New Jerusalem #28. The Throne of God and the Lambkin

THE UPWARD CALL

Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet;

but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead,

I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God

IN CHRIST JESUS.

(Philippians 3:13-14 NASB)

#03-09189

New Jerusalem #28.

The Throne of God and the Lambkin

December 25, 2009

And he shows me a river of water of life, resplendent as crystal, issuing out of the throne

of God and the Lambkin…. (Revelation 22:1 CV)

(3) There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb [Lambkin]

will be in it, and His bond-servants will serve Him; (4) they will see His face, and His

name will be on their foreheads. (Revelation 22:3-4 NASB [CV])

As his Patmos vision came to an end, John saw the throne of God and the Lambkin.

Now, most people probably think that in the midst of the city is a throne, and God the Father and His

Son have sole possession of it. In fact, most probably picture God and His Son sitting on a great throne.

However, we need to be reminded that we must see what New Jerusalem signifies spiritually and not

view it as some physical city sitting on earth. This does not mean that New Jerusalem will not be

manifested in the physical realm, for it most surely will as heaven invades earth. New Jerusalem is the

spirit realm and the very character and essence of God’s Son manifested in the physical realm.

In the case of the throne, I do not believe that we should look upon it as if it were a physical platform

with kingly chairs sitting upon it. The word throne signifies power and authority, so in the context of

New Jerusalem, we could say the throne is the power and authority of the holy city. It could be

likened to a generating plant that produces the electricity to power a city. As we will see in

the next issue, life comes forth from the throne, which means that the throne is the very source of life

and power for the entire city, the new earth beyond, and the nations therein.

The question is: From whence or from whom does this power emanate? Is it only through God and His

Son? I propose that the throne of the Lambkin is New Jerusalem itself , which means that the

sons of God are seated on this throne along with the Son of God. I make this claim on the basis of the

word lambkin , as well as the Lord Jesus’ own words to His conquerors.

First, let us consider the word lambkin .

In the New Testament, the word lamb comes from one of two Greek words, amnos or arnion .

The word amnos is a young sheep and is used exclusively when referring to Jesus as the Lamb of God

dying for the sin of the world: “Behold, the Lamb [amnos] of God who takes away the sin of the

world!” (John 1:29 NASB). In the New Testament, it is used only four times (John 1:29, 36; Acts 8:32;

1 Peter 1:19).

The word arnion is a little lamb and is used exclusively by John, especially in the book of Revelation,

where it is the only Greek word used for the word lamb . To ensure that the distinction is not lost, the

Concordant Version translates arnion with the word lambkin thirty times in the New Testament. In

Webster’s dictionary, a lambkin is defined as “a little lamb; sometimes applied to a child or young

person as a term of affection.” So, lambkin portrays youthfulness and affection.

This should remind us of the declaration made by God in reference to “My sons” inheriting “these

things” (i.e., New Jerusalem): “Behold, I am making all things new” (Revelation 21:5, 7). Thus,

the lambkin is associated with what is new and fresh and youthful. Again, this word is used in reference

to the Son of God who was slain.

And I perceived, in the center of the throne and of the four animals, and in the center of

the elders, a Lambkin [arnion] standing, as though slain…. (Revelation 5:6 CV)

Without any doubt, the Lambkin uniquely refers to the Son of God, our Lord Jesus. Only He has the

right to the take the scroll and to be worshipped by all creation (Revelation 5:11-14). This is

unquestionable; however, the word arnion also was used by Jesus to refer to His people when He said

to Peter: “Graze My lambkins [arnion] !” (John 21:15 CV).

This is significant, for this brings the lambkins into relationship with the Lambkin. It is as if Jesus

identified Himself with His people in a very unique way. He is the Lambkin, and all who are in Him are

in the Lambkin and, in fact, are the Lambkin.

I believe that the Lambkin could be seen in the same light as the Christ, which Paul used to describe the

body of Christ.

I propose that, as presented in Revelation 22:1 and 3, the Lambkin is very much like the Christ. In issue

#03-0911 (February 2, 2009) Head Up All In The Christ , I made the point that Paul saw the Christ as

both the Head and the body. You cannot have a head without a body (see 1 Corinthians 12:12). The two

are inseparable. When Eve was fashioned out of the body of Adam, it was declared that they had

become one flesh (Genesis 2:24). Paul tells us that this mystery is great as he declares that this now

speaks of the Christ and His ecclesia, which is His body. The two are now one (Ephesians 5:22-33).

To be sure, there are times when the Lambkin and the Christ refer singly to the Lord Himself, but there

are also times when we need to see that both the Lambkin and the Christ ultimately refer to the two,

that is, the Head and the body being one. I propose that the Revelation signifies this truth, especially as

New Jerusalem comes into view.

Thus, when he saw the throne of God and the Lambkin, John saw the Christ on the throne. In other

words, he saw that the power and authority of God were manifested in the conquering body of Christ,

which is New Jerusalem. Part of the proof is found again in the words of our beloved Lord.

“The one who is conquering, to him will I be granting to be seated with Me on My throne

as I, also, conquer, and am seated with My Father on His throne.” (Revelation 3:21 CV)

It is very clear that the conquerors will make up the throne of the Lord, which, in terms of New

Jerusalem, is the throne of God and of the Lambkin. They are the ones conformed to the image of the

Son, having taken on immortal, glorified, and spiritual bodies in His likeness, and possessing His very

character of righteousness, holiness, and love. They are like Him for they are the Christ, the Body, and

the Lambkin. They are not bond-servants, for they are the bride and the wife of the Lambkin. But notice

the reference to bond-servants in relation to the throne. How can a bride or a wife be called a bond-

servant? I propose that they cannot be; therefore, this refers to others not included in the Lambkin.

(3) The throne of God and of the Lamb [Lambkin] will be in it, and His bond-servants will

serve Him; (4) they will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. (Revelation

22:3-4 NASB [CV])

The bond-servants must refer to the nations on the new earth that receive the power and life of New

Jerusalem that emanates from the throne of God and the Lambkin.

Finally, there is one more proof that the throne of the Lambkin signifies the conquerors and the

Conqueror.

As stated already, the word arnion or lambkin appears thirty times in the New Testament. The number

30 signifies “dedication” or “spiritual maturity.” Joseph, a type of Christ, was 30 years of age when he

was set over the land of Egypt (Genesis 41:46). David, another type of Christ, began to reign when he

was 30 years of age (2 Samuel 5:4). Jesus began His ministry when He was 30 years of age (Luke 3.23).

Likewise, the word arnion or lambkin appears 30 times to signify the spiritual maturity of the sons of

glory, those who have conquered through the love of Christ.

In other words, a day will come when the lambkins, the sons of God, will have matured into the likeness

of the Lambkin, the Son of God, and will reign with Him, sitting upon the throne of God. The thirtieth

mention of the Lambkin declares that the throne of God and the Lambkin is in New Jerusalem

(Revelation 22:3), and, in fact, is New Jerusalem. The conquerors will have arrived at their destiny!

The Upward Call: #03-0189

by: Stuart H. Pouliot