The seven spirits of god

THE SEVEN SPIRITS OF GOD
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
Revelation5:6 6Then I saw a Lamb, lookingas if it
had been slain, standingat the center of the throne,
encircledby the four livingcreatures and the elders.
The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes, which are
the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.
Question:"What are the seven spirits of God?" GOTQUESTIONS.ORG
Answer: The "sevenspirits of God" are mentioned in Revelation1:4; 3:1; 4:5;
and 5:6. The sevenspirits of God are not specificallyidentified, so it’s
impossible to be dogmatic. Revelation1:4 mentions that the seven spirits are
before God's throne. Revelation3:1 indicates that Jesus Christ "holds" the
sevenspirits of God. Revelation4:5 links the seven spirits of God with seven
burning lamps that are before God's throne. Revelation5:6 identifies the
sevenspirits with the "seveneyes" ofthe Lamb and states that they are "sent
out into all the earth."
There are at leastthree possible interpretations of the sevenspirits of God.
The first is that the sevenspirits of God are symbolic of the Holy Spirit. The
Bible, and especiallythe book of Revelation, uses the number 7 to refer to
perfection and completion. If that is the meaning of the “seven” in the "seven
spirits," then it is not referring to sevendifferent spirits of God, but rather the
perfect and complete Holy Spirit. The secondview is that the sevenspirits of
God refer to sevenangelic beings, possibly the seraphim or the cherubim. This

would fit with the numerous others angelic beings that are describedin the
book of Revelation(Revelation4:6-9; 5:6-14; 19:4-5).
A third possibility is basedon Isaiah11:2, which says, “The Spirit of the
LORD will rest on him — the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the
Spirit of counseland of power, the Spirit of knowledge andof the fear of the
LORD.” This could possibly explain the sevenspirits of God: (1) Spirit of the
LORD, (2) Spirit of wisdom, (3) Spirit of understanding, (4) Spirit of counsel,
(5) Spirit of power, (6) Spirit of knowledge, (7)Spirit of the fear of the Lord.
The Bible doesn’t tell us specificallywho/whatthe sevenspirits are, but the
first interpretation, that they are the Holy Spirit, seems the most likely.
Can you please explain what the seven spirits of God are in Revelation4:5?
Does Godhave many Spirits?
November 24, 2015
Along with Revelation4:5 is 5:6, which give similar thoughts and furthers our
understanding as to the meaning of seven spirits. Revelation5:6, “And I saw
in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of
the elders, a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, having sevenhorns,
and seveneyes, which are the sevenSpirits of God, sent forth into all the
earth.” Note:the sevenSpirits are sent forth into the earth and the seven
churches eachreceiveda message fromthe Spirit. Revelation2:7, 2:11, 2:17,
2:29, 3:6, 3:13, 3:22 “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to
the churches”.
The Lord sees the circumstances whicheachstage the Church is going
through during the sevenstages ofthe Church through the GospelAge.
Through His spirit, He deals with eachstage in an appropriate manor. In
Churches 2 and 6, He comes across in a soothing manor giving no rebukes.
These were particularly hard, persecuting periods for the Christian Church.

In Churches 1, 3, 4, 5, He beganby stating the things that they had done
properly. However, He concludes with a few appropriate rebukes. Forthe 7th
and laststage of the Church (which we are presently in) he has nothing good
to say about at all. Therefore he spews it out of his mouth, meaning he no
longerrecognizes the Christian Church of today as being a goodwitness to the
world. “The salt has lostits saving aspect.” Nevertheless, Jesus continues to
invite those who do have the right spirit to come to him on an individual basis.
Matthew 5:13, “You are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savor,
where with shall it be salted? it is thenceforth goodfor nothing, but to be cast
out, and to be trodden under foot of men.” The Christian Church today has
corrupted itself to such an extent that its members can hardly be
distinguished from unbelievers. The Church today is in the same condition
that the JewishChurch was in Jesus’day. And so the spirit of the Lord is
working differently today than in the past. The spirit of the Lord is preparing
to make the natural seedof IsraelHis new mouthpiece in the world. Romans
11:25, “ForI would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery,
lest ye should be wise in your own conceits;that blindness in part is happened
to Israel, until the full number of the Gentiles be come in”. Ezekiel39:7, “So
will I make my holy name knownin the midst of my people Israel;and I will
not let them pollute my holy name any more: and the heathen shall know that
I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel.”
What are the Seven Spirits of God in Revelation?
by Tom Smith | 12 Comments
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As believers in Christ, we hold dearly the truth in the Bible that our God is
one, yet three–Father, Sonand Holy Spirit (Matt. 28:19). How then can we
reconcile this divine fact with the apostle John’s vision of the sevenSpirits of
God in Revelation(Rev. 1:4)?
Also how can we reconcile the factthat Ephesians 4:4 speaksof“one Spirit”
while Revelation1:4 speaksof “sevenSpirits”?

This apparent contradiction unfolds a divine mystery of profound significance
that affects our present Christian experience. As such, it’s worthy of our
consideration.
The SevenSpirits of God in Revelation
How can the Spirit of God be both one and seven?
It’s a matter of essence andfunction or economy…one in His essence, yet
sevenin His function.
But let’s look at the context of Revelation…
The Blessing ofthe Divine Trinity including the sevenSpirits of God
John’s opening greeting in Revelation1:4-5 says,
John to the sevenchurches which are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from
Him who is and who was and who is coming, and from the sevenSpirits who
are before His throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful Witness, the
Firstborn of the dead, and the Ruler of the kings of the earth.
The blessing to the receivers ofRevelationis from the Divine Trinity. “Him
who is and who was and who is coming” surely refers to God the Father.
“Jesus Christ, the faithful Witness, the Firstborn of the dead, and the Ruler of
the kings of the earth” obviously refers to God the Son.
But how do we see the Spirit?
Undoubtedly, “the sevenSpirits who are before His throne” mentioned in this
blessing refers to the Spirit in the Godhead. This is because the sevenSpirits
are rankedwith God, the eternal Father and Jesus, His Son.
However, if we acknowledgethat the sevenSpirits here refer to the Spirit in
the Godhead, we must address how the one Spirit of God, was revealedto
John as being “the sevenSpirits.”
SevenSpirits needed in the condition of degradation

The condition when the apostle John was writing to the sevenchurches in Asia
was very dark. If you read the epistles to the seven churches in Revelation2-3
there was much the churches needed to overcome.
Though their condition is prophetic of the sevenstages ofchurch history, it
was the actual condition of eachchurch at the time John was writing
Revelation. Theyare also the degraded conditions we need to overcome
today.
Ephesus – the church leaving her first love for Christ – Rev. 2:1-7
There was the leaving of the first love by the church in Ephesus (v. 4)…a
condition we also face today. May the Lord recoverus to our first and best
love for Him. How can we be constrainedto return to our first
love?…throughthe operating of the sevenSpirits.
Smyrna – the church suffering intense persecution – vv. 8-11
Then there was the church in Smyrna that receivedno rebuke as she was
suffering severe persecutionand needed to be faithful unto death (vv. 9-10).
How can the church overcome suchpersecution?…bythe empowering of the
sevenSpirits.
Pergamos – the church in union with the world – vv. 12-17
Then there was union with the world that pervaded the church in Pergamos
(v. 13). How can the worldliness within the church be purged away?…bythe
exposing and operating of the sevenSpirits.
Thyatira – the church full of mixture and apostasy – vv. 18-29
The deep things of Satanhad corrupted the church in Thyatira (v. 24). How
can the church be saved from such mixture and corruption?…only by the
burning and judging of the sevenSpirits of God.
Sardis – the church in deadness and incompleteness – 3:1-6
The church in Sardis had become dead with none of her works completed
before God (3:1-2). She had fallen short of God’s goal. Is this not also the

condition of the church today? How canthe church be savedfrom deadness
and incompleteness?…only by the intensified operation of the sevenSpirits.
Philadephia – the church in recoveryneeding to hold fast – vv. 7-13
The church in Philadelphia alone receivedthe Lord’s praise. But she also
needed the Lord’s strengthening to hold fastwhat she had so that no one
might take her crown(v. 10-11). How can the church hold fast what she has
received?…onlyby the strengthening of the sevenSpirits of God.
Laodicea – the church in lukewarmness andopinions – vv. 14-22
Finally, the church in Laodicea became lukewarmand opinionated, thinking
she was rich, but not realizing that she was poor, blind and naked (vv. 16-17).
Christ was standing outside this church knocking to gain entrance (v. 20).
How can the church be delivered from such a lukewarm, opinionated, and
Christless situation?…onlyby the enlightening and burning of the seven
spirits.
Every church needed those who would rise up to respond to the Spirit’s
speaking and overcome the degradedsituation to be the testimony of Jesus
that God requires.
Intensified sevenfoldto produce overcomers
Such a dark and degradedsituation, causedGod to take a particular action in
order to fulfill His eternal purpose and economy. The church in generalhas
failed God, so He needs some overcomers, those that will respond to His call
and rise up to overcome the prevailing downwardcurrent of the church in
this age.
To counteractthis dark and degradedsituation, God came in to intensify His
Spirit sevenfold in order to produce overcomers.
In existence God’s Spirit is surely one (Eph. 4:4). But in His economical
function, God’s one Spirit had to become the “sevenSpirits of God,” that is,
the sevenfoldintensified Spirit.
The sevenSpirits being sevenlamps of fire

Revelation4:5 says,
“And out of the throne come forth lightnings and voices and thunders. And
there were sevenlamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven
Spirits of God.”
These sevenSpirits are for intensified shining, like a seven-waylamp.
When there is plenty of light, you may hardly need any lamps. The darker the
situation gets, the more light we need.
Depending on the light we need, we may use a three-waybulb, with three
gradients of brightness. A three-way lamp may be sufficient for our home but
not for God’s move in this dark age.
To overcome today’s spiritual darkness we need sevenfoldintensification, that
is, the function of the sevenfold intensified Spirit of God.
The sevenSpirits being the seven eyes of the Lamb
Revelation5:6 says,
“And I saw…a Lamb standing as having just been slain, having sevenhorns
and seveneyes, which are the sevenSpirits of God sent forth into gall the
earth.
In this verse the sevenSpirits of God are the seveneyes of the crucified,
resurrectedand ascendedLamb, Jesus Christ. What an amazing vision, the
intensified Spirit of God, the third of the Divine Trinity is the eyes of the
Lamb, the Secondof the Divine Trinity.
In The Divine and Mystical RealmWitness Lee explains this profound
revelation:
“Forproducing the church the life-giving Spirit is sufficiently strong, but
under the degradationof the church this strong Spirit has been intensified
sevenfold. Thus, Christ has become not only the life-giving Spirit but also the
sevenfoldintensified Spirit. The sevenSpirits being the seveneyes of the
Lamb (Rev. 5:6) indicates that the seven Spirits and Christ are one person.”
(The Divine and MysticalRealm, pp. 11-13,15-16)

