Marriage Supper of the Lamb
By Janet Lisonbee

When I taught Revelation chapter 19 in early morning Seminary, I gave each student two envelopes, each with an invitation to dinner.  They were to choose between the Marriage Supper of the Lamb or The Supper of Our Great God, because both dinners were on the same day. 

Since they didn’t have anymore information to go on, they guessed.  Those who chose the Marriage Supper found they truly were invited to dinner, while those who chose the Supper of Our Great God, found that instead of an invitation to dinner, they were dinner!  [vs. 17-18]  The Lord said, “Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb”[Rev. 19:9].  It is to this supper that the righteous are invited.

Jesus Christ has used the metaphor of marriage to describe His relationship with the Church, or those who are His faithful followers.   When the Pharisees asked Jesus why His disciples didn’t fast, He replied, “Can the children of the bridechamber fast while the bridegroom is with them?  As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast” [Mark 2:19].  

John the Baptist understood this relationship when he testified, “I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him.  He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice” [ John 3:28-29].

Paul likewise said, “For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church” [Ephesians 5:23].  In speaking to the Corinthians, he said, “For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ” [2 Cor. 11:2].

It is very insightful to understand marriage customs of the ancient church to more fully comprehend Christ’s role as the Bridegroom and our role as the Bride.  Many prophets from Isaiah to John the Revelator to Joseph Smith described the second coming of Jesus Christ as a marriage of the bride to the bridegroom — and as we look at these ancient marriage customs, one can see the reason Jesus Christ used this metaphor of marriage.  The paragraphs denoted by the asterisks (*) represent the scriptural application of each custom to Christ and ourselves.

1. Anciently, Jewish marriages were arranged by the young couple’s respective fathers, who were obligated to see to it that their children be married [Mendell Lewittes, Jewish Marriage: Rabbinic Tradition, Legend, and Custom, p. 19].  For example, Jeremiah charged the exiles in Babylon, “Take wives for your sons and give your daughters to men”[Jer. 29:6].  The parents could also employ a trusted agent to find the bride as Abraham commissioned his servant to find a wife for Isaac [Genesis 24:2-4].

*Jesus Christ was chosen to be our Savior by the Father. Jesus stated, “The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king [the Father], which made a marriage for his son [Jesus Christ], and sent forth his servants [the Apostles and missionaries] to call them that were bidden to the wedding” [Matt. 22:2].  He also said, “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out” [John 6:37]. The Holy Spirit also acts as an agent of the Father to find the bride.  “Hearken, and lo, a voice as of one sent down from on high…whose voice is unto men — Prepare ye the way of the Lord, prepare ye the supper of the Lamb, make ready for the Bridegroom” [Doc. & Cov. 65:1, 3].

2. Though it was not essential, the bride’s consent was at times asked for.  “Then they called Rebekah and said to her, “Will you go with this man?  And she said, ‘I will go’” [Genesis 24:58]

*We have the freedom to choose.  “Yea, a supper of the house of the Lord, well prepared, unto which all nations shall be invited. First the rich and the learned, the wise and the noble; and after that…the poor, the lame, and the blind, and the deaf, come in unto the marriage of the Lamb” [Doc. & Cov. 58:9-11].  “Wherefore, men are free … to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men …” [2 Nephi 2:28]. 

3. There was a bridal payment, called the mohar.  The mohar was a payment from the groom to the bride’s father. In Genesis 24:53,  Abraham’s servant, Eliezar, gives precious things to Laban, who is acting in the place of Rebekah’s father.  In Genesis 29, Jacob works seven years for Rachel.

* Jesus Christ paid the ultimate price for us, the bride.  “For ye are bought with a price” [1 Cor. 6:20]. “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with ... silver and gold ... but with the precious blood of Christ” [1 Peter 1:18-19]   Jesus Christ “so loved the world that he gave his own life” [Doc. & Cov. 34:3].

4. There were also gifts, known as mattan, in which the groom gave gifts to his future bride. 

*Moroni wrote about spiritual gifts such as the working of miracles, prophesy, tongues, wisdom and said that “… every good gift cometh of Christ” [Moroni 10:18]. “Seek ye earnestly the best gifts … for they are given for the benefit of those who love me…” [Doc. & Cov. 46:8-9].  The resurrection of our bodies is also a gift through Jesus Christ.

5. There were also gifts to the bride by her father.  These were termed shiluhim and carry the same idea as the traditional dowry. 

* “God will give liberally to him that asketh…” [ 2 Nephi 4:35]  “…how much more shall Father in heaven give good things to them that ask him.” [Matt. 7:11].  “He that is baptized in my name, to him will the Father give the Holy Ghost…” [2 Nephi 31:12].   Eternal life is the greatest gifts of God [Doc & Cov. 14:7]. 

