Revelation 5:6
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.
In the midst of the throne with the living creatures and the elders stands a Lamb as slain, who takes the book from the right hand of Him who sits on the throne. He has seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent into all the earth, with the horns showing perfect power and exaltation, and He is the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. As the Lion of the tribe of Judah He alone has prevailed to open the book and loose its seven seals, which no other in heaven or earth could open, and all heaven worships Him as worthy because He was slain and redeemed a people by His blood. He forever bears the marks of His crucifixion in hands and feet and side, and as Advocate and Intercessor He continually offers His shed blood for sinners, giving the righteousness He purchased to everyone who believes. Sinners convicted by the law must be pointed to Him as the one who takes away sin, and by repentance and faith receive pardon and shelter from wrath.
Lamb in Heaven's Throne
In the midst of the throne and of the four beasts or living creatures and in the midst of the elders stands a Lamb as slain, and He comes and takes the book out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne. The scene opens heaven to show Him standing there among the throne, the living creatures, and the elders, bearing the marks of having been slain. His taking the book is followed by worship with a new song as worthy to open its seals because He redeemed by His blood people out of every kindred and tongue and nation.
He has seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. The horns signify power, exaltation, or prominence. He is the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
As the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, He alone has prevailed to open the book and to loose its seven seals. No man in heaven nor in earth nor under the earth, and no angelic intelligence, was able to open the book or even to look thereon. The sealed roll had long been closed to the Jewish nation because they would not obey the Word, rejecting the truth revealed in Christ because His life did not harmonize with their practice, turning away in spiritual blindness unable to look truth and righteousness squarely in the face without becoming ashamed.
The book in the right hand is the roll of the history of God's providences, the prophetic history of nations and the church. It contains the divine utterances, His authority, His commandments, His laws, the whole symbolic counsel of the Eternal, and the history of all ruling powers in the nations, with in symbolic language the influence of every nation, tongue, and people from the beginning of earth's history to its close. It is written within and without, complete with no blanks and space for no more writing.
As the book is unrolled all who look upon it are filled with awe. Then the four beasts and four and twenty elders and ten thousand times ten thousand angels and every creature in heaven and earth and under the earth and in the sea worship Him as worthy to take the book and open its seals because He was slain and redeemed people to God by His blood out of every kindred and tongue and people and nation and made them kings and priests to reign on the earth. They ascribe to Him power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing forever and ever. Slain and living again, He is honored in heaven as King, escorted by the heavenly host with songs of victory, majesty, and might.
The ensign of the Messiah's kingdom is a lamb, opposite in character to the fierce beasts that represent the powers of the earth. While earthly kingdoms rule by the ascendancy of physical power, Christ banishes every carnal weapon and every instrument of coercion. His kingdom was established to uplift and ennoble fallen humanity. In Him self-sacrificing love is joined with omnipotent power. The chapter belongs with Ezekiel 9 and Ezekiel 2:1-10 and the flying roll of Zechariah, showing that the Lord's eye is upon every transaction and His judgment will come upon those who do wrong, with the wrongdoer's name written unless he repents.
Sacrifice Still Interceding
The Lamb in heaven still bears forever the marks of His earthly humiliation, death and crucifixion in His hands, feet and side, seen as mangled and bleeding, and His continuing presence as the slain Lamb gives hope and gratitude. The redeemed host and the pure angelic throng honor and worship Him as the One who was slain, standing in the midst of the throne among them. In vision He is tied to the temple's pillar as a Lamb mangled and bleeding, suffering on behalf of those who come before Him, confess their sins and receive pardon, then waiting in glad expectation.
Those wounds forever witness to the price paid for human redemption, testifying that He suffered to reconcile humanity to God and God to humanity and paid the ransom so penitent believing sinners may live. In the light of the cross God's character is seen as mercy, tenderness and forgiveness joined with equity and justice, and through the merits of His Son the Father receives penitent believing sinners and offers them life. Slain and living again, He is honored in heaven as King escorted with songs of victory, majesty and might, with the marks of His crucifixion remaining.
As the sin-atoning Saviour He came down from heaven, bore human infirmities, and endured sacrifice and death to give immortal and eternal life. Despised and rejected, He suffered Satan's wrath and human cruelty, and so sympathizes tenderly with His people in the world, with power to deliver them in glory corresponding to the depth of His humiliation and sacrifice. His atoning blood makes eternal life possible, and His offering is accepted by the Father before He receives heavenly honor and worship.
He is pictured pouring out His blood on behalf of sinners, in the act of pouring it out for them. His blood pleads for sinners, and its merits are accepted by God to cleanse people from sin. The atonement is full and costly and unchanged in power by time or events, remaining fully effective through every age.
