May 31: WHAT HE DID – HOW HE DID IT
And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth. Revelation 5:6
Able to see, John looked again. More light is entering the vision. Following the dazzling splendor of the setting, and the unimaginable beauty of God the Father on His throne, the brief time of wondering how the scroll in His hand was to be opened was enough to bring his spirit to the breaking point. But just hearing of the Lion of Judah and the Root of David lifted his spirit. John looked again. What he saw was a Lamb as though it had been slain.
The apocalyptic imagery of Revelation is especially meaningful in this scene. We are given a picture of the Savior in the midst of the throne. We understand that He is the mighty and victorious winner of the war between good and evil: the Lion! The victorious Lion represents what He did on our behalf. The Lamb as though it had been slain represents how He did it.
Scripture tells us that Jesus kept His wounds (John 20:27). This solemn reminder of His unfathomable love should dissolve any and all tendencies toward sin. Heaven will be a place of indescribable purity and joy, gladness and love. All desires will be to live in such a way that brings only happiness. God’s people will fully know and understand that true happiness is living in complete harmony with the One who created us.
The sooner we comprehend that going against His perfect instructions for our life is hurtful to Him, the better. He desires only the best for every one of us. Do not hurt the Lord! We are in need of His Holy Spirit if we are to overcome our opinions. Human opinions can render us stubborn, dense, slow to understand. We over-complicate things by giving too much weight to our own ideas.
In the Old Testament, horns represent strength and power. The seven horns of the Lamb tell us of His undisputable omnipotence. The seven eyes tell us of His all-seeing nature; His omniscience. There is no such thing as a place inaccessible by His Holy Spirit. The very moment that John sees Jesus in the midst of the throne, we get the emphatic message that the first action that He took as the risen Savior in heaven was to dispatch the Holy Spirit—sent out into all the earth—just as He promised His disciples (John 16:7). While that first sight of Jesus in chapter one had taken place on earth when John was an old man sentenced to hard labor on the Isle of Patmos, this heavenly sighting in the throne room is a flashback to the Day of Pentecost, to show the great faithfulness of our Savior. He is true to every promise He makes!
When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven. Acts 2:1-5