The Lamb Reigns

Jesus is the slain Lamb, the true Messiah of Israel sent by God to redeem humanity and Shepherd the Nations.

Jesus is “the Faithful Witness” and “the Ruler of the Kings of the Earth,” and these two designations are inextricably linked. The first title establishes how he obtained the second and confirmed his right to rule. By his sacrificial death, he made the saints a “Kingdom of Priests for God,” and because of his redemptive act, God resurrected and enthroned Christ to reign over the Cosmos.

However, Jesus reigns as “the Lamb who was slain,” not as a Caesar-like military conqueror. Unlike the emperors and kings of this age, the Nazarene overcame his enemies through his sacrificial death. And his example becomes the pattern of how the saints of Jesus Christ likewise overcome the Devil and his works.

[Dawn - Photo by Daniel Seßler (Munich) on Unsplash]

At the end of his letters to the Seven Churches, Jesus promises that those who overcome as he did will reign with him:

• “He that overcomes, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, just as I also overcame, and sat down with my Father on his throne. He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches” - (Revelation 3:21-22).

This passage sets the stage for what is the pivotal vision of the Book of Revelation, the scene before the Divine Throne (chapters 4 and 5). In this vision, John sees a “scroll sealed with seven seals” held in the right hand of the “one who sits on the throne.” When no one was found worthy of opening the scroll, John began to weep bitterly:

• “And I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open the scroll, or to look in it. And one of the elders says to me, Weep not! Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome to open the scroll and the seven seals. 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 seven horns, and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth” - (Revelation 5:4-6).

John heard one of the elders declare that the Lion of Judah had been victorious; however, when he looked, John saw the Slain Lamb. What John sees interprets what he first hears. Jesus is the messianic Lion of Judah, but he fulfills that role as the sacrificial Lamb.

The Greek term translated as “overcome” in Revelation 5:5 is the same Greek verb seen earlier in Revelation 3:21 (‘nikaō’, νικαω). The word means “conquer, overcome, prevail.” Thus, Jesus conquered and qualified to reign by sacrificing his own life rather than taking the lives of his enemies or anyone else.

The Greek verb translated as “slain” or ‘sphazō’ (σφαζω) means “to slay, to slaughter.” It was commonly used for the slaying of sacrificial animals, which is precisely how it is used in Chapter 5 in reference to Jesus. It is used in Chapter 6 for the martyrs who, like Jesus, were killed for their testimony:

• “And when he opened the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who have been slain [‘sphazō’] for the word of God, and for their testimony”- (Revelation 6:9).

Jesus is called ‘the Lamb’ for the first time in Chapter 5. In the Book, the name ‘Jesus’ occurs fourteen times (7 x 2) and the title ‘Christ’ seven times (7 x 1). Both numbers are multiples of seven. From this point forward in Revelation, ‘Lamb’ becomes the primary designation for Jesus, appearing a total of twenty-eight times (7 x 4).

The number ‘7’ signifies completion, and the number ‘4’ points to that which is universal (e.g., “the four corners of the Earth”). The use of ‘the Lamb’ twenty-eight times suggests his sovereignty over all things. In contrast, the term ‘lion’ is never used again in the Book.

THE LAMB’S REIGN BEGINS

Upon his arrival at the throne, the Lamb took the sealed scroll and began to open its seals. That his exaltation was based on his sacrificial death is confirmed by the heavenly voices that sang a song, declaring the Lamb worthy to reign:

•  “And they sing a new song, saying, You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain [‘sphazō’], and purchased for God with your blood men from every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation, and you made them a kingdom and priests for our God, and they reign upon the earth. <…> Worthy is the Lamb who has been slain [‘sphazō’] to receive the power, and riches, and wisdom, and might, and honor, and glory, and blessing” - (Revelation 5:9-12). 

Jesus did not cease to be the Lamb after his reign began, nor did he transform himself into an all-powerful tyrant. In Chapter 6, it is the Slain Lamb who breaks open the first six seals, not the predatory lion.

In Chapter 7, the servants of God are “sealed,” twelve thousand males from each of the twelve tribes of Israel. This is the number that John heard - a total of 144,000 Israelite men. However, when he looks, he sees a multitude so vast that “no man can number them” - (Revelation 7:1-10).

This innumerable multitude is comprised of men redeemed from every nation and people. As before, what John sees interprets what he first hears. The image of the 144,000 males from Israel is transformed into the innumerable multitude of men from every nation redeemed by the Lamb:

• “These are they that come out of the great tribulation, and they washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore, they are before the throne of God, and they serve him day and night in his sanctuary. And he who sits on the throne will spread his tabernacle over them. They will hunger no more nor thirst any longer. Neither will the sun strike upon them nor any heat. For the Lamb that is in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to fountains of living waters, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes” - (Revelation 7:14-17).

This same group is found “standing with the Lamb on Mount Zion” and singing a “new song before the Throne” in Chapter 14. No one else could learn the song except the men who had been “redeemed from the Earth” by the blood of the Lamb - (Revelation 14:1-5).

