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Worthy Is The Lamb |
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Revelation 5 is a continuation of the heavenly scene found in chapter four. In chapter four we saw the throne in heaven. The throne is mentioned 12 times in chapter four alone. As we saw in our last study, in the throne, God's glory is pictured. His character is seen in the stone and His covenant in the rainbow. We also saw in the throne how God's government is proclaimed. It is a throne of judgment and the Lord is seen sitting on His throne ruling over the affairs of the world. We furthermore saw how God's greatness is promoted as seen in the Cherubim's ascribing honor and thanks unto Him which was, and is, and is to come. We finally saw that God's grace is praised. There are the 24 elders, representing the saved of all ages praising the Lord. An awareness of His grace leads them to cast their crowns at His feet.
As we come to chapter five we come to what is perhaps the most important chapter in the book. Have you ever buttoned a shirt or coat and put the wrong button in the wrong hole? If so, you know that the buttons and holes will not line up. If you don’t understand what is going on in this chapter you will never rightly understand what is going on in the rest of the book. Chapter 5 is the key to understanding the rest of what happens in the book.
The emphasis in chapter 4 was a THRONE. The emphasis in chapter 5 is a BOOK which is mentioned 8 times. Everything that happens in the chapter and throughout the rest of Revelation has to do with this book. Before we consider the scene found in chapter 5 let me set the stage by helping you understand the meaning and message of the Book.
First, let me give you a description of the book. The word "book" is Biblion which speaks of a roll or scroll. It was the kind of scroll that was written on both the inside and outside. In verse 1, John saw that the book was contained writing "within and on the backside." That is, the book was written on both the inside and outside. The book was sealed with 7 seals. A seal spoke of a stamp such as when a king would place his ring in wax to seal a letter or document. As you would write you would roll it up, then seal it, write more, seal it, etc. Beginning in chapter 6 we will see the breaking of these seals (Cp. Vs. 5 “loose the seven seals”) The loosing of the seals describes the scroll being unrolled. Each time they came to seal they would break a seal and read further. You also notice that the book was held by God in His right hand.
Secondly, let me give you a definition of the book. This scroll contains the most important document in history. As Americans, the Declaration of Independence is a very important document in the history of the U.S. Yet its value or importance is nothing compared to this document. This book contains the most important document in the history of the world.
The emphasis on redemption in the chapter indicates this book has something to do with redemption. In the Old Testament we see that several different things could be redeemed; such as people, animals, and even land. If a person lost their land due to financial hardships, deeded it over to pay a debt, it was possible to redeem it or purchase it back. It could be redeemed through a Kinsman-Redeemer. In chapter 5, it is not people that are being redeemed (they have already been), nor animals. The description of the book indicates that it is a redemption of land that is associated with this book.
For example, we read in Jeremiah 32:6-14, "And Jeremiah said, The word of the Lord came unto me, saying, [7] Behold, Hanameel the son of Shallum thine uncle shall come unto thee, saying, Buy thee my field that is in Anathoth: for the right of redemption is thine to buy it. [8] So Hanameel mine uncle's son came to me in the court of the prison according to the word of the Lord, and said unto me, Buy my field, I pray thee, that is in Anathoth, which is in the country of Benjamin: for the right of inheritance is thine, and the redemption is thine; buy it for thyself. Then I knew that this was the word of the Lord. [9] And I bought the field of Hanameel my uncle's son, that was in Anathoth, and weighed him the money, even seventeen shekels of silver. [10] And I subscribed the evidence, and sealed it, and took witnesses, and weighed him the money in the balances. [11] So I took the evidence of the purchase, both that which was sealed according to the law and custom, and that which was open: [12] And I gave the evidence of the purchase unto Baruch the son of Neriah, the son of Maaseiah, in the sight of Hanameel mine uncle's son, and in the presence of the witnesses that subscribed the book of the purchase, before all the Jews that sat in the court of the prison. [13] And I charged Baruch before them, saying, [14] Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Take these evidences, this evidence of the purchase, both which is sealed, and this evidence which is open; and put them in an earthen vessel, that they may continue many days."
God told Jeremiah to buy a piece of property. He found a piece that belonged to his cousin Hanameel and bought it for 17 shekels of silver. In verse 10 we read that he “subscribed the evidence.” In other words, a legal document to the land was drawn up. Witnesses attested to it and then it was sealed, placed in earthen vessel for preservation.
The scroll you see in chapter 5 is a deed to a piece of land, but the title deed to the whole earth. It is seen in the hand of God indicating that He is the owner of the land that was lost. This scroll was written on both the inside and outside. In those days, when land was lost and later redeemed they would take a scroll and on the inside they would write the reasons the land had been lost. On the outside they would write the terms of the redemption purchase price.
