What is the Marriage Supper of the Lamb?

A Bible Study

By John Harrell

Revelation 19:9 refers to the “marriage supper of the Lamb”. What exactly is the marriage supper? Is it a literal wedding meal or is it something else? The marriage supper is a well know event in the bible but it is only mentioned one time in scripture in Rev 19:9. Here is the verse starting in Rev 19:6 for context.

6 Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude,

like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out,

“Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns.
7 Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory,
for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready;
8 it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure”—

for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.

9 And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.” (Rev 19:6-9) [ESV]

This passage follows right after God has judged the great prostitute by whom “all nations were deceived” by her sorcery, but the Antichrist has not yet been defeated. Reading it in isolation it is easy to think that the marriage supper is a literal meal in celebration of the wedding of the Lamb. A “marriage supper” naturally invokes images of a wedding reception with wonderful music, fine food, joy and laughter. That’s what our past experiences at weddings has prepared us to think. It’s a wonderful thought. I like it. If you search for “marriage supper of the Lamb” on the internet you will find any number of Christian teachers declaring that is exactly what Rev 19:9 is talking about - a great banquet.

But is that what the scripture is actually describing? Is this scene speaking of a grand party that will take place in heaven? There are other scripture passages that suggest that there may be more to this “marriage supper” than that. This paper explores that subject.

Consider the following points:

1. There is no description of the wedding banquet

In Rev 19:6-9 an angel announces that the marriage of the Lamb has come, that His bride is ready, and he declares that those who are invited to the marriage supper are blessed, but there is no description of a supper actually taking place anywhere in scripture. Looking again at the Revelation passage we see that the marriage of the Lamb “has come”. So it is natural to expect some kind of description of the marriage supper to follow but we don’t actually see anything that looks like a heavenly celebration taking place. In fact what immediately follows in Rev 19:11-16 is anything but a party. It is Jesus and his armies going to battle with the nations, treading out the winepress of his wrath.

11 Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. 12 His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. 13 He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. 14 And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. 15 From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. 16 On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords. (Rev 19:11-16)

This is so juxtaposed with the idea of a wedding banquet that it is easy to assume that the writer has left the subject of the marriage supper to address other more dire matters, until verse 17 when it is seen that a supper is still the subject.

17 Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and with a loud voice he called to all the birds that fly directly overhead, “Come, gather for the great supper of God, 18 to eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all men, both free and slave, both small and great.” (Rev 19:17-18)

Is the “great supper of God” in verse 17 the same event that was described a few verses earlier as the “marriage supper of the Lamb”? If it is, it is not a simple wedding banquet. It is actually a metaphor for the total defeat of God’s enemies and His sharing of that victory with his people presented as a meal of their flesh. It’s like God is saying, “I will devour my enemies and those who are faithful to Me will share in the feast”. It may seem gruesome but that is exactly what is presented in Rev 19:18.

2. The Valley of Hamon-Gog

Ezekiel 39 is a passage that also describes a feast in the context of victory in battle. Notice the similarities with Rev 19:17-18.

17 “As for you, son of man, thus says the Lord God: Speak to the birds of every sort and to all beasts of the field: ‘Assemble and come, gather from all around to the sacrificial feast that I am preparing for you, a great sacrificial feast on the mountains of Israel, and you shall eat flesh and drink blood. 18 You shall eat the flesh of the mighty, and drink the blood of the princes of the earth—of rams, of lambs, and of he-goats, of bulls, all of them fat beasts of Bashan. 19 And you shall eat fat till you are filled, and drink blood till you are drunk, at the sacrificial feast that I am preparing for you. 20 And you shall be filled at my table with horses and charioteers, with mighty men and all kinds of warriors,’ declares the Lord God. 21 “And I will set my glory among the nations, and all the nations shall see my judgment that I have executed, and my hand that I have laid on them. 22 The house of Israel shall know that I am the Lord their God, from that day forward. (Ezek 39:17-22, [ESV]

Here again we see imagery of a feast that is directly connected with the victory of God over His enemies. The inference is clear; the feast is actually the destruction of the enemy with the presentation of the flesh as spoils in the picture of a meal.

