In the sermon titled 'The Final Wedding,' Jason Dohm explores the biblical concept of marriage as a profound symbol of the relationship between Christ and the Church. He begins by referencing Ephesians 5, emphasizing roles within earthly marriage as a reflection of Christ's love and sacrifice for the Church. Dohm illustrates that earthly marriage serves as a shadow of the ultimate union—the final wedding in heaven between Jesus Christ and His followers. He argues that Jesus, identified as the bridegroom, signifies a pivotal figure in history, changing how practices like fasting were perceived. The sermon references various biblical texts, including Matthew 9, 22, 25, and Revelation 19 and 21, to highlight the eschatological vision of the heavenly marriage. Dohm contrasts the eternal destinies of the bride and the harlot, emphasizing that believers are called to prepare for this ultimate union through righteous acts. The sermon concludes by encouraging believers to cherish earthly marriage but be prepared to let go for the greater reality of the heavenly marriage.

Please turn in your Bibles to Ephesians chapter 5. I'll be reading from verse 18 through the end of the chapter. And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of God. Wives, submit to your own husbands as to the Lord, for the husband is the head of the wife as also Christ is head of the church and he is the savior of the body. Therefore just as the church is subject to Christ so let wives be to their own husbands in everything.

Husbands love your wives just as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for her, that he might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that he might present her to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.

For this reason, a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Nevertheless, let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself and let the wife see that she respects her husband. The title of the sermon this morning is The Final Wedding. You probably got a handout and there's an outline on it with some fill in the blanks.

I'll help you track with the sermon. I went to bed last night sitting squarely on the fence about whether I would preach out of Nehemiah or change and re-preach a sermon that I preached in Malawi in September. I got up, did my normal routine, finished the Nehemiah sermon, and then abandoned it. So, I'm a week ahead on wedding preparation. That's the good news.

You'll find so much content about marriage in all of the Bible, beginning in Genesis and continuing all the way through Revelation. Most of it is about human marriage, but even human marriage, even earthly marriage is so important that a lot of scripture is devoted to it. You're probably thinking about the same passages I'm thinking about. God making man and woman in Genesis 1 and 2. God creating Adam and then marching all the animals in front of him in Genesis 2 so that he can feel the need and the lack of a helper that's comparable to him.

And then forming Eve out of his side. Genesis 24 and Abraham sending to his homeland for a wife for Isaac and a servant coming back with Rebekah and Isaac loving Rebekah. Malachi chapter 2 that declares that marriage is God's holy institution that He loves and then He says the opposite too that he hates divorce. Matthew chapter 5, Matthew chapter 19, when Jesus is asked about divorce, and he teaches about divorce, Ephesians chapter 5, which was just read, where Paul unfolds the mystery. And then Revelation, which talks about the final wedding, which is really what I'm preaching on today but the point is there are many many more marriage passages than what I just mentioned Those are some of the more famous ones.

So there's a lot of scripture that is given to the topic of human earthly marriage. But Jesus says this in Matthew chapter 22. He's in a debate with Sadducees about whether there is really an afterlife or not. The Sadducees have come with a crazy story about a woman who marries seven consecutive brothers. The brothers just keep dying off.

And the woman just marries the next brother in the chain until finally they are all dead. And the Sadducees think that they have trapped Jesus with this tricky question. And here's one of the things Jesus says following that. He says, for in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage. There's only one marriage in heaven.

Only one. And it's the marriage of the Son, Jesus Christ, our Redeemer, to all those who are born again of faith. That's the only marriage that survives into the age to come. And what happens then is that the picture gives way to the reality. Human marriage, earthly marriage is a picture, it's a shadow.

And just like all the other pictures, like all the other shadows of the old covenant, when Jesus comes, He fulfills them. The reality comes and there's no need for the picture anymore. The picture's gone. The shadow evaporates and we're just left with the substance. We're left with what these things were always about.