This does not change the eternalcoexistence ofthe Three of the Godhead–the
Father, the Son and the Spirit. But in carrying out God’s eternal purpose,
Christ had to become the life-giving Spirit in resurrectionto indwell us. Then
to counter the church’s degradation, this one life-giving Spirit had to be
intensified sevenfoldto produce us as His overcomers.
How can we apply the sevenSpirits of God to our Christian experience?
First, we need to ask the Lord to open our ears.
We need to ask Him to grant us ears to hear what the Spirit is speaking to the
churches. Hence, at the end of eachepistle to the sevenchurches it says,
“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
We need to pray, “Lord grant me an ear to hear what your intensified Spirit
is speaking to the churches.”
Second, we need to see our desperate need to overcome.
We need to see the degradationof the church today as portrayed by the
condition of the sevenchurches in Revelation2-3 mentioned above. We also
need to be desperate to overcome it.
Third, we need to open ourselves to the sevenfold Spirit’s intensified
operation.
We need to open ourselves to the enlightening, searching, burning and
infusing of the sevenSpirits. His shining must become subjective to us.
We need to allow the sevenSpirits which are also Christ’s seven eyes of
flaming fire (Rev. 5:6) to searchus, expose us, and burn awayall the dross of
the church’s degradationwithin us. We also need to allow the sevenSpirits to
infuse us with what God is, through His Word. For this we need to open to
Him in His word every day.
Our Response andHis Reward
If we respond to His speaking, the intensified operationof the sevenSpirits
will make us Christ’s overcomers, those who overcome the downward current

of the church’s degradationand complete the building up of Christ’s Body in
this age (Eph. 4:15-16).
Christ’s built up Body then becomes His beautiful bride prepared for His
wedding at His coming back (Eph. 5:27). The bride prepared by such an
intensified work of the sevenSpirits will be the New Jerusalemas the
overcomers’rewardin the millennium (Rev. 19:7-9), and the eternal portion
to all God’s redeemedfor eternity (21:2, 9).
May we all respond to work of the sevenSpirits to become the overcomers
that will bring the Lord back!
If you were helped by this post, please respond with a brief comment to share
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Referencesand Further Reading
This post is basedon the ministry of Witness Lee especiallyhis footnotes in
the Holy Bible RecoveryVersion. You canread it online at
online.recoveryversion.bible.
You can read the quote from The Divine and MysticalRealmin its context at
ministrybooks.org.
To gain a fuller appreciationfor the sevenSpirits in Revelation, I also
recommend a thoughtful reading of Chapters 8, 22, and 33 of the Life-study of
Revelationand Chapter 1 of The SevenSpirits for the LocalChurches both by
the same author also at ministrybooks.org.
The following hymn on the seven Spirits touches the essence ofthis post:
https://holdingtotruth.com/
BIBLEHUB RESOURCES

The Goings Forth Of The Holy Ghost
Revelation5:6
S. Conway
The sevenSpirits of God which are sent forth, etc. In all possible ways the
Church declares her faith in the Lord Jesus Christand his redemption. By the
name, Christian; by the sacramentofthe Holy Supper; by symbols - the cross
everywhere;by her literature, etc. And all this is right; the example of it is
given in Scripture, for Christ is the Alpha and Omega of the Bible: "Him first,
him last, him midst, and without end." But this is not all the truth. For it is
equally true that the holy and perfectSpirit of God is sent forth into all the
earth - working in, upon, for, and around us everywhere. The doctrine is most
blessed, and an essentialpart of the gospelof Christ, though it has not the
prominence in our thought or speechthat "the truth as it is in Jesus" receives.
We do not realize as we should that the Holy Spirit is the Christ within us, and
whose coming made it "expedient" that the Christ who in our nature died. for
us upon the cross "shouldgo away." Note -
I. THE EVIDENCE FOR THE GOING FORTHOF THE SPIRIT OF GOD.
We see the Spirit striving with men in the days of Noah;as yet earlier and
more successfully- because the striving was with matter, not with mind - we
see him bringing order out of chaos atthe Creation. "Whither shall I go from
thy Spirit?" asks the psalmist; "or whither shall I flee from thy presence?"
David piteously pleads, "Take notthy Holy Spirit from me!" His presence is
recognizedin every part of the sacredhistory, and in the New Testament
Pentecostis told of, and the truths concerning him are dwelt upon still more at
large. In this Book ofRevelationwe read once and againof his gracious work
(cf. Revelation1:4; Revelation3:1; Revelation4:5; Revelation5:6. Cf. also
conclusionof all the letters to the sevenChurches, Revelation2 and 3.). At
Revelation19:10 we are told that "the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of
prophecy." The Holy Spirit confirms the "voice from heaven" (Revelation
14:13), which declares, "Blessedare the dead which die in the Lord. Yea, saith
the Spirit," etc. It was under the influence of the Spirit the book was written:
"I was in the Spirit," St. John repeatedly affirms. And at the end of the book

the Spirit is heard along with the bride and others, bidding all come and take
the waterof life freely. Scripture, therefore, does plainly tell of a Spirit - the
Spirit of God, "sentforth into all the earth."
II. THE MANNER OF HIS GOING FORTH. This seen:
1. In nature.
(1) Creation. He is called"the Spirit of life." "Thou sendestforth thy Spirit,
they are created."
(2) At eachreturning spring.
2. Amongst men. Here it is that the Divine Spirit's work may be most
manifestly seen.
(1) As a fact, there is much goodamongstmen who have not been and are not
within the circle of the Church - much that is lovely and of good report and
worthy of all praise. See the laws and literature of ancient nations; and the
lives of their noblest men. Who that is acquaintedwith ancient history will for
a moment deny this? And today there is much of goodthat yet is, formally,
without the circle of the Church. No doubt a large part of this is owing to what
Carlyle called"a greatafter shine" of Christianity. The inspiration of many
professedlynon-Christian moralists is Christian after all. They have
unconsciouslyabsorbedit, and then reproduced it as from some other source.
(2) Now, whence comes all this? Many say that "natural goodness" is
sufficient to accountfor it. And that there is some goodin every man, we can
hardly deny. And we are unable to acceptthe Augustinian theory that such
goodness,being unconnected with faith, "has the nature of sin." For is not this
doctrine perilously near that of which our Lord speaks in Matthew 12:24,
where his enemies attributed his deeds to the prince of devils? We know of no
such thing as natural goodness. How canit coexistwith the universal
corruption which we confess?Butwe do know of God as the Source of
goodness,and of Satanas the inspirer of evil, and to him we cannot ascribe
the goodnessofwhich we are speaking. We therefore look for its source in
that going forth of the Spirit of Godof which the text tells. Does not all light
come from the centralsun? The flame that leaps forth from the coal, heated

above a certain temperature, and with which we are so familiar, is but latent
light liberated at length after having been imprisoned there since the days
when it first was radiated from the one central sun. And has not science
showedthat life only can produce life? Deadmatter cannot originate it; it
must come from life. And this is true in the realm of moral and spiritual life
also. And does not Scripture assertthis? St. James says, "Do noterr, my
beloved brethren, Every goodgift... cometh down from the Father of lights,"
etc. (James 1:17). And St. John (i.) tells of "the light that lighteth every man
that cometh into the world." We therefore claim all goodnessas due to the
going forth, etc.
3. In the Church. Here, of course, it is most of all to be seen. Let the waters of
a lake be agitatedby any cause, the greatestmovements will be seennearest
the point where that which stirred the waters came into contactwith them,
although the movements will not stay until the whole body of the lake has
been more or less affectedthereby. And so, because the Church is the point of
contact, amid the wide extent of humanity at large, with the blessedpowerof
the Spirit of God, therefore in the Church will his powermost of all be seen,
though his power goes forth far beyond. In the Church it is seenin all stages
of the spiritual life - in conviction, conversion, inward peace, bright hope,
growing holiness. And in all the manifestations of that life - trust, fidelity,
charity, zeal, self-denial, love, joy, peace, etc. It is more evidently seenin great
spiritual movements like that at Pentecost, in which vastnumbers of human
hearts are touched, moved, and savedthereby. Then everybody notes it, and
asks, "Whatstrange thing is this?" But it may be seen, also, in equally real
operationin the case ofindividuals who, one by one, the Holy Spirit draws to
God. And this going forth shall be seenagain:
4. At the resurrection. "The Spirit of him that raisedup Jesus from the dead
shall also quicken your mortal bodies," etc. (Romans 8:11). Eachspring
seasonis God's perpetual parable of the resurrection. The whence, the
whither, and the cause are all portrayed when
"The spring-tide hour
Brings leafand flower."

CONCLUSION. If we be asked- Why, if it be so that the Spirit of Godthus
goes forth, why is the world no better? we can only reply:
1. The higher the life the longerits development demands. What wonder,
then, that "the end is not yet"?
2. The Spirit may be resisted;is so. The old fable of the sirens is of everyday
fulfilment. The sweet, seductive song ofthe siren-like world lures souls in
myriads to abandon the leading of the Spirit of God. Is it not so? The wonder
is, not that so few escape, but that any do. No wonder, therefore, that his work
is slow.
3. But it is sure. The Spirit is likened to fire - to torches of fire (see Revelation
4.), which will stand the rough blasts of the world and the tempests of sin, and
yet burn on. And as fire transforms and strives strenuously till it gains its
ends, so we believe the Spirit will, for we "believe in the Holy Ghost."
4. What receptionhas he from us? Doubt him not, resisthim not, but seek his
aid for yourselves, for others, and, as you so do, you will increasinglybelieve
in, see, and rejoice in, the goings forth of the Spirit of God. - S.C.
A Lamb as it had been slain.
Revelation5:6, 7
The Lamb and the book
B. D. Johns.
I. GOD HAS A PLAN FOR THE CONSTRUCTIONOF HIS CHURCH.
1. The plan is on a large scale. It fills a "book." Redemptionis God's greatest
effort.
2. God is resolvedto work out the plan. "Right hand" — symbol of executive
energy.

