The Victory of the Lamb: Christ as Slain Yet Victorious!
In the Throne Room of Heaven
In John’s vision recorded in Revelation 5:6, the throne room of heaven is filled with awe. A scroll—the story of history itself—is sealed, and no one can open it. Then, in the midst of the elders, John sees “a Lamb standing as if it had been slaughtered.” This image is not what we expect from a conquering king. There are no battle scars of victory paraded like trophies, no armed retinue ready to impose control. Instead, victory stands before the throne in the form of a Lamb—slain, yet alive.
This is the heart of Revelation’s hope. The power that redeems the world is not the sword, but sacrifice. It is the Lamb who wins, and he wins through love.
This imae is from the Gent Altarpiece, notice how the lamb’s lifeblood becomes living water.
The Lamb and the Cry from the Cross
When Jesus, hanging on the cross, uttered the three words, It is finished (John 19:30), he declared the completion of his mission. In Greek, the word is tetelestai—a term used to mark a debt “paid in full.” At that moment, the work of redemption was accomplished. Every sin’s penalty had been met, every obstacle between humanity and God torn down.
This was not the cry of resignation, but the declaration of victory. It was the coronation shout of the Lamb who conquers, not through force or political might, but by pouring out his life. In that instant, the power structures of sin and death were undone. Revelation picks up that same cry and paints it across the cosmos. The Lamb stands because the cross was enough.
For more on how this changes our understanding of Revelation, see Why Revelation Is a Book of Hope, Not Hype.
The Paradox of Victory Through Sacrifice
Revelation refuses to play by the world’s rules. Empires rise by domination; the Lamb reigns by dying. Nations secure power through fear; the Lamb rules through forgiveness. In Revelation 12:11, the faithful “conquered by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.” That’s not the language of military campaigns—it’s the language of witness and worship.
This is why the imagery of the Ghent Altarpiece by Jan van Eyck remains so powerful. In the center panel, the Lamb stands on an altar, blood pouring into a chalice, while multitudes stream toward him. It’s a picture of victory that flows from self-offering, not conquest. (You can explore that artwork in The Ghent Altarpiece: Jan van Eyck.)
The Lamb’s victory is not about the survival of the strongest but the surrender of the holiest.
It Is Finished: The Core of the Lamb’s Triumph
Your Three Word Sermon captures this truth: It is finished is the definitive answer to every accusation, every fear, every scheme of the enemy. In Revelation’s symbolic world, the powers of evil rage precisely because they know the decisive blow has been struck. The dragon is already defeated; the beast’s time is limited; Babylon’s fall is certain.
And because It is finished, believers are freed from the desperate scramble for self-preservation. We do not fight for victory—we live from it. That changes everything.
Our worship becomes thanksgiving, not appeasement.
Our endurance is fueled by hope, not fear.
Our witness is confident, even when costly.
This is the reversal Revelation invites us to embrace: strength in weakness, triumph in sacrifice, life in death.
The Lamb’s Victory and the Seven Churches
To the seven churches in Asia Minor (see The Seven Churches in Revelation), the vision of the Lamb was not abstract theology—it was survival fuel. Believers in places like Smyrna and Pergamum faced the crushing weight of imperial propaganda, trade guild pressures, and even martyrdom.
The promise that the Lamb had already secured the outcome gave them the courage to endure. They were not pawns in a political game, but heirs of a kingdom unshaken by Rome’s might.
Why Coercion Fails and Sacrifice Lasts
World history is full of rulers who tried to control through force. Domitian, the Roman emperor during one likely period of Revelation’s writing (see Who Was Domitian, Emperor of Rome), demanded emperor worship and punished dissent. His reign, like every reign built on fear, ended in dust.
The Lamb’s reign, on the other hand, expands without armies or decrees. The kingdom advances in hearts transformed, in lives laid down for others, in communities shaped by the self-giving love of Christ.
How We Live in the Victory of the Lamb
1. We refuse to measure victory by visible strength.
Revelation recalibrates our definition of “winning.” The Lamb’s victory is already secure, whether or not the world recognizes it.
2. We embrace costly love.
We are called to bear witness in ways that may cost us comfort, reputation, or even life itself. This is the Lamb’s way.
3. We stay rooted in hope.
Hope is not naive optimism; it’s the steady trust that because It is finished, nothing can overturn the Lamb’s throne.
The Endgame: The Lamb on the Throne
Revelation ends as it began—in the presence of the Lamb. In the new heaven and new earth, there is no temple “for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb” (Revelation 21:22). The river of life flows from his throne, and his people see his face. The reign of the Lamb is not temporary—it is eternal.
In other words, the cry from the cross has become the song of eternity. The suffering Savior is the reigning Lord, and his victory is the final word over history.
Conclusion
The victory of the Lamb is the story of the gospel in one image. It’s the Lamb slain yet standing, the cross as coronation, the cry of It is finished echoing through the ages. It is a victory no empire can undo, no enemy can reverse, and no circumstance can diminish.
So when you feel outmatched, remember this: the throne belongs to the Lamb, and the Lamb has already won.
FAQs
1. What does “the Lamb” mean in Revelation?
It refers to Jesus Christ, depicted as the sacrificial Lamb who died for sin yet now reigns in power.
2. How is the Lamb victorious if he was slain?
His death was the very means of victory—defeating sin, death, and the powers of evil.
3. How does It is finished connect to Revelation?
Revelation’s Lamb imagery is the cosmic unfolding of that declaration—redemption complete, history’s outcome secure.
4. Why is this relevant today?
It shapes how we face trials—not with fear, but with the confidence that Christ’s work is complete.
5. Where can I learn more about the Lamb’s imagery?
See The Ghent Altarpiece: Jan van Eyck for a visual meditation, and The Central Message of Revelation for a thematic overview.
