This post is a summary of the article “The Heavenly Lamb, Sacrifices on the Heavenly Altar, and the Song of the Lamb” by Meir Bar-Ilan in Volume 64 of Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship. All of the Interpreting Interpreter articles may be seen at https://interpreterfoundation.org/category/summaries/. An introduction to the Interpreting Interpreter series is available at https://interpreterfoundation.org/interpreting-interpreter-on-abstracting-thought/.
A video introduction to this Interpreter article is now available on all of our social media channels, including on YouTube at https://youtube.com/shorts/iRQlyhC90-k.
The Takeaway
Bar-Ilan provides insights from The Words of Gad the Seer—a Jewish apocalyptic work from around the time of Christ—showing how the imagery of lambs, altars, and sacrifice operated in a heavenly context. He also shows how a song from that text, the Song of the Lamb, relates to similarly framed songs in Exodus and Isaiah, as well as the “song of the lamb” referenced in Revelation.
The Summary
In this article, Meir Bar-Ilan, an emeritus professor in the Department of Jewish History and Contemporary Jewry at Bar-Ilan University in Israel, elucidates a passage from The Words of Gad the Seer. This Jewish pseudo-biblical text, likely dating prior to the writing of the Book of Revelation, features a highly symbolic vision of heaven that sheds light into how the imagery of the vision was used in a heavenly context. This includes:
- The Heavenly Lamb. The heavenly lamb of The Words of Gad the Seer resonates with symbolism in various places in the Old Testament, where the Jewish people are “considered to be a slaughtered (if not sacrificed) sheep.” There are also seem to be connections to the Lamb of God in the New Testament (John 1:29, 36; 1 Peter 1:19; Revelation 17:14, 19:9; 21:22–27; 22:3). Bar-Ilan observes that The Words of Gad the Seer includes a heavenly scene where the Lord is carrying a mournful lamb that is given a crown and branches (three of vine and twelve palm). That lamb then “took of the pure, that had been mixed with the impure, and brought it as a peace-offerings sacrifice.” The full meaning of this mixed offering is unclear, but Bar-Ilan suggests it could represent both the pious and impious being offered together before God.
- The Heavenly Altar. The lamb’s sacrifice takes place on a heavenly altar, one similar to the altar mentioned in the Talmud on which Michael, the Great Prince, is offering sacrifice. Later commentary would describe Michael sacrificing the “souls of the pious” as “lambs of fire.” This is a symbolic sacrifice, as the souls are not destroyed but instead made to be closer to God, being offered alongside their prayers and earthly deeds, attesting to their piety. Interestingly, additional Midrash commentary suggests the souls of schoolchildren are similarly sacrificed, being pure beings without sin. The names of these pious and innocent souls are written on the Lord’s cloak, reinforcing their closeness to God.
- The Song of the Lamb. Similar to the song of the lamb mentioned in Revelation 15:3, The Words of Gad the Seer includes a passage that it identifies as that song, a song that aligns with verses from Exodus 15, as well as other ancient Jewish sources, with a focus on the phrase “Who is alike unto thee?” This helps clarify what song John the Revelator may have heard when in the midst of his apocalyptic vision, and suggests that The Words of Gad the Seer predates, or is contemporary with, John’s revelation.
As Bar-Ilan concludes:
“Gad the Seer did not live isolated from the world. His vision, at least to some degree, likely reflects his history and background. The author’s visions as well as his way of handling biblical texts, such as blocks of text from the Bible, reflect antiquity. . . . The ancient Words of Gad the Seer, though enigmatic, is shedding light on the Lamb of God and John the Seer’s allusion to the Lamb’s song.”
The Reflection
Bar-Ilan provides an excellent reminder that the ancients did not necessarily see things the same way we do. The idea that something good and of tremendous value would be sacrificed on an altar—not to destroy it but to help seal it in a covenant relationship with God—might be the most unintuitive thing I’ve encountered in a long while. Yet if we open our eyes to that possibility, we can start to see its deeper meaning. We can better understand how God’s sacrifice of Christ could be an act of devotion and love rather than one of abandonment and betrayal. We could see how temple marriages, where love itself is placed on an altar, binds all participants in an act of sacrifice as well as sacrament. It makes me wonder what other mind-expanding metaphors lie outside the bounds of mainstream Christian traditions, waiting for us to be curious enough to apply them to the truths we have on hand.
