The Lion and the Lamb
Revelation 5:6
Kenute P. Curry
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 (5:6).
A lamb as though it had been slain – Christ is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). The word lamb (ἀρνίον arníon, Gk) refers to the Passover Lamb (Exodus 12:3-6; Leviticus 14:10), provided by God (Genesis 22:8). The Lord Jesus is called the (ἀμνός amnós, Gk) of God because He sacrificed Himself at the time of the Passover (1 Corinthians 5:7). His deliverance of sinners is likened to the deliverance of Israel out of Egypt. The lamb during the Exodus was the means of sparing the people, and on account of it, destruction passed them by. In like manner, Jesus is now the means of sparing those who are willing to apply His blood in order that the judgment of God may bypass them. Amnós designates more often the sacrifice of the Lamb (1 Peter 1:19), referring to the Paschal Lamb or a lamb given up to death in the service of God. In Revelation Christ appears as the Lamb 31 times.
Seven horns and seven eyes – Horns in Scripture symbolize strength and power. Seven, being the number of perfection symbolizes the Lamb’s complete, absolute power (Psalm 22:12). The seven eyes speak of perfect omniscience, complete understanding, and knowledge. They represent the “seven Spirits of God” describing the Holy Spirit in all His fullness (Revelation 4:5), sent “out into all the earth” in judgment of guilty, unrepentant sinners (John 16:8).
Scripture quotations are from the New King James Version of the Bible, © 1979, 1980, 1982, 1990, Thomas Nelson, Inc., Publishers.
©2015 Kenute P. Curry. All rights reserved.
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