HE IS WORTHY BECAUSE OF HIS SACRIFICE Revelation 5v6-7
"And I beheld, and lo in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts and in the midst of the elders, stood a lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes which are the seven spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. And He came and took the book out of the right hand of Him that sat upon the throne."
Our attention is now drawn to another title "THE LAMB." The accuracy of scripture in the use of words is amazing; the word used here for lamb is "arnion" which is a diminutive form and refers to a young lamb. This is the first reference to the lamb and throughout the book there will be another twenty eight such references using the same word. This word is different from the one used by John 1v29 "Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world." There the emphasis is on the effect of the sacrifice, but the word used throughout the Revelation emphasizes rather the suitability of the Lamb to become a sacrifice; this is altogether in line with the context of the book of Revelation, because the subject matter is of severe judgment and what is being underlined is His moral fitness to effect such judgment on the earth. The symbolism is incredible,; there could be no greater contrast between a lion and a lamb. If the lamb refers to His first advent, the lion refers to His second advent, because the world has not seen the last of Jesus Christ. If we consider the timidity of the lamb as against the ferocity of the lion, we get some idea when this is applied to the Person of Christ in the context of world judgment. If the lion represents regal splendor and authority the lamb suggests humility. Placing these two titles side by side brings before us the awesome issues surrounding the person of Jesus Christ. He is the lion, He is also the lamb. He died for the sin of the world, He lives to judge the world. The One who will bring unmitigated judgment on a godless world is the same One who died for its sins on the cross of Calvary. The young lamb takes us back to Exodus 12, where the Passover lamb was slain to spare the nation of Israel. The emphasis there was that " the lamb must be without blemish, a male of the first year." This refers to the suitability of the lamb for sacrifice. The context of Revelation is all about the suitability of Christ to judge the world. The One who will judge the world once died for the sin of the world. He was the perfect sacrifice, and He will be the Perfect Judge. There are a number of things to observe:
- The position of the Lamb. He was standing in the midst of the four living creatures and in the midst of the elders. These are the two representative groups closest to the throne; one of angels, the other of redeemed human beings. The use of language in the book is very important. At the end of chapter 6 the cry goes out from the earth "the great day of His wrath has come and who shall be able to stand?" No-one can stand before the throne while it is in judgment mode. But the Lamb stood, thus testifying to the acceptability of all that He was and all that He had done. He stood at the very centre of the throne room!
- The condition of the Lamb. It was as though He had been freshly slain(newly slain) . The perfect participle indicates the abiding value of the work of the cross. His efficacy for sin is good for now and always. Some think He will bear the scars of Calvary forever, but this is hard to believe. What is true, is the eternal abiding value of the sacrifice of the Lamb of Calvary. Heaven will constantly revel in the wonder of what happened there. For those who believe in a bloodless sacrifice, they should take note that the whole of scripture demands that the sacrifice be slain and the blood be shed. This is because our sin in the sight of God demanded our death, and if we are to live another must die in our place. There is nothing clearer in the whole of the bible.
- The sovereign power of the Lamb. "Having seven horns." The horns in scripture always speak of imperial power. A reference to the following scriptures will suffice. 1st Samuel 2v1 :Jeremiah 48v25 : Lamentations 2v3 : Daniel 7v21 : Deuteronomy 33v17 : also many references in the book of Daniel to the horns. No-one would associate a lamb with power, but this Lamb possesses universal power. The repetition of the Lamb throughout the book of Revelation hereon brings before the reader the constant memory of His love for the world, while He wields the sword of imperial power for God. The number seven speaks of completeness, perfection; as in seven days a week. The Lamb on the throne possesses unlimited universal power. In short, He is Omnipotent
- The all seeing vision of the Lamb. "Having seven eyes which are the seven spirits of God sent forth into all the earth". In case anyone is wondering whether in His exalted position of power He might miss someone or something, we are brought face to face with the omniscience of Jesus Christ and so His judgment will be comprehensive and perfect; nothing will be missed. The perfection of the vision of Almighty God is now invested in the Lamb and no one will escape. There are some Old Testament pointers to this fact; "for the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward Him. (2nd Chronicles 16v9). Again in (Proverbs 15v3) "the eyes of the Lord are in every place beholding the evil and the good." Again in (Zechariah 4v10) "They are the eyes of the Lord which run to and fro throughout the whole earth." Compare this with (Revelation 5v6) "The seven eyes which are the seven spirits of God sent forth into all the earth."
The whole context is of the Lamb of Calvary invested with the judgment of the earth with supreme power and perfect knowledge of all things concerning all people. It has to be said before finishing such an article that the dread judgments which will surely fall on this world can be avoided if we embrace the Lamb of Calvary right now and avail ourselves of His sacrifice. Otherwise we will face His wrath.
No comments:
Post a Comment