Revelation
The Lamb of God: On His Throne and Among His People
A Lamb as if it had Been Slain
Revelation 5:1-14

• Before reading Revelation 5, take time to worship Jesus with 1-2 sentence prayers. Since all persons of the Trinity are identified separately, yet as One, praise God for his being. Praise him, who is worthy to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing. Then, read Revelation 5.

• Why is justice so important to human beings? How would you share the truths we have learned in Revelation 4-5 with an unbeliever?

• Read Romans 8:26-27. How should this knowledge affect your prayer life? Are your prayers in the golden bowls that the 24 elders hold in their hands?

• Sing Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus to close.

Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Look full in his wonderful face
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim 
In the light of his glory and grace.

Extra Notes

God’s Right Hand Works Salvation for His People

Exodus 15:6 Your right hand, O Lord, glorious in power,

    your right hand, O Lord, shatters the enemy.

Exodus 15:12 You stretched out your right hand;

    the earth swallowed them.

The Scroll

See Ezekiel 2:9-3:3 for a scroll like the scroll in Revelation 5:1

Could the scroll of Revelation be the book that was sealed in Daniel 12? Maybe, maybe not. See also Daniel 7:10, 13-14

Daniel 12:1 “At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book. 2 And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. 3 And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever. 4 But you, Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book, until the time of the end. Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.”

Jesus!

Genesis 49:8 “Judah, your brothers shall praise you;

    your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies;

    your father's sons shall bow down before you.

9 Judah is a lion's cub;

    from the prey, my son, you have gone up.

He stooped down; he crouched as a lion

    and as a lioness; who dares rouse him?

Isaiah 11:1 There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,

    and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.

2 And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him,

    the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,

    the Spirit of counsel and might,

    the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.

10 In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples—of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious.

Of the at least 20 names for Jesus in Revelation, Lamb is used far more than any other name.

Revelation 22:16 “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.”

John 1:29 The next day he (John the Baptist) saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

The Significance of Jesus’ Blood Sacrifice in Verses 6, 9-11

See Hebrews 10:1 For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near. 2 Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sins? 3 But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. 4 For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

5 Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said,

“Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired,

    but a body have you prepared for me;

6 in burnt offerings and sin offerings

    you have taken no pleasure.

7 Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come to do your will, O God,

    as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.’”

8 When he said above, “You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings” (these are offered according to the law), 9 then he added, “Behold, I have come to do your will.” He does away with the first in order to establish the second. 10 And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

The Trinity – Notes from the Sermon

Revelation 5:6 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.

There is a bit to unpack, here. The ESV says that John saw a Lamb standing between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders. This seems as though Jesus was somewhere between the creatures and the throne. Several translations, some of which you are holding, say that the Lamb was standing in the midst of, or in the center of, the throne. He was also among the elders. The Greek is not clear enough to distinguish whether Jesus was in the throne or beside the throne. No matter because when we get to Revelation 22:3, we will see that the throne of God and of the Lamb are one and the same. One God, one Lamb, and one throne. Revelation 5:6 and 22:3 are two places from which the title of this series is drawn: The Lamb of God: On His Throne and Among His People.

The lamb, of course, was the symbol of the OT sacrificial system. Lambs were sacrificed to cover the sins of God’s people. But as the author of Hebrews stated in Hebrews 10:4, it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to ever take away sins. It is as if the author of Hebrews were saying, “And we always knew that.” But when Jesus died sacrificially, he did away with sins – and the sacrificial system – once and for all.

The condition of the Lamb in the throne room must have startled John, as if he were not already startled enough. The Lamb appeared as if it had been slain. John had no doubt that this was Jesus, the sacrificial Lamb. John was the only one of the disciples that had witnessed Jesus’ crucifixion, at which the Apostle must have been filled with sorrow and despair. Now, seeing the wounded Lamb, John is, no doubt, suddenly filled with great hope and joy as he understands the symbolism of the Lamb being in the midst of the throne. The Lamb had seven horns, signifying Jesus’ power over all rulers on earth. He also had seven eyes, which signified the seven spirits of God sent out through all the world. We have encountered the seven spirits already in Revelation 1 and Revelation 4, and we understand them to represent the Holy Spirit.

So, think of what is being seen by John. Whether the Lamb of God is in the center of the throne or not, he is in territory that only a divine being can inhabit. But he is mortal, as well, for he has been slain – and yet, he is standing, so he has conquered death! The Holy Spirit is represented by the seven eyes that are on the Lamb. It is the Holy Spirit that has been sent out by Jesus to the far corners of the globe to complete the work he began – kingdom work, that is. What a beautiful picture of the Trinity, and what a beautiful picture of the two natures of Jesus! The Trinity is three persons – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – with one nature. Jesus is one person with two natures – both divine and human. Marvelous mystery! Next Sunday morning we will be having testimonies and that would be a good time for a few of you to explain the Trinity!

The Prayers of the Saints – and the Holy Spirit’s Role

Romans 8:26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 27 And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

Earthly perspective – Matthew 5:44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?

Heavenly perspective when we have been made perfect - Revelation 6:9 When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne. 10 They cried out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?”

The Centrality of the Cross in the “New Song” that the 24 Elders Sing

Revelation 5:9 And they sang a new song, saying,

“Worthy are you to take the scroll

    and to open its seals,

for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God

    from every tribe and language and people and nation,

10 and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God,

    and they shall reign on the earth.”

Luke 9:23 And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. 25 For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself? 26 For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.

The New Song

D.A. Carson: What is the substance of this new song? Think, for just a moment, “What if Christ had not died?” I recognize that couldn't be in the big picture, but in a sense, that is what this chapter is inviting us to do. If Christ had not died, then all of God's purposes in redemption would have failed. There would not be one redeemed person. There would be none to obey from the heart, for there would have been none to pay the price of sin. There would be no forgiveness. There would be no Spirit given to transform to regenerate and renew. There would be no church. There would be only condemnation, only wrath.