"And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as
the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia:for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. Let us
be glad and rejoice, and give honor to him; for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife
hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean
and white:for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. 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 sayings of God" (Rev. 19:6-9).

There are two main subjects in this passage:God manifestly assuming His kingly power, and the
Lamb taking to Himself His bride_the Church of the New Testament. The moment has not yet
arrived for the Lord Jesus Christ, who suffered as none ever did, to mount His throne. But all is
getting ready for that grand event. O blessed moment for which creation groans and waits, for
which the Church hopes and prays, and for which the wearied tribes of Israel long with eager
expectation! The Nazarene is God’s appointed King. But two events must necessarily take place
before the throne of the world is occupied by Christ:Babylon must be judged on earth, and the
marriage of the Lamb must be celebrated in heaven. The first has been described in Rev. 18; we
are now about to consider the second.

The call of the throne (given in v. 5) meets with a magnificent and immediate response. The praise
is loud, deep, and full, and characterized by strength and grandeur. The voice heard by the Seer
(i.e., the apostle John) is likened to the sound of "many waters" and "mighty thunderings," that
is, majesty and power combined. Having had the summons from the throne, the mighty choir takes
up the strain in a voice of majesty and power_not "voices," for the mind of heaven is one. We
now hear what fell upon the enraptured soul of the Seer; the last "Hallelujah" is sounded. It is not
now Christ the object of praise, but God on the throne in holy and righteous action. The titles
under which He is worshiped gather up all the various manifestations of God to His people of old.
Separately they set forth distinctive relations and glories; when combined they form a tower of
strength; when seen as united in Him the grandeur of the whole is beyond all telling.

The kingdom has now come, and kingly power is assumed. This is the first great subject of praise
by the heavenly host. What a relief to creation, burdened with six thousand years of sin and
sorrow! But before the second theme is announced, calling for the adoration of the redeemed, we
read, "Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to Him."

In the revelation of God on His throne as Jehovah and the Almighty the whole being is bowed
before Him. The soul is awed, not in fear, but in profoundest depth, and surely that is right and
proper as we contemplate Him in the greatness of His Being.

But in the subject now to be introduced the affections are deeply stirred and the heart moved to
its very center. Hence the prefatory call to rejoice and give God glory, for the "marriage of the
Lamb is come, and His wife has made herself ready."

This great and grand event is the consummation of joy to Christ as man. It is not said the marriage

of the bride, but the marriage of the Lamb. It is His joy that is specially in view, not ours. The
marriage, of which no details are given, takes place in heaven, and on the eve of the Lord’s return
in power, several years at least subsequent to the rapture (1 Thess. 4; John 14:3). The marriage
is the disclosed secret of Ephesians 5:32. Not Israel, nor a remnant thereof, but the Church of the
New Testament is the bride. Israel in her land was the wife of Jehovah (Jer. 3:14-20; Isa. 54:1),
but the wife was divorced because of her iniquity. Israel, however, is to be reinstated in Jehovah’s
favor. But a divorced wife can never again be a virgin, and it is not a divorced wife but a virgin
whom the Lord marries (Lev. 21:13,14; 2 Cor. 11:2). Israel, moreover, has her place and
blessing on the earth; the marriage of the Lamb is in heaven, the Church’s proper home. The
exclusively heavenly character of the scene forbids the application of it to Israel.

