The Wedding Supper of the Lamb (Revelation): The return of Christ—envisioned by John as the wedding supper of the Lamb—will mark the start of the perfect, loving union of Christ and his bride, the church, going on forever. Idolatry is the battle for your heart. And the steady pull on our hearts toward misdirected worship is a real temptation in our current age. But the Wedding Supper of the Lamb will finally bring an end to the battle for your heart. Hallelujah! Recorded on Jul 26, 2026, on Revelation 19:1-10 by Pastor David Parks.
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This sermon is part of the Revelation: All Things Made New series. Christians live in incredible tension. In Christ, we’re already saved, but we’re not yet delivered from this broken world. We’re being made holy, but we’re not yet perfected. We have love, joy, and peace, but we still long for justice, healing, and the death of death. How can we endure all this without giving in to complacency or compromise? In our series, we’ll pull back the veil of reality, exposing both a cosmic spiritual battle and the truth about how this story ends. One day, Jesus will return and bring a final end to evil. He will defeat his enemies and vindicate his people, wiping away every tear. Jesus will finally, fully establish his kingdom on the earth, making everything new. “Yes, I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!
Sermon Transcript
This past week, my wife, Holly, and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary, which was so fun. We celebrated big earlier this year with a special vacation, just the two of us. So we just had a nice dinner together this past week. And we’ve had our ups and downs over the years, just like anyone. But a good marriage is such a gift. As the proverb says, “A wife of noble character is her husband’s crown” (Pr 12:4). That’s definitely Holly. But even more importantly, a Christ-centered marriage can be a picture to a watching world of the relationship between Christ and his bride, the church—a point that I’ve made many times in officiating dozens of weddings over the years. Well, today, we’re continuing our series on the book of Revelation called All Things Made New. And today, we’ll consider that great and joyful day at the return of Christ, when the people of God will enjoy the wedding supper of the Lamb. In our series, we’ve seen some wild images, symbolic names/numbers, beasts, and more, but these are all part of the apocalyptic literary style, popular in their day. Of course, the image of a wedding feast is an easier image for us to understand than a demonic beast or the bowls of judgment. But the purpose of these images is to pull back the veil of reality, revealing, from a spiritual perspective, why the world is how it is today and where all this is headed. And while it’s very encouraging to consider that future celebration, we’re also reminded that the battle for your heart and worship rages on in this current age. But rest assured: The Wedding Supper of the Lamb will finally bring an end to the battle for your heart. And this is very good news. So, if you have a Bible/app, please open to Rev 19:1. I confess, after preaching through multiple exceedingly complicated chapters over the last few weeks, I am very glad to only have 10 verses today. Hallelujah! Let’s jump right in.
Revelation 19:1–5 (NIV), “1 After this I heard what sounded like the roar of a great multitude in heaven shouting: “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, 2 for true and just are his judgments. He has condemned the great prostitute who corrupted the earth by her adulteries. He has avenged on her the blood of his servants.” 3 And again they shouted: “Hallelujah! The smoke from her goes up for ever and ever.” 4 The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God, who was seated on the throne. And they cried: “Amen, Hallelujah! 5 Then a voice came from the throne, saying: “Praise our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, both great and small!” Ok! So we have a little call-and-response-style worship going on here. The Apostle John hears “the roar of a great multitude in heaven.” Now in Revelation, the great multitude represents all the believers throughout all of time—people saved “from every nation, tribe, people and language” (Re 7:9). And what are the people of God doing? They’re shouting “Hallelujah!” and the heavenly court responds back with “Amen, Hallelujah!” But what does this mean? Well, the word hallelujah comes from a Hebrew phrase that simply means “Praise the Lord!” It can either be an exclamation of worship (Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!) or an invitation to praise the Lord. The Psalms are full of hallelujahs. But why is everyone praising the Lord? What’s the occasion of their worship? The first two hallelujahs praise God for the destruction of Babylon, which we considered last week. Babylon, personified as a woman who seduces the nations and kingdoms of the earth with her promise of political power and economic prosperity, while “drunk with the blood of God’s holy people” (Re 17:6) — a grotesque but helpful image revealing why the world is how it is today. Chapter 18 pronounced a threefold woe in her ruin, while chapter 19 offers a threefold hallelujah from God’s people. Her destructive influence has come to an end; praise the Lord! You might remember, back in chapter 6, during the opening of the fifth seal, John saw the souls of those who had been slain for their faith in Jesus. “They called out in a loud voice, ‘How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?’” (Re 6:10). They were given white robes to wear and told to wait a little longer. But here, at the dawning of the age to come, the Lord has avenged on Babylon “the blood of his servants.” In that great day of the Lord, they won’t have to wait any longer. One of the main themes of this book is that the Lord is patient, not wanting anyone to perish, but do not be deceived: one day, justice will be done. The enemies of God will receive what they deserve, and the people of God, including those who were persecuted and martyred, will be vindicated. Now, it appears that we still need to wait with patient endurance. But we’re on God’s time, and his Day will surely come. But the people of God are not shouting their hallelujahs only for the downfall of Babylon. Because this Day also marks the dawning of the age to come, “When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.” (Col 3:4). The much more important reason for worship and praise is the start of this perfect, loving union of Christ and his bride, going on forever. We see this as we continue.
