THE MARRIAGE OF THE LAMB.
By James White
There are two things, or events, which the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, illustrate by the marriage covenant. They are, first, the union of the people of God in all ages with their Lord; and, second, Christ’s reception of the Throne of David in the New Jerusalem above. There is a class of scriptures in the Old, as well as the New Testament, designed to set forth the union of God’s people with their Lord, in which marriage is introduced as an illustration of that union. This union has existed for near 6000 years, and those texts which illustrate it by marriage, do not apply to the marriage of the Lamb at the end, any more than to Louis Napoleon ascending to the throne of France. The marriage of the Lamb is one event, to occur at one particular time, and that time is just prior to his second coming; for when he comes, he returns from the wedding. Hear the admonition of Christ to those who are waiting for his second coming: “Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning; and ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their Lord when he will RETURN FROM THE WEDDING,” &c. Luke xii, 35, 36. Then the event called the marriage of the Lamb takes place in heaven, before the Lord comes to give immortality to the waiting ones, and to raise the righteous dead. This proves that the church is not the Lamb’s wife. As the scripture is most definite, there can be no mistake what the bride, or Lamb’s wife is. Said the angel to John, “Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife.” John then testifies that he shewed him that great city, “the holy Jerusalem.” This being in harmony with all the texts referring to the marriage of the Lamb, and the events connected with it, settles the question beyond all doubt that the New Jerusalem is the bride, in the marriage of the Lamb. The New Jerusalem is also represented as the mother. Paul says, “But Jerusalem which is above, is free, which is the mother of us all.” Gal. iv, 26. And not stopping to discuss the question whether the new birth ever applies to conversion, we would say that beyond all doubt, the resurrection of the just is represented by birth, as being born again. How appropriate, then, is the view that the marriage of the Lamb takes place before the children of the great family of heaven are brought forth at the resurrection of the just. We have already intimated that the marriage of the Lamb was Christ’s reception of the Throne of David in the New Jerusalem above. That city will be the metropolis of the kingdom, and Christ will reign on a throne in the metropolis, and nowhere else; hence when he receives the throne, he receives the city as the capital of the kingdom, therefore the city is called his bride. This event is the subject of extensive prophecy, which we will notice next week.
J. W.