Agnus Dei

Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders.  He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.  He came and took the scroll from the right hand of Him who sat on the throne. --Revelation 5:6-7

 Who is worthy to open the scroll, and to read its contents?  The victorious Lamb of God!  He is pictured as the sacrifice for sin, and as the mighty conqueror, bearing the marks of its slaughter.  Many references in the Bible allude to the Son of God in this way:

• He was born in a humble setting, where animals were stabled, and was laid in a manger.  The Lamb of God born among livestock, because there was no room for him in more auspicious quarters.
• He was foretold by the Scriptures.  Genesis 22:6-8 says, "Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife.  As the two of them went on together, Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, 'Father?'  Abraham replied, 'Yes, my son.'  Isaac said, 'The fire and wood are here, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?'  Abraham answered, 'God himself will provide the lamb for the offering, my son.' "
• He gave himself up willingly to be the sacrifice for our sins. Isaiah 53:6-7 says, "We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.  He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth."
• He has fulfilled his divine mission.  John 1:29 says, "The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, 'Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.' "  It may be that John chose this unique way of referring to Jesus' mission to point both to the sacrificial offering that Jesus would become, and to his subsequent conquest of all evil powers--the two ways by which he "takes away the sin of the world."
• He alone gives us access to a holy God.  1 Peter 1:18-19 says, "For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect."

John describes this vision of Jesus appearing as a Lamb, alive but looking as if it had been killed.  Maybe its white wool was stained red; maybe its body bore the scars of the sacrifice it had endured.  But there it stood, standing on the throne where God sat, taking a place of victory over death.  Surrounding him were the four creatures--the ox, representing strength; the eagle, representing freedom; the lion, representing power; and the man, representing reason--and joining them were the twenty-four elders, representing the Twelve Tribes of the Old Testament and the Twelve Apostles of the New Testament.  All were looking up toward the Lamb of God.

John adds three attributes of the Lamb, each described as seven-fold.  Three is the number of divinity--The Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  Seven is the number of completeness (three represents God, and four represents Man; added together, they make seven).  So when John said the Lamb had seven horns, it means He is all-powerful.  When he says the Lamb had seven eyes, it means He is all-knowing.  When he says He is like the seven spirits of God sent into all the earth, it means He is omnipresent (everywhere at the same time).  John has just described the attributes of God, yet he is giving this description of the Lamb, who is Himself God.

The image above shows the Lamb in possession of a cross.  A similar image is used by the Moravian Church, showing the Lamb standing and carrying a cross and a banner.  In our text, John says the Lamb took the scroll, that no one else in all creation was worthy to possess.  He had earned the right to stand in the middle of the throne, and to take the scroll, because of the cross He bore.  According to Church tradition, the banner he carries signifies victory.  2 Corinthians 2:14 says, "But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of Him everywhere."  We who join him in His battle over evil will share in his victory.

But what of those who do not join the Lamb, and who do not enjoy the victory which was purchased by His blood? Revelation 13:8 says, "All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast--all whose names have been written from the creation of the world in the book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain."  So the Lamb is also in possession of the Book of Life, and that Book has had your name written on it from the beginning of time. And because God is all-knowing, He already knows whether you will be covered by the blood of the Lamb, or whether you will instead worship the Beast.  We humans do not have the mind of God--we do not know beforehand who will live or who will die; who will be saved or who will be lost.  But God in his wisdom has given us free choice, to accept Him or not.  The only soul you can control is your own.  I urge you to commit your soul to the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.  "For God so loved the world that He gave his only son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life." (John 3:16)

The Latin phrase for Lamb of God is Agnus Dei.  This phrase has been in the Church liturgy for centuries.  You may have heard the older, more traditional hymn of this name, or you may be familiar with the more contemporary chorus below.  But the message has meaning, and I urge you to meditate on the meaning of the words of this song:

Alleluia
Alleluia
For the Lord God Almighty reigns

Alleluia
Alleluia
For the Lord God Almighty reigns

Alleluia
Holy
Holy are You Lord God Almighty
Worthy is the Lamb
Worthy is the Lamb

You are holy
Holy are you Lord God Almighty
Worthy is the Lamb
Worthy is the Lamb

Amen

Imagine a whole host of heavenly beings singing this song to the Savior, and you get the gist of what John was trying to say in Revelation chapter 5.