The Ultimate Wedding

Pastor Dan Walker, PhD, MDiv

Introduction: Living in Light of the End

Today, we conclude our message series “Living in Light of the End.” God has privileged us to live in the last days, two thousand years closer to the return of Christ than the time of the apostles. Before us lie exciting and dangerous times, as the battle between the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of darkness intensifies. I trust that this message series and the one immediately preceding it has better prepared us for the challenges that we will face in the future.

This morning, my message is entitled “The Ultimate Wedding.” We are going to look beyond the current spiritual warfare, beyond the sacrifices and martyrs of the last days, and even beyond God’s cataclysmic judgments still to come. We are going to look at the end of the story, and it is a good ending, provided you are on the winning side of history. To help us understand the end of the story, let me briefly tell you the story of the Bible in maybe a new way for you.

The story of the Bible is, at its heart, a love story. It is a love story between God and man. God wanted someone to love, so in the beginning He created people in His image, creating human beings so that He could love them and they could freely love Him back.

But an enemy came into the paradise that God had created for man. This enemy seduced the first people away from their first love, and the relationship between God and man was broken. Mankind became trapped in a prison of sin from which there was no escape, and the beautiful love story seemed hopelessly lost.

If the story has a villain, then we know a hero must come, and that hero was Jesus. Jesus came to this earth to rescue His true love, the people He had created. The villain, Satan, killed Jesus, yet Jesus rose from the dead and defeated Satan.

Jesus made a way for every person He loved to be rescued from the prison of sin by believing in and loving Him back. Although the villain has been mortally wounded, the battle rages on until the end of the last days when Jesus returns for His true love. The story of the Bible has a happy ending, where Jesus and His bride get married and live happily ever after.

Who is the bride of Jesus? It is the church, which consists of believers, those who love Jesus.

Ephesians 5:25b–27 (NIV) Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.

Christ loved the church so much that He gave His life for her, so that He might one day marry His radiant bride in the ultimate wedding. Have you prepared yourself for the ultimate wedding, and are you ready? Only those who are ready when Jesus returns will be part of that incredible wedding. Today, we are going to look at a couple of passages in Revelation, the last book in the Bible, to better understand and prepare for the ultimate wedding.

Jesus Wins the Battle for His Bride

Revelation 19:6 (NIV) Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: “Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns.”

This passage immediately follows God’s judgment on evil Babylon. These verses precede Jesus returning as conquering King and throwing all His enemies into the lake of burning sulphur. In verse 6, we see a great multitude in a victory celebration, shouting Hallelujah, for the Lord God Almighty reigns victorious.

Heaven is not a quiet place, as it reverberates with the praises of God’s people. There will be no need for ear plugs there, because the sound of worship will be overwhelming. The battle for His bride has been won, and she has been rescued from her enemies.

The Bride Makes Herself Ready

Revelation 19:7–8 (NIV) Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear. (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.)

The culmination of history, and the reason mankind was created in the first place, is the ultimate wedding. This is the wedding of the Lamb, who is Jesus, and His bride. Here we see that the bride of Christ has made herself ready, cleansed of her sin and clothed in fine linen.

The fine linen represents the righteous acts of the saints. In the Bible, saints are not a special class of people, but simply believers. The Bible teaches that every believer who loves Jesus is a saint, and the bride must make herself ready for the ultimate wedding.

The Wedding Supper Is Prepared

Revelation 19:9 (NIV) Then the angel said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!’” And he added, “These are the true words of God.”

Heaven will host an incredible wedding supper of the Lamb. Only those who are believers, who are dressed in the white robes of righteousness, will be invited. Jesus told us during His ministry that many will try to get into this wedding supper.

Those without an invitation, and those without the proper clothes, will be cast out. Rather than being in a banquet celebration of the ultimate wedding, those who have not believed in this life will be cast into outer darkness and eternal fire. Those who take part in the wedding supper of the Lamb will be blessed beyond measure, while those who miss it will be cursed beyond imagination.

Living Each Day in Readiness

If you are a believer here this morning, you are part of the bride of Christ. This passage speaks of the bride being dressed in fine linen, which represents righteous acts. Righteous acts are simply the things you do or say in obedience to Jesus’ commands.

God has a plan for every day of your life, and He has a mission for you to accomplish. When you listen to His instructions and carry them out, you are clothing yourself with righteous acts. Make sure you are getting ready for the ultimate wedding by following Jesus each and every day.

Jesus Prepares a Home for His Bride

Revelation 21:1–2 (NIV) Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.

Jesus is preparing a wonderful home for His bride, a place perfectly fitted for Him and His bride to live together in. Our present heaven and earth were not created to last forever, and the Bible tells us that they are decaying and winding down. But that is no problem for Jesus, because He is preparing a new heaven and a new earth for His bride.