6. Jewish marriages were legally formalized by a written marriage contract called a ketubah, that stated the bride price, the promises of the groom and the rights of the bride. [Louis M. Epstein, The Jewish Marriage Contract, p. 78]

*”Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel … not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers … which they brake, although I was an husband unto them …” [Jeremiah 31:31-32].  This new covenant is the new and everlasting covenant of the restored Gospel. “I have sent mine everlasting covenant into the world, to be a light to the world, and to be a standard for my people, and … to be a messenger before my face to prepare the way before me” [Doc. & Cov. 45:9] This marriage contract, or ketubah, can be likened to the covenants we make with the Lord at baptism and our temple covenants.  The temple covenants can teach us how to have an eternal marriage with our spouse and also teach us how to be the covenant bride of Christ.   

7. The betrothal, or engagement, was as binding as marriage.  Sexual relations were forbidden until after the actual nuptials.  At some point in Jewish history, the tradition of the ”cup of acceptance” was established.  Once the terms of the ketubah [marriage contract] had been specified, and the father of the bride had agreed to them, the prospective bridegroom would pour a cup of wine for the prospective bride.  If she agreed to the match, she would drink from the cup, indicating her acceptance [Richard Booker, Here Comes the Bride, p. 5].  In this manner, the covenant was sealed, and the couple was considered to be betrothed.

* “And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; for this is my blood of the new testament [covenant], which is shed for as many as shall believe on my name …” [Matt. 26:27-28]  As we partake of the Sacrament, we accept Jesus as our Savior and the gifts He offers us and renew our covenant to be faithful to Him.

8. The betrothal period typically lasted one full year, commencing with the sealing of the covenant and ending with the nuptials themselves.  For the groom, the betrothal period was one of preparation.  The groom would depart, returning to his father’s house to prepare the bridal chamber [the huppah].  Sometimes this would require actually adding on a room to the father’s house.  After the addition was complete, it would have to be decorated appropriately to be suitable for the bride.  The groom’s father was the one to decide when the bridal chamber was ready for the bride. [Zola Levitt, A Christian Love Story, p. 15-17]. 

*Just prior to His death, Jesus told his apostles, “In my Father’s house are many mansions …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” [John 14:2-3].  Like Enos, Christ will tell the righteous, “Come unto me, ye blessed, there is a place prepared for you in the mansions of my Father” [Enos 1:27].

9. The betrothal was, for the bride, a time of purification and anticipation.  The time of the betrothal was typically one year, adequate time to demonstrate the purity of the bride by showing that she was not pregnant. 

* “… therefore this life became a probationary state; a time to prepare to meet God …” {Alma 12:24]  In this mortal life, we have all sinned and have been “unfaithful” to Christ at times. The prophets testified of Israel’s unfaithfulness by using the metaphor of an unfaithful betrothed wife.  “Turn, O backsliding children, saith the Lord; for I am married unto you” [Jeremiah 3:14].  In chapter 16 of Ezekiel, the Lord describes Israel as a child of neglect, raised in filthiness, upon whom the Lord had compassion. He cleansed her, loved her and clothed her with fine linen and silk and jewels.  “But thou didst trust in thine own beauty, and playedst the harlot..and pouredst out thy fornications on every one that passed by and multiplied thy whoredoms … as a wife that committeth adultery, which taketh strangers instead of her husband!” [vs. 15,25,32]. Hosea also uses the same metaphor to describe unfaithful Israel who finally comes to her senses and says, “I will go an return to my first husband; for then was it better with me than now” [Hosea 2:7].  The ever faithful Lord response to repentant Israel is, “Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfortably unto her, and I will give her her vineyards from thence, and the valley of Achor for a door of hope, and she shall sing there as in the days of her youth … and it shall be at that day saith the Lord, that thou shalt call me Ishi [my husband]; and shalt call me no more Baali [my master] … and I will betroth thee unto me forever; yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness” [Hosea 2:14-16, 19].

10. The Bride was also required to undergo a ritual Mikveh, or purifying bath. 

*Baptism certainly fits this symbolism.  Ephesians 5:25-27 states, “ …Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it; that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.”

11. She also wore a veil whenever she stepped out of her house to indicate that she was “out of circulation”, that she was set apart for marriage to a particular man [Levitt, p. 4] and helped to remind her to be faithful.  Rachel veiled herself upon her betrothal to Isaac.  [Gen. 24:65]

*As we enter into temple covenants, we are set apart and wear the symbols of our covenants as a veil and a reminder to be faithful to the Lord. We are promised if we are faithful and humble ourselves before God, “the veil shall be rent and you shall see me and know that I am …” [Doc. & Cov. 76:10]. 

