Y’all last week was pretty amazing, wasn’t it? We sat as still as flies on the wall as God held out a scroll sealed with seven seals to whomever was worthy to open it. John, in the throne room of God, cried like a baby because no one was found worthy to open the scroll. Today, we continue our journey in Revelation 5 where we discover if anyone was found to be worthy to open the scroll.
Oh, by the way, are you part of the Facebook group for this study? In that group I have linked every post in this series. If you would like to join the group, please send me an email to [email protected] and I will send you back a link that you will need to click on in order for me to add you to the group.
Did you download and print the Revelation 5 drawing last week? If you missed it, please go here to get it.
Let’s read all of Revelation 5 today.
1 Then I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals.
2 And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?”
3 And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it,
4 and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it.
5 And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.”
6 And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.
7 And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne.
8 And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.
9 And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation,
10 and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.”
11 Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands,
12 saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!”
13 And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!”
14 And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped.
This passage from Revelation 5 has all the makings of a dramatic scene straight out of Hollywood. There is weeping in heaven because no one was found worthy to open the scroll. Then, suddenly there is silence as a heavenly light shines on One near the throne. The music swells as the Lion of the tribe of Judah, Jesus Christ, steps forward and takes the scroll out of the hand of God. Every eye in the room, every eye on earth and in heaven is on the Lamb who was slain before the foundation of the world.
In a split second the weeping in heaven has turned to rejoicing and praise. Jesus is the undisputed Worthy One. Why is Jesus worthy? We are told in verses 5, 9 and 10. Jesus conquered. What did He conquer? He conquered sin and death by shedding His blood on the cross and paying the ransom that death had placed on each soul who ever breathed earth’s sin-polluted air.
Consider the anthem of praise that is raised to Christ:
“for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.”
I could teach from those two verses for quite a while. It is the story of atonement and redemption and sanctification. Jesus did the work of salvation, and because of His work, He is worthy to possess and open the title deed to earth and mankind.
In these verses, Jesus is called by several names. I want to give you Scripture references for each for additional study outside this post, then offer you something marvelous to ponder.
Lion of the tribe of Judah ~ Genesis 49:8-12
Root of David ~ Isaiah 11:1-10 and Revelation 22:15
Lamb standing as though slain ~ Isaiah 53, especially verse 7
Let’s camp for just a moment on the fact that Jesus is the ‘Root of David’. One of my commentaries, The New American Commentary, referenced Matthew 22:41-46 where Jesus asked the Pharisees a question that apparently stumped them. “Whose son is the Christ?”
Every good Jew of that day knew that the Messiah would be the son of David. Yet, Jesus goes on to ask the Pharisees why it is that David, in Psalm 110:1, calls Jesus, “Lord”. Jesus was forcing the Pharisees to consider not only His incarnation, but also His pre-existence. The New American Commentary says this:
“Messiah is at once the root from which David himself arises, and he is the offspring of David through his incarnation. That he is both the Root and the offspring of David is possible because of the Lord’s preexistence.”
Is that not stunning? Have you ever considered that? This would have been heresy to the Pharisees because Jesus was solidifying His Messiah-ness with these words. The fact that this description, Root of David, is used in Revelation 5 is a clarion call to the Jewish heart to believe and receive Jesus before it is too late.
This is a long post because I included the entirety of Revelation 5 in it, so I’m going to wrap it up and encourage you to study the worship portion (verses 9-14) on your own. It is definitely worth your time to consider the worship of Jesus that takes place in heaven.
Now, let’s engage:
- What from our study today encouraged your heart or blessed you?
- As you study Revelation, I hope you will begin to see Israel as the target audience of the book. What have we studied thus far that supports that theory?
- Please share anything that speaks to your heart from the worship portion of chapter 5.
