We have established the fact that need the Savior, Jesus Christ, to saves us from our sins and according to God’s law (Torah) there is no forgiveness sin without the shedding of blood:
Leviticus 17:11 For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life.
Hebrews 9: 22 In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.
Jesus is the Lamb of God. In order to understand what is meant when the Word of God calls Jesus the “The Lamb of God”, we must first take look at the very beginning of scripture in the book of Genesis, also known as the book of Beginnings. In the Book of Genesis Abraham is command by God to do something that God has never asked anyone else to do: Abraham is tested when God asks Abraham to take His only son whom you love, Isaac, and sacrifice Him there on there as a burnt offering. Keep in mind that God would never ask us to kill our Children, but, this was done to test Abraham’s faith and to provide as a symbol of what God would do through His only begotten Son Jesus Christ.
The Prophecies of the Lamb of God in the Old Testament:
Genesis 22
1 Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied.
2 Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.”
3 Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about.
4 On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance.
5 He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.”
6 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together,
7 Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?” “Yes, my son?” Abraham replied. “The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”
8 Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together.
9 When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son.
11 But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied.
12“Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”
13 Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a rama caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son.
14So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.”
15The angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven a second time
16 and said, “I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son,
17 I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies,
18 and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.”
When the boy Isaac asked his father Abraham, “Father, the fire and the wood are here but where is the lamb for the burnt offering”? Abraham’s response was, “God will Himself provide a lamb for the burnt offering”. Abraham knew deep within his heart that God would provide a substitute sacrificial lamb for his son and that God would not let his son see death, this is why Abraham prophetically said “God will Himself provide a lamb”. This was a prophetic utterance of what God would do through Jesus Christ. Abraham also knew that if Isaac did in fact die as sacrificial lamb, that God could raise his son Isaac back from the dead and he would receive him back from the dead and by thus do so defeat death, as God would also do through His son Jesus.
Hebrews 11
17 By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son,
18 Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called:
19 Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.
God also said to Abraham that through you all nations of the Earth will be blessed, this is a prophecy of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the seed or offspring that would come through the family line of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, in which all Nations of the Earth would be blessed.
Jesus is The Passover Lamb
The next time we see the Lamb mentioned prophetically in scripture is when God commands Moses to instruct the Elders of Israel to kill the Passover lamb and to apply the blood of the lamb to the two sides of door posts and the upper posts. This was another symbol of Jesus’ redemptive death on the cross as a sacrificial lamb offered for the sins of the World. Nothing God does is by happenstance but everything God does has a meaning, a purpose and a plan.
1 The Passover lamb had to be without blemish, this symbol means the Lamb of God would be sinless. Exodus 12:5
2 The lamb must be killed, is a symbol that Christ must be killed. Exodus 12:6
3 The two sides of the door posts and the upper posts, is a symbol of the Cross. Exodus 12:7
4 God says that He will smite the Egyptians along with their animals with the death of their firstborn, this represents the curse and judgment of those in the World who are outside of God’s covenant and without Christ. Exodus 12:12
5 God says that when He sees the blood on our houses He will Passover us, the blood symbolizes the Blood of Jesus and His saving us from the curse, death and Hell.
Exodus 12:13
Read the account of God this History lesion in the book of Exodus:
Exodus 12:
1And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying,
2 This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you.
3 Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house:
4 And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbour next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb.
5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats:
6 And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening.
7 And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it.
8 And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.
9 Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; his head with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof.
10 And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; and that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire.
11 And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the LORD’S passover.
12 For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD.
13 And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.
The fulfillment of the Lamb of God in the New Testament:
John the Baptist is a central figure in the mission of Jesus Christ. John was the forerunner who was prophesied to come before the messiah to prepare the way of the Lord. John came in the spirit and power of the prophet Elijah to prepare the way of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. John fulfills this prophecy in Isaiah 40:3 “The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God”.
John lived in the desert wilderness and he was one of the greatest of all the prophets for He is one who was to prepare the way of the Lord.
Matthew 3
1 In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea
2 and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”
3 This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah:
“A voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for him.’
4 John’s clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey.
5 People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan.
6 Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.
John’s role as a baptizer is why He is referred to as John the Baptist. John was getting the people ready to receive their Lord and Savior and he is also the one who Baptized Jesus.
