Jesus is depicted as a Lamb because He is the once-slain, resurrected Christ who alone is worthy to take God's scroll and redeem what was lost.
Revelation 5 shows no one in heaven, on earth, or under the earth able to open the scroll until a Lamb appears 'as it had been slain,' with seven horns and seven eyes. Les teaches that this Lamb is Jesus the Christ, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, who stands before the Father's throne and is qualified to pay off the mortgage on the world. His worthiness rests on His death, burial, and resurrection.
Revelation 5:5 — The elder announces that the Lion of the tribe of Judah has prevailed to open the scroll, identifying Jesus just before He appears as a Lamb.
Revelation 5:6 — This is the key verse where Jesus is seen as a slain Lamb with seven horns and seven eyes.
In Revelation 5:2-7, John sees a strong angel asking, 'Who is worthy to open the book?' No man in heaven, on earth, or under the earth was able to open the scroll, and John wept. One of the elders then told him, 'Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.' John then saw 'in the midst of the throne' a Lamb 'as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.' The Lamb came and took the book out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne. Earlier, John the Baptist identified Jesus as 'the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world' (John 1:29). In Exodus 12:7-8, the Lord told Israel to take the blood of the lamb and strike it on the two side posts and the upper doorpost, and to eat the flesh roasted with fire. Paul later calls Christ 'our passover' (1 Corinthians 5:7).
Les Feldick teaches that the Lamb in Revelation 5 is Jesus the Christ, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, who comes before God the Father's throne. Even though He is called the Lion, He appears as a slain Lamb—standing with the marks of His death, burial, and resurrection—and He alone has authority to take the scroll from the Father's right hand. Les explains the scroll in terms of a Jewish mortgage: when a man could not pay off his mortgaged land, a qualified next of kin could pay it off for him. Christ is that qualified Redeemer who takes the scroll and says, in effect, 'I'll pay it off.' He will pay off the curse that has been on the world since Genesis 3 and pay off Satan's mortgage, and He is worthy because of His death, burial, and resurrection. Les also connects the Lamb back to the Old Testament Passover. The Passover lamb roasted with fire pictured the judgment Christ would face; the blood on the doorposts pictured His blood that alone can take away sin. In the New Testament, John the Baptist calls Jesus 'the Lamb of God,' a phrase Les says John alone uses, and Paul identifies Christ as our Passover.
In Revelation 5:6 the slain Lamb is described as having seven horns and seven eyes, which the verse identifies as 'the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.' Les adds that the seven horns depict the Lamb's political power, and that the seven eyes refer to the seven attributes of the Holy Spirit found in Isaiah 11.
In Revelation 5:7 the Lamb 'came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne.' Les explains this with the Jewish custom of mortgaged land: if the owner could not pay, a qualified relative could pay off the mortgage and reclaim it. Thus, when Christ takes the scroll from the Father, He is in effect saying, 'I'll pay it off.' Les says He will pay off the curse on the world and Satan's mortgage, and He alone can do it because of His death, burial, and resurrection.
In Revelation 5:5 an elder tells John, 'Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book.' Les identifies this Lion as Christ, God the Son, who came out of Judah. He is the One who was crucified, rose, and ascended, and He stands before the Father's throne as the slain Lamb.
Les takes the Revelation 5 Lamb back to the Passover. In Exodus, the lamb had to be roasted with fire, which Les sees as a picture of judgment—just as Christ went through the fires of judgment on the cross. The blood on the doorposts was also a picture of the blood of Christ. Les points out that in the New Testament, our Lamb is Christ, as substantiated in 1 Corinthians, and John the Baptist called Jesus 'the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.'
The Scroll No One Else Could Open
Les shows that no one in heaven, earth, or under the earth was worthy, and that Jesus the Christ is the only One with authority to take the scroll-mortgage and say, 'I'll pay it off.'
The Lamb Slain Before the Throne
Les describes the Lamb standing in the midst of God's throne, slain, with seven horns and seven eyes, and notes that John is the only biblical writer who uses the expression 'Lamb of God.'
The Lion of the Tribe of Judah
Les identifies the Lion of the tribe of Judah and Root of David as Christ, God the Son, who has prevailed to open the scroll.
Seven Horns and Seven Eyes
Les teaches that the Lamb's seven horns denote His political power and that His seven eyes are the seven Spirits of God, matching the seven attributes of the Holy Spirit in Isaiah 11.
The Passover Lamb Roasted With Fire
Les uses the Passover lamb roasted with fire as a picture of Christ enduring the fires of judgment on the cross.
Paying Off the Mortgage
Les teaches that when the Lamb takes the scroll from God the Father, it is Christ saying, 'I'll pay it off'—paying the curse on the world and Satan's mortgage by His death, burial, and resurrection.
The Necessity of Shed Blood
Les explains that God required shed blood; the Old Testament animal sacrifices were only examples that looked forward to the blood of Christ, which alone can take away sin.
The Lamb on the Doorpost
Les connects the Passover lamb's blood on the doorposts to Christ as our New Testament Lamb, substantiated in 1 Corinthians.
Revelation 5:5: And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.
This verse announces the Lion of Judah just before the Lamb appears.
Revelation 5:6: 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, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.
This is the central vision where Jesus appears as the slain Lamb with seven horns and seven eyes.
Revelation 5:3: And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon.
Showing why John wept and why the Lamb's worthiness matters.
Revelation 5:7: And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne.
The Lamb takes the scroll from the Father, the action Les calls paying off the mortgage.
John 1:29: The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
Earlier identification of Jesus as the Lamb of God.
Isaiah 11:2: And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;
Les refers to this passage for the seven attributes of the Holy Spirit represented by the Lamb's seven eyes.
Exodus 12:7: And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it.
The Passover blood on the doorposts is the Old Testament picture of the Lamb's blood.
Exodus 12:8: And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.
The lamb roasted with fire pictures the judgment Christ faced on the cross.
1 Corinthians 5:7: Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:
Paul identifies Christ as our Passover, which Les uses to connect the lamb imagery to Christ.
Yes. Les identifies the Lamb as Jesus the Christ, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Son of God who was crucified, rose, and ascended. In the vision the Lamb stands before the Father's throne as it had been slain, and He takes the scroll from the Father's right hand.
Les teaches that the seven horns depict His political power, and the seven eyes are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. He connects these to the seven attributes of the Holy Spirit described in Isaiah 11.
No one in heaven, on earth, or under the earth was worthy. The Lamb is worthy because He was slain—His death, burial, and resurrection—and because He is the qualified Redeemer who can pay off the curse and Satan's mortgage.
It comes from the Passover lamb, whose blood on the doorposts saved Israel and whose flesh was roasted with fire as a picture of judgment. Les teaches that Christ is our New Testament Lamb, and John the Baptist called Jesus 'the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.'
Watch the Teaching: Who Can Open the Scroll? Daniel 7 & Revelation 5 Explained