"The use of marriage as a symbol of god's eternal spiritual union with people appears repeatedly in Scripture. In the OT, unrepentant Israel was likened to an adulterous wife (Hos 2:1-8). In the NT, Jesus Christ referred to the faithful church as his virgin bride (John 3:29).
In ancient Israel there were three phases to a legal marriage. The first stage was a betrothal, a legal binding agreement entered into by both parties. The second phase involved the coming of the bridegroom to meet his bride. The last part of a marriage celebration was the marriage supper hosted at the home of the groom.
Our spiritual life echoes this marriage ritual. Our spiritual betrothal as Christ's bride began when we accepted him as our Savior. Christ's appearance in the air to rapture the church is the equivalent of the bridegroom coming to meet the bride. John's vision in Revelation details the final phase of the church's marriage to Christ with his description of a glorious marriage supper in heaven between the complete bride of Christ and their Savior in the presence of the assembled angelic host.
Some posttribulation scholars suggest that the marriage supper of the Lamb will take place in the air while the chuirch is being raptured. They contend that this will allow the church to rise in the air with Christ and immediately return to earth to participate in the Battle of Armageddon. This view presents some difficulties because of the clear words of Jesus' promise to bring believers to be with him in heaven (John 14:3).
Other scholars suggest that the marriage supper of the Lamb must take place between Christ's coming for his church and his return with the saints at Armageddon. These scholars contend that after the rapture and the bema judgment, when all Christians have received their rewards for their righteous works, the believers will participate in the glorious marriage supper between Christ and his faithful bride. This supper will occur in heaven at the same time that the judgments of the tribulation are being felt on earth.
Specific grammar in John's prohecy affirms this sequence of events. Note that John says, "the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready" (Rev 19:7). The Greek word translated "is come" is written in the Greek aorist tense, signifying an act that was completed in the past and needs no other action or limitation. this indicates that the marriage will be consumated by this point and will precede the second coming of Christ. Only after describing the marriage supper does John then record his vision of Christ's return to earth at Armageddon.
There will also be guest at this wedding, those "which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb" (19:19). Guest are "called" or invited to a wedding, whereas the bride and the bridegroom are the honored host. The guest of the marriage supper of the Lamb are the tribulation martyrs, OT saints and the host of heaven. While the saints of Israel will live with the Christian saints in the new Jerusalem, the OT saints are not the bride of Christ. Even John the Baptist reffered to himself only as a wedding guest when he likened himself to a friend of the Bridegroom (John 3:29).
John's detailed vision of the marriage supper includes a description of the bride's garments. Dressed in "fine linen, clean and white" (Rev 19:8), the church is shown as completely cleansed through the attonement of Christ's completed work on the cross. Though some suggest that the church must suffer through the tribulation to cleanse and purify her in preparation for the marriage supper , these scholars have forgotten that we are not purified by tribulation. We are purified solely by Christ's righteousness applied to our hearts through faith in him as our Lord and Savior.
Because the bride is clothed with fine linen this also affirms that the church has already participated in the bema judgment where rewards are given for faithful works. Note also that John later describes the believers "clothed in fine linen, white and clean" (19:14) as they leave heaven to join in the Battle of Armageddon . This passage then confirms this order of events: the rapture, the bema judgment, the marriage supper and the return to earth at Armageddon."
