of the Lamb. We looked this morning at the Hallelujah choruses and we looked at this 2v1. They're singing in praise and worship to God for the destruction of Babylon. And the second chorus is the chorus of praise to God for the marriage of the Lamb. And then now we come to that marriage, and there's a little bit of detail here, and the marriage is explained. It is my understanding, and there is differing views on this, it's not something that I would fall out of fellowship with over, but it's my understanding that the marriage of the Lamb will happen after the judgment seat of Christ, but before the second advent of Christ. So, right now, as we'll be looking through the tribulation period, the church has been raptured, chapter 3, chapter 4, The church is in heaven, in the presence of God. And during that period, of that tribulation period, they're standing before the judgment seat of Christ. And while they're standing there at the judgment seat of Christ, their works are being purified and then they're being rewarded for what's left. And we've looked at that in the past. And it's my understanding that it's after the judgment seat of Christ that the marriage happens. And it happens, so after the judgments in Christ, before the second advent, we see in this last portion of chapter 19, which we haven't got to yet, when Christ comes back. Let me make this statement as well. The marriage supper of the Lamb, in verse nine, and the marriage of the Lamb, in verse seven, notice verse seven, Let us be glad and rejoice and give honour to him for the marriage of the Lamb is come. So that's the marriage. And then verse 9, 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 names of God. And I know there's different views on this, do with it what you will. It's my understanding of Scriptures and my position is they are two separate events. there is the marriage which happens in heaven after the judgment seat of Christ before the second advent and the supper happens at a later date on earth during the millennial reign. And there's different views on that. Some believe that the marriage and the supper all happens in heaven and some believe it happens during the millennial reign on earth. And to be honest with you, my position is that they're two separate, but whatever. The reason for that, go with me, hold your place there, but have a look in Psalm 19. We see in Psalm 19, it's a prophetic view here in Psalm 19, the first six verses. And we see Christ coming out of his bride chamber. And that's happening at his second advent. And so we know when Christ, it seems from Psalm 19, verse one through six, which we'll read, It seems that when Christ comes back, riding upon his white horse, he comes back with his bride, and he comes out of the marriage chamber, so the marriage must have taken place. Therefore, in heaven, he pulled the second advent. The heavens proclaim the glory of God, the firmament shows his heavenly work. Day under day are the speech, and night under night show of knowledge. There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard. Their line is gone out through all the earth. and their words to the end of the world. In them have they set a tabernacle for the sun. Notice verse five, which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber and rejoice it as a strong man to run a race. His going forth is from the end of the heaven and his circuit under the ends of it and there is nothing here from the heap thereof. So my understanding is that these two events in verse 7 and verse 9 are separate events. But if you believe they all happen at the same time, then that's fine as well. But I think it is important that we acknowledge that it happens before Jesus comes back. The marriage. So let's get into verse 7 and we'll have a look at Revelation chapter 19 and verse 7. Let me just read the first portion of that verse and get into some of this here. Revelation 19 verse 7 says, Now if there's going to be a marriage, there has to be a wife, right? We know that the lamb is the bridegroom. We're not going to get into all of that. We understand that. So in this marriage that's presented to us, and where we're told that the bridegroom here is the lamb, but we need to identify who the bride is. So who's the lamb's bride? Or we might say, who's the lamb's wife? Scripturally, and I'll prove this as we go through, bride and wife is the same thing. In Scriptures, when you come across bride and wife, it means the same thing. So who is the Lamb's bride or who is the Lamb's wife? Well, let me say who she's not, first of all. And we're talking about the Bride of Christ. We're talking about Lamb's bride, we're talking about the Bride of Christ. The Bride of Christ, the Bride of the Lamb, number one, is not Israel. It's not. that the bride of Christ is not Israel. She's not Israel, as Israel is God Jehovah's adulterous wife, who he has put away during this time of the Gentiles. Their union and relationship being restored in the kingdom age. Now, I'm not gonna spend a whole lot of time running the references, but I'll give them to you, so you can go back and have a read over them, all right? So let me give them to you, and you can take note of them, but we won't turn to them because I'm just not gonna dwell on that. Isaiah 54 verse 1 through 10 Jeremiah chapter 3 verse 14 through 15 Ezekiel chapter 16 verse 1 through 8 and then Hosea chapter 2 verse 1 through 17 And then you would also like to probably look at Deuteronomy chapter 24 and look at the requirements in regards to the law