Revelation 4-6, "All Creation Worships the Lamb"

None of us wants to be judged. But we all want justice. If we have been wronged, we want our day in court. We want the things in our world that are broken to be made right again. But do we want to be made right?

The book of Revelation is about the events at the end of time. But it is really a book about Jesus Christ, and how He puts everything right again. It is an encouragement to the believer in Jesus. Your faith will be rewarded. And it’s a warning to those that choose to trust in their power and their wealth, their self-sufficiency, that when Jesus returns, you will have no defense when He sits in judgment. This section of Revelation ends this way,

Revelation 6:15–17 (ESV)

Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains,

calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?”

What we saw last week is that we don’t need to wait to be made right. Jesus is inviting us all to listen to His voice. When we surrender to His purpose for our lives, our faith in Jesus is our power to conquer evil. The last promise is,

Revelation 3:21 ESV

The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne.

Then, we take it to the next level. In Revelation 4-6, God gives John a spiritual vision of heaven itself, where He sees the throne room of God, and he sees Jesus take charge of God’s plan to bring an end to evil and establish justice on the earth forever. The message this week is, when our lives are surrendered in worship to Jesus, our despair turns to hope.

God is on His Throne

The first thing John’s vision show us is that no matter how it may seem here on earth, God is on His throne.

The picture of God on His throne in Revelation chapter 4 is a combination of nuclear power and perfect beauty all at once. There is the most sacred worship service anyone has ever seen happening all around God’s throne in heaven.

The songs the angels and saints sing tell us what we need to know about God. He is perfect in His holiness.

Revelation 4:8 (ESV)

“Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!”

Everything He does is right. He is set apart in His purity and perfection. And He is the eternal God. He has had all eternity to come up with His plan for our world and for our lives. Ever since the creation of the world, He has been carrying out those plans.

Revelation 4:11 (ESV)

“Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”

So, we begin with this reality. God is in charge. The God who made our world is on His throne, running things. And He is worthy of your praise. He created you. You would not have your being, your existence without Him.

Maybe your existence is not everything you wish it would be. Maybe it doesn’t appear on the ground like God knows or cares about what’s going on. But in the meantime, He is worthy of worship simply because He made you, me, the world we inhabit, and even the angels of heaven who sing His praises day and night.

John’s writing is an invitation. Lift your eyes with me above the circumstances of your life and the chaos in the world and consider who God is. Stop whatever you’re doing and say with King David,

Psalm 27:4 (ESV)

One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after:

that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple.

The temple in Israel was set up like the throne room of God. When you envision God, in all His beauty and power, then you can say with confidence,

Psalm 27:5 (ESV)

For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will lift me high upon a rock.

This is the experience John is passing on. Our ability to live with faith and hope in a world of conflict and chaos is directly related to the time we spend envisioning God on his throne in His beauty and power to save.

But then the scene in the throne room takes a turn.

Jesus Has Everything in Hand

What is it like to be in an overwhelming situation, but with someone that knows what they’re doing and calmly guides you through. When you are white-water rafting, you need a guide. When you are learning to drive, it helps to have an instructor. When you are facing the end of the world, and the final judgment, it would be good to know someone has everything under control.

Revelation 5:1 ESV

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.

What is this scroll with seven seals? A sealed scroll in the first century, when John is writing would have signified a contract of some kind. Any document that would require witnesses, think of a last will and testament or a marriage contract would be sealed by those witnesses. The more important the document, the more witnesses. The more witnesses, the more seals. Two or three were standard. Seven is unheard of. This is big, and this is important.

We know this is important from the fact that the scroll had writing on both sides. If you were sealing a scroll, you would be concealing the contents of the scroll until an authorized person opened it on the appropriate date at a particular event. So, you wouldn’t write on the outside. The fact that there is writing on both sides indicates this is so important, there is a lot to say.

As we will find out in chapter six, the big, important event the scroll reveals is nothing less than God’s plan to end all evil and establish His kingdom of justice on earth. There is so much left undone. There is still so much evil, so much conflict, chaos, corruption, immorality, idolatry, and injustice, there is a lot that God needs to make right. How will He do that? It’s all in this scroll. When the scroll is opened, it will be accomplished.

So, when no one can find anyone with the authority to open it,

Revelation 5:3–4 (ESV)

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.

