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The
Marriage Supper Of The Lamb
Revelation Nineteen
All the hosts of heaven gave
God glory for judging the great whore and avenging the blood of His saints. The
mighty shout from heaven was, "Hallelujah," which means praise the
Lord! God was praised for His splendor, majesty, power, dominion and authority.
He was likewise praised because of His condemnation and punishment of that evil
harlot.
Revelation nineteen pictured
the marriage of the Lamb and His bride. God's people were to celebrate and give
glory to Him because the marriage of the Lamb had come at last. His bride was
prepared for Him and so now was a time to celebrate and ascribe to Him glory
and honor. His glorious bride was dressed in the righteous acts of the saints.
Just, godly, and upright conduct makes a beautiful garment for one to cloth
himself with. Blessed are those that are called to the marriage supper of the
Lamb.
John saw heaven opened, and
Jesus, the Word of God, appeared in majesty and splendor. His eyes are like a
flame of fire, and on His head are many crowns. He is dressed in a robe dipped
in blood. He is called is The Word of God. He has a name inscribed, KING OF
KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. Jesus is trustworthy, loyal and true. He wages war in
righteousness. He overthrows the mighty men of the earth because of their
wickedness.
The beast, the false prophet,
and the kings of the earth, gather together to make war with the King of Kings
and they are utterly destroyed by Him. Those that had led people astray from
God were hurled alive into the fiery lake that burns with brimstone. The wicked
are utterly overthrown by the almighty.
The triumphant song of
angels – Revelation 19:1-4: The rejoicing over the fall of the great
harlot continued. There was a great shout as from many people in heaven that
together praised the Lord for His majesty, dominion and authority. The shout
was "Hallelujah." Hallelujah means praise the Lord! He was praised
because salvation, glory, splendor, majesty, power, dominion and authority
belong to our God! God was praised because of His judgment against the great
whore that had corrupted the earth with her
fornication. She had corrupted and
demoralized and poisoned the earth with her lewdness and adultery.
Those in heaven rejoiced
because the Almighty God had avenged the blood of His saints at that hand of
the harlot. They had prayed to God for vengeance and now their prayers had been
heard and answered. A great part of the rejoicing had to do with the fact that
this was a forever judgment against this evil force. The smoke of her burning
shall continue to ascend through the eternity. The twenty-four elders and the
four living creatures gave their approval to what had happened by falling
prostrate and worshipping God.
The marriage
supper of the Lamb – Revelation 19:5-10: All in heaven, from the lowest saint to the highest angel are called
upon to praise God. The message from this great multitude in heaven was,
"Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth." This heavenly multitude
rejoiced and shouted for joy because "the marriage of the Lamb has come,
and His bride has prepared herself."
The Jewish wedding consisted
of: (1) a betrothal, (2) a period where the man and woman still lived apart,
but were recognized as married, and (3) the marriage feast or consummation. At
the consummation of the marriage God's bride is permitted to dress in fine
linen that represents the righteous deeds, and conduct of God's holy people.
Those that are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb are blessed. John was
instructed to write, "Blessed are those who are invited or called to the
marriage supper of the Lamb."
In a moment of being
overwhelmed at this awesome scene John made a tragic mistake. He fell down to
worship the angel. The heavenly messenger was quick to tell him to refrain from
any such. The angel identified himself as just, "another servant with you
and your brethren." The angel said, "worship God: for the testimony
of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy."
The victorious Lamb of God
– Revelation 9:11-18: The focus of these verses is on the one that gave
the victory over the harlot and the beasts. The Lamb of God is pictured as
ridding on a white horse which is a symbol of victory. He is called Faithful
and True, and He passed judgment in uprightness. His
eyes blazed like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had
crowns because of His authority or right to rule. He is called is The Word of
God. His garment is dipped in blood.
Out of the mouth of the
victorious Lamb goes forth a sharp sword with which He can smite the nations.
His name is KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. He is the one that conquered all
the enemies of the saints.
Observe the respect shown to
God and the Christ in Revelation nineteen. He is called: (1) the Lord our God,
(2) the Lord God omnipotent, (3) the Lamb, (4) Faithful and True, (5) The Word
of God, (6) Almighty God, (7) KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS, and (8) the
great God. Our world would be much better if we would learn to hold the Almighty
in the highest of esteem!
The fall of the two
wicked beasts – Revelation 19:19-21: We have waited to see the war
between the Lamb and the beasts and now it is all over. The beasts were ready
for the war, but they were totally unable to fight against the Lamb. The beast
and the false prophet were seized and overpowered. Those lead astray by the
false prophet were stamped with the number 666. Now they are all hurled alive
into the fiery lake that burns and blazes with brimstone.
