From Ruins to Rejoicing | Revelation 19:1–10 | The Wedding Feast and the Worthy Lamb
Watch This Sermon on Revelation 19:1-10
In Revelation 19:1–10, we encounter not sorrow, but celebration. Pastor Mark Groen explores the heavenly rejoicing that follows the judgment of Jerusalem and the arrival of the marriage supper of the Lamb. Far from a funeral, this vision is filled with joy and anticipation. The church, the faithful bride, is clothed in righteousness—not her own, but granted by the Lamb. This message is a powerful reminder that we are not merely observers of prophecy—we are the redeemed. We've been invited, clothed, and called to worship. Join us as we move from ruins to rejoicing.
Dig deeper into the themes of this message with 5 Devotions on Christ’s Victory and Our Hope.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Revelation 19 portrayed as a wedding celebration rather than a time of mourning?
Revelation 19 describes the joyful response of heaven to the end of the Old Covenant and the arrival of the marriage supper of the Lamb. Rather than grief over judgment, there is rejoicing over the fulfillment of God's promises and the union of Christ with His redeemed Bride, the Church.
Who is the Bride in Revelation 19:7–8, and what does it mean that she is clothed in fine linen?
The Bride represents the Church—New Covenant believers who have been made righteous through the work of Christ. The fine linen symbolizes the faithful deeds of the saints, not as a means of self-righteousness but as evidence of lives transformed by grace.
What does the imagery of the divorce and the prostitute refer to in Revelation?
The prostitute symbolizes unfaithful Jerusalem, which rejected Christ and persecuted His followers. The “divorce” imagery emphasizes the end of the Old Covenant relationship, culminating in judgment and the destruction of the temple in AD 70.
How does this passage call us to worship today?
Revelation 19 reminds us that worship is a response to the gospel. Our praise is not rooted in emotionalism or circumstances but in the finished work of Christ. We are invited to worship joyfully, faithfully, and with gratitude—both corporately and in our daily lives.
📖 Click to Show the Transcript of this Sermon
Thank you for joining us for this week's sermon from First Reformed Church in Edgerton, Minnesota. Each week we dig into God's Word, trusting that the Holy Spirit will continue the good work of sanctification in us. As we've been making our way through the book of Revelation, I've been clear that one of my primary goals has been to take away the fear that we naturally come to the book of Revelation with. The main way that I've been hoping to do this is by continually reminding us of the first-century audience that would have received the book originally.
Our brothers and sisters from that time were receiving the book of Revelation to give them encouragement and hope in the face of their persecution because they were confessing Christ as Lord. The purpose of the book of Revelation was to give them hope and peace, yet we come to it with fear and trepidation. That doesn't make any sense. So if we remember what they were going through and what the book of Revelation was telling about what they were going to experience, it helps us to remember that hope and peace ourselves.
As we progress through the chapters of this book, we've seen how it makes much of Jesus and His work as the one who brought salvation to His people. He is the Lamb of God. Then, as we saw toward the beginning of the book, there have been these escalating judgments. We have seen how those who have rejected Jesus as the Messiah and persecuted His people are now being judged for what they are doing to the first-century church.
In the last few weeks, I've been saying that what we're building here to is this idea that instead of being a faithful bride to God their husband, Israel and Jerusalem have been described as a prostitute here in Revelation who has sold out to the world. The judgments have shown us that the unfaithfulness that's being described here has gone too far. Israel has been unfaithful in the past, but now it has gone too far because of their rejection of the Messiah. So a divorce is coming between Jerusalem and God. The city and the temple that was found in the city were going to be destroyed. That's what happened in the year 70 AD. The city was laid to waste by the Roman armies.
Jesus had foretold of this. He said this judgment was coming within a generation when he prophesied that the temple was going to be destroyed in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21. You know what Jesus said there: not one stone will be left upon another. That's what happened. That event was not random chaos. It was the plan of God to bring about the end of the old covenant sacrificial system because Jesus had come. He was the Messiah, the once-and-for-all sacrifice. The temple was no longer needed. The temple in the first place was just a type, a shadow, pointing to the Messiah, to the work of Jesus that was going to come.
