THE LAMB AND THE LAMB'S WIFE

THE LAMB AND THE LAMB’S WIFE

Revelation 5: 6 - 10; Revelation 7: 9 - 14; Revelation 12: 10, 11; Revelation 14: 1 - 5; Revelation 19: 6 - 8

I wish, dear brethren, to speak of the Lamb and the Lamb’s wife. We have been speaking yesterday and today of the assembly in different aspects, and I wish to touch on the thought of the Lamb’s wife, believing that it is an aspect of the assembly which we may yet find come into special prominence in these closing days; that is, that the thought of God, centring in the assembly, will not find a complete answer unless we are formed in the features proper to the Lamb’s wife. Other features of the assembly have engaged us, but this also is an important side of assembly truth. Before we are to take account of the Lamb’s wife, we must, of course, have an appreciation of the Lamb, for the idea of the Lamb’s wife - particularly as she is brought before us in the last passage we have read, is that she stands by the side of the Lamb in the day of His public vindication and glory, and she stands with Him, as you might say, enhancing the occasion. She is in every way in suitability in Him, and it becomes us, if we are to have part in that - and we are, through grace - to consider what is necessary in order that we may take on the features that are proper to the Lamb’s wife. That is what I have in mind, and what I trust the Lord will help in developing.

The book of Revelation is an extremely interesting book; it is a provision for the last days. In it the Lord has given us through John a revelation which God Himself gave to Him, so that we might be intelligent both as to the present time in so far as the assembly is concerned and also as to what is to develop on the earth after the assembly is taken from it, and it is encouraging in this sense that we are allowed to see not only the complete triumph of good over evil in the end, to see how completely God will overthrow evil and finally consign it to the lake of fire, and will establish all that is good on the earth in the very scene where evil has been rampant; we are allowed not only to see how good will eventually triumph, but also we are allowed to see how gloriously, in the days of the greatest evil - that which will develop when the assembly, and the Spirit of God with it, is removed, God will triumph on the earth in those who are secured as standing for what is right in His sight.

Now in the fourth chapter, John is told to “Come up hither.” He sees a door opened in heaven, and he is allowed to see what there is in heaven, and what he sees first of all is a throne and One who sits upon it. That is God; no doubt in the Person of Christ, but it is viewed from the standpoint of God, the One who has never relinquished His right to the earth. But then he is allowed to see twenty-four thrones and twenty-four elders sitting upon them clothed in white and with golden crowns upon their heads. These represent the saints of the present and previous dispensations; and then he is allowed to see in the midst of the throne and around the throne, four living creatures; one like a lion, one like a calf, one having the face of a man, and the fourth like a flying eagle. All that is extremely interesting, for we are intended to gather by these things, that whatever may be the state of the earth, and we realise that conditions on the earth are becoming increasingly difficult for saints. John is given to see that the throne is unmoved, that the throne is secure, that God has matters in hand, and that He has power to enforce His rights on the earth, and has those who are identified with the throne, and then not only that, but there are the four living creatures, which, I believe, are intended to represent what He secures in creatures; that is, God in His grace desires that we ourselves, who are His creatures, should be brought into sympathy with Him and His rights in every way. Satan has done his utmost to turn man away from God, but the triumph of God is that He secures, in spite of Satan’s efforts, those who are in every way in sympathy with Himself and His rights. So that they can be seen in the midst of the throne and round about it. They are in every way identified with the throne.