Revelation
Christians who overcome the
sorrows and tribulations of life will ultimately be in the very presence of
God, and shall participate in the joys of heaven forever. The blood of the Lamb
and the joy awaiting the redeemed should motivate us to obey God quickly. Those
who obey the gospel are washed in the precious blood of Jesus. To obey the
gospel one must hear the salvation message (Romans
- - - - Charles Box
News & Notes
1. Prayer List:
2. Baptized Into
Christ: We welcome Vickie Clark into the both of Christ. Her children
are Tyler and BreAnna. Her address is
3. Remember To
Pray: Alan Jackson needs our prayers as he serves in
4. A House Fire: Howard and
Peggy Lofton, parents of Jeannie Jackson had a house fire and lost everything.
Also living in the same house were Jeannie’s brother and sister-in-law.
Anything you can do to help is appreciated. A list is on the bulletin board of
cloth sizes.
5. Young Adult Fellowship: Our
February fellowship is being hosted by Dixie & Stacey Black. It will be
February 25th at
6. Web Site: Our new web
address is: www.walnutstreetchurchofchrist.org. Updates are frequently being
made, so visit it often.
7. Weekly Budget For 2006:
Our Elders announced that our budget for 2006 is $6,117.87 per week. God
blesses us richly. Let us give generously!
8. Birthdays: Celebrating
birthdays this week are: February 20th Al Brannon,
February
21st Jeannie Jackson and February 23rd Ed
Bagents.
9. Sorry About
That: Jimmy Walker’s name was left off of the February calendar. His
birthday was February 18th. Sorry about that Jimmy! We pray that you
had a happy birthday.
10. Area Events: (a) February 19th – Strata
Church of Christ, Lapine – Speaker Mel Futrell – Time Bible Class 10:00 a.m., morning worship
11:00 a.m., Area Wide Third Sunday Singing 2:30 p.m. and evening service 4:00
p.m. (b) February 19th-22nd
– Gospel Meeting – Liberty Church of Christ, Pintlala
– Speaker: Jimmy Mathews – Time: Sunday Bible Class 9:00 a.m., Worship Services
10:00 a.m. & 7:30 p.m. and week nights 7:30 p.m. (c) February 19th-22nd – Gospel Meeting –
Evergreen Church of Christ – Speaker Richard O’Connor - Time Sunday 9:00 a.m. Bible Study and Worship
10:00 a.m. & 1:00 p.m., Weeknights 7:00 p.m. (d) March 6th-9th – Faulkner University’s 62nd
Annual Bible Lectureship – Theme: “Surviving the Storms of Life” – See bulletin
board for speakers and others details. (e)
March 26th-30th – Fortieth Annual Lectureship –
11.
A Good Name
When I was 9 years old, on Arbor Day (a special day dedicated to tree planting
and increasing awareness of the importance of trees), I had received a White Ash
sapling at school. When I came home, my granddaddy, Bert Powell, took me outside
and helped me plant it in the front yard. I was so excited about the possibility that something I planted would be there for
perhaps hundreds of years. 17 years later, that tree is still one of the first
things I look for when I visit. But, in a way, we all leave something behind us
everywhere we go that remains long after we’re gone.
“A good name is to be chosen rather than
great riches, and favor is better than silver or gold” (Prov 22:1). A person’s
good name is something to be cherished and protected. It is not determined by
wealth, fame, or power, but by the uprightness and decency with which one lives
his or her life. A good name goes deeper than appearances. For, a good name
among men, that only disguises the ugly reality of who you really are, is
worthless. After all, we show our true colors while no one is around to see
them. A good name, though it will follow us wherever we go, also remains behind
as a monument to who we are.
But how does
one develop a good name? Several of Jesus’ opening remarks in His Sermon on the
Mount may help us. One of those statements points out that it’s not the rich
and mighty that will “inherit the earth,” but the meek (Mt 5:5). The humble
spirit described here will help a person to live in “abundant peace” (Psa 37:11). Meekness is a component of a good name. Jesus
also said, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy” (Mt 5:7).
Mercy can only help to establish one’s good name. Jesus said, “Blessed are the
peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God” (Mt 5:9). I’ve met men in
the county jail who take pride in their ability to stir up contention between
others. But a good name results from instigating peace.
These few words barely prick the surface of the wealth of instructions that the Bible contains. The Word is our guidebook to making our names worthy both before men and the Creator of all. What kind of name are you making for yourself?
- - - - Darrell Powell
Little things are great things when they are done for God.
Don’t just own a Bible; read it!
(334-382-3001)