3. The plan is an infinitely difficult one. "Sealedwith seven seals."How to
reconcile man to God, the greatmystery of the universe.
4. The plan is essentialto the happiness of humanity. John "wept" when no
one could open the book.
II. Christ is the administrator of God's plan for the construction of His
Church.
1. He is qualified by appointment. "My servant."
2. He is qualified by character. "Lamb."
3. He is qualified by suffering. "Slain."
4. He is qualified by perfectionof ability. "Sevenhorns," etc. Perfectionof
knowledge and power.
III. THE ADMINISTRATION BY CHRIST OF GOD'S PLAN FOR THE
CONSTRUCTION OF HIS CHURCH IS PRODUCTIVE OF UNIVERSAL
JOY.
1. The joy of the Church (vers. 8-10).
2. The joy of the angels (vers. 11, 12).
3. The joy of the creation(ver. 13).
4. The joy of God. "This is My beloved Son, etc.
(B. D. Johns.)
The Lamb in the midst of the throne
Expository Outlines.
I. THE BLESSED OBJECTWHICH JOHN BEHELD IS HEAVEN.
1. The title given Him is most endearing.(1)A favourite one with the inspired
writers (Isaiah53:7; John 1:29; 1 Peter1:19, etc.). St. John uses the

expressionnearly thirty times, and always in most important connections.(2)
An appropriate and expressive title.
2. The position He occupies is pre-eminently striking.(1)Conspicuous.(2)
Dignified. And if such be His position in heaven, should He be placed in the
backgroundupon earth?
3. The attributes symbolically ascribedto Him are highly imposing. These are
powerand wisdom.
II. THE SPECIAL ACT WHICH HE IS REPRESENTED AS
PERFORMING.
III. THE FEELINGS OF JOY AND ADORATION WITH WHICH THE
CIRCUMSTANCE REFERREDTO WAS REGARDED.
1. By the redeemed.
2. By the angelic hosts.
3. By the whole intelligent creation.
(Expository Outlines.)
G. Rogers.
I. THE LAMB IN THE MIDST OF THE THRONE. The designationof the
Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Rootof David, appealedto one class of
associationsin the apostle's mind; the appearance ofa lamb as it had been
slain, to another. The design was to combine the two, as better calculatedthan
eachone singly to convey the full impression of the personwho had prevailed
to open the sealedbook. A lamb was selectedby God from the period of the
Fail as best calculated, by its natural meeknessand innocence, to typify the
real propitiation for sin which tie had provided from the foundation of the
world. As such He was foretold by Isaiah, "He is brought as a lamb to the
slaughter." As such He is pointed out by John the Baptist, "Behold, the Lamb

of God!" and as such He is described by Peter, "Ye were redeemedwith the
precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot." The
Book ofRevelationrecords the triumphs of the Lamb. The Old Testament
had given the history of the preparation for His coming; the New had tracked
His sorrowfulcourse on the earth; all that was now needed was to trace the
effects of the death of Christ upon future ages ofthe world, and throw out
some intimations of its blissful and inter-ruinable reward. "A Lamb as it had
been slain, in the midst of the throne," suggests thatcertain indications
remain in the glorified personof the Redeemerin the midst of its purity and
splendour, of its oblation on the Cross. Were the sufferings of Christ the
foundation of the glory that should follow? Is His exaltationin proportion to
His humiliation? Then must the glory of His person be in proportion to its
shame, and the radiance of His scars pre-eminently bright. This becomes the
everlasting memorial to the redeemedof their title to those realms, and of the
ever-living intercessionwithin the veil. Justice requires the detention of this
memento of their charteredbliss.
II. THE ACCEPTANCE OF THE CHALLENGE BY THE LAMB TO OPEN
THE SEALED BOOK. AS the rising sun chases from a whole hemisphere the
gloomand silence of night, burnishes the billows, gems the crystal caves,
tinges the forests, gilds the waving corn, enamels the flowers, fringes the
clouds, empurples the sky, fills cities with life, homes with mirth, and groves
with songs;so the appearance of the Lamb on the throne turns the stillness of
creationinto life, the gloominto day, the silence into songs. The joy that
spread through the whole creationwhen the Lamb took the sealedbook
intimates that all creationwas interestedin its contents. The book in the hand
of Christ insured its fulfilment.
(G. Rogers.)
Christ in heaven
R. Culbertson.

1. There is a wide difference betweenthe present and former condition of the
Saviour.
2. The exaltation of Christ has made no change upon the spirit and disposition
by which He is actuated.
3. Jesus Christis invested with a threefold office. He is here symbolised by a
Lamb, which naturally reminds us of His sacrificialwork and of His priestly
character;but, as this Lamb had sevenhorns and seven eyes, He must be a
king and a prophet as well as a priest.
4. Jesus Christis a Divine person.
5. Saints are under peculiar obligations to praise and honour God.
6. See the true and direct way for relief to the burdened mind. Is the soul
afflicted with a deep sense ofguilt? Look to the Lamb of God, which taketh
awaythe sin of the world.
(R. Culbertson.)
The appearance ofthe Mediatorin heaven
J. S. Exell, M. A.
I. THAT THE MEDIATOR APPEARS AS THE CENTRE OF HEAVENLY
SOCIETY.
1. The position is indicative of the pre-eminence of Christ. While on earth He
was despisedand rejectedof men; in heaven He is the centre of enjoyment
and worship.
2. This position is indicative of the attraction of Christ. We are assuredthat
Christ is not merely the centre of the societyofheaven because ofHis royal
dignity, but also because ofthe beauty of His character, the glory of His
redemptive work, the wealth of His mercy, the depth of His condescension,
and the wondrous achievements of His grace in bringing so many to the
promised kingdom.

3. This position is indicative of the supreme life and activity of Christ. The
Redeemerstoodin the midst of the throne and of the company of heaven; thus
indicating His rising up from the grave, His entrance upon a life which should
never again yield to death, and His readiness for the redemptive work of the
future.
II. THAT THE MEDIATOR APPEARS WITHTHE TOKENS OF
REDEMPTIVE SUFFERING. "ALamb as it had been slain" (ver. 6).
1. This figure indicates the gentle spirit of Christ. He deals tenderly with
wounded spirits, now that He is in heaven, even as He did when on earth.
2. This figure indicates the painful sufferings of Christ. Here then is great
encouragementfor all penitent sinners, in that humanity is representedin
heaven, and in that Christ cannever forgetthe humiliation He endured to
bring them to God.
III. THAT THE MEDIATOR APPEARS AS EXECUTING THE MOST
IMPORTANT WORK.
1. He accomplisheda work vastly important to mankind. Surely nothing could
be of greaterimportance than that man should have light castupon destiny.
2. lie accomplisheda work which none other being could achieve. All created
intelligences had been challengedto open the book which they saw in the
Divide hand, but were not equal to the task.
(J. S. Exell, M. A.)
Christ the expounder of the mystery
Homilist.
I. CHRIST, AS THE EXPOUNDER OF THE MYSTERYOF THE DIVINE
GOVERNMENT, OCCUPIES A CENTRALPOSITION, AND ASSUMES
THE MOST EXTRAORDINARYASPECTS.

1. The position He occupies. He is in the "midst of the throne"; He is in the
very centre of the intelligent creation. He attracts all — lie enlightens all — lie
governs all — He blesses allwith new life and beauty.
2. The aspectHe assumes. In His person are combined the marks of suffering
humanity and the attributes of perfectDivinity.
II. CHRIST, AS THE EXPOUNDER OF THE MYSTERYOF THE DIVINE
GOVERNMENT, AWAKENS, IN ALL CLASSES OF HOLY MIND,
INEFFABLE DELIGHT.
1. Here is humility: they "fell down before the Lamb." The profoundest
reverence mingled with their joy.
2. Here is harmony: here are "harps" — emblems of music.
3. Here is acceptableness:"golden vials full of odours." Its breathing ecstacies
ascendas fragrant incense to God.
4. Here is prayerfulness: "the prayers of saints." Deathterminates the saint's
need of prayer for certain objects, suchas forgiveness, deliverancefrom error,
and victory over foes, but not the spirit of prayer — the spirit of felt
dependence upon God.
III. CHRIST, AS THE EXPOUNDER OF THE MYSTERYOF THE DIVINE
GOVERNMENT, IS DEEMED WORTHYOF THE OFFICE, BECAUSE OF
HIS REDEMPTIVE ACHIEVEMENT.
1. He has redeemed. The redemption of man consists in a deliverance from the
powerand penalty of sin.
2. He has redeemedby sacrifice. Whatwas the sacrifice? Afew self-denying
efforts? — a world? No; His life. "By Thy blood"; by the sacrifice ofThy life
— Thyself.
3. He has redeemed, by sacrifice, allclasses. "Outof every kindred, and
tongue, and people, and nation." The atonement is designedto redeemthe
world, and some of all its multitudinous sections have been thus redeemed,
and millions more are to follow yet.

4. He has redeemedall classes,by sacrifice, to the highest honours. They are
priests, in relation to their Maker, offering up the sacrifice ofa devout and
grateful soul; they are kings, in relation to their race, wielding a governing
influence over their thoughts and hearts. A true Christian is a moral
sovereign.
(Homilist.)
The Lamb in glory
C. H. Spurgeon.
I. Jesus in heaven appears in His sacrificialcharacter;and I would have you
note that THIS CHARACTER IS ENHANCED BY OTHER CONSPICUOUS
POINTS. Its glory is not diminished, but enhanced, by all the rest of our
Lord's character:the attributes, achievements, and offices of our Lord all
concentrate their glory in His sacrificialcharacter, andall unite in making it a
theme for loving wonder.
1. We read that He is the Lion of the tribe of Juda; by which is signified the
dignity of His office, as King, and the majesty of His person, as Lord. The lion
is at home in fight, and "the Lord is a man of war." Like a lion, He is
courageous. ThoughHe be like a lamb for tenderness, yet not in timidity.
2. Further, it is clear that He is a champion: "The Lion of the tribe of Juda
hath prevailed." What was askedforwas worthiness, not only in the sense of
holiness, but in the sense of valour. One is reminded of a legend of the
Crusades. A goodly castle and estate awaitedthe coming of the lawful heir: he,
and he only, could sound the horn which hung at the castle gate;but he who
could make it yield a blast would be one who had slain a heap of Paynim in
the fight, and had come home victorious from many a bloody fray. So here, no
man in earth or heavenhad valour and renown enough to be worthy to take
the mystic roll out of the hand of the Eternal. Our champion was worthy.
3. In this wonderful vision we see Jesus as the familiar of God. To Him there is
no danger in a close approachto the infinite glory, for that glory is His own.

4. We observe, in addition to all this, that He is the prophet of God. "He who
unveils the eternal will of the Highest is the Lamb of God which taketh away
the sin of the world."
5. Our Lord always was, and is now, acknowledgedto be Lord and God. Yet,
in the glory of His Deity, He disdains not to appear as the Lamb that has been
slain. This still is His chosencharacter. Write, then, the passionof your Lord
upon the tablets of your hearts, and let none erase the treasuredmemory.
Think of Him mainly and chiefly as the sacrifice for sin.
II. In the secondplace, note that, IN THIS CHARACTER, JESUS IS THE
CENTRE OF ALL. "In the midst of the throne, and of the four living
creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stooda Lamb as it had been slain."
The Lamb is the centre of the wonderful circle which makes up the fellowship
of heaven.
1. From Him, as a standpoint, all things are seenin their places. Looking up at
the planets from this earth, which is one of them, it is difficult to comprehend
their motions — progressive, retrograde, orstanding still; but the angelin the
sun sees allthe planets marching in due course, and circling about the centre
of their system. Standing where you please upon this earth, and within human
range of opinion, you cannotsee all things aright, nor understand them till
you come to Jesus, and then you see all things from the centre. The man who
knows the incarnate God, slain for human sins, stands in the centre of truth.
2. The Lamb's being in the midst signifies, also, that in Him they all meet in
one. Christ is the summing up of all existence. Seekyou Godhead? There it is.
Seek you manhood? There it is. Wish you the spiritual? There it is in His
human soul. Desire you the material? There it is in His human body. Our
Lord hath, as it were, gatheredup the ends of all things, and hath bound them
into one.
3. Being in the centre, to Him they all look. As the Father's eyes are always on
Jesus, so are the eyes of the living creatures and the four-and-twenty elders
which represent the Church in its Divine life and the Church in its human life.
All who have been washedin His blood perpetually contemplate His beauties.

