Ovine throne

John sees the Lamb “in the midst of the throne” (Revelation 5:6), precisely where he had seen the living creatures (4:6). Before the Lamb’s arrival, the four creatures make up the seat of the throne – they are in its midst; and they are also surrounding the throne, forming the outer structure. The Lord is enthroned on the beasts, and He is surrounded by the beasts as if they were guardians of the throne.

Now, however, the Lamb is in the midst of the throne, and also in the midst of the four living creatures. That means He is located where the Enthronement is located. He appears already in the middle of the creatures. He is also in the middle of the twenty-four elders. The Lamb has taken center stage, and has in a sense replaced the four living creatures as the throne of God. We never again see the beasts “in the midst of the throne.” A voice comes from the midst of the four beasts (6:6), but that is the voice of the Father or the Son, and in 7:17 we read again that the Lamb is in the midst of the throne.

The Lamb is a Cherubic creature. He is introduced as a Lion, but also as a Lamb. He is a strange Lamb or Lion, with far too many horns and eyes. He is a composite being that sums up all creation, and He is now the throne of His Father, the new cherubic chariot of God.