Revelation 19:6-9 (NIV), “6 Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: “Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. 7 Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. 8 Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.” (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people.) 9 Then the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” And he added, “These are the true words of God.” The third hallelujah of the great multitude is for the reestablishment of the Lord’s reign over the earth and for the wedding of the Lamb. God is, of course, the sovereign Lord over all today. But this world, influenced by the devil, is in rebellion against God. The reign of God is often rejected with disdain, not welcomed with rejoicing. But one day, the Lamb of God, that is, Jesus Christ, will fully and actively reign on the earth. So “that at the name of Jesus every knee [will] bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue [will] acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Php 2:10–11). And that’s worth a hallelujah. But also, the age to come is the start of the perfect, loving union of Christ and his bride, going on forever. In the OT, marriage was often a metaphor for the relationship between God and his people. There are many passages that describe God as a husband and the Israelites as his bride. Also, as I said last week, adultery was used as a sometimes shocking analogy for the Israelites’ unfaithfulness to God. When they worshipped other gods, they were cheating on him. In the NT, Jesus taught a number of wedding parables where he is the groom. But why is marriage used as this kind of metaphor? Well, I think for a number of reasons, but I’ll give you three. First, marriage is a universal analogy; anyone would understand that a marriage relationship ideally represents an intimate, loving relationship, which is the kind of relationship that God intended to have with his people. You might say: to love and to cherish, to have and to hold from this day forward, which sounds a lot like to love the Lord your God with your heart, soul, mind, and strength. Second, both the relationship between God and his people and the relationship between a husband and wife are covenantal. A covenant relationship is one where you commit up front, come what may, to two becoming united as one—for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health. In the same way, the love of God is unconditional. He has committed up front, come what may, from before the creation of the world, to work “for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Ro 8:28). Jesus was willing to die on the cross to save us long before we could do a single thing to earn it. Third, this relationship between God and his people, just as in marriage, was always intended to last forever, till death us do part. Now, marriages do come to an end when a spouse passes away, but our relationship with God will never come to an end. The book of Revelation (and the whole rest of the Bible) teaches that for the Christian, in death, our souls live on in the presence of the Lord, until the resurrection at the return of Christ. But then, “in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet…the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. 54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” (1 Co 15:52–55). Can I get a hallelujah?! No wonder God’s people are singing and shouting and causing this holy ruckus. John envisions the church dressed in radiant, fine linen. This is an image of their good works, “the righteous acts of God’s holy people,” done before death. In his famous passage on marriage, the Apostle Paul writes, Ephesians 5:25–27 (NIV), “25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.” These robes of righteousness are described as both gifts from God and as the righteous acts of God’s people. And you might wonder, well, is it God empowering us to do these good works or is it our responsibility to do these things ourselves? And the answer is that two have become one. It’s both God’s sovereign provision and our faithful obedience working hand in hand. It’s the love of God for us and our love for him in return. V. 9 gives us the fourth of seven blessings in the book of Revelation. “Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” The blessings of Revelation bounce between being blessings for now and blessings for the age to come, which is exactly what Revelation does, speaking to both now and later. But it’s hard to imagine a better blessing than to be perfected, resurrected, unconditionally loved, and clothed with righteousness and immortality. But in Christ, this is your future. Now, in case this seems too good to be true, this part of the vision ends with a pronouncement that this isn’t just wishful thinking and this isn’t just John’s opinion of what might happen at the end of time—the angel said, “These are the true words of God.” This is God’s word. This is God’s promise of what is to come. What overwhelmingly good news! What good news for John, an apostle in exile for his faith, facing the end of his life separated from his friends and family. What good news for the seven churches of Revelation, scattered around modern Turkey, facing the twin dangers of complacency and compromise, as well as the pressure of persecution and even martyrdom for their faith. What good news for us today, when following Jesus is far from easy. What good news it is to remember that we know how the story ends: Christ wins over Satan, sin, death, and hell. And we will live forever with him in a whole world of love. These are the true words of God. Doesn’t this vision of this future day and all these hallelujahs make you want to worship now? I would hope so! How was John feeling when he saw all of this??
