The Marriage supper of the Lamb - continued. Revelation 19:10-11.

 We are back to Revelation 19, praise God.

When we were there last, we finished with Revelation 19:9

Then he *said to me, "Write, 'Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.'" And he *said to me, "These are true words of God." (Revelation 19:9 NASB)

The man that ran the Monday morning men's Bible study would frequently talk about his excitement over the marriage supper of the Lamb, but he could and would not define what and where this marriage supper takes place. We religious folk are so embedded in conjecture and tradition, but not truth. So I decided to rock the man's boat one morning, by reminding him that Revelation 19:9 is the only place you will find this phrase “marriage supper of the Lamb” and is therefore not supported by scripture. The passages that follow actually describe a rather horrifying scene.

“Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried out with a loud voice, saying to all the birds which fly in mid-heaven, "Come, assemble for the great supper of God, so that you may eat the flesh of kings and the flesh of commanders and the flesh of mighty men and the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them and the flesh of all men, both free men and slaves and small and great.” (Revelation 19:17-18 NASB)

I read this and said, enjoy your meal.

Since that time I have found a passage that supports this idea of a marriage supper with the Lamb. It is rather exciting.

“The LORD of hosts will prepare a lavish banquet for all peoples on this mountain; A banquet of aged wine, choice pieces with marrow, And refined, aged wine.”
(Isaiah 25:6 NASB)

To read Isaiah 25:6, just as it is, is not very revealing because it is missing the context. Here is a larger portion that reveals when then this takes place.

“For You have been a defense for the helpless, A defense for the needy in his distress, A refuge from the storm, a shade from the heat; For the breath of the ruthless Is like a rainstorm against a wall. Like heat in drought, You subdue the uproar of aliens; Like heat by the shadow of a cloud, the song of the ruthless is silenced. The LORD of hosts will prepare a lavish banquet for all peoples on this mountain; A banquet of aged wine, choice pieces with marrow, And refined, aged wine. And on this mountain, He will swallow up the covering which is over all peoples, Even the veil which is stretched over all nations. He will swallow up death for all time, And the Lord GOD will wipe tears away from all faces, And He will remove the reproach of His people from all the earth; For the LORD has spoken. And it will be said in that day, "Behold, this is our God for whom we have waited that He might save us. This is the LORD for whom we have waited; Let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation.”
(Isaiah 25:4-9 NASB)

Wow! This is the day we long for. The nuggets in this passage are spread across the New Testament and the Revelation, and this is why these people in Revelation 19 are rejoicing. If you look at this one point at a time, you will see the events of Revelation 19.

• You subdue the uproar of aliens; Like heat by the shadow of a cloud, the song of the ruthless is silenced.

Answer me this;

In what ways will He subdue, or as Isaiah 13 tells us, punish the world for their iniquity?

“Thus I will punish the world for its evil And the wicked for their iniquity; I will also put an end to the arrogance of the proud And abase the haughtiness of the ruthless.”
(Isaiah 13:11 NASB)

Revelation 20 speaks to this very thing but it is stated in relation to the end of the thousand years.

Revelation 19, where we find Jesus coming back as the warring Messiah, is specifically about the time at the end of the time of wrath and the beginning of the millennial reign.

“And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems, and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty.”
(Revelation 19:11-15 NASB)

• “on this mountain He will swallow up the covering which is over all peoples, Even the veil which is stretched over all nations.”

“But their minds were hardened; for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remains unlifted, because it is removed in Christ. But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart; but whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.” 
(2 Corinthians 3:14-16 NASB)

From the moment Jesus touches down on the Mount of Olives, the veil will be lifted; but not just off the Jews, the nations too will have the veil lifted. If they have not sought out Jesus during the seven years of wrath, perhaps they will now.

• “ He will swallow up death for all time.”

1 Corinthians 15 almost requires you to understand that our spirits live on forever, and this changes our comprehension of what death is. Some will live eternally in the presence of the Father, while others will follow their leader to a perpetual burning hell.

“And when this perishable puts on the imperishable and this that was capable of dying puts on freedom from death, then shall be fulfilled the Scripture that says, Death is swallowed up (utterly vanquished forever) in and unto victory.” 
(1 Corinthians 15:54 AMPC)

2 Corinthians explains that we will be clothed with a heavenly body.

“For we will put on heavenly bodies; we will not be spirits without bodies. While we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh, but it’s not that we want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us. Rather, we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life. God himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee he has given us his Holy Spirit.” (2 Corinthians 5:3-5 NLT)

• “the Lord GOD will wipe tears away from all faces,”

“Those who have been ransomed by the LORD will return. They will enter Jerusalem singing, crowned with everlasting joy. Sorrow and mourning will disappear, and they will be filled with joy and gladness.” 
(Isaiah 51:11 NLT)

Moving on.

