17.) The Wedding of the Lamb

One of the most exciting and enjoyable events in human life is the joining of two people in marriage who have found that they want to live the rest of their lives together and celebrate the mysterious and beautiful experience of becoming husband and wife. God Himself instituted this sacred union, for He wanted to share with humanity the blessing of love and communion that exists in the heavenly family. All of God’s creation is dependent upon connection with Him. Nothing lives or moves without being constantly connected to the source of life and power. When Adam and Eve were created, their life was dependent upon their connection to God and obedience to His will and His law. When they departed from the instructions God had given them, they were immediately in the pathway of death. Fortunately, in His mercy and foreknowledge God had prepared a plan whereby they would be given a second chance to choose the pathway of life. But someone must take the result of their disobedience. They could not pay the price themselves, because their minds were now fallen and separated from the trusting, obedient, faith relationship they had before they sinned. The problem must be solved where the plan began – within the Godhead itself.

Many people believe that the plan of restoration was built around the sin-punishment principle. The law of God’s government had been broken, and therefore punishment must be meted out to the transgressors. It is true that the scriptures say that Christ took our punishment, as is seen in Isaiah 53:

“Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” Isa. 53:4-6. (Emphasis supplied.)

To get a clearer picture of the concept of what Christ took to bring recovery from sin for the human race, let’s consider the meaning of this word, punishment as it is used in this context:

“Punishment: Discipline, instruction, correction; wisdom and teaching that imply correcting errant behavior.” NIV Concordance.

“Chastisement: Correction or corrections.” Strong’s Concordance.

When Christ came to our earth as a man, He learned from experience what we go through, what sin has done to us, and what our suffering feels like to us. But throughout His life on earth, He had one important advantage over us; He was never separated from His Father’s love, presence, and guidance for one moment. That is, until the cross. It was there that the retribution for sin was completely heaped upon Him. No, it was not the stripes or the crown of thorns or the nails driven through His hands and feet that caused the greatest suffering for the Son of God. It was the loss of the sense of His Father’s favor and presence that broke His heart and crushed out His life. Even in Gethsemane where the separation began, He fell dying to the earth with blood seeping from the pores in His body as He could no longer connect with His Father’s love and support. Gabriel was sent from heaven to comfort and encourage Him that all of heaven was counting on Him to pass the test for us, and that His Father’s love for Him was unchanged and eternal. He must connect to that reality by faith in the plan of salvation which had been planned from the creation of the world.

Fortunately for us, Jesus never wavered from that moment on through the terrible ordeal. His knowledge of His Father’s character and love for Him sustained Him through the dark hours of His trial and the cross, until His triumphant cry rang out to the universe, “It is finished!” and He breathed His last.

On resurrection morning, a mighty angel from heaven spoke the sweet words that Jesus’ sleeping spirit was waiting to hear: “Son of God, come forth; Thy Father calls Thee. . . .As He comes forth in majesty and glory, the angel host bow low in adoration before the Redeemer, and welcome Him with songs of praise.” DA 780. He came from the tomb a mighty conqueror, nevermore to be separated from His Father. The price for the plan of redemption for the human race had now been paid by the Father and the Son, and the door of salvation was opened for everyone who wishes to enter.

But what is the price that the Godhead paid to redeem us back from certain death? I believe the key word to remember is “separation.” Outside of God there is no life. For example, let’s take a table lamp. The light shines as long as it is plugged into the wall socket and the electricity is on. Separate the plug from the wall and the light goes out. So it is with us. God is our source of life. If we separate ourselves from Him we become subject to death. Sin separates us from God because it causes our minds to be directed and consumed with thoughts that come from self. All sin is rooted in self focus, self-seeking and self protection. Because there is no life within ourselves, sin produces death. When Adam and Eve disobeyed God, they brought the whole human race into the realm of sin and death, for all their progeny would inherit the seeds of rebellion against God’s principles of life. Without God’s intervention, the whole human race was plunged into a hopeless spiral of ever deepening separation from God, ending in eternal death and extinction from the universe.