In this vision, the Holy City comes down out of heaven from God to land on the new earth. In the new creation, there will be no barriers between heaven and earth, and the two will flow together. Our resurrected bodies will be perfectly suited for this new home, prepared for life with God forever.

Every Enemy Will Be Removed

Revelation 21:3–4 (NIV) And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

In this life, on this earth, we face many enemies and much suffering. But in the home that Jesus is preparing for us, all enemies will be removed. Our lives will be filled with walking and talking with God, and paradise will be fully restored.

God will remove all sadness, death, mourning, and pain. All the things that afflict us now will be no more, and it will truly be heaven on earth. The old order of things will have completely passed away.

Everything Will Be Made New

Revelation 21:5 (NIV) He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

God will make everything new. Everything old, everything worn out, and everything contaminated by sin will be removed. The Bible tells us that we cannot imagine the incredible things that God has prepared for us in the home He is building.

It will be more than you have ever dreamed about. Jesus is preparing an awesome home for His bride. Everything about our future with Him will be renewed and perfected.

Thanking God for Tomorrow

A single father was raising his son by himself, as his wife had passed away when the boy was a baby. The father planned to take his young son on his first picnic the next day, and they worked together preparing the lunch and packing the car. That night, the boy tossed and turned, unable to sleep because he was so excited.

Eventually, the boy woke his father and said, “Daddy, I can’t sleep, I’m so excited about tomorrow.” The father told him to go back to bed and get the sleep he needed. Just as the father was drifting back to sleep, his son woke him again.

The dad asked what was the matter now, and his boy replied, “I just want to thank you for tomorrow.” Your heavenly Father has something incredible planned for your tomorrow, for your eternal tomorrow. Have you thanked Him for what He has prepared for you, and have you encouraged others about God’s plans for their eternity?

Jesus and His Bride Live Happily Ever After

Revelation 21:9 (NIV) One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.”

This marriage of Jesus and His bride is going to last forever, and it is going to be wonderful. Those true believers, those who overcome, will be part of Jesus’ bride. Those who did not take the opportunity given to them by God to believe in Jesus will experience the second death.

Eternal life with Christ awaits those who believe, while eternal separation awaits those who reject Him. God’s offer of salvation is gracious, but it is also urgent. The invitation to the ultimate wedding is open now, but it will not remain open forever.

Jesus’ Bride Is Believers of All Time

Revelation 21:10 (NIV) And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God.

This city will be inhabited by believers of all time. Old Testament believers such as Moses, David, Samuel, Elijah, and Daniel will be part of the bride. New Testament believers such as Peter, James, John, and Paul will also be part of the bride of Christ.

Those who loved Jesus across all ages will be part of His bride. Old Testament believers looked forward to the coming Messiah, while believers today look back to Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. This bride is described as a great multitude from every nation, tribe, people, and language.

Jesus’ Bride Will Be Glorious

Revelation 21:11 (NIV) It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal.

This holy city, representing Jesus’ bride, shines with the glory of God. Every sin, blemish, and stain has been cleansed by the blood of Jesus. The book of Daniel tells us that believers will shine like stars in the universe forever.

There will be no divorce and no problems in this marriage. It will be a honeymoon that lasts for eternity, a true story with the best ending possible. Living forever with the love of your Creator will be beyond anything we can imagine.

Reaching Those Who Long for Eternity

Every civilization in human history has believed that we will live forever somewhere. Australian aborigines imagined heaven as a distant island beyond the horizon, while Mexicans and Peruvians believed you went to the sun or moon after death. Native Americans believed their spirits would hunt the spirits of buffalo.

Each person has within them a God-given sense of the eternal. People know that this world is not all there is. Yet only in God’s revelation through Jesus Christ do we discover the way to eternal life, by believing in God’s Son who alone forgives sin.

Conclusion: Ready for the Ultimate Wedding

You and I are participants in the greatest love story ever told. Jesus, our hero, has conquered sin and death to win us back to Himself. Soon, Jesus will win the battle for His bride, the church.

Even now, Jesus is preparing a dream home for us beyond our imaginations. Jesus is coming soon to bring us to Himself for the ultimate wedding. We will live forever with Him, happily ever after.

Revelation 22:20 (NIV) Jesus says, “Yes, I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

Let us get ready for that ultimate wedding and invite everyone we know.

📘 Continue the Journey

Reflect deeper and apply this week’s message with the Message Study Guide — perfect for personal devotions, family discussion, or your Life Group.

Looking for community?
Join a Life Group and grow in your faith with others walking the same path.