Revelation 5

Introduction:

God has kept many things from us, and that isn’t a bad thing.

Isaiah 55:8–9 NKJV

8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. 9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.

There are a lot of reasons I’m sure God does this, and we need to be okay with that. What we do know is that God has a plan and purpose in all things:

Romans 8:28 NKJV

28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

He is not early nor late in revealing His will.

Recap:

The point of chapter 4:

We live in a culture that is consumed with self and consumerism has wiggled its way into the church. There is within our culture “worship wars” things vying for our attention and affection. And I believe chapter 4’s view into the throne room of God helps us get a grounded view of what worship truly is.

You see in that chapter we find vivid colors, variety of people and beings, the focus shifts a couple times to focus on different things, significant theological content, and the recognition of God’s holiness.

Worship and reverence in heaven are not defined by silence. Lighting flashes, pearls of thunder, blazing lampstands, shouting or singing seraphim and elders add to the praise and worship of God in the heavenly scene.

And it would be so easy to focus on the throne, the lesser thrones, the four living creatures, the 24 elders, the colors emanating from the throne… The most important lesson here is that worship should focus on God, not the surroundings, however beautifully appointed, or the whims of our worship preference.

God’s beauty is indescribable, and John tries his best, it is also unfathomable except as he chooses to make himself known. Our worship needs to alway be directed at the being seated on the throne of heaven.

v. 1) The throne and the scroll

This evening we get an opportunity to continue our throne room vision. The focus changes from the central figure on the throne and the worshippers to the inscribed book in the hand of God.

Then I saw… a scroll—The focus shifts. The scroll in the hand of God draws the attention of everyone in heaven. If this were a scene in a movie, the camera would focus in on the scroll and slowly zoom in. The curiosity of John and all of the audience is pricked.

What is this scroll?

What is the message?

Why is it so important?

What will the contents display?

What are your observations about the scroll?

In the right hand of Him who sat on the throne: The right hand is associated with power.

Written inside and on the back: This means that this scroll was unusual. It wasn’t common practice to write on both sides of a scroll. This means that whatever information was on this scroll, there was a lot of it—almost more than the scroll could contain.

The scrolls that John is referencing here were read horizontally, not vertically. The rolls of the scroll were on the left and the right, and the writing lay in narrow columns about three inches wide, written on a substance somewhat like brown paper. The scroll was help in the left hand, and unrolled with the right; as the reading went on, the previously read portion was re-rolled. On such a typical scroll, the Book of Revelation would fill a scroll 15 feet long.

Sealed with seven seals: When a roll was finished, it was fastened with strings and the strings were sealed with wax at the knots. This scroll was sealed with seven seals; there were seven strings around the scroll and each knot sealed with wax.

These were not seven writings each separated by a seal; but seven seals all set upon one scroll. The seals must be opened before the scroll could be read.

A scroll: Throughout the centuries, commentators suggest many different ideas for what the scroll is, and what was written upon it. It’s important to remember that whatever was on the scroll, no one exept Jesus was (and is) worthy to open it.

Revelation 5:3–4 NKJV

3 And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll, or to look at it. 4 So I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open and read the scroll, or to look at it.

Some think the scroll was the OT, or the OT and NT together, or fulfilled prophecy. But these idea look back, not forward, and John wrote things related to things which must take place after this (Revelation 4:1). Additionally, if the scroll was the OT and NT, who is unworthy to open that scroll?

Some think the scroll was God’s sentence against the enemies of the church. Perhaps this is true, but only in an indirect sense; but who is unworthy to open that scroll?

Some think the scroll was God’s claim of divorce against Israel, but there is little Scriptural evidence for this idea, and who is unworthy to open that scroll?

Some think the scroll was the text of the Book of Revelation, or the next few chapters. But this is rather unlikely considering how the idea of the scroll is communicated, and who would be unworthy to open that scroll?

Some think the scroll was the title deed to the earth. This is an attractive idea, especially because the coming time of tribulation will end with Jesus ruling on earth. But it is hard to demonstrate this with certainty. The best connection in this idea seems to be with Jeremiah 32:6-15, which describes Jewish title deeds as sealed. But there is no doubt that the earth is the Lord’s:

Psalm 24:1 NKJV

1 The earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness, The world and those who dwell therein.

Though the governments of this world belong in the some sense to Satan:

Luke 4:5–8 NKJV

5 Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6 And the devil said to Him, “All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. 7 Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.” 8 And Jesus answered and said to him, “Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ”

If God has to get the title deed back, when did God ever “lose” the title deed to the earth? In fact, God hold this scroll—so it isn’t lost. But the scroll must be opened, it must be revealed.

