Morning Nourishment - The Lion-Lamb
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Day 6
Verses: Rev. 1:16 And He had in His right hand seven stars; and out of His mouth proceeded a sharp two-edged sword; and His face shone as the sun shines in its power. Heb. 4:12 For the word of God is living and operative and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing even to the dividing of soul and spirit and of joints and marrow, and able to discern the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Revelation 1:16 says, "He had in His right hand seven stars." As verse 20 makes clear, "the seven stars are the messengers of the seven churches." The messengers are the spiritual ones in the churches bearing the responsibility of the testimony of Jesus. Like stars, they should be of the heavenly nature and in a heavenly position. In the dark night of the church’s degradation, the shining of both the collective churches and the individual messengers is needed. As Christ walks among the churches, He holds the leading ones in His right hand. How comforting this is! The leading ones must praise Him that they are in His hands and that He is holding them. In the book of Revelation there are no elders in the churches; rather, there are messengers. At the time this book was written, the church had become degraded. Hence, in Revelation, the Lord repudiates all formalities. Being an elder may be somewhat legal or formal. Do not aspire to be an elder; desire to be a shining star. (Life-study of Revelation, pp. 100-101)
In Revelation 1:16 we are told that “out of His mouth proceeded a sharp two-edged sword."—This is His discerning, judging, and slaying word (Heb. 4:12; Eph. 6:17). The words of grace are for His supply of grace to His favored ones, whereas the sharp two-edged sword is for His dealing with negative persons and things…Remember that the speaking Spirit today is just this Christ who speaks with a two-edged sword. There is judgment here, and we all have experienced this…Today all Christians need the judgment of the Lord by His word.
Many times we have experienced this judgment because of our being mistaken and going astray from the Lord. Since we had wandered away from Him, He came to judge us. His speaking today is mainly a type of judgment. I can testify to you that if the Lord would speak to you, most of His words would be words of judgment. When He speaks, He judges. Every word out of His mouth in the churches today is like a sharp knife that judges us. The words that proceed out of the Lord’s mouth are sharp, piercing into our being, dividing our soul from our spirit, and discerning the intentions of our heart.
This is the Christ we experience today in the church life. We are human and have many opinions. But, as we all can testify, every time an opinion rises up, the sword cuts it to pieces. The more you think about your opinion, the more you are cut. This is not doctrine—this is our experience. Whenever two brothers are close to fiighting, the third party, the strongest party, appears, using the sharp sword to cut the opinions of both brothers…This third party is the very Christ, the Son of Man, who, as the High Priest, walks among the churches and cares for them in love. In Revelation 1:16 we are also told that “His face shone as the sun shines in its power."
In Song of Songs 5:10 and 13, Christ's face appears lovely for His seeker's appreciation of Him, and in the Epistles His face refilects God's glory (2 Cor. 4:6) for the imparting of life into His believers. Here, however, His face shone as the sun shines in its power, as in Daniel 10:6; this shining is the judging enlightenment for bringing in the kingdom. When He was transfiigured and His face shone like the sun, that was His coming in the kingdom (Matt. 16:28—17:2). When He comes to take over the earth for the kingdom, His face will be like the sun (Rev. 10:1). (Life-study of Revelation, pp. 101-103)
Day 1
Verses: Rev. 1:1 The revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave to Him to show to His slaves the things that must quickly take place; and He made it known by signs, sending it by His angel to His slave John. 5:5 And one of the elders said to me, Do not weep; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome so that He may open the scroll and its seven seals. As the Lion of the tribe of Judah [Rev. 5:5], Christ overcame and defeated the rebellious Satan, the enemy of God, and as the redeeming Lamb, He took away the sin of fallen man. . By doing so, He removed the hindrances to the fulfillment of God's purpose. Therefore, He is worthy to open the scroll concerning God's economy. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, p. 4235)
The lion is a symbol of Christ, portraying Him as a strong fiighter against the enemy, as prophesied in Genesis 49:8-9. Christ's overcoming qualifiies Him to open the scroll and its seven seals. (cid:527)Revelation is(cid:528) a single portrait, a "painting" portraying and depicting Jesus—(cid:527)All the(cid:528) chapters of Revelation are a good painting of the Lion of the tribe of Judah, but they also show an environment. Besides the Lion, there are beasts with horns and even a dragon (13:1-2, 11; 12:3).