On the inside there is no doubt an explanation on how the earth came to be in forfeiture, how ownership of the earth was lost. It all goes back to Adam and Eve. God gave them dominion over the earth. He gave the earth to them, entrusted them with the care of the earth, placed in their authority. But then, sin entered and they lost that dominion. Satan gained control, taking it from them.
A reminder of how this earth is in Satan's control is seen when he tempted the Lord Jesus. We read in Matthew 4:8-9, "Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain and sheweth Him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; and saith unto Him, all these will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me." Satan could have never offered them if they were not his. He is called the “god of this world” in 2 Corinthians 4:4. This earth is under his dominion. It had originally belonged to God but was lost.
On the outside the book were no doubt written the terms of redemption. In the right hand of God is the title deed to the earth. Chapter 5 indicates that He is ready to redeem that which was lost. The Bible says in Romans 8:22, "For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now." This earth groans to be in the possession of its rightful owner. ONE DAY THE LORD IS GOING TO TAKE BACK WHAT IS HIS! There will be the redemption of the earth. It will once again be under His dominion and rule! That is what the book in chapter 5 is all about. It is the title deed of the earth in the hands of its rightful owner. The rest of the book of Revelation shows the Lord taking back what belongs to Him.
Understanding the book, its meaning and message, notice the events of the chapter. First, notice with me:
1. A SCENE OF WEEPING
We see John weeping in verse four. The word “weeping” means "to sob openly." John was crying like a baby. Why? Notice:
A) The Search That Was Proclaimed
We read in verse 2, "And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?" The word "proclaiming" speaks of a "herald. Like a herald, a strong angel walks into the scene shouting “Who is worthy to open the book?" The word "worthy" speaks of one that is deserving or has the right to open the book. The time has come for the land to be redeemed and a search begins for the rightful one, the deserving one, the rightful owner.
Furthermore, you see:
B) The Silence That Was Perplexing
We read in verse 3, "And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon." There was an absolute silence, a deafening silence in heaven. Not one voice was heard. There was not one "man in heaven." There are some great men in heaven; Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Elijah, Elisha, David, Solomon to name a few. Add to that list the names of man great men from all ages; Paul, Peter, Spurgeon, Moody, and Finney. However, as great as they were, not one said a word. Not a single word from any of the patriarch's, prophet's, nor preachers.
The search was expanded to the earth and not one "in the earth" spoke up. No king or queen, emperor, president, or politician dared say a word.
The search was expanded even further to "under the earth." The search even reached into the regions of hell. Not even the evil tyrants and dictators of time or history let out a whimper, not one of the demons uttered a sound, not even Satan himself said anything.
Notice carefully that the angel did not ask who was willing. There have been many that were willing to rule the earth. There was Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan, Napoleon, Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden. They were willing, but the question was who is worthy. There was not found one that was worthy to open the book, read the book or even look upon the book (Cp. Vs. 4). It was a perplexing scene for John as it appeared there was no one worthy to redeem the earth.
Secondly, notice not only a scene of weeping, but also:
1. A SCENE OF WONDER
We read in verse 6, "And I beheld, and lo." I like that "lo." Something happened that dried his tears and left him standing in awe and wonder. We read in verse 5, "And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof." An elder said to John, "Stop your crying, there is One that has prevailed”
The word "prevailed" means "to conquer, overcome." Who had prevailed and was found worthy to open the book? It was the Lion of the tribe of Judah and the Root of David that had prevailed. John saw the Lord Jesus as the worthy One. Suddenly he was no longer weeping, but standing in awe and wonder.
He saw Jesus as:
A) The Prophesied Ruler
John saw Jesus as
the "Lion of the tribe of Judah." In Genesis 49:8-10 we are given
the prophecy: "Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise:
thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father's
children shall bow down before thee. [9] Judah is a lion's whelp:
from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched
as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up? [10] The
sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his
feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the
people be."
Furthermore, John saw Him as:
B) The Proper Ruler
He also saw Him as the "Root of David." It was prophesied that the Messiah would be of the lineage of David, of royal lineage. As the root of David John saw him as the King of kings and Lord of lords.
He also saw Him as:
C) The Proclaimed Ruler
A third description of the Lord Jesus is given in verse 6: "And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth." John saw Him as "a lamb." What an interesting Lamb John saw. The word "lamb" is a diminutive word meaning, "little lamb, pet lamb, a precious lamb."
He saw the Lord Jesus as a Lamb "as it had been slain." John saw the Lord Jesus bearing the scars of suffering and death. The word “slain” speaks of being "slaughtered, butchered." John saw the Lord Jesus as having died a brutal and violent death. In heaven we will see the scars in the hands and feet and side of the Lord Jesus, scars on His head, face and back. They will be an eternal reminder of the price He paid for us.