4. All seemto rally round Him as a guard around a king. All things ordained
of the Fatherwork towards Christ, as their centre; and so stand all the
redeemed, and all the angels waiting about the Lord, as swelling His glory and
manifesting His praise.
III. Thirdly, our Lord is seenin heaven as the Lamb slain, and IN THIS
CHARACTER HE EXHIBITS PECULIAR MARKS. None of those marks
derogate from His glory as the sacrifice forsin; but they tend to instruct us
therein.
1. Note well the words: "Stooda Lamb as it had been slain." "Stood," here is
the posture of life; "as it had been slain," here is the memorial of death. Our
view of Jesus should be two-fold; we should see His death and His life: we
shall never receive a whole Christ in any other way.
2. Note, next, another singular combination in the Lamb. He is called"a little
lamb"; for the diminutive is used in the Greek;but yet how greatHe is! In
Jesus, as a Lamb, we see greattenderness and exceeding familiarity with His
people. He is not the objectof dread. A lamb is the most approachable of
beings. Yet there is about the little Lamb an exceeding majesty. The elders no
soonersaw Him than they fell down before Him.
3. He hath sevenhorns and seveneyes. His poweris equal to His vigilance;
and these are equal to all the emergenciesbrought about by the opening of the
sevenseals ofthe Book ofProvidence.
IV. Jesus appears eternallyas a Lamb, and IN THIS CHARACTER HE IS
UNIVERSALLY ADORED.
1. Before He openedone of the seals this worship commenced. We trust Him
where we cannottrace Him. Before He begins His work as the revealing
Mediator, the Church adores Him for His work as a sacrifice. Jesus ourLord
is worshipped not so much for what benefits He will confer as for Himself.
2. That adorationbegins with the Church of God. The Church of God, in all
its phases, adores the Lamb. If you view the Church of God as a Divine
creation, the embodiment of the Spirit of God, then the living creatures fall

down before the Lamb. No God-begottenlife is too high to refuse obeisance to
the Lamb of God.
3. The Lamb is not only worshipped by the Church, He is worshipped by
angels. Whata wonderful gathering togetherof certainlegions of the Lord's
hosts we have before us in this chapter I
4. Nay, it is not merely the Church and angelhood;but all creation, east, west,
north, south, highest, lowest, all adore Him. All life, all space, alltime,
immensity, eternity; all these become one mouth for song, and all the song is,
"Worthy is the Lamb."
5. Now, then, if this be so, shall we everallow anybody in our presence to
lowerthe dignity of Christ, our sacrifice?
(C. H. Spurgeon.)
John Walker.
I. THE SCENE IN HEAVEN.
1. A redemption scene. There is not one person or one object in the heavenly
mansions but stands closelyconnectedwith the wonders of redeeming love.
2. A rejoicing, blissful scene. Let us mark here not merely the fact that it is a
scene oftriumphant song, but especiallythe objectthat causes the gladness,
and the difference in the mode of expressing it. We have here four different
songs. First, the song of the living creatures;secondly, the song of the elders;
thirdly, the song of the angels;fourthly, the song of all creation. But the one
grand question is, who is the objectof praise? Clearly, in all cases, the Lamb
on the throne; all eyes are turned to Him; all hearts fixed on Him. He is the
life, the soul, the all in all of these songs. Heavenis full of triumph. The
universe is glad in its exaltedand crownedSaviour.
3. A communion scene. Observe how clearlythis is set forth in the terms of the
text. The Lamb is in the midst of the throne; but the elders, the living

creatures, the angels, are all holding fellowshipwith the Lamb, and with one
another. He is the objectof all their love, the centre of all attraction, the
source of all their light, and life and joy. The Eternal Three are holding their
blessedcommunion of love, into the depths of which no creature may
penetrate. But the four living creatures, the elders, the angels, are holding
intercourse with that Lamb, and with one another. All are linked to the throne
by love. Now remember that God's family are partly on earth, and partly in
heaven; some at home with their Father, others still pilgrims and sojourners
in a foreign land. But Jehovahhas no greaterlove for the saints now in glory
than for you. Jesus is not more certainly in the midst of the Church in
triumph than in the midst of her in tribulation. There is not a more certain
fellowship with Him around the throne than in this vale of tears. There is
positively no other opening up of the wells of salvationto the glorified saints
than to us. The grand thing is, the Lamb is the same, the life and love are the
same. Yes, and all the more you canfeel your own poverty, necessityand
sinfulness, the more will you exalt the Lamb as your all; and then the sense of
your necessity, and the sight of His riches and glory endearing Him to your
soul, will bring Him near to your heart.
II. THE CONNECTION BETWEEN THESE THINGS AND CERTAIN
OTHER THINGS HERE SPECIFIED OF THE LAMB ON THE THRONE,
AS THE FOUNDATION OF THEM.
1. The most prominent is the death of the Lamb. He appears a Lamb as it had
been slain. It is in His death that all the virtue is found which produces the
results to which we have directed your minds. The death of that Lamb is
death to all our fears;for we see how He that sparednot His own Son will
with Him also freely give us all things. That death of the Lamb is also the
death of a guilty conscience;for while reposing on this Lamb of God, the
effectof His righteousness is quietness and assurance forever. His death is
even the death of death itself; for as we fix our faith on the throne, we hear
Him say, "I am He that liveth," etc.
2. The attitude of the Lamb. He stands in the midst of the throne. This is
manifestly His attitude as the intercessorofHis people. He has entered in once
for all into the holiest of all, there to appear in the presence ofGod for us. A

soldier of old, who was accusedofbeing a traitor to his country, came into the
presence ofhis sovereign, showedthe scars on his breast, the memorials of his
courage while fighting in the thickestof the battle, and was there received
with applause in the face of all his accusers.
3. The freshness of the Lamb slain is a wonderful sight. The Lamb appears
standing, bleeding still, as if the sword of justice had been just then drawn
from the wounds it inflicted, and the blood were still streaming from the
victim. It is not like the blood of bulls and of goats, that could grow cold, and
hard, and unfit for sacrifice;but through eternal ages the Father sees that
blood, and saints behold it, in all the powerof a recent death. By faith the
sinner ever sees it too, and has no fear it shall ever lose its efficacywith God.
III. THE CONNECTION OF BOTHTHESE FORMER HEADS OF
DISCOURSE WITHTHE SPECIAL WORK OF COMMUNION TO-DAY.
1. Now you see prominently here that we are alike showing forth the cross and
crown-rights of our glorious Immanuel. I have little fearthat you forgetHis
death on a day like this; but I am certain that we do often overlook His
exaltation. And now we put ourselves afreshunder His sway, and vow
submission to His law as a rule of life and holiness.
2. There is an inseparable connectionbetweenthis and all the consolationsof
the believer. The Lamb has not only the sevencrowns or seven horns, but He
has also the seveneyes, or sevenspirits of God. Christ has all authority and
powerin heavenand on earth, and He has all the spiritual graces to bestow.
The powerwould be useless without the spiritual influences to shed forth, and
these againwould be in vain without the rightful authority to bestow them.
But Christ has both.
3. Another thing is the hope of the Church in the secondcoming of the Lord.
(John Walker.)
The slain Lamb, beheld in heavenby the redeemed
J. Parsons.

I. THERE WILL BE A GLORIOUS MANIFESTATION OF THE LORD
JESUS IN THE HEAVENLY WORLD.
1. The manifestation of the Saviour's person.(1)In His exalted human
nature.(2) In connectionwith His divinity.
2. The manifestation of the Saviour's offices. We speak here of a manifestation
to the minds of the redeemed.(1)In this manner, for instance, they will be led
to know and meditate upon His priesthood; a capacityin which He gave
Himself as a sacrifice for us. And the redeemed, gazing upon Him thus, will
dwell with enlargedcomprehensionupon the wonders of His dying love, in its
source, in its process, andin its results.(2)In this manner, again, they will also
know and meditate upon His royalty; a capacityin which He undertook the
government of all beings and of all worlds, that their redemption and the
purposes of the Godheadmight be completed and performed.
3. In the heavenly world the manifestationof the Saviour's person and offices
will be unchanging and eternal. Yes, there will be no shrouding of Him, there
will be no withdrawal of Him, there will be no separationfrom Him. He is the
Rootof the tree; and that Rootwill never dry or fail to circulate its fertilising
influences. He is the Shechinah of the temple; and that Shechinah will never
be obscured or extinguished, He is the Sun of the firmament: and that Sun
will never be clouded, or decline, or set, or cease from pouring out the beams
of its "high, eternalnoon."
II. THE GLORIOUS MANIFESTATION OF THE LORD JESUS IN THE
HEAVENLY WORLD WILL PRODUCE ANIMATING AND
DELIGHTFUL INFLUENCES ON ALL TO WHOM IT IS REVEALED.
1. From the manifestationof the Lord Jesus there will be securedpurity. The
characterof the Lord Jesus Himself is that of unsullied purity; and it is
impossible but that there should be an assimilating influence exercisedupon
all those who are brought spiritually to commune with Him. Surely these who
have been redeemedby His precious blood from our apostate race, willfind,
in their contemplation of Him, reasons forincessant and invariable
conformity to His likeness. Besidesthis, we must remember the nature of
those employments, in which He will engage them while they shall dwell

before Him. And so it is, according to the conclusionof inspiration, that "we
shall be like Him" because "we shallsee Him as He is"; and we shall be like
Him for ever, because we shallsee Him for ever.
2. This manifestationwill also be found to secure pleasure.
3. The manifestation of the Saviour's presence in the heavenly world also, we
find, secures praise.
(1)It is the praise of worship.
(2)It is the praise of gratitude.
(J. Parsons.)
J. McCosh.
I. The vision is setbefore us to remind us of THE METHOD OF
ATONEMENT;it is by the blood of Jesus, as ofa lamb without blemish and
without spot. Amid all the error abounding in this world there are few so
infatuated as to maintain that they have not committed sin. Hew is this sin to
be forgiven? By our repentance and reformation, may possibly be the reply.
But till there is a work of grace upon the heart there can be no genuine
repentance, no godly reformation. There may be feelings of remorse and
regret; but these are not penitence. But granting, for the sake ofargument,
that man could of himself wring out a true repentance, still it can be shown
that there is nothing in that repentance to make atonement for pastsin. In no
case canit make any amends to the insulted justice of God. Perhaps you now
say that you trust in the mercy of God. You trust, you say, in the mercy of
God; but how is this mercy to be exercised? Mercyis not the sole perfectionof
God. Holiness and justice — these are as essentialto His nature as
benevolence. How, then, can God be just, and yet the justifier of the ungodly?
Human reasoncangive no intelligent, no satisfactoryanswerto this question.
The mind feels that it has nothing to reston; no truth on which the