But God in His great love and wisdom had provided for such an occurrence. The problem of sin could only be healed within the Godhead itself. Life originated there, and only they could repair the breach that had been made by Adam and Eve’s defection and disobedience. Apart from God, man had no power to reconnect their fallen natures with God’s holiness and perfection. Their only hope was that God would provide a way to return to their original state of oneness with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. In His infinite wisdom, God had already provided for this emergency. As one of the Godhead and equal with the Father, Jesus would take the separation upon Himself and pay the penalty for the broken relationship between God and man. Through His sacrifice, the way back to the throne would be provided for any repentant sinner who wished to be restored back into favor and relationship with God.

Thus Jesus, though fully God, took upon Himself the fallen human nature, yet without sin or disagreement with God in the slightest degree. As the spotless Lamb of God He experienced the kaleidoscope of human emotions under all circumstances common to man, yet His faith and connection with His Father never wavered, and no doubt or disagreement with His Father sullied the purity of His mind and character.

When the time came for His final battle with the evil one upon the cross of Calvary, the comforting sense of connection with His Father was withdrawn from Him. Although God Himself stood by His Son, veiled by the thick darkness around the cross (DA 753, 754), His presence was not felt by Jesus. He trod the winepress alone (Isa. 63:3).

“The withdrawal of the divine countenance from the Saviour in this hour of supreme anguish pierced His heart with a sorrow that can never be fully understood by man. So great was this agony that His physical pain was hardly felt. . . .

“The Saviour could not see through the portals of the tomb. Hope did not present to Him His coming forth from the grave a conqueror, or tell Him of the Father’s acceptance of the sacrifice. He feared that sin was so offensive to God that Their separation was to be eternal. Christ felt the anguish which the sinner will feel when mercy shall no longer plead for the guilty race. It was the sense of sin, bringing the Father’s wrath upon Him as man’s substitute, that made the cup He drank so bitter, and broke the heart of the Son of God.” DA 753.

In this passage from Desire of Ages the wrath of God against sin is mentioned. But is this wrath caused by bolts of divine anger that the Father is hurling at His Son as He is hanging on the cross? Or is it the natural result of the horror of the weight of sin and death and eternal separation from God which press upon the soul who is lost without hope of salvation? I believe it to be the latter explanation. There is no torture worse than realizing that your probation has ended and you are not saved.

“I saw a covering that God was drawing over His people to protect them in the time of trouble; and every soul that was decided on the truth and was pure in heart was to be covered with the covering of the Almighty.” EW 43.

“As mercy’s sweet voice died away, fear and horror seized the wicked. . . .Those who had not prized God’s word were hurrying to and fro, wandering from sea to sea, and from north to east, to seek the word of the Lord. . . .What would they not give for one word of approval from God!” EW 281.

“I saw that many were neglecting the preparation so needful and looking to the time of ‘refreshing’ and the ‘latter rain’ to fit them to stand in the day of the Lord and to live in His sight. Oh how many I saw in the time of trouble without a shelter! They had neglected the needful preparation; therefore they could not receive the refreshing that all must have to fit them to live in the sight of a holy God.” EW 71.

It was the sense of being hopelessly lost and eternally separated from God that Jesus bore for the human race. But during the darkest hours His faith in His Father’s goodness and love never wavered. He died a conqueror even over this greatest of all temptations.

“Amid the awful darkness, apparently forsaken of God, Christ had drained the last dregs in the cup of human woe. In those dreadful hours He had relied upon the evidence of His Father’s acceptance heretofore given Him. He was acquainted with the character of His Father; He understood His justice, His mercy, and His great love. By faith He rested in Him whom it had ever been His joy to obey. And as in submission He committed Himself to God, the sense of the loss of His Father’s favor was withdrawn. By faith, Christ was victor.” DA 756.