Because of the finality of what Jesus did in his life, death, resurrection, and ascension, the temple was destroyed. The end of the age came. The old covenant was done. Those rituals ceased. There hasn't been a sacrifice since the armies of General Titus brought the temple to total ruin in the year 70 in the month of August. It was done. At the end of chapter 18, last week, we saw the finality of all of this, of these sequences of judgment, when an angel takes a giant millstone and throws it into the sea. The judgments were over. You don't pull a millstone out of the ocean. It's at the bottom. It isn't coming out. This is over. That was the idea with that image we saw last week.
In other words, the divorce of Israel has been finalized. Now, as we come to the first 10 verses of chapter 19, we're invited into a celebration in heaven, culminating in the glorious marriage supper of the Lamb. You might expect judgments and their finality to bring grieving, yet instead of a funeral, we find ourselves at a wedding feast. Consider the sharp contrast between those two ceremonies. We've all been to them. At a funeral, there's grief, a profound sense of loss. But at a wedding, there's joy, celebration, and people are filled with hope for the future. Here we see that heaven isn't grieving the end of the old covenant. It's rejoicing that the new covenant has come through the work of the Lamb. It's not a funeral; it's a wedding.
Today, as we explore this passage together, we're going to clearly see that God's judgment occurred, the profound joy of Christ's victory, and what it means to truly worship Christ alone. John hears something like a loud voice of a great multitude. In other words, this is extremely joyous, and those who are in heaven are rejoicing. Throughout Revelation, they have been an audience to what is taking place. The audience isn't just made up of random, unaffected people in the book of Revelation. Among the multitudes are those who have been through the persecution of the religious establishment in Jerusalem. They have been persecuted, received the reward of heaven, yet we still get this idea in Revelation of these people who have suffered persecution. Even though they are in the presence of God, praising Him with eternal life, they're still wondering, when is the justice of God going to prevail against those who have oppressed the people of God? When will it come?
Now, these voices who have been wondering are a choir, crying out, hallelujah, in these first few verses. They have seen that justice has been done. These words of praise ring out that salvation and power belong to God and that His judgments are just and true. To the people who saw the judgment on Jerusalem, it might have come across as the Roman armies, the Roman state, asserting its power over Jerusalem and reminding everyone that they are the ones in charge. It looks like an earthly flexing of the muscles by the Roman Empire, right? But we see in this that's not the case. These judgments were the sovereign plan of God to put an end to the old covenant system and bring justice for the persecution that was on the early church.
The imagery used to build up this idea of the divorce of the faithful husband, God, from the great prostitute, Jerusalem, is brought back again to remind us of why judgment has come. They had sold themselves out to the world, looking for the approval and prosperity that comes along with this. They were not worried about being faithful to God. So, the judgment has come, and this divorce is final. After praising God, they cry out again, talking about His true and righteous judgment. Notice how the worship intensifies here in verse 3, emphasizing the permanence of this. The finality is spoken of again with this second hallelujah. They cry out that the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever. These voices coming from heaven know what has been done, and they know why it has been done. They know that the system that has oppressed so many of the faithful of God is now lying in ruin. The judgment is final.
In verses four and five, our attention shifts to familiar figures. The 24 elders and the four living creatures affirm this heavenly rejoicing. Our gaze in the passage is directed toward those characters that we've seen pop up throughout the book of Revelation. The 24 elders in Revelation aren't just random individuals. They represent the 12 tribes of Israel from the Old Covenant and the 12 apostles from the New Covenant. Their presence together here emphasizes the unity and continuity of the biblical story. As they witness God's righteous judgment and hear heaven's joyous praise, these elders, alongside the four living creatures, add their voices in approval. It's not that God needs their permission or validation for what He has done in judgment here. Rather, their approval beautifully illustrates that there is one seamless story of the fulfillment of God's promises in Christ.
These elders representing the Old Covenant aren't sorrowful that the Old Covenant system is gone. They rejoice because they see God's promises fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ. At the same time, the elders representing the New Covenant join right in, echoing the statements, Amen and Hallelujah. All of heaven, all across history, is rejoicing together in what has been accomplished through the Lamb to redeem a people for God. Both the old and the new have come together. It's one story. Then the voice from the throne calls for praise to God for His work that has been done. All the servants of God who fear Him are to bring praise to Him.