understanding can settle and the heart repose, till such time as it sees "a
Lamb as it had been slain, in the very midst of the throne of God."
II. The vision is set before us to remind us of THE CHARACTER OF JESUS,
of His meekness andgentleness, so fitted to win the human heart. The
question under the last head was, How is God to be reconciledto man? The
Questionunder this head is, How is man to be reconciledto God? How is his
confidence to be won and his heart engaged?
1. I remark that in order to the gaining of the feelings of the heart it is needful
that the consciencebe pacified. A troubled consciencealways leads the mind
to avoid, as if instinctively, the remembrance of the party offended. There
cannot be true and filial love in a mind in which conscience has notbeen
appeased, nor canthere be any of those allied graces, suchas faith and
confidence, hope and joy, which ought to fill and animate the soul. Notonly
so, but in order to gain the heart there must be a free, a full, and an instant
forgiveness. It must be free; for it cannotbe purchasedor earnedby us. It
mast be full; for if anything were left unforgiven the consciencewouldstill
reproach. Observe how all this is securedin the very view here presentedto
our fatten. The Lamb, the image of gentleness,in the midst of the throne,
shows that God is pacified, and the blood that flows from it proves that this
has been done in strict accordancewith justice. The conscience, the law in the
heart, is satisfied, for God Himself, the law-giver, is satisfied. The believer, as
he looks to the object setup, can say, "It is God that justifieth; who is he that
condemneth?"
2. But secondly, in order to gain the heart there must be a lovely object
presentedto it. Such an objectis presented in Jesus, a Lamb as it had been
slain. The characterofour Lord, setforth as an objecton which the faith and
affectionof mankind may rest, has in itself everything that is grand and
attractive. Just as fleece is a beauty in shape and colourthat pleases the eye,
and a sweetness ofsound that delights the ear, so there is a moral loveliness
that should draw towards it the affections of the soul. But here, in the
characterof God setforth in the face of His Son, we have all kinds of beauty
meeting and harmoniously blending. In the Mediator the Divine and human
natures are united in such a manner that the one does not destroy or

overpowerthe other, but eachretains its own properties, while the whole is a
unity. The brightness of the Father's glory, without being shorn of a single
ray, is seenin Christ under a milder lustre. Coldness and indifference are
dispelled when we think that in drawing near to Jesus it is man coming to
man. Unbelief vanishes when we realise that we have a brother's heart beating
for us on the throne of glory. While our hearts are naturally drawn by
sentiments and sympathies towards every brother man, there are certain men
of classesofmen towards whom we are attracted with greaterforce;as, for
instance, towards all whose sensibilities are quick and whose feelings are
tender. And if the persons have themselves beenin trouble, if their heart has
been melted and softenedby fiery trial, our hearts go towards them in yet
fuller assurance. Disposedatall times to love such, we are especiallydrawn
towards them when we ourselves are in trouble. It is by this attracting power
that believers are drawn so closelyto their Saviour. The brotherliness of His
human nature, as well as the holy love of His Divine nature, are brought out
before us in almost every incident of His life. The forsakenlift up their head
and are comforted in communion with Him who was Himself forsaken. Every
one acquainted with man's nature knows that if his heart is gainedit must be
gained by love. It must be by presenting a loving object. Such is the loving
objectset before us — a Lamb as it had been slain.
III. The vision is set before us to remind us that JESUS IS THE GRAND
SOURCE OF JOY TO THE SAINTS IN HEAVEN. As it was the view of
Christ crucified that first gained the heart of the sinner, so it is a view of the
same object seenin the visions of faith that continues to keepand fix his
regards. The faith that saves does not consistof a single glance;"looking unto
Jesus" is the habitual attitude of the believer's soul. Led to love the Lamb of
God when on earth, trained by the Spirit of God and by all the dispensations
of God to love Him more and more, he finds when he has crossedthe dark
valley of the shadow of death that the first objectthat meets his eye, and the
most conspicuous, is a Lamb as it had been slain. But we cannot utter that
which is unutterable, or describe that which is indescribable; and so we
cannot picture or so much as conceive of that joy unspeakable and full of
glory which the believer feels on his first entering into the presence of his
Saviour, and which he is to enjoy for ever. True, there will be enjoyments not

flowing so directly, though still proceeding indirectly from Him. There will be
joys springing from the holy affections ofconfidence and love, which Christ
by His Spirit plants in the breasts of His people. These graces,flowing,
overflowing, and everincreasing, will be a source of greatand ever-deepening
happiness throughout eternity. Again, there will be joys springing from the
glorious societyof heaven, from the company of saints and angels. The
question has often been asked, Where is heaven? We may not be able to
answerit geographically, but we can answerit truly. It is where Jesus is.
"Where I am, there ye shall be also."
1. A man must be born again before he can enter the kingdom of God.
2. Oh, that I had but lived in the days when Jesus sojournedon the earth! is
the wish that will sometimes rise up in our breasts. Oh, that I had but seenHis
sacredpersoni Oh, that I had but heard His gracious words!These wishes, if
proceeding from a sincere and sanctified heart, may yet be gratified, lie who
was dead is alive, and behold He liveth for evermore. As He was on earth, so is
He now in heaven.
(J. McCosh.)
The Zion -- the lamb
Lyman Abbott, D. D.
He lookedfor a lion; he saw a lamb; the Greek says "little lamb" — lamb,
emblem of meekness;little lamb, emblem of apparent meekness;slain,
emblem of sacrifice. And yet this lamb had sevenhorns and Seven eyes;the
horns, emblem of power; sevenhorns, emblem of perfect power; eyes, emblem
of wisdom; seven eyes, emblem of perfect wisdom. We continually make this
mistake;we think that it is might that rules; we look for a lion. We think that
the powerin government is to be found in congresses,presidents, kings,
armies, and have not yet learned that the power is in homes and wives and
mothers. The disciples, when Christ came, were looking for a lion. They
believed that the Messiahwould appear suddenly, and the hosts of heaven
would gather about Him and the hosts of paganismwould gatheragainstHim,

and in one terrible lastbattle He would conquer and ride victorious over a
bloody field. But when the angeltold the watching shepherds the Messiahwas
come, the angel also saidto them, "This is the sign of His Messiahship — that
He is but a babe, and a babe cradled in s manger." "BecauseThouhast died,
and hast purchasedus unto God, Thou art worthy to receive powerand riches
and wisdom and might and glory and honour and blessings." Powerbelongs
to love. The most potent of all earth's potencies love. Only love has any right
to power. It is not the lion, it is the lamb that conquers. The eagle is dead, the
lamb lives on for ever. To the "lamb" belongs the world's wealth. It is not the
greedy, ravening lions that acquire wealth, it is the lamb. Only the lamb is
worthy to receive riches. They do not belong to shrewdselfishness, but to
large-minded love. No man has a right to wealth save he who holds it as a
trust and administers it in love. It is only love that is worthy to be rich; nay, it
is only love that really has riches;for we have not what we hold in our hand,
but what ministers to life. It is love serving and sacrificing itself for others that
alone is worthy to be rich, that alone is truly rich. It is love only that is
wisdom. The cynic and the misanthrope pride themselves on their knowledge
of human nature. They know just as much of it as a man might know of the
cold earth who did not know there were any seeds beneaththe surface. It is
love only that is wise;for love sees the possibility in human nature which eyes
blinded by cynicism fail to see. It is love which sees a future statesmanin a
rail-splitter. It is love which sees the emancipator of Europe in the monk. Love
looks beneaththe surface and sees the Divine in humanity. Wisdom belongs to
love. It was the Lamb that saw in the publican Matthew the greatbiographer:
the Lamb that saw in the recreantand unstable Simon the great Apostle
Peter. And to the "Lamb ,t belong the glory, and the honour, and the blessing
— not to power, not to wisdom, save as powerand wisdom are used by love to
make itself impart more. There are ranks and hierarchies of glory. Conscience
is a greatglory — consciencethatsees righteousnessandunderstands it; and
faith is a greatglory — faith that rejoices in the invisible and the eternal; and
hope is a greatglory — hope that beckons onthe man to a largerand nobler
and yet larger and nobler achievement. But bestand highest of all is love. And
so to love will come the song of universal blessing. To the lamb, and the little
lamb as it had been slain. We worship Thee, O God, not for Thy power,

though that powerwe might fear; nor for Thy wisdom, though that wisdom
we must admire; we worship Thee for Thy love.
(Lyman Abbott, D. D.)
The lamb on the throne
George Matheson, D. D.
The first impressionof these words must have been one of the most startling
originality. To that old world the idea of a lamb on a throne was a
contradiction in terms. I do not mean that the ancient earth was a strangerto
gentleness. To combine in one nature the elements of the lion and of the lamb
would be as natural for Livy as it was for the writer of the Apocalypse. But
the old Paganworld, like the pre-Christian Jewishworld, could never sayof
this element of gentleness,"Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the
glory"; the kingdom, the power, and the glory were not for it. The part of
man's nature reservedfor them was the self-asserting part. No nation that I
know had a lamb as a symbol of its greatness. The Romanwould have
understood an eagle on the throne, for his ideal was the soaring of ambition.
The Jew would have understood a lion on the throne, for his Messiahwas a
physical conqueror. But the lamb was evervictim, the symbol of the
vanquished, the sign of the dependent soul. Its place was not the throne, but
the altar; it could never be the emblem of dominion. It suggeststo us that even
in our days we have a strong view of Christ's exaltation. What is our view of
Christ's exaltation? It is that He has vanquished His Cross, ceasedto be a
servant, and become once more a king. St. John says it is the Cross itself
which has been exalted, it is the Servant Himself who has been ennobled. No
one will deny that at the present hour Christ occupies a different position in
the world from that which He held in the first century of our era. He has
passedfrom the foot to the head of the socialladder; He has become the name
that is above every name. This will be admitted by all classes — believing and
unbelieving. What is the cause ofthis transformation? It is that Christianity
exerts more physical powerover the world in our days than it did in the days
of St. John? Assuredly not. In point of fact it does not exert more physical

