Revelation 5:5-7 - The Lamb Had Been Slain

“But one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals.”  And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth.  Then He came and took the scroll out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne.” In this chapter, we see four compelling reasons why we worship Jesus Christ. First, we should worship Jesus because Who He is (vv. 5-7). Next, we should worship Him because where He is (v. 6). Then we should worship Jesus because what He does (vv. 8-10). And finally, we should worship the Lord Jesus Christ because of what He has (vv. 11-14). Three unique titles are given to our Lord to describe who He is. First, He is the Lion of the tribe of Judah. Jesus is also the Root of David. But when John turned to see a Lion, instead he saw a Lamb standing as though it had been slain. Jesus Christ is called "the Lamb" at least twenty-eight times in the Book of Revelation (the Greek word used means "a little pet lamb") and the emphasis is not hard to miss. God's wrath is "the wrath of the Lamb" (Rev. 6:16). Cleansing is by "the blood of the Lamb" (Rev. 7:14). The church is "the bride of the Lamb" (Rev. 19:7; 21:9). The theme of "the Lamb" is an important one throughout Scripture, for it presents the person and work of Jesus Christ, the Redeemer. The first mention of a lamb in the Bible is in Genesis 22:7-8, where Abraham is told to take his son Isaac to a mountain that God would show him and sacrifice him. On the way there Isaac asked a question, “We have wood and fire, but where is the lamb?” Abraham answered, “God will provide Himself a lamb for the sacrifice.” The next mention of a lamb is in Exodus 12:3-5, where the people of Israel were instructed to take a lamb without spot or blemish for the first Passover sacrifice. They would kill the lamb and take its blood and sprinkle it on the two door post and the lintel of each house, and the death angel would “Passover” that house and the first-born would not die. The word “slain” literally means, “cut in the throat for a sacrifice”. John the Baptist answered Isaac’s question in John 1:29 when he saw Jesus coming to be baptized and he proclaimed, “Behold the Lamb of God, which takes away the sin of the world".  God Himself becomes flesh, the Lord Jesus Christ, the perfect sacrifice without spot and blemish who alone could atone for our sins! The description of the Lamb in Revelation 5:6, “a Lamb as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth”, if produced literally by an artist, would provide a grotesque picture; but when understood symbolically, conveys spiritual truth. Since seven is the number of perfection, we have here perfect power (seven horns), perfect wisdom (seven eyes), and perfect presence (seven Spirits in all the earth). The theologians would call these qualities omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence; and all three are attributes of God. The Lamb is God the Son, Christ Jesus! Jesus is the Redeemer! He paid the price for our sins with His perfect sacrifice, was buried and rose again the third day! He is alive and He is standing in the midst of the throne, and in the midst of the worship of all heaven! Everyone in heaven falls before Him and proclaims, “Worthy is the Lamb Who was slain, to receive power and riches and wisdom, And strength and honor and glory and blessing!" (v. 12) Will you be there? God bless!