Rev 5:8-10 Worthy Is the Lamb 5/29/2005 ßà
#1. A Sealed Book (Rev 5:1-14, 4:1)
#2. Who Is Worthy to Open the Book? (Rev 5:2-4)
#3. The Lamb Takes the Book (Rev 5:7, Matt 28:18, Dan 7:13-14)
Please open your Bibles to the Revelation of Jesus Christ, Rev 5:1 (2X). We have come to chapter five of the Revelation of Jesus Christ. We have here not a new vision to John. It is very clear that the same vision started in chapter 4 is continued in chapter 5. These two chapters are one vision. We have seen last week that the 24 elders round about the throne of God represent all the saints who have lived on this earth, both from the OT time as well as from the NT time. They are representing all the saints on this side of Judgment Day. On the other hand, the four living creatures round about the throne and in the midst of the throne are representing all the saints and all of God’s new creation on the future side of Judgment Day. This is the reason why they are also on the throne, because we will be married to Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ steps on the stage of chapter five as a Lamb who takes a Book out of the right hand of Him that sitteth upon the throne. The main thought throughout the present chapter is that the Lamb is found worthy to open the Book. Therefore the title of this sermon is, “Worthy Is the Lamb” (2X). Let us now read this entire chapter. The first thing we see in this chapter is:
#1. A Sealed Book (Rev 5:1-14, 4:1)
Re 5:1-2 And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals. And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?
Re 5:3-4 And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon. And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon.
Re 5:5 And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.
Re 5:6 ¶ And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.
Re 5:7 And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne.
Re 5:8-9 And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints. And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;
Re 5:10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.
Re 5:11-12 And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.
Re 5:13 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, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.
Re 5:14 And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever.
We see first of all a closed Book on the right hand of God. No one
else has yet read it. And thus it contains the eternal thoughts and plans
of Him who sitteth upon the throne concerning all of creation. This Book was
written within and on the backside, which means it was completely covered,
which symbolizes the fact that the thoughts of God in this Book are complete.
Moreover, the Book was sealed. What is a seal for? A seal serves to
safeguard the contents of this Book against a possible intruder, for whom the
contents of this Book was not intended. This Book was sealed with seven
seals. Seven is the symbol of completion or perfection. Seven has generally
to do with the
#2. Who Is Worthy to Open the Book? (Rev 5:2-4)
Re 5:2-4 And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof? And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon. And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon.
The meaning of this invitation is not to everyone to try and take
the Book and break the seals. No! The real question is whether there is anyone
worthy, who possesses the legal right and the power to receive and to open the
Book. Who in all this universe is worthy and has the power to bring in the
Kingdom of righteousness and peace and bliss, the
Re 5:5 And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.
The elder is a representative of the church triumphant, whereas John was still in the church militant. The elder is already enjoying the victory. And now it is his privilege to announce to John who the Victor really is. The Lord Jesus Christ is announced here by two titles: “the Lion of the tribe of Juda” and “the Root of David”. Please turn in your Bibles to the prophecy of Genesis 49:1 (2X). In this chapter Jacob knows that his life is coming to an end, and Jacob gave his twelve sons his blessings before he died. These blessings turn out to be prophecies well into the NT time period. We read in Gen 49:1,
Gen 49:1 ¶ And Jacob called unto his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days (2X).
What are the Last Days? God defines the Last days in Acts, chapter
2. The Last Days in the Bible are the days from Pentecost in AD 33, until the
end of time. What we find here in Gen 49 is a series of parables for each one
of the tribes of
Gen 49:9
Gen 49:10 The
sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet,
until
Here
Now please turn to the Prophecy of Isaiah 11:1 (2X). You find Isaiah in the middle of your Bibles just before the Prophecy of Jeremiah. Here is where you find the Lord Jesus Christ announced as “the Root of David”. We find this expression also in other parts of Scripture. For example in Rev 22:16 the Lord Jesus announced Himself and says, “I am the Root and offspring of David”. We read in Isa 11:1-2
Isa 11:1-2 And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;
This refers to Christ as a descendant of Jesse, the father of King David. We already know that Christ is the offspring of David, but He is also named as the Root of David, in fact as the Root of Jesse. A root bears the tree and not the tree the root. From the root the tree sprouts forth and develops.
Isa 11:10 ¶ And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious.
And thus these verses clearly point to the eternal characteristics
of Christ. Christ is a descendant of David, but Christ existed already before
Jesse was born. Please turn again to the Revelation of Jesus Christ, Rev
5:5 (2X). Of Him, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, the
elder says that He has overcome to open the Book. “He has overcome”
implies that He has already gained that particular victory which was required
to complete the
Re 5:6 ¶ And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.
To John’s surprise here stands a Lamb. First of all, the One who
was worthy to take the Book and to open its seals was announced as a Lion, but
here stands a Lamb. The Lion of the tribe of Juda has overcome in the capacity
of a Lamb. In fact He appeared as a Lamb that was led to the slaughter. And so
He is also pictured in Scripture. We read in Isa 53:7, “He is brought
as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so He
openeth not his mouth”. The lamb in Scripture is the symbol of most perfect
submission, and therefore of absolute obedience. For that reason it is a symbol
of the most perfect sacrifice to God, brought in absolute submission and
obedience. Secondly, the Lamb bears the marks of having been led to the
slaughter, having been sacrificed. But this Lamb does not lay down after He has
been slain. Although He has been sacrificed, yet this Lamb stands and lives. Thirdly,
this Lamb has seven eyes, which the text interprets as being the seven spirits
of God. The Lamb has received the Spirit of God in all His fulness. That is why
God can say in
#3. The Lamb Takes the Book (Rev 5:7, Matt 28:18, Dan 7:13-14)
Re 5:7 And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne.
