Who Is This One Who God Sent To The Earth? Is He An Angel? Or Not?

And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne 

and of the four beasts, and in the midst of 

the elders stood a Lamb as it had been slain, 

having seven horns and seven eyes, which 

are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into 

all the earth. And He came and took the

 book out of the right hand of Him that sat 

upon the throne. And when He had taken 

the book, the four beasts and four and 

twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, 

having every one of them harps, and golden 

vials full of odors, which are the prayers of saints.

Revelation 5:6-8

     Examination requires, that is, if it be a viable examination that seeks truth and not some proof of a person's presupposition or theology that careful investigation and the use of common sense is the core. Common sense alone is not enough to come to the truth but with careful examination there is the probability to be able to arrive at truth. This is important when we are studying symbols for a person can easily be misled, or by those who use their understanding, or theological bent who teach false teaching for their own enrichment. A reminder is important so we do not go off into some "rabbit trail" and not come to the truth. We look again at the number "seven" that means completeness, expressive of universality, fullness, and perfection. The world was created in seven days, at the end of seven days, the seventh was to be a day of rest and a day to meditate upon God, to keep it holy. The "horn" is a symbol of power: "And Hanna prayed, and said, My heart rejoiceth in the LORD, mine horn is exalted in the LORD: my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies; because I rejoice in thy salvation;" (1Samuel 2:1); "The God of my rock; in Him will I trust: He is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my Savior; thou savest me from violence" (2Samuel 22:3); "But My horn shalt thou exalt like the horn of an unicorn: I shall be anointed with fresh oil" (Psalm 92:10). There are many more verses that show that the horn is a symbol of power. So then the "horns" signify God's Omnipotence. The "seven eyes" signify His Omnipresence and His Omniscience. The "seven Spirits," that is, the complete God  with all His power and knowledge, His Omniscience and Omnipotent goes into the earth, the One who came, the Lamb who was slain who is Jesus Christ, the Wisdom of God clothed in flesh and it Him that is able to open the book, those seven seals. How do we know this is Jesus? John aids is in our investigation: "The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world" (John 1:29); Peter adds: "...but with the precious book of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot" (1Peter 1:19). Our investigation into the meaning of the symbols used here in these verses is complete and without doubt are Scriptural for Scripture interprets Scripture.

     Jesus Christ being seen as a separate being is not to be construed that He is a created being separate of God for this is not the case. Jesus came to earth and became a man and died as a man with a body and ascended into heaven bodily: "And when He had spoken these things, while they beheld, He was taken up; and a cloud received Him out of their sight" (Acts 1:9). How can a cloud make Him invisible? Only if that which the cloud envelops is physical. Now we cannot see God for He is a Spirit a different being than we are so we can never see God bodily but we can see God when we see Jesus for He is the Wisdom of God, the One who is of the essence of God, who is God, a Person of the Trinity. God is revealed to His Children, to the bride of Christ, to all Authentic Christians who are adopted by God to see Him through seeing Jesus so the Lamb that opens the book seen by John is Jesus. The 24 elders represent the complete Church of God, those of the Old Testament Covenant and those of us who are of the New Testament Covenant, one body who seeing that God so loved us that He came to save us from the sin that has so corrupted our souls that all we can do is fall down before the Lamb for it was Him that redeemed us by His blood. We have in our hands "harps"and this symbolizes our celebration for we celebrate with various instruments, by singing so this represents the truths and goodness of faith those spiritual things that are the hallmark of Authentic Christians. In the temple of God many instruments were used, trumpets wind instruments: "I will confess to Thee with the psaltery, even Thy truth, O my God; unto Thee will I sing praises with the harp, O thou Holy One of Israel; my lips shall sing when I sing praises unto Thee, and my soul which Thou hast redeemed (Psalm 71:22-23); "Answer to Jehovah in confession, sing praises upon the harp unto our God" (Psalm 147:7). 

     Jesus Christ our Mediator stands before God the Father and all who believe upon Him, those to whom He has revealed the truth and will of God, the Godhead, to make known the truths. We now should take up our harps and pray to God, those prayers that are, as the Greek aptly means, incense, a sweet odor, praising God for all that He has done and will do, and then to make intercession for others as this is the will of God. We need not need to ask for anything that we by our common sense could achieve, rather our prayers are a communication between you (me) and God. 

I beheld till the thrones wee cast down,

     and the Ancient of days did sit,

whose garment was white as snow,

     and the hair of His had like the pure wool:

His throne was like the fiery flame, and His

    wheels as burning fire. A fiery stream

issued and came forth from before Him:

    thousand thousands  ministered unto Him,

and ten thousand times ten thousand stood 

    before Him: the judgment was set,

and the books were opened.

                         Daniel 7:9-10

Play your harp, make incense to God

Richard L. Crumb