The Marriage of the
Lamb
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Let's pray together:
Our Father,
Thanks to Your prophetic Word, which has given us so much valuable information in our last
few lessons, now we can study the subject of the marriage of the Lamb.
But, before beginning this lesson, we humbly ask You, once again, to guide us through Your
Holy Spirit, so that our understanding may be in complete accordance with truth.
In Jesus Christ we pray.
Amen.
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Revelation 19:7,9
Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the
marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready. (...)
Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!
In our last three lessons, we identified the bridegroom - Jesus Christ - and
the bride - His faithful Church.
We also learned, through the parable of the ten virgins, how we must prepare ourselves for
this great wedding.
Today, our lesson will help us to discover the steps which will lead to this wedding and
to the marriage supper of the Lamb.
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Revelation 19:7
The marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made
herself ready.
2 Corinthians 11:2
I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present
you as a chaste virgin to Christ.
The first step leading to the marriage of the Lamb is the preparation of His
bride.
In order to be worthy of becoming the Lamb's wife at the wedding, the bride - God's
faithful Church - must first be cleansed and sanctified.
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Ephesians 5:25-27
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the
church and gave Himself for it, that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of
water by the word, that He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot
or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish.
In order to make His Church «holy and without blemish»,
Jesus calls each one of us to accept Him:
- as our personal Savior, to be purified of our sins;
- and as the Lord of our lives, to grow in obedience to God's will.
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Revelation 3:18
I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire,
that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your
nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.
Revelation 7:14
[They] washed their robes and made them white in the
blood of the Lamb.
In order that the Church - the bride - may be pure, each of its members must:
- be clothed with a robe made white in the blood of the Lamb;
- have gold refined in the fire, which is the faith of Jesus;
- and have eye salve, which is the Holy Spirit.
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To be a part of the Church, the bride, we must obtain the white robe:
«I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be
joyful in my God; for He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me
with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, and as a
bride adorns herself with her jewels.» (ISAIAH 61:10)
«He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name
from the Book of Life.» (REVELATION 3:5)
«Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and was standing before the Angel. Then He
answered and spoke to those who stood before Him, saying, "Take away the filthy
garments from him." And to him He said, "See, I have removed your iniquity from
you, and I will clothe you with rich robes."» (ZECHARIAH 3:3,4)
«"The Lord God of Israel says that He hates divorce, for it covers one's garment
with violence", says the Lord of hosts. "Therefore take heed to your spirit,
that you do not deal treacherously."» (MALACHI 2:16)
«Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest
he walk naked and they see his shame.» (REVELATION 16:15)
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Matthew 22:2,11
The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged
a marriage for his son. (...)
When the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding
garment.
The white robe, which is Jesus' righteousness, is the wedding garment that each
guest must put on before taking part in the marriage supper of the Lamb.
In the parable of the wedding feast, Jesus indicated that, before the beginning of the
feast, God will examine each guest, and cast out all those who won't be clothed with this
precious wedding garment.
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Matthew 22:12,13
So he said to him, «Friend, how did you come in here
without a wedding garment?»
And he was speechless.
Then the king said to the servants,
«Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be
weeping and gnashing of teeth.»
When will God examine each of the guests?
Obviously, this examination will take place before the return of Jesus, because no lost
soul could be brought to heaven «by mistake», and cast out afterwards...
Now, what will this examination consist of?
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Daniel 8:14
For two thousand three hundred days; then the sanctuary
shall be cleansed.
Revelation 3:5
He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and
I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My
Father and before His angels.
In our lesson «The 2300 Days», we have
seen that, since 1844, the judgment has been taking place in the heavenly sanctuary.
The first stage of this judgment goes on until the return of Jesus, and aims at blotting
out of the Book of Life all the names of the believers whose conversion is not sincere and
genuine.
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Daniel 7:9-11
I watched till thrones were put in place, and the Ancient
of Days was seated. (...)
A thousand thousands ministered to Him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him.
The court was seated, and the books were opened.
I watched then because of the sound of the pompous words which the horn was speaking.
Revelation 3:5
I will confess his name before My Father and before His
angels.
This first stage of the judgment really begins before the return of Jesus,
while the little horn, which we identified as the papacy, is still committing its misdeeds
here on earth.
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Daniel 7:10,13,14
The court was seated, and the books were opened. (...)
