The Consummation of the Ages

The last act of the current creation was the creation of institution of marriage. God did this after He took the woman out of the man. And what we see is God turned what was good and not good and turned it into something very good. It wasn’t until the woman and marriage was created that things became very good. God said so Himself. And in this last of of the old creation, we see the final act of the new creation — the consummation of the ages — the marriage of the Lamb. That final act is so great that Jesus has been preparing for it for nearly 2000 years. And the instruction given to us is simple: “His bride has made herself ready.” Rev. 19:7, Berean Standard Bible. And that’s what I’d like to talk about in this post.

Interestingly, when looking at the Genesis story, we can glean things from what isn’t said. For example, God said that every day of creation was good with one exception — the second day when He created Heaven. That’s the first instance where we see that something happened as He created Heaven. Today, we know what happened — rebellion by one third of the angels under Satan’s leadership. Then, after we see a problem existed at the beginning of creation in Heaven, there a second problem — “It is not good for the man to be alone.” Gen. 2:18, NLT. God’s solution: “I will make a helper who is just right for him.” Gen. 2:18. Within the first two chapters of Genesis, we move from good to not good to very good. And we see God’s final act of creation: the woman and the institution of marriage.

As the first creation ended with the creation of a woman and marriage, so also the new creation in Christ ends with the bride and marriage of the bride to the Lamb. For nearly 2000 years, Christ has been preparing for bride. The bride is comprised of every saint. We are “the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.” Rev. 21:2, NIV. Further, the new Jerusalem coming down from God’s throne settles into “a new heaven and a new earth”. Rev. 21:1, NLT. [T]he first heaven and the first earth had passed away”. Rev. 21:1, NIV. Here, we can see nothing from the first creation will remain. The only ones who will be in this new heaven and new earth are new creations in Christ. The first creation is superseded and supplanted by the new creation in Christ.

And the new creation in Christ becomes Christ’s bride “for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready”. Rev. 19:7, ESV. Then, Jesus (with His bride) makes war against the remnants of the first creation that are not part of and want no part in the new creation. Yet, that will not stop the consummation of the ages. No, the new creation reality in Christ cannot be stopped, for it’s already predetermined by what Christ did at the cross for every new creation. We were “created anew in Christ Jesus”. Eph. 2:10, NLT. The new creation is proceeding forward as planned. And following the pattern of the first creation, it shall be consummated by the marriage of the Lamb to the bride.

What is God waiting for? There is a responsibility set before us, as revealed in scripture, “the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready”. Rev. 19:7, ESV. We think we are waiting on God to begin the return of His Son. But, in reality, God’s waiting on the Bride to make herself ready. If that’s the case, what can we do to hasten the return of Christ? Rather than obsessing over eschatology viewpoints, we should be doing what is required to hasten the coming of God’s Son. The one thing we can do, according to scripture, is make ourselves ready. How can we do that? In Ephesians 5:26, we learn that the Church is cleansed and every spot, blemish, and wrinkle in the life of the believer is removed “with the washing of water by the word”. God is waiting for His Church, Christ’s bride to be washed by the word.

The Word of God revealed in scripture, through His voice, and by His Son cleanses the Church from each and every blemish, blot, and stain. That’s how we can hasten the return of Christ — the bride can, should, and must make herself ready. The responsibility of hastening the return of Christ is squarely within the prerogative of the Church. Jesus is returning for a whole bride not a dysfunctional and disjointed bride. And it will happen. When is still being determined. By whom? By us. The responsibility of preparing for the coming of the bridegroom is on the bride. When the bride has made herself ready, the bridegroom will come. In other words, He’s waiting on us. For what? The consummation of the ages where He and His bride become One in Him.

What Adam and mankind has experienced in the flesh since the beginning of the first creation, we shall experience in the Spirit — a oneness and unity with Christ that is beyond human words. That’s our future. The Church will experience something that’s so amazing it can only be revealed and through the new creation reality. When that consummation happens, everything will be subdued that’s against and contrary to the new creation reality in Christ. “The heavens receded like a scroll being rolled up”. Rev. 6:14, NIV. The first creation will be no more and the new creation is the only thing that shall remain. And the Church, the Bride, shall forever be joined unto Christ, married to Him. The consummation of the ages, the final act of the end of this age.

To this, “The Spirit and the Bride say, 'Come;' and whoever hears, let him say, 'Come;' and let those who are thirsty come. Whoever will, let him take the Water of Life, without payment.” Rev. 22:17, Weymouth New Testament. Everyone is invited to the marriage. You are invited to the marriage. The Bride is getting married to the ultimate bridegroom, Christ Jesus. Everyone who will can be part of this great ceremony, the marriage of the Lamb, the great I AM, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to the Church truimphant, the victorious Bride, the finest of clay converted to choice of Christ. What an awesome display of God’s great love and grace and mercy. Hallelujah!

Let us pray!

— Scott Wallis