“Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” Maybe we should ask, “What is this scroll? Why would John weep that it cannot be opened?”
This scroll is the Revelation. It is the first view of what we will see several times through our reading of this book. It contains all that will happen between Jesus’ ascension into heaven and when he returns to judge the living and the dead. Everything about our final salvation and hope of eternal life is bound up in this scroll. And no one was worthy to open it . . . because no one had paid the price to secure salvation for us.
Enter the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David. These are Old Testaments references to the Messiah, the Anointed One, Jesus Himself who conquered sin and death so that salvation can be opened/unveiled/revealed to us.
It’s interesting that the elder says, “behold, the Lion,” and when John looks he sees the Lamb. John is the one who records for us that John the Baptist called Jesus, “The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” This is Jesus’ Ascension from Heaven’s view point. John had stood on the hill and watched Jesus ascend and be covered by the cloud years before, now he is seeing a vision of His return to the Father, worthy to open the scroll because with his own blood he had secured salvation for people of every tribe, language, people and nation. He is the Lamb who was slain, but is alive. The Spirit rests powerfully upon him, as He had when Jesus was baptized, thus the seven eyes and seven horns; eyes because he sees what the Spirit sees, and horns because he has the full power of God.
He has the power of God, because he is God. (We catch a glimpse of the mystery of the Trinity here.) The Father sits upon his throne and the elders, the four living creatures and myriads of angels join to worship the Lamb. Remember, the Lord our God is a jealous God, and his first Commandment is, “You shall have no other gods.” As all these creatures in heaven worship the Lamb, it intensifies the message: Jesus is true God begotten of the Father, God of God, Light of Light, Very God of Very God. And while our worship of the Father rooted itself in the gratitude and awe at his creation of all things, the worship of the Lamb is rooted in praise for dying and rising to ransom people from their sins and return them to God.
Every now and again, people will ask why we always have to talk about Jesus’ death and resurrection in church. “Why do we always have to talk about sin and the cross?” Revelation 5 gives us one good reason. The angels in heaven and the saints around the throne of God worship Jesus for dying and rising to atone for our sins. From this point forward in the Revelation every song of praise will focus on that salvation. There is not another that praises God for creation (not that it’s inappropriate to praise God for creation). We have something greater to worship Him for!
The fact is we couldn’t properly worship God as our creator without the Lamb’s blood having redeemed us. So Jesus did it. He came and gave his blood to atone for sin – yours and mine. And now the scroll that hides our salvation can be opened, our eternal future is secured, and God is going to reveal it to us (although in a very symbolic way).
God; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; we worship You, and sing your praise today for You have given us Salvation in Jesus’ death and resurrection. To You be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever! Amen!
This scroll is the Revelation. It is the first view of what we will see several times through our reading of this book. It contains all that will happen between Jesus’ ascension into heaven and when he returns to judge the living and the dead. Everything about our final salvation and hope of eternal life is bound up in this scroll. And no one was worthy to open it . . . because no one had paid the price to secure salvation for us.
Enter the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David. These are Old Testaments references to the Messiah, the Anointed One, Jesus Himself who conquered sin and death so that salvation can be opened/unveiled/revealed to us.
It’s interesting that the elder says, “behold, the Lion,” and when John looks he sees the Lamb. John is the one who records for us that John the Baptist called Jesus, “The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” This is Jesus’ Ascension from Heaven’s view point. John had stood on the hill and watched Jesus ascend and be covered by the cloud years before, now he is seeing a vision of His return to the Father, worthy to open the scroll because with his own blood he had secured salvation for people of every tribe, language, people and nation. He is the Lamb who was slain, but is alive. The Spirit rests powerfully upon him, as He had when Jesus was baptized, thus the seven eyes and seven horns; eyes because he sees what the Spirit sees, and horns because he has the full power of God.
He has the power of God, because he is God. (We catch a glimpse of the mystery of the Trinity here.) The Father sits upon his throne and the elders, the four living creatures and myriads of angels join to worship the Lamb. Remember, the Lord our God is a jealous God, and his first Commandment is, “You shall have no other gods.” As all these creatures in heaven worship the Lamb, it intensifies the message: Jesus is true God begotten of the Father, God of God, Light of Light, Very God of Very God. And while our worship of the Father rooted itself in the gratitude and awe at his creation of all things, the worship of the Lamb is rooted in praise for dying and rising to ransom people from their sins and return them to God.
Every now and again, people will ask why we always have to talk about Jesus’ death and resurrection in church. “Why do we always have to talk about sin and the cross?” Revelation 5 gives us one good reason. The angels in heaven and the saints around the throne of God worship Jesus for dying and rising to atone for our sins. From this point forward in the Revelation every song of praise will focus on that salvation. There is not another that praises God for creation (not that it’s inappropriate to praise God for creation). We have something greater to worship Him for!
The fact is we couldn’t properly worship God as our creator without the Lamb’s blood having redeemed us. So Jesus did it. He came and gave his blood to atone for sin – yours and mine. And now the scroll that hides our salvation can be opened, our eternal future is secured, and God is going to reveal it to us (although in a very symbolic way).
God; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; we worship You, and sing your praise today for You have given us Salvation in Jesus’ death and resurrection. To You be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever! Amen!
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