(Revelation 19:10 NLT) “Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said, “No, don’t worship me. I am a servant of God, just like you and your brothers and sisters who testify about their faith in Jesus. Worship only God. For the essence of prophecy is to give a clear witness for Jesus.”

While I am not sure how important it is, but this one who spoke to John is of the body of Christ. Remember that we, the church are appareled in a particular manner and that we are given a crown; just as the 24 elders apparently were.

Revelation 2:10 tells us that we are given the crown of life. And 1 Peter 5:4 states,

“And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.” (NASB)

The elders are described in this manner.

Around the throne were twenty-four thrones; and upon the thrones, I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white garments, and golden crowns on their heads. 
(Revelation 4:4 NASB)

I mentioned the crown but I did not mention the white garments.

'But you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their garments; and they will walk with Me in white, for they are worthy. 
(Revelation 3:4 NASB)

If you are anything like me, then you have had a discussion in your head that goes a bit like this, I soiled my garments. There is a solution for that and we find it in Jesus. By the way, there is nothing you can do to resolve this on your own, except of course to turn away from your sins and run to Jesus. Jesus did all this work on the cross because we could not.

“so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.” 
(Ephesians 5:26-27 NASB)

We are cleansed because we are washed by His Word. He did this so that He could present to Himself the church, with No spots, No wrinkles, and that we would be holy and blameless. I am stunned by this statement.

One of the things people struggle with is the gifts of the Spirit, prophecy in particular. If you could give an honest assessment of why some run around the country verbalizing words they feel is prophetic, you would find it is because they want the power that seems to be associated with that gift.

Revelation 19:10 tells us where the heart of prophecy is found.

“... the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” (NASB)

According to Webster's dictionary, testimony is defined as,

“A solemn declaration or affirmation made for the purpose of establishing or proving some fact. Such affirmation in judicial proceedings,may be verbal or written, but must be under oath. Testimony differs from evidence; testimony is the declaration of a witness, and evidence is the effect of that declaration on the mind, or the degree of light which it affords.”

So, our speaking about Jesus, giving testimony to what He has done in our lives, is a prophecy in its simplest form. Don't make a big deal out of prophecy, merely live it.

Here comes the best part, Jesus.

Revelation 19:11 NASB “And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war.”

My father asked me, why don't you use the KJV?

Dr. Chuck Missler used to say, every translation has its issues, it's just that the KJV's are well documented. So we just have to be diligent and perceptive enough to allow the Holy Spirit to direct us to one that most closely conveys the heart of the Father. And do not be afraid to use passages from newer versions, such as the NLT or the NET bible, as they may say it better.

Let me show you a major problem that shows its ugly head here in the King James Version of 2 Thessalonians 2:3.

2 Thessalonians 2:3 KJV  “Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;”

What is the “that day” in this passage referring to?

Christ's return for His church and the revealing of the antichrist. But the way they stated the situation, the horrendous falling away of the church AND the revealing of the antichrist must come first before Jesus can take the church back home to Himself. If you are not aware that a falling away has taken place then you have been living under a rock.

Why is the KJV a problem?

Because the state church – the Catholic church, saw that people were leaving and going to the more recent Protestant church. Having influence, and a king who was invested in the Catholic church, they pressured the king for a  rewrite that would convey their disdain for those leaving the state church, and thus we got the KJV.

Well, what did 2 Thessalonians 2:3 read like originally?

One of the first bibles available was the Geneva translation 1587, and it read like this.

2 Thessalonians 2:3 Geneva (3) “Let no man deceiue you by any meanes: for that day shall not come, except there come a departing first, and that that man of sinne be disclosed, euen the sonne of perdition,”

Here, in the Geneva translation, the phrase reads “for that day shall not come, unless there come a departing first. The Word Study Dictionary conveys this about the word apostasia. The primary word to define apostasia is to depart. A Departure. Does apostasia also cover the word apostasy? Certainly, it does, but it is NOT the primary definition.

Even if the Geneva bible has peculiar spellings, like the KJV, the fact that the KJV did not come on the scene until 1769, almost two hundred years later, should say something to you about our ability to perceive it as being more valid. When someone like the YouTube evangelist Robert Breaker, makes a statement such as it is the authorized version, he is ignoring the fact that the KJV was authorized after pressure from the state-run church – the Catholic church, to manipulate the masses.

