Merry Christmas—the day of rejoicing is here! 

Hallelujah, Christ has come; Christ died and rose; Christ is coming again! 

Jesus’ birth was just the beginning of Christ’s work as the Lamb of God. In the Jewish sacrificial system, every single lamb ever slain on the altar of sacrifice remained dead. No lamb returned to life. The blood was spilled and washed away. But this Lamb, Jesus, is different. He was crucified for the atonement of our sins … but He rose again. 

The book of Revelation gives us glimpses into the glory that is to come when Christ returns, Satan is destroyed, and God’s eternal Kingdom is established. In this book of prophecy, we get to see our Lamb once more—risen, reigning, and on the throne forever. 

In Revelation 5:6–14 we see John’s vision of Christ sitting on the throne with the 24 elders surrounding Him in worship. This passage describes Jesus, the Lamb of God, appearing slain. Only the slain Lamb was worthy to open the scroll, and when he takes the scroll in this chapter, the prayers of the saints surrounding the throne are fulfilled, and all of heaven rejoices! 

Beholding the Lamb

The Lamb is worthy of worship forever. By His wounds we have been healed, and through Him all will be restored one day. We will spend all eternity praising Him! Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world!

Through the gift of John’s revelation, we get to peer into what is to come, yet we only receive a tiny glimpse to keep us hungering, longing, and waiting with expectation. The same Lamb of God who was born in a manger is the same Lamb of God who was also crucified, buried, and raised to life. This Lamb of God is worthy of worship by all the nations of the world! Someday, when Christ comes again to conquer Satan, put death to death, and wipe away every tear, the Church of God will be married to her Savior forever, in perpetual union. 

As a Christ-follower, the marriage supper of the Lamb described in Revelation 19 is what you have to look forward to. This is the hope that comforts your heart when it aches, when the unexpected comes, when sorrow seems unbearable. Christ is the Lamb of God who came for His bride, giving up His own life so she could live. The bride of Christ is the collective Church, the people of God. There has never been a feast so great as the wedding feast of the Lamb will be.

Celebrate Today and Forever

Celebrate the Lamb of God today as you gather with family and friends. Worship Him in reverence and awe. The enthroned Lamb is fully alive, fully present, and fully worthy of adoration. He has come, and He is coming again. Let’s celebrate today and forevermore. 

“Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.” (Revelation 22:1–5)

Your friend, Gretchen

* This post is an adapted excerpt from this year’s Well-Watered Women Advent study, Behold the Lamb, written by Gretchen Saffles.