Revelation 19 The Marriage Supper of the Lamb
Is this the rapture of the church or something else. Commentary indicates that the Marriage of the Bride and the Marriage Supper are two different events. This aligns with Jewish tradition in which a man and wife would be engaged for a period of time and then would later marry. Both were recognized as legal transactions requiring divorce to separate. We, the Church, are betrothed right now and must remain faithful.
Revelation 19:7 Let us rejoice and be glad and give Him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and His bride has made herself ready.
Has the wedding already taken place? Does this mean that the day as arrived (it has finally come?) or does it mean it has past (it has come and gone?). See REF1 concluding notes - this section of Scripture may have been a "meanwhile seg way to what has been happening in heaven. I've wondered why Revelation never mentioned the Rapture - it would make sense that it had already happened and this is describing what is happening in heaven during the tribulation period - a Marriage and a Marriage Feast which according to Jewish Tradition would take place at the Father's House.
Bibleref excerpt on 19:7:
Traditionally, a dowry preceded the wedding, and then the bridegroom would come and claim his bride. He would then take her to his father's house, where the wedding would take place. Finally, he would return with his bride to celebrate the wedding feast. Jesus paid a price for His bride, the church (Mark 10:45).[this is the dourly]. Someday, He will come for His bride and escort her to heaven [rapture], where He will present her to Himself as pure and spotless (John 14:1–3; Ephesians 5:25–27). At His second coming Jesus will return to earth with His bride to celebrate the marriage supper. The bride of Christ has made herself ready by being with the Bridegroom. First John 3:2 explains that when Christians see Jesus, either through death or at the rapture, they will be like Him. REF! below also explains this thoroughly.
What is the Marriage Supper of the Lamb and when and where will it take place?
REF1: https://israelmyglory.org/article/the-marriage-and-marriage-supper-of-the-lamb-revelation-197-9/
The above reference proposes three considerations:
At least three answers to these questions have been proposed. First, the marriage will occur when the Church is raptured to meet Christ in the air at His Second Coming and the marriage supper will take place on earth during the Millennium. Second, the marriage will occur in Heaven when the Church is raptured before the 70th week (Tribulation period), and the marriage supper will take place on earth during the Millennium. Third, the marriage will occur in Heaven when the Church is raptured before the 70th week (Tribulation period), and the marriage supper will take place in Heaven during the seven years of the 70th week.
REF1: This established marriage custom and Christ’s teaching in harmony with it indicate that the Rapture of the Church and marriage of the Lamb will not take place at the Second Coming of Christ, because at His Second Coming Christ will not return to His Father’s house in Heaven. Instead, He will come to the earth. Thus, the Rapture of the Church and marriage of the Lamb must take place sometime before the Second Coming of Christ, and the Rapture of the Church and marriage of the Lamb must be separate events from the Second Coming. [Although this indicates that the Rapture takes place before the Second Coming - Rev 19:11 - it doesn't necessarily indicate that it will take place before the tribulation. The positioning of Rev 19 happens right before Christ makes His appearance. But again, if Rev 19 is the Rapture of the Church, why wasn't the Church mentioned during the tribulation period??)
REF1: [Another indication that the Rapture and Second Coming will occur at two separate times] It should be noted that the mood at the Second Coming will be just the opposite of the joyous, festive mood of the marriage. The description of the Second Coming in Revelation 19 portrays Christ, not as a happy groom coming with joyful companions to take His bride to His Father’s house, but as a terrifying warrior-king coming with armies from Heaven to administer judgment and death upon rebellious humanity. The marriage customs of Bible times provided a festive marriage supper for wedding guests, but the Second Coming will provide a radically different kind of supper—a funeral supper of dead flesh for the fowl of the earth (Rev. 19:17–18, 21).
REF1 Conclusion: Since it was customary for the wedding supper of Bible times to last for one week, or seven days.14 It is the conviction of this writer that, in relationship to the marriage supper of the Lamb, the seven years of the 70th week of Daniel 9 will correlate to that time period. According to this view, then, the Rapture of the Church and marriage of the Lamb will occur before the 70th week (Tribulation period), and the marriage supper of the Lamb will take place in Heaven during the 70th week.
REF1: Side Note - who are the guests at the Wedding Feast? Since the guests at the marriage supper of the Lamb will be blessed and will be in Heaven (since that is where the marriage supper of the Lamb will take place), they must be believers (cp. Rev. 20:6). The fact that the guests will be believers, but not part of the Church, forces one to conclude that not all believers of all ages of history belong to the Church. God has groups of believers distinct from the Church. The souls of Old Testament saints will already be assembled in Heaven when the Church arrives there at the time of the Rapture and marriage of the Lamb. Those Old Testament saints will be guests at the marriage supper of the Lamb.
