After God’s judgment upon all the negative things revealed in chapters sixteen, seventeen, and eighteen, we have the marriage of the Lamb and the marriage dinner (Rev. 19:5-10). Perhaps you have never realized that, as the Lamb, Christ needs a wedding. This concept is altogether unreligious. Who would ever think that the Redeemer needs a wedding? One day John the Baptist declared, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). This verse clearly reveals that Christ came as the Lamb to take away the sin of the world. Later, John the Baptist also indicated that Christ is the Bridegroom. John said, “He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices with joy because of the bridegroom’s voice” (John 3:29). Hence, in the Gospel of John, Christ is revealed both as the Lamb who came to take away sin and as the Bridegroom who came that He might have the Bride. Christ’s goal is not to remove sin; it is to have the Bride. In the book of Revelation, also written by the apostle John, we see that Christ our Redeemer is the Lamb and the coming Bridegroom. Therefore, as the Bridegroom, He must have a wedding.
The wedding of the Lamb will be a universal wedding. It will be the marriage of the Redeemer and the redeemed. At the very end of the Bible we see a city, the New Jerusalem. This city is the wife (Rev. 21:2, 9-10), and the redeeming God is the husband. Although this concept of the marriage of God and man is foreign to religion, we emphasize it in the Lord’s recovery in order to show that our position is that of the Bride, and that the position of the coming Christ is that of the Bridegroom. We are on earth being prepared to become the Bride to meet Him, and He is on the throne in the third heaven prepared to come as the Bridegroom to meet us. Thus, He is coming as the Bridegroom, and we are going as the Bride. The Bride and the Groom will meet, neither in heaven nor on the earth, but in the air. When we meet Him in the air, we shall have a wedding.
The wedding of the Lamb will transpire after the destruction of Babylon the Great (Rev. 19:1-4). In this universe there is not only a pure, chaste Bride; there is also a counterfeit, the great prostitute. Even part of the Bride has been captured by the prostitute and involved with her. Take the example of Madame Guyon. Although she certainly was part of the Bride, she was involved with the prostitute. The prostitute, however, did not love Madame Guyon; rather, she had her cast into prison. Nonetheless, Madame Guyon clearly was involved with the prostitute. As we have pointed out, she even stood before the statue of Mary. Today’s situation is very complicated. The Bible condemns the prostitute, and we also condemn her. But within the prostitute there are a good number of genuine believers, many of whom seek the Lord more diligently than those in the denominations. Because the situation is complicated, our vision must be clear. We must know where we should be and that we should never be involved with the counterfeit, the prostitute.
The Bible reveals that Satan is always trying to involve himself with the things of God. Satanic activities are always stirred up by God’s move. According to the Bible, there is hardly one aspect of God’s move with which Satan has not tried to interfere. Wherever God goes, Satan goes also. He is even active in the preaching of the gospel and even attempts to inject himself into the work of the building up of the church. On the day of Pentecost both God and Satan were active. The principle is the same in the Lord’s recovery today, for Satan is still devising a counterfeit of what God is doing. Quite often, Satan’s work will precede God’s work. For example, before Jerusalem was built up by God, Satan erected the tower and city of Babel. Satan knows God’s intention and attempts to produce a counterfeit before God carries out His plan. How subtle! We must clearly perceive Satan’s counterfeit of the Bride and never be entangled with it. We are part of the Bride. How can we become involved with that prostitute?
Through the years many dear Christians have come to me, trying their best to argue with me and to subdue me. Some have said, “Brother Lee, don’t you realize that I am a real brother in the Lord? Don’t you know that there are many true believers in all the denominations? Why then do you renounce all of us?” Again and again strong Christians have confronted me with such questions. I have always answered by saying, “You are a dear brother, and I do not renounce you. However, do you know where you are? You are in a place condemned by God. Although you are right as a brother, you are still in the wrong place.” We must see the difference between the person and the place. The person may be absolutely right, but the place where he stands may be altogether wrong.