When John saw the situation in heaven, he wept, but when the Lion of the tribe of Judah came, there was great rejoicing (5:3-4, 8-14). Eventually, the Lion as the Lamb marries a bride, the bride becomes a square city, and the Lamb sits on the throne with God (19:7; 21:16; 22:1). The Lion is enthroned in the center of the New Jerusalem as the King of kings and Lord of lords. Then out of this throne flows a river of water of life, bright as crystal, and in the river the tree of life is growing.
This is the "painting" of the divine Lion in the book of Revelation, the revelation of Jesus Christ. In the book of Revelation we should see only one fiigure, Jesus Christ, because this book is the revelation and unveiling of Jesus Christ. The main fiigure in the book of Revelation is Christ as the Lion of the tribe of Judah (5:5)—We must turn our eyes away from the frogs, the beasts, the locusts, the dragon, and the serpent; instead, we must turn our eyes upon this Lion— All the smaller items mentioned in Revelation are the background and environment of the main picture, which is Christ as the Lion of the tribe of Judah—To us, the Lion is the redeeming Lamb, but to the enemy, the Lamb is the overcoming Lion.
Moreover, He is fully expressed in the lampstands (ch. 1), the great multitude of the redeemed (ch. 7), the bright woman with her man-child (ch. 12), the harvest with its fiirstfruits (ch. 14), the overcomers on the sea of glass (ch. 15), the bride ready for marriage (ch. 19), the armies (ch. 19), and the New Jerusalem (chs. 21—22). Christ is the Lion-Lamb in His ascension—While John was weeping because "no one was found worthy to open the scroll or look into it" (5:4), one of the elders said to him, "Do not weep; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome so that He may open the scroll and its seven seals" (v. 5).
Before the crucifiixion, there might have been reason for John to weep. But it was foolish for him to weep after the ascension. Are you weeping today(cid:491) If you are still weeping, it means that you have not seen the vision of the ascended Christ in Revelation 5. We need to behold the Lion of the tribe of Judah. Genesis 49:8-9 prophesies concerning Christ as the Lion of Judah, but only in Revelation are we told that Christ is the Lion of the tribe of Judah. The title the Lion of the tribe of Judah signifies Christ as the triumphant King. All living creatures are under Him. None can subdue Him; rather, He subdues everything. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, pp. 4226- 4228)
Day 2
Verses: Rev. 5:6-7 And I saw in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures and in the midst of the elders a Lamb standing as having just been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. And He came and took the scroll out of the right hand of Him who sits upon the throne. In Revelation 5:5-10 we see that we may experience and enjoy Christ as the Lion-Lamb. From 5:1 through 6:1, we see the vision of Him as the Lion- Lamb in the midst of God's throne and of the four living creatures and in the midst of the twenty-four elders of the universe, opening the seven seals of God's universal administration—To the enemy, He is the Lion; to us, the redeemed ones, He is the dear, precious Lamb (cid:527)Rev. 5:5-6(cid:528). . Christ is the Lamb accomplishing God's redemption and the Lion fiighting for God's kingdom. For God's redemption, He is a Lamb; for God's kingdom, He is a fiighting Lion, the Lion of the tribe of Judah. He fought to redeem us, and He won the battle over the enemy and accomplished redemption for us. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, p. 4225)
In the Gospel of John, John the Baptist said, "Behold, the Lamb of God" (1:29), but in Revelation one of the elders said, "Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah" (5:5). In the Gospel of John we see that Christ came in the filesh as the Lamb of God mainly to take away the sin of the world, but in Revelation we see that Christ is the Lion-Lamb not only to take away sin but also to overcome and defeat His enemies. As the Lamb, Christ has accomplished redemption, having cleansed us from our sins. As the Lion, He has dealt with Satan. He is adequate to meet our needs and to solve our problems. Now sin is over, Satan has been terminated, and we have been redeemed and rescued from the usurping hand of the enemy.