power. There are laws in every Christian land as to the regulation of
Christian worship, but no individual man is compelledto worship. Why then
is it that, in some sense, men of every creedand of no creedbow down before
the name of Jesus? It is because the thing which the old world disparagedis
the thing which the new world prizes. We are living after the resurrection;but
let us never forgetthat it is the resurrectionof the Crucified. The Christ who
has risen from the grave is not Christ who has triumphed over suffering; it is
a Christ in whom suffering has triumphed. And let us begin by asking what
was that kingdom which the seerof Patmos had in his mind when he claimed
for Christ the throne of universal dominion. If the empire to be conquered be
a physical one, it is not a lamb that will do it. No man who lookedfor a
physical conquestcould for a moment have conceivedthe simile of a world
held in restraint by the power of a sacrificiallife. But suppose now we testthe
logic of St. John's words by another empire. For there is another empire — a
kingdom more unruly than the physical, more hard to subdue and more
difficult to keep;it is the dominion of the human heart. The kingdom to be
conquered, then, is the heart; we may consider this as settled. The next
question is, How is the conquestto be made? Now, at the time when St. John
wrote there had already been three attempts to dealwith the problem of the
heart. They may be described under the names Stoicism, Buddhism, and
Judaism. Stoicismproposedto quell the passions ofthe heart by plucking out
the heart altogether;it soughtto get rid of temptation by getting rid of feeling.
Buddhism proposedto quell the passions ofthe heart by teaching that the
heart itself was a delusion, that every pursuit of human desire ended in the
discoverythat the objectwas a shadow. Judaism proposedto quell the
passions ofthe heart by the restraining hand of fear; it proclaimed the
presence ofa lawgiver; it setup an embankment againstthe flood;. it kept the
tree of life by the cherubim and the flaming sword. Now, to these three
methods there is one thing in common — they all achieve their end by
contracting the objectof their search. Their aim is to conquer a certaintract
of country; they do conquer it, but they reduce it to the ashes in the process.
Can any of these systems be said to possessthe throne of the heart? It is a
conquestwithout a kingdom, a victory without a prize, a triumph that has
been only purchased by the mutilation of what was made to be beautiful. Now,
this is not the conquestwhich any man desires. Even in the physical sphere,

what a potentate seeks is an extended, not a contractedpossession. In the
sphere of the heart it is the same. The reasonwhy we objectto lawless passion
in the soul is that it contracts the soul. We do not want to cure either by
plucking, withering, or stunting the flower; we wish to expand it. We wish to
cure lawless passionon the homoeopathic principle — by creating passionon
the other side. It is more life and fuller that we want. You want a counter-
passion, an opposing attraction, a positive stimulus pushing the other way.
The desire of the flesh can only be met by the desire of the spirit — the thing
calledlove. Now, remember that to St. John light is ever the analogue oflove.
He applies the two names as synonymous descriptions of God. And why?
Becauseto his mind there was an identity betweenthe process ofthe
redemption of the flowerby light and the redemption of the heart by love. The
light conquers the flower. It conquers, not by contracting, but by expanding
the flower. But there is one other thing which must be added to this; it
conquers by dying for the flower; ere it can bring out the bloom it must itself
be slain. For, what is the process by which the flower is kindled? It is an actof
death on the part of the kindling substance. So far from waiting till it grows, it
must itself be the principle of its growth. It must go down to it in the dark and
in the cold, must take part in its darkness and its coldness. If it reaps the glory
of its resurrection, it is because it shares the ignominy of its grave. It sits upon
the throne by reasonofits sacrifice. Suchis the thought which St. John sees in
light and transfers to love. He sees Christsitting on the throne of human
hearts — King, by the most infallible mode of conquest, and by a conquest
that enhances the value of the possession.
(George Matheson, D. D.)
The atonement
Bp. Stevens.
The mere crucifixion of any slave has in it that which would excite
compassion;but this event has no parallel in the history of the world; never
was a death like the death of Jesus.

1. As we look at this Lamb of God, let us mark the direful malignity of sin.
2. But we see in the Lamb slain, not only the work of sin, but the work of love.
Review the whole history of this Lamb of God, and as we feel that He crowned
all this love by dying in our stead, that we might have life, let us ask ourselves
what return of love ought we to make to Him who loved us evenunto death
(Romans 12:1).
(Bp. Stevens.)
Having
Union with Christ by the Spirit
H. C. G. Moule, M. A.
The mystical scene before us is the appearance ofthe Lord, once crucified,
once sacrificed, and now the Conqueror, in the heavenly sanctuary; at, and
then upon, the heavenly throne. It is the ascension, it is the triumph of the
Lord ascended, shownto us in sign and symbol, from the point of view of
heaven. It is a new fact, a new phenomenon, in the holy region. The Lord of
propitiation, of redemption, is seenhere as the immediate fountain-head for
earth, the sacredpoint of radiation downward, of the sevenfoldSpirit. To the
Spirit, I venture to believe, refer not only the seven mystical eyes but the seven
horns, the symbol of perfectspiritual power. I wish to speak ofour union by
the Holy Spirit with our exaltedLord; of the life of the true members in their
Head through the Divine Lifegiver, that Head being the Lamb that was slain.
Now, the union of Christ with His people and of them with Him is a truth
which may be described, in the light of the New Testament, as not only a great
truth of spiritual life, but the truth of truths. It is relatedto all other kindred
doctrines as that which combines, harmonises, and explains them. It appears
as the end where they appear as means. Hither they gather and converge. If
any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His. That word, "the
Spirit of Christ," reminds us of Him who is the earthward eyes, who is, as it
were, the effluent presence for His Church below, of the exalted Lamb. The
Paraclete comes, andbehold He mediates and makes for the Christian's soul

and selfa presence of the Lord which somehow is better, far better, for the
Christian in this his pilgrimage and tabernacle than even the joy and glory, if
it were granted, of His Saviour's corporealproximity. It is "in the Spirit" that
the saint, that is to say the genuine Christian here below, "has access"in
Christ unto the Father. It is those who are "led by the Spirit" who are in truth
and deed, not in a certain sense, but in reality and nature, "the sons of God"
in His Son. It is "by the Spirit" that they "mortify," they continuously do to
death, "the deeds of the body," in the powerand name of Christ. It is "by the
Spirit" that they "walk" in Christ. It is "because ofthe Spirit dwelling in
them," a truth full of deep significance as to the nature of the body of the
resurrection, that "their mortal body shall be quickened" in the day when
their Lord from heaven shall change it into likeness to His own. Of that
harvest the indwelling Spirit is the first-fruits. Of that inheritance He is the
earnest. So the sevenfold One is sent forth into all the earth, as the eyes, as the
presence, ofthe exaltedLamb of the blessedSacrifice.It is by Him, and by
Him alone, that that presence is in the Church and is in the Christian. "Sent
forth into all the earth": from the presence of the blessed, from the heaven of
heavens, into all the earth; from the heart of God to the heart of man; from
amidst the song of the heavenly elders to you and to me, to the concrete
circumstances ofour life to-day, to the stones and dust and thorns and
pollutions in our path, to the snares and the illusions, to the crowds and to the
solitude, of earth. Yes, He is sent forth into the present, the visible, the
temporal. He is intended, He intends Himself, to be no dreamy abstraction
above our heads and hearts, but to be the inmost Friend, the living strength,
the infinitely ready and versatile resource and expedient, of the hour of your
temptation and of mine. Over the real "deeds of our body," He is able to give
victory. Our tremendously real "infirmities," He is here and now able to
subvent, to "help," to transfigure into strength, as to us who look for Him He
"makes perfectin our weakness" the strength of the Lamb who has overcome.
He is able so to undertake our feeble, our erring steps, that we shall "walk by
the Spirit," and, in a blessedreality of deliverance, "not fulfil the lusts of the
flesh," yea, in all the range of the meaning of that phrase. He is able, and
indeed He is willing, here and now, to take and shew to us the things of that
Christ of whom He is the eyes and presence here below. He is able to make all
the flying days and hours of inestimable and never-returning time sacredto

us, and yet to take out of them all anxiety; to fill the heart with the things
eternal and yet to open to it as no other touch cando all that is truly rich and
beautiful in the things of this life. He is able, in a word, having united us to
Christ, to make that union "a living, bright reality, a possession" that we use
as well as have, in the whole of life. "All these things workeththat one and the
self-same Spirit, dividing to every man severallyas He will." And, meanwhile,
He worketh thus as the eyes, as the presence, ofthe Lamb. All is drawn from,
all is relatedto, Christ, still Christ, Christ glorified, Christ crucified. Ah, be
that in its turn recorded and remembered. Of whom is this Holy One the
presence? Whoselife, and love, and peace, and power does He convey and
mediate to the heart and life He has Himself regenerated, breathing where He
listeth, but so breathing that "thou hearestthe sound" of the heavenly wind in
the being that He vivifies? It is not a merely abstractChrist, if I may use the
phrase. It is not merely archetypal goodness, righteousness, truth and beauty,
It is the Lamb that was slain. It is the propitiation. It is the sinner's Prince of
peace.
(H. C. G. Moule, M. A.)
The seveneyes of the slain Lamb
A. Maclaren, D. D.
The eye seems a singular symbol for the Spirit, but it may be used as
suggesting the swiftest and subtlest way in which the influences of a human
spirit pass out into the external universe. The teaching of this emblem, then,
is: "He, being by the right hand of Godexalted, and having receivedthe
promise of the Father, sheds forth this." The whole fulness of spiritual Divine
poweris in the hand of Christ to impart to the world.
I. THE "SLAIN LAMB" IS THE LORD AND GIVER OF THE SPIRIT. He
"hath the sevenspirits of God." Whatsoeverthere is, in Deity, of spirit and
power; whatsoeverofswift flashing energy; whatsoeverofgentleness and
grace;whatsoeverof holiness and splendour; all inheres in the Man Christ
Jesus;unto whom even in His earthly lowliness and humiliation, the Spirit

was not given by measure, but unto whom in the loftiness of His heavenly life
that Spirit is given in yet more wondrous fashion than in His humiliation. But
it is not as the recipient, but as the bestowerofthe Spirit, that He comes
before us in the greatwords of my text. All that He has of God He has that He
may give. Whatsoeveris His is ours; we share in His fulness and we possess
His grace.
II. Look at the representationhere given of THE INFINITE VARIETY OF
GIFTS WHICH CHRIST BESTOWS, The number "seven," ofcourse, at
once suggeststhe idea of perfectionand completeness.So that the thought
emerges ofthe endless, boundless manifoldness and wonderful diversity of the
operations of this greatlife-spirit that streams from Jesus Christ. Think of the
number of designations by which that Spirit is describedin the New
Testament. In regardto all that belongs to intellectual life, He is "the Spirit of
wisdom" and of "illumination in the knowledge ofChrist," He is "the Spirit
of truth." In regardto all that belongs to the spiritual life, "He is the Spirit of
holiness," the "Spirit of liberty"; the Spirit of self-control, or, as rendered in
our Bible, "ofa sound mind"; the "Spirit of love." In regard to all that
belongs to the practicallife, "He is the Spirit of counseland of might"; the
"Spirit of power." In regardto all that belongs to the religious life, "He is the
Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba! Father!" the "Spirit of grace and of
supplication"; the "Spirit of life." So, over the whole round of man's capacity
and nature, all his intellectual, moral, practical and religious being, there are
gifts which fit eachside and eachpart of it. Whatsoevera man needs, that he
will find in the infinite variety of the spiritual help and strength which the
Lamb slain is ready to give. It is like the old fable of the manna, which the
Rabbis tell us tastedupon eachlip preciselywhat eachman chose. So this
nourishment from above becomes to every man what eachman requires.
Waterwill take the shape of any vesselinto which you choose to pour it; the
Spirit of Godassumes the form that is imposed upon it by our weaknessesand
needs.
III. THE UNBROKEN CONTINUITYOF THE GIFTS which the slain Lamb
has to give. The word "sent" might be rendered "being sent," expressive ofa
continual impartation. Ah! God's Spirit is not given once in a way and then
stops. It is given, not by fits and starts. There are variations in our

