Vision of the Scroll 4:1 7:17 With Chapter 4, we begin our study of the second vision given to St. John on the island of Patmos. Three points will be helpful to remember before we begin. 1) John says, After this I looked... Some time has passed since John was told to dictate those letters to the 7 churches. We aren t told how long. Watch for similar signals (of time passing) before each of the remaining visions John received. 2) Please Note: Many misinterpret the Greek which introduces each vision. They claim that each vision shows a period of history that takes place after the previous vision. That s not what the Greek states! Remember our coiled spring analogy in the introduction? These visions overlap. They give us different perspectives of the same time period. They all emphasize the same theme: God Wins! 3) I looked. Don t overlook the obvious. These are visions that our Lord gave to John. John is then guided by God to put down on paper verbal summaries of these visions. Put another way, Revelation gives us vivid word pictures. Had our Lord chosen to give these visions in the year 2011, He may have used a multimedia approach. Since he used words alone, we need to tread carefully in our interpretation. Chapter 4:1-11 Jesus Invites John into Heaven s Throne room. verse 2: The NIV translates, John was in the Spirit. The Greek states, in spirit. What does this mean? Who is sitting on the throne? See verse 8. Look ahead to 5:1-6 for added help. verse 3: Notice the language. the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian. Did John see actually stones? What in the text makes that clear? How will this reminder help us in our overall interpretation of Revelation? verse 4: Who are the 24 elders? The vision tells us, especially when we interpret this picture in the light of the rest of Scripture! See Matthew 19:28; Matthew 22:11; 1 Corinthians 9:25; Revelation 3:21; Revelation 7:13-17 verses 5-6: What impression do these verses make on us? See Isaiah 6; Exodus 19:16-19; Also compare the description of the throne room to the Old Testament temple! 1
How do we interpret the seven spirits of God? Who are the 4 living creatures? There are, frankly, several possibilities. Compare to Isaiah 6 and Ezekiel 1 for one possibility. Consider an ancient, traditional interpretation of this for another. But then consider the significance of the number 4. Also compare with Psalm 121:1; Psalm 145:15, 21. Notice the threes woven throughout the songs of praise! Remember that Revelation was written to comfort Christians who are world-weary and beat down. How does the vision of chapter 4 help them? Chapter 5:1-14 Jesus Is Worthy to Open the Scroll! In chapter 4, John was invited into God s throne room. The vision was overwhelming. He was looking here...there...back again...trying to drink in glory and grandeur of what God was showing him. In chapter 5, John s vision settles back on the throne of God. This is central. verse 1: What is the sealed scroll? Compare with Ezekiel 3:1-3. Also see Revelation 10:2, 8-10 verse 5: The lion of the tribe of Judah. The better we know the rest of Scripture, the easier it is to identify the important elements of John s visions. Genesis 49:9-10 call the Messiah the lion of the tribe of Judah. Isaiah 11:1, 10 call Jesus the root of David. verse 6: Jesus is indeed the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! (John 1:29) If we press every detail of this vision, we will have a picture of the Savior that gives us (and our children) nightmares! What does it mean that Jesus stands at the center of the throne? Why does this lamb have seven horns? What does it mean that the lamb has seven eyes which are the seven spirits of God? John 15:26 Consider: The Jews of the Old Testament had both pictures of the Savior: as a lamb (Isaiah 53) and as the Lion. How did they reconcile those two pictures? Which one did they tend to overemphasis? What problems did this bring about? 2
verse 8: We see once more the 4 living creatures and the elders. Compare with Romans 8:18-23. John, by God s inspiration, makes sure we remember this is a vision. Notice the careful explanation of the golden bowls of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. This example also reminds us of the importance of remembering parallel passages in Scripture (or perhaps using a computer-based Bible program to aide our memory!) See Psalm 141:2; Deuteronomy 33:10, etc. Why do Christians use candles in worship today? Why would some use incense? What problems can such usage raise? verse 9: new song In heaven we will never get bored. Worship and praise of God will never be the same old stuff, even though the central message prompting our worship will never change through eternity. What prompts the praise of all creation? Analyze the structure of the Psalm (song). What number emphasizes that