The Banquet

A banquet is a place for feasting and drinking and having a great time.  It is a time of rejoicing with friends and family and neighbors, maybe people you haven’t seen for a while, just a fun time to get together and fellowship.  There may be music and dancing and singing.  I think most people would be glad to attend a banquet like I just described, but there is one that I hope no one misses out on and that is the wedding feast of the Lamb.

This is a feast that you don’t want to miss; it will have the very best of everything, but most important of all there will be God the Father, Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit and we will be surrounded by the angels and all the saints that went before us who overcame by their testimony and the blood of the Lamb.

Jesus told a parable of a wedding feast in Matthew 22:1-14, “And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son, and sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come. Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage. But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise: and the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them. But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy. Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage. So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests. And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment: and he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness, there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. For many are called, but few are chosen.”

Two invitations were given, one inviting the guests, the other that everything was ready.  But instead of those who were invited coming to the feast, they made up excuses why they couldn’t come and some of them went so far as to mistreat His servants and even killed some of them.  At the time it was a custom to provide the guest with a wedding garment and no one that was invited to wear one would refuse; that would not happen.  As the story goes on Jesus tells of a man without a wedding garment on, which would represent the garment of righteousness that every true believer wears.  The sad thing is this man doesn’t have one and is thrown out into outer darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.  

From what I understand the following is where the weeping and gnashing of teeth and throwing out into outer darkness come from, if I remember this right.  Back in Bible times there were walls around almost every large city and the people would dump their trash over the wall and late at night lions would come there to eat the scraps that they could find.  At the time, when a person was tried for a crime and the authorities could not figure out whether the man was guilty or not, they would put a rope around his chest and put him down over the wall where the garbage was and leave him there all night.  When it was late at night there were lions that would come out of the woods to eat the scraps and sometimes they would maul the man as well, so when they heard and saw the lions coming they would be so scared they would gnash their teeth, grinding them down, and weep.  When they were brought up in the morning, if they were still alive they were found not guilty but the problem was that most of them were insane, if not insane, they were on the verge of insanity.  I got this information from a devotional by Rick Renner called ‘Sparkling Gems’ and as far as I know he still pastors in Russia.  I would recommend this devotional to everyone that is interested in learning the truth of God’s Word.

The saddest part of this story Jesus told, was when Jesus said, “many are called but few are chosen.”  So if you feel the conviction of the Holy Spirit today respond but repenting and turning away from your sins and don’t put it off.   Read 2 Corinthians 7:10, “For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.”

Now read the story of the marriage supper of the Lamb. In Revelations 19:6-9, “And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. 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. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.”

There is only one way you will be in this wedding feast and that is to be born-again and to be covered by the righteousness of Christ; that is the garment you will have to be wearing to get into that feast.   There are people that believe that they will get into Heaven through different avenues, or paths, but Jesus said this, “I am the way, the truth and the life, no man cometh unto the Father but by me,” in John 14:6.  So there is no other way, Jesus said it and I believe it!!  

If you want to be at the Wedding Feast of the Lamb, you will have to repent of your sins, which is a conscience decision to turn away from your sins and to be covered with the righteousness of Christ and covered by His blood that He shed for all that would put their trust in Him.  I have given you something to think about and I hope you will not take this lightly.  May the good Lord bless you and yours and may you all have a nice day.  PS don’t forget to thank and praise the Lord for He is worthy!!  I hope this has been a blessing to everyone!!