Revelation 5 Verses 6, 11, 12 The Soundtrack of Heaven November 12, 2023

Revelation 5 Verses 6, 11, 12 The Soundtrack of Heaven November 12, 2023 Lesson 5 Class Presentation Notes AAAAA

Background Scriptures:

· Revelation 5:1-5 (NASB) 1 I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a book written inside and on the back, sealed up with seven seals. 2 And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, "Who is worthy to open the book and to break its seals?" 3 And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the book or to look into it. 4 Then I began to weep greatly because no one was found worthy to open the book or to look into it; 5 and one of the elders *said to me, "Stop weeping; behold, the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome so as to open the book and its seven seals."

Main Idea: The Bible explains that in Heaven we will be engulfed in a beautiful symphony of praise directed at the King of Kings.

Study Aim: To understand worship is a central component of Heaven.

Create Interest:

· In John’s vision of the throne in heaven, he saw in the hand of the One on the throne a scroll with seven seals. He cried because no one was worthy to break the seals. Then he saw a Lion who appeared as a Lamb, and He took the scroll. When this happened, the 4 living creatures and 24 elders sang of why He was worthy and able to take the scroll. They sang of His redemptive work, making His children into a victorious kingdom. The 4 living creatures and 24 elders were joined by hosts of angels singing of the worthiness of the Lamb. They also were joined by every creature praising the Lamb and worshiping God.[1]

Lesson In Historical Context:

· The first readers of Revelation were facing persecution. They were being threatened with severe punishment, including death, unless they worshiped the emperor of Rome and renounced Christ as their Lord (2:10). Satan tempted them to worship him by worshiping something or someone other than Jesus.[2]

· This one toward whom everything rushes is Jesus Christ. The assignment that no one besides Him is able to accept is the world dominion of the end time—the use of the exaltation and enthronement scheme leaves no doubt of this. But if this is the case, then the question of the significance of the mysterious book, a question that has been endlessly debated in the history of interpretation, is also clarified.

o This book must have something to do with the world dominion; its acceptance signifies its rightful transfer to the “Lamb,” and the opening of its seals is a sign for the active execution of the function of Lordship.

o Jesus Christ is seen here as the end-time ruler who, on the basis of the saving work completed by Him, is called to discharge with authority God’s plan for the end of history.

· It should be noted that the content of this vision is a past event that operates in the present and future.

o To the seer the meaning is disclosed of what occurred in the cross and resurrection of Jesus.

o While apocalypticism otherwise generally has for its theme the view of that which is hidden with respect to the future, here in the center stands the view of the event by which the future has already begun in the past.

o That the turning point in world history has come to pass in Him is made visible in this stunning vision.[3]

· The words John wrote were not the products of his imagination. The words I saw or I beheld (both translate the same Greek word, eidon) are found in verses 1, 2, 6, 11. The visions John saw were real; the vivid symbols signified reality to which the symbols pointed.

o John’s first vision in 1:12–20 was the risen Lord Jesus standing in the midst of the churches.

o The second vision is twofold. Chapter 4 is a vision of God on His throne in heaven. Chapter 5 is part of the same vision. It shows Jesus, the Lamb of God, taking the scroll from God’s hand.

o Both chapters have several features in common: the throne, 4 living creatures, 24 elders, and songs of praise.

o The chapters have some distinctions. The part of the vision in Chapter 4 focuses on God on His throne. He is praised as holy and as the Creator. Chapter 5 has for its distinctives the scroll, the angel’s question about who was worthy to open the scroll, the revelation of Jesus as Lion and Lamb, and praise to Jesus as Redeemer.[4]

Bible Study:

Revelation 5:1-6 (NASB) 1 I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a book written inside and on the back, sealed up with seven seals. 2 And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, "Who is worthy to open the book and to break its seals?" 3 And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the book or to look into it. 4 Then I began to weep greatly because no one was found worthy to open the book or to look into it; 5 and one of the elders *said to me, "Stop weeping; behold, the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome so as to open the book and its seven seals." 6 And I saw between the throne (with the four living creatures) and the elders a Lamb standing, as if slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God, sent out into all the earth.