12. When the father of the groom deemed that the bridal chamber was ready, he would give his approval for the groom to claim his bride.

*In regards to the second coming of Jesus Christ, Matthew records in chapter 24:36, “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.”

13. The arrival of the groom at the bride’s house signaled his intention of “taking her to wife”.  Typically this would occur at night.  The groom and his attendants would make their way by torch light through the dark streets of the town to the house of the ride.  The groom’s party would announce their arrival with a shout “Behold, the bridegroom cometh!”, and possibly, the blowing of the shofar, the traditional trumpet made from a ram’s horn [Booker, p. 9]. 

* “And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him” [Matt. 25:6].  The Lord calls and invites us with many “trumps” which include the missionaries, the voices of natural disasters and by offerings of the riches of eternal life [Doc. & Cov. 43:25].  In the parable of the ten virgins as recorded in Matthew chapter 25, the bridegroom tarried.   “In that day … men’s hearts shall fail them, and they shall say that Christ delayeth his coming until the end of the earth” [Doc.& Cov. 45:26]. Peter explains about the delay, “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” [2 Peter 3:9].   In Revelation 8-10 and Doctrine and Covenants 88:94-110, there are seven angels which sound seven trumps preceeding the Millenium. “The seven angels are the preparing and finishing of his work, in the beginning of the seventh thousand years — the preparing of the way before the time of his coming” [Doc. & Cov. 77:12A].

14. Having claimed the bride, the party would return to the bridal chamber, where the nuptials themselves would begin.  The groom and the bride would be elaborately clothed and would be treated like a king and a queen [Ralph Gower, The New Manners and Customs of the Bible Times, p. 66]. 

* “I will greatly rejoice in the Lord … for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels” [Isaiah 61:10]. “…They shall receive a crown in the mansions of my Father, which I have prepared for them” [Doc. & Cov. 59:2].  An angel came to John the Revelator and said, “Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife … And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband” [Rev. 21:9, 2]

15. They would also share a cup of wine [Tim Warner, The Last Trumpet, Jewish Wedding Customs & the Rapture, 1998].

*To Joseph Smith, the Lord said “…for the hour cometh that I will drink of the fruit of the vine with you on the earth … and also with all those whom thy Father hath given me out of the world” [Doc. & Cov. 27:5, 14].

16. Then the bride and groom would return to the house of the groom’s father, where the huppah had been prepared.  The tradition of the huppah is one which has changed and evolved significantly over time, and is still in use in a modern form in Jewish weddings.  Today, the huppah is a canopy held up by four poles, under which the bride and groom stand during the wedding ceremony.  The bride and groom would enter the huppah, where they would spend a week in privacy together.  It is to this practice that Laban probably referred when he instructed Jacob, with regard to Leah, to “complete her week” [Gen. 29:27].  Then they would emerge as husband and wife.

*This period of togetherness could be symbolic of the Millenium, “For I will reveal myself from heaven with power and great glory … and dwell in righteousness with men on earth a thousand years” [ Doc. & Cov. 29:11] “Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders … let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet (Hebrew translation is wedding chamber)” [Joel 2:16]. And I, John, saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.  And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people and God himself shall be with them, and be their God” [Rev. 21:2-3].

17. Meanwhile, the guests would be enjoying a sumptuous feast, while waiting for the bride and groom to rejoin them in public celebration.  Following the feast, the couple would live together as one.

*“Yea, a supper of the house of the Lord, well prepared, unto which all nations shall be invited … unto the marriage of the Lamb and partake of the supper of the Lord” [Doc. & Cov. 58:9, 11]. “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” [Rev. 19:6-9]. 

We, as members of the Church, are the Bride and need to spend this probationary period preparing and sanctifying ourselves for the Great Day of the Lord.  Joseph Smith, at the dedication of the Kirtland Temple, prayed that the Church would come forth out of the wilderness of darkness and shine forth fair as the moon, clear as the sun and be adorned as a bride for that day when Christ shall unveil the heavens [Doc. & Cov. 109:73-74].  Wherefore, be faithful, praying always, having your lamps trimmed and burning, and oil with you, that you may be ready at the coming of the Bridegroom — for behold, verily, verily, I say unto you, that I come quickly” [Doc. & Cov. 33:17-18]. “Wherefore, prepare ye for the coming of the Bridegroom; go ye, go ye out to meet him” {Doc. & Cov. 133:19].