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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 honor to [God]: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife has made herself ready. (...)
Blessed are they which are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!
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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 is come, and His wife has made herself ready.
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2 Corinthians 11:2
I have espoused you to one Husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.
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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, which is God’s faithful Church, must first be cleansed and sanctified.
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Ephesians 5:25-27
Husbands, love your wives, even 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.
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In order to make His Church «holy and without blemish», Jesus calls 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 of Me gold tried in the fire, that you may be rich; and white raiment, that you may be clothed, and that the shame of your nakedness do not appear; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.
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Revelation 7:14
[They] have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
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In order that the Church, which is 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 that overcomes, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the Book of Life.» (Revelation 3:5)
«Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the Angel. And He answered and spoke to those that stood before Him, saying, “Take away the filthy garments from him.” And to him He said, “Behold, I have caused your iniquity to pass from you, and I will clothe you with change of raiment.”» (Zechariah 3:3,4)
«“The Lord, the God of Israel, said that He hates putting away: for one covers violence with his garment,” said the Lord of hosts: “therefore take heed to your spirit, that you deal not treacherously.”» (Malachi 2:16)
«Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that 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 to a certain king, which made a marriage for his son. (...)
When the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment.
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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
And [the king] said to him, «Friend, how came you in here not having a wedding garment?»
And he was speechless.
Then said the king to the servants,
«Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness, there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.»
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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
To two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.
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Revelation 3:5
He that overcomes, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the Book of Life, but I will confess his name before My Father, and before His angels.
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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 beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit. (...)
Thousand thousands ministered to Him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.
I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spoke.
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Revelation 3:5
I will confess his name before My Father, and before His angels.
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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 judgment was set, and the books were opened. (...)
Behold, One like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven.
And He came to the Ancient of days, and they brought Him near before Him.
And there was given Him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom.
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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 that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still.
And he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.
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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
Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened to ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. (...)
The bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.
Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, «Lord, Lord, open to us!»
But he answered and said, «Truly I say to you, I know you not.»
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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 loins be girded about, and your lights burning; and you yourselves like to men that wait for their Lord, 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 Lord when He comes shall find watching.
Truly I say to you, that He shall gird Himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them.
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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 was returned, having received the kingdom, then he commanded these servants to be called to him, to whom he had given the money, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading.
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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 great voice of much people in heaven, saying,
«Alleluia! Salvation, and glory, and honor, and power, to the Lord our God!
For true and righteous are His judgments: for He has judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and has avenged the blood of His servants at her hand.»
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The book of Revelation confirms this chronology.
Jesus’ reign is indeed proclaimed at the close of probation, when the seven vials 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, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunder, saying,
«Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns!» (...)
And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and He that sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He does judge and make war. (...)
And He has on His clothing and on His thigh a name written, «King of kings, and Lord of lords.»
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Once He has been proclaimed King of kings, Jesus will return, at the pouring out of the seventh vial, to gather His faithful people and destroy the wicked.
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Revelation 19:17,18,21
And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the middle of heaven,
«Come and gather yourselves together to the supper of the great God; that you may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.» (...)
[They] were slain with the sword of Him that sat on the horse, which sword proceeded out of His mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.
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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 remnant were slain with the sword of Him that sat on the horse, which sword proceeded out of His mouth.
And all the fowls were filled with their flesh.
And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years.
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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 shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first.
Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air.
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Matthew 25:6
And at midnight there was a cry made,
«Behold, the bridegroom comes; go you out to meet him!»
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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 honor to [God]: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife has made herself ready.» (...)
And he said to me, «Write, “Blessed are they which are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!”»
And he said to me, «These are the true sayings of God.»
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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 to a certain king, which made a marriage for his son, and sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come.
Again, he sent forth other servants, saying,
«Tell them which are bidden, “Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatted calves are killed, and all things are ready: come to the marriage.”»
But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise.
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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
And [Jesus] took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to [His disciples], saying,
«Drink you all of it; for this is My blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
But I say to you, I will not drink from now on of this fruit of the vine, until that Day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.»
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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 honor to Him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife has made herself ready.»
And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white.
For the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.
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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 are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast.
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to good works, which God has before ordained that we should walk in them.
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Let’s be clear: fine linen, which symbolizes the saints’ 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 there a man which had not on a wedding garment. (...)
Then said the king to the servants, «Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness, there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.»
For many are called, but few are chosen.
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Revelation 17:14
[The ten kings] shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for He is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with Him are called, and chosen, and faithful.
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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 loins be girded about, and your lights burning; and you yourselves like to men that wait for their Lord, 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 Lord when He comes shall find watching. (...)
Be you therefore ready also: for the Son of man comes at an hour when you think not.
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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 shall Michael stand up, the great Prince which stands for the children of your people.
And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time.
And at that time your people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the Book. (...)
They that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.
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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 from now on there shall no more come into you the uncircumcised and the unclean.
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Revelation 21:2
And I John saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
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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.
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Revelation 19:9
Blessed are they which are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!
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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 for ever; yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in loving kindness, and in mercies. I will even 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.
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