Salvation and Rule

I want to start by reminding you of the rules we talked about last week for interpreting Revelation.

First, when you look at Revelation by yourself, or when we look at it together, we have to keep in mind the rest of Scripture with it.

Second, don’t over-commit to viewing the book as either figurative or literal.

Third, remember the scale of what is being portrayed here. It isn’t just a picture of the future or something we can trace out in history between John’s visions and us today - what is described in Revelation encompasses everything form the beginning of creation to Jesus’ second coming.

Fourth, final, and most important is this - the book of Revelation is centered around Jesus, His saving work, and what that ultimately means for us. To make it about anything else is a mistake we ought not make.

To Open the Scroll

Have you ever tried to open someone else’s phone? Like maybe you’re at a meeting or a party and a bunch of different people put their phones on the table or the counter together. You aren’t paying super close attention and someone’s case looks a lot like yours, so you pick it up. But when you go to open the phone, you realize that your fingerprint and face won’t unlock it. Or maybe your friend made the critical mistake of leaving their phone behind when they went to grab something from another room, so you try to unlock it with the wrong password as many times as possible so that they have to deal with an escalating timer before they can unlock it themselves. Or maybe someone left their phone with you because it had some really important information on it, but when you need that information you’ve forgotten the password and you can’t text them for it because - you have their phone. In all of these little scenarios, you’re trying to open something that you don’t have the right authorization for and you get denied access. Simply put, you can’t get in, even if what is on the phone is really important for you to get to.

John seems to be dealing with a similar problem here. God, sitting on His throne, is holding a sealed scroll in His right hand. John picks up on the fact that the scroll is critically important, especially since God’s right hand is associated with salvation, but no one has the ability to open or look at the scroll. This creates a problem for John and for us, because there’s this plan for our salvation but no one seems capable of opening it. It’s something John knows that all of mankind needs - every man and woman ever to live has needed salvation from God - but no one is found who is worthy of that salvation, so John weeps.

The Lamb

But that problem has a clue pointing towards a solution almost immediately as John describes it. One of the elders speaks to him about the Lion of Judah, the Root of David who has earned the right to open the scroll. It’s that figure that John describes as a Lamb as if it had been slain. This lamb has seven horns and seven eyes. Now, you could picture a lamb with seven horns and seven eyes - but this is one of those moments where the language is likely more symbolic than it is literal. Throughout the Bible, seven is used as a number of divine completeness, horns are used to represent power and authority, and eyes are used to represent knowledge and wisdom. So if we take those typical understandings and uses into account, we get a new understanding of this Lamb. This is a figure who conquered through sacrifice, a figure with complete power and authority, and a figure with complete knowledge and wisdom. This is a figure that all of the angels and elders gathered in heaven bow down to. This is the figure who is fit to open the scroll.

Salvation’s Promise

The Lamb who was slain is language we might be familiar with from different songs and traditions - the one who can open the scroll is Jesus. Through His death on the cross, He won the right and the ability to carry out God’s plan for salvation (the contents of this scroll). It is a plan that is complete and comprehensive - as evidenced by the writing on the front and on the back. God has a plan for our salvation, He has had that plan since the foundations of the world. But no one was capable of understanding that plan and carrying it out. No one could open the scroll - no religious leader, no political power, no idol, no perfect prayer, no set of good works. Just like unlocking a phone that isn’t yours, all of humanity’s efforts to earn salvation proved completely inadequate. Until Jesus died on the cross in our place, with that sacrifice He conquered sin and death and the devil. With that sacrifice He became able to open the scroll and able to save each and every one of us. He graciously takes charge of our salvation and He is the only one, the only way that we are saved. No other religion, no other philosophy, no other understanding, no other thought, word, or deed - only Jesus.

Trust the Process

Now in this picture we have, the scroll isn’t open yet. Jesus has just established His ability and intention to do so. Yet, the elders and the angels trust in His work and trust in His plan - so they celebrate anyway. It is much like if a friend were to tell you that they’re going to take you out to a nice dinner at your favorite restaurant. You aren’t at the restaurant yet, they certainly haven’t already bought you the dinner, but you start to feel excited and thank them anyway because you trust that they’re going to follow through on their word.

In the same way, we don’t necessarily know exactly what eternity is going to look like. We don’t know how God works salvation in our hearts and minds, we don’t know a lot about exactly what our salvation looks like. But we do know that we were forgiven and our sins were paid for on the cross, we know that one day we will be with Jesus and all the faithful who have gone before us in Paradise. So despite the questions we can’t answer yet, despite the things we don’t understand, we are encouraged to trust God’s Word and trust in His promise of salvation for us. Amen.