Everyone loves a good wedding. The recent marriage of Prince William to Catherine is proof of that. Millions of people tuned into extravagant event and thousands lined the streets in London to witness this elaborate spectacle. Those who couldn’t attend in person celebrated with royal parties. Souvenir newspapers and magazines were sought after.
This event is a wonderful picture of what will happen at the end of time. The Bible describes that the world will one day end. But it won’t be by a deadly virus, a nuclear fallout, or an asteroid plummeting into the earth. The world will end with a wedding!!
Here’s how the Bible describes it in the book of Revelation:
“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. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear." (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.) Then the angel said to me, "Write: 'Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!' " And he added, "These are the true words of God." (Revelation 19:7-9 NIV)
“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. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear." (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.) Then the angel said to me, "Write: 'Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!' " And he added, "These are the true words of God." (Revelation 19:7-9 NIV)
At the end of time, there will be a Royal Wedding. The Bridegroom on that Day is none other than Jesus. The Bride will walk down the aisle and take her place beside Jesus. As Jesus lifts the veil, he will be looking at his own people. The Bride is everyone who has ever loved Jesus, gone to him for forgiveness, and worshipped him as King. This will be the wedding of all weddings!
Why a wedding?
Why will the world end with a wedding? Because it perfectly represents the relationship God wants with us. God doesn’t want to relate to us simply as a shepherd would relate to sheep, or as a King would relate to his Subjects, or even as a Father to a child. He wants to relate to you as a Bridegroom relates to a Bride. He wants to know you intimately, love you deeply and know you personally. He wants to have a honeymoon love for you. And he’ll pursue you passionately to get it.
Can you imagine being in a relationship where you are perfectly loved, despite your flaws and mistakes? The more you get to know your lover, the more you love them? And all your lover wants to do for you is all for your joy and benefit. Your lover gives you the kind of joy that makes you want to explode!!! This kind of relationship is unbelievable! But this is exactly the kind of relationship that God offers you when you come to him through Christ.
One of the things about being a Christian is that you enter into a relationship with God. In this relationship, it’s as though you develop a 6th sense- a spiritual sense that no one else has, and you begin to experience the love of God all for yourself. You start to think that it’s a wonder and a marvel that God should love you. The Bible says ‘Taste and see that the Lord is good’ (Psalm 34:8). Why does it say that? It’s an invitation to experience God. It’s one thing to know that he is good, it’s another thing to taste it for yourself. God wants us to know for ourselves just how good he is! This can only happen when we come to God, ready to receive His love.
A Costly Love
But this ‘Honeymoon Love’ that God is offering to each of us does not come cheaply. It comes at great cost to himself. You see, we actually deserve divorce from God rather than marriage. We deserve separation rather than intimacy. The reason is because we find our love in other things- gold, glory, grog, girls… you name it, we substitute it for God. We find love in the arms of ‘other gods’ and chase after them. The result is that we deserve to be cut off from God.
The amazing thing is that despite our rejection of God, he still wants us. This is why he sent Jesus into the world, to die the death we deserve for chasing other lovers. He died in our place and took our ‘divorce’- the result for our rejection of God. Jesus dies in the place of his Bride so that his people can be cleansed from all their guilt and shame that holds God at a distance. With his blood, Jesus has won back his Bride. The fact that he gave his Son for us is proof of his deep love for us.
Saying 'Yes' to the Proposal
Can you imagine God on one knee, holding out his love, saying “will you be mine”? God is offering each of us a marriage proposal. The way to accept this proposal is by:-
1. Admitting you have loved other ‘gods’. You have put other lovers ahead of God. You are far from God and have strayed from him.
2. Giving him the credit for what he’s done. He died to make us his bride.
Remember the minister who did the cartwheels once Kate and William were married? This is how God feels when people accept his wedding proposal. What he promises to do is to fill you with the joy and gladness that comes through having him in your life. Do you know this joy? There is no greater joy than knowing God.
Why a wedding?
Why will the world end with a wedding? Because it perfectly represents the relationship God wants with us. God doesn’t want to relate to us simply as a shepherd would relate to sheep, or as a King would relate to his Subjects, or even as a Father to a child. He wants to relate to you as a Bridegroom relates to a Bride. He wants to know you intimately, love you deeply and know you personally. He wants to have a honeymoon love for you. And he’ll pursue you passionately to get it.
Can you imagine being in a relationship where you are perfectly loved, despite your flaws and mistakes? The more you get to know your lover, the more you love them? And all your lover wants to do for you is all for your joy and benefit. Your lover gives you the kind of joy that makes you want to explode!!! This kind of relationship is unbelievable! But this is exactly the kind of relationship that God offers you when you come to him through Christ.
One of the things about being a Christian is that you enter into a relationship with God. In this relationship, it’s as though you develop a 6th sense- a spiritual sense that no one else has, and you begin to experience the love of God all for yourself. You start to think that it’s a wonder and a marvel that God should love you. The Bible says ‘Taste and see that the Lord is good’ (Psalm 34:8). Why does it say that? It’s an invitation to experience God. It’s one thing to know that he is good, it’s another thing to taste it for yourself. God wants us to know for ourselves just how good he is! This can only happen when we come to God, ready to receive His love.
A Costly Love
But this ‘Honeymoon Love’ that God is offering to each of us does not come cheaply. It comes at great cost to himself. You see, we actually deserve divorce from God rather than marriage. We deserve separation rather than intimacy. The reason is because we find our love in other things- gold, glory, grog, girls… you name it, we substitute it for God. We find love in the arms of ‘other gods’ and chase after them. The result is that we deserve to be cut off from God.
The amazing thing is that despite our rejection of God, he still wants us. This is why he sent Jesus into the world, to die the death we deserve for chasing other lovers. He died in our place and took our ‘divorce’- the result for our rejection of God. Jesus dies in the place of his Bride so that his people can be cleansed from all their guilt and shame that holds God at a distance. With his blood, Jesus has won back his Bride. The fact that he gave his Son for us is proof of his deep love for us.
Saying 'Yes' to the Proposal
Can you imagine God on one knee, holding out his love, saying “will you be mine”? God is offering each of us a marriage proposal. The way to accept this proposal is by:-
1. Admitting you have loved other ‘gods’. You have put other lovers ahead of God. You are far from God and have strayed from him.
2. Giving him the credit for what he’s done. He died to make us his bride.
Remember the minister who did the cartwheels once Kate and William were married? This is how God feels when people accept his wedding proposal. What he promises to do is to fill you with the joy and gladness that comes through having him in your life. Do you know this joy? There is no greater joy than knowing God.
This is why the world will end with a royal wedding. It’s the perfect finish for what God has in mind for us. Are you ready for this wedding?
