The Scroll and the Lamb. Revelation 5:1-14

Transcription

1 1 The Scroll and the Lamb Revelation 5:1-14

2 2 Text: Revelation 5:1-14, The Scroll and the Lamb 1. And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals. 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? 3. And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon. 4. And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon. 5. And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof. 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. 7. 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.

3 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. 14. And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever. (AKJV) Introduction: I. At this time we are introduced to the Lamb. II. Going into chapter 5, we are still in the Throne-room of God. Commentary: The Book with Seven Seals Revelation 5:1-5, And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals. And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof? And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon. And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon. And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath

4 4 prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof. (AKJV) I. Who is worthy? A. A scroll. 1. Written within and on the backside. 2. Sealed with seven seals. The seal performed three purposes (Roper). a. First, it verified ownership. b. Second, it assured genuineness. c. Third, it protected the contents. B. Question, Answer, and Response. 1. Who can open the seals? Emphasis is placed on the word worthy. 2. No one in heaven, on earth, or under earth. The idea with this response is:... a. No created being will be able to open the seals. b. No righteous person on earth will be able to open the seals. c. No one who is in the hadean realm will be able to open the seals. 3. John was weeping. a. No one was found worthy to open the seals.

5 5 C. Jesus. b. The word weeping did not convey merely a sense of sadness, but bitter crying wailing. c. Someone was present who could open the seals. 1. The Lion of the tribe of Judah. a. Genesis 49:8-11, 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. 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? 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. Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass's colt unto the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes: (AKJV) b. The word lion conveys strength and fierceness. 2. The Root of David. a. Isaiah 11:1, 10, And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious. (AKJV) b. As far as His humanity is concerned, Jesus had His roots in David but as far as His deity is concerned,

6 6 Jesus is the Root of David (Wiersbe, cited by Roper, p. 230). c. Isaiah 53:2, For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. (AKJV) 3. He has conquered so He can open. a. Matthew 5:17, 18, Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. (AKJV) b. John 16:33, These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. (AKJV) c. Luke 23:46, And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost. (AKJV) d. John 19:30, When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost. (AKJV) e. Luke 24:36-44, And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. But they were terrified

7 7 and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit. And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have. And when he had thus spoken, he shewed them his hands and his feet. And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, he said unto them, Have ye here any meat? And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb. And he took it, and did eat before them. And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. (AKJV) Revelation 5:6-10, 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. And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne. 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. 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; And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth. (AKJV) I. Worthy is the Lamb. A. The Lamb.

8 8 B. Slain. 1. Standing: Though the Lamb was slaughtered, our Lord was standing, ready to take the scroll from the hand of the Father. 1. Revelation 5:6, 9, 12, 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. 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; 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. (AKJV) 2. Slain is a word that suggests a violent death. 3. Isaiah 53:7, He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. (AKJV) 4. John 1:29, The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. (AKJV) C. Sevens: Horns. a. This conveys strength.

9 Eyes. b. Roper calls it the Lord s omnipotence. c. Deuteronomy 33:17, His glory is like the firstling of his bullock, and his horns are like the horns of unicorns: with them he shall push the people together to the ends of the earth: and they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh. (AKJV) d. 1 Samuel 2:10, The adversaries of the LORD shall be broken to pieces; out of heaven shall he thunder upon them: the LORD shall judge the ends of the earth; and he shall give strength unto his king, and exalt the horn of his anointed. (AKJV) a. The all-seeing nature of God. b. Roper calls it the Lord s omniscience. c. 2 Chronicles 16:9, For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars. (AKJV) d. Zechariah 4:10, For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven; they are the eyes of the LORD, which run to and fro through the whole earth. (AKJV) 3. Which are the seven Spirits of God.

10 10 a. Revelation 1:4, John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne; (AKJV) b. Revelation 4:5, And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God. (AKJV) c. Revelation 3:1, And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead. (AKJV) D. Standing between the throne and the four living creatures. 1. Nearness to the throne is indicated by this phrase whether He is in the midst of or in between. E. Taken the scroll. 1. The perfect tense of this verb makes clear that something in the past occurred and has continuing effect today. 2. The taking of the scroll was something that occurred in the past. 3. What occurred in the past? Hailey said, This was not something done while John watched, but rather it had taken place at His (Christ s) ascension, when the Savior sat down on the right hand of God and was given all authority in heaven and on earth. Matthew 28:18, And Jesus came

11 11 and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. (AKJV) F. Song of praise. a. Psalm 110:1, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. (AKJV) b. Acts 2:34-35, For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, Until I make thy foes thy footstool. (AKJV) c. Hebrews 1:2, 6, 8, 9, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him. But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. (AKJV) d. Revelation 3:21, To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. (AKJV) 1. Worthy. a. He was worthy to take the scroll and open the seals.

12 Slain. a. By virtue of the fact He was killed (He willingly gave His life), His blood was used to redeem man. b. Acts 20:28, Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. (AKJV) 3. All people. Corresponds to... a. Matthew 28:18, And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. (AKJV) b. Ephesians 1:10, 20-23, That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all. (AKJV) 4. Worship: to deny this is to be a fool! Revelation 5:11-14, And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the

13 13 number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; 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. 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. And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever. (AKJV) I. Praise the Lamb. A. The innumberable host around the Throne B. received a seven-fold ascription of praise. 1. Revelation 4:11, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. (AKJV) 2. Revelation 7:11, 12, And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen. (AKJV) C. Hines wrote, The book contained symbolic visions of what was to come to pass; hence, revealed the destiny of the church and its enemies from that time till the end of the world.

14 14 Questions Revelation 5:1-14 *Quotations are taken from the New international Version. 1. I ( ) saw in the of him ( ) who sat on the a with on and with. 2. Who was unable to break the seals and open the scroll? 3. I saw a mighty with a, Who is to the, and to the. 4. One of the said to, Do not. Who was able to open the scroll and its seven seals?

15 A, looking as if it had been, was seen in the of the, encircled by the and the. 6. He, the, had and the spirits of God sent out into all the. 7. Name the seven spirits of God. 8. What is the significance of the numbers four, seven and twenty-four as used in Revelation? 9. The came and took the from the hand of who sat on the. When he had taken it, the and the - fell down before the. 10. Each one had a and they were holding full of

16 16, which are the of the. 11. They sang a new song. What did this new song say? 12. John then heard the voice of numberless encircling the, the and the. 13. They sang in a loud voice: 14. Then heard in and and under the and on the, and all that is in them singing: 15. The said,, and

17 17 the and. Note: The above questions are based on the text of the New International Version. 16. What three things did the seals represent? 17. What was written on the scroll? 18. The world does not now praise the Lamb? Why not? 19. What are Christians doing or what can we do to bring about the universal worship of the Lamb?

18 When will every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all in them come to worship him who sits on the throne and the Lamb?