Revelation 5

CHAPTER 5THEME: The church in heaven with ChristcontinuedChapter 5 continues this scene of the church in heaven with Christ. I think it is well for us to spend a little time here to get acquainted with where we are going. I am sure that you would not buy real estate in Florida without seeing it first, although I had an uncle who did just that. After he went down and saw it, he reported that he had some of the finest alligators that he had ever seenall of his property was under water! He had bought it sight unseen. We have a lot of uninhabitable desert here in California, and even in the Hawaiian Islands there are great areas of nothing but a lava bed.

You had better know what you are buying. Therefore, if you are going to heaven, you will want to know something about where you are going, and that is the reason this chapter ought to be interesting to you. In chapters 4-5 we find that the church (the body of believers) is in heaven with Christ. The Lord Jesus said to his disciples, “…I go to prepare a place for you…. that where I am, there ye may be also” (Joh_14:2-3). We are going to be with Him. The scene of chapter 5 is set in heaven, preparatory to the events of the Great Tribulation. Since the church is in heaven with Him, it surely could not go through the Great Tribulation down here on the earth. The throne was the center of chapter 4. The Lion and the Lamb, both of whom represent Christ, are the center of chapter 5. Christ is the Lamb on the throne. He is both Sovereign and Savior. He is in full charge of all the events which follow in this book. Let us not lose sight of Him.

Revelation 5:1

THE BOOK WITH SEVEN SEALSThis chapter opens with and, a connective, a little conjunction, which indicates that something went before. It is the string that ties us back to chapter 4. Actually, we don’t need a chapter division here because it is all the same subject. Here is my translation of this verse: And I saw on the right hand of Him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the back, close sealed (sealed tightly) with seven seals. “I saw"John is the witness of these events; this is something that he sees. Someone pointed out to me in a letter sometime ago that I have the habit of saying, “Isn’t this a wonderful picture?” or, “Isn’t that a picture for you?” I wasn’t aware that I use that expression as I teach, but I guess I do. I think that we ought to bring all our senses to bear upon the Word of God and especially in studying Revelation. John is seeing, and he is hearing. This is the reason that I frequently use slides to illustrate my sermons. I receive some criticism for that, but may I say to you, we need to see and hear a lot of things to aid our understanding of the Scriptures.

The Word of God should grasp and lay hold of all of our senses, even of our taste and smell. For example, there are certain scenes in Revelation where you can smell the fire and brimstone. God the Father holds here in His hand a scroll which is rolled tightly and sealed closely with seven seals. Stauffer is the one who calls our attention to the fact that the Roman law required that a will be sealed seven times, as illustrated in the wills left by Augustus and Vespasian. While it is interesting that this method was used, we know that in the Book of Revelation the number seven is not just an accidental number and that it wasn’t used only because they used it in the Roman Empire. Godet considers this scroll to be “the book of the new covenant.” Others label it “the book of judgment.” Walter Scott considered it “the revelation of God’s purpose and counsel concerning the world.” It perhaps should bear no title because it is, as Dr. Harry Ironside has suggested, the title deed to this world. You will remember that when the children of Israel were going into captivity, Jeremiah was instructed to have his servant go and buy some property and to get the title deed to it, because God promised that Israel was going to be returned to the land (see Jer_32:6-15). Who holds the title deed to this earth down here? It is none other than the Lord Jesus; He alone has it. In Dan_7:13-14 we read: “I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.” This suggests, I believe, that what is being handed over to the Lord Jesus (we will see it handed over to Him) is the title deed to this world in which you and I live. He created it, He redeemed it, and it belongs to Him. In Zechariah, which is a book that you need to know in order to know Revelation, we read: “Then I turned, and lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a flying roll. And he said unto me, What seest thou? And I answered, I see a flying roll; the length thereof is twenty cubits, and the breadth thereof is ten cubits. Then said he unto me, This is the curse that goeth forth over the face of the whole earth: for every one that stealeth shall be cut off as on this side according to it; and every one that sweareth shall be cut off as on that side according to it” (Zec_5:1-3). This flying roll is the same thing as the scroll here in Revelation. Some think that the Ten Commandments are on this roll and that the world is to be judged by those commandments. I am not sure that that is it. Many suggestions have been made in an attempt to identify this book, but this is one place where we cannot be dogmatic. The suggestion, which I consider to be more in line than any other, is that this book represents God’s new covenant with Israel. God talks about this covenant a great deal. In Jeremiah we read, “Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah…. I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people” (Jer_31:31, Jer_31:33). Paul writes in Romans: “And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins” (Rom_11:26-27). In Hebrews we find these words: “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them” (Heb_10:16). This is what Jeremiah had spoken of. The writer to the Hebrews continues: “And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin” (Heb_10:17-18). The old covenant which God had made with Israel depended upon man. The Ten Commandments said, “Don’t, don’t, don’t.” It depended upon the weak arm of the flesh, and as a result, it failed. This was not because there was anything wrong with the Ten Commandments or with the Law that God gave. The problem was with man. The same thing occurred in the Garden of Eden. Many people think that there was something wrong with the forbidden fruit or that the tree was something unusual. I think it was good fruit and just like any other. The problem was not the fruit on the tree but the pear (pair) on the ground! This New Covenant depends upon the power of the throne of God; it depends upon the Lord Jesus Christ.