receptiveness;there are no variations in its steadyefflux. Does the sun shine at
different rates? Are its beams cut off sometimes, or poured out with less
energy, or is it only the position of the earth that makes the difference between
the summer and the winter, the day and the night, whilst the greatcentralorb
is raying out at the same rate all through the murky darkness, allthrough the
frosty days? And so the gifts of Jesus Christpour out from Him at a uniform
continuous rate, with no breaks in the golden beams, with no pauses in the
continual flow.
IV. THE UNIVERSAL DIFFUSION OF THESE GIFTS. "Sevenspirits of
God sent forth into all the earth." The words are a quotation from a
remarkable prophecy in the book of Zechariah, which speaks aboutthe
"seveneyes of God," running "to and fro overall the earth." There are no
limitations of these gifts to any one race or nation as there were in the old
times, nor any limitations either to a democracy. "OnMy servants and on My
handmaidens will I pour out of My Spirit." In olden days the mountain tops
were touched with the rays, and all the lowly valleys lay deep in the shadow
and the darkness. Now the risen sunshine pours down into the deepestclefts,
and no heart so poor, no illiterate so ignorant but that it may receive the full
sunshine of that Spirit. Every Christian man and woman is inspired, not to be
a teacherof infallible truth, but inspired in the true and deep sense that in
them dwells the Spirit of Jesus Christ. All of us, weak, sinful, as we are,
ignorant and bewildered often, may possess thatDivine life to live in our
hearts. Only remember it is the slain Lamb that gives the Spirit. And unless
we are looking to that Lamb, slain as our hope and confidence, we shall not
receive it.
(A. Maclaren, D. D.)
The sevenfoldoffices of the Holy Spirit
J. Vaughan, M. A.
The sevenoperations of the Holy Ghostare —

1. First as the Convincerof sin. There is a certain consciousnessofsin which
may be without the Holy Ghost. There is scarcelyany man who is not aware
that he has done many wrong things. But there are two things in that man's
sense ofsin which prevent its being real repentance. He does not view his sins
as grieving God, still less as having crucified Christ.
2. Then the Holy Ghost will show that man the real and only ground of all
pardon. He will show him that Christ has been to this world to this very end,
to bear our sins.
3. Then comes the great, blessedoffice of the Holy Ghost, to be our
Comforter. First He makes us so to acceptGod's mercy that we rest in our
forgiveness. And when the Holy Ghost has given us this first and chief
comfort, then He will continue to be our Comforter every day in all our other
sorrows. Othercomforters generallytry to remove our sorrow by making us
forgetit, or by putting something in its place. The Holy Ghostdoes not do
that. He finds the elements of His comfort in the sorrow. He turns it into joy.
4. Then the Holy Ghost is the GreatTeacher. He teaches as none else can ever
teach. And for this reasonHe has the mind of God. And when He comes into
our mind, He makes that mind to conform to the mind of God.
5. And He sanctifies. Thatis His greataim — to imbue us with Himself, to
make us like God. In the Divine alchemy every metal turns to gold. A higher
motive; a whole heart; a humble spirit; an untiring love; an inward
communion of all thoughts — that changes, that purifies, that elevates. The
old nature becomes gradually the new man, and GodHimself sees us in Him;
sees His own image, and He is satisfied.
6. From that time we carry within us wherever we go an inward light, a spring
of joy, a voice which says so gently and yet so distinctly, "This is the way, walk
ye in it; when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left."
7. And, finally, in all these wonderful and living ways, the Holy Ghost puts a
sealupon us. He impresses us in our inner and outer life, with that image of
the superscriptionof God — that badge of our high calling.
(J. Vaughan, M. A.)

STUDYLIGHT RESOURCES
Adam Clarke Commentary
Stooda Lamb - Christ, so calledbecause he was a sacrificialoffering; αρνιον
signifies a little or delicate lamb.
As it had been slain - As if now in the act of being offered. This is very
remarkable;so important is the sacrificialoffering of Christ in the sight of
God that he is still representedas being in the very act of pouring out his
blood for the offenses of man. This gives greatadvantage to faith: when any
soul comes to the throne of grace, he finds a sacrifice there provided for him
to offer to God. Thus all succeeding generations find they have the continual
sacrifice ready, and the newly-shed blood to offer.
Sevenhorns - As horn is the emblem of power, and seventhe number of
perfection, the sevenhorns may denote the all-prevailing and infinite might of
Jesus Christ. He can support all his friends; he candestroy all his enemies;
and he can save to the uttermost all that come unto God through him.
Seveneyes - To denote his infinite knowledge and wisdom: but as these seven
eyes are said to be the seven Spirits of God, they seemto denote rather his
providence, in which he often employs the ministry of angels;therefore, these
are saidto be sent forth into all the earth. See on Revelation1:4; (note).
Copyright Statement
These files are public domain.
Bibliography

Clarke, Adam. "Commentary on Revelation5:6". "The Adam Clarke
Commentary".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/acc/revelation-5.html. 1832.
return to 'Jump List'
Albert Barnes'Notes onthe Whole Bible
And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne - We are not to suppose that
he was in the centerof the throne itself, but he was a conspicuous objectwhen
the throne and the elders and the living beings were seen. He was so placed as
to seemto be in the midst of the group made up of the throne, the living
beings, and the elders.
And of the four beasts - See the notes at Revelation4:6.
Stooda Lamb - An appellation often given to the Messiah, fortwo reasons:
(1)because the lamb was an emblem of innocence and,
(2)because a lamb was offeredcommonly in sacrifice. Compare the notes on
John 1:29.
As it had been slain - That is, in some way having the appearance of having
been slain; having some marks or indications about it that it had been slain.
What those were the writer does not specify. If it were coveredwith blood, or
there were marks of mortal wounds, it would be all that the representation
demands. The greatwork which the Redeemerperformed - that of making an
atonement for sin - was thus representedto John in such a way that he at once
recognizedhim, and saw the reasonwhy the office of breaking the seals was
entrusted to him. It should be remarked that this representationis merely
symbolic, and we are not to suppose that the Redeemerreally assumedthis
form, or that he appears in this form in heaven. We should no more suppose
that the Redeemerappear: literally as a lamb in heaven with numerous eyes
and horns, than that there is a literal throne and a sea ofglass there; that
there are “seats” there, and “elders,” and “crowns ofgold.”
Having sevenhorns - Emblems of authority and power - for the horn is a
symbol of powerand dominion. Compare Deuteronomy33:17; 1 Kings 22:11;

Jeremiah48:25; Zechariah1:18; Daniel7:24. The propriety of this symbol is
laid in the factthat the strength of an animal is in the horn, and that it is by
this that he obtains a victory over other animals. The number sevenhere
seems to be designed, as in other places, to denote completeness. Seethe notes
on Revelation1:4. The meaning is, that he had so large a number as to denote
complete dominion.
And seveneyes - Symbols of intelligence. The number sevenhere also denotes
completeness;and the idea is, that he is able to survey all things. John does
not sayanything as to the relative arrangement of the horns and eyes on the
“Lamb,” and it is vain to attempt to conjecture how it was. The whole
representationis symbolical, and we may understand the meaning of the
symbol without being able to form an exact conceptionof the figure as it
appearedto him.
Which are the sevenSpirits of God sent forth into all the earth - See the notes
on Revelation1:4. That is, which representthe sevenSpirits of God; or the
manifold operations of the one Divine Spirit. As the eye is the symbol of
intelligence - outward objects being made visible to us by that - so it may well
representan all-pervading spirit that surveys and sees allthings. The eye, in
this view, among the Egyptians was an emblem of the Deity. By the “seven
Spirits” here the same thing is doubtless intended as in Revelation1:4; and if,
as there supposed, the reference is to the Holy Spirit considered with respect
to his manifold operations, the meaning here is, that the operations of that
Spirit are to be regarded as connectedwith the work of the Redeemer. Thus,
all the operations of the Spirit are connectedwith, and are a part of, the work
of redemption. The expression“sentforth into all the earth,” refers to the fact
that that Spirit prevades all things The Spirit of God is often representedas
sent or poured out; and the meaning here is, that his operations are as if he
was sent out to survey all things and to operate everywhere. Compare 1
Corinthians 12:6-11.
Copyright Statement

Bibliography
Barnes, Albert. "Commentaryon Revelation5:6". "Barnes'Notes onthe New
Testament". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/bnb/revelation-
5.html. 1870.
Coffman's Commentaries on the Bible
And I saw in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in
the midst of the elders, a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, having
sevenhorns, and seveneyes, which are the seven Spirits of God, sent forth into
all the earth.
A Lamb standing ... Beyond all controversy, the Lamb is Jesus Christ the Son
of God, and significantly he is in the midst of the throne, sharing eternal and
omnipotent authority with the Fatherhimself. This is the grand truth of this
chapter and of the whole book. Everything depends upon this. Some young
students may be aware that unbelieving critics have tried to eliminate this
passage;but as Beckwithsaid:
The Lamb once slain forms the very heart of the whole scene. The attempt of
Vischer and his followers to expunge the idea destroys the entire paragraph; it
is criticism run riot.[21]
"Only in the Johannine writings is Jesus called`The Lamb.'"[22]This, of
course, affords strong evidence of the same author for all of them, the
expressionbeing used "twenty-eight times in Revelation."[23]
As though it had been slain ... Scholars point out that this actually means, "as
though it had been newly slain."[24]orthat the Lamb was standing in heaven
"with its throat cut."[25]Thus, the vision proves that the death of Christ was
a historicalfact, as was also his resurrectionfrom the dead.