of someone marrying someone that put away all those sorts of things. So what you'll see as you read through those passages of scripture, what you'll find is that God put Israel away for her adultery. We might say God's God separated Himself from Israel. He didn't divorce her. Nowhere are we told that He divorced Israel, but He put Israel away. He separated Himself from Israel and He's put Israel away, but we're also told that He's going to take her back. And He's going to receive her back, right? And He's going to do that after he's chastened them during the tribulation period and they come to a place of repentance and their union and their relationship is restored in the Kingdom Age. And so Israel is God the Father's bride. And if Israel is God the Father's bride, Israel cannot be God the Son's bride. That's confusing and not only that, it's unbelievable. So that's all I'm going to say on proving that it's not. And you go read those passages and see what the Bible says. So she's not Israel, but the church is the wife of the Lamb. The church is. The church. Go with me to Colossians chapter 1 verse 18 and also verse 24. Now if we're going to say, it's one thing to say the church, but now what we're going to have to do is we're going to have to identify what the church is. So the church is the wife of the Lamb. The church is the bride of the Christ. But what I want to show to you first is, and we'll see this here in Colossians 1 verse 18, I need to lay this groundwork. We have to identify what the church is, so what we're going to find out is that the body of Christ is the church. Then what we're going to identify is that the church is the bride. So the body is the bride, the bride is the body, the body is the church, the church is the bride, the church is the body. They're all one and the same. And so let me show you that from the Bible. Colossians 1 and verse 18, and here is And that he is speaking of Christ in context. And he is the head of the body. And then the body is identified as the church. Who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things he might have the preeminence. Have a look at verse 24. Who now rejoicing in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh, for his body's sake, which is, what? The church. So we've identified, well, go with me also to Romans chapter 7. Romans chapter 7, so there in Colossians chapter 1 and verse 18, Colossians 1 and verse 24, we've identified that the body of Christ is the church. Romans chapter 7. and verse one through verse four. Now what he's doing here, he's using the example of the Old Testament law, and he's using, he's laying the groundwork for, and he's using that Old Testament law of marriage, and the truth that's adopted there, and bringing that over into our relationship with Christ. Notice what it says, knowing not, brethren, For I speak to them that know the law, talking about that Old Testament law, how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth. If you're under the law, in the Old Testament, you were under the law for as long as you lived. While you were living you were under the law. That's the way it was. For the woman which hath a husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth. But if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband. So if the husband's alive, she's bound to the husband by that Old Testament law. If she's loosed from that, if that husband's died, then with his death, she is also loosed from the law of her husband. Verse three, so then, off the back of that, so then, if while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress. But if her husband be dead, She is free from that law, so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man. So under that Old Testament law, in regards to marriage, the only way for a woman to be loosed from the law of her husband, was for her husband to be dead. Right? Verse 4. Wherefore, I have laid that groundwork in regards to the law, wherefore, my brethren, He also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ. That we should be what? That we should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring full of fruit under God. While we are lost, we are under the law. We're bound by law. We're under the law. And the only way to be set free is to die to that sin and die to that law and be married by the good grace of God to Jesus. And in Jesus I find liberty and freedom from the law and I'm separated from that law and that death and I'm to be married under Jesus. I'm to be one in Jesus. We've identified that the body of Christ is the church. In Colossians 1, verse 18, Colossians 1, verse 24. Here in Romans 7, verse 1, what we find is when somebody's saved, they are freed from that law because they're made alive in Christ to be married to him. So anybody that's saved, if you're saved by the grace of God, You're a part of the body of Christ, and therefore a part of the church of Christ. Now, go with me, if you would, please, to 2 Corinthians chapter 11, and verse 1. 