This is a great point in the passage for you and I to check in and be reminded that this is not just a historical scene. This isn't just here for information. This call for praise is for you and I today as well. The salvation that God has brought through the Lamb is for all those that He calls to Himself in the Gospel, those who have been brought to Him by faith through His Word and Spirit. Our voices are raised with all the redeemed in all times and in all places. The praise that leaves our mouths each Lord's Day is a response to His great work for us. So let the fullness of the story of God's salvation for His people renew your heart for worship, not just here as we lift our voices together, but in your private life as well. Let the great story of God's salvation strengthen your hope and let it overflow into a life of gratitude and devotion. Praise our God, all you His servants, you who fear Him, small and great, praise God for the salvation that He has brought. Amen and hallelujah.
As we progress through the passage, we find a third hallelujah. I want to call back here how I talked about the difference between a funeral and a wedding. A funeral marks the end, finality, loss, sadness, and sorrow. But a wedding points to a new beginning with a deep sense of joy, hope, and anticipation. That's the contrast we feel as we move into this next part of the passage. The judgments have been finalized, and the divorce of Israel is legal and binding. But now we witness something more glorious: the marriage supper of the Lamb. We are reminded that all the destruction caused by the justice of God is not a cause for sorrow. Revelation moves us from ruin to rejoicing as the people of God are invited to the greatest feast, an eternal celebration of the victory of the Lord Jesus Christ and the people that He has redeemed for Himself.
The reign of God is pronounced here. The systems of the world and the rulers that oppress the people of God are not in charge. They do not reign. The Almighty One is reigning, and glory is given to Him because the marriage of the Lamb has come. You get a sense here that this is what we've been building to. Going back to the funeral and wedding contrast, funerals are reactive. You don't have the date on your calendar for months, and you don't look forward to it. Weddings are anticipated. There is planning, and you look forward to it. Arrangements are made, and when the day arrives, there is great excitement. The day has come. The wedding is here. Here we see that all has been made ready. The bride has made herself ready, and the bride here is the church, the New Covenant believers.
Stop for a second and take in the truth that this is not just the story of the people of God in the past. This joyous occasion involves you. You are the chosen of God. The Lamb laid down His life for you to bring you to Himself. This is the story of all those who are united to Christ by faith from the past and from the present. It's the truth for us and for our children. All of us together are the bride, made ready, clothed in fine linen. Notice that these bright and pure clothes are granted to her. The bride is passive and receives this perfect garment. They are clothed in righteousness and they put it on.
Verse 8 says that the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. This is not saying that they have made themselves righteous by building up good works. The idea here is that they are faithful, that in the face of persecution and tribulation, they have remained faithful and have not been stained by compromising themselves like the prostitute in the previous chapter. There's a contrast here between the harlot and the bride. The Lamb's bride is faithful. The imagery we're given here is fantastic and gives us a deep understanding of the gospel: the faithful bride, clothed in righteousness, made ready for the Lamb. We don't clothe ourselves by our own merit or strength. We are there because the Lamb is worthy, because He has overcome, because He is worthy of all honor, glory, and praise, because He was slain and redeemed a people for Himself from every tribe, tongue, and nation. This is what Revelation has been building to, and it is glorious.
Our passage for today closes up, and it gives us another deep realization. Take a look at verses 9 and 10. The angel that John has been interacting with tells him something specific to write down. I always liked it when my teachers and professors did something like this because my mind wanders very easily. My note-taking starts out good, but then I get lazy and don't worry myself with the same level of detail as time passes. But then a professor would say, write this down, and I knew it was essential to what they were telling me. It's like that here. We might be distracted by all that's been going on in Revelation. Reading through it, we might even miss the awesomeness of this marriage supper of the Lamb because we've had fantastic images here, right? Locusts and things like a multi-headed beast with a prostitute riding upon it. That's fantastical imagery. So easy to get lost in all that stuff, but the angel wants to make sure that we pay attention at this moment.