Jesus came for all people? verse 10: Christ came for all. Those who believe are made to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God. What is the significance of this description? Compare 1 Peter 2:5, 9 and the Old Testament! verse 11: The angels above join God s Church and God s creation in thundering the Lord s praise! verse 14: What does it mean that the living creatures said Amen? What is the significance of falling before the Lord? Chapter 6:1-17 Jesus Opens Scrolls 1-6 Remember, this is still the Vision of the Scroll, a vision that has been carefully introduced in Chapters 4-5. The Vision of Scrolls will be followed by Seven Trumpets (8-9) and later on, Seven Bowls. (16) What s with all the sevens? verse 2: Christ opens a seal and a rider is revealed. He is the first of four such riders unleashed on our world. What are these 4 often called? What might this first rider represent? Consider Revelation 1:16; 2:12; Isaiah 55:11 and Matthew 24:14 3
verse 3-4: What is this second, fiery red horse? (Compare Matthew 24:6) verses 5-6: Still another horse and rider come forth, this one black. The key to understanding what this rider will do is found in verse 6. What is the voice among the four living creatures telling us? Compare Matthew 24:7 verses 7-8: The fourth horse and rider is pale. The Greek word actually is chloros, as in chlorophyll. It means green. Has anyone ever seen a dead body before the undertaker layers on the heavy, mask like cosmetics? Albrecht Durer, Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, 1497-1498 To better understand this verse, compare with Isaiah 9:2; Psalm 23:4; Psalm 49:14; Psalm 90:5; Matthew 4:16. verse 9: Remember the setting for this Vision of the scrolls! Where does John now see these souls who had been slain? Who are these souls? What does their death tell us about them? Acts 1:8, 4:20; Romans 10:10 And what should this teach us about ourselves? Compare verse 10: Beginning with the 5 th seal, we no longer see horses and horsemen. Instead we focus on the rest of the glorious vision John has been privileged to receive. The souls under the altar cry out, How long! Until what? This is also the cry of every believer of every age. It is the cry recorded in the conclusion of this book. Revelation 22:20, Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! verse 11: Keep in mind the basic purpose of this entire book of Revelation. What is the comforting message this verse shouts to believers weary and worn out by a sinful world? verse 12ff: When describing what happens as the 6 th seal is opened, John gives us much more detail. If we compare with the rest of Scripture, we ve read such descriptions before: Isaiah 13:10: 34:4; Hosea 10:8; Joel 2:30-32; Matthew 13: 25-26; 24:29; Luke 23:30. What is being described? 4
verse 15: What does this section tell us about lasting power of money and might? Compare with Hebrews 10:31 verse 17: Can you and I answer the question, Who can stand? Consider Psalm 46. Chapter 7: 1-17: God Wins, and His Believers Will Be Safe Forever! As we consider chapter 7, we must remember that we re still seeing the events associated with the opening of the 6 th seal. In the midst of all the chaos of the Judgment Day, there comes again this assurance. God s people will be kept safe. Not a one will be lost. Consider Matthew 13:39-50. verse 3: What is this seal described in the vision? Consider the significance of engraving your name on the back of a valuable piece of equipment. Then compare with Numbers 6:27; Matthew 28:19; 1 Peter 2:9. verse 4: Discuss the debate over the number, 144,000. In your discussion, consider these facts. 1) The listing of the Old Testament tribes here given doesn t match any listing anywhere else in Scripture. Levi, a tribe? And what happened to Dan? 2) Compare this vision with other clear statements of Scripture. See Romans 11:26 for example. Also, key in closely on verse 9 in this section! 3) What church body insists on taking the 144,000 literally? 4) What could be the symbolic importance of this number? verse 9: Again there is a shift of scene. Where is this great multitude located? What other Biblical event does this description remind you of? 5
verse 14: The great tribulation has been described in Chapter 6. Jesus also spoke of tribulation in Matthew 24:15-28 and John 16:33. Consider also the words of the Paul and Barnabas in Acts 14:22. Yet, despite terrible tribulations, we can make the shout of Paul our own! Romans 8:35-39! They have washed their robes. Jesus used the same picture, didn t he! Compare with Matthew 22:1ff verse 15-17: Discuss this picture of heaven and what, if anything, you find particularly comforting! Points to Ponder In a few sentences, what is the message of the Vision of the 7 scrolls? How does this message comfort Christians living in modern-day America? 6