2 Corinthians chapter 11. So we've hopefully identified that the body of Christ is the church, and you have to be saved in order to be married to Christ in that relationship. You have to be a saved individual, be a part of the body of Christ, and if you're in the body of Christ, you're in the church of God, in the church of Christ. Then, here we see in 2 Corinthians 11 and verse 1, notice what it says, 2 Corinthians 11 and verse 1, Would to God ye could bear with me a little in my folly, and indeed bear with me. For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy. Paul said, I have done this. For I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. So here we see that the church, the body of Christ, has been espoused to one husband to be presented as a chaste virgin to whom? Christ. To be a spouse is just in a really basic sense, it's a promise to marry. We can get into all sorts of nitty-gritty details, but the basic essence of being a spouse is to be promised to another for the sake of marriage. And what Paul is saying to the Church of God is saying, I've espoused you, I've promised you to be presented and to be married, as a chaste virgin of Christ. How can we be a chaste virgin? How can we as a church be a virgin? Well, a virgin is one that is pure. And if we're in Christ, if we've been saved from our sin, we are pure, because we've been washed from our impurity and the stains of our sin, and therefore we are, as a collective body, Christ being the head, we being the body, we are I've heard a chaste virgin pure in the eyes of God to be presented to him as a bride. Go with me now, if you would please, to Ephesians chapter five. So we see that the church has been espoused, she's been promised, and that's kind of like a, what do we call it? Fiance? A what? Engagement, fiance. So in our language, someone that's engaged or espoused is a fiancé, right? That's our language, what we would use. We wouldn't say that that's his wife. We would say that's his fiancé, they're engaged, they're espoused, they've promised to one another, they've made a commitment to one another to marry. Where were we going? Ephesians chapter 5, thank you. Ephesians chapter 5. I want you to notice what it says here. Now remember, we're only a spouse. We haven't had the wedding yet. We haven't got the marriage yet. We're just the church, we're just the body of Christ. We're the local church and we're a spouse. But what we're gonna find is we're gonna start finding a change in language and she's referred to as wife, even though she's not married. Notice if you would please, Ephesians 5 verse 25. Husbands, love your wives. Even as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it. So, Christ loved the church. What's the church? It's the body of Christ. And he gave himself for it. Then if you come to the Scripture for the sake of time, jump down to verse 30. Ephesians 5 and verse 30. For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. How's that? We're members of his body. We're the body of Christ. The church is. When we are of his flesh and of his bones, for this cause shall a man leave his father and mother and shall be joined unto his wife and they too shall be one flesh. Notice that this is a great mystery but I speak concerning Christ and the church. So he's using the marriage relationship between a husband and wife, and how intimate that is, in that relationship, that they are one. And he says that this is a great mystery, and it is a mystery, that relationship between a husband and wife, but he said, but I speak concerning Christ and the Church. So he said the relationship between the body of Christ, the relationship between the Church and Christ himself, is seen, is mirrored in a marriage. And he's basically referring to the church here as his wife. He's saying, husbands, love your wives, even as Christ loved the church, his wife. Even though he's only a spouse. Now go with me to Matthew chapter one, and I'll just lay this down a little heavier in regards to In the Scriptures, in our way of thinking, and it's our Western way of thinking, marriage, you're not married until you've done the ceremony, right? That's when you're married, and that's when you're husband and wife. But in the Bible, that espousal was so tight. And what we're going to see here in this passage of Scripture with Joseph and Mary, you're going to see her referred to as his wife, but he hasn't even known her physically. And so have a look at this in Matthew 1, verse 18, and we'll read a few verses here. Now, the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise, when as his mother Mary was a spouse to Joseph. So she's only a spouse. They're engaged. They're not married yet. They're a spouse. Before they came together, she was bound with child of the Holy Ghost. Before they had come together, they were only engaged to one another, a spouse. Then Joseph, her husband, being a just man and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily. But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, our son of David, fear not, take under thee Mary, thy wife. They're only a spouse, but he said, take your wife. For that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost, and she shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins. Now all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel, which being interpreted is God with us. Then Joseph, being raised from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took under him his wife. and knew her not, till she had been brought forth her firstborn son, and he called his name Jesus. So here we see a woman that's a spouse of a man, they are not married yet, they have not consummated the marriage, they have not been physical in any way, but yet they are referred to as, Mary is referred to as his wife. And so it is with church, the church, and Christ. We are his bride, but moreover we are his wife, even though we have not yet been married. Does that make sense? So let me just recap that a little bit. We as saved people are the body of Christ. The body of Christ is the