This is always a significant month for my husband and I as we celebrate our wedding anniversary. We were married in a simple ceremony in his parent’s home and it was the holiday season of Thanksgiving, so it was all quite cozy and wonderful. Lots of feasting and celebrating!

Feasting has always been part of most weddings. It’s significant that Jesus graced us with His first miracle at a wedding in Cana of Galilee. How wonderful! In the Gospel of John, chapter 2, it says in verse 3 that they ran out of wine and the mother of our Lord comes to Jesus to ask what He might do to correct this situation. Abstaining from wine is quite alright if that’s your belief, [this Journal is not about this issue], but scripturally speaking, Jesus Himself drank wine as it was a Jewish custom. Nevertheless, as is the ways of the world, they are always critical of the things of God. This is exactly what is stated in Luke 7:33-35 (also in Matt. 11:18-19) which says, “For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, He has a demon!’ The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Behold, a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’  Yet wisdom is vindicated by all her children.” The world will always be critical of your relationship with Jesus.  Humans have a tendency to take a good thing and make it a bad thing. That’s why we need the Lord!

Going back to the dilemma of John 2, Jesus so wonderfully granted the request of His mother by changing 6 huge water pots (30 gallons each) into wine, and the headwaiter is astounded not only by the amount but of its superb quality saying to the bridegroom in verse 10, “you have kept the best for last!”

This is what is coming! The Marriage Supper of the Lamb of God will bring great feasting and rejoicing for all eternity when He returns to earth for a second time to take His bride away. How wonderful that will be! Revelation 3:20 says, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him and he with Me.” Oh, how amazingly wonderful can it be to dine with the Divine?! Open that door and walk into victory and glory beyond human expectations. We can have joy in the here and now, as well as in eternity. It’s time we dine with the Divine on a whole new level.

Troubles, Trials and Testings

I’m sure my husband would agree with me that throughout our many years together there have been some big trials and testings. Who doesn’t know these things? But at this point in our lives, we oftentimes look at each other with deeper love than we’ve ever known, and ponder the fact that we’re glad we ‘kept at it and working at it,’ persevering through our love of the Lord and our commitment to one another. Because quite frankly, there can be times when you just don’t feel it! In any trial, no matter what it is, there are times when one is tempted to just give up.   We’re so glad we didn’t give up the dream. We have a wonderful family and we all know so much love amongst us. It’s such a gift.  It is the same in the family of God. In the above quoted scripture of Revelation 3, the next verses of 21-22 says, “He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’” We do not overcome by our own efforts, because we’re not big enough, smart enough or strong enough, no matter what we do. It is only through the blood of the Lamb of God and the word of our testimony, as it says in Revelation 12:11. 

Your ‘testimony’ isn’t what you do or did, but what the Lord has done and is doing in you right now, today, and in this moment of time while you and I still are able to call it ‘today.’ No one can change you [or them], but only by way of submission and surrender to the Mighty Warrior King of glory moving in one’s life. Exodus 15: 3, declares, “The Lord is a warrior; the Lord is His Name.” 2 Chronicles 20 is a good testimony by Jehoshaphat. He is encouraged to not fear or be dismayed because the battle is not his, but God’s. I think sometimes we try to ‘take on too much’ by ourselves. It’s really not about us at all. It’s all about the King of glory! 

So, each one of us will always need to think about the trials of current situations. In life, there will always be some kind of battle in one way or the other. Jesus attests to this fact in John 16:33b when He says, “In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”  But as I’ve said through my cancer journey, ‘it’s how you go through it.’ My dear husband hears more of my issues and complaints, bless his heart. But what we each need to be aware of is that we aren’t exasperating those around us with our whining and complaining.  That’s sheer drudgery and no one wants to be a part of that. The better and higher way is to constantly be in fellowship with the Lord’s Presence and power to help us navigate through the dark nights and valleys of our soul. It’s not easy sometimes. But the ‘war’ does not belong to you. We have to remember that, otherwise we can break under the load.

The Number of the Beast – 666

Most certainly, the enemy of our souls can be unrelenting. But as children of God, we are called to be unrelenting in our commitment to Jesus, our wonderful Lord and Savior! We will stand our ground through His glorious Name.

Remember how He changed water into wine when He walked the earth? The wine is representative of feasting and rejoicing. When the earth comes to End Time battles that are unexpectedly cruel, our heavenly Bridegroom, Jesus, is about to return for His Bride. As those battles rage, one of the Four Living Creatures before the Throne of God gives this declaration by the power of God in Revelation 6:6, “… do not damage the oil and the wine.” The oil represents those who have come to the Lord by faith and have given their hearts to Him and not taken the mark of the beast. [See Ezekiel 9, Revelation, Chapters 14-20). The wine represents the blood/wine of our Lord, and denotes divine celebration.

In John 6 is the account of the Lord’s last earthy supper with His disciples, making the declaration that the cup/wine is His blood. [Wine was used according to Jewish custom.] I confess, I don’t understand it, but I believe it! But we’re not called to understand all the things God has said, because quite frankly, the human brain can’t fully embrace such astounding things. How He made the world out of nothing, I do not know. I just accept it by faith. And so it is with His words saying the cup of wine at the Last Supper was His blood, and the bread was His Body. It is what He said it is. He has Divine Power. By His own authority, He changed water to wine so He can certainly change wine into blood. If He says it’s His blood, it is. If the Bread becomes His body, as He says, then it is. People back then couldn’t understand it either, so many of His followers left Him according to this passage in John 6 when Verse 66 declares: “As a result of this many of His disciples withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore.” (Verse 60 states it as well) Sad words indeed. It’s not coincidental that it is John 6:60 and 66, and Rev. 6:6. Six represents the mark of the beast (Satan) which is 666. This is not ironic! This is all by divine design and should make us tremble!

Rejoice and Give Him Glory

The Old Testament prophet, Isaiah, prophesied of those glorious days of the Lord’s return in 25:6 declaring: “The Lord of hosts will prepare a lavish banquet for all peoples on this mountain; a banquet of aged wine, choice pieces with marrow, and refined, aged wine.” It doesn’t say grape juice. Jesus was a Jew. He drank wine as we saw earlier in the Gospels. Verse 8 of Isaiah is so comforting when it says, “He will swallow up death for all time, and the Lord God will wipe tears away from all faces, and He will remove the reproach of His people from all the earth.” What a hallelujah time that will be!

The Marriage Supper of the Lamb of God comes closer with each passing day. No one knows the day or hour of the Lord’s return to earth. However, we do have this truth to cling to from Revelation 19:7-9, “Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready. It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.  Then he said to me, ‘Write, ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.’ And he said to me, ‘These are true words of God.’” If you’ve given your heart to the Lord Jesus, you’ve got the invitation to the most glorious supper imaginable! 

So you and I can rest and feel secure as we lean upon God’s Word, His Divine Breath. The Lord declares again from the book of Revelation 21:2 and 4a - “And I saw the holy city, a new Jerusalem…” [one of the reasons to support Israel!]… “coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband… and he will wipe away every tear from their eyes... Verse 9b, “Come here, I will show you the bride of the wife of the Lamb.” Wow, what an experience that will be!

Just as the steward declared with the first miracle of Jesus at the wedding feast, we also shall chime in, “Lord, You’ve saved the best wine for last.” Saints, the best is yet to be! Let your faith arise to new heights of God’s glory!