There are many theories about the time of this ‘Marriage Supper of the Lamb’ which today we are calling the Final Banquet. Questions such as who will be participants in this lavish supper, where will it be held, and whether or not we are talking about the consumption of literal foods among other matters continue to be asked.

It should be noted at first that this celebration is in every respect contrasted to what took place in the previous two chapters and we will briefly look at the previous chapters to see the context for our study. 

In chapter seventeen we were told about a great political leader heading a coalition of nations, that in the ‘last days’ would dominate the earth.  This leader is called the “Beast”. 

When John shifts his focus from the “Beast” and his ‘false prophet’ sidekick, he tells us that there is a woman who sat on the “Beast”. This woman is not a literal woman but represents the idolatrous system that opposes God and which has worked from ancient days to corrupt men spiritually and materially.

We are told that this woman is a harlot, has universal influence (sits on many waters-Rev. 17:15), has kings committing adultery with her and for a while dominates even the Beast. She is wealthy, expensively clad and has a golden cup in her hand filled with what John calls ‘abominable things’. She is called “Mystery, Babylon the Great”. 

This ‘woman’ is clearly labelled as the source of idolatry and has spread the seeds of false doctrines throughout the world. She opposes the truth with her counterfeit religion and philosophy and particularly hates Jesus and his followers, becoming drunk with the blood of the saints.  She is violent, vicious and tortures and kills the Saints.

This “Mystery Babylon” is finally overthrown, for she is demonic, and the habitation for every evil spirit and unclean and detestable teaching and ideas.  In addition she had been spiritually unfaithful, having kings committing adultery with her, and had seduced men with her offering of tremendous material benefits. Many merchants had grown rich from her excessive luxuries. 

This system, with its spiritual idolatry and emphasis on materialism, as well as its demonic ideas and teachings would necessarily have had to be overthrown by God and now was the time.  Her sins are described as piled up to Heaven and the people of God were warned and called on to come out of her, so that they would not share in her sins and receive any of her plagues.  The plagues were imminent, destruction at her doorsteps.  God decreed that she should be paid double for what she had done. 

The reason for much of this is spelled out.  She had given much torture and grief and had lived in arrogant pride, lavishing luxuries on herself and behaving as if she was in fact a queen.  

So God had announced that her judgment would come suddenly.  The reaction of the economic powerhouses of the earth was described as weeping, mourning and terror at her torment.  We are told in Revelation 18:11-13…“The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her because no one buys their cargoes anymore-- cargoes of gold, silver, precious stones and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk and scarlet cloth; every sort of citron wood, and articles of every kind made of ivory, costly wood, bronze, iron and marble; cargoes of cinnamon and spice, of incense, myrrh and frankincense, of wine and olive oil, of fine flour and wheat; cattle and sheep, horses and carriages; and bodies and souls of men.”  

False religion and business were so closely intertwined that the fine clothes, expensive perfumes, fine foods, expensive vehicles, the slavery of fine young men and woman and the costly decorations would suffer destruction together and the peoples of the earth would lament.  The people of the earth would lament as verses 14-19 in the NIV so clearly states:

“They will say, ‘The fruit you longed for is gone from you.  All your riches and splendour have vanished, never to be recovered.’  The merchants who sold these things and gained their wealth from her will stand far off, terrified at her torment.  They will weep and mourn and cry out: ‘Woe! Woe, O great city,

dressed in fine linen, purple and scarlet,

and glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls!

In one hour such great wealth have been brought to ruin.” 

So to illustrate what would happen to this harlot Babylon, a strong angel threw a great millstone into the sea with obviously a very loud splash and declared in verses 21-24.

“With such violence  the great city of Babylon will be thrown down,

never to be found again. The music of harpists and musicians, flute players and trumpeters, will never be heard in you again. No work man of any trade will ever be heard in you again. The sound of a millstone will never be heard in you again. The light of a lamp

will never shine in you again. The voice of bridegroom and bride

will never be heard in you again. Your merchants were the world's great men. By your magic spell all the nations were led astray.

In her was found the blood of prophets and of the Saints, and of all who have been killed on the earth. 

So now “Mystery Babylon”, which started with the city of Babel, founded by Nimrod, that great hunter of human souls, the source of idolatry in the ancient world and which continued evolving into the false religious organizations in the last days, would be brought to an end. 

This harlot religious organization is a picture of the great evil of corrupting the worship of God.  It has been unfaithful to God while claiming to honour God.  It has offered men sexual and other satisfactions while it deceitfully pretended to lead men to God.