church. The church is a spouse to Christ to be his bride. Now, get this, it's really good, I liked this when I came across this, and I read this, and I liked it when I came across it. We read about Mary, and she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. She's been espoused, she's with child of the Holy Ghost, she's not married yet. With church, we've been espoused to Christ, But you know, just as Mary has been made fruitful by the Holy Ghost, with the church being filled with the Holy Ghost, being given gifts of the Holy Ghost, that we might be fruitful as Christians and as the church, that we might produce fruit to the glory of God, even before the wedding. Isn't that good? I just think that's a wonderful picture. So the Holy Ghost gives us gifts and makes us fruitful, all the while we are waiting be presented to Christ as his bride. Now go with me if you would please to Revelation chapter 21. Revelation chapter 21. Now these two verses here I want to show to you and I'm not going to say too much but I will say this, the bride of Christ and the bride of the Lamb here in Revelation chapter 21 is associated with the new Jerusalem. And I want to also say that I don't understand all the intricacies of that, so I'm not going to say too much on it, right? But I want to show you, I want to point it out to you, because it's there, it's in the Bible, you need to see it. These three verses are part of the reason why my position is that the marriage in Revelation chapter 19 and verse 7 happens in heaven before the second advent, and the supper happens afterwards, and part of that reasoning is based here on this passage, which seems to be after Christ has come back. Notice, if you would please, Revelation 21, and let's just read verse one and two. And I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away, and there was no more sea, And I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. So it's not saying she is a bride in this verse. He's just saying that the New Jerusalem is adorned as a bride. Just like a bride is adorned, so the New Jerusalem is adorned. Do you see that? Okay, now jump down to verse nine. So, well, they're talking about the new Jerusalem and who's gonna come in and out and all those sorts of things in those following verses. But when we come to verse nine, And there came unto me one of the seven angels, which had seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will show thee the bride, the Lamb's wife. And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God. Having the glory of God and the light was like unto a stone, most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal, and the definition goes on. And so there's evidently a connection between the church, the bride of Christ, and the new Jerusalem, the heavenly city. what that relationship is, whether it's one and the same completely, or whether they're related to one another somehow. I don't understand all that, so I'm not going to speculate. But there is a connection there, is there not? There is a connection. So that's something we need to pray about and ask more light on and see what the Lord gives us. So go with me now back to Revelation chapter 19. Boy, I need Verse Revelation 19, and we're still going to be in Jerusalem. So let us be glad and rejoice and give honour to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb is come. We can't overlook this. We can't overlook this. The last portion of verse 7, I want you to notice this statement. His wife hath made herself ready. His wife... So we've got Mary, Son of the Lamb, his wife, who is his wife, well his wife is the church, the body of Christ, and his wife, the body of Christ, you and I, we've made ourselves free. Okay? Are your fingers still nimble, you still with me? Can we have Ephesians chapter five? Let me just walk you through your Christian experience and just show you how little you've done. And this, what this does, this just, it's so beautiful. What this does, this just shows us the heart that God has for His church. Because what I'm going to show you is, because I can't wait to get there, I'm just going to tell you, and then I'll tell you again. What we're going to see is that Jesus has done it all. And then at the end of the day, He said, we've done it. We're here. How good is that? I mean, that just sounds like a great group, doesn't it? So Ephesians chapter 5, let me just say here what we're going to... Point number one, in regards to what Christ has done for us, we're saved and cleansed because of him. Ephesians 5.25, husbands love your wives, even Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it. Why? That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish. The only reason that you're saved is because God gave. You're not saved because you've done something special. The only thing that you ever did in regards to your salvation was there was a day that you placed your faith in Christ and He saved you. That's the only thing you did. You haven't done anything else in relation to your salvation but come to a place of repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. And if God hadn't gave, Christ hadn't come, there would be no way of salvation. So you're saved because God gave, but then on top of that, notice that in verse 26, He didn't only save you, but He went on top of that, that He might sanctify and cleanse it. He saves you and then He spends the rest of your life on this earth trying to sanctify you and cleanse you while all you do most of the time is resist Him and push