If Jesus is indeed God, how can you explain: REVELATION 5:7 - THE ONE ON THE THRONE, AND THE LAMB? Revelation 5: 7 And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne. WHY IS THIS OBJECTION RAISED? Trinitarians assume that the Lamb taking the book (or scroll) from the One on the throne is indicative of God the Son (Jesus) walking up to God the Father, thus revealing two persons, and thus proving that there must be a Trinity. WHAT ARE SOME OF THE PROBLEMS WITH THIS OBJECTION? There are three main problems with assuming that this verse is proof of The Trinity: 1.If this is supposed to prove the Trinity, where is the “God the Holy Ghost” during this vision? 2.The One on the throne is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ in His exalted state as God. 3.Trying to separate the God and Jesus as two distinct persons in the Godhead goes against the general Trinitarian belief that Jesus was both the Lion and the Lamb. WHAT DOES THE BIBLE ACTUALLY MEAN? We must remember that the book of Revelation is not only a book of prophecy, but it is THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST. Jesus allowed John to not only see the future through visions and great symbolization, but He allowed John to see Him as the Exalted God of Heaven and earth. We must also remember that the book of Revelation is highly symbolic; revealing deep truths with great symbolizations, figures, images, and adjectives. Of utmost importance is the preceding chapter, Rev. 4, in which John gets a glimpse of Heaven – and sees only one image of God, and only ONE THRONE. This in itself deflates the doctrine of three persons: Rev. 4: 2 And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne. When the entire chapter of Revelation 5 is taken in context, it provides the most beautiful portrait of the redemptive work of Jesus Christ, who was known on earth as The Lamb of God, the son of man, and the mediator between God and men. Allow me to explain: In Rev. 5, John sees a vision of “him that sat on the throne”. In His right hand was a book written within and on back, and he hears an angel asking this question: “Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?” It becomes obvious that John was waiting for a human – a man – to come forward. (See vs. 1 - 4) For a space in time, unknown to us, John looked and waited in anticipation for the answer, but no man stepped up to open the book. John began to weep uncontrollably. It appeared as though no man was worthy of approaching God. It seemed like all hope was lost. Verses 5 & 6 are an amazing revelation of the Oneness of God, and should recapture your heart with appreciation and adoration of our great God and Savior: Revelation 5: 5, 6 And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof. 6 And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain… Did you catch that? Just when it seemed like all hope for our redemption was gone, John is told to “Weep not”, for the Lion of the tribe of Judah has prevailed. Here is the revelation I want you to get: When John looks up, he does NOT see a Lion – he sees a Lamb! And the Lamb appears as it has already been slain – yet it is alive. What I find most interesting is that even most Trinitarian scholars will not argue that Jesus is both the Lion and the Lamb. They also agree that Jesus is both “King and Servant”, “LORD and Christ”, “Creator and begotten”. Yet somehow refuse to acknowledge Jesus as both Father and Son. Please note: John never sees two persons in the Godhead – he sees One on the throne, and a literal lamb, with 7 horns and 7 eyes. They represented the “seven Spirits of God”, which is symbolic of the perfection of God. The rest of chapter 5 is full of praise to the Lamb who was slain and who shed His blood for the redemption of every nation. It concludes with these two powerful verses: Revelation 5: 13, 14 And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. 14 And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever. This is just remarkable: John heard every single creature in unison offering vocal praise to “him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb”. Verse 14 concludes that they worshipped HIM – not THEM - forever and ever. CONCLUSION For a more complete understanding of “him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb”, see Oneness Objection # 2 – “The Salutations”. As stated earlier, God only has one throne. Yet Revelation 22: 1, 3 tells us of “THE THRONE of God, and of the Lamb”. “God and the Lamb” are both descriptions of Jesus Christ, in the same manner in which Paul refers to him as “the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ”. (See Titus 2: 13) In more common language, One person can be both “Founder and CEO”, or both “Owner and General Manager”. The vision of Revelation 5 was not given to teach us about multiple persons in the Godhead. It was given to reveal Jesus as both the Lion and the Lamb. It was a perfect portrayal of both the Divinity and humanity of Christ. In His deity, He was the Lion (ruler) of the tribe of Judah. (See Gen. 49: 9, 10; Luke 3: 33) In His humanity, He was the spotless Lamb of God. (See John 1: 36; 1 Peter 1: 19) It was yet another confirmation of the prophecy of Isaiah 53. John described Him as a Lamb who looked slain – in other words, as a lamb led to the slaughter. He must have appeared bruised, slashed, beaten and whipped - yet the Lamb had prevailed! Because He prevailed, we can have redeemed today. It was also a portrayal of One God, and one mediator between God and men – the MAN Christ Jesus. (See 1 Timothy 2: 5) I said earlier that the One on the throne was none other than Jesus in His exalted state as God Almighty. If I can prove that, it will silence the Trinitarian argument that God the Father is handing the book to “God the Son”. The One on the throne is described as follows: Revelation 4: 8 – 11 And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, LORD God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. 9 And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever, 10 The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, 11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. The One who sits on the throne is the LORD God Almighty - “the One who was, and is, and is to come”. Check out this description of Jesus, as it was revealed to John: Rev. 1: 8, 11 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty. 11 Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last… Lest we forget, He was not only the Lion, but the root of David (Rev. 5: 5). Notice how Jesus concludes His revelation to John: Rev. 22: 16 I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star. Finally, the One on the throne was the creator of all things. The bible clearly identifies Jesus as the Creator: John 1: 3, 10 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. The One who created the world robed himself in human flesh and came down to the world He created. It was the day the Lion became the Lamb. (Excerpt from Withstanding The Winds) @Back on Track Bible Studies - Rick Flores
Posted on: Tue, 02 Sep 2014 08:00:40 +0000
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