After John baptizes Jesus, He sees the Spirit of God descending upon Jesus like a dove and remaining on Him. He also heard a Voice from Heaven say, this is my Beloved Son, In Whom I am well pleased. You cannot get a clearer more direct answer of who Jesus is, than to have God speak from Heaven and confirm, Jesus is His Son, the Messiah.
The Baptism of Jesus and God Witnesses for His Son:
Matthew 3:
13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John.
14 But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”
15 Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented.
16 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him.
17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”
John preached with such power and passion that the religious the leaders of his time came to inquire and see who in fact John was. They wanted to know if John was the Messiah or if He was the Prophet Elijah, Elijah is prophesied in scripture to come before the Messiah. Elijah shall indeed come before the second coming of Jesus Christ but John was the forerunner for the Messiah Jesus’ first coming. The Messiah has a first and second coming with two very distinct missions; Jesus’ first coming was to bring Salvation to World but His second coming will be to defeat the enemies of God and set up His Eternal Kingdom here on Earth.
The Prophet John tells the religious leaders who he is and what His mission is:
John 1:
19 And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou?
20 And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ.
21And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No.
22 Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself?
23 He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.
John the Baptist knew his role and his mission. Part of John’s mission was to point out to those around Him and to the World, “Who is Jesus”. You cannot fully tell who Jesus is without including the witness of John the Baptist. John was the first person to publically proclaim Jesus as the Lamb of God, the Messiah (Son of God), who takes away the sins of the World. When John sees Jesus, He says “Behold the Lamb of God, which takes away the sin of the World”.
John the Baptist witnesses Jesus as the Messiah by saying Behold, the Lamb of God:
John 1:
29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
30 This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me.
31 And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water.
32 And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him.
33 And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.
34 And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God.
John the Baptist introduces two of his followers to Jesus by saying Behold the Lamb of God. These two disciples realize that they must now follow Jesus. One of these two disciples was the Apostle John. The very first disciples of Jesus was introduced to Him as the “Lamb of God”.
The name “The Lamb of God” takes the Old Testament prophetic scriptures and fulfills them in the New Testament, with the Lamb of God appearing in the flesh, to take the sins of the World.
Jesus Calls His First Disciples
35 Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples;
36 And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God!
37 And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.
38 Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou?
39 He saith unto them, Come and see. They came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day: for it was about the tenth hour.
40 One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother.
41 He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.
42 And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone.
Jesus is referred to as The Lamb at least 27 times in the book of Revelation. This is a key revelation to the fact that Jesus is going to be referred to as The Lamb of God for all Eternity. The book of Revelation is a book that was written with Jesus Himself present many years after His resurrection in great power and glory and giving a literal open vision to the Apostle John.
1. Revelation 5:6
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.
2. Revelation 5:8
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 odours, which are the prayers of saints
3. Revelation 5:12
Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.
4. Revelation 5:13
And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever
5. Revelation 6:1
And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see.
6. Revelation 6:16
And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:
7. Revelation 7:9
After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and tribes, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;
8. Revelation 7:10
And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.
9. Revelation 7:14
And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
10. Revelation 7:17
For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes
11. Revelation 12:11
And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
12. Revelation 13:8
And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
13. Revelation 14:1
And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on mount Zion, and with him a hundred and forty-four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads
14. Revelation 14:4
These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.
15. Revelation 14:10
The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
16. Revelation 15:3
And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints.
17, 18 Revelation 17:14
“These will wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those who are with Him are the called and chosen and faithful.”
19. Revelation 19:7
Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.
20. Revelation 19:9
And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.
21. Revelation 21:9
And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife.
22. Revelation 21:14
And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
23. Revelation 21:22
And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.
24. Revelation 21:23
And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.
25. Revelation 21:27
And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
26. Revelation 22:1
And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.
27. Revelation 22:3
And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:
It is important for us to remember that the Word of God teaches us that the Lamb was slain before the foundations of the World. This is a very important TRUTH. According to God’s Word Jesus was ordained to give His life as The Lamb of God in order to take away our sins before the World was ever created. Read in Revelation 13:8 “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world”. Therefore what is responsible for Jesus’ Death? Sin! The Jews and the Romans cannot be blamed for the death of Jesus. Of course people from these two cultures had roles in the crucifixion but this was the actions of a few people with those cultures and we must remember that it was ordained by God for Christ to die in this manner. Some of the Jews had roles and so did the Romans but it was “the sins of us all” that led to Jesus having to die in the manner that He did. If you want to hate or blame anything for the death Jesus, hate sin, that is why the Lamb of God died, to take away the sins of the World. Jesus teach us in John 10:17 The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again.18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.” The entire Bible was written by Jewish men who were inspired by God, full of faith, and we all should love Israel because of their role in giving the World the Bible and our Savior, Jesus Christ. We must remember that Jesus is the Lamb of God, whose death was predestined before the World was ever created.
