“Then I saw a Lamb that looked as if it had been slaughtered, but it was now standing between the throne and the four living beings and among the twenty-four elders. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which represent the sevenfold Spirit of God that is sent out into every part of the earth.”
Revelation 5:6 NLT
John saw Jesus in his vision, and what he saw was detailed enough for him to see that Jesus had seven horns and seven eyes. There are those seven’s again. We have seen before that the number seven signifies completeness or perfection. But what is the significance of seven horns and seven eyes? In the Bible, a horn is a symbol of strength and power. But in his vision, John saw that Jesus had seven of them. So we get the picture of Jesus being all-powerful. He was, and is, omnipotent. Similarly, in the vision, Jesus had seven eyes. He was all-seeing. His Spirit was everywhere – there was nowhere where He wasn’t present. He was, and is, omniscient. This verse concludes with the explanation that the all-powerful, all-seeing Jesus is represented by His Spirit and He is present in every part, every corner, of the earth.
So back to the practical, down-to-earth pilgrim tramping through his or her life. How does this verse help us? Obviously, we cannot escape from the Spirit’s presence. But we know that. We read in Psalm 139:7, “I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence!” But here in Revelation we are reminded of the same message – Jesus is everywhere. And this truth can be both a comfort and a threat to us. As we remain close to Jesus, we find that He is close to us. A comfortable experience when the road before us seems long and hard. But for those of us who want to run away from the gentle whispers of His Spirit in our consciences we find that there is no escape.
Of course there are worldly and wicked people who, through a lifetime of denial, have managed to shut out those gentle whispers. The Apostle Paul warned us about them in his first letter to Timothy. We read in 1 Timothy 4:2, “Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron.” There are many who have been active in rendering their consciences ineffective.
God’s grace is amazing. A pilgrim first starting out on the Christian road will find that Jesus, through His Spirit, graciously doesn’t dump on their consciences all their wrongdoing in one go. He gently brings to our attention things that need to be addressed, step by step. Item by item. And then His grace continues as He helps us to deal with them.
Back to Psalm 139. “How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand – when I awake, I am still with you.” The Psalmist was overwhelmed by the vastness of God and the extent of His Spirit. And, with the Psalmist, we know the assurance of God being with us. Day and night. And when we woke up this morning, experiencing the new day, we again realise His presence with us. We only have to reach out and touch Him to feel once again His love and grace flowing through the corridors of our souls.
Dear Lord God. How can we ever thank You enough for Your ever-present love and grace? In this day ahead we pray that You help us in whatever situation we face into, step by step. Amen.
Being a Pilgrim 