Revelation 7:9-17 “After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, (10) and crying out with a loud voice, saying, "Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!" (11) All the angels stood around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures, and fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, (12) saying: "Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom, Thanksgiving and honor and power and might, Be to our God forever and ever. Amen." (13) Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, "Who are these arrayed in white robes, and where did they come from?" (14) And I said to him, "Sir, you know." So he said to me, "These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. (15) Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple. And He who sits on the throne will dwell among them. (16) They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat; (17) for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
It is only after the saints have been judged by the Lord Jesus that the church will finally be able to stand perfect before God. And so it is at that point that the Lord Jesus will lead His church into the presence of God to worship before His throne for the first time. The above quoted passage of scripture describes that event to us, when the whole church will stand before God in her perfected state and the saints will be allowed to see God the Father face to face for the first time.
Revelation 19:5-9 “Then a voice came from the throne, saying, "Praise our God, all you His servants and those who fear Him, both small and great!" (6) And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, "Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns! (7) Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready." (8) And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. (9) Then he said to me, "Write: 'Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!' “And he said to me, "These are the true sayings of God.”
It is after the Lord Jesus Christ has presented His bride to God the Father that the marriage supper of the Lamb will take place in heaven. The above passage of scripture describes this event to us, which will take place just prior to our Lord finally descending to the earth to begin His millennial reign on the earth. And so, we see that when the Lord Jesus returns to the earth that the saints will return with Him. When the saints return with the Lord Jesus on that day, they will return as the bride of Christ, for the marriage supper of the Lamb will have already taken place. All of these events discussed in this section will take place during the three year period in which God’s wrath will be poured out on the unbelievers while the church is absent from the earth.
Michael E.B. Maher
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