Behold, One like the Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven!
He came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought Him near before Him. Then to Him was
given dominion and glory and a kingdom.
When the first stage of the judgment is completed, only the names of the truly
converted believers will remain in the Book of Life.
The Church will thus be cleansed and pure, and will be given to Jesus in marriage.
The marriage vows are expressed here with the proclamation of Jesus' reign.
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Revelation 22:11
He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is
filthy, let him be filthy still.
He who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still.
When the time comes for the wedding, Jesus will put an end to His work of
intercession in the heavenly sanctuary. He will cease to be our High Priest, and will
become our King of glory.
At this point guests will no longer be allowed into the wedding hall.
This is the close of probation: Jesus will be just about to return and gather His people,
to bring them to the marriage supper of the Lamb.
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Matthew 25:1,10-12
The kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who
took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. (...)
The bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the
door was shut.
Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, «Lord, Lord, open to us!»
But he answered and said, «Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.»
As we have seen in our last lesson, the close of probation is symbolized by a
closed door, preventing the unprepared virgins from entering the wedding hall to celebrate
this great event.
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Luke 12:35-37
Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning; and you
yourselves be like men who wait for their master, when he will return from the wedding,
that when he comes and knocks they may open to him immediately.
Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching.
Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will
come and serve them.
In this passage, Jesus confirms that the great wedding will take place in
heaven, before His return.
In fact, the master returns only after the wedding, hoping that His servants are ready to
meet and welcome Him.
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Luke 19:12,15
A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for
himself a kingdom and to return. (...)
When he returned, having received the kingdom, he then commanded these servants, to whom
he had given the money, to be called to him, that he might know how much every man had
gained.
This other parable describes the institution of Jesus' kingdom in the same way
as His marriage was described in the preceding parable.
In fact, these two parables both describe the same event, which takes place before the
return of Jesus.
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Revelation 19:1,2
After these things I heard a loud voice of a great
multitude in heaven, saying,
«Alleluia! Salvation and glory and honor and power to the Lord our God!
For 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.»
The book of Revelation confirms this chronology.
Jesus' reign is indeed proclaimed at the close of probation, when the seven bowls of God's
wrath are poured out on unrepentant men on earth.
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Revelation 19:6,11,16
And I heard, as it were, 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!» (...)
Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called
Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. (...)
And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: «King of kings and Lord of
lords.»
Once He has been proclaimed King of kings, Jesus will return, at the pouring
out of the seventh bowl, to gather His faithful people and destroy the wicked.
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Revelation 19:17,18,21
Then I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried
with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven,
«Come and gather together for the supper of the great God, that you may eat the flesh of
kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those
who sit on them, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, both small and great.»
(...)
[They] were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the
horse. And all the birds were filled with their flesh.
While the marriage supper of the Lamb is being prepared in heaven, another
feast is taking place on earth: the feast of the vultures eating the corpses of the
wicked.
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Revelation 19:21 to 20:2
And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded
from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse.
And all the birds were filled with their flesh.
Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a
great chain in his hand.
He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him
for a thousand years.
The return of Jesus, causing the death of all the unrepentant, will mark the
beginning of the Millennium, a thousand-year period which we will study in detail in our
next lesson.
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1 Thessalonians 4:16,17
The Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout,
with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will
rise first.
Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to
meet the Lord in the air.
Matthew 25:6
And at midnight a cry was heard:
«Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!»
Jesus, the Bridegroom and King of kings, will return to gather His people, to
bring them to heaven, to the marriage supper of the Lamb.
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Revelation 19:7,9
«Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the
marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.» (...)
Then he said to me, «Write: "Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper
of the Lamb!"»
And he said to me, «These are the true sayings of God.»
God invites each one of us to participate in the marriage supper of the Lamb.
We really must accept this invitation right here and now, because, very soon, God will
shut the door of the wedding hall for good.
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Matthew 22:2-5
The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged
a marriage for his son, and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the
wedding; and they were not willing to come.
Again, he sent out other servants, saying,
«Tell those who are invited, "See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted
cattle are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the wedding."»
But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his
business.
Accepting God's invitation to the marriage supper of the Lamb must be the
absolute priority of our lives.
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Matthew 26:27-29
Then [Jesus] took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it
to them, saying,
«Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for
many for the remission of sins.
But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day
when I drink it new with you in My Father's kingdom.»