Let me add one more thing.

If you choose to hold tightly to the KJV because it was “authorized,” then what do you do with this piece of information, only a few verses later, that conflicts with verse 3, and emphasizes that “he”, the church, must be taken out of the way before the antichrist can come.?

2 Thessalonians 2:7-8 KJV  “For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.  (8)  And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:”

• “he who now lets”

This is the church. Many feel this is the Holy Spirit; I know this because I have heard it repeatedly. It is NOT the Holy Spirit, as the Holy Spirit continues to move upon the face of the earth just as He moved upon the face of the waters in Genesis.

As I wrote these words I got a picture of the 120+ disciples, waiting in the upper room and receiving the baptism in the Holy Spirit. (Look at these verses in Acts 1:14-15 and you will see that the group had grown.)

The Holy Spirit – the comforter, did not force Himself upon them, and they, like everybody else, had to receive Him.

One more argument that needs to be put aside.

When you received Jesus you received the Holy Spirit.

Ah, but are you aware of that?

Ephesians 1:13 MKJV  in whom also you, hearing the Word of Truth, the gospel of our salvation, in whom also believing, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,

That promise is the assurance of our salvation – which happens with the rapture of the church and is placed within our hearts.

2 Corinthians 1:22 MKJV  And He has sealed us and having given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.

Are you aware that God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are ONE?

Colossians 2:8-10 MKJV  Beware lest anyone rob you through philosophy and vain deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the elements of the world, and not according to Christ.  (9)  For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.  (10)  And you are complete in Him, who is the Head of all principality and power,

So, did you choose to receive Jesus, then you received the Holy Spirit. They are the same in that they all convey the character and nature of the Father, and yet, each is different in appearance.

John 14:16-17 MKJV  "And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, so that He may be with you forever,  (17)  the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive because it does not see Him nor know Him. But you know Him, for He dwells with you and shall be in you."

Most people fear the flamboyant shows of display put on by people and therefore fear that the Holy Spirit will do that to them. Calm down.

Let me ask you a question. Do you drink too much, take off your clothes, and dance on tables with a lampshade on your head?

If your answer is no, then you are not one of those people who have the inward desire to do something outlandish and are just looking for an excuse to act out.

I need you to know that the Holy Spirit, is a gentleman, will NOT make you do anything. People who do such things are waiting for something that will allow their inhibitions to drop and, therefore, revel in the momentary freedom that promotes displaying themselves in bizarre manners.

To be honest, I so wish I could dance. I have danced freely, with my arms lifted in praise to God, twice in my life. The only thing that gave me this freedom was the fact that no one was watching. It felt glorious and liberating, as I danced before the Lord.

So, when the church is removed the Holy Spirit is not removed. The fact that people will continue to be drawn to the Lord is evidence that the Holy Spirit is still here, drawing them to the Father.

• “will be taken out of the way.”

We already saw this in the word apostasia – departure.

Where are we going?

Jesus, will come in the clouds and with the blast of shofars call us back to Himself. We are His, and a part of His body, did you NOT know this?

The Rider on a White Horse

The former President of Iraq, Saddam Hussein, believed that there was only one true passage in the Bible and Revelation 19:11 is the one. He believed this because he was confident that it spoke of himself. Unfortunately, he was hanged by the Iraqis for his war crimes, which were many, and that dream did not come to pass. The passage is declaring Jesus Christ as the warring Messiah, the one who is Faithful.

Revelation 19:11 MKJV  And I saw Heaven opened. And behold a white horse! And He sitting on him was called Faithful and True. And in righteousness, He judges and makes war.

He keeps His word and is, therefore, faithful

Psalms 89:35-37 MKJV  Once I have sworn by My holiness that I will not lie to David.  (36)  His seed shall endure forever, and his throne as the sun before Me.  (37)  It shall be established forever like the moon, and like a faithful witness in the heavens. Selah.

When I use scriptures as a faithful witness I typically use at least two passages. I like to use one from both sides of the cross; you know, the Old Testament where they originated and the New Testament where Jesus fulfilled the law – that is the same law that happens to be written on your heart, whether you like it or not.

“And in righteousness He judges and makes war.”

Righteousness implies all we call justice, honesty, and virtue, with holy affections. This is who God is. So God judges based upon His moral standard, and, He also makes war based upon this same moral standard.