This harlot church, Mystery Babylon the Great, had claimed to be the queen, the true wife of the Lamb of God.  She would have to be destroyed and this would happen immediately before the appearance of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God on his second Advent.  John sees all this before it happens on earth. 

Immediately on destruction of the harlot, heaven breaks out in rapturous and very loud Hallelujahs.  This is the first time that the word “Hallelujah” appears in the book of Revelation and thunderous praise and celebration is directed to God for removing this terribly destructive and deceitful organization of idolatry and error. 

We learn from this scene in Heaven that we should not mix truth with error, nor seek earthly glory and position by the practice of religious devotion. We should not seek to appear pious and devout, while our heart is interested only in status and material gain, the kind of allurement that Babylon offers. 

So we are seeing Heaven’s perspective on the fall of Babylon and Heaven’s behaviour is markedly different from the mourning experienced by those that loved Babylon. There is no weeping and lamenting, doom and gloom, darkness and sadness in heaven, but instead there is praise, joy and worship because now there is deliverance. 

Those in heaven declare that salvation and glory and power belong to their God the Lord.  He is such a God that he has brought those of earth to destruction. He would not allow his people who have long suffered under the harlot Mystery Babylon to go without him avenging the wrongs that had been done to his people. 

God’s justice and judgment are always true and righteous, because he is a holy God.  The great harlot was corrupt, the earth was corrupted and full of spiritual fornication, much blood from the servants of God had been spilled and so God was just to condemn and destroy his enemies. 

All the elders and the living creatures then fell down and worshiped when the great multitude of people in heaven said “Hallelujah”.  

Note that the word “hallelujah” comes from two Hebrew words, one meaning ‘give praise’, while the second one is the shortened form of Yah.  So the word means “Praise Yahweh”, or “praise the Lord”.

The elders and the living creatures were always glad to worship God and praise him and did so at every opportunity. 

This then is the background for today's lesson, and it explains why God was now ready to make the great announcement which is the title for our lesson today.

THE TEXT

Verse 5.   In response to the worship and the ‘Hallelujahs’ in heaven and the triumph of God, God himself now seems to respond directly. However it might be, as some believe, that this is the voice of Jesus, or the voice of one of the angels at the throne of God.  The voice exhorted all to “sing hallelujahs”. 

In this voice from the throne of God, the command is that hallelujahs are to come from all those who are his bondservants, otherwise defined as all those who fear him.

Note that these bondservants are described as the ‘small’ as well as the ‘great’.  Obviously they are no economic distinctions, or class status, which should affect the worship of God.  All those who are God's, have been bought by the blood of Jesus, and are blood bought servants. 

This question of the rejoicing in heaven at the destruction of the ‘great harlot’ has led to some discussion. Some people wonder whether that rejoicing was appropriate given the teaching of Scripture, namely, Proverbs 24:17-18, that believers should not rejoice over the downfall of our enemy. Other Scriptures however, especially in the Psalms, do give permission for the righteous to pray for the destruction of the wicked, and Proverbs 11: 10 and 21:15 does seem to indicate that certainly, at this end of time, hallelujahs for God's judgment is appropriate.               

When God acts in judgments, hallelujahs are appropriate.  This is perfectly consistent with leaving vengeance to God and not taking matters into your own hands.

Verse 6.   This was a long awaited moment for those in heaven, who were happy that God was dramatically bringing his reign to the earth. At this a great multitude broke out in the last recorded song in heaven, described as voices like the roar of many waters, and that of mighty thunderings. 

Those in heaven were loud and enthusiastic at the thrilling prospect the omnipotent Lord God and was ready to reign on earth as in heaven.  One famous preacher Spurgeon gives us this insight:

“Heaven is always heaven, and unspeakably full of blessedness; but even heaven has its holidays, even bliss has its overflowings; and on that day when the springtide of the infinite ocean of joy shall have come, what a measureless flood of delight shall overflow the souls of all glorified spirits….. We do not know yet, beloved, of what happiness we are capable”. 

Unfortunately many of us seem to forget that God has all power and some seem to think that Satan is in a race with God and is always neck and neck with him down the final stretch.  Believers must understand that Satan is a created being, is limited and everything he does is a corrupt and twisted imitation of God.  He copies the structure of the hierarchies in heaven.  He has his servants and his powerful demons that do his bidding. Satan and his henchmen have their councils too, just as God has his council meetings.  But His thought processes are limited and so the Apostle tells us that we are not ignorant of his strategies and so we can resist him. 