Of whom is the bride composed? We answer unhesitatingly, all saints embraced between Pentecost
(Acts 2) and the translation (1 Thess. 4:17). These events respectively mark the commencement
and the termination of the Church’s sojourn on earth. The Church, then, is the bride. The Church
is imperishable because founded on the glory and dignity of Christ as Son of God (Matt. 16:18).
His body, too, is the nearest of all to Him (Eph 1:23), as the bride is the dearest object to His
heart and eye. He has loved the Church with a deathless and unchangeable love, a love ever
active, and knowing no cessation till He presents her in glory to Himself (Eph. 5:25-27). The
Church has weathered many a storm, has longed for her heavenly Bridegroom through cloud and
sunshine, has in conjunction with the Spirit on earth ofttimes cried to Hun, the Bright and Morning
Star, "Come" (Rev. 22:16,17). We who have had our place in the Father’s house, according to
John 14:3, are about to be displayed in the kingdom as the bride and wife of the Lamb. What a
moment of joy! His glory and joy exceedeth. More of the oil of gladness is poured upon His head
than upon ours (Heb. 1:9). Our place, our blessing, our gladness are wrapped up in His. Then
shall He who died see of the travail of His soul and be satisfied.

"His wife has made herself ready." There are two sorts of fitness, and the Church is the subject
of both. First, God in the exercise of His sovereign grace makes one fit for heavenly glory, as we
read, "Giving thanks unto the Father which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance
of the saints in light" (Col. 1:12). Second, believers have to make themselves ready before they
enter on their eternal glory. That is, the story of earth has to be gone over again in the presence
of Him who is light. Our lives have to be reviewed at the "judgment seat of Christ" (2 Cor. 5:10).
The light of the throne will be cast over and upon every moment of our lives, discovering the
hidden, and bringing out the true character of act, word, and service. The enigmas of life will be
explained, unsolved problems cleared up, and all mistakes and misunderstandings rectified. This,
and more, is the application of the judgment seat of Christ to the heavenly saints, and precedes
the marriage. "His wife has made herself ready." The light of the throne has done its blessed
work, bringing out into bold relief the whole story of her history on earth. What would it be if in
glory we remembered one incident of a painful kind which had not been set right? The thought
would be intolerable. But all will come out at the judgment seat as a matter between each saint and
God. It will not be a public exposure before others. Nor must this be understood as signifying
judicial judgment. All that has been settled on the Cross. We appear before the judgment seat of
Christ crowned and glorified, "raised in glory" (1 Cor. 15:43), to have the light of the throne cast
upon the past. What a mercy that it is so. We shall then pass from the judgment seat with its
searching light into the loved presence of the Lamb as His bride and wife for ever.

"And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white:for the fine
linen is the righteousness of saints." The harlot (Rev. 17) was gorgeously arrayed, but her pomp,
splendor, and ornaments were claimed as a matter of right. With the bride it is different; she is
arrayed as a matter of grace. The fine linen, pure and lustrous, of the bride is her righteousness,
or righteous acts, done on earth. But she claims no merit, for these righteous acts were wrought
by the power of the Holy Spirit in her. Her garments bespeak her practical character. She can now
enter on the enjoyment of eternal companionship and union of the closest nature (that of wife) with
her husband, the Lamb. Her deeds on earth have been appraised at their true value in heaven.

"Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb." The bride and
guests are clearly distinguished. The former is, of course, in more immediate relation to the
Lamb. The bride is wed; the guests sup. Those called to the supper are "blessed." This is not said
of the bride. Her blessing, which is that of the highest order and character, is expressed in the
simple words, bride and wife. What unspeakable joy is conveyed in these terms! But the guests
are pronounced blessed. Who are they? We answer, the friends of the Bridegroom. But as the
friends of the Bridegroom they enjoy a higher and dearer character of blessedness than they would
if merely the friends of the bride. John the Baptist expressly tells us that he is a friend of the
Bridegroom (John 3:29). The Baptist was martyred before the Church was formed, hence he
comes in as perhaps the most honored of the guests at the marriage supper. Old Testament saints
constitute the large company of called guests, each one being a friend of the Bridegroom, and
rejoicing in His presence and voice. The apocalyptic martyrs (Rev. 20:4) are not raised till after
the marriage, hence cannot be numbered among the guests. Angels may be spectators of the scene,
but guests they cannot be. Angels are never spoken of in the way that these are. It is called a
supper, perhaps in contrast to the subsequent supper of judgment (Rev. 19:17). The former is in
connection with the Lamb and His joy; the latter is in relation to God and the judgment He
executes on the ungodly.

