Glorious Royal Marriage Awaits Christians
Millions around the world have been eagerly anticipating the royal wedding of Prince William to Britain’s future Queen Catherine. Christians are even more eagerly anticipating the ultimate marriage ceremony to come!
Friday April the 29th marks the joyous royal wedding between Prince William and Catherine Middleton in London. Joy and celebration have greeted numerous royal weddings in the 64 years since the present Queen (then Princess Elizabeth) was married to Philip Mountbatten.
Weddings are usually times for rejoicing, but marriages (even royal ones) can easily end in sadness and recriminations. While the marriage of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, has stood the test of time, sadly others starting out with high hopes have ended in divorce—including that of three of the Queen's own children and her sister.
The marriage covenant: not so sacred anymore?
Perhaps this is a reflection of the deteriorating state of matrimony in the West as a whole. Initial pomp and ceremony cannot counter failing human relationships. So both William and Kate thought long and hard before agreeing to marry. Wrote Allison Pearson in The Daily Telegraph, "What everyone knows, but no one is saying out loud, is that this is one royal marriage that simply has to work" ("The Royal Wedding Souvenir Special, April 26, 2011).
Ms. Pearson quoted Jenny Bond, veteran BBC court correspondent as saying: "They took so long in getting engaged because they are aware they can't ever get a divorce... It never crossed their minds that they would able to split up, so that the question was not, 'will we be married for ever,' but 'will we be happy?' They spent a long time dwelling on that." Truly if worst were to come to worst, the British monarchy itself would be seriously threatened. But we all hope and pray that the future King William V and his wife Queen Catherine will have a long-enduring, very happy marriage.
For all the media-voiced antipathy from some quarters against traditional matrimonial standards, stable family units based on durable marriage ties remain the bedrock of a strong and healthy society. This greatest of human relationships, instituted by God Himself at creation (Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:4-6), is intended to reflect the love, joy and commitment to be experienced for all eternity between Christ and the Church (see Ephesians 5:32). The Bible clearly shows that a glorious royal marriage between Jesus Christ and His Bride awaits true Christians.
A more glorious royal wedding: Christ and His Bride
In the book of Revelation this spiritual marriage union is described in terms of a "marriage supper" (Revelation 19:7). Similar terminology is used in Matthew 25:1-13, where Christ likens Himself to the bridegroom and explains that only those spiritually prepared will go into the marriage banquet (compare Matthew 9:15). The apostle Paul ideally pictures the Church as being a chaste virgin betrothed to Christ (2 Corinthians 11:2).
This spiritual imagery began in the Old Testament Scriptures. In Isaiah 54:5, the prophet writes to the Israelites: "For your Maker is Your Husband." Yet when ancient Israel consistently went astray after other gods, committing spiritual adultery, God metaphorically divorced the nation (Isaiah 50:1).
Christ and the Church: an eternal marriage
But in the royal marriage of Jesus Christ, there will be no repetition of the disappointment God experienced in His relationship with ancient Israel. This future marriage between Christ and the Church will be on a spiritual plane. Only spirit-plane beings converted from mortal humans to immortality at the return of Christ will participate (see 1 Corinthians 15:49-54; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).
While we are sure everyone will wish the future King and Queen of Great Britain every happiness in their marriage, such joyous events can also help remind Christians of a much greater event ahead in the spiritual realm. If you would like to know how you can become much more than just a nominal Christian, request in print or download our free booklet Transforming Your Life: The Process of Conversion.
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John Ross Schroeder
John died on March 8, 2014, in Oxford, England, four days after suffering cardiac arrest while returning home from a press event in London. John was 77 and still going strong.
Some of John's work for The Good News appeared under his byline, but much didn't. He wrote more than a thousand articles over the years, but also wrote the Questions and Answers section of the magazine, compiled our Letters From Our Readers, and wrote many of the items in the Current Events and Trends section. He also contributed greatly to a number of our study guides and Bible Study Course lessons. His writing has touched the lives of literally millions of people over the years.
John traveled widely over the years as an accredited journalist, especially in Europe. His knowledge of European and Middle East history added a great deal to his articles on history and Bible prophecy.
In his later years he also pastored congregations in Northern Ireland and East Sussex, and that experience added another dimension to his writing. He and his wife Jan were an effective team in our British Isles office near their home.
John was a humble servant who dedicated his life to sharing the gospel—the good news—of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God to all the world, and his work was known to readers in nearly every country of the world.
Barbara Fenney
Barbara and her husband David serve church members in the British Isles.