God is omnipotent and he will bring to pass exactly what He has said he would.  He's the only one that can do that, the only one whose word cannot return to him void.

Verse 7.  The great multitude in heaven is happy at the destruction of the great harlot and because the time has come for the marriage of the Lamb. The ‘tribulation’ saints who are in heaven are rejoicing and are glad and give honour to God, for they know that the promised ‘marriage of the Lamb’ is now about to take place. 

This is a most spectacular wedding, for the bridegroom is Jesus Christ, who is the Lamb.  The word ‘lamb’ is used to indicate that he so loved the saints that he gave himself for them and the saints of God, the church is his bride.  He bought this bride with his blood. 

The bride is ready for the completion of union with Christ and she is definitely not a reluctant bride.  She has waited anxiously for this moment which is so near.  She had believed in Christ as her personal saviour, had chosen to walk by the Spirit and had borne good fruit.  She had remained faithful and always given testimony for Jesus, suffering through all the hardships, obeying God's commands and all had been consistently devoted disciples.   

This refers to the personal responsibility of believers in God.  One cannot expect to be part of the ‘Bride’ without believing in Christ as one’s personal saviour and then as a believer, walk by the Spirit of God. 

The question should now be asked whether or not we are similarly honouring God, being faithful, obedience to God, making ourselves ready for the ‘Marriage Supper or Banquet of the Lamb’.

Verse 8.   It is now made clear that though the bride had made her self ready, in reality it had been “granted” to her to be dressed in fine linen, clean and bright. This is the divine side.  It was the grace of God that gave the bride this clothing that she proudly wore. 

The bride did not have any spiritual ability apart from Jesus Christ, for they were ‘branches that abided in the vine’. 

They had done their work for God because God had given them gifts, which they had exercised in the proper manner.  God had also kept and protected them. They were rewarded appropriately for faithful service and righteous deeds that they had done in the power of the Spirit.  And so the fine linen is described as the righteous acts of the saints. 

They are in perfect union with Christ and so they are clothed in clean linen which reflects purity, loyalty and faithfulness.  This linen is bright, radiant and this is thought to reflect glorification. 

These believers had been called to good works, are clothed in the righteousness of Christ and dedicated only to him.  Their garment of salvation is imputed righteousness and they well deserve this garment for they show works of godliness and goodness.

Verse 9.  John is instructed to write a marvellous thing and he records the blessing on those that are invited to the Supper.  Those that are invited are blessed and happy for this is a blessed time.  The Tribulation and its misery had passed. 

Men have been invited to this magnificent event and they have been accorded great honour.  The message of the gospel inviting men to this Supper had been sent out everywhere and at all times.  Those who accepted the invitation and obviously accepted the invitation to believe that Jesus Christ was the ‘atoning saviour’, are clothed with the right wedding garment and are clothed in the righteousness of Christ. 

Jesus himself had looked forward to this Marriage Supper or Banquet and he had told his disciples in Matthew 26:29 that he would one day drink of the fruit of the vine with them. 

This was such an important event that Jesus revealed some significant lessons about this when a Centurion, a Roman soldier demonstrated extremely great faith in Jesus’ authority and power.  He had requested Jesus to heal his servant who was sick at home, not by coming and touching him, but simply by uttering his authoritative word from exactly where he was at the moment.  Note Jesus’ reaction to this behaviour:

“When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.

And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of Heaven. But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” 

Literally the words read that many would come from the east and west and take their place at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of Heaven. 

Then in Matthew 22:1-18 Jesus spoke about this wedding supper in a parable about the kingdom of heaven. In this parable Jesus made it clear that many of the people who were first invited treated the invitation casually.  Jesus said that there was a certain king which made a marriage for his son.  He said that the King invited many to the wedding but they did not come.  He repeatedly made his request, telling them of the elaborate preparations he had made. Some of those invited were indifferent and went their way doing their own business.  What was worst is that some grabbed the servants with the invitations, treated them shamefully and even killed some of the servants. 

When the king heard that, he was angry and sent his armies to destroy the murderers and burn up their cities. Then the King declared that those that declined were unworthy. 

Then the King sent the servants out into the highways and byways to call as many as they could find and invite them to the marriage supper.  This the servants did and they brought in both good and bad into the wedding supper. 