Revelation 5:2

Who has the right and title to this world? Who can rule it? Who can establish justice and righteousness? Do you think that maybe the Democrats can do it? Do you think that the Republicans can do it? Do you think that any administration can do it? Do you think the United Nations can do it? I trust that you are not so deluded at this late time in the history of the world that you believe that man can solve his own problems. The Word of God makes it very clear that he cannot. “A strong angel” means a powerful angel. He has “a loud voice.” This is speaking now of power, that which is needed to make this covenant effective.

Revelation 5:3

No man of Adam’s line has a right to open the book and to take charge of this earth. There have been a great many who have tried to do it. Adam lost dominion through sin. Moses was the lawgiver, but he was also a lawbreaker. David and his line failed. None of Adam’s line qualifies. There is none today. The Ruler must be a Redeemer, the Sovereign must be a Savior of mankind, and Jesus Christ is the only One. Stand aside, Adam, you cannot do it, and neither can any of your children. Satan is working at it, but he cannot do it either. The question is: Who is going to be able to do it?

Revelation 5:4

John is disturbed by this a great deal. This man had a real passion for prophecy. He had a holy affection and a pious curiosity. He wanted to look into the things that even angels cannot look into. John enters into the drama because he has come from earth. The Revelation was written in tears. Is the earth to continue in sin and sorrow? Is there no future for the earth? Listen to what Paul has to say: “And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the first-fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body” (Rom_8:23). Is no one competent to rule this earth? John is overwhelmed by the possibility that there may be no one. Again Paul writes: “For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now” (Rom_8:22). Personally, I believe that evolution is the most pessimistic philosophy and theory that anyone can entertain today. No wonder it has led to so many suicides among the intelligentsia. What hope is there for the future if it took millions of years to get to where we are today? Isn’t there someone who can straighten out this problem? It is so petty and little and narrow-minded for politicians to say that they are going to make peace in our time. It is even more tragic to hear the church say that they can straighten out the affairs of the world or even that they can evangelize the world. My brother, may I say to you, there are just not any around who can qualify to open this book and to take charge of this earth that we are on. And John weeps a great deal because of this. It is a good thing that this book was not opened here in Southern California because we have a whole passel of preachers who say that they can tell you what is on the inside of this book, on the outside, and all around it. They can even tell you what’s on the cover! They have all the answers. If John had just been in California, instead of being on the island of Patmos, they could have given him the answers! Well, John didn’t have the answer, but there will be One who can open the book, as we shall see.

Revelation 5:5

CHRIST, THE LION AND THE LAMB And one from among the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath overcome to open the book, and the seven seals thereof. Evidently, any one of the elders could have answered. They had spiritual illumination. I think that this further identifies them as the church because the Lord Jesus had said to His own: “Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you” (Joh_15:15). The Lord Jesus Christ is the only One who has the right and title to this earth. He not only redeemed you and me, but He also redeemed the earth. He is identified in this section in all His ministries that relate to the earth. “The Lion of the tribe of Juda” identifies Him, of course, with the tribe of Judah of the people of Israel. When old Jacob was dying, he called his twelve sons around him, and this is the prophecy he gave concerning Judah: “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” (Gen_49:9-10). The Lord Jesus is the Lion of the tribe of Judah. He is also “the Root of David.” In 2 Samuel 7, that great chapter of God’s covenant with David, He says, “I am going to bring One in your line who shall rule, not only over these people, but over the whole earth.” The Lord Jesus Christ has the right to rule, as He is the fulfillment of the prophecies made in the Old Testament relative to the future of the world. All of those prophecies will be fulfilled at His second coming to the earth to establish His Kingdom.

Revelation 5:6

John is still a spectator to this scene. He says, “I beheld, I saw this.” “A Lamb"the word there is in the diminutive; literally, it means a little lamb. This denotes its gentleness and its willingness to be sacrificed. Christ was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and He did not open His mouth at all (see Isa_53:7). He was the Lamb of God who taketh away the sin of the world (see Joh_1:29). “As it had been slain” indicates the redemptive and vicarious, substitutionary death of Christ. The emphasis is upon the fact that He was slain with violence. “Stood” should rather be “standing.” This speaks of His resurrection. He is no longer seated at the right hand of God. He is moving now, and He is moving to power. He is coming to this earth. The judgment of the Tribulation is about to strike the earth. The winds are already blowing on the earth. “In the midst of the throne” is indicative of the fact that He is before the throne and ready to act as the righteous Judge. “Seven horns” denotes complete power. A horn speaks of power (see Dan. 7-8). He is omnipotent. “Seven eyes” denotes complete knowledge. Christ is omniscient. He is the omnipotent and omniscient God. He moves in the fullness of the Spirit, who is the Spirit of wisdom and understanding. The Lord Jesus Christ is a Lion and a Lamb. The lion character refers to His second coming; the lamb character refers to His first coming. The lion is symbolic of His majesty; the lamb is symbolic of His meekness. As a lion He is a Sovereign; as a lamb He is a Savior. As a lion He is a Judge; as a lamb He is judged. The lion represents the government of God; the lamb represents the grace of God.

