Pacifism and the Lamb in Revelation

Introduction

I want to question the pacifist reading of Revelation by analyzing the use of the “Lamb” Christology. I hope to show that the Lamb Christology is meant to provide an example for a pacifist Christian response in the here and now (the “Tribulation and Persecution” stage) but is not meant to apply to the divine violence we find at the end (the “Wrath and Judgment” stage).

The Pacifist Reading of Divine Violence in Revelation

The pacifist reading of the divine violence in Revelation is to claim that it is only figurative and that the only way Jesus confronts evil is by being “lamblike”. For example, advocates of the pacifist reading find it very significant that in 19:11-21, a passage where Jesus is viewed as Divine Warrior, there is no actual description of a battle. As another example, they will point out that in chapter five the lion motif is replace by the lamb (5:5—lion; 5:6—lamb).

I agree that the lamb motif is meant to provide Christians with an example to follow in the here and now. However, this example does not pertain to how God/Jesus deals with evil at the eschatological end. To show this I want to analyze the use of the term “lamb” in Revelation.

The Use of “Lamb” in Revelation

There are 28 references to Jesus as a lamb in Revelation (a 29th involves a pseudo-Christ=13:11): 5:6, 8, 12, 13; 6:1, 16; 7:9, 10, 14, 17; 12:11; 13:8, 11; 14:1, 4(x2), 10; 15:3; 17:14(x2); 19:7, 9; 21:9, 14, 22, 23, 27; 22:1, 3. The distribution of this term in the structure of Revelation is highly significant. In part one of my blog, I claimed that there are basically three time periods in Revelation:

1. Tribulation and Persecution
2. Wrath and Judgment
3. Salvation

I argue that “lamb” is used mainly in stage one and is largely absent in stage two. This is a significant indication that the divine violence we find in stage two is not easily swept under the pacifist rug. This makes sense. Christians are to be pacifists in the here and now precisely because evil will be dealt with by divine powers at the end (Deuteronomy 32:35, Romans 12:19). If this is the logic of Revelation, and a strong argument can be made that it is, then the pacifist reading is in trouble.

There are heavenly worship scenes in Revelation (4:1-5:14, 7:1-17; 10:1-11:14; 14:1-20; 15:1-4; 19:1-10, 21:9-22:5). Of the 28 references to the lamb, 22 appear in those sections. I claim that those scenes are meant to remind persecuted Christians of heavenly realities and encourage them to imitate the Lamb in the face of evil powers. Significantly, in those passages directly related to wrath (the trumpets, bowls and 19:11-21:8) there are zero references to the Lamb. I think the reason for this is obvious, in the wrath scenes Christians are not given a model of imitation. Rather, they are only given a vision of justice to comfort them in their suffering.

Theological Upshot

I think Revelation gives Pacifists what they really want: human pacifism; but it also gives non-pacifists what they really want: real justice. I believe that when pacifism turns into idolatry bad consequences can follow just as much as anything idolatrous.