Banquet

Have you ever been invited to a wedding?  If you have you know it is supposed to be a time of celebration, a happy time when family and friends get together to share in the festivities with dancing and singing and where congratulations are in order, there is also good food in abundance and a variety of beverages available, along with gifts and cards.  There are other feasts that you can be invited to and I was at one last night. Yesterday was our 35^th Wedding Anniversary and we, and some of our family, went out to dinner, we had a great time and the food was great also and so was the service we received there at the Olive Garden Restaurant.

There are many feast and banquets you can attend, but they all pale in comparison to the Wedding Feast of the Lamb.  That feast will be so superior to any other banquet or feast that it will put all the others to shame.  Try to imagine being at a banquet with God the Father, Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit, our teacher and Comforter, along with all the angels and all the splendor of Heaven, plus all the saints of God and the feast being laid out before you.  Now think of the music and the songs and the angelic host that will be singing and praising the Host, the God of Heaven.

This reminds me of the song, “I Can Only Imagine,” because right now all we can do is try to imagine but there is no way we can fathom such a sight.  This is the sad part of this scenario; many that have been called will not be there because they have chosen not to be.  

Jesus told a parable about the Wedding Feast in Matthew 22:1-10 speaking about what the kingdom of heaven is like, saying this, “Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son. And he sent out his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding feast, and they were unwilling to come. Again he sent out other slaves saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited, ‘Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and my fattened livestock are all butchered and everything is ready; come to the wedding feast.’  But they paid no attention and went their way, one to his own farm, another to his business, and the rest seized his slaves and mistreated them and killed them. But the king was enraged, and he sent his armies and destroyed those murderers and set their city on fire. Then he said to his slaves, ‘The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. Go therefore to the main highways, and as many as you find there, invite to the wedding feast.’ Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered together all they found, both evil and good; and the wedding hall was filled with dinner guests.”

In Jesus’ day, as well as in our day, many were and are still being called.  But just like in Jesus’ days on earth, many heard the message but they hardened their hearts and wouldn’t listen and that same thing is happening today.  Many treat the Lord’s call like a joke and reject it, bringing condemnation on themselves.  Some make up excuses for not accepting the invitation, thinking they can put it off and accept it at another time, but they may never have another time so they are playing a dangerous game.

For the people that think they can get in some way other than having a personal invitation, they are going to be very sad when they find themselves rejected and disgraced.  Only through being born-again can you get a wedding garment, which is symbolic of being covered by the righteousness of Christ.  Read what it says in Matthew 22:11-13, “But when the king came in to look over the dinner guests, he saw a man there who was not dressed in wedding clothes, and he said to him, ‘ Friend, how did you come in here without wedding clothes?’ And the man was speechless. Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’”

It is going to be the worst day of their lives for anyone who rejects the invitation, for there will be no more chances, they have sealed their fate. They will be thrown out into outer darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.  Read verse 14, “For many are called, but few are chosen.”

If you are reading this and you know someone that may benefit from this ‘Tidbit’ please share it with them and tell them in your own words how they can receive the invitation, also share your testimony with them.  This is something to think about, have a great day and may God bless you and yours!!