If we love the Lord, He is the Lamb to us, but to those who do not love Him, He is the Lion. He is the Lamb to us and the Lion to the enemy, the world, and the sinful things. Since we do love Him and He is the Lamb to us, why must He also be a Lion(cid:491) This is because there are still many negative things in us. He died on the cross as the Lamb of God to redeem us, but even after being redeemed, we are still mixed with many negative things. Therefore, He must also be the Lion to deal with these things. The expression having just been slain in verse 6 indicates that the Lamb had just been slain and also that the scene in the heavens that is depicted in this chapter took place immediately after Christ's ascension into the heavens.
After Christ passed through death, resurrection, and ascension, He stood in the midst of the throne and the four living creatures. There was a resurrected Lamb standing before the throne in heaven. This Lion-Lamb was standing, not sitting, and His seven eyes were filashing. This indicates that His work was not fiinished—As far as redemption is concerned, Christ sat down at the right hand of God in the heavens after His ascension (Heb. 1:3; 10:12); however, regarding the carrying out of God's administration, He is still standing in His ascension. The redeeming Lamb is now standing at the center of the universe, before God's throne. This reveals that the Redeemer is now in God's administration.
He is the Administrator of the universe, executing God's economy—The whole universe is watching this scene. The four living creatures, the twenty- four elders, myriads of angels, and all other creatures are wide-awake, alert, and observing. These are the circumstances in which they proclaim, "To Him who sits upon the throne and to the Lamb be the blessing and the honor and the glory and the might forever and ever" (Rev. 5:13). There is a Lion-Lamb standing in the center of the universe with seven filashing, burning eyes. He saves us from our silence, coldness, and laziness. Our vision must be uplifted to see this Lamb accomplishing a work of eternally vast dimensions. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, pp. 4225-4226, 4236-4237)
Day 3
Verses: Deut. 33:17 …And his horns are the horns of the wild ox; with them he shall drive peoples to the ends of the earth together… Rev. 3:1 …These things says He who has the seven Spirits of God… In Revelation 5:6 6 John says that the Lamb has seven horns. Horns signify strength in fiighting (Deut. 33:17). Christ is the redeeming Lamb, yet He has horns for fiighting. He is the fiighting Redeemer. His fiighting is complete (perfect and complete) in God's move, as signifiied by the number seven. Revelation 5:6 also says that the Lamb has "seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth." Eyes are for observing and searching…Christ as the redeeming Lamb has seven observing and searching eyes for executing God's judgment upon the universe to fulfiill God's eternal purpose, which will consummate in the building up of the New Jerusalem. Therefore, in Zechariah 3:9 He is prophesied as the stone, the topstone (4:7) with seven eyes for God's building—The seven eyes of Christ are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth, and they run to and fro through the whole earth (Zech. 4:10). (The Conclusion of the New Testament, p. 4238)
When we attend a church meeting, we are under a special kind of observation—Before we attend the meeting, we may speak freely, but after the meeting Christ regulates our speaking. In the evening some kind of inner voice within us may urge us to go to a meeting. It may not be our natural preference to go, but we cannot avoid going. Then when we arrive at the meeting, we touch the living Christ. The burning, searching, enlightening, and observing reality of Christ as the life-giving Spirit is in the churches.
The seven Spirits are the seven eyes by which Christ expresses Himself— Whenever the Lord looks at us with His eyes, we can understand if He is happy or unhappy—By looking at us, He transfuses all that He is into our being. His seven eyes are gazing at us to infuse God into us. The seven eyes of the Lamb as the Executor of God's New Testament economy are the seven lamps upheld by the seven lampstands, the seven churches, shining and enlightening as the testimony of Jesus (Rev. 1:9b, 11-12). This burning, judging, purifying, refiining, and producing Spirit is the lamps upheld by the lampstands, the churches. This means that the churches shine through the lamps and that these lamps are the Spirit, the real testimony.
The seven Spirits today are judging, purifying, refiining, and bringing forth the churches—If we do not allow the seven Spirits to refiine us, the seven Spirits have no way to shine, and there is no testimony. The shining of the seven Spirits is the testimony. The more we let the Spirit purify us and refiine us, the more He shines through us, and this shining is the testimony of the churches. This is why we need to open ourselves and welcome Him every day to enter into our being to refiine, judge, purge, and purify us. Then He will shine through us, and this shining is the testimony of the church, the testimony of Jesus. The testimony of Jesus is the shining of the seven Spirits from within all the believers in the churches.
