Welcome to the King James Bible Seminary. My name is Myron Boffman. I'll be your instructor today in the Word of the Lord. And this is the Book of Revelation class. We are studying our way through this entire book. Today we will find ourselves in Revelation chapter 19. And we're going to be looking at verses 5 through 10. So, if you'll be so kind as to turn to Revelation chapter 19, we will get started with this lesson. And the title of the lesson is, of course, The Marriage Supper of the Lamb. The Marriage Supper of the Lamb. Okay, and that's what this passage deals with. Let us read it. Quote, And a voice, came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great. And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters. and as a voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia, for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to him, for the marriage of the Lamb is come. And his wife hath made herself ready, and to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen. clean and white, for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. And he saith unto me, Write. Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God. And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not, I am thy fellow servant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus worship God. For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." End quote. There's quite a bit here in this lesson, so let's move right along. We should take, for clarification, we should take a look at how Jewish weddings were set up in ancient times because they have some similarities with what we're talking about here in our passage. For Jewish ceremonies, Jewish weddings, first of all, there was a selection of the bride. that's the first step in getting married is the choice of the spouse the selection of the bride she is chosen John chapter 15 verse 16 and there's another passage here makes it quite clear quote according as he hath chose us in him before the foundation of the world we should be holy and without blame before him in love." End quote. That's Ephesians of course chapter 1 verse 4. The bride is chosen. Now that also implies that there are unchosen. For that, look at Revelation chapter 18 verse 8. Alright, second thing to consider, second step in the arranged marriage here is the wedding agreement. The wedding agreement. First is the selection of the bride. She is chosen. Second is the wedding agreement. Ketubah K-E-T-U-B-A-H. I think that's the Hebrew. The bride is offered a cup of wine for her acceptance from the groom and his father. Matthew chapter 26, verses 27 and 28. Luke chapter 22, verse 20. The bride has the right of refusal. The right of refusal. She does not have to accept the offer of the wine, and thus the marriage offer would be off. Thirdly, for us to consider is the bride price. The groom offers the best price he can and it must be in keeping with the father's stature. The Bride of Christ has been bought with the most expensive price possible. 1 Corinthians chapter 6 verses 19 and 20, 1 Peter chapter 1 verses 18 and 19, for ye are bought with a price therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit which are God's." Of course the price was the price of Christ's lifeblood on a cross. Fourth, Okay, the first is the selection of the bride. Second is the wedding agreement. Third was the price of the bride. Fourth is staying faithful. Staying faithful. As his bride, or bride-to-be, she honors the covenant and the price he paid. both the groom and bride are in a covenant relationship to stay faithful to one another. And the groom provides provision for his betrothed. 1st Corinthians chapter 11 verses 25 and 26. This also means staying faithful. This also means that the groom stays faithful to his betrothed. She stays faithful to him. He stays faithful to her. That means he doesn't seek harlotry with the world, with other loves, but remains faithful to his foreordained, his promised wife to be. he only has one love the ones chosen before the foundation of the world in other words the church for that see Ephesians chapter 5 verse 25 very important verse look it up Ephesians 5 25 Husbands, love your wives. Give yourself for them, even as Christ also gave himself for the church. Fifth, the groom. He must prepare a new home for their future. This home must meet the approval of the father. it must be up to the standard of His name and honor. John chapter 14 verses 2 and 3 quote, in my father's house are many mansions. And it's the King James Bible that actually gets that right. In my father's house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there ye may be also." End quote. Sixth. The Marriage Baptism. This is something very few know or realize. The Marriage Baptism. Mikvah. M-I-K-V-A-H. The Bride is Immersed as a Symbol of the Covenant. 