Revelation 5 The Lion and The Lamb Page 1

Revelation 5 The Lion and The Lamb Page 1 1 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. 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. The scene from chapter 4 continues uninterrupted - Invited up into Heaven - Personal Rapture if you will Revelation Received - Glorious Jesus - view in Difficult World - Footstool Throne Room - feel like throwing in the Towel - Throning in your Crown The angels are singing; the elders are bowing and casting their crowns - The place is booming! God is being praised for His glory, His holiness, His eternal nature, His sovereign power and as the creator of all things God is in Control - God is Sovereign Glorious and Full of Scandalous Grace As this scene continues John notices something else

Revelation 5 The Lion and The Lamb Page 2 Verse 1 1 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. Daniel - Ancient of Day - God the Father has The book or scroll and it has got John s attention - in the midst of all this Glory and Worship - the scroll captures John s attention - must be incredibly significant - meaningful - and important to what lies ahead. The scroll has writing on the inside and outside - very verbose - comprehensive 7 seals - the more sealed something is - the more important. Jesus has it in His right hand - Hand of Blessing and Authority What is this scroll? Rev 6:1 Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals Rev 6:15 And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders,fn the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, Rev 6:16 and said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! Rev 6:17 For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand? We know that this scroll is the judgment document because we see in the next chapter what happens when it is opened The judgment scroll of the world s final destiny (wickedness punished righteousness rewarded) - God s righteous justice about to be handed out! Beginning of the Wrath of God - on an unrepentant world - Christ rejecting people. Includes good law abiding citizens - that never believed the Gospel. Those who chose to worship something or someone other than Jesus. Root of sin - is pride - fear - the person who is - Drew the line at everyone - and made salvation available to everyone - stripped away performance and instituted salvation by faith. If salvation allowed for any sin, it would have to allow for all sin - root all all sin is the same - from selfrighteous good living (religious or not) to self-centered hedonist - same root - pride - fear Everything that is wrong will be confronted - think about all the pain, suffering, torture, oppression, abuse, loss of life, dignity, and humanity that has happened for thousands of years, that most got away with - more is gotten away with than what has received justice here on earth. Judgement is good news but this will be horrific - When Jesus faces off with evil, it is not going to be pretty. But it is good, and it is good news. As we make our way through Rev 6-19 - we can t loose sight of Chapters 1, 4, 5, 20-22

Revelation 5 The Lion and The Lamb Page 3 Rev 21:1 Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Rev 22:1 And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. Rev 22:2 In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. Rev 22:3 And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him. Rev 22:4 They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. Rev 22:5 There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever. Surely the world s final destiny involves judgment Can you imagine if it didn t? - Imagine if wickedness and evil always went unchecked - chaos - The absence of cataclysmic judgment and justice now is mercy and patience from God - God is fully capable and willing to execute Judgement on sin. 2Pe 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. Romans 2:4 (NLT) - Don t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin? God is patient and merciful and waiting for more to get saved. In 5:1, the moment has arrived Judgement is come these things are about to unfold - un-roll Verse 2-4 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. Strong Angel - execute - can t authorize - 2Ki 19:35 - One angel - 185,000 Assyrians in one night John is weeping - Chest heaving - eyes clenching - wailing - hyperventilating - wailing - Why? Because no one was found worthy to open and read the scroll, or to look at it. - Nobody steps forward. Thinks for a moment that there will be no end to evil, to a broken world, to a broken people - that all things won t be made right. Evil unchecked - mass murderers etc No created being in all the universe - heaven and earth - was worthy of unleashing the judgments of God on his sinful universe - other than Jesus -

Revelation 5 The Lion and The Lamb Page 4 Verse 5 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. Don t Worry - The Lion is Lord - Footstool view - we can think Where is Jesus? Is he ever going to come? Things are getting really bad? This world is growing more wicked and antagonistic towards your children everyday. It can seem as though all is lost. Look to the Lion - Look to Jesus! The Lion from the tribe of Judah The Root of David Has overcome Question is asked to make a point not to raise fear but to - emphasize the Glory of Jesus - Only He is worthy to loose the seals and execute Judgment. He is worthy - Worth - Authority - Deity - Righteousness - Majesty - Might - Muscle - Strength - Dominion - King Jesus is worthy to unloose the seals for many reasons but the most compelling reason comes in the next verse Verse 6 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. The Lamb Jhn 1:29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! Everyone knew what Lambs were for - they were for sacrifice - the innocent blood spilt for a guilty one Exodus - Plague of Death - Passover Lamb - under the blood of the Lamb - substitution - exchange - Abraham on Mt Moriah about to sacrifice His son Isaac- Isaiah said - He was pierced for our transgressions and upon Him was laid all our iniquity - God s provision for our sins - takes away the sins of the World. The Lamb was slain - Pointing to the Cross Jesus is worthy to bring God s justice to earth, because He brought Love and Mercy to earth - Jesus our Kinsman Redeemer - fully Human I find most amazing and compelling - only one also has worth by experience - He is the only Human who experienced the full wrath of God upon himself The Lamb standing as if slain - But the lamb is standing (though it was slain) Standing - Pointing to the Resurrection - Jesus rose from the dead - in New Life to Give us Eternal Life Through His Cross and Resurrection, Jesus has overcome - The rebellion of humanity - The power of sin - The work of Satan - The power of death.