All the sacrificial system, All the things that the temple represents passes away because Jesus, the bridegroom, has come. And we don't need them anymore in heaven. We don't need human earthly marriage. Because The picture is obsolete. The picture is not needed anymore.

And so the picture gives way to reality. Now I want to quickly consider a few things that Jesus says about marriage. Not the human one, but the heavenly marriage to show that leading up to Ephesians 5 and Paul talking about the great mystery and unfolding it, that Paul is really just giving commentary on what Jesus says about marriage. So open your Bibles to Matthew chapter 9. I'm going to take us to three texts in succession in Matthew to show that Jesus has been setting Paul up for Ephesians 5 throughout his preaching ministry.

I'm only going to be reading one verse in Matthew chapter 9 and it is verse 15. Jesus is being hassled about why he and his disciples don't fast. John the Baptist's disciples and the Pharisees come and say, Hey we've been fasting, why don't you fast? And Jesus replies this way in Matthew chapter 9 verse 15. Jesus said to them, Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them?

But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them and then they will fast. We've been feasting at the dome house because the bridegroom has been at our house every day and I keep quoting this passage, Can the friends of the bridegroom fast when the bridegroom is among them? And then Tim always reminds me, okay, the bridegroom is going to be taken away here in a little while. You'll have to fast then. So, we'll see.

But in Matthew chapter 9, Jesus introduces himself as the bridegroom and he essentially lays claim to history by saying it would be inappropriate for the friends of the bridegroom to mourn when he is among them. That all of these practices of fasting that have been so carefully observed by the by the Pharisees become inappropriate in the presence of the bridegroom so Paul's not saying something in Ephesians 5 that Jesus didn't say in his teaching ministry. Jesus introduces himself here as the bridegroom and he essentially says, I am the pivot point of all of history. The things that were so appropriate before me become inappropriate when the bridegroom comes. It changes everything.

Now look at Matthew chapter 22. Only going to read one verse from Matthew chapter 22 as well and it's verse 2. In Matthew chapter 22 verse 2 Jesus introduces a parable this way, the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son. Think of the enormity of that statement. The kingdom of heaven is like this.

There's a kingdom that governs all the other kingdoms and it's like this thing. What's the thing? It's like a king who has arranged a marriage for his son. Jesus here again is claiming to be the son of the king. And all of the kingdom is like a king who arranges a marriage for his son.

It's all about the wedding. It's all about the king and his plans for his son to marry his son to a beautiful and pure bride. So that when someone is found in the wedding who doesn't have wedding garments, they have to be cast outside. Because they don't belong there in this kingdom of beauty and joy and holiness. Now one final place, Matthew 25.

Turn a couple of pages to Matthew 25. I'll be reading verses 1 through 6. This is another parable that Jesus teaches. Matthew 25 verse 1. Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.

Now five of them were wise and five were foolish. Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight a cry was heard, Behold, The bridegroom is coming. Go out to meet him.

Here again in Matthew chapter 25, Jesus proclaims himself to be the bridegroom. He teaches his disciples, and that's us too, this is for us too, something very important, that there's going to be a delay. If you think the bridegroom is going to come immediately, then you're thinking wrong thoughts. So he doesn't want his disciples to get the wrong idea from the delay as if the bridegroom is not coming. No, the bridegroom is coming, but there is going to be a delay.

So he teaches his disciples what they need to know, which is it's going to be a while and then he'll come and it's going to be at a surprising time, a time when many did not expect. So we should watch and pray. So he tells his disciples not to be surprised and then he gives this hard warning that some will not, some will have slept and slumbered and never have made themselves ready for the coming of the bridegroom and they are shut out of the wedding. Jesus has been speaking in Matthew 9, in Matthew 22, in Matthew 25 of Himself as the bridegroom and of this wedding that some will join in, they will come into the joy of their master and some will be left outside because they are not fit for the final wedding. Then we have the pinnacle of the Bible's teaching On marriage, Paul in Ephesians chapter 5 about Christ in his church.