When Satan is expelled from heaven in Chapter 12, a great voice declares victory, and this is accomplished when the messianic Son is placed on the throne. This image represents the same reality as that of the Slain Lamb who was reigning on the Divine Throne. Moreover, the “brethren” overcome the Dragon by the blood of the Lamb, and not through political power or violent revolution. Like the Lamb, faithfulness in testimony may result in martyrdom:

• “And they overcame [‘nikaō’] him by the blood of the Lamb, and because of the word of their testimony, and because they loved not their life even unto death” – (Revelation 12:11).

The Lamb is certainly the Davidic Messiah promised to Israel. As the Psalmist predicted, and the Book of Revelation confirms, Jesus is the one destined to rule the nations:

• “And she was delivered of a son, a male, who is to shepherd all the nations with a rod of iron. And her child was caught up unto God, and unto his throne” - (Revelation 12:5).

• “Ask of me, and I will give you the nations for your inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for your possession. You will shepherd them with a rod of iron. You will dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel” - (Psalm  2:8-9).

The passage in Revelation 12:5 follows the Greek Septuagint translation of the Hebrew Bible, which changed the original verb for “reign” to the Greek verb for “shepherd.” Thus, the Lamb does not tyrannize the nations by shattering them with his scepter. Instead, he uses it “to shepherd” or guide the nations to life in the city of New Jerusalem.

The portrayal of Jesus as the shepherd of nations demonstrates how and why the nations and the kings of the Earth are found in the final vision of the Book, residing in the City of New Jerusalem, where they walk in the light of the Lamb. Jesus has guided them to the fountains of living waters, just as any good shepherd would do – (Revelation 21:24).

THE ROYAL SHEPHERD

The work of the Lamb as the shepherd of the nations is seen again in the vision of “the Rider on the White Horse.” He rides across the heavens with his army, as he “judges and makes war.” The members of his army are clothed in priestly robes made from “fine linen, white and pure.” This identifies them as the saints who have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb and made members of his Kingdom of Priests - (Revelation 19:11-21).

The Rider is called “Faithful and True,” leaving no doubt that he represents Jesus, “the Faithful Witness.” Yet the only weapon carried by the Rider is the “sword” seen flashing from his mouth. This “sword” is identified as “the word of God,” and with it, the Rider is “shepherding” the nations. Rather than a sword hanging on Christ’s thigh, John sees the name written, “King of kings and Lord of lords.”

What is most striking is that the robe of the Rider is stained with blood before he engages in battle with the Beast and his allies. The blood does not belong to any of the enemies he is about to kill with his “sharp sword.” Yes, he will “tread the winepress of the wrath of God,” but he has not done so yet. So, whose blood has stained his robe, and just as importantly, how did the blood get there?

The appellation “King of kings” was applied previously to the Lamb in Chapter 17. The Kings of the Earth ally themselves with “the Beast from the Sea” and wage war against Jesus, but it is the Slain Lamb who conquers them:

• “These will war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them [‘nikaō’], for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings. And they also will overcome who are with him, called and chosen and faithful” – (Revelation 17:14).

The Lamb is the one who overcomes and is declared the King of all kings. Jesus reigns because he is the Lamb who was slain, who thereby redeemed multitudes of men and women from every nation and liberated them from bondage to sin and Satan, and made them a kingdom of priests for God.

In the vision of New Jerusalem, Jesus is never called ‘lion’, ‘Messiah’, or even simply ‘Jesus’, but only “the Lamb.” The city is represented as the “bride of the Lamb.” It is built on twelve foundation stones that bear the names of the “twelve apostles of the Lamb.”

There was no sanctuary in the city for “the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb were its sanctuary.” Neither is there any need for outside illumination since “the lamp of the city was the Lamb.” The nations and kings of the Earth inhabit the Holy City, including everyone whose name is “written in the Lamb's book of life” – (Revelation 21:9-27).

Moreover, “the river of water of life” flows from the throne and from “the Lamb,” and “the tree of life” brings “healing to the nations.” The “curse” caused by Adam’s sin is no more, and the “throne of God and of the Lamb” is in New Jerusalem – (Revelation 22:1-3).

The term ‘Lamb’ occurs seven times in the vision of New Jerusalem. Jesus does not cease to be the Slain Lamb, even in the New Creation. And in this role, he now governs the nations of the Earth and works through his kingdom of priests to proclaim the Gospel to the nations.

By transforming the traditional image of the Davidic Messiah into that of the Lamb, the Book of Revelation undermines every concept of Jesus as a militaristic conqueror who forces the nations into submission and crushes all who resist him. He is the Shepherd who uses his scepter to redeem nations and peoples, not to pound them into dust.

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SEE ALSO:

• The Son of Man - (The figure of the Son of Man from the Book of Daniel is the source of Christ’s self-designation, ‘the Son of Man’)

• The Ruler of Kings - (The Faithful Witness now reigns supreme over the Kings of the Earth, and he is shepherding the nations)

• Shepherding the Nations - (Jesus is the promised ruler from the line of David, the King who is shepherding the nations to New Jerusalem – Revelation 12:5)

• L'Agneau Règne - (Jésus est l'Agneau immolé, le vrai Messie d'Israël envoyé par Dieu pour racheter l'humanité et Paître les Nations)