The Marriage Feast of the Lamb that has no End

Encore Post: In ancient times, major events were marked with feasts. Births, marriages, victories large and small, all were marked with feasts. The most important of these would involve spreads of lots of food and drinks. Greeks and Romans turned these into a fine art and would throw these feasts much more frequently. They would hold symposia — literally to drink together — and were more like our parties than the feasts of middle eastern and Jewish culture.

One of the images Scripture uses for the joys of eternal life is the great feast of the end of time — the Marriage Feast of the Lamb. Isaiah speaks of this banquet as a feast provided by the Lord of Armies (Lord of Hosts) [Isaiah 25:6-9] On Mount Moriah, Mount Zion, where the Angel of the Lord promised Abraham and Isaac “the Lord will provide,” God will provide the finest meat and drink for his people. He will swallow up death forever. He will wipe every tear from their eyes and take away their shame forever. To this banquet are Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and all the patriarchs and prophets. Believers from all corners of the earth are invited. (Matthew 8:11) The Lord’s Supper is the first course of this supper, helping us focus on the feast to come in the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 26:29)

The Book of Revelation calls this Wedding Feast the Marriage Feast of the Lamb. Jesus is the Lamb of God, who took away the sins of the world. By His death he destroyed death and by his rising opened the kingdom to all believers. He is the bridegroom who takes as his bride the church. He washes her clean in the waters of Holy Baptism, making her holy and clean for her wedding. (Ephesians 5:25-27) He then married her and brings her to the wedding feast, where we are both guest and bride. The joy of this feast goes on and on, lasting forever. To this banquet, the Spirit and the Bride says, “come!.”