We should pray, "Dear divine Flame, come and judge(cid:488) Come and purify(cid:488) Come and refiine that You may produce the golden lampstand." By His mercy, we need to be open to Him. Every day we need to tell the Lord, "Come. I am open to You. I open every avenue of my being to You. Enlighten me, search me within, and expose me. I want to be enlightened by You and exposed in Your light." Instead of shutting ourselves up and hiding from Him, we need to pray, "Lord, we are open. Come and shine upon us, and shine from within us and enlighten every avenue and every corner of our being. We desire to be exposed, purged, and purifiied." (The Conclusion of the New Testament, pp. 4243-4245)
Day 4
Verses: Zech. 3:9 …Here is the stone that I have set before Joshua—upon one stone are seven eyes. I will engrave its engraving, declares Jehovah of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day. 4:10 …These seven rejoice when they see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel; they are the eyes of Jehovah running to and fro on the whole earth. The reference to engraving the stone in Zechariah 3:9 indicates that this stone is Christ. The Lord Jesus, as the building stone, was engraved, dealt with, by God on the cross for the iniquity of God's people. In one day, by that engraving on the cross, the Lord Jesus took away all the sins of God's people. This corresponds to John 1:29, which says, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world(cid:488)"—In short, the stone with seven eyes in Zechariah 3:9 is the Lamb with seven eyes in Revelation 5:6. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, p. 4246)
Zechariah 4:2 says, "There is a lampstand all of gold, with its bowl on top of it and its seven lamps upon it—" In 3:9 the building stone has seven eyes, and in this verse the lampstand has seven lamps. This reveals that the lampstand equals the stone. Both the stone and the lampstand are Christ. The stone is for the building, and the lampstand is for light, for enlightening. On the stone there are seven eyes, and on the lampstand there are seven lamps. Hence, the seven lamps of the lampstand must be the seven eyes on the stone. The seven eyes on the stone are the "eyes of Jehovah running to and fro on the whole earth" (cid:527)Zech. 4:10(cid:528). This verse corresponds to Revelation 5:6, which speaks of the seven eyes of the Lamb, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.
This indicates that the seven eyes of God are the seven Spirits of God. Zechariah 4:4-6 also implies that the seven eyes, which are the seven lamps, are related to the Spirit. After speaking of seven lamps upon a golden lampstand in verse 2, Zechariah asked an angel in verse 4, "What are these(cid:491)" Here, in effect, Zechariah was asking what the significance of the one lampstand with seven lamps is. In verse 6 the angel answered, "This is the word of Jehovah to Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says Jehovah of hosts." This clearly indicates the one lampstand with seven lamps is "My Spirit," the Spirit of God. Here the seven lamps signify the seven Spirits of God.
This is because the book of Revelation indicates that the seven eyes of God, which are the seven lamps, are the seven Spirits of God—Zechariah reveals that the seven eyes of God, which are the seven lamps on the lampstand, are also the seven eyes of the stone. By means of the seven eyes, Christ as the Lion and the Lamb unveiled in Revelation 5 is connected to the stone spoken of in Zechariah 3. Therefore, the One with the seven eyes is not only the Lion-Lamb but also the stone. He is the Lion-Lamb-stone; the Lion to destroy the enemy, the Lamb to redeem us, and the stone to build God's house. After His death and resurrection, the age became the age of the church, which is God's building. For the building of the church, Christ is the rock (cid:527)cf. Matt. 16:18(cid:528).