In 1957 a dear servant of the Lord was invited to Taiwan. During his visit, the leading brothers had much fellowship with him. One of the brothers asked him, “Here in Taipei there are several Christian groups claiming to be nondenominational and meeting in the name of the Lord Jesus. Brother, please tell us which of these groups is right.” He replied by saying that none of them was absolutely right and that all of them were relatively right. Shocked by this answer, the brothers immediately asked him by what standard these groups were relatively right. His reply was that they were relatively right according to the measure of Christ. He said that the greater our measure of Christ, the more correct we are in the matter of the church, and the smaller our measure of Christ, the less correct we are in this matter. During the first two meetings with this brother, I did the interpreting. But at this point I entered into the debate and said, “Now we are talking about the measure of Christ. Some say that the greater our measure of Christ, the more correct we are in the church matter. We would all agree that in the past three hundred years Madame Guyon was probably the one who had the greatest measure of Christ. Nevertheless, can we say that she was right with respect to the church? She was in the satanic Roman Catholic Church. Let us also consider the typology in the Old Testament. The children of Israel were captured and held in captivity seventy years. At the end of those seventy years God intervened to command them to return to Jerusalem. Suppose a preacher rose up and said, ‘There is no need to return to Jerusalem. See how spiritual Daniel is, and he is still in Babylon. As long as we are spiritual, it does not matter where we are.’ Do you agree with this? To be spiritual is one thing, and to be in the right place is another. You may be as spiritual as Daniel, but if you remain in Babylon, you are still in Babylon. Your condition may be spiritual, but you are still in captivity. Don’t use Daniel as an excuse. Although he remained in Babylon, he opened his windows toward Jerusalem and prayed three times a day (Dan. 6:10). Daniel died in the very year the command came to the captives to go back to Jerusalem (Dan. 1:21; Ezra 1:1-3). If he had not died in that year, he probably would have returned. As long as you are alive, you must go back to Jerusalem. Do not disregard the matter of position. The Catholic Church and all denominations and divisive groups are condemned by the New Testament. Who can justify them? No matter how spiritual you are, as long as you are in the Catholic Church, in the denominations, or in the divisive groups, you are in a position condemned by the Scriptures.”
Although some may justify themselves, deep in their conscience they know that they are in the wrong place. When some argued with me, often I simply smiled and said, “Although you are arguing with me, Someone within you agrees with me and disagrees with you. This inner One doesn’t take sides with you; He takes sides with me.” Many of us who turned to the way of the church did not see the vision immediately. Rather, we stayed where we were and tried to reconcile the situation. Eventually, the One within, who is much stronger than we are, captured us, and we had to come to the right place. Please be clear that to be the right person is one thing and to be in the right place is another.
We live in a day of complications and confusion. Both the Bride and the counterfeit, the prostitute, are here. Apparently, the prostitute is much more prevailing than the Bride. The Bride is just a small herb, and the prostitute is a huge tree (Matt. 13:31-32). If you merely look at the outward appearance, you will be deceived and distracted. It is difficult for most Christians to discern between them. The outward appearance of both is about the same—gold, pearl, and precious stone. They both have something of God, something of Christ, and something of the Bible. But in the Lord’s recovery today the vision is clear, and the light is shining. This light exposes and discerns. By the light in the Lord’s recovery we know what is real and what is false; we know what is the Bride and what is the prostitute, and we can easily discern the one from the other. Hallelujah, we are in the Bride and have nothing to do with the prostitute! Furthermore, we know that one day the Lord will intervene to judge this prostitute. Hence, the wedding of the Lord will transpire after the destruction of the prostitute.
Some of you may still feel sympathetic toward the prostitute. However, I am certain that when the marriage of the Lamb has come, none of us will sympathize with her any longer. Although you may argue on her behalf today, eventually she will be utterly burned and destroyed. The Lord hates the prostitute, and before He enjoys a pleasant wedding with His Bride, He will utterly get rid of the prostitute. No bridegroom would want some kind of triangular relationship, and the Lord as the Bridegroom surely would not tolerate such a thing. In the marriage of the Lamb and the Bride there will be no third party. The third party, the prostitute, will be completely burned. Praise the Lord for this! I shall rejoice to see the destruction of this counterfeit, Babylon the Great.