1 Corinthians chapter 12 verse 13. Here, let us pause and look at the Baptism. before the completion of the marriage ceremony. I'm going to quote a Jewish rabbi who gives us a clear picture of this unusual ceremony. A mikvah, m-i-k-v-a-h, must be built, that would be the baptismal pole, must be built into the ground or built as an essential part of the building. Portable receptacles such as bathtubs, whirlpools, or jacuzzis can therefore never function as MCFAs. A MCFA must contain a minimum of 200 gallons of filtered rainwater. The mikvah's waters are commonly chest high and kept at a comfortable temperature. Access to the pool is achieved via stairs. The mikvah never was a substitute for a bath or shower. In fact, there are stipulations that one must be scrupulously clean before immersing. To facilitate this requirement, There are preparation areas with baths and showers, shampoos, soaps, etc. Baptism is not by sprinkling or pouring." End quote. That was written by a Jewish rabbi concerning the baptismal ceremonies. And he dates it back to pre-Christ times. So baptism is not by sprinkling or pouring. Now, the call for the wedding. The call for the wedding. This is the seventh part. The sixth was the baptism. The call for the wedding when all criteria is met To his standards, the father of the groom decides when the wedding will be. As he sets the preparation in motion, people know the wedding is close. When the father gives the word, the son goes and gets his bride. Acts chapter 1 verse 7 They're gonna click in your minds do you you know what that is Acts chapters 1 verse 7 remember the disciples there asked Jesus About when he's gonna set up the kingdom and all this and Jesus says tells him back and the reply that only the Father knows When that's gonna occur and also besides Acts chapter 1 verse 7 look at Matthew 24 Matthew chapter 24 verse 33 Jesus tells us in Matthew 24 I believe that's part of the Olivet Discourse that we will know when he is going to come for us. We will have signs and wonders. We will see things that cause us to realize that the call of the wedding is near. Matthew 24 verse 33. When the father gives the word, the son goes and gets his bride. Alright, eighth. Eighth comes the wedding. Now, the wedding is more of a celebration. Now, there is a short ceremony. Now, the consummation of the marriage is actually the placing of the rings. And then after that, a banquet is given. Lastly, as part of the marriage, is the marriage supper. At the banquet, the groom and the bride have the second cup of wine together. It is called the Simcha, S-I-M-C-H-A. Matthew chapter 26, verse 29, quote, But I say unto you I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my father's kingdom." Everyone gathers for a time of joy of feasting and celebration after that. Okay, so that gives you an idea of what is involved in the marriage. Now, all these things bring to mind how important the moral law is with marriage. It has something to do with faithfulness and all. So the moral law of God is involved in marriage. Another name for the moral law is the Ten Commandments. The moral law is part of the law of the kingdom and should be considered part of the ceremony. Here briefly we will use a simplified paraphrase of my own of the moral law and apply it to our marriage here on earth as Christians. First, number one, I am the Lord your God who took you out of Egypt from the house of slaves. Now here in the first commandment, we see the first word as being I, showing that it is a personal pronoun used for God, who is to be the center of our marriage. I is personal, and we need to be personal with both God and our spouse. Number two. second part of the marriage moral law. Is everybody with me? Hold on, just a second. I have to get a drink of water here, ice water. Number two, do not have other gods before me. Put God first in your marriage. put God first in your marriage, second commandment. Along with, in that line, do not compare your spouse with others. You don't consider somebody, some other man or woman, compare that with your spouse. Oh, they're much better than They do this to do that. They are no do not compare Just leave that out Do not compare your spouse with others So number one. I am the Lord your God who took you out of Egypt. It's personal to Do not have other gods before me put God first three Do not say God's name in vain So along this line, have respect for your spouse. Do not belittle or speak about in a light manner concerning your spouse or God. Number four, remember the Lord's day and keep it holy. Create good memories of yourself with the family and include times of Christian fellowship around God's Word. It is a time of bonding with both God and family. Let us illustrate this with a well-known short story. And you probably, or perhaps some of you have already heard this, but bear with me. A very busy businessman was always promising his wife to take time off to be alone with her. But it never worked out. He just didn't have the time in his day. He said... He kept putting it off. He said, I'm sorry. He kept saying, I'm sorry. She had no doubt that he was truly busy with important things. One day, however, she told him that one of his biggest supporters had called, saying he would be coming to town. She told him she scheduled a meeting for them in the lobby of the hotel where the big supporter would be staying. Her husband duly and gratefully marked the appointment on his calendar. When he showed up to the appointment to spend time with his supporter, he found his wife waiting for him in the lobby of the hotel. She said, quote, I am your biggest supporter and I need some time with you. So, the moral of that story is take time for the most important in your life, God and family. Don't neglect either one. I know there's important things to