REF2: https://www.compellingtruth.org/marriage-supper-lamb.html
REF3: https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/58820895.pdf
Revelation 19:7 Let us rejoice and be glad and give Him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and His bride has made herself ready.
Has the wedding already taken place? Does this mean that the day as arrived (it has finally come?) or does it mean it has past (it has come and gone?). See REF1 concluding notes - this section of Scripture may have been a "meanwhile seg way to what has been happening in heaven. I've wondered why Revelation never mentioned the Rapture - it would make sense that it had already happened and this is describing what is happening in heaven during the tribulation period - a Marriage and a Marriage Feast which according to Jewish Tradition would take place at the Father's House.
Bibleref excerpt on 19:7:
Traditionally, a dowry preceded the wedding, and then the bridegroom would come and claim his bride. He would then take her to his father's house, where the wedding would take place. Finally, he would return with his bride to celebrate the wedding feast. Jesus paid a price for His bride, the church (Mark 10:45).[this is the dourly]. Someday, He will come for His bride and escort her to heaven [rapture], where He will present her to Himself as pure and spotless (John 14:1–3; Ephesians 5:25–27). At His second coming Jesus will return to earth with His bride to celebrate the marriage supper. The bride of Christ has made herself ready by being with the Bridegroom. First John 3:2 explains that when Christians see Jesus, either through death or at the rapture, they will be like Him. REF! below also explains this thoroughly.
What is the Marriage Supper of the Lamb and when and where will it take place?
REF1: https://israelmyglory.org/article/the-marriage-and-marriage-supper-of-the-lamb-revelation-197-9/
The above reference proposes three considerations:
At least three answers to these questions have been proposed. First, the marriage will occur when the Church is raptured to meet Christ in the air at His Second Coming and the marriage supper will take place on earth during the Millennium. Second, the marriage will occur in Heaven when the Church is raptured before the 70th week (Tribulation period), and the marriage supper will take place on earth during the Millennium. Third, the marriage will occur in Heaven when the Church is raptured before the 70th week (Tribulation period), and the marriage supper will take place in Heaven during the seven years of the 70th week.
REF1: This established marriage custom and Christ’s teaching in harmony with it indicate that the Rapture of the Church and marriage of the Lamb will not take place at the Second Coming of Christ, because at His Second Coming Christ will not return to His Father’s house in Heaven. Instead, He will come to the earth. Thus, the Rapture of the Church and marriage of the Lamb must take place sometime before the Second Coming of Christ, and the Rapture of the Church and marriage of the Lamb must be separate events from the Second Coming. [Although this indicates that the Rapture takes place before the Second Coming - Rev 19:11 - it doesn't necessarily indicate that it will take place before the tribulation. The positioning of Rev 19 happens right before Christ makes His appearance. But again, if Rev 19 is the Rapture of the Church, why wasn't the Church mentioned during the tribulation period??)
REF1: [Another indication that the Rapture and Second Coming will occur at two separate times] It should be noted that the mood at the Second Coming will be just the opposite of the joyous, festive mood of the marriage. The description of the Second Coming in Revelation 19 portrays Christ, not as a happy groom coming with joyful companions to take His bride to His Father’s house, but as a terrifying warrior-king coming with armies from Heaven to administer judgment and death upon rebellious humanity. The marriage customs of Bible times provided a festive marriage supper for wedding guests, but the Second Coming will provide a radically different kind of supper—a funeral supper of dead flesh for the fowl of the earth (Rev. 19:17–18, 21).
REF1 Conclusion: Since it was customary for the wedding supper of Bible times to last for one week, or seven days.14 It is the conviction of this writer that, in relationship to the marriage supper of the Lamb, the seven years of the 70th week of Daniel 9 will correlate to that time period. According to this view, then, the Rapture of the Church and marriage of the Lamb will occur before the 70th week (Tribulation period), and the marriage supper of the Lamb will take place in Heaven during the 70th week.
REF1: Side Note - who are the guests at the Wedding Feast? Since the guests at the marriage supper of the Lamb will be blessed and will be in Heaven (since that is where the marriage supper of the Lamb will take place), they must be believers (cp. Rev. 20:6). The fact that the guests will be believers, but not part of the Church, forces one to conclude that not all believers of all ages of history belong to the Church. God has groups of believers distinct from the Church. The souls of Old Testament saints will already be assembled in Heaven when the Church arrives there at the time of the Rapture and marriage of the Lamb. Those Old Testament saints will be guests at the marriage supper of the Lamb.
REF2: https://www.compellingtruth.org/marriage-supper-lamb.html
REF3: https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/58820895.pdf