughter’s father.  This could have been land, livestock, or money that had been saved up by the son’s father for this betrothal.  There would be a celebration at the betrothal (engagement) where the families would dance and have a feast for the bride and groom.  A contract was signed between the families, very much like a marriage license today.  It was a legal, binding agreement of a future together.

With the betrothal behind them, the young couple would then begin preparations for their life together.  This included readying a place to live.  They would separate until such time as the wedding would take place.  The groom would go with his father to prepare a place of residence, an additional room for him and his bride, often times, attached to his father’s house.  The bride would stay with her family, preparing the wedding clothes, and mastering the skills required for homemaking and raising children.  

At an unappointed time, sometimes months, sometimes years, the anticipation would come to an end.  The groom, having spent his time preparing a residence, would look to his father for the timing to go and get his bride.  The father would give the approval for the timing, and only the father.  As much as the son would want to accelerate the schedule, the father was the only one with the knowledge and authority to say, “Yes, now.

The bride and her family would be on constant alert for the coming of the groom.  Often, with great celebration in the streets, she would hear him coming when the time was finally approved.  She needed to be ready at a moment’s notice for he could come at any time, day or night, once the father provides his approval.  The groom would come to the door of the bride’s family’s house and knock on the door to fetch his bride.  This would be followed by a great celebration and feast in the streets by all of those in both families.

I think it is very obvious that the story of Jesus Christ (as the groom) and his followers as the bride is a direct parallel to this custom.  Christ was sent by His Father to earth, all in preparation for an eternal relationship.  The dowry was paid by the Father, in the death of His one and only son (Matthew 22:1-4).  Jesus then ascended from the Mount of Olives, outside of Jerusalem, to be with the Father and prepare a place for his bride (John 14:2-3).  We are the bride, awaiting his return.  Just as Jesus told of the parable of the 10 virgins in Matthew 25, and the Wedding feast in Matthew 22, we are to be prepared when he returns.  We are to keep oil in our lamps, symbolic of remaining faithful, and spiritually ready; and to be clothed in white garments, referring to our walk with Christ to be in line with His righteousness, not dressed in rags and self-dependent or self-righteous.  We are to be patient in knowing that He will return for us, because through His blood, He has made a contract as such.  Just as in the parables found in Matthew 22 and 25, there will be those who are not ready; they have become self-righteous and indignant toward the groom, and there are those who have let their lamps run dry, their faith grow weary.  These will not be ready when He returns, and they will be left behind when He does.

Only the Father knows when the Son will return.  As portrayed in the Jewish wedding process, the time will come when the Father says, “Go, fetch your bride!” and with great celebration and fanfare, Jesus will come for you and me.  The bible tells us it will be like a thief in the night, as we discussed in Revelation 3:3, Jesus will return at an unknown time.  It is important that we remain vigilant, sober-minded, and prepared, for it could be at any time.  Please understand God’s timing is not ours.  He is outside of space and time, with an eternal perspective. Therefore, when we look at a watch, a calendar, or a lifetime, it is nothing more than a blip in his perspective.  He has an appointed time for Christ to return and “fetch” the bride.  Be prepared daily with your study of His word, your actions of love to your neighbor, and your faithfulness to share His gospel with all that you meet.  Actions won’t get you to heaven, but they may help others get there.  Be blessed as we await that hour.