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During the First Century, the loyal followers of Christ were invited to attend the greatest gala affair ever witnessed by the entire Universe. In the Holy Scriptures, this grandiose festival is referred to as the "Marriage of the Lamb", or the "Marriage Supper of the Lamb". Exactly who is this Lamb? As the following group of verses reveal, it is the slain Son of God, Jesus Christ:

"He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth."


"The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world . . . And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God . . . And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God!"


"The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth:"


"Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,"


"And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth . . . And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints . . . Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever."


"And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see . . . And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:"


"After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb . . . And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb . . . For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes."


"And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death."


"And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world."


"And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads . . . These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb . . . The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:"


"And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints."


"These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful."


"Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready . . . And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God."


"And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife . . . And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof . . . And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life."


"And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:"


If you are knowledgeable of the Scriptures, then you may also already know that not only is Jesus the Lamb of God, but He is also the Bridegroom who attends this wonderful wedding feast. Following are some verses which mention this awesome event:

"Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God."


"And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said, The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son, And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come. Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage. But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise: And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them. But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy. Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage. So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests. And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment: And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. For many are called, but few are chosen."


"Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh."


But exactly who is the wife of the Lamb, and who do the five wise virgins represent in the previous Parable? According to the Scriptures, the Bride of Christ is none other than the Body of Christ. That is, Christian Believers who form the very Church, over whom Jesus Christ is the Head. Consider the following verses which make these points evident:

"Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,"


"For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body."


"And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence."


"Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God."


Thus we see that, in a symbolic, spiritual sense, we who accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, not only become a part of the Body of Christ, but we also become married to Him. Jesus is thence our spiritual Husband and Head, as the previous verses clearly demonstrate. However, before any of this can even happen, we must reach a point in our lives where we realize that we are not even worthy to become a part of the Bride of Christ. We are not even worthy of the Salvation which God so freely offers us through Christ. In short, we must acknowledge that we have fallen short of our Creator's expectations -- that is, that we have sinned -- and we must accept and believe in Jesus' Sacrifice on the Cross as the full Atonement for our sins. The following verses explain this quite clearly:

"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;"


"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."


"But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."


"Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved."


There are no other conditions other than this. Repent of our sins, accept Jesus Christ -- God's only-begotten Son -- as our Savior, and we can be spiritually reborn into God's holy Kingdom. By so doing, we become a member of the Body of Christ -- that is, His Church -- and a part of the spiritual Bride of Christ. Through spiritual rebirth, we in fact become members of God's very own household, as we can determine by the following verses:

"Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit."


"That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world . . . Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;"


It is really just that simple; and yet, so many people tend to put it off until tomorrow not realizing what an important decision it is. Sadly, other people refuse to believe it altogether. Pride, procrastination and unbelief are our very worst enemies. Following are some additional Scriptures to help you see that these ideas find their origin in the Bible:

"But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:"


"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."


"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."


"Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away."


So tell me. What about you? Are you honest enough with yourself to admit that you aren't the greatest person in the world, that you've made your share of mistakes, that you've sinned, and that you need Someone stronger than yourself to help you straighten out your life and set you on the Right Path? If you are, then half the battle is already won. As the Apostle Paul wrote in his Epistle to the brethren in Rome:

"For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not."


Tragically, some people are too proud or arrogant to admit that they aren't perfect, especially perfect enough to participate in the glorious future God which has prepared for those who love Him. Not only won't they admit that they are sinners, but they deny God's very existence, just as evil men have been doing for literally thousands of years. They absolutely refuse to come to the Light. This is quite evident by verses such as the following:

"They are of those that rebel against the light; they know not the ways thereof, nor abide in the paths thereof."


"And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved."


"If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us."


"In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not . . . He came unto his own, and his own received him not."


"The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts."


"The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good."


"Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles."


"But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived."


"Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation."


If, however, you are at a point in your life where you have come to realize that there are more important things than the temporary pleasures which this life has to offer; if you are at a point where you are yearning to know the Truth, then this message is definitely for you. If your heart is receptive to everything you have just read, then I invite you to receive the free gift of Eternal Life by accepting Jesus Christ, God's Son, as your personal Savior. You can do it right now by simply praying a small prayer of acceptance. To help you to do this, below you will find a sample prayer which you can use as a guide. You don't need to prayer these exact words. What is most important is that you pray from your heart, that you believe that you have been heard, that you believe that you have in fact been forgiven for your sins through the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and that you understand that you have entered a new relationship with Him. The following Scriptures will help you to further understand these ideas, and to see how they are based on the Bible:

"Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:"


"And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it."


"If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you."


"Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you."


"And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him."


"That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."


"And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house."


"Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me."