The marriage of the Lamb will come after the rapture of the majority of the believers (1 Thes. 4:15-17). There will be several raptures: the rapture of the firstfruit, the rapture of the man-child, the rapture of the overcomers on the sea of glass, the rapture of the two witnesses, the rapture of the majority of the believers, and the rapture of the gleanings. The wedding of the Lamb will follow all these raptures.
The marriage of the Lamb will also follow the judgment at the judgment seat of Christ (2 Cor. 5:10). After all the raptures and before the wedding, there will be the judgment at the judgment seat of Christ to determine which believers will be qualified for the wedding feast. If you are rewarded at the judgment seat of Christ, you will participate in the wedding feast. If you are not rewarded but are disapproved of by the Lord, you will not perish; yet you will suffer a loss like that described in 1 Corinthians 3:15. This verse, says, “If anyone’s work shall be consumed, he shall suffer loss, but he shall be saved, yet so as through fire.” The saved ones who suffer loss will certainly miss the wedding feast. According to Matt. 25:1-13, the five wise virgins will be admitted to the wedding feast, and the five foolish ones will be rejected.
The judgment at the judgment seat of Christ will not determine whether or not we shall be saved or perish; it will decide whether we shall receive a reward from the Lord or suffer a loss. Only the saved will appear before this judgment seat. As the Lord is coming down from heaven to earth, He will linger for a time in the air, where He will take care of certain matters. The judgment seat of Christ will be set up in the air, and the wedding will also take place there. After this judgment and after the wedding, Christ will descend with His chosen ones as His army to fight against Antichrist in the war at Armageddon. Hence, both the judgment seat and the wedding will take place in the air. Therefore, the wedding will take place after the destruction of the prostitute, after all the raptures, and after the judgment at the judgment seat of Christ. As we shall see, those who are chosen at the judgment seat will be the Bride and also the guests at the feast. The guests will be the corporate Bride.
In verses 5 through 7 we have the praise of a great multitude. Right after the destruction of Babylon comes the marriage of the Lamb. The judgment and destruction of Babylon the Great, both religious and material, bring in the marriage of the Lamb and the reign of God — the kingdom of God (v. 6). This is the reason the great multitude of the saved rejoice and praise with hallelujahs (vv. 1, 3, 6), and the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures join them in praising God (v. 4).
What an exciting event is recorded in these verses! At that time we shall have witnessed the destruction of the prostitute, we shall have passed the judgment at the judgment seat, and we shall be at the wedding. Hallelujah! How marvelous! I expect to be there, and I am eagerly waiting for that day.
Verse 6 describes the voice of the great multitude “as the sound of many waters, and as the sound of mighty thunders.” The praise as the sound of many waters proceeds continually, and as the sound of mighty thunders it displays solemnity.
Now we come to a very crucial matter, the matter of the readiness of the Bride. Verse 7 says, “Let us rejoice and exult, and let us give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife has made herself ready.” “His wife” refers to the church (Eph. 5:24-25, 31-32), the Bride of Christ (John 3:29). However, according to verses 8 and 9, the wife, the Bride of Christ, here consists only of the overcoming believers during the millennium; whereas the Bride, the wife, in 21:2 is composed of all the saved saints after the millennium for eternity. The readiness of the Bride depends upon the maturity in life of the overcomers. Furthermore, the overcomers are not separate individuals, but a corporate Bride. For this aspect, building is needed. They are not only mature in life, but are also builded together as one Bride.
Verse 8 says, “And it was given to her that she should be clothed in fine linen, bright and pure; for the fine linen is the righteousnesses of the saints.” The word pure (or clean) refers to the nature; whereas bright refers to the expression. The Greek word translated righteousnesses may also be rendered righteous acts. The righteousnesses do not refer to the righteousness (which is Christ) we receive for our salvation (1 Cor. 1:30). The righteousness we receive for our salvation is objective, that we may meet the requirement of the righteous God; whereas the righteousnesses of the overcoming saints here are subjective (Phil. 3:9), that they may meet the requirement of the overcoming Christ. Hence, the fine linen indicates our overcoming life, our overcoming living. It is the very Christ whom we live out of our being.
