Revelation 19:7 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.

This is a fitting climax to the theme of The Joy of the Lord that we’ve been pursuing for the past few months. There are so many levels to the joy that is mentioned here. It is the joy of fulfillment of the purpose of the universe! Anthropomorphizing God certainly has its dangers, but what is described here is the Son of God getting a wife. Weddings are joyful occasions in every culture, and this is the ultimate wedding! There are several passages throughout the Bible that speak of the Church, the assembly of God’s people, as the Bride of Christ, and this is describing the fulfillment of that. There are many, many ways we can’t wrap our minds around this, because it transcends our experience on almost every level. In the first place, Jesus is one, unitary, but the Church is made up of countless millions of believers. In the second place, this can’t be sexual, in a biological sense, but at the same time, the marriage bed is a foreshadowing of the intimacy that is involved here. That’s precisely why the devil attacks sex so intensely, seeking to defile it in any way he can, with a sadly shocking degree of success. That’s why genuinely Christian marriages are a powerful witness to the plans of God for mankind. We will have to experience it to understand it, but we have every reason to anticipate it intensely, knowing that the plans of God are good beyond the capacity of our intellect to grasp them.

This is a matter of great interest to me, because I have tasted the joys of marriage to a very high degree. It’s now been 57 years since I started getting to know my wife, and this coming May will mark the 57^th anniversary of our wedding. We have letters that my parents wrote to me, and then to us, during that period, and they are a blessing. Responding to what I had written them (we don’t have those letters) they remark on how totally taken I was with Cathy, and I’d say their impression was pretty accurate! Now, I regularly perform weddings, and I require a session of counseling beforehand. In that, I tell them that my wife and I are still in love with each other, lovers, which is a novel idea to the couples, since my wife and I are past 75, but I assure them it wouldn’t be the case if we hadn’t worked at it all these years. In reference to our verse here, there is certainly effort implied on the part of the Bride, “making herself ready.” As a pastor, I want this part of the Church to indeed be ready, doing the righteous deeds that are mentioned in the next verse, which God has prepared for us to do. (Ephesians 2:10) I am grateful that my relationship with my wife is a testimony and example to those who know us, and I want this church to be the same for all who see it, for God’s glory.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for Your overwhelming grace toward us, that is available to all who will commit to You in faith. May we be ever more effective in sharing that grace with others, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!