part 23: The Lion and the Lamb (Worthy…)
Puzzled About Revelation, april 28 2022
“But you, Daniel, roll up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end. Many will go here and there to increase knowledge.”
Main text: Rev. 5
Recap
“God’s Throne” (Rev. 4):
Before being given visions of the things which must first take place prior to the Lord’s return, John was taken into Heaven and given visions of God’s Throne, the One seated on the throne, and those around the throne. What John saw could be described as:
1. Precious
2. Powerful
3. Peaceful
4. Praiseworthy
5. Elevated (sovereign)
6. Eternal (unchanging)
7. Unspeakable
Who is Worthy?
“Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne [God the Father] a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals. 2 And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?” 3 But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it. 4 I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside.”
1. The Seven-Sealed Scroll (v.1)
Daniel’s sealed scroll (Dan. 12:4):
“But you, Daniel, roll up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end. Many will go here and there to increase knowledge.”
Daniel’s prophesies not for his own time, but for the “time of the end.”
Is Daniel’s scroll actually the scroll in Revelation?
The book of Daniel is a pattern for the book of Revelation
Ezekiel’s bittersweet scroll, with writing on both sides (Ezek. 2:7-3:3):
“‘You must speak my words to them, whether they listen or fail to listen, for they are rebellious. 8 But you, son of man, listen to what I say to you. Do not rebel like that rebellious people; open your mouth and eat what I give you.’ 9 Then I looked, and I saw a hand stretched out to me. In it was a scroll, 10 which he unrolled before me. On both sides of it were written words of lament and mourning and woe. 3 And he said to me, ‘Son of man, eat what is before you, eat this scroll; then go and speak to the people of Israel.’ 2 So I opened my mouth, and he gave me the scroll to eat. 3 Then he said to me, ‘Son of man, eat this scroll I am giving you and fill your stomach with it.’ So I ate it, and it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth.”
Ezekiel told to consume a scroll containing lament, mourning and woe
Sweet to the taste, but contents turned his stomach bitter
Ezekiel’s prophesies culminate with the battle of God and Magog, which is the same pattern found in the book of Revelation. The book of Ezekiel is also a pattern for the book of Revelation. Revelation has to do with the unfolding of judgments on the rebellious house of Israel, as well as the gentile nations, culminating in the battle of Armageddon (Gog and Magog) and the second coming of Jesus, the Messiah, to rule and reign, and to establish His kingdom on the earth.
John’s “Little Scroll” (Rev. 10:8-11):
“Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me once more: ‘Go, take the scroll that lies open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.’ 9 So I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll. He said to me, ‘Take it and eat it. It will turn your stomach sour, but ‘in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey.’ 10 I took the little scroll from the angel’s hand and ate it. It tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned sour. 11 Then I was told, ‘You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages and kings.’”
This is a parallel of Ezekiel, which is important, because these parallels give us hints of how to interpret Revelation. In order to understand Revelation, we need to understand Daniel, Ezekiel, and Isaiah.
Isaiah’s sealed scroll (Isa. 29:11-12):
For you this whole vision is nothing but words sealed in a scroll. And if you give the scroll to someone who can read, and say, “Read this, please,” they will answer, “I can’t; it is sealed.” 12 Or if you give the scroll to someone who cannot read, and say, “Read this, please,” they will answer, “I don’t know how to read.”
because of sinfulness and unbelief: no one was worthy; all of Israel’s religious leaders and prophets had become blind and spiritually “drunk” so that they could not understand or accept the prophesy.
Is the same thing happening today?
2. None Worthy to Open the Scroll (v.2-4)
John was told that “no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it.” There is no angel, there is no heavenly being pure and holy enough to unseal the seven-sealed scroll. There is no human, not Adam, Noah, Abraham, David, Solomon, none of the apostles, and none of the prophets (not the pope) - no one on earth is able to unseal the scroll. And none “under the earth” meaning no one who has departed, and no demon of hell, either, including Satan, have the authority to open the seven-sealed scroll.
I believe, with the unfolding of the scroll, we see the unfolding of redemptive history and the unveiling of the mystery of God, culminating in the Day of the Lord’s return, and His coming Kingdom.
The Lion and The Lamb (5:5-8)
“Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.””
1. The Lion of Judah
Messiah’s Titles:
Lion of Judah (Gen. 49:10)
Root of David (Isa. 11:1,10)
Messiah’s Triumph: He is able!
2. The Lamb That Was Slain (v.6-8)
“Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing at the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. 7 He went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne. 8 And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God’s people.”
The Authority of the Lamb
The Lamb appears as one who has been slain, yet he has the same authority as the one on the throne. He is standing in the center of the throne, and has authority to approach God and to take the scroll from His hand. He stands in the “place” of God.
The Honor of the Lamb
The Lamb is surrounded by the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders, and they honor Him with their praise and worship, in the same way that God was honored in chapter 4.
The Power of the Lamb
The Lamb had 7 horns. Horns signify might or power, and the number 7 signifies the perfection of God.
