Clarence Larkin says in his book, The Book of Revelation:
“There have been many royal weddings of international interest where the invited guests and spectators witnessed a spectacle magnificent in its appointments, and rejoiced in a union that bound together different nations. But the wedding of the Lamb and his Bride will surpass them all, for it shall unite heaven and earth in a bond that shall never be broken.”
Revelation chapter 19 prophesies this future event — the Marriage of the Lamb. The Scriptures say:
“Then I heard again what sounded like the shout of a vast crowd or the roar of mighty ocean waves or the crash of loud thunder: ‘Praise the Lord! For the Lord our God, the Almighty reigns. Let us be glad and rejoice, and let us give honor to him. For the time has come for the wedding feast of the Lamb, and his bride has prepared herself. She has been given the finest of pure white linen to wear.’ For the fine linen represents the good deeds of God’s holy people. And the angel said to me, ‘Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb.’ And he added, ‘These are true words that come from God’” (Revelation 19:6-9).
Henry Halley of Halley’s Bible Handbook says that at the start of Revelation chapter 19 there are essentially two hallelujah choruses.
“The first chorus (1-5), expresses heaven’s joyous celebration over the destruction of Babylon,” says Halley. “The second chorus, in a swell of voices like an ocean’s roar and the roll of distant thunder, announces the Marriage of the Lamb to his true bride.”
The Marriage of the Lamb is not just something symbolic but a highly anticipated literal event in biblical prophecy that will take place in Heaven and signify the culmination of God’s redemptive plan and the union of Christ (the Lamb) with his bride (the Church).
There are no widely recognized celebrations today that directly mirror what makes up the Marriage of the Lamb. Nevertheless, we know something about what weddings were like in Jesus’ day and what they represent in the coming marriage of Christ and his Church. Warren Wiersbe, in Be Victorious, explains most succinctly:
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