These divine communications, whether spoken by an angel or seen in vision by John, have
attached to them all the weight and authority of God Himself. "These are the true sayings of God."
The basis of our faith is not conjecture, but the certainty that God has spoken. Absolute certainty
is of prime importance in these days when the dogmatism of belief in a divine revelation is
considered to savor of a narrow and illiberal spirit. In old times God spake in the prophets; in
New Testament times God has spoken in His Son (Heb. 1:1,2). How blessed, therefore, to have
the confirmation of these grand and heart-gladdening truths from God Himself!

(From Exposition of the Revelation of Jesus Christ.)

"And I beheld, and lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the
elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain.. . . And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels
round about the throne and the beasts and the elders:and the number of them was ten thousand
times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb
that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and
blessing. And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such
as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honor, and glory, and
power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever" (Rev. 5:6-
14).

In the midst of the heavenly scene stood a Lamb as slain. The wound prints in Him as risen beheld
by the disciples (John 20:20,25,27) are now seen by John in Him glorified. The memories of
Calvary are treasured in heaven. John the Baptist first points out Jesus on earth as the "Lamb of
God" (John 1:29-36); John the apostle now beholds Him in that same character on high. But how
different the position! There, wounded and slain (Isa. 53); here, the center of heaven’s strength
and glory, yet bearing in His Person the marks and scars of the cross.

In the previous chapter Jehovah in the greatness and eternity of His Being, as also in His relation
to all creation as its Lord, its Sustainer, and Creator, evokes the profound worship of the living
ones and elders. No angels are mentioned as taking part in the worship. But here we have as the
center of heaven’s worship the slain Lamb, and accordingly all creation is stirred to its depths.
There are additional features of heart interest, added grounds and reasons of worship, not found
when Jehovah, as such, is in view. The slain Lamb brings before us the holy Sufferer of earth
given up to insult and wrong, rejected and crucified, uttering no word of reproach, nor exercising
power on His own behalf save the passive might to suffer. Now all is blessedly changed. The
Lamb once stood in the midst of the ribald band (Matt. 27:27-31), silent, meek, unresisting, alone
in holiness, in calm dignity, enduring to the utmost the mean and cruel contempt of the ferocious
men around Him, who rained their blows on His defenseless head, bowed before Hun the mocking
knee, covered Him with their disgusting spittle, crowned and pierced Him- with the prickly thorn,
thrust a reed into His bound hands, stripped Him, and with blow and taunt indulged their vile and
depraved nature. Silent and patient in His agony He stood in the midst. Now the selfsame Lamb
bearing in His Person the marks of His suffering is here seen as the object of heaven’s worship.
No voice is, nor can be, silent when the slain Lamb appears.

"Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof" (v. 9). It is remarkable how the
introduction of the Lamb shuts out all else. In that character which presents Him as slain He
absorbs the attention of heaven. Where is the Lion of the tribe of Judah? The Lion gives place to
the Lamb. Under the former title, which is one of might and power, He will defend the cause of
His oppressed people of Israel, and in His career of victory He does not rest till the triumph of
that people is secured. But that title of assertive power is meantime in abeyance, and the Lamb
is all the glory in heaven and earth. Of course the power of the Lion and grace of the Lamb center
in Jesus. Here the Lamb is personally addressed in song. His worthiness to disclose and to execute
the counsels of God are celebrated. Next, the ground of the Lamb’s worthiness to carry out the

purposes of God into full and glorious result is stated.

"For Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and
tongue, and people, and nation." As the Lion of the tribe of Judah He acts in power, but as the
Lamb He was slain. Here the accomplishment of God’s counsels of grace and glory is traced to
the cross as the basis. Without the cross, Christ would have entered into spheres of glory alone;
without it there could have been no redemption for sinners. The cross is the grandest counsel of
eternity and the grandest fact of time. It is the immovable basis on which rests the blessing of
Israel and creation, as also the glory of the Church and of saints in the heavens.

