The Lamb in Eternity

Excerpted from Sam Nadler’s book: The Messiah in the End Times

In the book of Revelation, we are first introduced to Messiah as the Lamb, when we were admittedly looking for a Lion, that is, “the Lion of the Tribe of Judah” (Revelation 5:5), and yes, even in heaven, the Lion is still from the Tribe of Judah. But when John turned to see his hoped for Jewish Lion, he saw instead a Lamb who is quite strangely described, for He was a “Lamb standing, as if slain, having seven horns and seven eyes” (Revelation 5:6).

That the Lamb was “standing as if slain” immediately lets us know that this is the Lamb who died to “take away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). But standing, nonetheless, for He conquered death through His perfect atonement and His glorious resurrection was God’s declaration that the Lamb’s finished work was eternity’s perfect work for all of humanity and for the whole plan and purpose of God for all of His creation.

As the number “seven” is used fifty-five times in the Revelation is a common biblical symbol for completeness, and horn, a common symbol for power, so the Lamb’s “seven horns” refers to His omnipotence, all powerful. Similarly, with His “seven eyes,” as eyes refer biblically to understanding, wisdom, knowledge, so the Lamb is also omniscient, all knowing.

That this describes the Son of God is no surprise as the Revelation is about Yeshua the Messiah (Revelation 1:1), and that as the Son of God, He has these attributes and much more. But that as the Lamb He has these divine attributes as intended to reiterate that in Messiah’s finished work is the Lamb’s perfect work, for He sees all your needs, and in His atonement, He is all powerfully able to meet those needs. The blood of the Lamb is the hope of creation.

The Lamb in the Eternal State

In the thirty-two-verse instruction about the eternal state, though God, He refers to Himself as “the Alef and Tav, the beginning and the end” (21:6), and though the Godhead, is referred to once as “the Lord God” (22:5), but the preponderant designation of the Messiah in the eternal state is as the Lamb. The Holy Spirit, whose purpose is to glorify Yeshua (John 16:14), reveals that we cannot understand eternal truth apart from the finished work of the Lamb. There would be no eternal state for humanity other than by the blood of the Lamb. We must, therefore, study these sections referring to the Lamb to understand our eternal home and what we should also value in our present lives.

Where the Lamb is, there is Unity

Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and spoke with me, saying, “Come here, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, having the Glory of God.

In eternity, the community (i.e., city) is the Bride, who is now “the wife of the Lamb.” Though the Bride is now a wife, but the Lamb is still the Lamb! For our divine “marital” and eternal unity is always based upon the Lamb’s atonement – and so we have “the glory of God” (Revelation 21:11). So even in Olam HaZeh, this present age, though it is an “evil age” (Galatians 1:4), when the Lamb’s finished work is the center and focus of a marriage, there’s the unity that testifies of their “at-one-ment” in Him. A lack of unity in the marriage means that centrality of the Lamb is lacking in the relationship, and because of sin there is division. In this age we must die daily, repent, apologize often, and forgive faithfully to maintain our unity in the Lamb. In eternity, when there is no longer any sin, we have the eternal joy of our perfect unity with the Lamb.

Where the Lamb is, there is Stability

And the wall of the city had twelve foundation stones, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb (Revelation 21:14).  

How important is a foundation? It is the difference between a façade and a fortress! For all eternity, the foundation is sure and secure, for it is founded not on the apostles, but on the “apostles of the Lamb.” The authoritative teaching they gave was founded upon the blood of the Lamb. There is no other foundation than that of Yeshua the Messiah (1 Corinthians 3:10).

In our present day, how essential is the foundation of the Lamb! Yeshua assured us there will be “storms” (trials, troubles, and tragedies), but if we build our life upon Him and what He taught, our lives, families and community and ministry will be able to stand secure through it all. Yeshua, of course, taught us everything we need to live our redeemed lives, but only if we have redeemed-by-His-blood lives. For then His word makes sense, just as heaven only makes sense when you understand the Lamb of eternity.

Where the Lamb is there is Worship!

I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple (Revelation 21:22).

If heaven is about anything, it’s about worship, and in heaven all our worship will be totally in “spirit and in truth”! The word worship is derived from the idea of “worthy-ship” – that is, the appreciation of His worth. In heaven – when we will know as we have been known, we will no longer be looking “in a mirror dimly” (1 Corinthians 13:12), and we will no longer be walking “by faith, and not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7) for we will no longer depend on faith for we “will see Him as He really is” (1 John 3:2)!

And so, how much more will we appreciate the blood of the Lamb that took away all our sins so we could be with Him in heaven forever! For that eternal worship is our true reality only because of the Lamb as the Temple! We are “in Messiah” now – in the Sukkah of Messiah as our eternal provider and eternal protector. We will be in the Lamb as the Temple in true worship of His eternal worth forever! If our worship now is about our appreciation of His worth now, then forever declaring “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain” (Revelation 5:12) is our eternal worship of His atonement that is our eternal life!

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