The Lamb is more than just a descriptive phrase for Jesus, it is the one name and title that embodies Jesus’ role as the one and only true Redeemer for each and every person in the whole World; past, present and future. The picture of the Lamb has been on that God has used all throughout the Old and New Testament.
Isaiah is one of most powerfully prophetic in the Bible, and this book has many Messianic scriptures that describe the characteristics of the Messiah. The word lamb is first mentioned to describe the Messiah as person in the Book of Isaiah. When describing the Messiah, Isaiah gives these characteristics in Isaiah 53: 7He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. 8He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.
Isaiah 53 clearly teaches us that the Messiah would be brought as lamb to the slaughter and He would not open His mouth. Isaiah prophetically describes that the Messiah would be taken from the prison and judgment and then He shall be cut off from the land of the living, meaning He would be killed, for the sins of all humanity he was stricken. Once you clearly study the Old and the New Testament, it is plain to see that only Jesus fulfills all these prophecies and He is indeed the Son of God. All
The characteristics of a lamb that symbolize Jesus as the Messiah are that: a lamb is very obedient to their master, a lamb is very humble, a lamb is not rude, a lamb is very gentle creature, a lamb is not rebellious, a lamb is willing to follow their master, a lamb is a very innocent creature and lamb is harmless. A lamb without spot and blemish was used in the Old Testament for the Passover lamb supper and Jesus is the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the World.
The death of Jesus even took place near time the Passover observance.
Mark 14:
12 And the first day of unleavened bread, when they killed the passover, his disciples said unto him, Where wilt thou that we go and prepare that thou mayest eat the passover?
13 And he sendeth forth two of his disciples, and saith unto them, Go ye into the city, and there shall meet you a man bearing a pitcher of water: follow him.
14 And wheresoever he shall go in, say ye to the goodman of the house, The Master saith, Where is the guestchamber, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples?
15 And he will shew you a large upper room furnished and prepared: there make ready for us.
16 And his disciples went forth, and came into the city, and found as he had said unto them: and they made ready the passover.
The Last Supper is the When Jesus identifies Himself the Passover Lamb. He knew what His mission was and He knew Him time was to be offered as the atoning sacrifice for the sins of the World was at hand. He said that the unleavened bread was His body, unleavened symbolizes purity, sinless and Holy. The cup of grape wine they drank represented the Blood of Jesus, which is shed for the sin of the World.
Mark 14:
22 And as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take, eat: this is my body.
23 And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them: and they all drank of it.
24 And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many.
25 Verily I say unto you, I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine, until that day that I drink it new in the kingdom of God.
26 And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives.
It is important for us to remember that the Word of God teaches us that the Lamb was slain before the foundations of the World. The is a very important TRUTH. According to God’s Word Jesus was ordain to give His life as The Lamb of God in order to take away our sins before the World was ever created. Read in Revelation 13:8 the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. Therefore what is responsible for Jesus Death? Sin! The Jews and the Romans cannot be blamed for the death of Jesus. Of course people from these two cultures had roles in the crucifixion because it was ordained for Christ to die in this manner. Some of the Jews had roles and so did the Romans but it was “the sins of us all” that led to Jesus have to die in the manner that He did. If you want to hate anything for the death Jesus, hate sin, that is why the Lamb of God died, to take away the sins of the World. Jude 1:23 And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.
Jesus is the Passover Lamb we now have what is called the Lord’s Supper and Communion by many Christians today. People often take Communion but they don’t know the reason or the true meaning of the sacred and solemn occasion. When we take Communion, this is the Body of Blood of the Passover Lamb, Jesus Christ. If should be done reverently and respectfully, with the Fear of the Lord. We are to do this in Remembrance of His death. Jesus also said He would not drink of the fruit of the vine until the day that He drinks is new with us, His Children, in the Kingdom of God. This gives us the realization that Jesus’ role as our Passover Lamb is an Eternal role, that we will honor forever.