"And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne." The introduction
of angels into the heavenly scene and the place which they occupy is of profound interest. They
announced the birth of Jesus and praised God in words of never-dying fame (Luke 2:8-14); an
angel ministered to Him in the gloomy garden as the dark shadow of the cross and agony rested
on His spirit (Luke 22:43); two angels witnessed to His resurrection (John 20:12,13); and two also
testified of His ascension (Acts 1:10,11). The whole system of Christianity is a matter of inquiry
and interest to the heavenly hosts (1 Peter 1:12). They delight to serve the heirs of salvation now
(Heb. 1:14), even as it will be their joy to serve them in glory (Rev. 21:12).

In the center stands the slain Lamb, around the throne the living ones and the redeemed, while the
outer circle is formed of angels whose numbers are beyond human computation (see Dan. 7:10).
In the response of the angelic hosts to the song of the redeemed they say, whereas the elders sing.
There is more than a verbal difference in this, for while angels know the Lamb they cannot say,
"He was slain for us." We know Him in a deeper, fuller, more personal way than do angels. He
died for us, not for them; hence the difference, we sing, they say. Angels are never said to sing.
Observe, too, that the elders in their song directly address the Lamb, whereas the angels, in
keeping with their place and service, adopt a more distant form of address. The former sing to
Him, the latter speak of Him. The full burst of praise from the angelic hosts is grand. The
symphony is unmarred by one discordant note.

They ascribe to Him the fullest number (seven) of attributes. "Power" is first named because the
circumstances call for its immediate exercise. Power in its widest and most comprehensive
character is ascribed to Him. "Riches," the wealth of the universe, physical and moral, is His due.
"Wisdom" as seen in all the ways and works of God next follows in the list. "Strength" is that
quality which enables one to execute what the will determines to be done. "Honor" implies that
every mark of public distinction is worthy to be conferred on the Lamb. "Glory" refers to public
and moral display, of which the Lamb is deemed alone worthy. "Blessing," every form and
character of blessedness or happiness, is here ascribed to the Lamb.

But the full tide of praise is not yet exhausted. It rolls on, gathering force and volume, till the
whole universe is embraced. "Every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the
earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them" takes in the vast universe of God in all
its parts. Jehovah on His throne and the Lamb are the objects of universal adoration. The fourfold
ascription of praise_ "blessing, and honor, and glory, and power"_marks the universality of this
spontaneous burst of worship. The praise is never ceasing_"for ever and ever."

(From Exposition of the Revelation of Jesus Christ.)

"For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things
done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad" (2 Cor. 5:10).

It is for the glory of God that every work done by man should appear as it really is before Him
who is ordained by God Judge of living and dead. But let it be made very clear that as the believer
is by grace exempted from judgment both as a partaker of everlasting life and as having in Jesus
a perfectly efficacious Saviour, his standing before the judgment seat assumes the character of
manifestation, and in no way of a trial with the awful possibility of destruction. The child of God
is glorified before he stands there, and there will not be the slightest effect of the outcome upon
the salvation which he now enjoys by faith. He will give account of himself to God and be
manifested there. And it will be for God’s glory as well as for the perfect blessing of the believer
that everything in his life should come to light and that he himself should know even as he is
known (1 Cor. 13:12).

Nothing will blind the eye then, no unsuspected motive will warp the heart or mind before the
judgment seat of Christ. The merciful care, the overruling power of God in all our ways will
appear in their astonishing wisdom and goodness, no longer concealed by the mists of this life.
We shall know perfectly what debtors we were to grace, and the resources and activity of that
grace in our checkered history and experience_both the rich mercy of God at the first and His
boundless patience to the last. Even now what a comfort for us it is to have renounced the
dishonesty of the natural heart, to judge ourselves unsparingly in the presence of love that never
fails, to be in the light of God, and to have no guile in our spirit. Perfect love casts out fear; we
love Him who first loved us, and do not shirk but welcome the light which makes everything
manifest. We no longer walk in darkness as once when we had no true knowledge of God; we
walk in the light as He is in the light.

