“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 honor, and glory, and power, be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever” (Revelation 5:13).

The Lamb is one with and yet distinct from “Him that sat on the throne” (Revelation 4:10; cf. 5:1,6,7). The four beasts (living creatures) and twenty-four elders nevertheless “fell down before the Lamb” to worship. If, as cultists maintain, the Lamb is less than God, how would violating of the first commandment, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3), be tolerated in God’s presence? The answer is that Jesus is God: one with Him who sat on the throne!

Two passages in Isaiah confirm this truth all the more. In Isaiah 42:8 we read, “I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another. . . .” Our text for today reads: “Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.” The Lamb, Jesus, shares in God’s glory; He cannot be “another.” He is, as He said, “one” with the Father (John 10:30). In Isaiah 48:11 the Lord said, “I will not give my glory unto another.”

All of this should in no way diminish the praise and honor due the Father. He is to be worshiped and praised for loving so much that He commissioned the Son to save sinners. The Son Himself said, however: “That all men should honor the Son, even as they honor the Father” (John 5:23).

If we have difficulty understanding the complexities of human personality, it should not surprise us that trying to understand the complexity of God is infinitely more difficult. We believe in the Trinity doctrine, not because we fully understand it, but because the Lord reveals Himself as a triune God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. PGH