Having sevenhorns, and seveneyes ... Horns were familiar symbols of honor,
power, authority, and glory in the Biblical and other Hebrew literature. Caird
said of the horns, "Bythis symbol, John undoubtedly invests Christ with the
attributes of deity."[26]But not merely this symbol does so; they all do. A
Lamb standing in heaven with its throat cut undoubtedly does the same thing!
In such symbols the characterof the vision is evident. Things accountedto be
totally impossible in reality are presenteverywhere in Revelation.
The presentationof Jesus Christ as the Lamb, while being stressed
particularly in John's writings, is nevertheless a thoroughly Biblical
representation. There was the entire institution of the Passoverbuilt around
the sacrifice ofthe lamb; there was the identification of Jesus as "the Lamb of
God that takethawaythe sin of the world" by John the Baptist. Paul's
reference to "Christour passover," andthe greatSuffering PassageofIsaiah
53, wherein Jesus was comparedto the "lamb dumb before its shearers," - all
of these references show the Biblical foundation of the words here.
Some scholars have made quite a point of a different word for "lamb" in this
passage;but Lenskidiscounted this as having no significance at all. "It is
merely a linguistic matter in the Greek."[27]
Seveneyes ... These are interpreted for us as "the sevenSpirits of God, sent
forth into all the earth," another symbol of the omniscience anddivinity of the
Son of God. There is nothing in this whole passage thatdoes not proclaim this
same essentialfact. Forexample, who but God could be in "the midst of the
throne" and "in the midst of' the elders and the living creatures also? It is
childish to draw diagrams and propose to locate any of these symbols as
unalterably in one place or another. By Christ's having "the sevenspirits of
God," the quibbles of Jeremias and Windisch, etc., to the effectthat in part of
the New Testamentit is God who sends the Holy Spirit and that in others it is
Christ who does so, are refuted. What is done in this respectis done by either
or by both.
[21] Isbon T. Beckwith, op. cit., p. 510.
[22] RobertH. Mounce, op. cit., p. 145.

[23] Ibid.
[24] Watchman Nee, op. cit., p. 67.
[25] G. R. Beasley-Murray, op. cit., p. 125.
[26] G. B. Caird, op. cit., p. 75.
[27] R. C. H. Lenski, op. cit., p. 198.
Copyright Statement
James Burton Coffman Commentaries reproduced by permission of Abilene
Christian University Press, Abilene, Texas, USA. All other rights reserved.
Bibliography
Coffman, James Burton. "Commentary on Revelation5:6". "Coffman
Commentaries on the Old and New Testament".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/bcc/revelation-5.html. Abilene
Christian University Press, Abilene, Texas, USA. 1983-1999.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible
And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts,....
These words, "in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts", are leftout
in the Syriac version:
and in the midst of the elders stooda Lamb; John, upon the intimation given
him by the elder, lift up his eyes, and with greatearnestness lookedabout, and
saw the person he pointed at, though not in the form of a lion, but in the
appearance ofa lamb, to which Christ, both in the Old and New Testament, is
often compared; and that very aptly, for his innocence and purity of nature;
for his harmless and inoffensive conversation;and for his meek and humble
deportment throughout the whole of his life; and for his patience at the time
of his sufferings and death; and for his usefulness both for food and clothing

to his people; and chiefly for his sacrifice forthem, typified both by the
passoverlamb, and by the lambs of the daily sacrifice:hence it follows,
as it had been slain; or "as having been slain"; Christ had been really slain by
the wickedhands of the Jews, and not in appearance only; the as, here, is not
a note of mere similitude and likeness,but of reality and truth; see John1:14;
but he was now risen from the dead, and therefore is said to have been slain
some time before, though now alive; and he appeared to have the marks of his
sufferings and death upon him, as he had after his resurrectionthe print of
the nails and spear, in his hands, feet, and side; and he was as a lamb that had
been newly or lately slain: and it may denote the continued efficacyof his
blood, to cleanse from all sin, and of his sacrifice to take it away; he was as a
Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, with respect to the continual
virtue of his blood and sacrifice;and he will be, on the same account, the
Lamb as it had been slain, unto the end of the world. The position and
situation of this Lamb were, he "stoodin the midst of the throne, and of the
four beasts, and in the midst of the elders";he "stood", being risen from the
dead, and ascendedup into heaven, but was not as yet set down upon the
throne with his Father, but was very near it; he stoodbefore it, ready to be
placed upon it, and receive his power and his kingdom; he stoodbetweenthe
throne, and betweenthe living creatures, and the elders, being the Mediator
betweenGod, and his church, and people; he, appearedbefore the throne for
them, as their advocate, and stoodready to give them all the assistance, andto
do them all the good he could: and this his situation may also denote, that he is
continually in view, is always in the sight of God, as the Lamb that had been
slain; his blood is carried within the vail, is sprinkled upon the mercy seat,
and is always in sight, and calls for peace and pardon; and God the Father
always looks upon it, and to his righteousness, sacrifice, andsatisfaction, on
accountof his people:moreover, his being in the midst of the four living
creatures, and elders, may signify his presence in his churches, and with his
ministers, which he has promised them to the end of the world. This Lamb is
further represented,
as having sevenhorns; it is very unusual for a lamb to have horns, and
especiallyseven:these horns are expressive of the power of Christ, of his
dominion and government, even of his kingly power and authority; so kings

are signified by horns in Daniel8:20; and Christ himself is calledthe horn of
David, and the horn of salvation, Psalm132:17;and signify, that upon his
resurrectionfrom the dead, and ascensionto heaven, he was made and
declaredLord and Christ; and the number "seven" expresses the fulness and
perfection of his power and authority, having, as Mediator, all powerin
heaves and in earth given him; and what is above all power, might, dominion,
and every name in this world, and that to come;and may have some relation
to the sevenstates of his churches in so many periods of time; and show not
only that he has powersufficient to protectand defend his people in all times,
and to push at and destroy his and their enemies, but to open the then sealed
book, and unloose the seals:and as another qualification for this work, it
follows,
and seveneyes, which are the sevenspirits of God sent into all the earth;
which some understand of angels, and of a sufficient number of them, which
belong to Christ, and are at his command, and who are ready to do his will,
and to be sent forth by him, into the severalparts of the earth, to execute his
pleasure:but these rather designthe Spirit of God and his gifts, which Christ
receivedwithout measure, both in his human nature, at his incarnation, and
after his resurrectionfrom the dead, and ascension;which he bestowedon his
apostles and ministering servants, whom he sent forth into all the world, to
preach his Gospelwith them; and which he has, more or less, ever since
continued to do. The Ethiopic version reads in the singular number, "and this
is the Spirit of God which is sent into all the earth"; See Gill on Revelation
1:4; these "seveneyes" may designthe perfectknowledge ofChrist, his
foresightof future events, and his all wise providence, which is always and
everywhere concernedto fulfil and accomplishthem; so that he is every way
qualified to take the book of future events, as to the church and world, and
revealit, open and explain it, and fulfil the things contained in it; see
Zechariah 3:9.
Copyright Statement

The New John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible Modernisedand adapted
for the computer by Larry Pierce of Online Bible. All Rightes Reserved,
Larry Pierce, Winterbourne, Ontario.
A printed copy of this work can be ordered from: The Baptist Standard
Bearer, 1 Iron Oaks Dr, Paris, AR, 72855
Bibliography
Gill, John. "Commentary on Revelation5:6". "The New John Gill Exposition
of the Entire Bible".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/geb/revelation-5.html. 1999.
Geneva Study Bible
And I beheld, and, lo, 7 in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and
in the midst of the elders, stooda Lamb as it had been slain, having seven
horns and seveneyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the
earth.
(7) The sum of this revelation: Christ the mediator takes and opens the book
(Revelation5:6,7). Therefore this revelationdescribes the person of Christ.
The personis describedthis way: Christ the mediator betweenGod, angels
and men, as the eternal word of God, and our redeemer: as the Lamb of God,
standing as slain and making intercessionfor us by the powerand merit of his
everlasting sacrifice, is armed with the Spirit of God, that is, with the power
and wisdom of God effectuallyto the government of this whole world.
Copyright Statement
Text Courtesyof BibleSupport.com. Used by Permission.
Bibliography

Beza, Theodore. "Commentaryon Revelation5:6". "The 1599 Geneva Study
Bible". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/gsb/revelation-5.html.
1599-1645.
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
I beheld, and, lo — One oldestmanuscript, A, omits “and, lo.” Another, B,
Cyprian, etc., support, “and, lo,” but omit, “and I beheld.”
in the midst of the throne — that is, not on the throne (compare Revelation
5:7), but in the midst of the company (Revelation4:4) which was “round
about the throne.”
Lamb — Greek, “{(arnion}”;always found in Revelationexclusively, except
in John 21:15 alone:it expresses endearment, namely, the endearing relation
in which Christ now stands to us, as the consequenceofHis previous relation
as the sacrificialLamb. So also our relation to Him: He the precious Lamb,
we His dear lambs, one with Him. Bengelthinks there is in Greek,
“{(arnion},” the idea of taking the lead of the flock. Another object of the
form Greek, “{(arnion},” the Lamb, is to put Him in the more marked
contrastto Greek, “{(therion},” the Beast. Elsewhere Greek, “{(amnos},” is
found, applying to Him as the paschal, sacrificialLamb (Isaiah53:7,
Septuagint; John 1:29, John 1:36; Acts 8:32; 1 Peter1:19).
as it had been slain — bearing marks of His past death wounds. He was
standing, though bearing the marks of one slain. In the midst of heavenly
glory Christ crucified is still th)e prominent object.
sevenhorns — that is, perfect)might, “seven” symbolizing perfection;
“horns,” might, in contrast)to the horns of the Antichristian world powers,
Revelation17:3; etc.;Daniel 7:7, Daniel 7:20; {Dan_8:3}.
seveneyes … the sevenSpirits … sent forth — So one oldestmanuscript, A.
But B reads, “being sent forth.” As the seven lamps before the throne
representthe Spirit of God immanent in the Godhead, so the seveneyes of the
Lamb represent the same sevenfold Spirit profluent from the incarnate

Redeemerin His world-wide energy. The Greek for “se)nt forth,”
{apostellomena}, orelse {apestalmenoi}, is akin to the term “apostle,”
reminding us of the Spirit-impelled labors of Christ‘s apostles andminister
throughout the world: if the present tense be read, as seems best, the idea will
be that of those labors continually going on unto the end. “Eyes” symbolize
His all-watchful and wise providence for His Church, and againsther foes.
Copyright Statement
These files are a derivative of an electronic edition prepared from text
scannedby Woodside Bible Fellowship.
This expanded edition of the Jameison-Faussett-BrownCommentary is in the
public domain and may be freely used and distributed.
Bibliography
Jamieson, Robert, D.D.;Fausset,A. R.; Brown, David. "Commentary on
Revelation5:6". "Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole
Bible". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/jfb/revelation-5.html.
1871-8.
Robertson's WordPictures in the New Testament
And I saw (και ειδον — kai eidon). Stirred by the words of the elder in
Revelation5:5 (ιδου — idou behold). “I beheld.”
In the midst (εν μεσωι — en mesōi). See Revelation4:6 for this idiom. It is not
quite clearwhere the Lamb was standing in the vision, whether close to the
throne or in the space betweenthe throne and the elders (perhaps implied by
“came” in Revelation5:7, but nearness to the throne is implied by Revelation
14:1; Acts 7:56; Hebrews 10:11).

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