back and give Him a bad attitude and go back and do it again and He just keeps working on you, cleansing you, sanctifying you, when in reality you want to be cleansing and sanctifying yourself and we try, we give it a go, we repent, we ask the Lord to give us Give it another go, and by God's good grace, if we live here long enough, we get a hold of a little bit before we check out. But at the end of the day, if there's any cleansing that's taken place, if there's any sanctifying that's taken place, it's just God working in me, and God working in you. Why? Well, washing in the water by the Word. Why? In verse 27, that he might present it to himself, a glorious church, Not having spot, wrinkle, or any such thing. Well, I've seen plenty of spots. Moreover, I've seen a whole lot of wrinkles. Right? So, spiritually speaking, we're full of spots. We're full of wrinkles. And Christ just takes us and he just scrubs all the wrinkles and spots away. But then in our text it says she's made herself ready. Well, what have you really done? Christ has done it all for us. Go with me to Philippians chapter 3 and verse 20. Here we're going to see that He will change us. You're not going to change yourself. You can't change yourself like a child can't change its spouse. Philippians 3 and verse 20. It just amazes me that that's there in the Bible and His wife had made herself ready. but in reality it's Christ. Philippians 3 verse 20. For our conversation is in heaven, from hence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. Verse 21. Who shall change our vile body, that it might be fashioned like it under His glorious body, according to the working whereby He is able even to subdue all things unto himself. And that's the problem with you. You can't subdue you. We just cannot subdue ourselves. We don't have it in ourselves. But there's going to come a day when he's going to take all that is vile about us and make us, change us to be like Christ. And there's going to be a day when you're not going to see me, I'm not going to I'm not going to be full of spots and wrinkles, I'm going to be just like Jesus. And that's hard to get a head around, isn't it? I mean, can you even fathom that when you think about the attitudes that you've had today? Can you even think about the wicked thoughts that you've had today? The cruel things that you may have said today, or the actions? Can you imagine? I can't imagine that, but it's coming today. I'm not going to change me. He's gonna change me. He's gonna change you. But yet our text says, but she has made herself ready. Next one, 1 Corinthians 3 and verse 12. So this is talking about the judgment seat of Christ. And this is one reason why I believe that the wedding will take place after the judgment seat, because it's gonna have to be this cleansing, this purifying done, and this rewarding being already given before we're presented as a bride. 1 Corinthians 3 verse 12, what we're going to see here is, He burns up all the rubbish that we've produced, leaving behind all the good that He's produced for us. And then rewards us for it, like we did it all. In reality, it was just Christ working for you. And if it wasn't for Christ, you'd have nothing at the judgment seat. 1 Corinthians 3 verse 12, Now if any man build upon this foundation, gold, silver, precious stone, wood, hay, stubble, every man's work shall be made manifest, but the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire, and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he had built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. And this is not God punishing you. Christian, child of God, this is not God punishing you. This is Jesus, that's his final process of purification. He's just burning up all the nonsense that you've tried to do, and what's gonna be left behind is what he's done for you. And then what he's gonna do, he's gonna reward you like you did it all. And so we're gonna be left After the judgment seat of Christ, we're going to be left, not punished, but just cleansed and rewarded for what is left. And yet, our text says, the wife hath made herself free. Go with me to 1 Corinthians chapter 15, if you would please. Here we see that He will give us immortality and then will give us victory. The immortality is not in and of ourselves, and the victory is not in and of ourselves. It is all in Christ. And without this immortality, and without this victory over death and over sin, we could never be ready to be His bride. 1 Corinthians 15 verse 51, Behold, I show you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed. Well, you're not gonna change yourself. It's gonna be Christ changing you. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye at the last trump, for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. Praise God. Aren't you looking forward to that? I'm just sick of me. I mean, I'm flat out sick of you, but I'm really sick of it. Who said amen? Why not? Back at you, buddy. I mean, I'm just sick of me, and no doubt some of you are sick of me, and we're sick of each other, and we're sick of our sin nature, and all that thing. But thank God, isn't that good one day? That's just, we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, And this mortal must put on immortality. We must take off mortality and we must put on immortality before we can be the bride of Christ. Then for the sake of time, jump down to verse 57. But thanks be to God which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. So here we see a change. We see that we are