The Wedding Dress

Revelation 19:7,8

The key to the proper understanding of this passage of Scripture is in the finality of its tone. All of the confusion and mysteries of human history are finally over. Every crooked thing gets straightened. Injustices from the realm of the temporary are compensated with eternal corrections. Things that no man could ever explain during the time of faith and mystery are suddenly understood by everyone. The rejoicing that results is beyond compare.

Through this window of revelation, we see a partial clearing of the fog of tension that lies between works and grace. We are saved by grace, but not without works. Our salvation is not dependent upon human effort or finite responses, but rather it is an infinite gift given by the initiating grace of our sovereign Lord. In the analogy that is set before us, the wedding dress has very little to do with the wedding; yet, it is a vital part. The groom never decides to marry the bride based upon the exquisite nature of her wedding dress. She does not, however, show up at the ceremony wearing jeans and a tee shirt.

There is a magical aura around a wedding day. Chuck Swindoll reminds us of the value of our wedding pictures, “You will never be that skinny again!” Purists of this magnificent day do not allow the bride and groom to lay eyes on one another until the ceremony actually begins. There is a whole lot of fussin’ going on in the bride’s chamber. Everything is being made as perfect as it can be. It is not her beauty that has won over her beau; nonetheless, she long to be, and usually is, more beautiful than ever before when she says, “I do!”

As the ceremony approaches, there is an electricity of anticipation. Everyone admits to being a little bit nervous, but the fact is, they are terrified. And for what? There are no surprises here. A girl and a guy are getting married. This is the fulfillment of a long period of anticipation. Everyone is happy! My son refers to it as the happiest day of his life. Why are we nervous? No one is going to get hurt! The answer lies in the fact of death and resurrection. Two virgins are surrendering their virginity. Two individuals are dying, and a single new person is being resurrected in their place. When Jesus said, “… the two shall become one,” this is to what He was referring.

The Holy Spirit takes a page from this joy of human experience and wraps our ultimate meeting with the Lord in it. In a certain sense, the book of Revelation is a book of frustration, as the apostle attempts to unveil the invisible and describe the indescribable with the clumsy tools of human language. Even the best language and the most skilled communicator are at a disadvantage. The magic of the event is not the flowers or the frills or even the wedding dress. The miracle of the moment is the relationship, and that starts long before the wedding day arrives. So be it!

The Wedding Dress

Revelation 19:7,8

INVENTORYING THE ETERNAL ~ What God has given you

A. Recognizing God’s control

B. Believing in the nature of time

C. Surrendering our moments

INDENTIFYING THE INEVITALBE ~ The day of the Lord

A. The Inevitability of judgment

B. The mystery of lost rewards

C. The mystery of eternal punishment

ENJOYING THE AVAILABLE ~ Understanding righteousness

A. That which is inadequate

B. That which is uncommon

C. That which is sufficient