· In Chapter 5 the focus moves from God, enthroned in Heaven and surrounded by adoring and worshiping elders and living creatures, to the Lamb who alone is worthy to open the scroll of destiny.

o The worship of God for His role in creation gives way to the worship of the Lamb for his work of redemption.

o John weeps, for no one can be found anywhere who is entitled by virtue of moral excellence to break the seals and unroll the scroll.

o One of the elders counsels John not to weep because the Lion of the tribe of Judah has triumphed over sin and death and is therefore qualified to open the scroll. Turning, John sees not a Lion but a Lamb bearing the telltale marks of slaughter.

o The Lamb’s seven horns speak of perfect power and his seven eyes of unlimited wisdom and penetrating insight.

o As He takes the scroll from the hand of the One on the throne, the elders and living creatures prostrate themselves before Him, praising Him in song for His redemptive death and the universal consequences it effected.

o Countless angels join in joyous praise to the Lamb. Nowhere else in the literature of worship will one find a scene of such unrestrained praise and adoration.[5]

· W. A. Criswell explains why John wept in verse 4:

· Note for interest: Dr. Criswell served for 50 years as the pastor of First Baptist Church Dallas, Texas and received 8 honorary doctorates during his tenure in preaching.

o “[John’s tears] represent the tears of all God’s people through all the centuries.

§ Those tears of the Apostle John are the tears of Adam and Eve, driven out of the Garden of Eden, as they bowed over the first grave, as they watered the dust of the ground with their tears over the silent, still form of their son, Abel.

§ Those are the tears of the children of Israel in bondage as they cried unto God in their affliction and slavery.

§ They are the tears of God’s elect through the centuries as they cried unto heaven.

§ They are the sobs and tears that have been wrung from the heart and soul of God’s people as they looked on their silent dead, as they stand beside their open graves, as they experience in the trials and sufferings of life, heartaches and disappointments indescribable.

§ Such is the curse that sin has laid upon God’s beautiful creation; and this is the damnation of the hand of him who holds it, that usurper, that interloper, that intruder, that alien, that stranger, that dragon, that serpent, that Satan-devil.”

§ “And I wept audibly,” for the failure to find a Redeemer meant that this earth in its curse is consigned forever to death.

📷 It meant that death, sin, damnation and hell should reign forever and ever and the sovereignty of God’s earth should remain forever in the hands of Satan.” (Expository Sermons on Revelation [Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1969], 3:69–70).

o John’s weeping, though sincere, was premature. He need not have wept, for God was about to take action.

§ Similarly, Jesus told the widow at Nain (Luke 7:13)

§ Those weeping over the death of the synagogue ruler’s daughter (Luke 8:52) that their tears were inappropriate because of what He was about to do.

o John wept because he wanted to see the world rid of evil, sin, and death. He wanted to see Satan vanquished and God’s kingdom established on earth. He wanted to see Israel saved and Christ exalted.

o John knew that the Messiah had been executed, Jerusalem destroyed, and the Jewish people massacred and scattered. He was well aware that the church faced intense persecution and was infected with sin (chaps. 2–3). Everything seemed, from his perspective, to be going badly. Would no one step forward to change this? Was no one going to unroll the scroll and redeem God’s creation? But John need not have wept, because the search for the one worthy to open the scroll was about to end.[6]

Some thoughts to help us better understand submitted by N. T. Wright

· And now we come to one of the most decisive moments in all Scripture.

o What John has heard is the announcement of the lion.

o What he then seesis the lamb. He is to hold what he has heard in his head while gazing at what he now sees; and he is to hold what he is seeing in his head as he reflects on what he has heard. The two seem radically different.

o The lion is the symbol both of ultimate power and of supreme royalty,

o while the lamb symbolizes both gentle vulnerability and, through its sacrifice, the ultimate weakness of death.

§ But the two are now to be fused together, completely and forever.

· From this moment on, John, and we as his careful readers, are to understand that the victory won by the lion is accomplished through the sacrifice of the lamb, and in no other way. Pause and soak on this!

· But we are also to understand that what has been accomplished by the lamb’s sacrifice is not merely the wiping away of sin for a few people here and there.

o The victory won by the lamb is God’s lion-like victory,

§ through His faithful Israel-in-person,

§ through His obedient humanity-in-person, over all the forces of corruption and death, over everything that would destroy and obliterate God’s good, powerful and lovely creation.[7]

What are some lasting truths in Revelation 21:1–5?

