Worthy is the Lamb that was Slain
Revelation 5:11-14
Who is this Jesus who rose from the dead on Easter Sunday morning? The answer to this question means everything. Some see the resurrection as being a spiritual event. For some, this is something short of a literal resurrection. These might say that Jesus lives in our hearts in the way we have fond memories of those who meant so much in our lives. As long as we can remember grandma, her memories live in us, therefore grandma is alive in us. As long as people read biographies, the person lives in our mind. In this view, death comes when the book is relegated to the ash bin of history. Other people might believe that the re is a literal spirit of Jesus. But the Scriptures confess that Jesus rose bodily from the dead. It was a spiritual body as Paul asserts in 1 Corinthians 15:36-49, but it is still a body. Jesus invited His apostles to touch His body. He was no ghost. He broke real bread and ate real fish with them. As the firstfruits from the dead who arose on the Jewish holiday of firstfruits, His resurrection becomes a prototype of our bodily resurrection. Without a bodily resurrection, Christianity is meaningless. If it is only an object of mental stimulation or emotional catharsis, it isn’t real. That kind of faith leads to death. when the theologians get bored, or when the emotionally involved find another love, Christ dies again, hoping to be raised in someone’s else’s heart.
“Christ has died. Christ has risen. Christ will come again.” This is part of our confession that we make in communion. This hope is based upon the reality of these events. They produce a living faith within us. It makes us immovable and always abounding on the work of the Lord. Why? —because we know our faith in the Lord is not in vain.
Who is this Jesus who rose from the dead on Easter Sunday morning? Some of those who confess that Jesus rose bodily from the dead say that Jesus was only a glorified man or perhaps a lesser God. People like Arius or groups like the Jehovah’s Witnesses hold to this. But is this all? What does Scripture say about the risen Lord? Just as the Scriptures teach the bodily resurrection of Jesus from the dead, they also teach the full divinity of Jesus, the Son of God. We confess one God in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, who are equally God. Matthew 28:16-20 is perhaps the most explicit statement of this equality of the three persons. But the Book of Revelation is crystal clear is asserting the full divinity of Jesus Christ. He calls Himself the Alpha and the Omega. He calls himself the Almighty (pantokrator). Those who say that it is actually the Father speaking here should also note that this voice that John sees also says: “I am He that liveth, and was dead, And behold, I am alive for evermore. (Revelation 1:18). God the Father did not die, but the Son on the cross. Therefore the One who speaks, to whom the revelation was given and is also the revealed is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ.
But Revelation also show forth Jesus’ humanity. The initial vision of the glorified Jesus was so overwhelming, that John fell at His feet as dead. This feeling of being undone is common in the Scripture when man comes into the full presence of God such as in Isaiah 6. Then it says that Jesus touched Him to encourage the frightened apostle. Touch is a human element. Jesus was telling John that He was the same Jesus who walked the roads of Galilee with him. (Revelation 1:17)
In today’s text for the Third Sunday of Easter, we fast forward to Revelation 5:11-14 in which we see another picture of the risen and ascended Christ. When I read this text, I think of Handel’s Messiah. The final piece in the oratorio is “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain.” Most people are more familiar with the famous “Hallelujah Chorus” which is also take from texts in Revelation. The Hallelujah Chorus is indeed majestic and worshipful. But is occurs in the middle of the oratorio. Worthy is the Lamb that was slain occurs as the final piece followed by a long series of amens. This is God’s final word for us.
What John sees here is a glimpse of God’s will being done in heaven. We don’t know whether John’s vision was a contemporary vision of heaven in his time or if John is seeing a vision at the end of time. Regardless, this is what heaven will be like as God does not change. We need to contrast this to the chaos John saw on earth in his time. The same is true for our time as well. We long for the day when we see God’s will being done openly on earth even as it is in heaven. The Book of Revelation tells us how we get there. This is not to say that God’s will is not currently being done on earth, but much of this seems hidden to us by the evil which surrounds us. By God giving John the glimpses of the heavenly throne, it serves as an encouragement to both him and us. God is in control.
For those who know Christ, this vision is a vision of hope. However, there is a dark side of the Book of Revelation which is understood by the modern word “apocalypse” which is the Greek title of the book. The Lamb is the Savior of those who believe, but this Lamb also has a wrathful side as well (Revelation 6:16-17). John wrote to seven churches which serves as the full spectrum of what can be found in churches today. These were literal churches with literal problems. The two things to note is that some of the churches were suffering persecution for the faith, but others compromised or even sold out to the world system to either avoid persecution or to try to have the best of both worlds. We see here the two themes for the churches. There is comfort for those who are faithful unto death. They shall receive the crown of life. (Revelation 2:10). Those who follow the teaching of the libertine Nicolatians, followers of Jezebel, or Balaam will be severely judged. We often use the Scripture from Revelation 3:20 as an invitation for sinners to come to the altar. This understanding has the idea that Jesus is knocking at the doors of your heart, begging to come in. However, the proper understanding is that Jesus is standing outside the door of the apostate church of Laodicea and knocking, which means He is outside the church. If He is outside the church, then what is going on inside is not the church at all. The church is the body of Christ; therefore, Laodicea no longer belonged to Him. Yet He still offers the hope that they might repent and become a church again. If not, they will be judged even as the heathen.