given immortality. We see that the victory is through Jesus. Victory is through our Lord Jesus Christ. And yet our text says, she had made herself free. And the last one, go over to Romans chapter eight. Here in Romans chapter eight, he's going to conform us and he's going to glorify us. Isn't it amazing? I love the Bible. I love studying the Bible. I love preaching and I love teaching the Bible. But I love seeing these things about Christ. I love seeing how much he loves you, how much he loves me, how much he loves his church, how much he loves his bride, and all that he's done for the bride. Notice Romans 8 verse 28. And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose. For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son. That He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom He did predestinate, then He also called, and whom he called, then he also justified, and whom he justified, then he also glorified. As God saved you, and God has predestinated that he has predetermined, he has predestinated that every saved person be conformed means to be changed into the image of Jesus. So that one day I'm going to be just like Him because I'm predestined to be. Nothing can stop me. I can't even stop me. You can't stop you. It's been predetermined, it's been predestined that you, as a saved believer, the moment that you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, you step into that predestination that you're going to be like Jesus. And He is going to conform you, He's going to change you so you're like Jesus, and those He's predestined, those He has called, those that He's called, He's justified, and those that He's justified, He's going to glorify. And he's doing all that, you haven't done any of it. Again, in all these things that I've listed, the only thing that you've done 100% right in any of this is you humbled yourself and asked Jesus to forgive you and save your soul. And then he's done the rest. And then we get Revelation chapter 19 and verse 7, and we read, she had made herself ready. When in reality, he's done it all. It's just one. So after all this that Christ has done for us in preparing us to be his bride, he then says, and his wife has made herself free. When in reality, all you and I have done is place our faith in Christ the Savior, and he's done the rest. Have a look at verse eight, and then keep moving. We're just gonna mention a couple of things down here, and we'll close out here in a short minute. Verse eight. To her was granted, and I want you to underline the word granted. Circle the word granted. Take note of it if you don't write in your Bible. Make note of it in your mind. To her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white, for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. Now, Leanne, I remember this conversation. quite a discussion one night around someone's kitchen table about this verse. And this individual, he was very, very adamant that this fine linen, because it says here, for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. And so his take on that was, our robes are going to be as clean and as white and as fine as our own righteousnesses. And some will be brighter than others, and some will be whiter than others, and some will be cleaner than others, based on the different levels of righteousness. And I had, well, we had a good time talking about it. I don't know if I really did get anywhere. But you have to see the word granted. It was granted to her. It was given her. It wasn't her own. She didn't come her own. She was given her own. She was given this raiment. She was given this linen, this clean, white linen. Now, that word granted, it literally has, the definition is given, gifted, granted. Otherwise, it's earned. It's a way. She earned it. Here it is. Here's your reward. It's not a reward, it's just granted, it's just given. We know that according to Isaiah 64 verse 6, but we are all as an unclean thing and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags. And so if our reignment as individuals and then collectively as the bride of Christ is determined on our righteousnesses, we're going to show up at the wedding of the Lamb in filthiness. It's not our righteousness, it's not your righteousness. The righteousness of saints, the righteousness that you have, if there's anything righteous about you, it's not you. It's Jesus. It's Christ's righteousness being imputed to our heart. It's being credited to me. No, no, it was just credited to me. He just filled up my bank account with His righteousness. He emptied my unrighteousness out and He just filled it all up with His righteousness. Praise the Lord. That's wonderful news to me. So we know that this righteousness that we're robed in is not our own. It's been granted us and we know according to 1 John 2 verse 1, my little children, these things right under you, that you sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with him, the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous. He's the only one that's righteous. And the righteousness that we're robed in that day is his righteousness. But yet again, he stated, she had made herself ready. Even though we're robed in his righteousness. Now this is a marriage like none other, isn't it? Could you imagine? And there's very good reason, men. Very good reason that you do not choose your bride's wedding gown. There's very good reason you do not do your wife's, your bride's hair. There's very good reason you don't do your bride's makeup. There's very good reason you