Marriage Supper of the Lamb

Text and Content

The expression appears in Revelation 19:6–9. A great multitude cries "Alleluia" and sings, "Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready" (Revelation 19:7). "To her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white," and the text explains that "the fine linen is the righteousness of saints" (19:8). An angel then instructs John to write, "Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb" (19:9). In chapter 21, the New Jerusalem coming down out of heaven is portrayed as "a bride" and "the Lamb's wife" (21:2, 9–10).

Background and Terminology

"The Lamb" is the title Revelation characteristically uses for Jesus Christ, who is depicted as a Lamb standing, though it had been slain (5:6). The title is commonly read alongside the "Lamb of God" in the Gospel of John. The Greek phrase rendered "marriage supper" combines deipnon (supper) and gamos (marriage) and literally means "the supper of the marriage." In ancient Jewish society, wedding feasts could last for several days (Judges 14:12), although specific customs varied by period and region.

Significance in Scripture as a Whole

The Old Testament describes the relationship between God and Israel in terms of husband and wife (Isaiah 62:5; Hosea 2:19–20). Isaiah 25:6–8 contains the promise that the LORD will prepare a feast for all peoples on his mountain and will swallow up death (Isaiah 25:8).

In the New Testament, this imagery recurs in several places:

• Jesus likened himself to a bridegroom (Mark 2:19–20).
• He compared the kingdom of God to a wedding feast (Parable of the Wedding Feast, Parable of the Ten Virgins).
• John the Baptist called himself "the friend of the bridegroom" (John 3:29).
• Paul described Christ and the church as husband and wife (Ephesians 5:31–32).
• Jesus' words at the Last Supper about the day when he will drink it new in the kingdom of God (Mark 14:25) are also commonly read in connection with this feast.
• Some interpreters also see Jesus' first sign, the wedding at Cana, as part of the same thread.

Interpretations and Issues

• Time and place: Dispensational premillennialism generally holds that the marriage of the raptured church takes place in heaven during the tribulation on earth. Opinions differ on when the supper itself is held: some place it in heaven, while others place it at the beginning of the millennial kingdom after the Second Coming. Historic premillennialism associates it with the kingdom that begins at the Second Coming. Reformed scholars who hold to amillennialism generally read it as a symbol of the consummated union of Christ and the church.
• Bride and guests: Most traditions identify the bride as the church, that is, the whole company of the saints. Some dispensationalists distinguish between the church and Israel and regard Old Testament saints, among others, as the "called" guests.
• The fine linen: The Reformed tradition tends to focus on the word "granted" and to emphasize righteousness bestowed by grace. The Wesleyan tradition, among others, places weight on the saints' righteous acts and connects them with a sanctified life.
• Relation to the Eucharist: Liturgical traditions such as the Roman Catholic, Anglican, and Lutheran churches understand Holy Communion as a foretaste of this feast. The Catholic Mass quotes Revelation 19:9 before Communion.
• Details not found in the text: The text does not state that the feast lasts seven years, nor does it describe what the feast will look like; such claims are inferences drawn from interpretation.
• The World Mission Society Church of God interprets the New Jerusalem, the Lamb's wife, as "God the Mother." The general assemblies of several Korean denominations have declared this group heretical and reject this interpretation.

In the Korean Church

The passage is frequently cited in sermons on the Second Coming and the hope of heaven, at funeral and memorial services, and in Communion services. It is also used in wedding sermons to explain the relationship between Christ and the church.