Commentary - Revelation 5:6-7

Bird's-eye view

In this pivotal scene, the camera shifts from the cosmic despair of a sealed scroll to the central figure of all redemptive history. John, having wept because no one in creation was worthy to open the scroll, is now directed to the only one who is. The Lion of Judah has conquered, but what John sees is a Lamb, standing as though slain. This is the great paradox of the gospel: victory through sacrifice, exaltation through humiliation, life through death. This Lamb is not a pathetic victim; He is standing, possessed of perfect power (seven horns) and perfect knowledge (seven eyes), which are the seven Spirits of God sent into all the earth. This is the ascended Christ, our Lord Jesus, taking His rightful place. His act of taking the scroll from the hand of the Father is nothing less than the heavenly depiction of His ascension and session. He is taking up the instrument of His reign, the title deed to the world He has just redeemed. This moment triggers the explosion of worship that fills the rest of the chapter, providing the theological foundation for the judgments and triumphs that will follow as the seals are opened.

This is the hinge of the book. The question of chapter four was "Who is on the throne?" The answer was God Almighty. The question of chapter five is "Who is worthy to execute His will on earth?" The answer is the Lamb that was slain. This passage reveals that the one who holds the scepter of the universe is the one with the nail prints in His hands. The fate of the world, the destiny of nations, and the judgment of apostate Israel are all placed into the hands of the crucified and risen Christ. He alone is worthy to unroll history according to God's sovereign decree.

Outline

Context In Revelation

Revelation 5 is a direct continuation of the throne room vision that began in chapter 4. Chapter 4 established the absolute sovereignty of God the Father, the Creator, worshiped by the entire heavenly court. Chapter 5 introduces a problem: God holds a scroll, sealed with seven seals, which represents His plan for history and judgment, but no one in heaven or on earth is found worthy to open it. This causes John to weep bitterly, representing the despair of a creation that cannot see God's purposes brought to fruition. The verses immediately preceding our text (Rev 5:1-5) set the stage for the Lamb's appearance. An elder comforts John, announcing that the "Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that He can open the scroll." This builds the expectation of a conquering king, which is then startlingly fulfilled in the vision of a slain Lamb. This scene of the Lamb taking the scroll is the basis for all the judgments that follow (the seals, trumpets, and bowls), which are, in a preterist framework, primarily directed against apostate Jerusalem in the years leading up to A.D. 70.

Key Issues

The Lamb Who Is Worthy

The central crisis of the cosmos has been presented. God has a plan to bring history to its appointed climax, but the execution of that plan requires a worthy agent. No mere creature will do. No angel, no man, no living creature can step forward. This is a moment of high drama, a pregnant pause in the heavenly court. And into this moment of cosmic inability steps the most unlikely figure. We were told to expect a Lion, a symbol of royal power and ferocity. What we see instead is a Lamb, a symbol of sacrifice and vulnerability. But the two are one and the same. This is our Lord Jesus Christ, and His worthiness is established not in spite of His sacrifice, but precisely because of it. He conquered by being slain. He became worthy to rule by becoming the ultimate servant. This is the logic of the gospel, the wisdom of God that is foolishness to the world, and it is the engine that drives the rest of this book and all of human history.

Verse by Verse Commentary

6 Then I saw in the midst of the throne and the four living creatures and in the midst of the elders a Lamb standing, as if slain...

John looks, and his perspective is directed to the very center of the action. The Lamb is not on the periphery; He is in the midst of the throne. This is a position of ultimate authority and sovereignty, shared with the Father. He is at the epicenter of divine power. And what John sees is a Lamb. This immediately throws our minds back to the entire sacrificial system of the Old Testament, to the Passover lamb whose blood saved Israel, and supremely to the prophecy of Isaiah 53, the suffering servant led like a lamb to the slaughter. This is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. But He is not lying down in death. He is standing. He is alive, resurrected, and active. The phrase as if slain is crucial. The marks of His crucifixion are still visible on His glorified body. His death is not a forgotten historical event; it is the perpetual basis of His authority. He reigns as the one who was slain. His wounds are His credentials, the evidence of the victory He won.

...having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God, sent out into all the earth.

This is no weak and helpless lamb. He is described with symbols of divine omnipotence and omniscience. Horns in Scripture are a consistent symbol of power and authority. To have seven horns is to have perfect and complete power. The number seven signifies fullness and perfection. This Lamb wields all authority in heaven and on earth. He also has seven eyes. John is immediately told what these represent: they are the seven Spirits of God. This is not to say there are seven Holy Spirits, but rather that the Holy Spirit in His sevenfold, perfect ministry (as in Isaiah 11:2) is the Spirit of Christ. The eyes signify perfect knowledge, perception, and wisdom. Through the Spirit, the Lamb sees everything. Nothing is hidden from Him. And this Spirit is not confined to heaven; He is sent out into all the earth. This is a direct reference to the Great Commission. The ascended Christ, through His Spirit, is extending His sovereign knowledge and kingly rule over every square inch of the globe.

7 And He came and took the scroll out of the right hand of Him who sits on the throne.

This is the central action of the chapter, and one of the most significant moments in the entire Bible. The Lamb moves with purpose and authority. He came and took the scroll. It was not given to Him as a gift to a subordinate; He took it as His right. This is the heavenly counterpart to the vision in Daniel 7, where the Son of Man comes to the Ancient of Days and is given dominion, glory, and a kingdom. This is the moment of Christ's investiture. He is taking up the title deed to the world, the plan for judgment and redemption that He alone is worthy to execute. He takes it from the right hand of the Father, the place of supreme power and authority. This act signifies the transfer of the administration of the kingdom to the Son. The Father has decreed all things, and now the Son, the Lamb who was slain, will bring all those decrees to pass. The rest of human history, beginning with the judgment on first-century Jerusalem, is the unsealing of this scroll.

Application

The vision of the slain Lamb at the center of the throne is the foundation of Christian worship and the bedrock of our confidence. Our God is not a distant, abstract deity. The one who rules the universe is our Redeemer, Jesus Christ, and He rules as the one who was slain for us. His authority is not based on raw power alone, but on sacrificial love. This should transform how we view power, authority, and our own lives.

First, it tells us that our suffering has meaning. The Lamb rules with the marks of His slaughter still on Him. Our own scars, our own sufferings for the sake of the gospel, are not meaningless. They identify us with our King. Second, it gives us unshakable confidence in the face of chaos. The course of history is not random. It is the unsealing of a scroll held in the hand of the Lamb who has seven horns and seven eyes. He has perfect power and perfect wisdom. Nothing can thwart His purposes. Political turmoil, cultural decay, and personal trials are all part of the plan being executed by our victorious King. Finally, it calls us to worship. The response of the heavenly court to this scene was an explosion of praise. Our response should be the same. We do not worship a distant God, nor a defeated martyr. We worship the Lion who is a Lamb, the King who is a servant, the victor who bears the scars of the battle He won for us. He is worthy of all blessing and honor and glory and power, forever and ever.