The Wedding of the Lamb (Revelation 15)

In the Netherlands a couple with wedding plans first engage to be married. In the USA before the actual wedding all people present are asked if somebody has objections against the marriage: ‘let him speak now, or for ever hold his peace’ (ref. Rev. 19:1-10)

A Fairy-tale
The same happens in Revelation. The community is the fiancée of the Lord Jesus Christ, but then a false bride stands up. This woman us unmasked as an impure whore who has forfeited all claims on the wedding and ‘now for ever holds her peace’. The wedding can begin. But then there appears to be an army of jealous enemies. However they are also defeated, when the wedding couple goes on a 1000 year honeymoon, enjoying the peace and quietness. All’s well that ends well. Just like a fairy tale…
But Revelation is not a book of fairy tales. It is a call from God’s heart to His community to be light in the lost world, and salt of the earth. A triumphing community, a bride who prepares herself to meet the Bridegroom. (ref. 2Col.11:2, Ef.5:24-32, Rev.17-18, Matth.5:13-16)

The bride gets herself ready
The three verses about the wedding is used by God to tell two things. The first thing is that the bride is dressed with the benefactions of the holy. The second is that an invitation is gone out for the wedding meal.
These two things are exactly the assignment of the community of Jesus Christ. God so loves the world and hands out invitation cards for the wedding of His Son to his community to share with everybody who want s to come and celebrate. The ‘holy’ are thereby abundant in benefactions. (ref. Matth.28:19, Rev.21:6, 22:17, Rev. 19:8, 1Col.15:58, Ti2:14, Ef.2:10)

The fine linen
Every benefaction of you and me is a separate wire in our wedding gown. Each wire is taken by God and woven as fine linen. Every personal contribution counts. In our church we have 10 “Values” of which the first five are:
Discipleship, Loving Relationships, Evangelization, Spiritual Gifts and Stewardship. These reflect our personal devotion to God. That is logical, because which bride doesn’t take her wedding dress seriously?

The beauty parlor of life
In the final weeks before the wedding every woman is busy with her bride dress and how she will look like. As community of Christ we also get this time to prepare for the wedding in the beauty parlor of life. New opportunities to invite people, new challenges for benefactions. Does God long for Christian activism? No, but God longs for active touched Christians who walk in good deeds, which God already prepared. For this purpose God created us. That is what God does for us. But also the Lord Jesus is active to cleanse and consecrate his bride, to take away every stain, every wrinkle, so that we will then stand shining before Him.
(Ref. Ef.2:10, Ef.5:25-27)

Imagine…
Everything that we must do is give Him all opportunity and room for letting Him do His work in us. And here is the big question for all of us: Which place does He really have in our life? What priority? There was a moment that also Paul had to answer this question. A practical way to image your devotion is answering the question “What may it cost to me?”
In your private room give yourself an honest answer on that question and then you have a reasonable indication what temperature your devotion for Jesus Christ will be.

Imagine what it means for our personal religious life and for the community, when we all would accept Paul’s statement in our hearts: “But none of these things move me, neither do I count my life dear to myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus Christ, to testify fully the gospel of the grace of God (Acts 20:24).

(ref: translation of ED0103, lecture summaries EBG "Het Baken" 2003)