John despairs. Will the evil, the chaos and injustice go on forever? Isn’t this what it feels like to us very often? Despair comes easy. It can be hard to hope.

Revelation 5:5 (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.”

“Lion of Judah” and “Root of David” are titles for the Messiah, the descendant of Israel’s mightiest King David of the mighty tribe of Judah, who will conquer all of God’s enemies and the enemies of God’s people. He will conquer all evil and bring justice and peace to the whole earth. This is the one who will make everything right. John looks for the mighty Lion,

Revelation 5:6 (ESV)

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.

If you’re expecting to see a lion, be honest, a lamb covered in blood is disappointing. Maybe we missed the show. But on second look, this is a lamb that was slain but is living. And this is apocalyptic imagery anyway. It’s all symbolic. This would be a freaky looking sheep. But in apocalyptic imagery, horns represent power, and 7 is the number of completeness. He is all-powerful. And the seven eyes represent his ability to perceive all things. The “seven spirits of God” doesn’t mean God has seven different spirits. It is a reference to the Old Testament prophet Isaiah, who said that the Messiah would have the Spirit of God in in seven aspects.

Isaiah 11:2 (ESV)

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 the fear of the Lord.

In other words, He would have the fullness of God’s Spirit. He is all-wise and all-knowing because He is filled with God’s Spirit.

The Messiah has authority to carry out God’s final judgment of the earth because He is unique among the kings of the earth. In other words, He is all-powerful, but he doesn’t use his power as the kings of the earth do. He is all knowing, but He doesn’t use his knowledge like they do. The kings of the earth use their power and knowledge to dominate over others. Jesus uses His to lift others up, to save them, to redeem. This leads all creatures in heaven and earth to worship Him.

Worship of Jesus Strengthens our Hope

You can see this in the song the angels and saints sing in Revelation 5:9 and 10,

Revelation 5:9–10 (ESV)

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.”

After this, John hears heaven reverberate with songs of praise to Jesus and God the Father. Then in chapter 6 Jesus, the Lamb of God, begins to open the seals and execute judgment on the earth.

But here is the key point. Jesus’ authority comes from the fact that He was fully God, but took on full humanity and set aside all His prerogatives as the Son of God to lay down His life for us. His blood shed on the cross was a ransom, a redemption for people from everywhere. Remarkably, He is a King who shares His reign with His redeemed people.

What can we take from all this? Jesus is “worthy to take the scroll and open its seals.” He has authority to be the final judge of us all. There are three reasons.

He is God. He is not just a descendant of David. He is David’s Root. He has the fullness of the Spirit of God. Everything God is, Jesus is. He is holy, holy holy. He is Creator. He is all powerful and all wise. He is perfectly just.

He is fully human. God the Son took on flesh and blood. He knows our weaknesses. He was tempted in every way we are tempted. But He was obedient to God, even unto death on the cross.

Because Jesus lived the life we should have lived and died the death we should have died, He can both execute perfect justice for all our sin, and show mercy for all our brokenness.

This passage is an invitation to enter the throne room of heaven with John. Consider God your Creator on His throne. Look to Jesus, receiving the authority to judge the world because of His sacrifice for you. Consider His love, His mercy, and His holiness and justice. This is both encouragement and warning. Encouragement to repent of your sin and entrust your life to Jesus. He has loved you with a perfect love. He has given His life to ransom you from the sin that would enslave you and kill you. Hope in Jesus, and you will overcome despair, no matter how corrupt and chaotic our world is. You can have peace with your ultimate judge here and now. And He will vindicate your faith and share His reign with you.

The warning is for those who remain in their sin and rebellion against God and reject Jesus. The despair will remain.

For those who already believe, the redeemed, remain faithful. Live a life that reflects this worship scene. God is worthy of your worship as the holy creator. Jesus is worthy of your worship as your all-powerful, all-wise redeemer.

But here at the table, you can repent and believe. Be made right.

Communion

Questions for Discussion

What are you hopeful about this week?

What are some things going on that tempt us to despair the world will ever be made right?

What does Revelation 4-6 teach us about God?

What does our passage teach us about Jesus? Who gives Him authority to judge the earth, and why?

What does the passage teach us about ourselves? What is our place in the vision John has?

When you realize that Jesus will judge the world, according to Revelation 6:12-22, how does this lead you to worship?

How will you respond to this passage?

Who is someone you can share this passage with this week?