The New Testament has two words for “blessed,” one meaning to speak well of
(e.g., Ephesians 1:3) and the other meaning to be happy
(e.g., Matthew 5:3–11; Revelation 14:13). In the present passage the term used means “be happy.” This is delightfully ironic. The great prostitute had sought to entice people to instant happiness through her adultery, that is, having stuff of the earth makes you happy. But she fails, dismally (Revelation 17:16), and God judges her. Yet happiness can be found; that is, God declares happy those who are invited to the Lamb’s wedding. For it is his divine smile that alone can ultimately make happy (Numbers 6:22–26). The point is so instructive: only the God who exiled humanity from Paradise (Genesis 3:24) is able to restore us to happiness. Every human effort to construct a utopia is doomed to failure because such human effort does not take seriously the God who cast us into a world of thorns and thistles.
9 And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.”