When God Says It's Time . . . It's Time!

Scripture: Revelation 19:7

Let us rejoice and be glad and give glory to Him for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready.

The grace of God upon our lives is preparing us for a great and glorious day for us to be joined together with the Lamb of God as His Bride (the church). Years of preparation have taken place; not just days, or weeks, or months of preparation; but years, to make us ready to be received by Him.

The lessons that each of us learn during our life prepare us for all that God has for us. Everything that we go through on this earth is a lesson that will build our character into who God wants us to be. Every conversation that we have shows us, if we're ready or not; to move to the next level in God. Every desire of our heart, reveals to us if our relationship with the One in whom we say we love is true.

How we spend our time, lets us know if we are focusing on the temporal, rather than on our eternal purpose, of being joined together with Christ. From the time that we rise in the morning, unto the time that we lay down to rest in the night, we are in preparation stage for that great and glorious day.

Just imagine how glorious the Marriage of the Lamb will be, with all of the preparations of God. God is so good that He took His time to make sure the Bride was completely ready for the Bridegroom. He revealed the Bride to the Bridegroom before she was ready, but He did not join Her to the Bridegroom until she was completely prepared.

Reflection:
The grace of God does not rush anything; and everything is in His timing. He knows exactly when we are ready to move into the next level in our lives; that He has purposed for us. There is no need for us to rush into anything, because He is in control of our destinies. Rushing into something before we are prepared will be detrimental to God's plan for our life. When God says it's time, It's time; and we must be ready, willing, and obedient to move at the sound of His voice.

Blue Letter Bible Commentary:  (Smith, 2005)

"THE MARRIAGE FEAST."

I. THE IDEAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN GOD AND MAN HAS OFTEN BEEN LIKENED UNTO A MARRIAGE.

A. In the Old Testament, God's relationship to Israel as a husband to a wife.

1. When God said, "Her desire shall be to her husband." He was also expressing His wish for Israel.

a. David considered a man after God's heart not because He was after God's love.

1. "As the deer panteth after the waterbrooks, so panteth my soul..."

2. "There is none upon earth I desire but Thee."

2. When Israel turned to worship other gods, God looked upon it as adultery.

a. He grieved as a husband betrayed.

b. He sought to woo her back.

B. The husband-wife figure taken up in New Testament to show the relation of Christ to His church.

1. Paul speaks of his desire to present the church to Corinth as a chaste virgin to Christ. Espoused to one husband.

a. The church as a bride waiting for the wedding day.

1. Beautiful picture from Old Testament when "Eliezer" (My God is help) "paracletus" is sent by Abraham to get a bride for Isaac.

a. Eliezer tells of vast wealth of Abraham all given to the son.

b. He gave gifts unto Rebekah as a foreshadowing of the wealth.

b. In Ephesian letter as Paul speaks of husband-wife relationships, he then declares, "I speak concerning Christ and His Church."

1. So the church as the bride of Christ espoused to Him awaits the wedding.

II. THE MARRIAGE OF THE LAMB IS COME!

A. "Let us be glad and rejoice."

1. Present us to the Father as His bride, with exceeding joy.

2. Oh, the joy of that day when we stand together with Him.

B. "Let us give honor to Him."

III. BEHOLD THE BRIDE.

A. Filled with joy and excitement.

B. Behold her beautiful white gown.

1. It is of fine linen.

2. The priests were to wear robes of linen. Why?

a. Wool would cause them to perspire, and perspiration speaks of works.

b. Salvation is God's work, not ours.

c. God wants inspiration.

3. "The fine linen is the righteousness of the saints."

a. "And be found in Him, not having my own righteousness which is of the law..."

IV. TWO THINGS SAID TO JOHN.

A. "Blessed" happy are they who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb.

B. These are the true sayings of God.
 
Strong's Concordance Definitions:

Let us rejoice: 5463
1) to rejoice, be glad
2) to rejoice exceedingly
3) to be well, thrive
4) in salutations, hail!
5) at the beginning of letters: to give one greeting, salute

and be glad: 521
1) to exult, rejoice exceedingly, be exceeding glad
 
and give: 1325
1) to give
2) to give something to someone
a) of one's own accord to give one something, to his advantage

1) to bestow a gift
b) to grant, give to one asking, let have
c) to supply, furnish, necessary things
d) to give over, deliver

1) to reach out, extend, present
2) of a writing
3) to give over to one's care, intrust, commit
a) something to be administered
b) to give or commit to some one something to be religiously observed
e) to give what is due or obligatory, to pay: wages or reward
f) to furnish, endue

3) to give
a) to cause, profuse, give forth from one's self

1) to give, hand out lots
b) to appoint to an office
c) to cause to come forth, i.e. as the sea, death and Hell are said to give up the dead who have been engulfed or received by them
c) to give one to someone as his own
1) as an object of his saving care
2) to give one to someone, to follow him as a leader and master
3) to give one to someone to care for his interests
4) to give one to someone to whom he already belonged, to return
4) to grant or permit one
a) to commission

glory: 1391
1) opinion, judgment, view
2) opinion, estimate, whether good or bad concerning someone
a) in the NT always a good opinion concerning one, resulting in praise, honour, and glory
3) splendour, brightness
a) of the moon, sun, stars
b) magnificence, excellence, preeminence, dignity, grace
c) majesty
1) a thing belonging to God
a) the kingly majesty which belongs to him as supreme ruler, majesty in the sense of the absolute perfection of the deity
2) a thing belonging to Christ
a) the kingly majesty of the Messiah
b) the absolutely perfect inward or personal excellency of Christ; the majesty
3) of the angels
a) as apparent in their exterior brightness
4) a most glorious condition, most exalted state
a) of that condition with God the Father in heaven to which Christ was raised after he had achieved his work on earth
b) the glorious condition of blessedness into which is appointed and promised that true Christians shall enter after their Saviour's return from heaven

to Him, for the marriage: 1062
1) a wedding or marriage festival, a wedding banquet, a wedding feast

2) marriage, matrimony

of the Lamb: 721
1) a little lamb, a lamb

has come: 2064
1) to come
a) of persons

1) to come from one place to another, and used both of persons arriving and of those returning
2) to appear, make one's appearance, come before the public
2) metaph.
a) to come into being, arise, come forth, show itself, find place or influence
b) be established, become known, to come (fall) into or unto
3) to go, to follow one

and His bride: 1135
1) a woman of any age, whether a virgin, or married, or a widow
2) a wife
a) of a betrothed woman

has made Herself ready: 2090
1) to make ready, prepare
a) to make the necessary preparations, get everything ready
2) metaph.
a) drawn from the oriental custom of sending on before kings on their journeys persons to level the roads and make them passable
b) to prepare the minds of men to give the Messiah a fit reception and secure his blessings

References:
Blue Letter Bible. "Revelation of Jesus Christ 19 - (NASB - New American Standard Bible)." Blue Letter Bible. 1996-2009. 31 Dec 2009.  http://www.blueletterbible.org/Bible.cfm?b=Rev&c=19&t=NASB

Higgins, S. (2009). When God Says It's Time . . . It's Time! Devotions for Thought. Http://www.devotionsforthought.blogspot.com, http://www.higginspublishing.com

Smith, Chuck. "Revelation 19:7-9." The Word for Today. Blue Letter Bible. 1 May 2005. 2009. 31 Dec 2009. http://www.blueletterbible.org/commentaries/comm_view.cfm?
AuthorID=1&contentID=5249&commInfo=26&topic=Revelation&
ar=Rev_19_7