The Lamb is God

from an exposition of Revelation 5-6

In Revelation 5, a “strong angel” calls out for someone who is “worthy” to open the scroll in the Father’s right hand. John weeps because no one is found “worthy.” They’re looking for someone who is “worthy” — the same word the 24 elders (the church) declare just two verses up (in 4:11), “Worthy are You, our Lord and God.” God is worthy. Then, the Lamb is worshipped as “worthy”: “Worthy are you to take the scroll” (5:9). The Lamb can take the scroll because He is worthy, because He is God.

John sees the Lamb take the scroll, the book of destiny, “from the right hand of Him who is seated on the throne.” When He does that, the living creatures (all living things) and the twenty-four elders (representing the church) “fall down before the Lamb.” Later in Revelation, when John is overwhelmed by another “strong angel” and falls before it, he’s told not to do that; that worship is only for God. Here, the Lamb takes the scroll from God, and then all the creatures and the elders fall down before the Lamb because the Lamb is God (Revelation 5:8).

John, now seeing the worthy One, hearing the living creatures and the elders hail Him as worthy, then, He looks and hears “around the throne and the living creatures and the elders” — all around them — “the voice” — singular as if they were all speaking in perfect unison — “of many angels,” “myriads,” meaning an innumerable, uncountable thousands of thousands, all saying in a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain” (Revelation 5:12).

He is worthy “to receive power” — power to rule, including over you — “and wealth” — including your wealth, to have your money — “and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” That’s the angels. Then, “every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth” — the dead — “and all that is in them” were saying “To Him who sits on the throne” — the Father — “and to the Lamb” both getting identical worship, enabled by the Spirit, because they are both God — to them both be “blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever,” for all ages (Rev. 5:13). To that, the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders — the church — “fell down and worshiped.”

That’s the Lamb: the driver of history, a conqueror, a Lion, the King from David’s covenant, the buyer of all kinds of people, the worthy One, worshipped with the Father.

The powers are shaken, politically and astronomically. And eventually the old heaven and earth will be near to coming to an end. In verse 14, the sky vanishes like a scroll that is rolled up, “and every mountain and island are removed from its place.” Then, in verse 15, it doesn’t matter how rich or powerful you are; nothing can keep you from what verse 16 calls “the wrath of the Lamb.”

The phrase "the wrath of the Lamb" proves the divinity of Christ. The usual phrase in the Bible is the "wrath of God" (John 3:36, Romans 1:18, 2:5, 5:9, 9:22, 12:19, 13:5; Colossians 3:6; 1 Thessalonians 1:10; 1 Thessalonians 5:9; 1 Thessalonians 2:16; Hebrews 10:27; Revelation 6:16-17, 14:10, 14:19, 15:1, 15:7, 16:1, 16:19, 19:15.) But here, in Revelation 6:16-17, the term replaces “God” with “Lamb,” indicating that the Lamb is God. By portraying Jesus as “the Lamb,” Revelation 5 and 6 show that He is the sacrifice for the sins of God’s people. He embodies perfect humility, sacrificial love, and divine justice. That the Lamb has “wrath” demonstrates that His wrath is not contrary to His nature but an extension of His divine righteousness. The term “the wrath of the Lamb” affirms that Christ shares the same divine sovereignty and moral authority as the Father, for only the true God, who is holy and just, can execute divine wrath. This fusion of mercy and justice in Christ, culminates in His wrath. It affirms His deity, for only God can rightly judge and execute justice. Thus, “the wrath of the Lamb” reveals that the Lamb is divine—co-equal and co-eternal with the Father and the Spirit. Jesus is God.

If you want to be saved from the wrath of the Lamb, you will have to worship Jesus as God.

This past week, someone messaged me, asking, “How do I pray for protection?” I responded, first, you have to believe in Jesus as your Lord and God. He then proceeded to blaspheme and scoff, a young man who was raised, apparently, never having to face the consequences of his decisions and words. But there will be consequences, even for “the kings of the earth and the great ones” — the great men of history — and the generals and the rich — the billionaires, the successful business people — and the powerful and everyone,” even the poor, the slaves, everyone. Though they try to hide themselves in caves and rocky crags in the mountains, hoping that the mountains fall on them to hide them from the “face of Him who is seated on the throne,” because they’re not dressed in white. They have no protection from “the wrath of the Lamb” on the “great day” of the wrath — the judgement — of God and the Lamb they had rejected; the great day the martyrs cried out for has come. And all the people who the blood of the Lamb has not bought realize that they cannot stand before the Lamb.

That’s where history is going. That’s where your life is going. You’re either one of the ransomed praising “Holy, holy, holy” to “Him who sits on the throne” and “Worthy!” is the Lamb, worthy are You “to receive power — over my life — and wealth — my wealth — and … honor – the honor of having my life – and blessing! – my blessings, confessing Jesus as “My Lord and My God!” You are either singing that or calling to the mountains, vainly, to spare you from the wrath of the Lamb. You’re either redeemed or regretful. Be redeemed.

For the full exposition of Revelation 5-6, listen:

Covenant Reformed Baptist Church is Danville & Caswell County’s Reformed church.