According to the revelation of the whole Bible, we, the saved ones, need two garments — one for our salvation and one for our reward. For our salvation we need a robe to cover us. This robe is the robe put on the prodigal son in Luke 15. Upon his return, the prodigal son said to his father, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son” (Luke 15:21). He thought himself unworthy to be in the presence of the father. But the father said to his servants, “Quickly bring out the best robe and put it on him” (Luke 15:22). This robe is Christ as our righteousness. It is for us to be justified by God in His presence. We all have this robe, the first robe, which is Christ as our righteousness, our justification, that enables us to stand before the righteous God.
However, we also need the second garment, which is the wedding garment in Matthew 22:11 and 12. This garment is not for our salvation; rather, it is for our reward, qualifying us to attend the wedding feast of the Son of God. The first garment qualifies us to meet God for our salvation. The second garment qualifies us to meet Christ for our reward. The second garment is the work of the Holy Spirit within us. It is actually the very Christ by whom we live and whom we live out. It is the Christ expressed through us in our daily living. This is the righteousnesses of the saints in verse 8.
The second garment is also the righteousness spoken of in Matt. 5:20. In this verse the Lord Jesus said, “For I say to you, that unless your righteousness surpass that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall by no means enter into the kingdom of the heavens.” This is a weighty word, and few Christians understand it. This verse clearly indicates that we must have a righteousness that surpasses the righteousness of the Pharisees. This righteousness is not the objective Christ we receive as our robe for our justification. Rather, it is the subjective Christ whom we live out as our daily living. It is not the justifying robe; it is the garment that qualifies us to receive the reward.
The wedding garment in Matt. 22:11-12 illustrates this. In this parable the Lord speaks of a man who comes into the wedding feast without a wedding garment. When the king sees him, the king says, “Friend, how did you come in here not having a marriage garment?” The guest is speechless. Then the king says to his servants, “Bind his feet and hands, and cast him out into the outer darkness; there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth” (Matt. 22:13). The wedding garment is not the justifying garment; it is a very special garment. According to the custom of the ancient Jews, no one could attend a wedding feast without a special wedding garment. If we would be in the wedding feast of the Lamb, we must be clothed with such a garment. If you would be qualified to attend the wedding feast of Christ, you need to live by Christ and to live Him out in your daily living. This Christ, the subjective Christ, will be the wedding garment to qualify you to be admitted into the wedding feast. Therefore, we need both the justifying garment and the wedding garment.
The second garment is referred to in Rev. 3:4, 5, 18. In 3:4 and 5 the Lord told the church in Sardis that those who have not defiled their garments will walk with Him in white and that the overcomers will be “clothed in white garments.” This is the garment for the wedding feast. In 3:18 the Lord advised the church in Laodicea to buy from Him “white garments.” Thus, in the book of Revelation the matter of the second garment is stressed. If we do not have it, we shall miss the wedding feast.
These two garments are also seen in Psa. 45. In this psalm the queen has two garments (Psa. 45:13-14): one corresponds to the objective righteousness for our salvation and the other to the subjective righteousness for our victory. The latter is equivalent to the wedding garment in Matt. 22:11-12. The queen in Psalm 45 signifies the church. Her first garment is of “wrought gold,” and her second is “raiment of embroidery” (Heb.). In the Bible gold signifies the divine nature of God. At the time of our salvation we received a golden garment that enabled us to be in the presence of God. In addition to this, we need another garment, a garment of embroidery. This embroidery signifies the transforming work of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit today is working on us to transform us just like an embroiderer puts many stitches into cloth. Although we have the first garment, our second garment is now being prepared under the embroidering work of the Holy Spirit. This garment will qualify us to see Christ at His judgment seat. Day by day we are under the needle, the transformation, of the Holy Spirit. How we need this second garment! This is a serious matter.
However serious this matter may be, most Christians only care for the first garment. Some even say, “As long as we are justified, redeemed, and saved, everything is all right.” Do not listen to this. You may be all right as far as salvation is concerned, but what about the reward? You not only need justification — you also need approval. When you appear before the judgment seat of Christ, will He approve of you? Matt. 22:14 says very clearly that some will be chosen and not others. Only those who have the second garment produced by the embroidering work of the Holy Spirit will be chosen and qualified to attend the wedding feast of the Lamb.
