In (Revelation 6:12-17) we have the first of three earthquakes in Revelation and the people on earth will see these astronomical signs. The brilliant, burning sun will correspond to the awful occasion by turning into fear-filled darkness. The beautiful moon is the subject of so many songs and poems, romantic and hauntingly lovely but it will be converted into an orb of blood, an object of horror. Then falling stars, shooting stars, meteors will plummet to the earth like over-ripe fruit from trees caught in a frenzy of shaking. The fastenings which keep the sky stretched out give way in a great convulsion and it rolls up and folds in upon itself.
Then the people actually see the Sovereign Ruler on His throne.
What particularly intrigues me about this section is that they acknowledge the wrath of THE LAMB. I could easily understand them saying GOD or THE KING but how did they now recognize Jesus as THE LAMB? Do they see the wounds of Calvary? Their own words prove that they knew about THE LAMB and the mercy which had been offered for so long. They had trampled under foot the Son of God, profaned His covenant Blood and insulted the Holy Spirit (Hebrew 10:29). They were moved to terror but not to repentance because (Hebrews 9:21) they did not repent and (Hebrews 16:9-11) they gnawed their tongues in anguish and cursed the God of Heaven. Jesus was our Propitiation -- not just sin-bearer but also wrath-bearer and IN HIM we are cleansed from sin and delivered from wrath. The awful justice of perfect wrath and outraged Holiness and offended Righteousness was poured out on Jesus, the sacrificial LAMB of God.
When prayer was available they scorned it but now that prayer is futile, for the first time they begin to pray -- but not to the One on the throne. They call out to mountains which are crumbling and to rocks cascading in a thundering roar of doom (Isaiah 2:10).
How will Jesus take away the sin of the whole world? For believers, of course, by His precious shed Blood and poured-out Life our sin is already taken away. How, for defiant, deliberate unbelievers? By the burning indignation and fiery vengeance of His wrath. They threw His sacrifice and offer of mercy back in His face so their sin remains but God cannot allow sin to exist in the eternal state.
(Revelation 21:27, Revelation 22:3). When mercy became possible because wrath was diverted to THE LAMB and that LAMB and His mercy are despised and rejected, that burning wrath is stored up (II Ptr 3:7) for the destruction of ungodly people.
Yes! Victory! The Lamb of God will take away all the sin of the whole world through His Cross. He wrote the cheque and signed it in Blood. It is the Cross of boundless mercy and the Cross of terrifying judgment. Sin will be cleansed by the Blood of THE LAMB or consumed by the wrath of THE LAMB.
Then the wilfully unrepentant will be removed and never again pollute the world with sin.
He was not willing that any should perish,
Jesus, enthroned in the glory above,
Saw our poor, fallen world,
Pitied our sorrow,
Poured out His Life for us,
Wonderful love.
Oh my soul, go softly and wonder ... wonder deeply,
wonder until, in reverent fear, you approach the
beginning of true worship.
BEHOLD THE LAMB
THE SACRIFICE OF THE LAMB
Behold the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world
(John 1:29).
For those who have the received the Lord Jesus as personal
Saviour, we know that He has taken away our sin. God made
Him Who knew no sin to be made sin SO THAT we might become
the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:21).
Jesus talked about the great love of a man who would lay down
his life for his friends (John 15:13) but He was the Almighty,
Immortal Creator (1 Timothy 6:16) Who would lay down His life for
rebellious, sinful creatures who were His enemies (Romans 5:10).
We joyously anticipate a day when our perishable mortality
will put on immortality (1 Corinthians 15:53) but how could that be
possible? Astounding, mind-crumbling fact:-- The only
Immortal One, the Immortal put on mortality and came to die
so that we, the mortals, will put on immortality!
All of this is wonderful and merits much meditation but it is
only wonderful for those who have a personal relationship
with God the Father through the Lord Jesus Christ. What
about the rejectors and their sin? How can THE LAMB take
away the sin of the whole world when many refuse Him and
wallow in their sin?
I must go deeper. My mind is flooded and overwhelmed with
thoughts. How precious are Your thoughts to me, O God!
How vast is the sum of them (Psalms 139:17).
I feel a slight trembling and the sense that I must
go on tiptoe.
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THE WORTHINESS OF THE LAMB
Eternal Majesty on the throne held the scroll (Revelation 5:1-7), the
title-deed to this world but it was closed tightly and sealed
securely. The loud voice of a strong angel asked, "Who is
worthy to open the scroll?" His voice carried far, to every
place, asking Who qualified to break the seals and lay claim
to the earth. The search went through the entire universe:
in Heaven, the dwelling place of God; in earth, the dwelling
place of mankind, under the earth, the dwelling place of
other created beings and the underworld of the dead. Not an
angel or human stirred; not even Paul or Moses or Abraham
after centuries of sinlessness. Not even Adam who had
dominion in the first place. All the efforts of
unregenerated people to take over the world through politics,
religion, science, wars, etc., have fallen into ruin. All
creation shrinks back in unworthiness and inability. Over
the future there is complete darkness and the only key, the
only light is if One can be found Who is worthy.
John did not weep because he was simply disappointed that his
desire for information would not be gratified. He had read
the Book of Daniel and he wept because there was none found
worthy. He could see that if the scroll remained unopened,
an inheritance would be unredeemed, many Old Testament
prophecies could never be fulfilled, and he was filled with
compassion and grief. Jesus wept over Jerusalem. Jeremiah
wept over Jerusalem. John wept over an unredeemed world in
spiritual darkness.
An Elder consoles John and tells him to look at the Lion.
It deeply touches my heart when John turns, expecting to see
a Lion but instead he sees a Lamb. Of course John recognized
Him -- he had watched Him die. After the Resurrection he had
seen the nail-prints. The meek Lamb of sacrifice is now the
mighty Conqueror of all the earth. This is that epoch point
in history when the Lion-Lamb, the Sovereign-Saviour, takes
back the title-deed to this world.
He will take the scroll and we are assured that He will
complete the work of redemption by rescuing the earth from
the dominion of the devil. He created the world and He
redeemed it and He alone is worthy to claim the title-deed.
Little wonder that the redeemed of all ages play their harps
and sing praises.
Again, this is wonderful for believers but how will He take
away the sin of the whole world when He will have bitter
enemies right up to the end? The sin of believers was taken
away by the shedding of His precious Blood -- how will He
purge the world of the sin of rebel unbelievers?
After the time of praise and adoration, when the Lord Jesus
Christ takes the scroll, He will proceed to the most awful
scenes of judgment with actions that are rooted in His Cross.