"The Throne, Part 2" Sermon: Revelation 5:1-14 (manuscript)

 

“The Thone, Part 2”

Revelation 5:1-14

YouTube January 14, 2024

          The last time we looked at the book of Revelation, we looked at the initial vision John had of the Throne.  We saw God the Father on the throne, Jesus at His Right Hand, and the Holy Spirit before them – ready to go out into all the world for the sake of the elect. We saw the twenty-four elders – symbolizing the twelve tribes and the twelve apostles – all believers through time and space. We saw the four creatures on their thrones – the seraphim.  And we saw that the creatures and the twenty-four fell before the throne of the Triune God in worship.

          We continue in the Throne room and see there is a sealed scroll that no mere human or creature can open.

“Then I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals. And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, ‘Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?’ And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it, and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it.”

It was not unusual to write on both sides of a scroll to save paper.  Scrolls were used for last wills and testaments, records of history – the deeds of kings, and other important information. This scroll is in the Right Hand of God the Father, and it is sealed with seven seals.  Scrolls were sealed in transit or to be saved for a future date.  We remember that seven is symbolic of completion. So, what would this scroll be?

Daniel gives a clue:  he hears a voice speaking, but he does not understand it, and we read: “I heard, but I did not understand. Then I said, ‘O my lord, what shall be the outcome of these things?’ He said, ‘Go your way, Daniel, for the words are shut up and sealed until the time of the end’” (Daniel 12:8-9, ESV).

Ezekiel records: “And when I looked, behold, a hand was stretched out to me, and behold, a scroll of a book was in it. And he spread it before me. And it had writing on the front and on the back, and there were written on it words of lamentation and mourning and woe.” (Ezekiel 2:9-10, ESV).

Isaiah is told of Jerusalem: “And the vision of all this has become to you like the words of a book that is sealed. When men give it to one who can read, saying, ‘Read this,’ he says, ‘I cannot, for it is sealed.’ And when they give the book to one who cannot read, saying, ‘Read this,’ he says, ‘I cannot read’” (Isaiah 29:11-12, ESV).

Daniel is told that the scroll has in it the outcome of these things.

Ezekiel is told that the scroll has words of lamentation, mourning, and woe.

Isaiah is told that the scroll is sealed to those who are unworthy or unable to open it.

          This scroll is the history of the suffering and the judgment of humans.  It is the history of what will come at the end of time when Jesus comes in Glory to bring His people into His Kingdom, and for the eternal worship of God to commence by the mouth of all those that have been saved and by the restored creation.

          What is written on this scroll is the history of humanity and the response of each one who is brought into the Kingdom of God.  As Paul writes, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Romans 8:18, ESV).

          On the scroll is written the Sovereign Plan of God – the book of the Reign of Christ.

          But the seven seals – the seals that contain the fullness – the completion – of the Plan of God cannot be opened by any mere human – no sinner can open the seals on the holy and certain history enclosed.

          And John wept because he understood that he is a sinner who cannot open the seals and read the scroll.

          Second, one of the elders told John to stop weeping because there is One Who can open the seals and read the scroll.

          Notice quickly that this message is not given to John by one of the angels, but by one of his fellow humans, because humans have understanding of the works between God and man.  As Peter writes: “Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look” (I Peter 1:10-12, ESV).

          “And one of the elders said to me, ‘Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.’”

          And as Christians, we automatically say, “Well, this is obviously Jesus.   Jesus is the Lion of the Tribe of Judah and the Root of David.”  The only problem is that Jesus is never called the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, nor the Root of David. The closet we find to these names are found:    In Genesis: “Judah is a lion’s cub; from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He stooped down; he crouched as a lion and as a lioness; who dares rouse him?” (Genesis 49:9, ESV).

          Isaiah records: “There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit” (Isaiah 11:1, ESV).

          Perhaps the parallels between the lion and the root are technically enough.  We leave this here and accept Jesus as the fulfillment of the text.

          And the elder says that the Lion and the Root have the authority and ability to open the scroll and the seals.  He has conquered.  He has accomplished the ministry He is given.  He has ransomed the people of God.  He has made the elect of God a Kingdom and priests of God.  As we read in the opening of Revelation: “and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen” (Revelation 1:5-6, ESV).

          Having been reassured of what the Lion and the Root can do the image changes.

          “And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.  And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne.”

          The Lion and the Root are gone and John sees between the Throne of God and the seraphim and all of the believers throughout time and space – in the fulfillment of the sacrificial system – he sees a Lamb standing between them – a Lamb that had obviously been slain and killed – though He is standing up among them.

          This is a picture of the Gospel.  John himself proclaimed, “The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!’ The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” (John 1:29, 35-36, ESV).

