Ruben Zimmermann, «Nuptial Imagery in the Revelation of John», Vol. 84 (2003) 153-183
In this article is argued that the nuptial imagery of the Book of Revelation is not limited to chapters 19 and 21 but rather runs throughout the book. While the imagery is certainly most pronounced in the final part of the book, it also appears in the letters to the churches (bridal wreath in Rev 2,10; 3,11), in the scene depicting the 144,000 as virgins (Rev 14,4-5), and is encountered again in Rev 18,23 (silencing of the voice of bridegroom and bride) and Rev 22,17 (summons of the bride) at the end of the book. Thus the wedding metaphors can be seen as one of the structural patterns of Revelation as a whole directly in contrast to the metaphors of fornication.
lamb show clear differences. Certainly Luke 14,15 appears to be an introductory verse in the parable of the great supper, in which the motif of the "invitation to the supper" then shifts in the narrative into the center (cf. Luke 14,24: keklhme/noi/dei=pnon). While in Luke this image is not yet associated with the wedding symbolism, the version of the parable in Mt 22,1-14 shows the exact combination of eschatological banquet and eschatological wedding. Thus, Mt and Rev demonstrate here the knowledge of a common tradition whose source may lie in a Q-tradition of eschatological supper.
2. Metaphoric interaction
The central statement of the metaphoric section Rev 19,6-9 is: "The wedding of the Lamb has come". Out of the twenty-nine titular references to a)rni/on in Rev, twenty-eight of the terms refer to Jesus Christ. The wedding that is extolled in Rev 19,6-9 and to which guests are invited is therefore the wedding of Christ. Jesus is the bridegroom!
A connection between Lamb and sovereignty, as is completed here in Rev 19,6f., exists already in Rev 17,14 as here the Lamb is called "Lord of all lords and King of all kings". The same term is then taken up again in Rev 19,16 and again clearly refers to Christ, as indicated by the name "Word of God" (Rev 19,13), the image of the sword coming out of the mouth (19,15; cp. 2,12) and above all by the quotation from Ps 2,9 (LXX), interpreted in a messianic sense, referring to the ruler with the iron rod (Ps 2,9; Rev 19,15). The bridegroom whose wedding is extolled here is simultaneously the king whose reign is beginning. In this way, important characteristics of the Christology of Rev can be distinguished. The label of sovereignty ku/rioj o( qeo_j o( pantokra/twr (Rev 19,6c), which certainly goes back to Isa 6,2, is clearly assigned to God within the framework of the throne visions in Rev 4,8 and 11,17. In Rev 15,3 it occurs within the song of the Lamb (w|)dh_ tou= a)rni/ou). However, precisely these passages make it clear that despite God’s preeminence, demonstrated through the ovation, a monopoly of power has not been declared. Sovereignty is shared within the divine-celestial sphere. God does not sit alone upon the throne, but rather a "co-regency" of the twenty-four elders is described. The same motif is taken up again as a structure of sovereignty in celestial Jerusalem, so that the entire vision of the celestial city ends with the promise of the reign of the king of servants (Rev 22,5). The sovereignty of God and Lamb also become closely related here, to the point of identity, for the throne of God is