The best solution is to see the scroll as “God’s will, his final settlement of the affairs of the universe. This is based on the idea that customarily, under Roman Law, wills were sealed with seven seals, each from a witness to the validity of the will.

The idea then here would be that God has a book in which the history of the universe is already written. He has written the history of the world in advance, He holds in His hand the history of the world in advance, and He initiates the consummation of all history. Only God can hold this scroll.

Remember the emphasis is not on the content of the scroll, but on the seals and the One who is worthy to take it.

vv. 2-4) Who is worthy?

[2] We don’t know much about this angel other then the fact that he is strong.

What was the challenge of the angel?

This is a challenge to all creation, who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals?

John uses an interesting word to describe the action of the strong angel, proclaiming (kerusso): this is one of the two major words used in the NT to describe preaching.

The kerux was a relatively common character in Greco-Roman society, particularly in the day of the Greek city-state. They were similar to the town crier, they were used to assemble people for whatever reason or to deliver important messages to courts or to the people in general. They were responsible for pacifying large crowds and for establishing peace and order.

So the angel announces the question, “Who is worthy to break the seals?” The nature of the question suggests that most will preclude from opening the scroll to their lack of worthiness.

“For how could anyone of those filled with the mist of sin look into it in the presence of the divine throne, on which the scroll was laid?”–Oecumenius

[3]Apparently, John retains his position as spectator while a considerable search ensues. But the results of the search are negative. There is no one found in heaven, no one from the earth, and no one from under the earth worthy to open the scroll or look inside it.

Under the earth probably reference those who have died. Meaning no one among the living or dead was found to open it, save God himself.

The point of the matter is that no one answered the strong angel’s challenge because the creation is utterly incapable of deciding or effecting its own destiny. Someone above the order of created beings must determine the course of history—only God can unfold this plan.

[4] It is at this point John discovers that he had become emotionally involved in his own vision. When we look into these words, “So I wept much” seems to indicate not only extended weeping but also the nuance of this word as focusing on the loud wailing of profound bitterness.

Implying this must have gone on for a while, for the emphasis is on the continuation of the weeping. The further and more futile the search became, the more deeply John wept.

In his weeping there seems to carry with it the implication that he felt an alarming urgency to know exactly what was written in the scroll.

Revelation (3) The Seven-Sealed Book (5:1–4)

These are not the tears of the prophet, thwarted in his expectation of seeing into the future. His frustration goes deeper than that. Until the scroll is opened, God’s purposes remain not merely unknown but unaccomplished. John has been brought up on the messianic hope of the Old Testament, which promised that one day God would assume his kingly power and reign openly on earth, punishing the wicked and redressing the wrongs of the oppressed. Especially in persecution God’s people had longed for that day to bring an end to their sufferings, but also to vindicate their faith. For there is a limit to the capacity of faith to survive in the face of hostile fact; unless in the end right obviously triumphs over wrong, faith in a just God is utter illusion. God must “vindicate his chosen who cry out to him day and night” (Luke 18:7). John weeps with disappointment because the hope of God’s action appears to be indefinitely postponed for lack of an agent through whom God may act.

Seeing the book in the right hand of the One who sat on the throne was, in essence, an invitation to grasp its message. Yet there remained the question of how it could ever be known, since no one even in the heavenly entourage was considered worthy to open the book.

John weeping should impress on the readers of Revelation the cruciality of comprehending exactly how God’s plans, programs, and purposes will be recorded in the pages of the book.

Do we hunger for God’s Word?

When you encounter something you don’t understand, do you eagerly seek to learn more about it or just let it go?

Proverbs 25:2 NKJV

2 It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, But the glory of kings is to search out a matter.

Revelation 4:11 NKJV

11 “You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created.”

vv. 5-7) The Lion of the tribe of Judah

vv. 8-10) Worship and worth

vv. 11-12) Angels worship

vv.13-14) All creation worships