Recall that the Vatican is burning to the ground at Revelation 17 and 18, it’s being destroyed. During that time, up in heaven, we have the image of God and saints enjoying the marriage supper.
The question on people’s minds is the timing of the marriage supper of the Lamb. We don’t know how long it would take place. Some people say that it will be lasting the entire tribulation and we’ll be feasting, that’s why we cannot go through the tribulation.
When does the marriage supper of the Lamb take place?
This is what the pastor proposes: it is definitely during the timeline of the tribulation. However, God is going to come down after that and He’ll be continuing the marriage supper. The continuation is a possibility.
There are some Bible-believing preachers who teach that the marriage supper of the lamb does not occur up in heaven, they believe that it will occur during the Millennium. Their arguments for this is because of the book of Matthew or in other passages in scripture where Jesus says that there are people who are able to invade the marriage feast, who tried to come inside when they weren’t invited. This does not like going up to heaven, this sounds more earthly where they can invade. This is why they teach that the marriage supper of the lamb can continue or it will begin during the Millennium.
This is what the pastor believes. Within eschatology, it’s such a deep doctrine so we’re going to hear a lot of different viewpoints from different Bible-believing preachers but we mainly agree on the main fundamentals such as pre-tribulation rapture, the restoration of the nation of Israel, and dispensational salvation.
The pastor cannot doubt that there are passages that look like the marriage supper continues on the earth, but that’s his answer, is that it is continuing. This is only a theory.
The summary of the timeline during the tribulation for the church
In heaven, we know that it is divided by the frozen deep, that’s the one that separates from the universe down to the earth. We know that this is known as the sea of glass which is the floor of heaven from Revelation 4 and 5.
When we go up at the rapture, it’s before the timeline of the tribulation. We also believe in another rapture and it is known as a post-tribulation rapture or mid-tribulation rapture, doesn’t matter what you call it, but the point is there is another rapture in the tribulation. The second rapture is the rapture for tribulation saints.
Above, there is a judgment that occurs simultaneously. This judgment is known as the Judgment Seat of Christ where Christians will be judged for their works and when they are judged for their works, God will determine what kind of reward they will receive.
Then we have the marriage supper of the Lamb which occurs up in heaven (pastor’s theory) but when Jesus Christ comes down, He continues the marriage supper and the pastor believes it’s a ‘thousand-year honeymoon’ during the Millennium.
Before the timeline of the tribulation, when the church gets raptured up to heaven, they will be enjoying their mansions in glory for a while.
So basically the timeline is:
1. (Church) rapture
2. Church enjoys mansions up in heaven
3. Judgment seat of Christ (church)
4. Wedding occurs
5. The tribulation saints are going to eventually join when they get raptured
6. God’s going to come down at the second advent
So now the question is, what are the verses supporting this?
Revelation 19:7 “Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.”
God is saying, let’s be happy, glad, and rejoice. Let’s praise the Lord together.
We have to give honor to God because He is well worthy.
Here’s the reason why we rejoice:
The Lamb, Jesus Christ, His wedding is here.
The wife of Jesus Christ had prepared herself, made herself ready.
Who is the wife of Jesus Christ?
Ephesians 5:22-23 “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.”
Notice that the wife of the Lord Jesus Christ, the bride of Christ, is the church. Some of the hyper-dispensationalists teach that the bride of the Lord Jesus Christ is referring to Jews rather than the Christian church but that is not true.
Notice in verse 22, this is a relationship of a wife to a husband. Look at this parallel, wife and husband, in verse 23. The husband and wife relationship is a relationship between Jesus Christ and the church.
Ephesians 5:32 “This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.”
This is a great mystery, speaking of the relationship with husband and wife at verse 31, but it’s speaking concerning Christ and the church. It can’t be plainer than that, the Christian church is the wife of the Lord Jesus Christ.
How does the wife of the Lamb prepare herself?
In Revelation 19:7, it says that ‘his wife hath made herself ready’, she went through something to prepare herself. That’s important, she did something herself, she worked something herself. That’s work, that’s effort.
Revelation 19:8 “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.”
The church was granted with fine linen, fine clothes that are clean (that’s the opposite of unclean), white. These fine clothes that she’s arrayed in are not the righteousness of Christ, it’s her own righteousness. The Christian’s own righteousness is necessary because they’re done some kind of preparation by themselves for the wedding.
If Paul said that you got to prepare yourself, that’s work. And fine linen equals the righteousness of saints, that’s definitely your own work.
Ephesians 5:26-27 “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.”
John 17:17 “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.”
This is similar to Ephesians 5. Is the Bible keeping us in the present sanctification, a present cleansing? Yes, look at John 17:17.
That’s why we stress so much about 100% truth and right doctrine, that’s why we stressed so much about churches having to teach 100% truth. If they teach errors, they have to be called out and fixed because our righteousness depends on it, we have to prepare ourselves.
Salvation and Sanctification are separate
The confusion people are thinking is salvation.
Salvation is founded on the righteousness of Jesus Christ, not our own righteousness. Notice that this sanctification process is talking about our present, current daily sanctification. It’s not talking about our past sanctification which is based on the work of Jesus Christ.
Do not mingle the work of Jesus Christ with your work.
Do not mingle your righteousness with Christ’s righteousness.
Do not mingle your salvation with your Christian walk, with your relationship walk (your relationship status as husband and wife).
The idea is that no matter how much the wife mistreats the husband, the wife is still the husband’s wife.
Our salvation is secured no matter what because it’s based on Christ’s work, not our work, so you cannot lose salvation. However, the relationship between the two can be bad because the wife can mistreat, abuse, or not be fair with the husband.
The wife and husband relationship can be sour, their walk can be sour, their fellowship can be sour, and that’s why the wife has to do her work herself, her efforts to keep the relationship level good.
Do you see a distinction now? The difference between salvation and Christian walk and fellowship? Past sanctification with present sanctification? That’s important to understand.
That’s why it’s important to have the right doctrine. If people water down right doctrine then you don’t have a good relationship with God. There are people who sincerely love Jesus and God; the Bible says if you truly love Jesus, you’ll keep His words.
That’s why it’s important if you truly love Jesus Christ, you got to live by the Bible.