do in this life, God and family. Number five, honor your father and mother. As you honor your father and mother and father and mother-in-laws, Your children will learn to honor you. Number six, do not murder. The prohibition against murder, killing, includes with your hand and or with your tongue. The prohibition against murder includes with your hand or with your tongue. Physical abuse and verbal abuse are clearly both forbidden. When you speak cruelly to someone, you kill his or her character. You destroy their personality or crush their spirit. Instead of blossoming, you make them shrivel. A spouse who becomes withdrawn or depressed It may be in an abusive situation. So, if your spouse becomes withdrawn or depressed, are you abusing him or her? One of the main gifts of marriage is the self-confidence we can attain from a spouse who has confidence in us. As a spouse, recognize the power you hold. Make the effort to encourage, sincerely compliment, and express appreciation. If stealing someone's confidence through verbal cruelty is the equal of spiritual murder, then uplifting the confidence of another is giving them uplifting life. Learn to talk kindly to one another. Learn to pray and praise and keep in touch with each other and with God. Number seven. Be faithful. What does it mean to be faithful? It means recognizing that there are areas of the marriage that are private. It means that we don't reveal our personal issues to the public. That is considered betrayal. It means that both a man and a woman should respect the private space and time within marriage. They should regard it as sacred and know that your relationship is sacred. This means trust is a must. Number eight. Do not steal. Giving credit where it is due doesn't cost you a penny, yet it can buy a world of happiness and contentment in the home. Praise one another. Take time to show appreciation. Number nine. Do not bear false witness. Do not bear false witness. Number nine. The commandment to be truthful reminds us to be honest, to have open communication in marriage. Don't accuse, share. Every time you keep something inside you without revealing what is bothering you, you add a layer of bricks to a wall that you, of yourself, are making. At first, you can decide to step over the wall whenever you want. Just leave it alone and leave it there. After some time, however, it requires a little jump. Okay, you think you can jump over such a low wall whenever you decide to. Soon, however, you may need a ladder, but you can still get over it when you really want to. As the years pass and you keep adding one row of bricks after another, the wall grows so high and so impenetrable that you just can't get over it anymore. Tragically, communication is now totally blocked by countless issues, some tiny, some huge, issues that were never aired or never dealt with. With expertise and much effort, the wall can still be brought down at any stage of life, but Think how much more productive and less painful never to have constructed it in the first place. All right, last commandment, commandment number 10, do not covet. This is important. Let's try to put it simply. Do not be jealous of your spouse. Do not be jealous of your spouse. or he or she goes to work and I have to stay at home or I have to watch the kids, I don't ever get a day off, on and on, you can, you know what I'm saying. Do not be jealous of your spouse. A balance in shared responsibilities and privileges will help in this department. Okay. That is applying the moral law to our marriages here on earth. Now, let us consider who all is going to be at this marriage supper we're talking about. Right away we can know for a certainty that the groom is going to be there. That is Jesus Christ. And then there's the bride. That will be all of us. The bride is all of us who believe. Jesus said, quote, that many shall come from the east and west and shall sit down with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven." Which means the Old Testament saints will be there also. Now in order to get your invite to this great celebration you need to accept the bridegroom's offer and not turn it away. There, as we have already seen in our Revelation series, are already loved ones and friends waiting for you. They personally send you an invitation, and here it is, quote, the Spirit and the Bride say come, and let him that heareth say come. and let him that is a thirst come and whosoever will let him take the water of life freely. Revelation chapter 22 verse 17. Now we ask you to take this time to accept the invitation. With that we're going to close with a word of prayer. Gracious Heavenly Father, we thank Thee for this invitation. We thank Thee for the invitation brought about by Your grace and Your love. We ask now that You will open our hearts to that invitation. We ask also that You'll cause us, Lord, to walk in by faith. We thank Thee for Your grace, Your just reward, and the fellowship that we have one with another and with Thee. because of your shed blood. We pray that you'll bless this lesson to the hearer, that we be doers of thy word, not just hearers. We ask now your guidance, and we pray that there'll be none who hears this lesson that they will turn away. We ask these things in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. who died for us. Amen.