don't go and buy your bride's shoes. But the groom doesn't go and do all that unless he's done But there's very good reason DeGroome doesn't get involved in that, because what he's going to do, he's just going to make an almighty bitch. Right? And she's going to, could you imagine what she'd show up looking like? Uneven ponytails. Because that's the only hairdo I can do. Here we have the bridegroom and the only beauty that can be seen in the bride all comes from the bridegroom. Every beauty that is seen in the bride on this day is just the beauty of Christ. And so what we're going to do What's going to happen is, I have no doubt, I don't understand how it all comes together. My mind can't... Millions and millions, billions of Christians, all robed in righteousness, seen as one, being weathered to the length. My mind can't fathom that. My mind can't go there. I can't bring it all together, let alone express it in any real clarity. But I would hazard a guess that on that day, you're not going to be here that day. You're not going to be focused on it. where he's just going to be focused on the light because of all that he's done for us. It's not about you. It's about Jesus and the hope of God. That's what it's all about. And so it will be on that day. Let's go to verse 9. And he saith unto me, Write blessed are they which are called unto marriage, suffered lamb, and saved unto me. These are the true sayings of God. There are seven Beatitudes in the book of Revelation. And this is the fourth one. I'll just give them to you quickly. Revelation chapter one and verse three, blessed is he that readeth and they that keep the words. Revelation 14 and verse 13, blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth. Revelation 16 and verse 15, blessed is he that watcheth and keepeth his garments. Then the fourth one is here in our text, blessed are they which are called unto marriage, supper, and the Lamb. Revelation chapter 20 and verse 6, blessed and holy, see they are part of the first resurrection. Revelation 22 and verse 7, blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of the book. And then Revelation 22 and verse 14, blessed are they that do his commandments. They are the seven of the attitudes of the book of Revelation. Good series of messages there. No doubt. But here we see this affirmation, this truth given. And John was told to write it down. I said, John, hey. Again, like I said this morning, John's on the island of Patmos all by himself, in prison, isolated, and he's seeing these visions. It must have been mind-boggling. And perhaps he was just overwhelmed with that scene of the marriage, and he's like, okay, right. He said, if you say it unto me, write, write this. Bless the day which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. If you say it unto me, these are the true sayings of God. Well, if you make it to the marriage supper of the Lamb, you're blessed. What a blessing. What a blessing to be saved. What a blessing to be in the body of Christ. What a blessing to be in the church of Christ and being a spouse to Christ. What a blessing to be his bride. What a blessing that he's going to make me ready and then say I did it all. And what a blessing that I'm going to be presented to him as his bride. But then what a blessing. Because the marriage is different to the marriage supper. They're two separate things. whether they both happen in heaven before the second advent or whether one happens in heaven and the other on earth during the millennial reign, however that works, they are two separate events. And blessed are you to be called to the marriage supper of the ring. I was 10 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 I am thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God. So here's this image of him, instructing, guiding John, helping him through this scene, telling him what to write. And after John had sought all that he was shown. He fell down before this angelic being and was worshipping him. He said, don't do it. I'm just like you. I'm just a fellow servant. I'm just one of you. Brethren, you worship God. And, you know, these people that be a man, that seek worship as God, How out of line is that? Here you've got an angelic being, so if you don't worship God, worship God. But now you've got a man who calls himself a poet, saying, worship me, I'm God, I'm earth. That's some messed up stuff right there. It really is. Revelation chapter 22 and verse 9 says, then saith he unto me, Is it virtually word for word what we just read in Revelation 22 verse 9? Let's just watch here, isn't it? We've just been told not to do it, here we go, a couple of chapters later you're doing it again. That's just us brethren, that's just what we are, that's how we are. We're poor, we're not perfect. John even used to write these passages of Scripture. Notice Revelation 20, verse 9, then saith he unto me, See thou do it not, for I am like other servants, and I die brethren of the prophets, and I am an angel which keep the sayings of this book. Worship God. Amen. Amazing passage of scripture. I hope that's shed a little bit of light on it, and perhaps give a little bit of understanding of something there. But in effect, at the very least, it stirs your mind towards better things than this world. better things in this life. Praise God, it's good days to look forward to, isn't it? If you're saved, if you're washed in the blood of Christ, if you're born again, if you're part of the body of Christ, part of the Church of Christ, what a day that will be.