In order to take part in this feast in God's kingdom, we must enter into
covenant with Jesus, through the precious blood He shed on the cross for each one of us,
the blood which will grant us the white wedding garment.
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Revelation 19:7,8
Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the
marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.
And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine
linen is the righteous acts of the saints.
Being clothed with Jesus' white robe of righteousness, the believer whose
conversion is true and sincere won't remain idle.
Out of love for his Savior, and through the power of the Holy Spirit within him, he will
be compelled to perform good works, symbolized by fine linen, clean and bright.
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Ephesians 2:8-10
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that
not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared
beforehand that we should walk in them.
Let's be clear: fine linen, which symbolizes good works, cannot replace the
white cloth, which symbolizes Jesus' perfect righteousness.
Our good works cannot save us, but they show that we are moved by a living and true faith.
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Matthew 22:11,13,14
When the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man
there who did not have on a wedding garment. (...)
Then the king said to the servants, «Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him
into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.»
For many are called, but few are chosen.
Revelation 17:14
These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will
overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are
called, chosen, and faithful.
The Word of God is plain: it isn't sufficient to be called and chosen, we must
also be faithful.
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Luke 12:35-37,40
Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning; and you
yourselves be like men who wait for their master, when he will return from the wedding,
that when he comes and knocks they may open to him immediately.
Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching. (...)
Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
Conscientious work in God's harvest, in order to win souls to His cause,
according to the talents and gifts the Holy Spirit gave us, is the best way to keep our
faithfulness and watchfulness alive.
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Daniel 12:1,3
At that time Michael shall stand up, the great prince who
stands watch over the sons of your people; and there shall be a time of trouble, such as
never was since there was a nation, even to that time.
And at that time your people shall be delivered, every one who is found written in the
book. (...)
Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, and those who turn
many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever.
And when «Michael stands up», that is, when
Jesus returns, our faithfulness will have kept us «written in the
book», for our salvation.
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Isaiah 52:1
Awake, awake! Put on your strength, O Zion; put on your
beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city!
For the uncircumcised and the unclean shall no longer come to you.
Revelation 21:2
Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming
down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
The marriage supper of the Lamb is coming soon.
We must wake up quickly, and put on the wedding garment, the white robe of Jesus'
righteousness, because the door will remain closed to all those who are unclean.
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John 14:1-3
Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God,
believe also in Me.
In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you.
I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come
again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.
Revelation 19:9
Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper
of the Lamb!
Soon, we will delight in taking part in the marriage supper of the Lamb, and
eating at the same table as Jesus!
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Let's thank our Bridegroom:
Lord,
You have told us: «I will betroth you to Me forever; yes, I will
betroth you to Me in righteousness and justice, in lovingkindness and mercy; I will
betroth you to Me in faithfulness, and you shall know the Lord.» (Hosea 2:19,20)
Please help us to follow you faithfully, so that we may always belong to You as Your
people, Your Bride.
May our names remain written in Your book of life, so that we may take part in the
marriage supper of the Lamb.
In His precious name we pray.
Amen.
Source of the Pictures of this Lesson
Screen 1: Photo in: «Master Clips 500,000» by IMSI, CD #16,
SSGP3324.JPG. Screen 2: In: «La Révélation - le grand dénouement est
proche», New York, Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, 1988, p.277. Screen 3: Photo
in: «Master Clips 500,000» by IMSI, CD #19, 310820.JPG. Screen 4: ZINGARO,
Charles. In: «Votre Bible et Vous» (MAXWELL, Arthur S.), Press Publishing Association,
p.125. Screen 5: MANISCALCO, Joe. In: «Images from the Bible and Sacred
History CD», Chosen Works, MLI Software, JM059.BMP. Screen 6: In:
«Questionnaire Adulte de l'Ecole du Sabbat», Pacific Press Publishing Association, First
Quarter, 2000, front cover. Screen 7: In: «The Watchtower» magazine
(January 15, 1990), New York, Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, p.8. Screen 8: HEASLIP,
William. In: «The Bible Story, volume 8» (MAXWELL, Arthur S.), Pacific Press Publishing
Association, 1956, p.123. Screen 9: PROVONSHA, Clyde. In: «Votre Bible
et vous» (MAXWELL, Arthur S.), Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1978, p.100.
