Revelation - Lamb of God

Last week we looked at Part I of Revelation (chapters 1-4) as we seek to make it more about persevering in tough times, and less about figuring out mysterious symbols to predict the future. This week we look at Part 2, which involves chapters 5-18, as the apostle John looks at the tribulation. Again, I’m including thoughts by Mark Moore from his book Quest 52, along with my own thoughts. “One of the elders said to me, ‘Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.’ And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth” (Rev. 5:5-6). Revelation 5 starts out in heaven. God is seated on the throne with a scroll in his right hand. It reveals the judgments on the earth. John wants to know what is written there, but no one has the authority to open the scroll, no one in heaven, no one on earth – except, there is an exception – one who does have the authority, who has conquered, earning him the right to reveal what is in the scroll. The One. The Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Messiah! John waits anxiously to see the Lion of Judah appear, but instead, what appears is a lamb, standing as though it had been slain. What? And this is no ordinary lamb, he has seven eyes and seven horns. As Mark Moore says, “To us this may look like a mutant from Chernobyl.” But these are biblical codes. Moore goes on, “Seven is the number three (a number representing God) plus four (a number representing humanity),” and together that makes seven. And seven also represents fullness, or completeness. The work of God among humans is complete in the world through Jesus. The seven eyes mean God sees all that is going on in the world. He knows our human experience and feels it fully through Jesus. Seven horns represent God’s complete power to protect us in this messed up world. The Lamb of God. This lamb has been slain. He has suffered, like you and I have. He knows the pain of rejection, of betrayal. He has been subjected to beating, to abandonment. When we have such pain and we go to the Lord in prayer, there is no magic wand waved to remove the pain, but Jesus can say, “I know, I understand, I see the hurt, I feel your pain, and I have the answer.” His sacrifice on the cross for our sin cuts at the root of all problems on planet earth. Those sins in some ways have caused all our problems. But it’s not just “our sins.” It is more personal than that. It is your sins, my sins. We have contributed to the world’s problems, and Jesus paid the price to free us from sin! As the book of Revelation moves into these extended chapters about the great tribulation and the spiritual battle that is going on, it’s not some future thing, it’s been going on since Jesus arose from the grave. Yes, there are many symbols we often don’t understand (the Jewish Christians at the time with a background in the Old Testament better understood). But we can understand the basic message. Sin and Satan (the dragon) are at war with us! But God, through Jesus, has and will overcome!! In the resurrection, this Lamb of God who was slain, he will become the Lion of Judah who will conquer. We may not know when Jesus is returning, but in this book, we can see him fighting on our behalf. The battle belongs to him, so put your faith in him, follow him. Keep your eyes on Jesus. The Lamb of God!

Cross Point: “Worthy is the lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!” And all who recognize this truth say “Amen,” and worship with the elders (Rev. 5:12-14).