SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS
Commentary by Walter Albritton
May 6, 2007
Glory! We Are Invited
to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb!
Revelation 19
Key Verse: Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. – Revelation 19:6
How exciting it must be to receive an invitation to dinner at the White House. World leaders, dignitaries, musicians, movie stars, and world class athletes frequently dine with the sitting President and the First Lady.
For obvious reasons I have not been invited. Neither have I been invited to dine at the Governor’s Mansion. Were I invited I would gladly accept. Perhaps some day the President or the Governor will have a dinner for ordinary people and I will be invited.
Meanwhile I harbor no disappointment for I have received an invitation to the greatest dinner in the history of the world. I have been invited to attend the marriage supper of the Lamb! At that great dinner the completion of God’s redemptive work in the world will be celebrated.
We can hardly imagine what the music and worship will be on that glorious day. Surely it will be even more magnificent than what John heard and saw when God opened the windows of heaven. John heard a thunderous voice urging all God’s servants to offer praise to God.
That urging was followed by the singing of a mighty chorus, a great multitude, shouting “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns.” The multitude invites everyone to “rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready.”
John teaches us that those who follow Christ are part of a great family or community. When we come to Christ we come into the universal fellowship of believers. If we had ears to hear, we could hear the applause of the great company of heaven. We know, on the authority of Jesus, that there is great rejoicing in heaven when one sinner repents (Luke 15).
While we come into the Kingdom one at a time, we are “family” the minute we are saved. Salvation makes us a brother or a sister to all other followers of the Lamb. We belong to Christ and we belong to each other. It is thrilling to consider that we who follow Christ are “one” with all in every nation who trust Christ as Savior.
In these days the war between good and evil rages everywhere. The Evil One works night and day to persuade people to worship pleasure rather than Almighty God. Satan seeks to divide our community of faith. Only by wearing the armor of God can we resist the demons of envy, hatred, jealousy, resentment, backbiting, and gossip that constantly threaten to rob us of our unity in Christ.
Were we to attend a dinner at the White House, we would dress appropriately. God has prescribed “fine linen, bright and pure” as the dress required for the marriage supper of the Lamb. The church as the bride of Christ will wear fine linen at the supper as a symbol of our purity.
Considering our sinfulness, it may seem presumptuous to speak of our purity. Yet we believe that the faithful will be made pure when our sins are washed in the blood of the Lamb. Our purity will be God’s doing, not ours. Grace alone gives us hope that as our sins are washed away, we are clothed with the righteousness of Jesus Christ, not our own.
We are all invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb, but not all will accept God’s gracious invitation. Some have no desire to honor God or worship him with the great chorus of heaven. Some have no interest thanking God for his mercy or offering praise for his goodness.
As I have been writing this, a dear friend came by to ask for prayer. Not for herself, but for her sister’s husband who claims to be an atheist. Together we prayed earnestly for her brother-in-law’s salvation. Yet we both realized that he will be lost unless he becomes willing to repent of his sins and turn to the living God for mercy.
I have a good friend who always replies to another’s greeting by saying, “I am blessed.” Those three words reveal his positive spirit and faith in God. Hearing him say “I am blessed” reminds the greeter that we are all blessed – and beyond our deserving.
John felt this sense of blessedness. My heart is stirred each time I read John’s words, “Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” What a blessing to have received this greatest of all invitations. What peace is ours when we accept God’s invitation. And what great joy will be ours when we sit down together at that glorious marriage supper of the Lamb!
(Contact Walter at