As we saw in Part One, the book of Revelation refers to Jesus Christ as “the Lamb” more than any other name or title. While this descriptor points to His sacrifice, the Israelites used lambs for more than just the sin offering (Leviticus 4). Before God gave them the instructions for sin offerings, He commanded them to use a lamb to redeem their firstborn males, that is, to buy them back from God, who claimed them for Himself. The theme of redemption—transferring ownership in some aspect—fits the events pictured within Revelation far better than that of atonement or propitiation.

Regenerated Christians still await the future redemption described in Ephesians 1:13-14:

In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory. (Emphasis ours throughout.)

As this shows, our redemption is not yet complete. God is in the process of redeeming us, but He will not fully accomplish His work in us until our resurrection or change at Christ’s return.

Along these lines, in Ephesians 4:30, Paul warns us not to “grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” II Corinthians 1:22 also says that God “has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee” (see also II Corinthians 5:5). The word “guarantee” is technically correct, but it obscures the way Greeks historically used the underlying term, arrabōn (Strong’s #728). It describes a down payment made to reserve something for a later, complete purchase. In this way, God’s Spirit is a partial payment God has made to confirm His intent to redeem us fully later—to deliver us completely from the flesh’s power, which causes us to transgress and fall short of His glory.

Similarly, in Romans 8:23, Paul says, “[W]e also who have the firstfruits [the early portion] of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.” At Christ’s return, “this corruptible [flesh] must put on incorruption” (I Corinthians 15:42, 50-54), and we will then be fully redeemed from the flesh by being made spirit. When this complete redemption occurs, we will bear the image of the heavenly Man.

The Lamb Is Worthy

As mentioned above, among the earliest biblical uses of a lamb was for redemption. One type of redemption is deliverance from the death penalty because of sin, but it is not the only redemption Scripture shows. Another redemption lies ahead for those resurrected at Christ’s second coming—those whom God has made perfect will then put on immortality, entirely redeemed from the flesh.

In the book of Revelation, the symbol of the Lamb includes these uses but also reveals another redemption. First, notice this key event as the book unfolds:

And I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a scroll written inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals. Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals?” And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll, or to look at it. So I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open and read the scroll, or to look at it. But one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals.” 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. Then He came and took the scroll out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne. Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying:

“You are worthy to take the scroll,
And to open its seals;
For You were slain,
And have redeemed us to God by Your blood
Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation,
And have made us kings and priests to our God;
And we shall reign on the earth.” (Revelation 5:1-10)

As discussed in “Worthy to Take the Scroll” (Forerunner, September-October 2017), the scroll in this heavenly vision is not just about sealed prophecy. Though it contains judgments, it bears the characteristics of a title deed; it appears to be the title deed of all creation! A title deed defines a specific property and the rightful owner of that property.

The only One worthy to take this scroll and open the seals is the Lamb that had been slain. This Lamb has some non-typical characteristics. It has horns, like the ram used to redeem Isaac (Genesis 22:13), but this one has seven horns. In Scripture, a horn is a symbol of strength and power, and that He has seven horns shows His strength and power are perfect, for seven is typically the biblical number of perfection.

This Lamb also has seven eyes, which is challenging to picture. Only two other places in Scripture mention seven eyes:

» “For behold, the stone that I have laid before Joshua: Upon the stone are seven eyes. Behold, I will engrave its inscription,” says the LORD of hosts, “And I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.” (Zechariah 3:9)

» “For who has despised the day of small things? For these seven rejoice to see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel. They are the eyes of the LORD, which scan to and fro throughout the whole earth.” (Zechariah 4:10)

Thus, the seven eyes are connected to the removal of Israel’s iniquity and the restoration of true worship, both of which relate to her future redemption (see Isaiah 1:27; 35:8-10; 41:14-15; 43:1; 44:21-24; 48:20; 51:10-11; 52:7-9; 54:5-8; 59:20-21; 60:15-16; 62:10-12; 63:3-4; Jeremiah 31:10-12; Zechariah 10:6-9; Psalm 107:2-3).

When we apply the theme of redemption to the mentions of the Lamb in Revelation, things start fitting into place. Revelation 5:9-10 (above) are the words of those whom the Lamb’s blood has redeemed and whom He has formed into a kingdom of priests. In Revelation 6:1, the Lamb begins opening the seals. The illustration is not of a lamb giving its life as a sin offering, but a Lamb redeeming what belongs to Him. Notice, though, that the scope is not limited either to Israel or the church, but it depicts Jesus Christ as the Creator, Heir, and Owner of “all things” (Psalm 2:8; Ephesians 1:10; 3:9; 4:10; Philippians 3:21; Colossians 1:16-20; Hebrews 1:2-3; 2:8-10; 3:4; Revelation 4:11; 21:7).

The opening of the scroll’s seals results in cataclysm—like the plagues meted out upon Egypt when God redeemed Israel—because not everyone accepts the Lamb’s claim. But we find in Revelation 11:15, He is ultimately successful, as angels announce, “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!” All human governments have already been purchased, and Satan has already been defeated. All that remains is for the Lamb to redeem what is lawfully His.

The Lamb’s Wrath

The description in the Sixth Seal shows the Lamb to be filled with wrath:

And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?” (Revelation 6:15-17)

Even though our Redeemer is like a lamb—not violent or aggressive by nature—He is still a jealous God. Jealousy is simply zeal for one’s own. His zeal for what He possesses can include tremendous destruction when necessary, as Israel’s history attests and as humanity will witness in the future. Here, the Lamb is not focused on providing atonement but on demonstrating ownership and dynamically realigning His creation with His government.

Christ’s description of the Sixth Seal in the Olivet Prophecy likewise describes the shaking of heaven and earth in the process of God’s redemption of His people:

And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near. (Luke 21:25-28)

Revelation 14 pictures the Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and 144,000 people singing before Him. The apostle John describes them as those “who were redeemed from the earth” (verse 3) and “redeemed from among men” (verse 4).

In Revelation 15, before the seven angels pour out the final judgments, those “who have the victory over the beast, over his image and over his mark and over the number of his name . . . sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb” (Revelation 15:1-3). The entire Song of Moses in Exodus 15:1-18 is about God’s redemption of what belongs to Him as He rescues Israel from the power of Egypt. He directly mentions His redemption and purchase of Israel in verses 13 and 17.

In Revelation’s last chapters, we see the Lamb and His Bride, reminiscent of the story of Ruth, whom Boaz redeemed.

Jesus Christ, the firstborn from the dead, is the Lamb of redemption. In the future, He will redeem what is His. As the Firstborn over all creation, all things are within His legal claim. He will redeem the church, as well as Israel, Jerusalem, the Land of Promise, and the people who have not rejected Him. In the present, the whole creation groans, even as we groan within ourselves as we await our final redemption (Romans 8:19-23), coming soon through the powerful work of the Lamb.