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Revelation chapter 4 was a vision of God on His throne, sovereign,
powerful, worshipped by all creation and worthy of that worship.
Chapter 5 is a picture of Jesus Christ who is the only one powerful
and worthy enough to reveal the message of redemption and revelation to mankind. In chapter 5 we
further see the power and righteousness of God. This is to set
Him forth as the supreme authority which no man, especially the
worldly Roman emperors could hope to usurp. Under the
circumstances of 1st century Roman persecution, the Christians see
those leaders who are corrupt and evil and they are comforted with
these visions of a righteous and all powerful God who cannot be
touched by worldly influences or swayed in any way by the Roman
authorities no matter how powerful they may appear. God is in
charge and He is the one true and living God, eternal, all powerful,
ever righteous, supreme and unconquerable.
Looking at the big picture in chapter 5 we
see a continuation of the throne scene. Here we are introduced
to the lamb, also described as the lion of the tribe of Judah and
the root of David. Obviously this is Jesus Christ, the Son of
God and the redeemer of mankind. The book He is worthy to
unseal and open is, in part, the revelation of God regarding the Christian's
hope and perseverance in Christ and the fate that awaits the enemies of God. Jesus Christ lived in the sinful world and prevailed against all temptations and
emerged as the only one powerful enough and with the authority to
reveal what was going to happen.
So now all the persons of the Godhead are
pictured together in the throne scene. God the Father, God the
Son and God the Holy Spirit have all been represented and are the
center and focus of the worship and adoration of the creation.
Revelation 5:1
"And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book
written within and on the back, close sealed with seven seals."
God was holding in His right hand a book. The right hand is
symbolic of a favored position. The right hand of God is where
Jesus is pictured as ruling His kingdom (Hebrews 8:1, 10:12, 12:2, 1
Peter 3:22). Notice that the book in God's hand was written on
the inside and on the back. Typically things written in the
first century were on scrolls and they would be rolled up.
This scroll had writing on the front and back which gives the impression that
there is a lot to be revealed. The book is full and complete.
There is no more room for anymore writing or anything to be added to
it or changed in any way and when it is opened the people will know all they need to know.
This scroll is also tightly sealed with
seven seals. The number seven representing total completeness
means that the book was sealed in such a way that it was not going
to be easily opened. The picture here is that the future
cannot be in any way known but by the intervention
of Jesus Christ and will remain a secret until he comes along and
reveals it. No one can know the mind of God until it has been
revealed. Paul taught, "but as it is written, Things
which eye saw not, and ear heard not, And (which) entered not into
the heart of man, Whatsoever things God prepared for them that love
him. But unto us God revealed (them) through the Spirit: for
the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.
For who among men knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of
the man, which is in him? even so the things of God none knoweth,
save the Spirit of God." (1 Corinthians 2:9-11).
Revelation 5:2
"And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a great voice, Who is
worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?"
And John sees in his vision a powerful angel. Obviously not
all angels are created equally, there being some kind of hierarchy
among them. We do not know how this works however we see in
scripture where Michael the archangel contended with Satan for the
body of Moses. In the Greek the word for archangel means
"chief angel". This angel was powerful and high in authority
which suggests that any angel less than he was not even in
consideration as a candidate for the task of revealing the future.
Power alone is not qualification enough to
reveal these secrets either. The proper candidate had to be
worthy of this task. This is a significant point. Jesus
was worthy in light of His righteousness, having lived life on earth
as a man and successfully enduring having never sinned, not even
when scourged and crucified by His own creation. Jesus earned
the right to reveal the secrets of God.
Revelation 5:3
"And no one in the heaven, or on the earth, or under the earth, was
able to open the book, or to look thereon."
In particular, none of the emperors of the Roman Empire had the
authority or were worthy to reveal what was going to happen.
They were not even able to look at it. The first century
people were being forced to worship the emperors as gods on earth.
These emperors were being hailed as all powerful individuals and
they certainly looked it to the those outside the church. But
those in the church were being given a picture of the real
authority, the real king and the real God.
Revelation 5:4
"And I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open the book,
or to look thereon"
The Christians were living in desperate times. John was told
to come see what would happen in chapter 4 verse 1. The
persecution was bad and it was going to get worse. Keep in
mind that John was on Patmos at the time he received these
revelations. Patmos was a forced labor prison facility for the
Roman Empire. John was most likely not there of his own
choosing so was feeling the pressure of the persecution. He
was on an island of rock far away from his beloved brethren and was
undoubtedly greatly concerned for their wellbeing. He was
undoubtedly anxious, possibly frantic to know what the fate of his
brothers and sisters would be, not to mention the fate of the Lord's
church in general. With the lives of his brethren hanging in
the balance, it looked like no one would be able to tell him what he
so desperately wanted to know. So in despair he wept for his
brethren, the church and for himself.
Revelation 5:5
"and one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not; behold, the Lion
that is of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath overcome to
open the book and the seven seals thereof."
John was comforted with the words
that Jesus had overcome sin and was able to reveal God's message.
The lion, because of its
strength and courage is known as the king of beasts. The Lion of the tribe of
Judah thus signifies the kingly power and majesty of Christ the Lord. He
is the conqueror, the Ruler, the King whose lineage is traced through
tribe of Judah. "For it is evident that our Lord hath
sprung out of Judah; as to which tribe Moses spake nothing
concerning priests" (Hebrews 7:14). Reference also Genesis
49:10, Micah 5:2, Luke 3:33.
King David, son of Jesse (Ruth 4:22),
was a descendant of the tribe of Judah. Therefore the root of
Jesse and of David shows Jesus' connection with that lineage. "And
there shall come forth a shoot out of the stock of Jesse, and a
branch out of his roots shall bear fruit" (Isaiah 11:1).
Reference also Isaiah 11:10, Jeremiah 23:5, Romans 1:3.
God spoke to David through the prophet Nathan; "And it shall come
to pass, when thy days are fulfilled that thou must go to be with
thy fathers, that I will set up thy seed after thee, who shall be of
thy sons; and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build me
a house, and I will establish his throne for ever. I will be
his father, and he shall be my son: and I will not take my
lovingkindness away from him, as I took it from him that was before
thee; but I will settle him in my house and in my kingdom for
ever; and his throne shall be established for ever" (1
Chronicles 17:11-14).
Revelation 5:6
"And I saw in the midst of the throne and of the four living
creatures, and in the midst of the elders, a Lamb standing, as
though it had been slain, having seven horns, and seven eyes, which
are the seven Spirits of God, sent forth into all the earth."
And John sees in the midst of it all Jesus Christ, the Son of God
pictured here as both a powerful and noble lion, ruling over the
other beasts, and as a sacrificial lamb with seven horns, meaning
perfect power, and seven eyes, meaning perfect all seeing vision.
Being pictured in the midst of the throne conveys the idea that
Jesus was sharing the throne with God. "He that overcometh,
I will give to him to sit down with me in my throne, as I also
overcame, and sat down with my Father in his throne" (Revelation
3:21). "for the Lamb that is in the midst of the throne
shall be their shepherd, and shall guide them unto fountains of
waters of life: and God shall wipe away every tear from their eyes"
(Revelation 7:17). "And there shall be no curse any more:
and the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be therein: and his
servants shall serve him" (Revelation 22:3).
Jesus is pictured here as a lamb which is symbolic of the
sacrificial system and thus represents the redemption of sin.
"On the morrow he [John the
baptist], seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold, the
Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world" (John 1:29).
"...He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; And as a lamb before
his shearer is dumb, So he openeth not his mouth" (Acts 8:32).
"but with precious blood, as of a lamb without spot, (even the
blood) of Christ" (1 Peter 1:19).
The seven eyes of the lamb which are the
seven Spirits of God is representational of the perfect and complete
Spirit, the Holy Spirit, given to Jesus without measure. "For
he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for he giveth not
the Spirit by measure. The Father loveth the Son, and hath
given all things into his hand" (John 3:34-35).
Revelation 5:7
"And he came, and he taketh (it) out of the right hand of him that
sat on the throne."
Jesus, the Son of God, the only one in existence worthy to unseal
the revelation of God has taken it from the right hand of God the
Father. John who wept because no one could be found who could
reveal the will of God now saw the book containing that message in
the hands of Jesus Christ. It should be noted here that this
vision is not just a vision of the revelation at hand, but a general
representation of God's will overall being given into the hands of
Jesus. Jesus has been given all authority in heaven and on
earth, (Matthew 28:18) and has the right to execute judgment (John
5:27). The book taken from the hand of the Father by Jesus is
representative of the eternal purpose of God's plan for man's
salvation. All authority has been passed to the Son in His
ascension to reign at the right hand of God the Father.
And only He is able to open this book and reveal the contents.
The things said to be in that book
represented the plan formulated in the mind of God before time began
and was a mystery until the fullness of time when it was brought
forth and revealed. "making known unto us the mystery of
his will, according to his good pleasure which he purposed in him
unto a dispensation of the fulness of the times, to sum up all
things in Christ, the things in the heavens, and the things upon the
earth; in him, (I say,) in whom also we were made a heritage,
having been foreordained according to the purpose of him who worketh
all things after the counsel of his will" (Ephesians 1:9-11).
See also Romans 16:25, 2 Timothy 1:9 and Titus 1:2.
In this vision we are seeing a grand scene
of the overall passing of authority from God the Father to God the
Son and His ascension to the throne where He now rules. One
almost gets the feeling they are witnessing a coronation ceremony of
sorts where the one who prevailed and has passed the test now
assumes the role promised Him since before time began.
Revelation 5:8
"And when he had taken the book, the four living creatures and the
four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having each one a
harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the
saints."
And when Jesus who had prevailed had taken possession, and the
authority of, God's word, all creation, represented as the creatures
over whom the Lion of Judah reigns, fell down before Him. We
notice here that the Son of God is worthy to receive worship.
All those around the throne have in their
possession harps and vials of odours which are the prayers of the
saints. These instruments of worship are figurative and have
no bearing on manmade instruments in our worship today. Harps
are old testament symbols of praise to God. Harps, psaltries
and viols were instruments of praise in old covenant worship and
were never used in the new covenant worship during the first century
nor for about a thousand years afterwards. Paul referred to
the harp, pipe and trumpet in 1 Corinthians 14:7-8 in order to
illustrate a point, but gave no indication they were used in
worship. John later wrote of hearing the one hundred and forty
four thousand whose voice was "as the voice of harpers harping
with their harps" (Revelation 14:2), and he saw those who were
victorious before the beast and his image "having the harps of
God" (Revelation 15:2). Whatever these harps are in the
throne room of heaven, we know they were provided by God and were
suitable for use there, but on earth, God "dwelleth not in
temples made with human hands, neither is he worshipped with men's
hands as though he needed anything" (Acts 17:24-25
KJV). In contrast to the heavenly instruments mentioned
here, they are all silenced in fallen Babylon (Revelation 18:22).
If one is going to literalize the harps here and take them to
authorize manmade musical instruments in worship to God on earth
today then they better at least acknowledge that the harpers and
other musicians would not have been completely silenced after the
fall of the Roman Empire if there were any of them performing in the
Lord's church at that time.
The "golden bowls full of incense"
were identified as being the prayers of the saints. In old
testament worship incense was burned in the temple while prayers
were being offered outside (Luke 1:10). In Revelation 8:3-4
the same figurative language we see in verse 8 is also used to
illustrate the prayers of the saints; "And another angel came and
stood over the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given
unto him much incense, that he should add it unto the prayers of all
the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.
And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, went
up before God out of the angel's hand." The incense and
the harps in this vision were old testament symbols which
represented the prayers and the praise of the Christians. If
we were going to literalize the harps, then consistency would demand
that we also literalize the incense and start burning it during our
prayer in worship to God.
In this verse we see the prayers of the
saints coming before the Throne of God. Our prayers are heard
by God. James taught that the "fervent prayers of a
righteous man availeth much" in 5:16. "And this is the
boldness which we have toward him, that, if we ask anything
according to his will, he heareth us: and if we know that he heareth
us whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions which we
have asked of him" (1 John 5:14-15). "Now we know that
God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and
doeth his will, him he heareth" (John 9:31). What a
comfort it must have been to the persecuted Christians to know that
their prayers of affliction and supplication were heard by God.
Revelation 5:9
"And they sing a new song, saying, Worthy art thou to take the
book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou was slain, and didst
purchase unto God with thy blood (men) of every tribe, and tongue,
and people, and nation,"
The new song being sung here is the song of redemption. A song
never before heard because Jesus Christ was slain as the perfect
sacrifice and with His blood accomplished something the blood of
bulls and goats could never do; the removal of sin completely.
The old law of Moses with the animal sacrifices was unable to make
the Israelites perfect (Hebrews 10:1). The blood of bulls and
goats could not take away their sin (Hebrews 10:4). It was
only a temporary measure until Jesus' blood would redeem them
completely. Those who lived faithfully under the old covenant
and offered the blood of the sacrifices were purchased by the blood
of Jesus when He died on the cross (Hebrews 9:15). Those today
who live after the cross do not have to offer the yearly sacrifices
because we have been purged and been made complete (Hebrews
10:1-10). Today we have a covenant which is faultless, being
established on better promises (Hebrews 8:6-7), with Jesus as our
High priest and mediator (Hebrews 6:20;12:24, 1 Timothy 2:5).
And this blood sacrifice of Jesus was for all mankind, not just for
those living under the old law (Hebrews 10:10, Ephesians 2:12-18).
All the faithful children of God who lived under the old law, and
all the saved under the new covenant both Jews and Gentiles were
singing the new song of redemption, never before heard or known
until Jesus Christ came and offered His blood for all sins forever
and then sat down on the right hand of God (Hebrews 10:12-14).
Revelation 5:10
"and madest them (to be) unto our God a kingdom and priests; and
they reign upon earth."
Under the old law, the Jewish High Priest offered up the sacrifices
for the sins of the people after he had offered up sacrifices for
his own sins (Hebrews 7:27). The Jewish high priests were
taken from among men so they were imperfect (Hebrews 7:28).
Jesus blood purged the sins of all His children forever (Hebrews
10:14) and there is no longer a need for a Jewish High Priest to
offer up sacrifices. Jesus is our High Priest now and because
of the blood of His sacrifice all His children are now able to offer
up their own sacrifices and praise and worship to God.
The kingdom mentioned here is the kingdom
of God which is peopled by the "called out" or in the Greek is the
word "Ekklesia" which is translated "church" in the new testament.
The Ekklesia is not a building, rather it is a people made up of all
the saved in Christ. And all the members of the Ekklesia have
been purged of their sins by the blood of Christ and can therefore
serve as a priest in their own capacity. In short, all who are
saved can now offer their praise and worship to God directly without
having to go through a Jewish High Priest as a mediator. Our
mediator today is not some man who is himself sinful, but Jesus
Christ who is sinless and is the perfect High Priest. The
kingdom of God is the total assembly of His children today and it is
called a kingdom because everyone in it is a royal priest unto God.
"But ye are a elect race, a royal
priesthood, a holy nation, a people for (God's) own possession, that
ye may show forth the excellencies of him who called you out of
darkness into his marvellous light: who in time past were no people,
but now are the people of God: who had not obtained mercy, but now
have obtained mercy" (1 Peter 2:9-10).
Revelation 5:11
"And I saw, and I heard a voice of many angels round about the
throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of
them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands"
What John was seeing here was the whole creation; angels, elders and
the redeemed assembled about the throne of God and they were too
numerous even to count.
Revelation 5:12-13
"saying with a great voice, Worthy is the Lamb that hath been
slain to receive the power, and riches, and wisdom, and might and
honor, and glory, and blessing. And every created thing which
is in the heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and on the
sea, and all things are in them, heard I saying, Unto him that
sitteth on the throne, and unto the Lamb, (be) the blessing, and the
honor, and the glory, and the dominion, for ever and ever."
In chapter 4 we saw God on His throne with His Spirit receiving the
worship of all creation. In chapter 5 we see His Son, Jesus
Christ introduced, worthy and receiving all the worship of all the
creation as well. Notice carefully the wording "Unto him
that sitteth on the throne, and unto the Lamb". The Lamb
is equally worshipped with He who sits on the throne. The
Godhead is made up of three persons, God the Father, God the Son and
God the Holy Spirit, perfectly united with one single nature, thus
when God is worshipped on His throne, all three are.
Revelation 5:14
"And the four living creatures said, Amen. And the elders fell
down and worshipped."
The word "Amen" means "be it so". Jesus Christ,
the Son of God has been presented as the only one worthy to reveal
the word of God and to receive the worship and adoration of all the
creation. Looking at this through the eyes of the first
century Christians living under the oppression of the Roman Empire
we see a contrast between this and what the Roman Empire insisted
on. The emperors who demanded to be worshipped as Gods were
not Holy. They were not worthy of the worship of mankind.
They didn't purchase anything with their blood and couldn't if they
wanted to because it was unfit for the task. They did not come
back from the dead when they died. They did not prevail
against the world and emerge sinless. None of them were
pictured standing around the throne of God receiving the worship of
all creation. None of them reached up and took from God's
right hand the sealed book.
To the first readers of the Revelation, God
is presented as the only true and worthy recipient of man's worship
and this has to be a tremendous comfort to those who are being
persecuted because of their faith. Total and complete praise
is seen as being offered to God and God alone. His throne
rules, be it so.
Summary Paraphrase:
And I saw God seated on His throne and
holding in His right hand a perfectly sealed scroll with words
written on it inside and out. And then I saw a powerful angel
announcing in a loud voice, "Who is worthy to break the seals and
open this scroll?" And no one in heaven or on the earth or in
Hades was able to open the scroll and reveal its message. And
I wept greatly because no one could be found to open the scroll and
read it. Then one of the elders said to me, Stop weeping!
God's Son, the Lion of the house of Judah, the offspring of King
David has prevailed. He can break the seals and open the
scroll.
And I looked and saw with God on His throne
and among the elders and the saved of earth, His Son who had been
slain but was now standing, having all power and authority and with
the all seeing Spirit of God who has been sent far and wide into all
the earth. And the Son went and took the scroll from the right
hand of the Father seated on His throne. And when God's Son
held the scroll in His hand, all the elders and the saved bowed
before Him and worshipped and the prayers of the saints on earth
were heard and were like bowls of sweet incense before God.
And now they are singing a new song never
heard before, saying You are worthy to take the scroll and to reveal
its message for You were slain and with your blood you purchased all
men unto God from every tribe and language and people and nation of
the earth. And you made them a royal race in your kingdom and
priests to our God and they shall reign as kings over the earth.
And then as I looked, I heard the voices of
many angels on every side of God's throne and of the elders and all
the saved and there were so many they could not be numbered.
And they were all proclaiming loudly, "Worthy is the Son who was
slain to receive all the power and riches and wisdom and might and
honor and majesty and blessing!" And then I heard every
created thing everywhere crying out in unison unto God and His Son,
to You be the blessing and the honor and the glory and the dominion
for all eternity." And then all the saved said " AMEN!!!, Let
it be so!" And the elders laid down on their faces and worshipped
Him who lives forever and ever. |