We need to understand this. This is it. Write this down: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb. This includes us, all the people of God in Christ Jesus. This is the blessing of the work of Jesus, the whole story of the gospel: His perfect life in our place, His atoning death to take the wrath of God for us, His death-defeating resurrection, and His glorious ascension. All of it was to bring us to Himself. Then the angel says, These are the true words of God. What he's saying here is this is certain, as certain as the covenants of the Old Testament were, so certain is this truth. This is not going to fail. It is not the promise of a man. It is the sure and certain promises of Almighty God. He has spoken.
John's reaction here always gets me. He's been through all of this, seen all of this, and now the certainty of salvation for the people of God in Christ overwhelms him that he falls down in worship. But look what happens: the angel tells him to stand up. He's just a messenger of this truth. The angel is a servant right along with us. The one to worship is God. No man and no angel has brought salvation to people. Only God, and therefore only He is worthy of worship.
The last sentence here tells us that the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. The word prophecy in English immediately sparks in us the idea of speculation and future-telling, right? When you and I use the word prophetic or prophecy, we use it to say that maybe we predicted the future, something that was going to happen. Yesterday, I prophetically said that in the bottom of the seventh inning with the bases loaded, Logan Blyenberg was going to get hit by a baseball and the game would be over. I was a prophet. That's our idea: we made true speculation, right? But that's not what's being said here. This idea of prophecy here today, and really throughout scripture, the primary use of the word prophecy is not the idea of future-telling, it's the idea of proclaiming the word of the Lord. Prophets came to the people of God, not just to tell them about the coming Messiah or to warn them of coming judgment. Prophets called people to repentance and called God's people to hear the Word of God and to be faithful to Him. They were calling them to faithfulness.
So what the angel is saying here is that we worship God because we have this testimony of His saving work in the Lord Jesus. You've heard me express this idea many times before, but I'm going to repeat it again. Yes, we praise God because He is powerful, because He created all things. Yes, we praise God because He is righteous and holy. Absolutely. But the primary reason we praise God is because He has redeemed a people for Himself. In His good pleasure, in the fullness of time, God the Son took on our flesh to bear the wrath that we deserve for our sin. He defeated death that we might be clothed in the perfect righteousness of Christ as His glorious bride. That's why we praise Him.
As we close up, I want us to dwell on this wonderful image today. This heavenly vision isn't distant. It's your present and your future. We are blessed because we have been invited. We have been clothed, and now we are called to live each day in anticipation of the eternal joy of the Lamb's Feast. So with this truth fresh in our minds, here are a few questions I want us to carry with us in the coming week. We've been invited to the feast. Do our lives reflect that anticipation, joy, and gratitude for being seated at the table with our Savior? We've been clothed in the righteousness of Christ. Are we striving to be faithful and not stained by compromise with the world? In light of this, we are called to true worship. Does our worship center on the Lamb who redeemed us, or are we distracted by the lesser things of the world and offer our devotion to them?
Sisters and brothers in the Lord Jesus Christ, the work of Christ has secured your invitation to the feast. Your garments have been provided, and your place among the redeemed throughout the ages is secure. As you recall this image in the coming week, may this glorious truth shape your life. Believe that this truth defines who you are, not just in heaven someday, but right now. Live boldly in gratitude for what Jesus has done, worshipping joyfully, knowing that He has set you free and rescued you from sin, death, and hell. Persevere with confidence that the Lamb who has overcome never leaves or forsakes His people. Because Christ has done it all for you, may your lips continually declare His praise, and may your life boldly declare the Lamb's worth. Amen.
Let us pray. Almighty God, we thank you for the gift of your Word showing us the truth of who we are in Christ, and we thank you that we have this beautiful picture of not only what Christ has done but what He has done for us. We pray that we would live our lives in gratitude for what you have done, that the gospel might be on our lips and that we might live it with our lives, showing the worth of our Savior. May we declare that the Lamb has overcome and that He is worthy. May the anthem of heaven, worthy is the Lamb who was slain, be seen in our lives and declared to the nations. It's in the name of Jesus that we pray. Amen.
Thank you for joining us for this week's sermon. For more information about First Reformed Church, head to our Facebook page or website, edgertonfrc.org.
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If this message challenged or encouraged you, explore more sermons in our Revelation series or dive deeper into what it means to be united to Christ in our Understanding Grace series.
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