The accomplishment of God's building requires His judgment. God's judgment is carried out by Christ's being the One with seven filaming eyes to burn, enlighten, search, purify, and refiine us. Eventually, these filaming eyes infuse us with all that He is, metabolically transforming us into His being. The whole city of New Jerusalem will have the same essence and appearance as God. The appearance of God sitting on the throne in Revelation 4 is of jasper (v. 3), and the appearance of the New Jerusalem, especially its wall,—is also of jasper (21:11, 18-19). Thus, the essence and appearance of God and of the city are the same. This can be accomplished by having God wrought into us by means of transfusion. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, pp. 4246- 4248)
Day 5
Verses: Rev. 1:4 John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from Him who is and who was and who is coming, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne. 4:5 And out of the throne come forth lightnings and voices and thunders. (cid:36)(cid:81)(cid:71) (cid:87)(cid:75)(cid:72)(cid:85)(cid:72) (cid:90)(cid:72)(cid:85)(cid:72) (cid:86)(cid:72)(cid:89)(cid:72)(cid:81) (cid:79)(cid:68)(cid:80)(cid:83)(cid:86) (cid:82)(cid:73) (cid:191)(cid:85)(cid:72) (cid:69)(cid:88)(cid:85)(cid:81)(cid:76)(cid:81)(cid:74) (cid:69)(cid:72)(cid:73)(cid:82)(cid:85)(cid:72) (cid:87)(cid:75)(cid:72) (cid:87)(cid:75)(cid:85)(cid:82)(cid:81)(cid:72)L (cid:90)(cid:75)(cid:76)(cid:70)(cid:75) (cid:68)(cid:85)(cid:72) the seven Spirits of God. . In Revelation, the sequence of the Triune God is different from that found in Matthew. In Matthew 28:19 the sequence of the Triune God is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. But in Revelation 1:4 and 5 the sequence is changed. The seven Spirits of God are listed in the second place instead of the third. This reveals the importance of the intensified function of the sevenfold Spirit of God. This point is confiirmed by the repeated emphasis on the Spirit's speaking in 2:7, 11, 17, 29; 3:6, 13, 22; 14:13; and 22:17. At the opening of the Epistles, only the Father and the Son are mentioned, from whom grace and peace are given to the receivers. Here, however, the Spirit is also included, from whom grace and peace are imparted to the churches. This also signifies the crucial need of the Spirit for God's move to counteract the degradation of the church. (Life-study of Revelation, p. 37)
In Revelation the Spirit occupies the second place in the sequence of the Divine Trinity—because in this book the age has been changed from the Son to the Spirit— The age is the age of the Spirit, and in this age the Spirit has been intensified. Because the Spirit in 1:4 is the intensified Spirit of God, He is called the seven Spirits. The seven Spirits are undoubtedly the Spirit of God because They are ranked among the Triune God in verses 4 and 5—The number seven here does not refer to seven different spirits but to one sevenfold Spirit. Seven is the number of completion in God's dispensational move, whereas twelve is the number of completion in God's eternal administration.
For example, God created the earth in six days plus one Sabbath day—For God's move today, the church has the number seven. In the book of Revelation the seven seals, the seven trumpets, and the seven bowls are all for God's dispensational move. Thus, the sevenfold Spirit is the intensified Spirit in God's move today. In substance and existence, God's Spirit is one; in the intensified function and work of God's operation, God's Spirit is sevenfold. It is like the lampstand in Zechariah 4:2. In existence it is one lampstand, but in function it is seven lamps. At the time the book of Revelation was written, the church had become degraded, and the age had become dark.
Therefore, the sevenfold intensified Spirit of God was needed for God's move and work on the earth. We all are familiar with three-way bulbs, light bulbs that can be switched to three successive degrees of illumination—In like manner, the seven lamps on the lampstand were the sevenfold intensified light. In the four Gospels the Spirit of God was onefold because at that time there was not the need for so much light. However, after the church had been degraded and the age had become exceedingly dark, there was the need for the Holy Spirit to be intensified sevenfold. In this way the one Spirit of God has become the sevenfold Spirit.
In existence the Holy Spirit, like the lampstand in Zechariah, is one, but in function the Holy Spirit is seven. The seven Spirits of God are the seven eyes of the Lamb (Rev. 5:6; Zech. 3:9; 4:10). Our eyes are for our moving. If we are blind, it is very difficult to move. In God's move today, Christ as the Lamb of God has seven eyes. The seven eyes of the Lamb are also for watching, observing, and transfusing…How can you realize that someone loves you(cid:491) Love is transfused through the eyes— When Christ looks at us with His seven eyes, we may be terrifiied at first. Eventually, however, these seven eyes will transfuse Christ's element into us. (Life-study of Revelation, pp. 37-39)