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It Is Written Canada

The Beatitudes of Revelation

Chris Holland

The Beatitudes of Revelation- Do You Hear What I Hear?

The Beatitudes of Revelation- What’s Your Legacy?

The Beatitudes of Revelation- What Left Behind Missed

The Beatitudes of Revelation- Welcome Home

The Beatitudes of Revelation- Are You Wearing the Right Clothes?

The Beatitudes of Revelation- Wedding Invitation

The Beatitudes of Revelation- When the Judged Are Judges

God's book, the Bible, still relevant in today's complex world.

It is written sharing messages of hope around the world.

On April 29, 2011, in what was 1 of the most watched events in broadcast history, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Kate Middleton were married in London's Westminster Abbey.

For many years, curious eyes had been on Prince William, eventual heir to the monarchy and whom he would marry.

Their wedding had 12 million Canadians tuning in at 1 point or another and hundreds of millions, possibly as many as 2 billion, watching on television worldwide.

The event even set a Guinness Book of world records for most live streams for a single event.

An invitation to attend this occasion was fairly exclusive.

About 1, 900 guests were invited to the ceremony, 600 to the luncheon, and 300 to the evening reception with a total cost of over 20 million pounds.

In order to have received an invitation, you needed to be a family member or a person who is very important or close to the family.

Now the odds are that most of you watching did not receive an invitation to this event.

But even though you did not receive an invitation to that wedding, did you know that there is another wedding that each and every 1 of us has been invited to?

A wedding far more monumental, far more magnificent than that of Prince William and Kate.

We can find our invitation to that wedding in the pages of the Holy Scriptures, the Bible, and in the Book of Revelation.

Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb.

It is with that invitation that we find ourselves in the midst of our series, the Beatitudes of Revelation.

Here in Revelation 19.9 is the fourth in a series of 7 blessings that are pronounced in the book of Revelation.

So often the book of Revelation is portrayed as a book that causes fear.

However, we find that the word blessed appears 7 times.

Literally in the Greek language, the word blessed means to be fortunate, happy, or privileged.

In this book that has brought confusion and distress to many, we find 7 statements of happiness or fortune, 7 statements that can bring happiness into the lives of those who fulfill the requirements of the blessing.

This fourth blessing is to those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb.

Some questions come about in this very simple statement.

In Christianity, we often recognize this symbol of the Lamb to be Jesus.

However, it may be helpful to look at a few Bible verses to confirm our thinking on this matter.

1 day, while John the Baptist was preaching and baptizing in the Jordan River, he saw Jesus walking toward him, and in John 129, it records the saying of John about Jesus.

Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

In Isaiah 53, a prophecy of the Messiah, we read these words.

He was oppressed and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth.

He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth." Jesus is referred to as the Lamb of God.

In ancient Judaism, the sacrificial system demanded the death of an innocent lamb as the sacrifice for sin.

Hebrews 9.22 states that without the shedding of blood, there is no remission.

Now remission means to be forgiven or pardoned of sins.

Now it seems to be taboo to talk about sin in our society today.

We talk of mistakes, indiscretions, and slip-ups.

However using the word sin as a descriptor seems to have connotations of being harsh or damaging to a person's feelings of self-worth.

According to 1 John 3 and verse 4 it says this, "...whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.

The King James states it this way, for sin is the transgression of the law.

Sin is the breaking or transgression of God's law.

And Romans 6 23 tells us of the ultimate consequence of sin.

Jesus is referred to as the Lamb of God because He came to fulfill the need of sacrifice for sin.

However, Jesus came so I don't have to pay the price for my sin.

First Peter chapter 1 and verse 19 says this, But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot, Jesus' death makes provision for our salvation.

Now just a moment ago I read Romans 6.23, but I didn't read the second half.

The second half says, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Jesus paid the price so we might have eternal life.

This Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, who forgives us from our sins and has paid the penalty for our sins, has promised a blessing in Revelation 19 to those invited to his marriage supper.

Now the next question then is, what is a marriage supper?

Now the word supper might be better translated feast or banquet.

It might be compared to the modern day wedding reception.

Now several different Bible passages help us in understanding what the marriage supper is.

Jesus himself illustrated what the marriage supper is with a parable describing the Kingdom of God in Luke chapter 14 verses 16 to 23.

A certain man gave a supper and invited many, and sent his servant at supper time to say to those who were invited, Come, for all things are now ready.

But they all with 1 accord began to make excuses.

Now skipping down to verse 21, so that the servant came and reported these things to his master.

Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city.

Then to verse 23, Then the master said to the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, And compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.

The marriage supper of the Lamb is an invitation to a literal supper that celebrates God's people's entry to the heavenly gates.

Remember our text today, Revelation 19, says, blessed are those who are called.

A blessing is pronounced on those who are called to this magnificent event.

This parable we just read illustrates that the invitation has been sent out and even now people continue to be invited.

But unfortunately, as the parable also depicts, many people make excuses as to why they cannot accept the invitation.

Another parable that further emphasizes the inclusiveness of this invitation is recorded in Matthew 22, verses 2-13.

The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding, and they were not willing to come.

Again, he sent out other servants, saying, Tell those who are invited, See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready.

But they made light of it, and went their ways, 1 to his own farm, another to his business, and the rest seized his servants, treated them spitefully, and killed them.

But when the king heard about it, he was furious.

He sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.

Then he said to the servants, The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy.

Therefore, go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.

So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good.

And the wedding hall was filled with guests.

But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment.

So he said to him, "'Friend, how did you come in here "'without a wedding garment?' and he was speechless.

Then the king said to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, take him away and cast him into the outer darkness, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Jesus introduces 1 additional principle to the marriage supper.

All are invited, but not everyone can come.

Notice the parable refers to a wedding garment.

Every person has been invited to the marriage supper, but only those with the wedding garment can come in.

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The Beatitudes of Revelation

The Beatitudes of Revelation- Wedding Invitation

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