When Jesus was resurrected from the tomb, He carried with Him this victory for every son and daughter of Adam. Eternal separation from God is no longer inevitable for the fallen race. All can now avail themselves of the gift of salvation. But although it is a free gift, union with God does not come without a struggle on our part. The human heart is deceitful and desperately wicked (Jer. 17:9) unless it is cleansed by a constant connection and love relationship with Jesus. This privilege is what He died to give us. But we must not take lightly our responsibility to keep our part of the relationship viable and alive through our worship and continual walk with Him. Otherwise our natural hearts will be attracted to the world and the society around us.

Recently studies have been done that show the real cause of drug addiction. In laboratory rats it was discovered that when left in a cage by themselves, rats will become addicted to heroin or cocaine; but if placed in a pleasant environment with other rats to play with and things to occupy their time, they chose to drink pure water instead of water laced with drugs. The same is also true in human behavior. Lack of connectedness and a positive life environment leaves emptiness of soul. We were created to be connected to God and to each other. Lack of healthy connectedness leads to loneliness, depression, mental illness, self-destructive behaviors and death.

When we understand this principle, it will be easier to recognize false doctrines and false theories about God and His character and laws. For example, the doctrine of eternal hellfire is invented by Satan to misrepresent God and frighten people into a religion whose basis is fear of punishment and eternal torture and separation from God. How can anyone worship God from a pure heart and a healthy understanding of God’s love if they believe in this heinous doctrine? Such a religion would produce Christians who have the same basic motivation that is the foundation of all heathen religions—a system of works to appease the anger of their mythical gods.

But Christianity and even Adventism can fall into the subtle attractions of a works-based religion. Going to church, keeping the Sabbath, paying tithe, singing in the choir, giving out literature, being a vegan—whatever ways we choose for paying our dues to God’s requirements—can quiet our consciences and allow us to feel comfortable in our religion without realizing that works without a living connection with Jesus will never bring us to the kind of relationship and oneness with Him that is necessary for our salvation. Jesus said:

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” Matt. 7:21-23.

Here Jesus describes the final condition of those who sincerely believe that they are doing the will of God, and that their works have obtained for them a place in the kingdom of heaven. But Jesus surprises His hearers by revealing to them that good works without a connection with Jesus are to no avail. Good works can be done from selfish motives. But Jesus is looking for hearts which are surrendered to Him and in constant connection with Him as He was with His Father. Then the good works that we do will be a product of the Holy Spirit working out in us His righteous life.

Now the question that we must ask is this: Since the separation of sinners from God has been remedied by the Father, Son and Holy Spirit through Jesus’ sacrifice for us, why are we still here in this sinful, chaotic, dangerous world? The answer is found in Revelation 19:6-9:

“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. 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.) Then the angel said to me, ‘Write: “Blessed are those who are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!’”

Not long after the disappointment of the Advent believers who were looking for Jesus to come in 1844, Ellen White had a vision that reveals the whole purpose of Jesus’ ministry in the Most Holy Place: “It was then (July 13, 1847) I had a view of Jesus rising from His mediatorial throne and going to the Holiest as Bridegroom to receive His kingdom.” Letter 3, 1847. ( Emphasis supplied.) Do you see the implication of this statement? The whole plan of salvation has been formulated to bring mankind back into perfect agreement with God on every point where sin has caused a break in our relationship with Him. The work of Christ is not finished until He has perfected His bride!

“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing of 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.” Eph. 5:25-27.

When the Bible speaks about holiness, it means agreement with God (5 T 743), oneness of thought, conscious connection, unity and harmony. This is not possible on our own, or by trying to reach this goal while imbibing in worldly attractions and concepts. Our carnal natures are fed and kept alive when we live like the world, enjoy its pleasures, listen to its maxims, and follow its fashions. It takes complete surrender of everything that will keep us attracted to this world in order to buy the pearl of great price.

For thousands of years Jesus has looked forward to the final product of His sacrifice. The reconciliation of God with man was finished at the cross. But the reconciliation of man with God is still in process, for it takes our acceptance and cooperation to make the connection complete. This concept is more clearly explained in Hebrews 10:11-18:

“Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God. Since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool, because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.

“The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First he says: ‘This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds.’ Then he adds: ‘Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.’ And where these have been forgiven, there is no longer any sacrifice for sin.” (Emphases supplied.)

