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Chapter 33 - Wedding Feast
Matt. 22:2
2 The kingdom [basileia] of heaven [ouranos] is like [homoioo] unto a certain [anthropos] king [basileus] , which [hostis] made [poieo] a marriage [gamos] for his [autos] son [huios] , KJV-Interlinear
2 'The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king, who gave a wedding feast for his son. NASB
Before we proceed, we need to first observe that the bride is not identified in this parable. This is not a parable comparing the Old Testament generations to the New Testament generations. But in fact the parable deals with the Old Testament generations prior to the Cross as compared to the Last generation (which is still future) of the Age of Israel. That last generation will occur in the Tribulation. See the Dispensations chart on the web site index page.
Since the Church Age is in fact the 'Bride' itself, then we (the Church Age) are excluded from this parable in that only guests are referred to and not the Bride.
So now we need to lay some ground work in order to gain some understanding of the attitude of the two sets of guests identified within the parable.
Here is a parable which is likened to the Kingdom of Heaven. We all have some understanding that Heaven is infinitely better than our planet earth. Heaven is not within the created universe. God was in His heaven when the universe was created.
Recall the order of creation - First, God has always existed, then second, He created the angels in all their number, instantaneously and simultaneously. Third, the universe was created as the angels looked on. At this point there was total happiness within the angelic realm.
But then something happened. Lucifer, the numero uno angel, became arrogant and rebelled. He wrecked havoc in the universe and sent it reeling. The earth was destroyed along with all its original life (dinosaurs, etc.). Then the earth was restored in that six day period described in Genesis, and now here we all are.
The Bible refers to three heavens. The first heaven is our planet earth, land and air. The second heaven is the sun, moon, and stars, or our universe as much as we know about it. The third heaven is Gods heaven, where Gods Throne Room and Palace reside. He is outside of our universe. We do not have to understand it. That is just the way it is. The universe is huge. The further we see into it, the more we discover that it continues even further. No one knows where the edge of the universe is, and we will never discover it, because we cannot see outside of our human realm and into a spiritual heaven based on anything mankind can accomplish. Remember that heaven is beyond our ability to discover or even get to. We have out limits.
The King in this parable is God the Father. He is a very wise King, a very patient King, and a very generous King. In this parable He is the King of this Kingdom of Heaven - that realm which far exceeds in every way our planet earth.
The King has a Son. It is through this Son and because of this Son, that invitations announcing a great feast, are even sent. The King does not send out invitations for no reason. The King does not send out invitations for a party in His own honor. But the party is for the benefit of honoring the Son, the heir, and for His wedding. There is only one other event which would be greater than the marriage feast for the Crown Prince, and that would be for His coronation. The wedding and the coronation are the two greatest events in the history of any kingdom, and especially for the kingdom which will continue forever - the Kingdom of Heaven.
To receive an invitation to this event would be considered the honor of a lifetime. In fact the greatest honor. Further, the invitation would not come to you via common party house card stock and in the general mail, but the invitations would be engraved, outlined with pure gold, embroidered with diamonds and emeralds, personalized with your very own name, and hand delivered to you personally by one of the Kings most trusted messengers. The invitation would be the single most valuable item that you could ever possess.
The wedding feast is not your common everyday wedding feast that we are familiar with for 'common' people. Most weddings occur and then are over on the same day. In some cultures the wedding celebration continues for a few days. But in heaven, the wedding feast is an introduction to a celebration that will continue forever. So this is a quite unique invitation.
The date of the feast is not set. Only the invitations have been delivered. They must be acknowledged and formally accepted. To receive an invitation is not an acceptance, nor does it get you through the front door. You need to RSVP in the manner prescribed, so that the Host will know for whom and for how many guests He is to expect and for which He is to prepare.
Furthermore, the King upon receiving acceptances of the invitations, will issue the proper custom made clothing to each guest, of which the guest will wear and therefore be able to attend in the proper attire, attire acceptable to the King. If the guest attempts to attend and is not dressed properly, that is, the guest attempts to rewrite the Kings instructions, then that guest will be evicted from the feast permanently. There is only one wedding. There will not be a second wedding to which those missing the first wedding might look to. If a person misses the first and only wedding, they will miss out on the eternal celebration permanently.
The Host, the King, is in the process of making preparations. At the proper time, He will announce the date of the feast. Until then, all those who have been invited, must wait the announcement of the commencement of the feast. This preparation is human history, and more specifically the Old Testament history, and even more specifically the dispensation of the Age of Israel, wherein God and His chosen Son were rejected.
We'll resume this parable in verse three tomorrow. But by now you should have a pretty good picture of the surrounding events of the feast and the extreme importance of the feast. The feast is life in heaven by the way, and the invitation is Gods invitation (the gospel regarding salvation) sent to each and every individual on earth. The acceptance is the individuals acceptance (salvation or faith in the Son) and recognition of the Son, the Son's work, and the Sons future. And the Son is of course Jesus Christ.
Remember that the Bride is never identified in this parable, because it is the Son, the Groom, the Crown Prince, who is of far more importance than anything or anyone else. It is the King (God the Father) who is doing all of this on behalf of the Son. His only Son, the one Whom He has and always will Love.
End of Lesson
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