· Our hope should be focused on the new heaven and new earth.

· We should find our highest joy in fellowship with God.

· We should realize that none of what blights our current life will be in heaven.

Revelation 5:6-7 (NASB) 6 And I saw between the throne (with the four living creatures) and the elders a Lamb standing, as if slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God, sent out into all the earth. 7 And He came and took the book out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne.

· There is the supreme moment, the first sight of Jesus Christ in Heaven. John had seen Christ in his first vision, but Christ was standing in the midst of the churches.

o But now the supreme moment arrives—the moment when John catches his first sight of the glorified Son of God in Heaven. The sight was bound to be the most spectacular sight ever seen in human history,

§ God was letting a man see His Son at the throne of God.

§ He was showing why His Son is worthy to rule and reign over the universe.[8]

· Though introduced as a “Lion” (v. 5), what John saw was a Lamb that appeared to have been slain or sacrificed. Yet the Lamb was standing in the center of the throne. About Him were the 24 elders and the four living creatures. The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes.

· The Lion and the Lamb surely refer to Christ, with the Lamb referring to His first coming and His death and the Lion referring to His second coming and His sovereign judgment of the world. ( see how this amplifies the previous interpretation of the lion and lamb submitted by N. T. Wright). Discuss😊.

o This is the only place in Revelation where Christ is called a Lion,whereas the word “Lamb” (arnion, “a small or young lamb”) is found 27 times in Revelation and nowhere else in the New Testament.

o But two similar words for a sacrificial lamb are used in the New Testament: arēn, found only in Luke 10:3, and amnos, which occurs four times (John 1:29, 36; Acts 8:32; 1 Peter 1:19).

· Since horns symbolize strength (1 Kings 22:11), the “seven horns” represent the authority and strength of a ruler (Dan. 7:24; Rev. 13:1).

· The “seven eyes” defined as the seven spirits of God (cf. Zech. 3:9; 4:10) symbolically represent the Holy Spirit (cf. Rev. 1:4, 4:5). Because He alone is worthy, the Lamb took the scroll from the right hand of Him who sat on the throne(cf. Dan. 7:9, 13–14).[9]

Let’s pause for a moment and look back across the Bible at the theme of the Lamb.

· The theme of the lamb is a rich one in the grand redemptive story line of the Bible:

o Genesis 22:8 (Abraham and Isaac)—“God Himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering.”

o Exodus 12:5 (Passover)—“Your lamb shall be without blemish” (NKJV).

o Isaiah 53:7 (The suffering servant of the Lord)—“Like a lamb led to the slaughter.”

o John 1:29 (The declaration of John the Baptist)—“Here is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”

· All these types, prophecies, and proclamations find their fulfillment in the victorious warrior Lamb, the Lord Jesus Christ. “Slaughtered” is in the perfect tense.

o There is permanence about the scars of His sacrifice.

o There is also a once-and-for-all nature with abiding results to His sacrifice.

o He was slaughtered as a sacrifice, taking our place and bearing our sin.

He Is Victorious Because He Is Standing (5:6)

· “Slaughtered” speaks of His death. “Standing” speaks of His resurrection. This word is also in the perfect tense. There is permanence to the resurrection. There was a day when His dead body got up and left the tomb, and it will never die again! Jesus of Nazareth began to stand in resurrection life at a point and time in history, He stands today, and He will stand forever.

He Is Victorious Because He Is Strong (5:6)

· That “He had seven horns” will confuse and terrify (especially children!) if we forget this is apocalyptic literature filled with images that must be interpreted symbolically.

o Seven is the number of perfection.

o Horns in this context represent power and strength.

§ Put together He has perfect strength; He is all-powerful; He is omnipotent.

He Is Victorious Because He Is Searching (5:6)

· He also has “seven eyes.” Eyes represent wisdom and knowledge. Seven again means perfect.

o In tandem they inform us He has perfect knowledge, He is all knowing, He is omniscient. And these “are the seven spirits of God sent out in all the earth” (see 1:4).

o Now we know there is only one Holy Spirit of God, but the number seven again speaks of the perfection, completeness, and fullness of the Spirit (note Isa 11:2) who goes out over the whole of the earth. The emphasis is on His omnipresence.