By the agony of separation from His Father that Jesus successfully endured on the cross without breaking His faith in His Father’s love, Jesus bridged the gulf between God and man that sin had made. The door of heaven was opened to everyone who would accept the conditions for salvation, which is a personal love relationship with Jesus that allows Him to correct the errors in thinking that sin has caused. This is a continuing process as we walk with our Lord every day, and allow Him to reveal the areas in our lives in which we are not in agreement with His character. As long as we maintain this relationship with Jesus, we are accounted as perfect because we are united with Him in mind and heart, learning daily from His word and following the guidance of His Spirit impressing truth upon our hearts. Thus it has been through every era of history. As long as a person walked with Jesus until they fell asleep in Him, they were accounted as righteous because they were connected with Him and in harmony with Him in everything they knew to be His will.

But the Bible tells us that there will be a final generation who will be a finished product of the plan of salvation. As we have seen in previous articles, the progressive eradication of sin is marked out in the three stages of the earthly sanctuary, which was a visual prophecy of Jesus work until the end of time. The first stage was the court, which dealt mainly with behavioral obedience, and ended at the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. After His resurrection He took up His duties in the first apartment of the heavenly sanctuary, sending His representative, the Holy Spirit, to work out His righteous principles in the hearts and minds of all who chose to have a faith relationship with Him.

Finally, in 1844, the time came for Jesus to enter the Most Holy Place to cleanse the books of record in harmony with His cleansing the lives of His people on earth. Those who will follow Him all the way to complete holiness and agreement with Him on all levels will receive the seal of God and the latter rain to prepare them to go through the time of trouble and live to see Jesus come. The goal of Jesus’ ministry in the second apartment is to produce a cleansed remnant who will have such an intimate walk with Him that all disagreement will be completely washed away, and their lives will perfectly represent the character of Christ. He is looking for a people whose sole passion is to know Jesus and to live every moment of their lives to please, honor, and glorify Him. These will walk with Him in white, for they are worthy (Rev. 3:4). They are a fit bride for Jesus, for they have come into total oneness of mind and heart with Him.

When Jesus has finished the work of perfectly blending the hearts of His people with His own, His work of preparing His bride is finished; they are filled by the Holy Spirit, and protected under the wings of the holy angels. As Jesus steps out of the Most Holy Place, the Holy Spirit is withdrawn from the earth, and there is no more protection for those who have refused His provisions for their salvation. There is no more light shining from the heavenly sanctuary, no more sweet Spirit wooing the hearts of men and women to repentance. Instead there are the sounds of war and bloodshed and the cries of the hopelessly lost as the plagues fall around the earth. This is a fearful time of waiting for God’s people, for darkness is upon the earth and gross darkness upon the people (Isa. 60:2). But they, like Jesus on the cross, remember the character of their beloved Savior. They recall His promises and their walk with Him through the latter rain and the sealing. They deeply feel their weakness, but cannot recall any sins, because these have gone beforehand to judgment and have been blotted out. Like Jesus, they must drink the cup and pass the test of feeling separated from their Lord, yet trusting implicitly in His love and His promises. At last the fearful test is passed, and they hear the voice of their Beloved Lord revealing to them the day and hour of His coming. The long dark night for them is over, and the eternal morning of bliss is about to begin! (See EW 282-288.)

In the meantime, the whole creation groans (Rom. 8:22), waiting for the bride of Christ to wash her robes and make them white in the blood of the Lamb! Rev. 7:14. This is the work of Jesus in the second apartment which produces the 144,000, who have no lies in their mouths, and are blameless (Rev. 14:5). They are the firstfruits of Jesus’ entire ministry, from the moment He covenanted with His Father to rescue the fallen race until the finished product is completely restored.

You and I can be among that number if we are willing to give up everything that would keep us from walking with Jesus as Enoch did. The time is now, the choice is ours to be among those who will sit with Jesus on His throne (Rev. 3:21), and be by His side forever wherever He goes in the universe (Rev. 14:4). How blessed we are to be “ invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” Rev. 19:9.