          Jesus is the Sacrificial Lamb – the sinless and holy human Who is also God – so He is able to give Himself up as the offering for all we who believe throughout time and space. Being a Slain Lamb indicates that He is a sacrifice.  As the author of Hebrews writes, “Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins” (Hebrews 9:22, ESV).

          And the lamb has seven horns and seven eyes, and the seven eyes are the seven spirits that go throughout the earth. Again, seven is complete.

          Horns.  Moses blesses the tribe of Joseph using the symbol of the horn to mean strength and power. “A firstborn bull—he has majesty, and his horns are the horns of a wild ox; with them he shall gore the peoples,all of them, to the ends of the earth; they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh” (Deuteronomy 33:17, ESV).

          The Lamb has seven horns.  He has the completeness of power.  He is omnipotent.  There is none more powerful than the Lamb.  He has all power.

          The Lamb has seven eyes.  Zechariah tells us, “For whoever has despised the day of small things shall rejoice, and shall see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel. These seven are the eyes of the LORD, which range through the whole earth” (Zechariah 4:10, ESV).

          The seven eyes of the Lamb are His Omniscience. The Lamb can see all things everywhere at once.

          Interestingly, we are reminded of the seven spirits which we understand to mean the Holy Spirit. Here we are told that the seven eyes are the seven spirits which are sent into the world at once. The Holy Spirit is sent by the Lamb into the whole world seeing everything all times at once as part of His ministry.

          And the Lamb took the scroll from the Hand of God the Father.  He can do so because He is 100% God and 100% human in One Person Who gave Himself to pay the debt for our sin, and Who rose from the dead, crediting His Righteousness and Holiness to each one who believes.  Thus, He can take the scroll and open the seven seals of the scroll.

          “And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying, ‘Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.’”

          When the Lamb takes the scroll, the seraphim and every human believer falls down in worship before the Lamb.  There is no question as to the identity of the Lamb.  Each seraph and believer hold a harp signifying heavenly worship and a golden bowl of incense, symbolizing the prayers of the saints.

          And they sang a new song:

          “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth”

          Why is this a new song?

          This is a new song – a most glorious song – because it reveals Who the Savior is, how He will save His people, and what they will become through salvation. This was not known by the angels, and it was not known by the believers prior to the Lamb accomplishing His Work.  This is a new song because it is new.  It reveals what they now know about Gods plan for the salvation of His people. And it makes it clear that salvation is for the people He ransomed from every tribe, language, people and nation. This salvation is particular, not universal.

          And these people that are ransomed will reign over the earth.

          What can we say about this?  Some will say this is about the millennium.  Lord willing, we will look at that in the twentieth chapter of Revelation.

          For now, we can say every person that Jesus ransoms from the Wrath of God for our sins will reign on the earth.  As we saw before the ransomed will be a kingdom of priests.

          Third, our response and the response of every living creature is to worship.

          “Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice,”

          Notice who is worshipping the Triune God: all of the seraphim, all of the believers, and many myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands – an incalculable number of angels. Every creature that exists, and especially the believers that Jesus has ransomed, cry out in their loudest voice:

          “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!”

          Can we conceive of this at all?  The Worth of the Lamb Who shed His Blood for us – all that He is worthy of – all that we ought to give to Him and to have in response and correct use to Him.

          “And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, ‘To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!’ And the four living creatures said, ‘Amen!’ and the elders fell down and worshiped.”

          Paul writes, “For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies” (Romans 8:19-23, ESV).

          Paul writes of a time when all of Creation – your cats and dogs, goldfish and whales, deer and bison, hawks and goldfinches, and every other creature – whether living now or waiting for the return of the Lamb of God – it will be freed from the corruption that we brought it into in the Garden and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God with – at the same time – that believers are redeemed and restored in the redemption of our bodies.

          Can we imagine what a day it will be when we worship before the Lamb and our Triune God?  Can we hear every believer and every seraph and every angel and every bear, pig, ant, and crab bow at the feet of the Lamb, our Redeemer, and Praise Him forever for Who He is? Can we put it any better than the vision John received that day?

          There is a scroll with seals on it that no mere mortal can open, But Jesus, the Son of God, the Lion of Judah, the Root of Jesse, the Sacrificed Lamb opened it, revealing the whole plan and history of God. Knowing this is true and we have been redeemed gives us hope and every reason to worship Him on and throughout infinity.

          Let us pray:

          Almighty God, we thank You for this vision of the Lion Who is the Lamb, Who chose to shed Hs Blood to redeem us.  Let us begin to worship Him now and always for Who He is and what He has done, for He is Worthy. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.