At the present time all assembly exercise is intended to develop among us the features that are seen in those four living creatures. The lion represents fearlessness, he turns not away for any (Proverbs 30: 30), and when matters arise in the assembly that have to be considered by brothers in care, and then it may be, dealt with by the whole assembly, one important feature is that there should be fearlessness to do what is right in the sight of God. But there is also a calf which speaks of patience and tenderness. The ox always has a steady tread, but the fact that it is not an ox but a calf is intended to emphasise the idea of tenderness too; that is, while what is due to God must be maintained, there must be the element of patience and consideration in the way things are handled. Then there is the face of a man which speaks of intelligence, for indeed we are told in the third of Ephesians that principalities and powers in the heavenlies are learning in the assembly the all-various wisdom of God. All this becomes education to principalities and powers in the heavenlies. Finally, the flying eagle, which means that when the matter is clear there is no delay; the eagle sees its prey from afar and swoops down on it, and the idea is that once a matter is clear there is no delay in executing whatever is needed. I refer to these four living creatures just to show how stimulating it is for us as living in a world where things are becoming increasingly difficult, to see that God has in no way relinquished His rights over the earth, and He intends to have His creatures entirely in sympathy with His throne.

Now, in chapter five, we find that John is given to see on the right hand of Him who sat upon the throne, a book, written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals. “And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to break its seals? And no one was able in the heaven or upon the earth, or underneath the earth to open the book or to regard it. And I wept much because no one had been found worthy to open the book nor to regard it.” The book, I take it, was just the opening up of the ways that God would take in order to establish permanently His rights on the earth and to clear the scene of all that was offensive to Him. But then, Who was worthy to open it? It is not to be taken up arbitrarily, it must be taken up by one who has the moral qualifications to deal with this matter. But what man could be found to take up this matter to clear the earth of every element hateful to God? There is only One! “The lion which is of the tribe of Juda, the root of David, has overcome so as to open the book, and its seven seals.” So it is a lion, one who turns not away for any, one who is majestic in kingly power. And John looks, but what does he see? He does not see a lion. The elder had said ‘The lion of the tribe of Juda,’ but when John turns he sees a Lamb, and the word means a little lamb. It is a diminutive thought. We are intended to be impressed with the fact that though the Lord will come forth as the Lion of the tribe of Judah in the establishment of the rights of God, yet His true character is to be apprehended as One who has suffered here at the hands of men in apparent weakness.

As it is said in the prophet Isaiah, “He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and was as a sheep dumb before her shearers, and he opened not his mouth”; but in Acts 8 it is put the other way, “He was led as a sheep to slaughter, and as a lamb is dumb in presence of him that shears him, thus he opens not his mouth.” So the idea of the Lamb is a twofold thought. Think of the Lord as led to the slaughter, the apparent weakness of it, and then the lamb in the presence of his shearers being dumb, and that is what John saw. He saw a Lamb as it had been slain, and what is to be apprehended by us is that if the rights of God are to be maintained on the earth they will be maintained only on the principle of suffering, and of dying if need be. It is on than principle that Christ is worthy to take the book and loose the seven seals thereof. So it says “in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, a Lamb standing as slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are; the seven Spirits of God which are sent into all the earth; and it came and took it out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne.” He is no longer marked by weakness. He never was marked by weakness save only in the sense of outward appearance. He was crucified through weakness. There was no weakness in Jesus morally, but outwardly the position was that He was crucified through weakness, but there is no weakness now, having seven horns and seven eyes which are the seven spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. “And it came and took it out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne.”

I pause here before I pass on because I believe it is of the greatest importance that our hearts should be moved by the sense that the Lord has stood here on earth in the presence of evil, maintaining all that was right in the sight of God, prepared to suffer loss,

relinquishing nothing that was due to God. So the closing chapters of the gospels which delineate for us the sufferings of Christ at the hands of men, are a great study for us. In chapters 26 and 27 of Matthew, we find that before the high priests and before the governor, the Lord is asked certain questions which are on the line of personal accusations and He answers nothing; but when questions are asked involving the testimony, immediately the Lord answers. Immediately it is a question of the testimony, He must speak. Whatever was involved, He would be faithful to God, and He would meet the position in faithfulness in the position of suffering. But in personal accusations the Lord answered nothing. The governor, I suppose, had never had anyone before him before who answered nothing; it says, “the governor wondered exceedingly.” That gives an idea of the characteristics of the Lamb. One who would die rather than surrender any item of the rights of God.