John furthermore saw that the lamb "stood." Here is a Lamb that had died, but was now alive. He saw Jesus as both the redeeming and resurrected Lamb. As the resurrected lamb He had prevailed. He had overcome sin, death, hell and the grave! HE HAD PREVAILED! His prevailing proclaimed Him the worthy One.
As the prevailing Lamb He is described as "having seven horns." Horns are a symbol of power. The number seven speaks of completeness and perfection reminding us that Jesus is the omnipotent One.
He also saw Him as having "seven eyes." He sees and knows all things for He is the omniscient One.
He saw Him as having "seven spirits of God sent forth into all the earth" speaking of how He is everywhere and is the omnipresent One.
Adam lost the title deed to the earth, but the Lord Jesus, butchered like a little lamb, broke the bonds of death, hell and grave and three days later, stepped out of the tomb and proclaimed, “I AM HE THAT LIVETH AND WAS DEAD: AND BEHOLD I AM ALIVE FOR EVERMORE, AMEN; AND HAVE THE KEYS OF HELL AND OF DEATH.” In Revelation 5 He steps forward to say, “The time has come for me to take back that which belongs to me.”
The rest of the book of Revelation shows Him breaking the seals to the title-deed of the earth and taking back that which belongs to Him. I say to you with the elder, “Weep not.” Weep not because of the sorrow and suffering experienced in this world robbed of it original glory. There is coming a day when the rightful owner will take back what is His and Paradise Lost will be Paradise Regained!
Finally, John saw:
3. A SCENE OF WORSHIP
We read in verse 7, "And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne." The Lord Jesus steps forward and says to the Father, “I believe that belongs to me.” When He does, all of heaven comes unglued. They break forth in singing and shouting! Heaven becomes a scene of worship!
Notice this heavenly scene of worship. First, you see that it is a scene of:
A) Personal Worship
We read in verse 7-10, "And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne. [8] And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints. [9] And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; [10] And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth."
There were 24 elders which are representatives of all the saved. Their harps are a picture of praise. Their bowls a picture of prayer. Saints have often prayed “Thy kingdom come.” Now those prayers are now offered up as answered. They sung a new song. In the beginning the sons of the morning sang praises for His creation. Now a new song is sung, a song of praises for His redemption. The lyrics will consist of how He died for us, redeemed us out of every kindred, tongue and people. In heaven we’ll be singing about the blood!
When in scene of glory I sing the new, new song,
The story is told a tourist visiting a certain country and in one city he was attracted by a certain building that was crowned by a large tower. Looking at the building, he noticed that about two-thirds up there was a stone figure of a lamb. The man stopped one of the citizens and asked about the figure. He was told the story of how during the construction of the building, one of the workmen had lost his balance and fell. The ma asked, “Was he killed?” “No, it was a miracle. When his fellow workers rushed to him they expected to find his body crushed on the pavement below. When they got to him, he was badly shaken and bruised, but not a bone in his body was broken. When he fell, several lambs were being herded to the market, and he fell on the back of one of the lambs. The lamb was killed, but his life was spared. He was so grateful that he had the stone lamb placed on the building from where he fell as a lasting memorial of the lamb that died that he might live.
The lyrics will also consist of not only what He has done for us, but what He has made us, kings and priests. The lyrics consist of what He is about to do for us: “we shall reign on the earth.” Let me say that if you that don’t like shouting you may feel out of place in this heavenly scene. If you will look real close you can see yourself as one of those praising God. “Oh, preacher, I a real quite person." Look, I believe I hear you singing to the top of your voice, shouting out loud with your hands in the air!
It was also a scene of:
B) Universal Worship
We read in verses 11-13, "And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts 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 that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, 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, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever."
There will be "many angels" and "beasts and the elders." Even the angels will even get in on our worship. John saw "every creature" in heaven and on the earth join in the worship. It was a scene of universal worship.
They sang a seven-fold doxology:
The whole universe shouts, “Blessing and honor and glory and power be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne and unto the Lamb forever and ever.
Lastly, we see that is will be a scene of:
C) Eternal Worship
We read in verse 14, "And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever." It was not praise for a moment but for all eternity. That will be our heavenly occupation. For all of eternity we will worship and praise the Lamb that sits upon the throne.
Fritz Kreisler was one of the greatest violinists who ever lived. He heard about a Stradivarius owned by a very wealthy Brit. He visited the man and asked if he could buy it. The man said that it was not for sale at any price. “Can I just play it?” He agreed and led him into the house and brought out the violin. Kreisler picked up the violin, caressed it, then took the bow and began to play. When he did, it seemed that the angels in heaven sat and wept. When through, he once again asked if he could buy it. The owner said, “No, it is not for sale, but it yours to keep forever, for you are the master. You alone are worthy of the violin.”
The Lord Jesus alone is the worthy One. |