As the Lamb slain, He is the sacrifice for the sins of the world, and as the enthroned Saviour now exercising His saving work He pleads for the church and gives the covenant blessings His death purchased, including His righteousness, to everyone who believes. His sacrificial death is the basis of justification through faith and of His continuing intercession in heaven, directing people to trust His merits and receive His righteousness. That righteousness received by trust is made manifest in obedience to God's commandments.
He stands as Advocate, Intercessor, Mediator, officiating High Priest in the Father's presence, and minister of the true tabernacle. He continually stands at the altar offering His shed blood moment by moment for every offense and shortcoming because sin is constantly committed, while the daily and yearly typical atonements have ended with no virtue. He pleads before the Father for the church on earth as Christ crucified, risen, arisen, living and coming again, with risen glorified humanity and undiminished love as the loving Saviour at God's right hand. His continuing presence as the slain Lamb still bearing the marks of crucifixion gives hope and gratitude, so that those who sin need not mourn all their lives.
He stands in the midst of the throne of God between man and the eternal throne as man's Advocate, the great ordinance and appointed meeting place by which God and man are united and commune together. In every act of true devotion faith fixes upon Him there, where He waits to meet every human effort and by His Spirit assists to a more perfect knowledge of God, so that men are counted as sitting in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. Unity with Him there comes only through His cross reconciling man to God and God to man and bringing man nigh to God, with no connection with the Father, no unity with the Lamb on the throne, no welcome for the wandering one returning to the forsaken path of righteousness and truth, and no hope for the transgressor in the day of judgment without it. He is the center in heaven, the source of hope, grace, power and divine strength for believers.
Looking to the Lamb
When God's law reveals sin, sinners are to be pointed to the slain Lamb pouring out His blood for them as the One who takes away the sin of the world. They find Him through repentance toward God and faith in Jesus, and that ministry accords with His work as Mediator and officiating High Priest in the Father's presence in the heavenly sanctuary. By faith grasping the meaning of that sacrifice, a person sees himself a sinner condemned by a broken law, which is repentance, and coming with humble heart and confession finds pardon. Those who come before the mangled and bleeding Lamb, confess their sins and receive pardon, then wait in glad expectation. Confessed sins are covered under the rainbow promise around the throne, with their lives made one with Christ and Christ one with God.
He continually stands at the altar moment by moment offering His shed blood for every offense and shortcoming, because sin is constantly committed, while the daily and yearly typical atonements have ended with no virtue. As risen Intercessor with glorified humanity and undiminished love at God's right hand, He pleads before the Father for the church on earth. Humble, contrite believers who seek refuge in Him are united with Christ and sheltered safe from God's wrath. Those who sin therefore need not mourn all their lives, for His continuing presence as the slain Lamb still bearing the crucifixion marks in His hands gives hope and gratitude as Advocate. Seeing Him by faith calls for solemnity rather than trifling or frivolous talk.
Fixing the eyes upon Him as Christ crucified, arisen, living Saviour and coming again, Intercessor and Advocate who suffered on Calvary to make atonement, exposes the unbelief, indifference and hardness of heart that blinds people from discerning Him as the Way, the Truth and the Life. He is the power and wisdom of God for saving sinners, breaking sin-cursed hearts and winning them to love. The light reflected from His cross makes the plan of salvation so simple that children may understand it and so powerful that only those controlled by Satan resist it. The Son of God came down from heaven, bore human infirmities and endured sacrifice and death as the sin-atoning Saviour to give immortal life, and He will forever bear the marks of His earthly humiliation and death even while honored and worshiped by the redeemed host and pure angelic throng.
Because of that sacrifice believers can rejoice in every condition of life and triumph under all circumstances, and the more fully the infinite sacrifice is appreciated the more closely they come into harmony with heaven. Turning the face to the face of Christ gives cultivated, elevated communion with God and a steady experience free from erroneous imaginings. God through Christ supplies the holy oil and rich anointing that makes labor in the gospel useful, with the life of God in the soul maintained by indwelling principles derived from heaven. This provision is given alike to all who turn to Christ, sustaining a life of self-sacrifice and self-denial in close, earnest labor in difficult places. To the obedient and faithful the Lamb bearing the marks of being slain, in whom self-sacrificing love is joined with omnipotent power, is deliverer and refuge in trial.
The same power that brings terror to those who reject grace brings light, mercy and deliverance to those who keep His commandments. To those who reject His grace He is terrible as the Lion of Judah, while to the obedient and faithful He is the Lamb of God. So complete is His transforming work that former boasting like a lion is changed to meekness like a lamb.