"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…. And I beheld, and I heard the voice of
many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders:and the
number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands,
saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power,
and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing. And
every creature that is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and
such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and
honor, and glory, and power, be unto Him who sits upon the throne, and unto the
Lamb for ever and ever" (Rev. 5:6-14).
In the midst of the heavenly scene
stood a Lamb as slain. The wound prints that the disciples beheld in His
resurrected body (John 20:20,25,27) are now seen by John in His glorified body.
The memories of Calvary are treasured in heaven. John the Baptist first points
out Jesus on earth as the "Lamb of God" (John 1:29-36); John the
apostle now beholds Him in that same character on high. But how different the
position! There, He was wounded and slain (Isa. 53); here, the
center of heaven’s strength and glory, yet bearing in His person the marks and
scars of the cross.
In the previous chapter Jehovah in
the greatness and eternity of His Being, as also in His relation to all
creation as its Lord, Sustainer, and Creator, evokes the profound worship of
the living ones and elders. No angels are mentioned as taking part in the
worship. But here we have as the center of heaven’s worship the slain Lamb,
and accordingly all creation is stirred to its depths. There are additional
features of heart interest, added grounds and reasons of worship, not
found when Jehovah, as such, is in view. The slain Lamb brings before us the
holy Sufferer of earth given up to insult and wrong, rejected and crucified,
uttering no word of reproach, nor exercising power on His own behalf save the
passive might to suffer. Now all is blessedly changed. The Lamb once stood in
the midst of the ribald band (Matt. 27:27-31), silent, meek, unresisting, alone
in holiness, in calm dignity, enduring to the utmost the mean and cruel
contempt of the ferocious men around Him. These men rained their blows on His
defenseless head, bowed before Him the mocking knee, covered Him with their
disgusting spittle, crowned and pierced Him with the prickly thorn, thrust a
reed into His bound hands, stripped Him, and with blow and taunt indulged their
vile and depraved nature. Silent and patient in His agony He stood in the
midst. Now the selfsame Lamb bearing in His Person the marks of His suffering
is here seen as the object of heaven’s worship. No voice is, nor can be, silent
when the slain Lamb appears.
"Thou art worthy to take the
book, and to open the seals thereof (verse 9). It is remarkable how the
introduction of the Lamb shuts out all else. In that character which presents
Him as slain He absorbs the attention of heaven. Where is the Lion of the tribe
of Judah? The Lion gives place to the Lamb. Under the former title, which is
one of might and power, He will defend the cause of His oppressed people of Israel, and in His career of victory He does not rest till the triumph of that people is
secured. But that title of assertive power is meantime in abeyance, and
the Lamb is all the glory in heaven and earth. Of course the power of the Lion
and grace of the Lamb center in Jesus. Here the Lamb is personally addressed in
song. His worthiness to disclose and to execute the counsels of God are
celebrated. Next, the ground of the Lamb’s worthiness to carry out the purposes
of God into full and glorious result is stated.
"For Thou wast slain, and
hast redeemed us to God by Thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and
people, and nation." As the Lion of the tribe of Judah He acts in power,
but as the Lamb He was slain. Here the accomplishment of God’s counsels of
grace and glory is traced to the cross as the basis. Without the cross, Christ
would have entered into spheres of glory alone; without it there could
have been no redemption for sinners. The cross is the grandest counsel of
eternity and the grandest fact of time. It is the immovable basis on which
rests the blessing of Israel and creation, as also the glory of the Church and
of saints in the heavens.
"And I beheld, and I heard
the voice of many angels round about the throne." The introduction of
angels into the heavenly scene and the place that they occupy is of profound
interest. They announced the birth of Jesus and praise God in words of
never-dying fame (Luke 2:8-14); an angel ministered to Him in the gloomy garden
as the dark shadow of the cross and agony rested on His spirit (Luke 22:43);
two angels witnessed to His resurrection (John 20:12,13); and two also
testified of His ascension (Acts 1:10,11). The whole system of Christianity is
a matter of inquiry and interest to the heavenly hosts (1 Pet. 1:12). They
delight to serve the heirs of salvation now (Heb. 1:14), even as it will be
their joy to serve them in glory (Rev. 21:12).
In the center stands the slain
Lamb, around the throne the living ones and the redeemed, while the outer
circle is formed of angels whose numbers are beyond human computation (see Dan.
7:10). In the response of the angelic hosts to the song of the redeemed they say,
whereas the elders sing. There is more than a verbal difference in this,
for while angels know the Lamb they cannot say, "He was slain for
us." We know Him in a deeper, fuller, more personal way than do angels. He
died for us, not for them; hence the difference, we sing, they say.
Angels are never said to sing. Observe, too, that the elders in their song
directly address the Lamb, whereas the angels, in keeping with their place and
service, adopt a more distant form of address. The former sing to Him,
the latter speak of Him. The full burst of praise from the angelic hosts
is grand. The symphony is not marred by one discordant note.
They ascribe to Him the perfect
number (seven) of attributes. "Power" is first named because the
circumstances call for its immediate exercise. Power in its widest and most
comprehensive character is ascribed to Him. "Riches," the wealth of
the universe, physical and moral, is His due. "Wisdom" as seen in all
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(Continued from page 72)
the ways and works of God next follows in the list.
"Strength" is the quality that enables one to execute what the will
determines to be done. "Honor" implies that every mark of public
distinction is worthy to be conferred on the Lamb. "Glory" refers to
public and moral display, of which the Lamb is deemed alone worthy.
"Blessing," every form and character of blessedness or happiness, is
here ascribed to the Lamb.
But the full tide of praise is not
yet exhausted. It rolls on, gathering force and volume, till the whole universe
is embraced. "Every creature that is in heaven, and on the earth, and
under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them"
takes in the vast universe of God in all its parts. Jehovah on His throne and
the Lamb are the objects of universal adoration. The fourfold ascription of praise—"blessing,
and honor, and glory, and power"—marks the universality of this
spontaneous burst of worship. The praise is never ceasing—"for ever and
ever."
(From Exposition of the
Revelation of Jesus Christ.)