And in that battle, notice those who are ultimately to be with Him. First, they are “called.” They have heard the Gospel; they have heard the teaching of the Word of God. This Word has entered their hearts; they have received it; they have understood it; they have believed it; they have obeyed it; and then they began that work of God that has to do with living the Christian life, even in the midst of difficulties and conflicts.

They are “chosen.” God has indicated in His Word the kind of people who will be in the church. They are those who conform to the Will of God as revealed by His Son. God knew what the church would be like from the time that the plan was made for the church to be established. He knew that. AND He designated well in advance. It would be revealed by His Son; it would be revealed on the basis of the life, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus; it would be guided by the inspired apostles; it would be believed and obeyed by men and women who would hear that Gospel. That is the choice of what God would have to be His people. They are “chosen.”

AND, they…are...“faithful.” They have been loyal. O, yes, they’ve been tempted. They may on occasion have fallen far, far short of what God wanted them to be. But in their hearts, they recognize the wrong; they turn from it; they confess that sin unto God; and in an honest, genuine petition to God, ask for the forgiveness, and through Christ, their sins were forgiven. And so, those who are in this great conflict that will ultimately issue in the victory of the Lamb over the beast, those who are with Him are “called,” and “chosen,” and “faithful.”

In Revelation 19, verses 6 through 8: “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. 7 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. 8 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.”

This has to do with the ultimate bringing of the church to Jesus Christ. Notice “the marriage of the Lamb is come.” “Give honor to God.” He has brought this about! He has planned and purposed this, and now the moment of eternal completion of His Will has arrived.

And then the bride. She “hath made herself ready.” Have you ever thought of the significance of that in your life? When your daughter gets married, if she hasn’t already, there will be the last ounce of preparation. Nothing is to be overlooked. Whatever the amount of money involved, every effort will be made for her to be as completely prepared as possible.

This is the same with the church. God is preparing us. He is making us, as the church, ready for this marriage feast. Notice the “fine linen…the righteousness of the saints.”

Think about a young woman who is making her wedding dress. She cuts this pattern here, a pattern there, and then she begins to stitch it together, and every stitch is one of love. She is making the gown in which she will be married to the one person that she loves with all of her heart.

Now, the church—how is it making that wedding garment? It is doing it by the righteousness that is present in this world, and that’s where we are. That’s what the church is to be about.

And then again, in verse 9, “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” Revelation 19, verse 9. No question about that. God has said it, and there’s no doubt of that.

And then, in Revelation 21, and verse 9, “And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew [show] thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife.”

And then, the writer continues the thought in verse 22, “And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. 23 And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. 24 And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it. 25 And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there. 26 And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it. 27 And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life” Revelation 21:22-27.

Now, think with me, in closing, about some application of that. In the first place, think about the awe and the wonder and the beauty of it. You think about this great thought, that the closest possible relationship that can be known in this world is that linking Jesus Christ to the church. And on that basis, men and women have lived faithful lives. Some have suffered, and some in the world today are still suffering for their faith. But, there is this awesome thought that when all of life’s problems, and heartaches, and burdens have ended, there is a glorious and wonderful moment when the saints of God will finally come home. I know of nothing…nothing that is more majestic and awesome than to think of that. In Christ, this plan has its origin and possibility. In the church, it has its locale in time. In heaven, it has its ultimate meeting of the Christ, the Redeemer Whose death made it possible, the Father Who planned it, and the Spirit Who revealed it.