Revelation 19:7

The song begun in Revelation 19:6 continues with an exhortation to rejoice and to glorify God (cf. Matthew 5:12). This is the last song of praise in the Apocalypse. God deserves praise because He has prepared the bride for the Lamb. [Note: Hughes, p. 201; Sweet, p. 279.]

The bride of the Lamb is evidently the church (cf. Revelation 19:9; Revelation 3:20; Revelation 21:2; Revelation 21:9; Revelation 22:17; John 3:29; 2 Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 5:25-32). Even though the translators usually render the Greek word gyne, translated "bride," as "wife," here the context clearly shows that a wedding is in view. Gyne clearly describes a bride in other contexts too (e.g., Genesis 29:21; Deuteronomy 22:24 [both in the Septuagint]; Matthew 1:20; Revelation 21:9). The bride is the Lamb’s newly married wife having been joined to Him in heaven immediately after the Rapture. This is the third of three metaphors in Revelation that describe women. The woman (mother) in chapter 12 is Israel, the harlot in chapter 17 is Babylon; and the bride in chapter 19 is the church. God referred to Himself as Israel’s husband in the Old Testament (Isaiah 54:6; Isaiah 62:5; Jeremiah 31:32; Ezekiel 16:7-14; Hosea 2:2; Hosea 2:16; Hosea 2:19). However this figure almost always describes Israel as an unfaithful wife. Only Isaiah used the marriage analogy in a consistently positive way. [Note: Jan Fekkes III, "’His Bride Has Prepared Herself’: Revelation 19-21 and Isaian Nuptial Imagery," Journal of Biblical Literature 109:2 (Summer 1990):272-73.] The prophet did so to show the future relationship between God and the faithful Jewish remnant. [Note: See Richard D. Patterson, "Metaphors of Marriage as Expressions of Divine-Human Relations," Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 51:4 (December 2008):689-702.] Israel cannot be this bride or part of this bride because this bride comes to earth with Christ, but Old Testament saints will not experience resurrection until Christ returns to the earth (Daniel 12:1-2). The fact that the bride in Revelation 21:12; Revelation 21:14 includes Israel indicates that the bride will be a growing body of people that will eventually encompass Israel as well as the church. There the bride is the New Jerusalem. However at this time, just before Christ returns to the earth (Revelation 19:7), the figure of the bride must describe the church alone. Covenant theologians see no real distinction between Israel and the church at this time. [Note: E.g., Ladd, p. 248.]

Jesus Christ, the Lamb, frequently referred to Himself as a bridegroom (cf. Matthew 9:15; Matthew 22:2-14; Matthew 25:1-13; Mark 2:19-20; Luke 5:34-35; Luke 14:15-24; John 3:29). For the Jews, the wedding figure stressed the intimate relationship that will exist between God and His people in the earthly messianic kingdom. [Note: Swete, p. 246; Lee, 4:731; Robertson, 6:449.]

We can clarify the general time and place of the marriage of the Lamb by comparing it with marriage customs in the ancient Near East. [Note: See Edwin M. Yamauchi, "Cultural Aspects of Marriage in the Ancient World," Bibliotheca Sacra 135:539 (July-September 1978):241-52.] There were three main events involved in a marriage. First, the parents chose a bride for the groom. This takes place presently as the Holy Spirit calls the elect out of the world to be Christ’s bride through regeneration. Second, when the time for marriage had come, the groom would leave His home with His friends, go to the home of the bride, and escort her from her home to his. The bride did not know when this would occur. This will take place when Christ comes to take His bride to heaven at the Rapture (cf. John 14:1-2). Third, the groom provided a feast for his bride and his friends at his home that lasted several days. This will take place on earth either at the beginning of the Millennium, [Note: John F. Walvoord, The Prophecy Knowledge Handbook, p. 618.] throughout the Millennium, [Note: Pentecost, Things to . . ., pp. 227-28; McGee, 5:1048.] or beginning with the Millennium and continuing throughout eternity (cf. Revelation 21:2; Revelation 21:9). [Note: Thomas, Revelation 8-22, p. 365.] I favor the first view. The present verse (Revelation 19:7) describes the wedding proper, stage two (cf. Revelation 19:8; Revelation 19:14), which had taken place in John’s vision. It also announces that the bride is ready for the feast: stage three.

The preparedness of the bride is one reason for the celebration called for in this verse. The bride had prepared herself (cf. Matthew 25:14-23; 2 Corinthians 7:1; 1 John 3:3; Judges 1:21), but the ultimate preparation was God’s, so He deserves praise (cf. Matthew 20:1-16; Ephesians 5:25-27). The theme of the first song (Revelation 19:1-3) was the destruction of the harlot, and the theme of this one is the wedding of the Lamb to His bride, who is the antithesis of the harlot.