3. The Victory Feast of Isaiah 25

Why would a supper or feast be a metaphor for what could be described a military victory? Isaiah 25:6-12 gives us an important clue to the interpretation of Revelation 19. Note the underlined passages. The parallels to Rev 19:6-18 should become apparent.

6 On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples
a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine,
of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined.
7 And he will swallow up on this mountain
the covering that is cast over all peoples,
the veil that is spread over all nations.
8 He will swallow up death forever;
and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces,
and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth,
for the Lord has spoken.
9 It will be said on that day,
“Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us.
This is the Lord; we have waited for him;
let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”
10 For the hand of the Lord will rest on this mountain,
and Moab shall be trampled down in his place,
as straw is trampled down in a dunghill.
11 And he will spread out his hands in the midst of it
as a swimmer spreads his hands out to swim,
but the Lord will lay low his pompous pride together with the skill of his hands.
12 And the high fortifications of his walls he will bring down,
lay low, and cast to the ground, to the dust. (Isa 25:6-12) [ESV]

This passage is compelling because just like Rev 19:6-18 it begins with the announcement of a feast (v. 6) which is prepared by God, but what follows is not the description of a literal meal. It describes God doing battle on behalf of His people (v.9). And this is accomplished by the trampling down of Moab (v. 10), the laying low of the pompous pride of Moab (v. 11) and its complete destruction (v. 12). The parallels to Rev 19:6-18 and the victory of Christ over the antichrist and the salvation of His people in the last days are clear. The meal in Isa 25:6-8 is actually a metaphor of God devouring his enemies. It is the victory feast of God and His people are invited to share in it by symbolically devouring the enemy with God.

Isaiah 25:6-12 has essentially the same elements as Revelation 19:6-18. The pattern noted above is the same.

· Announcement of a feast

· The victory of God in battle

4. A feast or a meal as a symbol of judgment and destruction

Why would a feast be associated with the judgment of God? There is a recurring pattern in scripture where God’s wrath against His enemies is described using the imagery of a meal or a feast. Here are a few examples. Notice how the term “devour” is used to denote complete destruction or defeat.

17 Then my anger will be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them and hide my face from them, and they will be devoured. (Deut 31:17a) [ESV]

42 I will make my arrows drunk with blood, and my sword shall devour flesh—
with the blood of the slain and the captives,
from the long-haired heads of the enemy.’ (Deut 32:42) [ESV]

8 “Then the earth reeled and rocked; the foundations of the heavens trembled
and quaked, because he was angry.
9 Smoke went up from his nostrils, and devouring fire from his mouth;
glowing coals flamed forth from him. (2 Sam 22:8-9) [ESV]

3 Our God comes; he does not keep silence;
before him is a devouring fire,
around him a mighty tempest. (Psa 50:3) [ESV]

This metaphor is not completely foreign to us today. It would not be strange to hear someone say “they were eaten alive” to mean someone was completely defeated. Likewise, we have all heard or used the metaphor “the taste of victory”. It is understandable then how this imagery could be employed in the imagery of a victory in battle. In fact, it was not uncommon for ancient armies to celebrate victory over their enemies with a great feast.

Conclusions

Revelation 19:6-18 follows a pattern in scripture where a feast is used as a metaphor for the total defeat of God’s enemies and His sharing of that victory with his people presented as a meal of their flesh and blood. It’s as though God is saying “I am going to devour my enemies and my people are invited to share in my feast.” So what is the marriage supper of the Lamb in Revelation 19? I think it is fair to say that a simple literal interpretation of the marriage supper of the Lamb as a celebration with Jesus in heaven is at best incomplete and at worst, missing the point altogether. The marriage supper should invoke in us the idea of God’s victory over His enemies, and His people are invited to share in that victory by metaphorically consuming the bodies of the defeated.