Apocalyptic literature is like an onion. Books written in this genre have many layers.7 In the textual layer we have the inspired and God-given text Jesus ensured John would write. We read about a slain lamb on the throne, for example. The visionary layer is what John actually saw: a slain lamb on a throne. The referent layer is the reality represented in what John saw. John may see a lamb in his vision, and that lamb is Christ. Yet Christ isn’t a physical lamb. Finally, there’s the significance layer. That Christ is pictured as a lamb on the throne means that his victory and rule were
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