He says this is a great mystery. A mystery not in the sense that it can't be known. A mystery in the sense that God has withheld the full revelation of it until just the right time. That's often what mystery means in the New Testament. God's been holding out.

God hasn't shown the full picture. He's been giving glimpses throughout the Old Testament. And even glimpses semi-veiled maybe in the teachings of Jesus, but then God speaks through Paul and just shows you his hand. He shows it all. That marriage really has only ever been about one thing and it's been to be a picture of the gospel.

It's been to tell the story in drama form of Jesus Christ and His love, His bride, His people that He is redeeming and He's going to return for. This is the pinnacle of marriage. This is the mystery that's unfolded by Paul in Ephesians chapter 5. So that's the intro. Let's pray.

Father, I thank you for a time to contemplate the final wedding. I pray that you would use our study in Revelation now to cause our hearts to burn within us for the coming of the bridegroom. Oh, that our affections would be so turned towards our groom that we would love him and our hearts would be full of anticipation for the day, the unknown day and the unknown hour where the call will go out, the bride groom comes. Make us love our husband more today in Jesus' name. Amen.

So I want to consider today Revelation 19 and Revelation 21. So, please turn in your Bibles to Revelation 19. This is really a continuation of the wedding sermon. I was time constrained in the wedding. It would only let me go this far and no further.

So now we're continuing. We're continuing. Revelation is a book about the last things and Revelation 19 and 21 is about the very very last things before eternity begins. Revelation 19 I'd like to read verses 1-9 and then bring out three points from it. Revelation 19 verse 1, After these things I heard a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven saying, Alleluia, salvation and glory and honor and power belong to the Lord our God.

For true and righteous are His judgments, because He has judged the great harlot who corrupted the earth with her fornication. And He has avenged on her the blood of His servants, shed by her." Again they said, "'Alleluia! Her smoke rises up forever and ever.' The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sat on the throne, saying, "'Amen! Alleluia!' Then a voice came from the throne saying, Praise our God, all you, His servants, and those who fear Him, both small and great. And I heard a voice as it were the voice of a mighty multitude as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings saying Hallelujah for the Lord God omnipotent reigns.

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. 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. Then he said to me, Right, 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." Here are the three things that I want to take out of this text. They are on your handout if you are taking notes.

The first thing is this, you are part of the bride or you are part of the harlot. The first blank is bride, the second blank is harlot. You are one or the other. There is no third option. Every one who has been born from Adam, who was created directly by God, everyone who was born after him, all the sons of Adam, will either be part of the bride or part of the harlot in Revelation 19.

This is the comprehensive, consistent testimony of Scripture from beginning to the end. You are light or you are darkness. You are sheep or you are goats. You are sons of God or you are sons of the devil. You are either one or the other.

There is no category for nice people who just couldn't bring themselves to believe in Jesus. Do you know that? There is no category for responsible citizens, good neighbors, nice people who just couldn't get their minds wrapped around substitutionary atonement. And so they never came to Christ and they're good, but they are just never to be found in Christ and they'll never Be judged, never suffer eternal judgment. This is the testimony of scripture from start to finish.

This is the testimony of the gospel. You are in Christ and therefore you're his bride. He loved you with an everlasting love. He was slain for you before the foundation of the world. Or You just couldn't be pulled away from your lovers.

And you added one idol to the next. And you would serve anything but Jesus. And you'll be left outside the wedding. You will be the harlot. And verse three says, ìHer smoke rises up forever and ever.î Friends, consider the text before us and be wise.

Think of what it means. Think of the eternal implications for the bride who will never be outside the presence of her groom. Will always enjoy sweet face-to-face fellowship with her groom. Forever and ever and ever. Heaven doesn't even need a light.

God is the light. Heaven doesn't need a temple. Christ is the temple. Heaven is a place where the bride and the groom dwell together face to face forever and ever and ever. The eternal implications of being a part of the bride are glorious.