§ Isaiah 11:2 (NASB) 2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him, The spirit of wisdom and understanding, The spirit of counsel and strength, The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.

· This description is nothing less than a full affirmation of the Lamb’s deity, for only God is all-powerful, all knowing, and everywhere present.

o So, in light of what the Lamb has done (His work of atonement)

o and in light of who He is (God), He can do in verse 7what no one else in all of creation can do.

He Is Victorious Because He Is Sovereign (5:7)

Revelation 5:7 (NASB) 7 And He came and took the book out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne.

· “He [the Lamb] came and took the scroll out of the right hand of the One [the Father] seated on the throne.” No one else can do this. No one else even attempts to do this. John Piper notes,

o The Lion gets the victory through the tactics of the Lamb.… Because Jesus is a Lion-like Lamb and a Lamb-like Lion, he has the right to bring the world to an end for the glory of his name and the good of his people.” (“Lion and the Lamb”).

· One man, reflecting on this truth, put it in a familiar rhyme like this:

o God’s Perfect Lamb

Mary had a little Lamb,

His soul was white as snow.

And anywhere His Father sent,

the Lamb was sure to go.

He came to earth to die one day,

the sin of man to atone.

And now He reigns in heaven alone.

He’s the Lamb upon the throne![10]

Revelation 5:11-12 (NASB) 11 Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice, "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing."

· In John’s vision, however, the tides of time have broken on the shore of eternity and the people of God have in fruition what that cross was all about.

o Now they enjoy its fruits. Overwhelmed by it all, they break out into song—the song of the satisfied!

§ They look upon God the Father who planned, they look upon God the Son who executed, they look upon God the Spirit who applied, and the testimony of their united hearts is ‘He has done all things well’.

· God’s purpose for the universe, then, is realized through Christ’s conquering, atoning death. What is that purpose? It’s right here in the swelling anthem of this massive choir.

o God’s purpose is to bring everything to this point of convergence: all creation joining together in acknowledgement that Jesus Christ is Lord of all.

· There is nothing grander than God’s plan of redemption. It is so grand and glorious that it will be the object of praise and worship in eternity.

o And eternity itself will not be sufficient to offer the praise that is due to the Christ who purchased it.[11]

Questions for your soaking as you go your way

1. What is the primary focus of this passage? (The redemption of all people. “The scroll represented the full content of God’s purpose, God’s mission within creation.”)

2. What was God’s plan for achieving this redemption? (The “lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David” are references to the work of Jesus on the cross. “John’s vision presents Jesus as perfect in power, in wisdom, and in the scope of God’s mission to all of creation. Jesus alone reveals God’s purpose and mission, and he does so by virtue of his perfect sacrifice and resurrection.”)

3. What is the significance of the time of celebration in heaven? (“The appearance of the One who makes known God’s mission is a cause for celebration. The entire throne room of heaven bursts into song, praising the Lamb for the breadth of God’s mission to all people.”)

[1]Robert J. Dean, Bible Studies for Life, Summer 2008, Herschel Hobbs Commentary (LifeWay Christian Resources, n.d.), 54. [2]Robert J. Dean, Family Bible Study, Summer 2003, Herschel Hobbs Commentary (LifeWay Christian Resources, 2003), 52. [3]Jürgen Roloff, A Continental Commentary: The Revelation of John (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 1993), 76. [4]Robert J. Dean, Bible Studies for Life, Summer 2008, Herschel Hobbs Commentary (LifeWay Christian Resources, n.d.), 54. [5]Robert H. Mounce, The Book of Revelation, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1997), 128–129. [6]John F. MacArthur Jr., Revelation 1–11, MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1999), 165–166. [7]Tom Wright, Revelation for Everyone, For Everyone Bible Study Guides (London; Louisville, KY: SPCK; Westminster John Knox, 2011), 53–54. [8]Leadership Ministries Worldwide, Revelation, The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible (Chattanooga, TN: Leadership Ministries Worldwide, 1996), 94. [9]John F. Walvoord, “Revelation,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 945. [10]Daniel L. Akin, Exalting Jesus in Revelation, ed. Daniel L. Akin, David Platt, and Tony Merida, Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary (Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2016), 125–127. [11]Roger Ellsworth, Opening Up Revelation, Opening up Commentary (Leominster: Day One, 2013), 55.