While our manifestation before the judgment seat of Christ is yet future, we have the privilege of
preparing for and anticipating that in this present life. God sometimes gives the Christian a period
of quiet, perhaps occasioned by sickness, during which he can review his ways and examine
himself alone with God, when human energy, self-love, or flattery do not stand in the way of a
holy self-judgment. And this is experienced all the more deeply as he firmly holds to the assurance
of God’s changeless favor. That self-review and self-judgment which is begun before God in this
life will be complete and perfect in that day when we_already caught up and glorified in the
body_shall be manifested before the judgment seat without a trace of the shame that either hides
or with pain confesses. It is great gain to have such times on earth, though the process be but
imperfect; even greater is the gain as this becomes a regular habit with us. And how full will be
the blessing when all is absolutely out in love and light with Christ!

The manifestation has this result, "That every one may receive the things done in his body,
according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad." While on the one hand God is not
unrighteous to forget the work of faith and labor of love, on the other hand, failure and wrong will
entail loss. And the soul itself will in full intelligence and unmurmuring adoration bow and bless
Him who orders the place of each in the kingdom, and who (while never abandoning His own

sovereignty) will take note of the greater or less fidelity and devotedness of each in service or
ways.

Thus will God be vindicated, displayed, and enjoyed in all that He is and does; and thus will the
saint have perfect communion with all, in not a single detail missing the joy and blessedness of
what He is to all His own and to each for ever.

The wicked will also be manifested, but it will be at a considerably later time and it will have a
wholly different character and effect. The judgment seat in this case will be the judgment of the
great white throne after the reign of the thousand years, when the dead small and great are not
manifested only, but judged each according to their works (Rev. 20). They refused the Saviour;
they stood in their own righteousness or were indifferent about the lack of it, thinking nothing of
God or counting Him like themselves. They had no life, no faith in Christ; they rise to a
resurrection not of life but of judgment, for God will judge all who do not believe. And if the
righteous be saved with difficulty, with a difficulty which nothing but sovereign grace in Christ
could surmount, where shall the ungodly and sinner appear? It is eternal judgment dealing with
evil, and the issues are as sure as they are awful and endless.

"Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men" (v. 11). That manifestation before
the judgment seat awakens no alarm for the believer, but rather anxiety for "men," for all in their
natural state who have not Christ. How deep and loud and constant is the call for those who
believe to arouse those who do not believe_to "persuade men" on the one hand of the wickedness,
the folly, and the danger of sin; and on the other of the reality, the freeness, the fulness, the
certainty of salvation in Christ.

(From Notes on Second Corinthians.)

It is a strange and humbling and prevalent fact that few Christians understand their own
Christianity. Yet it is true that there are many brethren in the Lord who know more about the Jews
than they do about their own Christianity. Pay close heed to this lest it be your own case. It is
always the truth most important for us that the devil tries to hide away from us, and turn us
bitterly from it. Nor is it only the bad things that he perverts to hinder our blessing. For many true
believers are kept back because they refuse to look for more than the forgiveness of their sins
through the gospel. Let us zealously seek to be taught of God. Let our eyes be fixed on the Lord
that we may be filled with fervor of spirit and purpose of heart. The question for our faith and
practice is the attitude that God assumes toward us, and our relation to Him while Christ is above
on His own right hand. How is the answer to this great truth to be carried out on the earth in the
heart and ways of those who believe? We will consider some verses in Ephesians 1 in this regard.

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual
blessings in heavenly places in Christ; according as he hath chosen us in Him before the
foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love…. In
whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of Him
who worketh all things after the counsel of His own will" (w. 3-14).