Think about them. Rejoice in them. Meditate on them. The eternal implications for the harlot are terrifying. Think of what it means to be beyond hope, beyond repentance, beyond the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ, beyond the ability to be redeemed.

Isaiah 55 says, seek the Lord while he may be found. Draw near to him while he is near. Isaiah 55 says, Oh, all who are thirsty, come and drink, buy without money. The eternal implications for what we do with that invitation is staggering. It stretches out into eternity.

That's the first point from Revelation 19. You're either part of the bride or you're part of the harlot. Here's the second thing that I want to speak about from Revelation 19. This moment will result in unequaled worship. Think about this moment of unequaled worship.

We'll have never been worshiped like this before. Ever! Before this moment. The word, Alleluia, appears in verse 1, it appears in verse 3, it appears in verse 4, it appears in verse 6. Hallelujah is a transliteration of two Hebrew words, praise ye Jehovah.

Praise ye, the plural of you, All you together praise Jehovah, the most holy name for God, the self-existent one, the one who doesn't have a beginning and doesn't have an end. Come before the self-existing God and all of us together praise Him. That's the word in verse 1, 3, 4, and 6. That's what happens in Revelation chapter 19. All of us together, all of us who are in Christ, all whose sins have been washed away, cleansed away, they were like scarlet but now they are as white as snow.

All of us together come before the self existing God that doesn't have a beginning and doesn't have an end and we all together bring our praises of Him. Verse 1 says salvation and glory and honor and power belong to Him. All praise and exaltation belong to God in that day. It's unequaled worship. All of it, all the exaltation, all of the salvation ever to be obtained belongs to Him.

All of the glory, being lifted up and magnified, all of the honor, recognizing all of The perfections of his attributes belong to him. All of the power belong to him. We'll all together just recognize that God has always been able to do everything he wanted to do, anytime he wanted to do it. Verse 2, true and righteous are his judgments. He comes and he judges the harlot and he settles those accounts once and for all, forever.

And every judgment is true. Every judgment is righteous every promise is fulfilled both to the righteous into the unrighteous to those who have been cleansed by the blood of Christ into those who would only have their other lovers the harlots those who comprise the harlots verse 4 the 24 elders and the four living creatures fall down and worship Him. All of those who are most exalted do the same as all those who are least exalted, they fall down before God to worship Him. God will be seen to be worthy of all the worship, of all the greatest, to all the least. Verse 6, He is omnipotent.

He reigns. He is omnipotent. He is all powerful. His people will be there as a bride, joined together to praise Him on that day, knowing that He is all-powerful, that He spoke the universe into existence by the word of His power, that everything has been made by the Lord Jesus Christ, through the Lord Jesus Christ, for the Lord Jesus Christ, and He reigns over it all. Verse 7, Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory.

It's a day for gladness and rejoicing. Why? Because we're seeing Him face to face. Finally after all this time of seeing through a glass darkly with the imperfections and the dullness of our thinking all through our lives. Finally, face to face, finally the veil pulled back and we see Him as He is.

This is the glorious summary of Revelation chapter 19. Things are right. Coming out of a world where so many things are wrong, there are so many sorrows and tears and disappointments and waiting, all of that is stripped away. Things are right. God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit are seen as they are.

God is seen as He is. And He's worshiped every minute of every day. This is one of the big problems with planet Earth is God deserves to be worshiped every minute of every day, but we're not up to that. But in heaven, we're going to be made, believe it or not, when we receive our heavenly bodies, all the frailties of our earthly bodies, to be swept away and we'll be able to do and to worship as God deserves to be worshiped every minute of every day. All the weaknesses, all the sluggishness, all the coldness of heart and hardness of heart that are like a boat anchor to us in this world.

All that's gone and we worship Him for who He is every minute of every day. This makes me long for heaven. Revelation 19 makes me long for heaven. Just wait until we get to 21. I want to exhort us this way.