Screen 10: STEEL, John. In: «The Triumph of God's Love, volume 2» (WHITE, Ellen
G.), Pacific Press Publishing Association and Review and Herald Publishing Association,
1950, p.366. Screen 11: TINTORETTO. «Paradise» (c.1578-79), Louvre
Museum, Paris. In: «Revelations - Art of the Apocalypse» (GRUBB, Nancy), Abeville Press
Publishers, 1997, p.136. Screen 12: PROVONSHA, Clyde. In: «Daniel 10-12:
Palestine and Probation's Close», G.C. Ministerial Association, 1976, p.1. Screen
13: In: «The Bible Story, volume 8» (MAXWELL, Arthur S.), Pacific Press
Publishing Association, 1956, p.182. Screen 14: CONVERSE, James. In:
«God Cares, volume 2» (MAXWELL, C.Mervyn), Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1985,
p.469. Screen 15: MONTERO, José Pérez. In: «The Children's Bible Story
Book» (DE GRAAF, Anne), Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1992, p.302. Screen 16: In:
«La Révélation - le grand dénouement est proche», New York, Watch Tower Bible and
Tract Society, 1988, p.233. Screen 17: JUSTINEN, Lars. In: «Signs of the
Times» magazine (August 2000), Pacific Press Publishing Association, p.25. Screen
18: CONVERSE, James. In: «God Cares, volume 2» (MAXWELL, C.Mervyn), Pacific
Press Publishing Association, 1985, p.496. Screen 19: In: «The
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Screen 20: HEASLIP, William. In: «The Bible Story, volume 10» (MAXWELL, Arthur
S.), Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1957, p.200. Screen 21: HEASLIP,
William. In: «The Bible Story, volume 10» (MAXWELL, Arthur S.), Pacific Press Publishing
Association, 1957, p.197. Table of Screen 21: WEST, Benjamin. «The
Destruction of the Beast and the False Prophet» (1804). Minneapolis Institute of Arts.
In: «Revelations - Art of the Apocalypse» (GRUBB, Nancy), Abeville Press Publishers,
1997, p.63. Screen 22: In: «The Bible for Children - Retold by Bridget
Hadaway & Jean Atcheson», London, Octopus Books Limited, 1973, p.189. Table
of Screen 22: REMMEY, Paul. In: «The Bible Story, volume 8» (MAXWELL, Arthur
S.), Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1956, p.188. Screen 23: AYRES,
Robert Temple. In: «The Triumph of God's Love, volume 2» (WHITE, Ellen G.), Pacific
Press Publishing Association and Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1950, p.340.
Screen 24: MORRIS, Tony. In: «Guideposts #41 - The Story of the Great Feast»
(FRANK, Penny), Lion Publishing, 1986, pp.16,17. Screen 25: REMMEY, Paul.
In: «The Bible Story, volume 9» (MAXWELL, Arthur S.), Pacific Press Publishing
Association, 1957, p.62. Screen 26: Photo by Betty Blue and Duane Tank.
In: «La Sentinelle» magazine (July 1990), Pacific Press Publishing Association, p.7.
Screen 27: In: «Adventist Review» (Unknown date). Advertisement for the church
program «Health, Healing, Hope». Screen 28: In: «The Watchtower»
magazine (March 15, 1988), New York, Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, p.1.
Screen 29: ZINGARO, Charles. In: «The Bible Story, volume 10» (MAXWELL, Arthur
S.), Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1957, p.153. Table of Screen 29: In:
«The Triumph of God's Love, volume 2» (WHITE, Ellen G.), Pacific Press Publishing
Association and Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1950, p.580. Screen 30: In:
«The Watchtower» magazine (October 1, 1988), New York, Watch Tower Bible and Tract
Society, p.8. Screen 31: RUDEEN, Herbert. In: «The Bible Story, volume
8» (MAXWELL, Arthur S.), Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1956, p.146.
Screen 32: PROVONSHA, Clyde. In: «God Cares, volume 2» (MAXWELL, C.Mervyn),
Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1985, p.506. Screen 33: ZINGARO,
Charles. In: «The Bible Story, volume 5» (MAXWELL, Arthur S.), Pacific Press Publishing
Association, 1957, p.152. Screen 34: Photo in: «Master Clips 500,000»
by IMSI, CD #16, SSGP6337.JPG.
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The test of Lesson 93 is waiting for you!