In summing up our destiny we can say that God will bring us into his presence (II Cor 4:14) and give us a vision of Jesus that will make us like Jesus (I John 3:2). Theologians refer to this vision as the beatific vision.
But is that the end of our destiny?
Scripture teaches that there is something more: spiritual marriage. In other words, the marriage supper of the Lamb represents God’s highest goal for humans. In the New Creation we will live every moment in this marriage. This marriage will produce the eternal community of love with God and His followers.
The supremacy of spiritual marriage is seen in the book of Revelation. In Revelation 19:7-8 the great multitude declares “…the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure.” The marriage comes after the purification. This purification is essentially equivalent to the Christformation mentioned so often in the New Testament.
Thus, after Christformation (purification) we experience spiritual marriage. We also see this principle in Ephesians 5:22-23 where Jesus cleanses the Bride so he can present her to himself. The beatific vision and Christformation are not ends in themselves, rather they are preparation for spiritual marriage.
God is a God of relationship and community; love is his glory. God wants to be united with us in love; this is the highest good for which we were created. This is implied in the Great Commandment. If the highest ethic is to love God then it makes sense to say that God’s highest goal for humans is to be united with him in love. He does not stop at giving us the vision of his Son, nor at transforming us into his Son’s image. He projects them into a marriage.
This marriage with God is the deepest longing of our hearts and it is the complete satisfaction of our being. All our seeking of Him and all our ministry should lead to this destination. We aim our entire life towards this wonderful consummation.
Next week we take a longer look at consummation.