The more fit now, the better. The more fit, ready, we are now for Revelation 19. In this moment of unequaled worship, the better. The more we worship Him for who He is, the best we are able with all the strength that we can muster, the more that we grow in worship now the better. We'll just be happier.

It's fitting. Jesus has died to reconcile us with a righteous judge. Let's become fit for heaven by worshipping Him as best we can with all of our might. That was number two. This moment will result in unequaled worship.

Number three, at the beginning of the age to come there is a wedding. That's the great time stamp. The beginning of the age to come, we're in this present age. You see that phrase used repeatedly in the New Testament. We're in human history.

We're in the history of the world as it exists today, this present age. And then you see another phrase in the New Testament, the age to come. We're not in that yet. It is to come. It is future.

And the great marker, the great time marker between them is this great wedding. There's a wedding. It inaugurates in the age to come. This present age is brought to an end and we have a wedding that brings in the age to come. Verse 7, the marriage of the lamb has come.

Jesus has so many exalted titles. It could have been the marriage of the Son. What an exalted title to be the Son of this Father. It could have been the marriage of the Prince of Peace. What an exalted title.

The one who brings peace between God and man. It could have been the marriage of the Christ. The one who was promised to be the Redeemer from the very beginning. As soon as sin entered the world, God started making promises about Jesus. Right away, He's making promises about Jesus.

Right there where the sin is in Genesis chapter 3 you have promises about the one who will come and bruise the head of the serpent. He's been the promised Messiah, Redeemer all this time. What an exalted title. No, not the marriage of the Christ, not the marriage of the King. Think of all the names of Jesus.

But no, The title he covets for his wedding is the marriage of the lamb, because it's the lamb that makes the bride a bride. It's the lamb that makes the bride lovely. The bridegroom wants to be known for his atoning sacrifice. Verse 7 says, his wife has made herself ready. How?

How has his wife made herself ready? It's there in the next verse, verse 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. Please turn for a minute to Ephesians chapter 2. We were in Ephesians chapter 2 last week. I thought about skipping this part of the sermon that was preached in September because we were here last week, but no way.

Last week what I said about Ephesians chapter 2 verses 8 through 10 is that it's so clear we're not saved by works, we're saved unto works. We don't work to be saved. We don't work to gain favor in God's eyes. And yet, when the mercy of God has brought us into union with Jesus Christ and now we were brought into the bride, we want to please the groom. That's the whole point of works.

Not to gain favor, but to please him. To offer lives of obedience because we are thankful. Because we see what He's done for us in the shedding of His blood. Ephesians chapter 2 verses 8 through 10, For by grace you have been saved through faith, And that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Now think of this in the context of Revelation 19 and there only being two characters, the harlot and the bride. What Ephesians 2 says is that God in His mercy has reached into the harlot and plucked out of the fire objects of mercy to become his bride. Not of works lest anyone should boast, but it is a gift of God. The repentance is a gift. The faith is a gift.

God is glorifying Himself by reaching into this idolatry from one lover to the next and reaching into that and saying even so you're mine, even so you're mine, even so you're mine. And out of that forming a bride to be the object of his love forever and ever and ever. And then, those who have been brought out of darkness and into light say, oh, thank you. How can I please you? How can I live a life that honors you for the work that you have done that I never could have done for myself?

You see the beauty of Ephesians 2 through the lens of Revelation 19. God has reached into the harlot and brought objects of mercy out and fashioned them into a beautiful bride. And then they are privileged to adorn themselves with good works. They're privileged to dress up for the groom in good works. Obedience that just flows out of gratitude.

This is the furthest thing from a mechanical, sterile, outward obedience. May it be so far from us. May a mechanical sterile outward obedience that has no heart in it be a thousand miles from us. This is the marriage of Ephesians 5. Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, lays down His life, cleanses a people, fashions a beautiful glorious bride for himself, and then this bride lives to be his helper in all of his work.

She loves to be the helper to this groom in any work he desires to do. Now turn to Revelation 21. Just when you thought it couldn't get better, we have Revelation 21. I'd like to read verses 135, then make a few short comments and then we'll conclude. Revelation 21 verse 1, now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away and there was no more sea.