Revelation 19:10 (NIV), “10 At this I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers and sisters who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For it is the Spirit of prophecy who bears testimony to Jesus.” This is God’s word. Wait, what just happened? In response to this incredible and triumphant vision of the wedding supper of the Lamb, did John misdirect his worship to an angel instead of God, to the messenger, not the One who the message was about? It appears so. The angel rebuked him, saying, “Don’t do that!” — only God is worthy of worship, and the message is all about Jesus, not me! Did John not know that only God was worthy of worship? That can’t be. Commandment number one of the Ten Commandments is “You shall have no other gods before me.” (Ex 20:3). Commandment two forbids idol worship. Our God is a jealous God. He does not share his glory with any other. So isn’t it odd that John would be tempted to worship an angel after seeing all these heavenly visions? Well, maybe not. You see, John was still part of this current age. He hadn’t been fully perfected when he saw this perfection. So, as embarrassing as it is, he was still in danger of compromising his worship. The ancient Israelites made an idol of the golden calf as Moses was meeting with God on Mount Sinai. The threat of idolatry was right next to the holy presence of God. Idolatry has been the problem under many other problems in this broken world. This is a world in rebellion against its creator. It’s a world full of people made in the image of a God they hate. But this isn’t just a problem for unbelievers. Idolatry is a threat to Christians as well. Back in chapter 2, Jesus warned the church in Pergamum against following the teachings of Balaam, which was leading to idolatry. Jesus also warned the church in Thyatira against following the teachings of Jezebel, which was also leading to idolatry. At the core, idolatry is misdirected worship. The Apostle Paul defined it in Romans 1, saying, “They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.” (Ro 1:25). Idolatry is allowing anything or anyone other than God to occupy the central place in your heart—a place made for God and that only God deserves. We can make idols out of obviously destructive things. But the real temptation comes from making an idol out of good things. John wasn’t tempted to worship the image of the Great Red Dragon or the grotesque, demonic beasts. He was tempted by an angel who brought him good news. Pastors can be tempted to worship their role or the success of their church, both good things. Christians can be tempted to worship their careers or their wealth or even their kids, all good things. But listen: family is very important, but kids make terrible gods. Do not make your kids or grandkids the lords of your life. The big idea today, as is true for so many of the lessons of Revelation, contains both a warning and encouragement. And the big idea is this: The Wedding Supper of the Lamb will finally bring an end to the battle for your heart. Idolatry is the battle for your heart. The steady pull on our hearts to misdirected worship is very much a part of our current age. Be careful, O Christian, not to give the central place of your heart to anything or anyone other than God. If John could make this mistake, and if countless generations of God’s people could make this mistake throughout the record of the Bible, then surely we can too. Is there anything, today, that is tempting to you, to worship, love, or serve in the place of God? Listen to the angel. Don’t do that! Only God is worthy of our worship. But finally, don’t forget the encouraging promise of God’s word. The Wedding Supper of the Lamb will finally bring an end to the battle for your heart. One day, Christ will return, Babylon will fall, the dead will be raised, and the Lord will judge the earth. Those found in Christ will enjoy a perfect, loving union with God going on forever and ever, amen. Twenty-five years ago, my wedding day was great, but it will pale in comparison to that future wedding. Idolatry will be done. Misdirected worship will be a thing of the past. And we will feast with joy and great gladness, for the wedding supper of the Lamb will have come. Hallelujah! Praise the Lord! Let us pray.