The Wisdom of the Lamb
The Lamb also has 7 eyes. Eyes signify wisdom and knowledge. The Lamb is all-knowing.
The Presence of the Lamb
The seven-fold spirit of God is “sent out into all the earth.” The Lamb is all-present. This, again, is only true of God. This also points to the final member of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit.
Q: How can Rev. 5:6 say the sevenfold-Spirit is “sent out into all the earth” if the Holy Spirit has been removed from the earth with believers in the “rapture” prior to Rev. 4?
A: The pre-trib rapture is a false teaching that misinterprets many texts, including this one and 2 Thess. 2:7. The Holy Spirit is not “The Restrainer” and He is not removed from the earth because He has been poured out on many (Joel 2:28; Acts 2:17-18, 38-39) and will remain with believers on the earth until the end of the age (Matt. 28:20)!
The Worship of the Lamb
The Prayers to the Lamb (harp)
The Kingdom of the Lamb (Son of David)
The Priesthood of the Lamb (incense)
Worthy is The Lamb! (5:9-14)
“And they sang a new song, saying:
“You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation. 10 You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.”
11 Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. 12 In a loud voice they were saying:
“Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!”
13 Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying:
“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!” 14 The four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshiped.”
1. Jesus is worthy as our Kinsman-Redeemer!
Jesus purchased men for God. He is the fulfillment of the book of Ruth. Jesus bought us back after we sold ourselves into slavery to sin and to Satan. He is like Hosea, who went after Gomer, the wayward harlot wife, paying for her out of his own expenses.
2. Jesus is worthy as our Davidic King!
Jesus is the root of David, but He is also making us into a kingdom where He will rule as King of Kings. God gave Adam dominion over the earth, but Adam lost the “key” when he sinned, essentially giving the key, and the title deed of earth and its dominion to Satan.
3. Jesus is worthy as the Second Adam!
Jesus came to destroy all dominion and authority of the evil one, and take back the key that Adam handed to Satan.
4. Jesus is worthy as our Great High Priest!
5. Jesus is worthy as the Greater Moses & Joshua!
Moses was given instructions regarding the temple, and the nation of Israel was called to be a royal priesthood, a holy nation. We, who believe on Christ, are a “royal priesthood” (1 Peter 2:9). We offer the sacrifice of praise, the incense of prayer, and our bodies and minds as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to Him (Romans 12:1)
Joshua led the people into the promised Land
6. Jesus is worthy of Angelic Adoration!
In Hebrews 1 Paul talks about how much greater Christ is than the angels
7. Jesus is worthy of Creation’s Praise!
Heaven is coming down to earth. John’s revelation is a foretaste of the millennial kingdom and then the everlasting kingdom that will never be destroyed.
Are you a worshipper of Jesus today? God is seeking worshippers (John 4:23).
To some, worship seems foolish, perhaps undesirable. I think the reason that so many people are not excited about the world to come, and really have no taste for it, is because (our society has) embraced a Greek philosophical worldview that essentially says that our destination is heaven, and we don’t know what heaven is like. Heaven has become a “nebulous” concept that we don’t understand, whereas the world is tangible, and we feel comfortable in it. But the prophets speak with such vivid, earthy language, and Revelation is the same way. The coming Kingdom of God is a flesh and blood, this earth kingdom, only it will be made new.
“It’s not going to be like what most people think. You know, we die, we go to heaven, and we’re like these disembodied spirits. No! Heaven is coming down to earth and the kingdom will be on this earth and we will be given new glorified bodies on this physical earth with a physical Jesus ruling and reigning on a literal physical throne, in literal physical Jerusalem in the land of Israel, ruling over literal nations.
And if you don’t understand that, Revelation will make absolutely no sense, and you can spiritualize and allegorize every single prophesy until it means absolutely anything you want, which ultimately means absolutely nothing, and then who cares? And that’s probably why so many ignore and push Revelation to the side.
But when we understand it is the climax of all of redemptive history - what Adam lost in the garden is going to be restored in Christ, our Second Adam, at the end of the age - that’s what it’s all about. It’s awesome.
I hope that tonight’s teaching has given you a little bit of a foretaste and an excitement of what’s to come because that [Revelation] is what is to motivate us through the tribulation. We need the Spirit to give us new desires and longings for that which is coming so that for the joy set before us we, like Jesus, will endure our time of trouble, our cross, because it is only temporary, and that which is coming is eternal.”
They Shall Reign on the Earth (5:10)
First: Adam lost the “title deed” to earth due to sin and Satan became “prince” and “god” of this world.
Last: Jesus, as our 2nd Adam, received back the right to rule by His one act of righteousness.
First:
o Joseph moved the people into the cities where there was food; the people sold themselves as slaves, their flocks, and their land to buy food.
o Pharoah enslaved the Israelites; Moses and the Israelites plundered the Egyptians as they left Egypt
Last:
o WEF: “You’ll own nothing and be happy!” and “SMART cities”
o When Jesus returns, we shall be raised to life and “plunder” the “Egyptians”!