Revelation 5 The Lion and The Lamb Page 5 The lamb had 7 horns and 7 eyes (7 Spirits) - This Lamb is shown as being Almighty (symbolism) that points to a reality. In the midst - in the center of it all - Jesus - Lion and Lamb - Slain but is Risen - Being all powerful and all seeing and possessing the Holy Spirit this is none other than Deity the Second person of the Trinity Who, because of love carried out the Father s plan of redemption through the Cross and so is qualified to carry out the Father s plan of judgment First Coming: John 3:16-17 Jhn 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. Jhn 3:17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. Second Coming: John 5:26-29 Jhn 5:26 For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself, Jhn 5:27 and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man. Jhn 5:28 Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice Jhn 5:29 and come forth those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation. Verse 7 7 Then He came and took the scroll out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne. The culminating act of history All the prayers of Thy Kingdom Come are about to be answered in that moment! All the cries for justice are about to be answered Daniel 7 9 I watched till thrones were put in place, And the Ancient of Days was seated; His garment was white as snow, And the hair of His head was like pure wool. His throne was a fiery flame, Its wheels a burning fire; 10 A fiery stream issued And came forth from before Him. A thousand thousands ministered to Him; Ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him. The court was seated, And the books were opened. 13 I was watching in the night visions, And behold, One like the Son of Man, Coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, And they brought Him near before Him. 14 Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, Which shall not pass away, And His kingdom the one Which shall not be destroyed.

Revelation 5 The Lion and The Lamb Page 6 All of peoples pain at the hands of sin, all of the suffering and injustice is about to be taken care of. All the wickedness that has gone unanswered is about to be answered without question And only Jesus is worthy Jesus is the only One who performed the greatest act of mercy the world has ever seen so He is the only One worthy to carry out the justice the world needs - Mercy is the stay of Justice - Rev 5 - Justice is come - to wake up the lost, shake up a nation. Verses 8-9 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, Again, we fall down - 24 elders represent the church - every time we see the church in Heaven - she is on her face. Ever feel like God s hasn't heard your prayers - they are bouncing off the ceiling, like prayers are a waste of time - The evidence of our prayers having been heard - golden bowls = precious - how many times did you pray, to make it more like heaven on earth and it didn t work out -. God never throws your prayers away. He stores them for you. Some prayers are answered right away. Others are kept in heavenly storage for an answer to come later. He will answer your prayer in His way for His glory in His time. A new song - Judgment hasn t happened like this before Jesus is worthy because Jesus was slain - suffered - He who knew no sin, became sin, bore the full wrath of God - consequence for our sin - so he could take it away - for the World - all people Let s remember whom Jesus saves sinners! We are not sitting on the right side of judgment because we deserve it but because mercy has been brought to us! If the thought of the world being judged is troubling to you then get busy taking that mercy to the world! Verse 10 10 And have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth. 1Pe 2:9 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; Verses 11-13

Revelation 5 The Lion and The Lamb Page 7 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! Only one right response - to let your life be one of Worship - to the only one who is worthy - the almighty Lord - who loved us so much to die for us. behold, the Lamb of God It's different than just believing Jesus died for you. Behold. It means to take him into your heart as slain. It means to remind yourself, I am loved. Look at what he did for me. This is an infallible, unconditional, unending love. Struggle with criticism, lack confidence, are crushed so easily. Are you up and down. You re living as if nobody loves you. You re not beholding the Lamb of God. Worshiping Jesus Christ as slain for you that will melt your heart and cleanse it of all it s insecurity, and dissatisfaction. Your dissatisfaction is a sign of the greatness of the soul, the sign of what a magnificent scale you were built upon. You desire transcendence, and nothing else will satisfy. You want intimacy with the Infinite. Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive glory and honor and blessing and praise. When you hear it, do you sense that it struck the deepest chord in your heart? Annie Dillard, I had been my whole life a bell, and never knew it until at that moment I was lifted and struck? - Does this ring you? All of creation is worshipping Jesus The Lion and the Lamb and declaring His worthiness (imagine!) - In Heaven you are on the worship team - and you will be issued a harp. The present reality of Christ (The Lion and the Lamb) should affect who we are and how we live now - obedience - the way we are spent and spend - Listen to this. Life is preparation for eternity. Life is the warm up act. We were made by God and for God and God wants us to practice on earth what we will do forever in eternity. Verse 14 14 Then the four living creatures said, Amen! And the twenty-four elders fell down and worshiped Him who lives forever and ever. And the elders fell down and worshipped (Life feels out of control? You need face time)