At a time of utter evil it suited God to divulge the secret of His purpose. From before the
foundation of the world He chose us Christians, in Christ, that we should be holy and blameless
before Him in love. He would surround Himself above with beings like Himself:holy in nature,
blameless in ways, and with love as their animating principle as it is His own. Such we shall be
when His purpose takes full effect. We are sadly short now, but God’s purpose cannot fail; and
Christ will make every word good when He comes to receive us to Himself and to be like Himself
for the Father’s house.

God will surround Himself, not merely in heaven, but in its nearest circle of His own, with those
capable of holding communion with Him about everything that concerns His nature, counsels, and
ways. Can anything be more wonderful than the place He designs for Christians? We ought to be
therefore engaged in a course of spiritual education for it now; but until we are like Christ at His
coming, none will have yet arrived at the fulfilled purpose of God. But then we shall be absolutely
holy before God, and not a single thing to blame will be found in us, according to the working
whereby Christ is able to subdue all things to Himself. Instead of vanity or pride there will be love
that delights in God and His goodness without alloy. Even now are our hearts won to all this by
divine grace in partaking of a divine nature; but we justly feel how poor is our manifestation of
it now. How comforting is the purpose that every son of God will be absolutely thus according
to God’s nature.

Surely it is important for every true Christian to know what his new nature and relationship with
God are. God forbid that we should ever neglect or forget these things. As we consider God’s
purpose for His chosen ones, how deeply we are made to feel that all is ruin at the present time
and how deeply we are fallen from our true estate. Where, among those that bear the Lord’s
name, can be found anything similar to what is here revealed to the saints? The rarest thing to find

in Christendom is any answer to the description God gives of the Christian. Is it not so? What can
we say to such a fact? At best we are only learning what it is.

Having considered, briefly, God’s purposes for His sons and heirs, let us now consider His
purposes concerning the inheritance itself. This future inheritance is so immense, so illimitable,
that it embraces all heavenly and earthly creation, all that is to be put under Christ and
consequently under those who are united to Christ. Do Christians realize that they are to share it
all with Him? He would have us to apprehend it in all wisdom and intelligence. We need to know
our personal blessing first; but next we need to know what we shall share with Christ when He
takes the inheritance of all things. Spiritual understanding is requisite but is also abundantly given
for this express purpose.

We may be helped in this if we look at the first Adam. When God made the first man and put him
into the brightest part of the earth, or paradise as it is called, everything was "very good" (Gen.
1); but the very best were collected by Jehovah Elohim in His power for the head of mankind. So
He planted the garden for Adam with special provision, not for every use only, but for delight and
enjoyment also. And as Adam was constituted the lord of the lower creation here on earth, he was
enabled in God’s goodness, through the wisdom and intelligence conferred upon him, to give the
proper names to all cattle, and to the birds of the sky, and to every beast of the field; for all these
were subjected to him. This is the more important because it is the appropriate sign of the
dominion given him. In Adam there was no question of sin. Adam herein assumed nothing in
pride:it was the Lord God that brought to him the animals to see what he would call them; and
whatsoever Adam called every living creature, it had His sanction. As master by divine
appointment, the right or title was recognized, as he had the wisdom and intelligence for that
function. Divine goodness had pleasure in it.

So Adam gave these names, and God recognized them. Very far greater are the things God has
done in Christ for us. A fair and beauteous scene it was with every creature in it that God
subjected to Adam. But what is that compared with the whole universe of God, and every creature
above and below, after all the ruin, gathered into united blessedness under Christ’s headship, and
ourselves associated with Christ in that place of honor over all things? God therefore caused grace
to abound toward us "in all wisdom and intelligence" that we might be capable even now of
entering with spiritual understanding into a scene so boundless.

May we all have an increasing desire to lay hold of these wonderful purposes of God concerning
both His heirs and His inheritance.

(From The Bible Treasury, Vol. 6N.)