What I am leading to is that if we are to have our place in the day of the marriage of the Lamb, if we are to stand by His side as the Lamb’s wife when He is publicly vindicated, it necessitates that we are in our turn to suffer rather than surrender anything that is right in the sight of God, and that, I believe, is a feature of the testimony which the Lord will bring into prominence in these closing days. It says in the gospel of Luke that when the days of His receiving up were fulfilled, the Lord set His face steadfastly to go to Jerusalem. In the full understanding of what would be involved. He set His face steadfastly, and now we have arrived at a time that corresponds with this in the history of the testimony, and there is the final phase of the testimony to be completed, having in view taking on the features of the Lamb’s wife, that we may stand beside the Lamb in the day of His public glory, and be there in every way suitable to the occasion, as being ourselves in moral accord with the One who is the centre of it. Hence we must not be surprised if the days become increasingly difficult for Christians. We must not think that the Lord has forgotten His people, but rather that it is something that is necessary for the development of the features of the assembly that she is to bear as the Lamb’s wife. We may be sure that all the evil arising on the earth is perfectly under divine control, but the book of Revelation shows that however much may arise, God will triumph in the end. We read of a company that none can number, brought to light in the days of the beast, a company that had not yielded to the beast in the days when his power appeared to be complete. We are given from chapter six onwards to see the different companies that will be brought to light on the earth after the assembly is taken from it.

And so in chapter seven we have this company which is referred to in verse nine. “A great crowd, which no one could number, out of every nation and tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes and palm branches in their hands! The palms are, of course, symbolical of victory. They stand before the Lamb. He takes account of them. He supports them and one of the elders in answer to John says, “These are they who come out of the great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and have made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” That is, in the presence of all that Satan brings to pass on the earth with a view to overthrowing the faithful few, and in these worst days that will ever have arisen on the earth, there is this great company that no one can number which God brings to light. We may rest assured that if conditions necessitating suffering, if we are to be faithful, do arise, it is not because God’s love for His people has ceased, it is simply that it is essential in order to bring to light this feature of moral glory in Christ which is to find its counterpart in the assembly. It says “they have washed their robes and have made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” Now this is what they have done, It is not that the Lamb has done it for them. It refers, I believe to the way they have washed them as taking account of the blood of the Lamb, recognising that the Lamb has established rights over them in the power of His blood, so that whatever men say, they have regard to the rights of Christ over them, and these rights only, and it results in their having washed their robes for the robes are the things that we appear in amongst men. The Lord by His blood has established rights over us that are indisputable and they must not be allowed to be challenged by anyone else. “Come out from among them and be ye separate ... . Touch not the unclean thing.” Anything that is characterised by uncleanness in the sight of God, anything that is of that character, the word is, Touch it not. It is a question now of owning the rights of the Lamb over us. That is an important thing that we have all to face in these days. It is a question of the truth and the rights of God and the rights of Christ. These people will answer to the test, and in those days of far greater testing than will ever come upon us. The Spirit of God intends, as drawing our attention to these things, that we embrace the truth to prepare us for the days that may be before us.

In chapter twelve we come to something further. We read “for the accuser of our brethren has been cast out, who accused them before our God day and night, and they have overcome him by reason of the blood of the Lamb, and by reason of the word of their testimony, and have not loved their life even unto death.” That looks forward to a day not yet come, but shortly to come, when Satan will be cast out of heaven. How thankful we can be that the day is near when he will be for ever cast out of heavenly places. It shows how complete Satan’s overthrow will be, for the Lord according to Luke, says, “I beheld Satan as lightning falling out of heaven.” The assembly having been taken up to heaven, Satan must be cast down out of heavenly places. And as Satan is cast out of heaven his overthrow is celebrated in heaven. He accuses the brethren day and night, but our Lord Jesus ever liveth to make intercession for us. If anyone is marked by accusing the brethren, what company are you in? You are in the company of Satan. I would not like to be in his company, I would not like to take on his features; far better to take on the features of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is far better to be engaged praying for the saints than accusing them. It says they overcame by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony. First of all we always overcome Satan by the blood of the Lamb, there is always an answer to him in the blood of the Lamb, and nothing detracts from the value of the blood of Christ. So that Satan’s accusations carry no weight. The testimony must go on, and Satan’s effort is to take advantage of our failures so as to weaken the word of our testimony. The great thing is to keep short accounts with God and to get right if we fail. If there is anything in us to give Satan an opportunity to accuse, own it in the light of the blood of the Lamb and we can then go forward with the word of our testimony. This is all constructive. In chapter 7 we have those who have washed their robes, and then this paragraph in chapter 12 has in view the word of the testimony. That is, we give testimony to Christ and the truth, but in order to do this we must have a good conscience.