In verse 6 the voice of the great multitude proclaims, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns!” The reign of God, the kingdom, is related to the marriage of the Lamb, and the marriage of the Lamb is the issue of the completion of God’s New Testament economy. God’s economy in the New Testament is to obtain for Christ the Bride, the church, through His redemption and divine life. By the continual working of the Holy Spirit through all the centuries, this goal will be attained at the end of this age. Then the Bride with the overcoming believers will be ready. Simultaneously, the kingdom of God will come. This corresponds to the Lord’s prophecy in Matthew 26:29.
The wedding will bring in the reign of the Lord, the kingdom, because all the guests invited to the wedding will be both the corporate Bride and the co-kings of the Groom. The Bridegroom, who will take the whole earth as His kingdom, certainly needs many sub-kings to be His co-kings. All His co-kings will be His corporate Bride.
I am not certain how long the wedding feast will last. The wedding itself, which will take place in the air, will last a short time. After the wedding, there will be the wedding feast. A wedding feast is always much longer than the wedding. Although I believe that the wedding feast will last a thousand years, the Bible does not give us the ground to say this with full assurance. To the Lord, a thousand years are as one day (2 Pet. 3:8). Matthew 22 indicates that the wedding feast will be the millennial kingdom. To us, the thousand years of the millennial kingdom will be a wedding feast. Everyone invited to the wedding feast will also participate in the thousand-year reign as kings. Our King will be the Groom; we, His co-kings, will be His Bride; and the thousand years will be our honeymoon. Christ’s thousand-year reign will be our feast.
I am quite certain that many Christians will not receive the reward of reigning with Christ in the coming kingdom. Although you may be saved, you must become an overcomer in order to receive the kingdom as your reward. For the overcomers, reigning with Christ in His kingdom will be the wedding feast.
Verse 9 says, “And he said to me, Write, Blessed are they who are invited to the marriage dinner of the Lamb. And he said to me, These are the true words of God.” The marriage dinner of the Lamb here is the wedding feast in Matthew 22:2 (Gk.). It will be a reward to the overcoming believers. Only the overcomers will be invited to it, not all the saved ones. The five foolish virgins in Matthew 25:8-13 will miss it. However, after being dealt with by the Lord in the kingdom age, they will participate in the New Jerusalem for eternity. Hence, to be invited to the wedding feast of Christ, which will usher the overcoming believers into the enjoyment of the millennium, is to be blessed. The overcoming believers invited to the marriage dinner of the Lamb will also be the Bride of the Lamb. The blessing referred to in verse 9 is the blessing of participating in the millennium.
Matthew 22:14 says, “For many are called but few are chosen,” and Revelation 17:14 says, “They who are with Him are called and chosen and faithful.” To be called is one thing, and to be chosen is another. Those who will follow the Lord to fight against Antichrist will not only be called, but also chosen. Although we have the assurance that we have been called, we do not yet have the assurance that we shall be chosen. This will be decided at the judgment seat of Christ. After we have been raptured, we shall stand before the Lord at the judgment seat, and He will decide whether or not we are qualified to be chosen. Only those who are chosen will be invited to the marriage feast of the Lamb.
Verse 10 says, “And I fell before his feet to worship him. And he said to me, Don’t do that! I am a fellow-slave of yours and of your brothers who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of the prophecy.” This verse indicates that the Bride, the invited guests, are the testimony of Jesus. Although the church today should be the testimony of Jesus, some among us are below the standard of the testimony of Jesus. However, at the time of verse 10 all the invited overcomers will be fully up to this standard. After the Lord has gained His Bride, He will be able to boast to Satan and to the whole universe, saying, “This Bride is My testimony.”
Verse 10 says that the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of the prophecy. The entire book of Revelation has a spirit, and this spirit is the testimony of Jesus. The spirit of the prophecy is the reality, substance, disposition, characteristic, of the prophecy. Thus, the testimony of Jesus is the reality, substance, disposition, characteristic, of the prophecy of this book. Today, the testimony of Jesus is the church. However, not all the members of the church have reached the Lord’s standard. Therefore, the Lord must wait until He has the Bride before He can declare to Satan, “This is My testimony. It is perfect and complete to the uttermost.” Hence, the Bride is the reality, the substance, and the element of the prophecy of the book of Revelation. This book is for the church life, for the Bride.
