"And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain,.."
(Revelation 5:6a)
John sees a Lamb slain standing between the throne. Slain is an allusion both to the Passover lamb and also to Isaiah's prophecy of the lamb led to slaughter (Isa. 53:7), both pictures pointing to Christ's sacrifice which accomplishes redemption and victory for God's people.
The phrase standing as slain is two Greek perfect participles, which express an ongoing reality or state. The Lamb continues to exist as slain to indicate the ongoing victorious effect of His redemptive death. Christ's death- as well as the ongoing sufferings of the church- have been and are continually being turned into victory. The reason John sees the Lion conquering as a slain Lamb is to emphasize the centrality of the Cross.
Through this vision, believers are reminded that their victory also will only come about as they follow the way Cross. That is why saints are described as those who "follow the Lamb wherever He goes" (Rev. 14:4) and have "washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb" (Rev. 7:14). As an innocent victim, He became a representative penal substitute for the sins of His people. While He was suffering the defeat of death, He was also overcoming by creating a kingdom of redeemed subjects over whom He would reign and over whom the devil would no longer have power.
(G.K. Beale)
No comments:
Post a Comment