In chapter 14 we have a further feature which we are to take on. Here we have another company coming into view. You will understand that whether it be chapter 7 or those spoken of in chapter 12, or in chapter 14, they are all saints of God who will be brought to light after the assembly has gone. We may well say to ourselves that if these features are found with them in far greater days of difficulty, they should be found in us; and they must be found in us if we are to become the Lamb’s wife. So in chapter 14 we have a company standing on mount Zion, the Lamb’s name and His Father’s name written on their foreheads. They are to be recognisable as identified with the Lamb and with His Father. The beast will require that everyone should have his name either on his forehead or on his right hand, but not so with these one hundred and forty-four thousand. They stand openly with the name of the Lamb and the name of His Father written on their foreheads, and they sing a new song before the throne, and before the four living creatures and the elders. I believe the outstanding feature of this company is that they follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth. Wherever He leads, they are prepared to follow. The Lord may lead into paths of suffering. It is essential that we should know something of suffering if we are to come out as the Lamb’s wife. That is what marked this company. The Lamb is the suffering One, the One who would suffer rather than surrender, and now wherever He leads He finds some prepared to follow. The question is, Are we prepared to do the same, not in any self-confidence like Peter, who said “I will not deny thee”? We do not want to be like that, but at the same time we understand that the Lord will lead in the character of the Lamb having in mind to produce in us features proper to the Lamb’s wife. And so these who have been bought from men as first-fruits to God and to the Lamb, have no lie found in their mouths, for they are blameless. I believe if these three features of washing our robes and making them clean in the blood of the Lamb, and then continuing in the word of our testimony, in no way being intimidated by the accusations of Satan, and thirdly preparedness to follow the Lamb, there will be developed in us, features that are proper to the Lamb’s wife.

That is what we come to in chapter 19. “And I heard as a voice of a great crowd, and as a voice of many waters, and as a voice of strong thunders, saying Hallelujah, for the Lord our God the Almighty has taken to himself kingly power. Let us rejoice and exult, and give him glory; for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife has made herself ready. And it was given to her that she should be clothed in fine linen, bright and pure for the fine linen is the righteousnesses of the saints.” The wife is now to be with Him, to stand by His side on that great occasion. It is the thought of the public celebration of the One who suffered here for the rights of God and is now displayed as the centre of the thoughts of God. Now if we are to stand by His side we must be there as in every way in accord with Him, and so it says His wife has made herself ready. It is not a question here of imputed righteousness on the ground of the death of Christ, it is rather the practical righteousnesses wrought out in detail, and increased in value by having been wrought out in suffering, in being prepared to suffer rather than surrender, and it is in that way that we develop the moral qualities which will be displayed in the day of the Lamb’s glory. Everyone who loves our Lord Jesus would cherish the idea. Flesh does not appreciate the idea of suffering, but it is a question of following the Lamb where He leads. If suffering for the testimony is involved it does not mean that God has forgotten His saints, it is simply that God has the whole matter under control, and that He sees it to be necessary in order to develop this final feature of true assembly glory in correspondence with Christ, that is to be displayed in the day of glory.

May the Lord strengthen our hearts to enable us to continue to the end. The Lord set His face unflinchingly, let us set our faces also, so that we may be found in the testimony for His pleasure, and suitable to Christ in the day of His glory.