Appendix M
The Marriage Supper Of The Lamb
By Lambert Dolphin

This is a shortened version of this study. View the full article at
http://ldolphin.org/Msup.html

The church of Jesus Christ is described by at least seven symbols or figures in the New
Testament. Jesus is the Great Shepherd and we are the sheep (John 10:1-18). He is the True Vine
and we Christians are the branches (John 15:1). We are “living stones” being built into a house,
which is a habitation for God–Christ Jesus is the cornerstone (1 Peter 2:4-7). The Lord is
described as a merchant who finds and buys a single pearl of great price (Matthew 13:45). He is
Great High Priest over the household of faith, and we are his servant-priests (Hebrews 4:14-16).
The church is the Body of Christ, every one a member of every other, and all under the direction
of Christ the Head of the Body (1 Corinthians 12:12-14). Finally the Church is the Bride of
Christ and Jesus the waiting Bridegroom (Revelation 21:9).
The Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians:
I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I
might present you as a pure virgin to him. – 2 Corinthians 11:2
Although the Old Testament does not reveal God’s purpose in calling out a church
comprised of Jew and Gentile (Ephesians 3), a great feast prepared by God himself for his people
was described by the Prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 25:6-9).
While the Church as the Bride of Christ is nowhere spoken of in the OT, Israel was called
the “wife of Yahweh.” The prophets eloquently describe God’s nurture, courtship and betrothal
of Israel (e.g. Ezekiel 16). They also dealt with the nation’s spiritual adultery-and finally divorce
from the Lord–(e.g. the book of Hosea). In spite of this “divorce” under the Old Covenant God
promises to restore his beloved wife at the close of the age in which we now live. This
restoration of Israel under the New Covenant is clearly explained in Hosea, in Jeremiah 31, and
Romans 9, 10, and 11 to cite only a few references.
When it came time for Isaac, Abraham’s son, to be married (he was 40 years old),
Abraham sent his eldest servant back to his native land to select a bride for his son. Chapter 24 of
Genesis is a remarkable picture of the way God the Father would later send the Holy Spirit into
the world to call out a bride for his beloved Son, our Lord Jesus that most commentators on
Genesis take note of this.
Jesus suggested a great marriage feast would be part of his final return to earth to be with
his own. He used a number of direct and indirect references to this festive meal. The marriage
supper was anticipated when Jesus celebrated the “Last Supper” with his disciples:
While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples,
saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.”
27Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you.
28This is my blood of the[a]
covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. ( Matthew 26: 26 – 28 )