by G. V. Wigram
In the Revelation, the Lord is much spoken of as "the Lamb" —a title which suggests the thought of suffering and atonement. But in this book of the Revelation, He is neither suffering nor doing the work of atonement. All that is over and perfected as we know; He is rather exercising Himself in His strength, judging and conquering. This may, therefore, at first surprise us that He should so generally, in the progress of the action in His book, be called the Lamb." Like all else in the oracles of God, this is only beautiful and perfect in its way and season when considered a little.
Redemption is conducted by either blood or power. The blood of our Redeemer, or our kinsman, acts toward God, as I may express it; His power acts against Satan. The blood of Christ ransoms us from the righteous judgment or demand of God; the power of Christ rescues us from the captivity of Satan.
This is sure and simple, but then, there could be no rescue or deliverance from Satan if there had not been a ransom given or paid to God. Hence it is that our Redeemer gets His title to go forth and deliver from the blood which He had shed to atone: thus in the Revelation where He is acting as our Redeemer by power, He is ever kept in sight as "the Lamb.”
We are all familiar in our thoughts with such truth as this. The cross of Christ sustains the inheritance. The inheritance is a purchased thing as well as a rescued or delivered thing. There is no recovery or regeneration of this ruined scene, except on the ground and title of the expiation accomplished at Calvary. In a purer sense than perhaps it was once said, we may say, "No cross, no crown"—in symbol of which the royal rights of Christ were written in every language of the nations on the cursed tree.
In the action, therefore, of rescuing the inheritance from Satan, the usurper, and then reigning over it as regained or delivered, the Lord Jesus is spoken of as "the Lamb," the One who had already made atonement. Or as redeeming by power on the ground of having redeemed by blood, He is introduced at the opening of the action of this book in the combined characters of "the lion of the tribe of Judah" and the "Lamb as it had been slain" (ch. 5). But further, the Lord Jesus in this book is judging the nations as well as rescuing the inheritance from Satan. He is visiting the world for its iniquity and unbelief.
Such an action as this He is to conduct as the One who had been once despised and rejected. Scripture abundantly tells us this. It is the refused King that is to call forth the rebel citizens to have them slain before Him; it is the disallowed stone that is to fall and grind to powder (Luke 19; Matt. 21). Jesus is to be honored where once He was put to shame; He is to be rich where once He was poor; He is to be enthroned in strength where once He was crucified in weakness. The despised Son of Man is to judge, to avenge and to conquer.
All this is clear, sure and simple in the light of the oracles of God. Therefore, we may say that as far as the action of this book is upon man, judging him (though Jew or Greek) or visiting him with wrath or plague, the action is conducted by the rejected Christ. As far as the action is upon Satan, redeeming the inheritance out of his hand and quelling his power in this scene of his usurpation, it is conducted by Christ who made atonement. The Lord does not judge man because He had been the Lamb slain for sinners, but because, as the righteous witness for God in the world, the world had rejected and crucified Him. But He does overthrow the might of the great enemy and rescues the inheritance out of his hand, because He had paid the ransom price of that inheritance by His precious blood.
All this the wayfaring man may read in God's own perfect and sufficient Book. All this gives the Lord Jesus, in the Revelation where He is judging man and answering the way of the usurper, that title which at once expresses Him to us as the rejected One and as the atoning One, for we find that His title "the Lamb" in this book at times connects itself with the first of these ideas and at other times with the second of them. (See chapters 5:6, 8, 12-13; 6:1, 16; 7:9-10, 14, 17; 12:11; 13:8; 14:1, 4, 10; 15:3; 17:14; 19:7, 9.)
This may easily and naturally remind us of that well-known chapter, Isaiah 53, where the Lord Jesus is looked at as "the Lamb," but at times treated there as the victim whose blood cleanses. And at other times He is looked at as the One whom man was hating and despising.
As we find the Lord as "the Lamb" in this book, so do we find the church as "the Lamb's wife." If I recollect aright, it is the only title in the course of this book which is given to the church. And no doubt there is a correspondence in these titles. He is "the Lamb" and she is "the Lamb's wife." This latter title is to be interpreted according to the same rules which have already led us to interpret the former.
We have seen the Lord is "the Lamb" as having made atonement to God and as having been rejected by men. Accordingly, "the Lamb's wife" is the church as connected with the virtue of the blood of Christ and also with His rejection in the world. It tells us that we are purchased, saved and reconciled, but it tells us also that we are strangers in the world and a rejected, heavenly people, companions of a despised Jesus. Had we but affections, we might surely say that this is both comforting and serious truth.
Our character as saints, according to this truth, is lost when we practically deny either the one or the other of these things. That is, we do not in living power present the due image of "the Lamb's wife” when we either live in the bondage of the rudiments and ordinances of a fleshly, worldly sanctuary, or when we affect citizenship in the earth, forming alliance with the kingdoms of the world or in acting according to the course of it. By the first of these things we practically deny that we are purchased and saved by Christ: by the second We refuse the thought that we are rejected with Him. We do not show forth our union with "the Lamb.”
Had we but affections, again I say, how we should value such a calling! Great dignity, moral dignity is conferred on the church by giving her, after this manner, association with Christ in the day of His rejection. She will be the companion and associate of His glory and power by and by, but she is now joined with Him in this age of His rejection and weakness in the world. This is something of a deeper character, as our hearts one with another so well understand.
Supposing one were to come to us in the day of gladness of his heart and ask us to rejoice with him, we should feel at once that he was treating us with a measure of confidence that was very gratifying to us. But supposing that another were to come in the day of his sorrow and seek from us that we would feel for him and enter into the secret of his trouble with him, we should be very sensible of this that he was treating us with a still larger measure of confidence, and we should be still more gratified.
The heart knows all this very well. And thus it is with Christ and the church. The church is called to be the companion of the Lord in that age of the world which is marked by His scorn, rejection and weakness in it. This is her characteristic. She knows the reconciliation perfectly and has peace with God, but she knows Christ's place in the world that has refused Him in the midst of a generation that has mistaken Him and His glory altogether. She is called to know Him in His sorrow and rejection. When we consider who He is, this is the highest moral dignity that any creature could sustain. It is just as her place and condition in the system of coming glories will be the loftiest and richest that any creature could fill, such is the bride, "the Lamb's wife." I mean characteristically, not assuming to speak her worth and honors in detail. But such she is in the character of her calling.
We may catch the bright idea of such a calling and marvel and adore the grace and wisdom that have designed it. But while doing this we may feel that we have to look out beyond the measure of our own poor heart for capacity to prize and enjoy such a mystery, We have to look far beyond our own poor ways for anything like a worthy image or reflection of it in the joy and power and service which ought to accompany the faith of it.