What an awesome moment when Almighty God authorized the man Christ Jesus to implement all that He had planned to do. And we have this confirmed in Matt 28:18 where the Lord Jesus said to His disciples after His resurrection, “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth”. Please turn in your Bibles to the prophecy of Daniel 7:13 (2X). In principle we have here the same vision as in Revelation chapters 4 and 5. However the scene is Judgment Day, the Last Day of this world. All people of the world stand for judgment and Satan as the dreadful and terrible beast was also slain and his body given to the burning flame. And there we read in Dan 7:13-14
Dan 7:13 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.
Dan 7:14 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 is equivalent to the Lamb taking the Book out of the right
hand of God. But here we receive some additional information about the day
Christ was crucified. In Daniel chapter 7 the Son of man received authority and
power at the same time that all the world stood for Judgment. In other words,
in Daniel there is only one Judgment Day. And this throws some light on Friday,
April 3, in the year AD 33. From the NT we know that there are two judgment
days in this earth’s history: first when Christ was crucified, and second when
all the unsaved shall stand before the Judgment throne, as described in Rev
20:12. According to Dan 7 that is all the same judgment. And that is
so true. When the Lord Jesus was crucified on Friday, April 3, in the year AD
33, He suffered and paid for the guilt of all the sins of all His elect. And
when He completed their payment on the cross not one could be added and not one
could be forgotten. In principle every human being who had lived and every
human being who still would come into existence was already judged, because
that day in AD 33 was the only day when sins were forgiven. There is no other
day in the history of the world that sins can be paid and forgiven. Therefore
the separation of the world into elect and reprobate was in principle finalized
in AD 33, and will be implemented on the Last Day of this world. Please turn
again to the prophecy of Revelation 5:8 (2X). Today, after Christ
has been crucified, and after He has risen from the grave, and after He has
ascended to the Father, He is exalted to the highest position. To Him all
dominion is given in principle, and all power in heaven and on earth is given
into His hands. Today Christ rules His church, as it has been
spiritually established here on earth. It is a spiritual Kingdom now. But after
the judgment of al the unsaved in Rev 20:12 He will create a new creation, a
physical creation, where the saints are not only present spiritually but have
also received new glorified bodies. Today Christ rules the world also.
He controls all history in the Name of Him who sitteth upon the throne. He is busy
in the preaching of the Gospel, busy in wars and bloodshed of the world,
busy in pestilence and famine, busy in all the social relations
of our time. And through them all He works out the decree. He breaks seal after
seal, and brings to pass all that must come to pass, with a view to the
bringing of the glorious
Re 5:8-9 And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints. And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;
Re 5:10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.
The representatives of the church and of the redeemed creation take the lead in this heavenly choir. They do so, in the first place, by falling down before Him. Just as the elders fell down before Him who sits upon the throne in the previous chapter, to acknowledge that He is absolutely sovereign and that they had no independent dominion, so now the representatives of the church and of the redeemed creation acknowledge that Christ is King by falling down before Him, because He was worthy to take the Book. They fall down before the Lamb having harps and golden bowls of incense, representing the prayers of the saints. The harp in Scripture is the instrument symbolic of the prophetic office. For example we read in Psalm 49:4, “I will incline mine ear to a parable: I will open my dark saying upon the harp”. The harp, therefore, is symbolic of the prophetic office in the highest sense of the word, namely to adore and glorify God Almighty with our lips. The golden bowls of incense representing the prayers of the saints signify that these elders and the four living creatures possess the office of priests unto God. These prayers are an expression of devotion and consecration to God. And they sing a new song. This song is new because it is not to God directly, but to the Lamb, and through the Lamb to Him. The Lamb is praised and glorified, for He is found worthy to open the Book. But it is a new song also because of its contents. It does not just speak of creation, but it speaks of glorious redemption: “for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation”. But at the same time, and through this glorification of the Lamb, it adores the incomprehensible grace of God, who gave His only begotten Son that He might bear our sins on the accursed tree. It is a song of victory, for it mentions that the Lamb “has made the saints to be kings and priests unto God, and that they reign upon the earth”. More and more creatures now appear to give glory to the Lord Jesus Christ. With sevenfold glory adoring the Lamb they sing:
Re 5:11-12 And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. (That is sevenfold)
Re 5:13 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, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.
Re 5:14 And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever.
Therefore “God through the Lamb” is the subject of this new song. This is a picture of overwhelming beauty and glory. It will surpass our boldest expectation. That Kingdom shall surely come, because Christ has already taken the Book out of the right hand of God. Seal after seal shall be broken, till the Kingdom shall have been perfected. But it will come only through the power of the Lamb that was slain. In the church, therefore, only the crucified Jesus will be known and recognized. And only those that believe in Him shall never be ashamed. God says in Phil 2:9-11,
Php 2:9-11 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
And that agrees with what
we are going to sing in Hymn # 372
At the Name of Jesus every knee shall bow, every tongue confess Him King of glory now.
It is the Father’s pleasure we should call Him Lord, who from the beginning was the mighty Word.
AMEN. Let us turn to the Lord in prayer.