The Lamb that was slain sits upon the throne. Note the definite article “the” as well as the singular “throne.” There are not three thrones in heaven, one each for the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It is said that Jesus sits upon His Father’s throne, so I am not holding to what is known as “Jesus only” today. But no man has ever seen the Father. The Father and Holy Spirit are content to be seen in the visible representation of Jesus the Son. (John 14:8-9) The Holy Spirit is also a spirit. He was seen in the visible representation of a dove at Jesus’ baptism where the Father’s voice was also heard but not seen. The Holy Spirit also appeared as tongues of fire at Pentecost. But it is the will of the Trinity that God be visibly seen in the person of the Son. Here He appears as a slain lamb. What a glorious irony. Most monarchs are seen in the pomp and splendour of majesty< they display strength and no weakness. They want their supplicants to tremble before him. But here, we see the One who sits upon the supreme throne is seen in His weakness and vulnerability. God has no security issues. He has no fear of someone usurping this throne. He is as much God on the cross as He is by nature as Creator.
One must take some caution in speculating, but I wonder if the wounds of Jesus will be seen in the final revelation of the Kingdom. When the tribes of the earth see the one whom they pierced, will they see the wounds. Will we. Will Jesus be the only one whose scars will not be removed in heaven. Will we always be reminded by seeing the stigmata of Jesus of just how much He loved us. We are reminded in the hymn “Crown Him with Many Crowns” that this indeed might be the case. We sing “Those wounds, yet visible above, in beauty glorified.” Who is this Jesus who rose from the dead on Easter Sunday morning!
This Jesus sits upon the highest throne. All authority in heaven and earth is given Him (Matthew 28:18). So we need to heed His warnings. His grace knocks at the door of those who call themselves a church but are not. “repent and open the door.” He calls the church which is compromising to repent. He knocks upon the hearts of sinners and asks them to receive Him. But He also knocks upon the hearts and calls upon individuals within the church who are compromising their faith to repent and live fully for Him.
Having given the necessary admonition to think through the implications of the Lordship of Jesus Christ in the sense of the danger of eternal loss, let us now look again at the implications of remaining faithful to Jesus Christ. This is not to be missed. Heaven will be full of worship. The word “worship” is the conflation of “worth” and “ship.” The statement “Worthy is the Lamb” is an act of worship. The Greek word here “axios” has several meanings. One of which is to be equal to. Jesus is equal to the Father and Holy Spirit and is equally to be worshiped. Another meaning is “deserving”. The Lamb who was slain is deserving of our worship.
This is the song sung around His throne by many angels, the four beasts who guard the holiness of His throne, the twenty-four elders and a company of “ten thousand times ten thousand and a thousand times a thousand”, which if taken as a literal number is 101 million. that is a lot of people, even of take as a symbolic number of fullness. This is the greatest choir which shall ever be assembled. I have heard the hymn sings in England where large cathedrals, concert halls, and even football stadiums are filled with vast numbers of singers who sing some of the majestic hymns of the faith. The level of the sound lifts the heart. I am puzzled though that after they sing such majestic words why so little of these words take root when they return home. Even skeptics and unbelievers sing sacred music. Perhaps it is preview of every knee bowing and every tongue confessing that Jesus Christ is Lord. (Philippians 2:10-11)
We sing and will sing hymns unto the Lamb that was slain because He has redeemed us unto God by His blood (Revelation 5:9). The Lamb is worthy to receive power, riches, wisdom, strength, honor, glory, and blessing. We should note that there are seven attributes here which is the number of perfection. And in response to this thunderous choir every creature on earth, under the earth and in the sea join the angels with: “Blessing and honor, glory and power be unto Him that sits upon the throne even (or “and” unto the Lamb, for ever and ever!” To which the beasts respond with “Amen.” The Book of Psalms ends with “Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD! Praise ye the LORD! (Psalm 150:6) What we see here is the ultimate fulfillment of this verse.
So when we reflect on this Jesus who rose from the dead on Easter Sunday morning. let us remember that He is Lord and Christ. He has been given all authority on heaven and earth. So in all we do, let us endeavor to conduct ourselves worthily of the name of Jesus. (Ephesians 4:1) This means that the lives we live for Jesus be equal to what the Lord desires for his body. Are we up to this task? It is not enough to praise Jesus with our lips alone. We must praise Him with all of our heart, all of out mind, and all of our strength. For this task, the Holy Spirit works within us, or else this task would be impossible. We need to reflect well upon our Lord and Master. Do people see Jesus in us, the hope of glory? Does the witness of our conduct give credence to the words we preach and sing. The Lamb who was slain for our sins is worthy of our praise. Do we praise Him with our lives?
We need to remind ourselves that the Jesus who rose from the dead on Easter Sunday morning is in control. He will work through all the chaos in this world and our lives to the glorious end we see in this worshipful singing around His eternal throne, (Romans 8:28). We remind ourselves of this true reality when we hear the Word of God preached, when we pray, when we read the Scripture, when we come to the table, and when we sing hymns worthy of who Jesus is. So let us leave the locked rooms where we cringe in fear and be bold proclaimers of the everlasting gospel.
