A Wedding for the Ages: Real Story of Revelation (Part II)

March 9, 2021 / Ryan Brown

Last Week Lenses for Book of Revelation

  1. Read through the lens of Suffering
  2. Must understand the Old Testament
  3. Read within the context of the 7 Churches
  4. Must understand the Beginning to understand the End

Another Lens: You must Read Revelation through the lens of

  • Revelation embodies and completes every Covenant God ever made
    • Noah
      • Genesis 8:21-22
      • Genesis 9:1-7
      • Genesis 9:11-15
      • Revelation 21
    • Abraham
      • Genesis 12:1-3
      • Revelation 7:9
      • Revelation 19:1
      • Revelation 19:6
    • Mosaic
      • Exodus 19:3-6
      • Deuteronomy 29
      • Revelation 11:16
    • David
      • 2 Samuel 7:11-16
      • Christ’s throne mentioned 38 times in book of Revelation
      • Revelation 21:3
    • New Covenant
      • Jesus makes a new covenant, but places it in a certain model

*Revelation fulfills every covenant God made, but Jesus wraps it up around one single covenant

Jesus uses the Covenant to represent every covenant God made

*In order to communicate eternal things in finite brains, God uses finite models to describe what infinite things are. He uses the marriage covenant to encompass all previous promises, but also demonstrate relationships between Christ and God, and Us and God

  • Revelation 19:6-8
  • Revelation 20:9-14

Hebrew Marriage Covenant Elements

  • Marriage Arrangement
    • Father arranges bride for Son
      • First allusion found with Cain in Genesis 4
      • Exodus 20
      • Deuteronomy 29

*God uses Father-Son analogy within marriage covenant context to demonstrate Jesus and our relationship to Him

    • Father of bride sets dowry for marriage
      • John 1:29
      • Acts 20:28
      • 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
      • 1 Corinthians 11:25
      • Example: Sampson in Judges 13
    • Bride must verbally agree
      • Romans 10:9
  • Payment of Dowry
    • Groom pays the dowry
      • Could be goods, service, or both
        • John 19:28-30 – “Tetellestai”
        • Example: Jacob working for 7 years
  • Baptism
    • Bride and groom go through a ritual cleansing i.e. Mikveh/Baptism
      • Jesus Baptized: Matthew 3:13-17
      • Personal Baptism: Acts 2:38
  • Betrothal Ceremony
    • Like our modern wedding ceremonies, but is more of an engagement ceremony
      • 40 days with Jesus after resurrection
    • Groom would give bride a symbol or gift to remember His love by
      • Lord’s Supper – Luke 22:19
  • Bridal Chamber Preparation
    • Groom would leave and build a house for him and his wife
      • Typically was an add-on to father’s house
      • John 14:1-4
    • Groom’s father would select and send a “groomsman” to check-in on fiancé to provide for her, communicate with her, and inspire her
      • John 14:26
    • Bride would constantly mend her wedding dress in eager anticipation of her groom’s return
      • Ephesians 5:25-27
      • Revelation 19:7-8
  • Bride Fetched
    • Once the house was built AND at the blessing of the Father, groom would retrieve his bride
      • Matthew 24:36
    • Typically would be in the middle of the night to surprise the bride
      • Groomsman would kick in the door, blow the shofar, and announce, “Here comes the bridegroom”
      • A precession with the bride, groom, groomsman, and bridesmaid (virgins) would walk back to the grooms father’s house
        • Revelation 19
        • 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
        • John 14:3
  • Wedding Consummation
    • In the privacy of the chamber, bride and groom would consummate the marriage
      • Revelation 19:7
  • Marriage Feast
    • A seven-day marriage feast ensues culminating with the marriage supper
      • Revelation 20 – Marriage supper of the Lamb
      • Matthew 22:1-14
  • Honeymoon
    • Bride and groom would take a one-year sabbatical to get to know each other
      • 1000 year reign with no distraction, only fellowship in peace

Jesus uses the Marriage Covenant because it is the most relationship possible

  • “To Know” someone means to intimately KNOW them

Often used as a euphuism for sex

Matthew 25:1-13

“At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.“At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’“Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’“‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’10 “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.11 “Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’12 “But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’13 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.

  • The church is the bride of Jesus
    • We belong to the church, but are not the church alone
    • We support the church as groomsman (angels) and bridesmaids (Us) support the bride and groom
  • Ten Virgins
    • This isn’t some weird harem, but virgins were selected to be bridesmaids for the bride i.e. the church
    • We are the virgins in this story
  • Lamps with oil
    • Lamps have always represented our witness
      • Revelation 1 presents the churches as the lampstands and the Holy Spirit as the fire that the lampstands support
      • Oil has represented faith i.e. It is our faith that fuels the Spirit within us to push the witness of the gospel

*You can’t borrow someone’s intimacy with someone (oil)

*The Modern Christian Question is “Do you know Jesus?” The Biblical Question is “Does Jesus know you?”

  • “8 Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods. But now that you know God—or rather are known by God—how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable forces[d]? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again? 10 You are observing special days and months and seasons and years! 11 I fear for you, that somehow I have wasted my efforts on you.” – Galatians 4:8-10

*What does it mean for Jesus to Know you intimately?

For Jesus to Know you intimately you must love intimately

    • 1 John 4:8 – ““Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love”
      • Four Loves of Greek
        • Storge – Affectionate, Appreciation
          • Jesus demonstrates appreciation for sacrifice:

Revelation 2:9

Revelation 2:13

          • Do we show the same appreciation for:

What Jesus has done?

For what others do for us?

For the opportunity God gives us to serve Him and participate in heavenly things?

        • Eros – Passionate, romantic
          • Jesus demonstrates his passion:

The Cross i.e The Passion of Jesus

          • We demonstrate:

Our passion for serving God and others

Our passion for giving to God and others

Our passion for our witness

        • Phileo – Brotherly, Companionship
          • Jesus demonstrates his companionship

“Remember, I am with you always” – Matthew 28

          • We demonstrate:

Quantity of time

Quality of time

Joint mission and goals

        • Agape – Divine, Unconditional
          • Jesus demonstrates Agape:

“God demonstrates his love for us in this, that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us”

          • We demonstrate:

Is your love for God and people conditional?

In order for Jesus to know you intimately, you must know His Voice

  • John 10:4
    • Many of us know OF Jesus, but don’t know Jesus’ voice
      • We listen to many other voices and call it God’s
        • Political pundits
        • Pastors
        • Parents
  • You know how a mother knows her babies cry among many babies cries? Because she intimately knows her baby.
  • A lot of time in a lot of circumstances
    • You must spend time with Jesus in good, bad, tough, joyful, grief, and celebratory times

In order for God to Know us intimately, it requires us to forgive radically

  • God had to forgive us to make this marriage possible

*Any intimate relationship you desire requires forgiveness

 

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