Revelation 5:7

“Took” is correctly “hath taken.” The Lord Jesus moves to the throne through the Tribulation Period. He judges the world in righteousness before He reigns in righteousness. He is no longer the intercessor of the church, for the church is now with Him. He is beginning to act as Judge. The movement here is important.

Revelation 5:8

“When he had taken [took] the book” is in the aorist tense, meaning completed action. This is the great movement of all creation, and the Lord Jesus takes over now. Notice the worship of the Lamb by the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders. “Harps” denote praise. The elders do not play on the harps; they are just a token of praise to God. I am so glad to have found out that I am not going to be an angel playing on a harp in heaventhat just doesn’t appeal to me! You may want a harp, and if you want one, I guess in heaven they will get one for you, but I am thankful that I don’t have to have one. The twenty-four elders act as priests. Only the church is a priesthood of believers in heaven. Dr. Carl Armerding gives the arresting thought that the prayer of Christ for believers in John 17 is answered in the elders: our Lord’s prayer that they might know Him, that they might be with Him, and that they might behold His glory is all answered in this scene of the elders in heaven. The “vials full of odours” is more accurately “bowls full of incense.” These are identified as “the prayers of saints.” Obviously, the elders represent the body of Christ, which is called the church and they are the priesthood.

Revelation 5:9

And they sing a new song, saying, Worthy art thou to take the book and to open the seals of it: for thou wast slain and didst purchase unto God in thy blood [men] of every tribe, tongue, people, and nation, and madest them unto our God a kingdom and priests, and they shall reign on the earth. “They” indicates that both the living creatures and the elders sing this song. The angelic hosts join the church in praise. “Sing” (present tense) denotes the continuation of praise. Praise is directed to the Lamb with the book. He is praised now as the Redeemer of men in all ages and races. In heaven is going to be the first time that I will sing. I have never been able to sing, but I am going to be in that chorus, and I am going to sing praises unto Him. The “new song” is the song of redemption. The old song is the song of creation. In the Book of Job we are told that the sons of God sang. They were singing because God was the Creator; they didn’t really know anything about the love of God then. Now we can sing about our Savior who loves us and who gave Himself for us. What a picture we have here! “Worthy” reveals that He now fills the entire horizon of praise and worship. Actually, worship is returning to worth, that which belongs to Him; and He is the only One worthy of praise. “And hast redeemed us to God by thy blood.” They sing of His shed blood in heaven. Down here many denominational churches are taking out of their hymn books all references to His blood, but in heaven they will be put back in the hymn book. I guess that may be the reason the Lord isn’t going to embarrass some of those folk by taking them into heaven, because they would have to sing about the blood there. The change of the pronoun from “us” to “them” is important. They are praising the Lamb for those yet to be saved on the earththe tribulation saints. “A kingdom and priests” refers to the tribulation saints. The church will not reign on the earth, but over the earth.

Revelation 5:11

MYRIADS OF ANGELS JOIN THE SONG And I saw, and I heard a voice of many angels round about the throne and the living creatures and the elders, and the number of them was ten thousands of ten thousands (myriads), and thousands of thousands, saying with a great voice, Worthy is the Lamb that hath been slain to take the power, and riches, and wisdom, and might, and honor, and glory, and blessing. When John says, “ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands,” I think that he means they were innumerable. In effect John says, “At first I looked and I saw a company of angels around the elders, and they were singingand I thought that was great. But all of a sudden I looked out yonder and, boy, there was a crowd which I could not count!” Nobody could have counted them. A computer couldn’t count them. God’s created intelligences were praising Him. My friend, I do not know why you want to go to heaven if you do not want to worship and praise Him down here.

Revelation 5:13

UNIVERSAL WORSHIP OF THE SAVIOR AND SOVEREIGNEvery animate creature of God joins in this universal act of worship, both in heaven and earth. Evidently, the animals in the earth and the fish in the sea join in this volume of praise! The living creatures add their amen to it, and the church falls down in silent adoration and praise. If I could, I would sing the Hallelujah Chorus, for as we come to the end of this very remarkable scene in heaven, we see that all praise and honor and worship must go to the Lord Jesus Christ. If you are not in the habit of praising and worshiping Him, why don’t you start right now?