“And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, ‘Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns! Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.’ And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. Then He said to me, ‘Write. Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’ And he said to me, ‘These are the true sayings of God.’”

Revelation 19:6-9

In my ministry, I have had the joy of officiating a number of weddings.

In 2018 alone, I have already been a part of three weddings, and we’re just halfway through the year!

Weddings are certainly a blissful occasion. A man and a woman declaring their love for one another through vows, ring exchanges, and other creative ways; the beautiful flowers and music that are often associated with the ceremony; the guests that have come to support the newly married couple; and the much-anticipated arrival of the bride are all components of the ceremony that make it such a wonderful event.

As the minister of the ceremony, I have a unique view that no one else in attendance has in the ceremony. I actually have the best seat in the house!

I am able to see a close-up view of the groom before the bride enters the room. I am able to see his reaction as his beautiful bride walks down the aisle.

I am able to stand right beside them throughout the entire ceremony. I get to feel their emotions as I can see their hands shaking, palms sweating, tears flowing — all of it — throughout the service!

Believe me, I’m most likely the most nervous one up there. Officiating a wedding ceremony is more nerve-wracking than pitching in the World Series in the bottom of the ninth inning. There are no do-overs, so I have to get it right!

I would say that my favorite element of the service is the marriage reception at the end, for obvious reasons. There’s plenty of food to eat, music, dancing, fellowship, memories to be made, and, the best part — the cake!

It’s one of the purest forms of celebration and happiness that you could ever share with two people, and it all began with a single announcement or invitation that you received that proclaimed that the bride and groom were going to get married.

What if I told you that all believers in Jesus Christ will one day have yet another marriage celebration? That may or may not excite you depending on your experiences with marriage, but let me explain.

Scripture tells us that when we put our trust in God’s son, Jesus Christ, we enter into a spiritual covenant likened to a marriage relationship in its purest, holiest, and deepest form (see Ephesians 5:25-32; Isaiah 54:5; Revelation 19:6-9). You and I are the bride being prepared for our glorious and heavenly marriage celebration with our groom, the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Bible paints a beautiful picture of the marriage supper (the celebration) that we will have with the Lamb of God (Jesus Christ) in heaven to enjoy. What a celebration that will be! We will forever be in heaven with our husband, Jesus, who betrothed himself to us when he gave his life for us on the cross long ago (see 1 Corinthians 6:20; Isaiah 44:22).

He will come again to receive us (see Matthew 25:1-13) so that we can be a part of this much-anticipated celebration (see Revelation 19:6-9) for all of eternity.

That’s what heaven is going to be all about! Heaven is going to be way more than what we see…although I am looking forward to seeing and being in a place where there is no more illness, natural catastrophes, evil and sin.

Heaven is going to be about who we are with: our savior, king, the worthy and holy lamb of God, our groom, Jesus Christ!

I am getting married! So are you if you know Jesus as savior!

The wedding invitations have been sent, and the ceremony is just about to begin. Will you be there? I pray that you will be! If we get excited about our marriages here on earth to our spouse (and we should!), should we not be even more excited about the marriage that is to come with the one who saved our souls for eternity?

That’s why the Bible tells us to fix our sights and minds on the realities of heaven (see Colossians 3:1-2). We’re all going to spend eternity somewhere. Will you spend yours with Jesus?

I pray that if you have not placed your faith in Jesus Christ, you will do that today. I know that he wants for you to be a part of the wedding celebration to come.

His proposal is still before you…what will be your response?