Then I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be his people. God himself will be with them and be their God. God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying.

There shall be no more pain for the former things have passed away. Then he who sat on the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said to me, Write, for these words are true and faithful. Revelation 21 verses 1 through 5 are more on this great wedding. It's the same topic as Revelation 19.

More on this great wedding if you're filling in blanks. The New Jerusalem is the church of all ages, all the sons of Abraham. This is so much more than just a physical, genealogical, familial line. The sons of Abraham are sons of his faith. He believed God and it was credited to Him as righteousness.

If you trust Christ, then it's credited to you as righteousness. His righteousness is imputed to you. And you're a son of Abraham and we're all joined together from every century of human history, every tribe, every tongue, every nation. Imagine how exciting it was to preach this in Malawi Africa and to know that the day is coming when the miles evaporate. And we're there with our brothers and sisters from all over the world from every century fashioned into a beautiful bride.

Verse 2 says, as a bride adorned for her husband. Here's a question. What do you think of the church now? Church now sort of slovenly. Church now doesn't look like Katerina looked on Friday.

Church now in many ways doesn't measure up. Be careful about despising the Church. Know this, Jesus doesn't despise the Church. We do see through a glass darkly now. There are times where we're a mess.

Jesus is able to deal with all that, to set all that right. It's not as fast as you would want. Well, neither is your personal sanctification. Your personal sanctification might just be a little picture of what's happening on the global scale of the church. Don't despise the church.

Jesus doesn't despise His church. I know there's a difference between the true church and a false church for those who claim to be in Christ, but they're not really. But that's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about real, live people who trust in Christ, but they don't have their act together yet. Jesus will set that straight.

Be slow to despise. What is described here in Revelation 21. Oneness. We get oneness in Genesis 2. Therefore, a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh." Always, always, always a picture of the oneness that we have in Revelation 21.

Face to face, all the tears wiped away, All the pain gone, all the sorrows past. No more looking through a glass darkly, only face to face forever. Oneness. No more tears. No more death.

No more sorrow. No more crying. No more pain. No more of any of the former things, including marriage. Including earthly marriage.

So in Including earthly marriage. So in conclusion, understand marriage. Study it. All that space in scripture given to marriage. Know it inside and out.

Know it like the back of your hand. Understand it by all means. Love marriage. God loves marriage. It's the holy institution that he loves and he hates divorce.

So love it! Love human earthly marriage. Give it the regard that God gives it. Nurture marriage. Nurture your human marriage.

Feed it. Water it. Pluck out the weeds. Treat it like a garden that you care a lot about. Nurture human marriage.

Thought about, nurture human marriage, but be ready to let go of earthly marriage. This is hard to understand, but we are going to let it go and somehow we won't be sorry. It sort of sounds a little sad. There is not going to be one drop of sadness in it, the letting go of our earthly marriage. I don't understand that.

It will have served its function. It's just a picture of a better marriage. And the substance is coming. Jesus is coming. The cry will ring out.

The bridegroom cometh. It will. He's coming. It might be in our lifetime, it might not. Watch and pray.

Now listen to Revelation 22, 17. This is just a few verses from the very, very, very end of the Bible. Revelation 22, 17. All God's people joining together with the Spirit of God. Listen to this, Revelation 22 17.

And the Spirit and the bride say, it and the bride say, Come. And let him who hears say, Come. And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely. God, with John we say, come quickly, Lord Jesus, come bridegroom to claim us.

Wipe away our tears. Take away our pain, our half-heartedness, our sinfulness. Make us Like a bride who's made herself ready with clean, bright, fine linen, adorned for you, to your glory. Thank you for the glory of the gospel. May be nowhere else on display as gloriously as in Revelation 19 and 21.

Oh, thank you for the vision of the marriage supper of the Lamb. We praise you in Jesus name, amen.