Here then is a small prayer which you can use as a guide to know what to say. Remember, prayer is not just some formal established routine, it is you talking with God as you would talk to a friend. You may wish to read the following prayer and then pray your own prayer as you feel led:

"Heavenly Father, I admit that I am not perfect, that I have made my mistakes in this life, and that I am a sinner. I accept and believe that Jesus Christ, Your Son, died on the Cross for the remission of my sins. I now ask You to please forgive me for my sins through the Blood of Your Son, Jesus, and that You grant me Eternal Life. I also ask You to fill my life with Your Spirit. Help me to allow You to take control of my life, and please lead me to the Truth which is found in Your Holy Word, the Bible. As I grow in the knowledge of Your Word, help me to also begin sharing this message of Salvation with others, so that they too may inherit Eternal Life. Thank-you Father for hearing my prayer.

In Jesus' Name I Ask. Amen"

If you have just prayed this prayer, or a similar prayer with sincerity, then God has indeed heard you. Not only has He heard you, but He has forgiven you for your sins, just as He has promised in His Word:

"Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool."


"And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more."


Additionally, you have received Eternal Life. We know that this is so simply because the Bible says so, and that is all that we need to know. You may not have heard a clap of thunder, and you may not have felt some grand onslaught of emotion. Nevertheless, everything you have just asked for has been granted to you by Faith. In the world we are taught to be led by our feelings. From the time we are young we are taught to question everything, to be skeptical, to not believe unless we have tangible facts or evidence. This is the way of the unbelieving world. It is for this very reason that many people in today's society have been drawn away from God by modern science and other such things. But the Bible tells us that we must have Faith to please God:

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen . . . But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him."


As Christians, we must live a life of Faith, and not always a life based on what we can see, hear and feel. As you begin to read God's word, your Faith will begin to grow. The Apostles Peter and Paul put it this way:

"As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:"


"So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."


To help you to grow in Faith, as well as to learn more about the Lord and His Will for your life, I suggest you begin by reading the four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The Gospel of John alone contains the whole message of Eternal Salvation through Faith in Jesus Christ. Once you have read these, you may wish to continue by reading the Acts of the Apostles which many consider to be an extension of the Gospel of Luke. The Acts will help you to learn how Early Christianity was propagated by the First Disciples beginning in Jerusalem, and then reaching out into North Africa, other Middle Eastern countries, and the regions around the northern Mediterranean coast.

As you continue to read the Word, and as time passes, you will undoubtedly begin to notice changes in your life. This is exactly what the Word of God does. Both King David and Jesus confirmed this when they said:

"BETH. Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word."


"Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you."


Don't be surprised if you adopt new attitudes, and if your outlook on life changes for the better. You may also acquire new feelings towards others. As we discussed earlier, this is because by accepting Jesus Christ as your Savior, you have been symbolically born again. You have become a new creature with a whole new perspective. It may not always be easy, but you now have the assurance that when this life is passed, you will move on to a much better one. Here again are a few verses to help you to understand these things:

"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."


"And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness."


"And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:"


"And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."


"Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin."


"That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;"


"Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;"


As we discussed earlier, now that you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, not only have you been born again in a spiritual sense, but you have also become married to Jesus. As a member of the Body of Christ, you are also a part of His Church and His Bride, of whom He is the Head. It is important then that, just as an earthly wife must do, you submit your will to Him, that you obey Him in your life as much as you can, and that you seek to please Him in all your ways. If you do these things, one of these days you will be rewarded greatly when you go to be with Him. Consider the following verses:

"And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament;and they that turn many to righteousness, as the stars forever and ever."


"But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him."


"Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also."


"Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is."


"But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come? Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die: And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain: But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body. All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds. There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven. As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord."


With these inspiring verses, I will bring this article to a close. I pray that it has been a blessing and an inspiration in your life. But most of all, I pray that you have taken it seriously, and that you too are now a born again Child of God, a member of His Church, and part of the Bride of Christ.

If you have enjoyed reading this article, please consider sharing its URL with your online friends. If you have an account with Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr or with any other social network, I would also appreciate if you would take the time to click on the corresponding link that is found on this page. Thanks so much, and may God bless you abundantly!

With these thoughts, I will bring this article to a close. It is my hope that you have found it informative, enlightening, and I pray that it has been a blessing in your life as well. If you have an account with Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr or with any other social network, I would really appreciate if you'd take the time to click or tap on the corresponding link that is found on this page. Thanks so much, and may God bless you abundantly!

For additional information and further study, you may want to refer to the list of reading resources below which were either mentioned in this article, or which contain topics which are related to this article. All of these articles are likewise located on the Bill's Bible Basics web server. To read these articles, simply click or tap on any link you see below.

All Are Given a Chance, But . . .
Five Foolish Virgins: Don't Procrastinate!
Is the Message of Salvation Meant for All Men?
Not Everyone is a Child of God
Message to the World
Salvation is Free Through Jesus Christ

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