When the king came he saw a man that had not put on his wedding garment and he demanded of the man why he did not have a wedding garment . The man was speechless, and the King told the servants to bind him up, take him out and away, and cast him into outer darkness where they would be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 

The parable ended with Jesus declaring the moral of the parable, which was that many are called but few are chosen. 

The people of Israel were aware that God had planned this marriage supper or banquet and those that believed in God looked forward to it.  So the prophet Isaiah said in Isaiah 25:1-8 after discussing the terrible time that the people of God were having:

“And in this mountain shall the Lord of hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined.

And he will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people, and the veil that is spread over all nations.

He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the Lord hath spoken it.”  

Note that this marriage supper of the Lamb is for all saints, those in the Old Testament as well as those in the New Testament. 

This is a time for the real Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem.  It will be associated with the coming of Jesus, the binding of death, the demonstration to the world of the wickedness of Satan and his hosts, and the vindication of the saints.  All of these are intimately connected events. 

Those who accepted the invitation given by the great promises of God from the book of Genesis and onward, will not just be mere spectators but are part of the body of Christ and will enjoy total satisfaction.   

So no wonder then that the ‘Tribulation’ saints in heaven did rejoice, for they knew that it was time for the slaying of the Antichrist and his followers, the establishment of the reign of Christ on the earth and the Marriage supper of the lamb on Mount Zion.

Verse 10.  The ecstatic John was so awestruck and overwhelmed at this incredible news, that he forgot himself and bowed down to worship the angel that was declaring all of this great news to him. It is all so easy to forget oneself and allow idolatry to infiltrate one's life simply because someone has done something great for us and they appear to be so godlike. 

The angel rebukes John and uses the strong language of command, and stressed that God alone should be worshiped.  He told John that he was just a creature, simply an angel or messenger with the testimony of Jesus.  He was doing a similar work to John for it was John's role to witness. 

So we are reminded about the erring Corinthians who kept their eyes on personalities and forced Paul in 1 Corinthians 3:4-7 to say:

“What then is Apollos?  And what is Paul?  Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one.  I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth.  So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth.”

So we should learn to keep our eyes on the message and not on the messenger, for this type of behavior will bring no good. 

Note also that the angel declared that the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.  It is clear then that the purpose of every prophecy is to bear testimony to Jesus Christ.  All prophecy is to glorify Jesus, to show how winsome he is and to show the incredible magnificence of his work. 

Jesus is God's perfect solution to the evils of this world.  God has designed the plan of salvation in a specific way.  Jesus had been slain before the foundation of the earth.  He would as a human being be born and minister on earth, die, be resurrected, ascend to heaven and would return to set affairs right on the earth.

But even before he did all of this we are told that He was in glory with the Father before anything was created.  He was always glorious.  He is the glorious God-Man, worthy of honor and praise.  He has always been God but he chose to be made as the seed of Abraham to save us.

We are to focus on Jesus and not be tempted to spend our time studying prophecy and become experts on every sensible and every foolish theory of prophecy and at the same time ignore Jesus.  All study of prophecy must at all times focus on Jesus or it is misdirected. Everything that is said about prophecy must begin, continue with and end with the magnificence and glory of Jesus. 

Immediately then, after this verse we read that Heaven opened and Jesus Christ, the Faithful and True left Heaven to make war and to judge.  His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns.  He was followed by armies dressed in fine linen, white and clean.  Out of his mouth went a sharp sword to smite the nations. 

He would rule the nations with a rod of iron. He was coming to tread the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.

This He had to do before he celebrated the ‘Marriage Supper of the Lamb’.

CONCLUSION

Believers in Christ must resist temptation and focus their attention only on God the Father and on his son Jesus Christ our Lord. Worship must only be directed to God for Father and Jesus Christ the Son. 

No matter how bad things look, we are to remember that the Lord Omnipotent reigneth. There is a throne in heaven and there is one who always sits on that throne. 

He will do things in His time and not before.  He has told us that his Son will come to earth again and that there will be a ‘Marriage Supper of the Lamb’.  The saints in heaven that preceded those that are alive will be singing in a great Hallelujah chorus when they see the destruction of the harlot organization, which pretended to be the bride of Christ.   

They know that the ‘Beast’ and the ‘false prophet’ will be dealt with soon enough.  They also know that Christ the Lord would be soon ruling the nations. 

They know that the best Banquet and party ever held, would soon occur with all the saints eating and drinking with their Savior and Lord.  This will be an occasion of tremendous joy.  So let us sing Hallelujahs in anticipation of that Marriage Supper.   

We close with another statement by Spurgeon: