[Revelation 5]
Our heavenly journey continues. It is mostly complicated to think ourselves out of time. I struggle to grasp the full implication of God’s perspective outside our “prison” of time. He sees all of history in one moment, our birth and death and whole life in between.
Nowhere is the time perspective more obvious than in Revelation 5. God takes the scroll from the angel in His right hand, the symbol of power and authority. The scroll is all of history, written on the front and back, in other words fully ordained with nothing to be added or taken away – complete and sealed. It contains the God-proclaimed redemptive Plan in Jesus Christ now revealed in victorious consummation, with seven seals that represent the consequences of sin and disobedience.
5 And I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a scroll written inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals. 2 Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals?” 3 And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll, or to look at it.
4 So I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open and read the scroll, or to look at it. 5 But one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals.”
6 And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth. 7 Then He came and took the scroll out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne.
Worthy Is the Lamb
8 Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9 And they sang a new song, saying:
“You are worthy to take the scroll,
And to open its seals;
For You were slain,
And have redeemed us to God by Your blood
Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation,
10 And have made us kings and priests to our God;
And we shall reign on the earth.”
11 Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice:
“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain
To receive power and riches and wisdom,
And strength and honor and glory and blessing!”
13 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, I heard saying:
“Blessing and honor and glory and power
Be to Him who sits on the throne,
And to the Lamb, forever and ever!”
14 Then the four living creatures said, “Amen!” And the twenty-four elders fell down and worshiped Him who lives forever and ever.
In Roman law, only the last will and testament was sealed with seven seals – one for each witness. All witnesses were to be present when the seals were broken and the will read. Ordinary documents had only one seal. (Daniel 12:4,9; Isaiah 29:11) Daniel saw the book in God’s heavenly court to be opened.
The structure of Revelation 5 follows Daniel 7:9 and further as well as Ezekiel 1 and 2 very closely.
A strong angel with a loud voice speaks, addressing the cosmos – all of creation. (Daniel 4:13-14,23) Daniel 7 and 12 speaks about the latter-day unsealing of the books. John is witnessing the fulfillment of the 500-year prophetic vision of Daniel. Christ alone can unlock the mysteries and full meaning of the entire OT.
No creature, celestial or earthly, is worthy to execute God’s plan for the “fullness of times”. This is earth’s tragedy, therefore John wept.
He made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment–to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ. (Ephesians 1:9,10, NIV)
John gets the impression that the promise of a worthy One is frustrated, and gets a sense of deep sorrow.
Surely the Sovereign LORD does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets. (Amos 3:7, NIV)
God reveals His secrets to the prophets throughout all time, also today. Inside the vision is the point of receiving for those who guard their insight and anointing to “see” into unseen. Outsiders will receive nothing. It is a life of ignorance and confusion. (Ephesians 4:18)
Human grief is born in insufficient knowledge and a lack of vision.
This is earth’s tragedy. None is worthy and therefore John is weeping. The promise of the Anointed One has often been a source of frustration and disappointment. Shattered expectations followed many an impostor who falsely claimed the position.
Inside the vision is the point of receiving. Outsiders will receive nothing. They live in ignorance and confusion according to Ephesians 4:17,18:
So this I say, and solemnly affirm together with the Lord [as in His presence], that you must no longer live as the [unbelieving] Gentiles live, in the futility of their minds [and in the foolishness and emptiness of their souls], for their [moral] understanding is darkened and their reasoning is clouded; [they are] alienated and self-banished from the life of God [with no share in it; this is] because of the [willful] ignorance and spiritual blindness that is [deep-seated] within them, because of the hardness and insensitivity of their heart.
This is truly the best description of a life without God and the image of post-modern man with whom we contend daily in the spiritual realm. To me it is a frightening state of living to be a prisoner of. It is a life with no true knowledge and no insight in what is happening around us. For John the unworthiness of creation in a state of sin, is overwhelming, but…
There is comfort for the desperate cry of unworthiness in the godly Plan.
One of the elders comforts John. The church has the knowledge of Jesus, the solution to all. The church should be the comfort and the vehicle of insight to see the One and reveal Him as the solution to history and the consequences of sin contained in the seven seals. Jesus’ own words to so many were: Do not weep. He speaks comfort and rest over a battered and broken world.
The book contains God’s judgement and redemption – set in motion by Christ’s death and resurrection and has yet to be completed. The book contains all the covenantal promises of all the preceding centuries to confirm God’s faithfulness in all matters within the ordered Plan of God, no matter how chaotic things could look.
Christ is introduced as the Lion of Judah just as Matthew 1 establishes Jesus’ genealogy as the true Messiah from the root of David. (Isaiah 11:1) Jesse’s offspring would combine power and goodness. (Jeremiah 23:5, Zechariah 3:8)
Instead of the expected Lion, John sees a Lamb as though slain, but alive, bearing His scars also in heaven on the Throne of the Most High. God’s purpose is fulfilled. The death of Jesus was no accident of history. It was death with a purpose, to rescue the entire universe. There are no limits. It is all-inclusive and will always be.
Theseven horns depict full authority, omnipotence and honour. (Psalm 89:17,112:9, 148:14) The priest put the blood of the sacrificial animal on the horns of the altar. (Leviticus 4:7,18, 25). It speaks of redemption. One could also grab hold of the horns of the altar to save one’s life when persecuted. (1 Kings 1:50/ 2:28)
The seven eyesdepict full knowledge, wisdom, insight and counsel as promised in Isaiah 11:2 – characteristics of the Messiah.
He takes thescroll exactly as described in Daniel 7: 9-14. Daniel calls Him the Ancient of days.
The Lamb is the centre of the scene. Jesus is called the Lamb of God 29 times in the Bible. In Isaiah (53:7) and Jeremiah (11:19) they see Jesus prophetically like a lamb led to slaughter.
Worship is the reaction to His triumphant entry into heaven after the victory on the Cross. The Cross stands at the centre of history. Years of earthly time after the Cross, John sees Christ’s entry into heaven to take the scroll of destiny in His hand, since the Cross made Him worthy to roll out God’s plan of redemption for mankind. Also for us, only the Cross makes us worthy of our destiny of redemption from sin.
Jesus stands before the Throne as the first fruits of the church. In John 20:17 Jesus says to Mary Magdalene:
“Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.’
Jesus is the firstborn from the dead.
And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence. (Colossians 1:18)
In Revelation 5 John sees Jesus’ ascension to His Father as triumphant over death and glorified in the ultimate victory over sin and destruction. This is the moment when all of creation knows He is worthy to take the scroll. After this Jesus returned and appeared to many, also to Thomas who was allowed to touch Him.
All creatures, elders and the saints, worship the Lamb as worthy to control destiny. This scripture is one of the spiritual pillars in my life.
It is thrilling to imagine the Throne room of heaven and the altar of incense, which depicts worship and prayer. My prayer is in that golden bowl before the Throne of God.
Rejoice! The prayers of the saints are in that bowl. We have already said that we are saints, made righteous by the Cross.
But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; (1 Peter 2:9)
There is no such thing as unanswered prayer. God hears ALL prayers. We proclaim the praises of our Jesus together with the hosts of heaven. Whatever bears down on your heart this day, proclaim the Lamb of heaven and praise Him in chorus with all the angels. Bring your circumstances and heavy heart to the Throne room and “see” yourself in the golden bowl before the Throne.
Let my prayer be set before You as incense, The lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice. (Psalm 141:2)
Our prayers are directly before God. There is no intermediary necessary. The door to God is open. Jesus says this to Mary Magdalene as the most important message to His disciples – My God and your God and My Father and your Father. We have access through the Blood of the Lamb. We pray in the name of Jesus, which He gave to us. (John 16:26) We do not pray through any other mediator.
Let us singthe new song. It is new in quality;it was never heard before. (Psalm 33:3, 40:3, 98:1, 144:9, 149:1, Isaiah 42:1-13) It is UNIQUE and it is happening NOW.
New could mean: neos – more of the same depicting quantity as in a new pencil but many others already exist or: kainos – unique, has never been, depicting quality as in one of a kind.
Thekings and priests to reign are the saints of God to rule over the earth through our intercession, spiritual war and walk with God. Our witness is the effective barrier against complete destruction. The presence of the Church holds back evil. (1 Peter 2:9)
Thenumbers of Revelation are symbolic of endless and countless multitudes (5:11). Only God can do this type of calculation. It is always more than enough; more than needed.
He is El Shaddai – the God of plenty.
Every creature is every possible being. Every knee shall bow. (Philippians 2:10) All the multitudes join the cosmic chorus to praise every attribute of God forever. All history moves towards the point of ultimate recognition of the Lordship of Jesus. Everybody says AMEN – it is true.
It is the greatest chorus ever. Every created thing is designed to praise Jesus. The elders have harps. It was the traditional music in the Psalms.
Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving;
Sing praises on the harp to our God, (Psalm 147:7)
Here is the link to the Spotify Podcast:
Pebbles of Perpetuity 