The Slain Lamb Will Come

Revelation 5:1–14 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. And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” 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. 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.” 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. And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne. And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 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.” Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!” And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped.

Scripture: Revelation 5:1-14

Sermon Title: The Slain Lamb Will Come

           We are back to John’s vision in the throne room in heaven. We heard last time this majestic scene of God on the throne, surrounded by 24 elders on their thrones around him. Before the main throne were seven lamps blazing, representing the Spirit of God, as well as 4 living creatures. There was a sea like crystal and a rainbow like an emerald. There was ceaseless worship. It’s easy to stop there and focus on that image, that experience. It’s overwhelming and awesome to imagine being in God’s presence like that, but that’s not where this part of the vision ends.

           As we pick the reading up this morning, we’re going to hear about a scroll that’s been written on and sealed with seven seals. Maybe today we think of a book wrapped in plastic or an envelope that needs to be opened, and anyone can do that. But not just anyone could open this scroll. After a search, apparently going on for some time, finally someone is identified: “the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David…a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain.” This is Jesus.

According to Richard Philips, “This event [when the Lamb appears] was the ascension and enthronement of the Son of God after successfully completing his saving work.” Jesus returned to heaven, and he alone is “worthy” to open the scroll’s seals. While it’s been awhile since the ascension for us, this vision was happening in the first century. It had only been several decades since Jesus’ ascended. That event was still fresh in the minds of early Christians.

Maybe we expect something calm and tranquil to follow, or we expect a celebration. When Israel settled into the Promised Land after years in the wilderness and fighting the Canaanites, they experienced peace. Won’t there be an even greater peace now that Jesus, the Lamb, has returned?

Revelation takes a somewhat dark turn as a result of what happens in chapter 5. If you follow into chapters 6 and 8, which we’re skipping over in this series, you find in those chapters the opening of each of these seals brings with it violence, destruction, famine, plagues, and death as well as terrifying phenomena in nature. Prior to his crucifixion, Jesus talked about the end times with his disciples, and there are parallels that can be drawn between his words and Revelation. Many in the world today expect “doom and gloom” for the end of the world, whether they think it’s going to be being burned up because of global warming or an asteroid will hit or a black hole will consume us or nuclear war will break out. Maybe you’ve heard other ideas. A literal biblical approach also shows gloom and doom with the end when the Lamb opens the seals of this scroll.

We’re not going to dive too much into all those details, but I want us to be aware that that is in this book. God has testified to this in his Word. I don’t know the exact ins and outs of what will literally take place. I don’t feel the need to try and pinpoint what events or countries or players align with the things in Revelation, but it’s important to hold in balance all that is revealed for us.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, some, if not all of us have had an experience of waiting for someone you’ve been looking forward to seeing. Whether it’s your spouse returning from a trip, children coming home for the holidays or just to visit, loved ones in the military returning from a deployment, or reuniting with a friend or co-worker, those can be special and emotional times.

One of those moments for me was before we had Brooks, Christie and Addy went to Disney World with her mom and sister. They flew out of Sioux Falls airport, which is very small compared to the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport. When she came home, I went to pick her up. I parked in a lot right in front of the airport, walked in, and there’s the escalator—just one set that takes people up to the gates and down from them. I knew I was a little bit early, but I started to see people coming out and getting on the elevator, and I got excited. “Finally, they were back!” I thought. But then that group of people would come down and still no wife and kid. I waited a few more minutes, and I either saw people coming or heard the dinging of the baggage carousel, but everyone came through, and they still weren’t back. Finally, in the third or fourth group of people that came through, there they were, and we reunited.

Any time we find ourselves waiting for something that is dear to us, there’s the potential for a mix of emotions. We’re longing and hoping. We’re not just happy, we’re excited, and have a reason for joy. Yet because of that, we also have the potential for frustration, even sadness when we’re let down or when our expectations aren’t met. A number of us and people around the world are experiencing that to different degrees this year. Someone isn’t able to come home as they planned for Christmas. Other family members or friends that we haven’t seen in a long time prefer that we stay away or not get together. There’s anger or grief that can come along with that.

I preached about Christians being waiting people a couple weeks ago, but there are connections for how that is experienced here. We begin by recognizing, without the Lamb, there is reason for people to weep. Earlier I read that quote from Richard Phillips, connecting the Lamb’s appearance in verses 5 and 6 to the moment of Jesus’ ascension. That’s important for us to remember. I think if you ask most people, Christians included, “What is your idea of heaven?” they’d say, we’d say, “It’s wonderful. It’s always happy and perfect. I want to be there!” It’s not bad to think that way; it’s not wrong. But as human beings, who have been separated from God by our sin since the Fall, the joys of heaven aren’t a guarantee for us. The joy and perfection of heaven is not deserved; it’s not just the next step in our journey after this life as many people tend to think of it. As we looked at last time, God is there, it’s his home, and that’s great! But heaven cannot just be assumed as everyone’s future home.

That’s the truth, even for us, people who claim to believe in God. For the real heaven, the biblical heaven, to be a place that people long for and plan to enter into, we need the slain Lamb. We need Jesus to be there, and we need him having suffered and been crucified. Heaven isn’t just the pinnacle experience—the greatest of every person’s favorite places and people and activities. Heaven is being reunited with God for worship and life eternally. It’s returning to how things were supposed to be when God created them in the Garden, but now we’ve experienced the greatness of God’s love in the redemption of his Son.

But people must understand: heaven is not our home or any sinner’s home without the Lamb. If any of us don’t know that or we think of people who don’t care to believe that, it’s sad. If heaven is dreamed of being without the Savior, and people still think they have a hope of entering and remaining there, they’ve missed or have not heard the gospel. It’s worth weeping and weeping like John does if our only thought about heaven is that it’s the place to have a great time! There’s nothing hopeful or good to look forward to without Jesus accomplishing what he came to do.

With this, we also turn for a glimpse of what would happen when the Lamb would open the seals to Revelation 6:12-17. John tells us after the sixth seal was opened, terrifying things happen: “…There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black…the whole moon turned blood red…the stars in the sky fell to earth…The sky receded like a scroll…and every mountain and island was removed…Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and every free man hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. They called to the mountains and the rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?’” Those words are not a mistaken attributing of certain things to God. This is prophecy, a “great day of…wrath” is coming, from God and from the Lamb.

A lot of people, maybe even some of us, want to say, “Hold on a second. God and this Lamb who are being celebrated and worshiped in heaven, and everything is so joyful, they’re going to send wrath? Jesus can’t do that; he wouldn’t do that? Doesn’t that go against his own words in John 3 verses 17 and 18? “‘…For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.’” But then there’s the next part, “‘Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.’” It is absolutely true that when Jesus came to earth in his first coming, he wasn’t here to bring judgment or condemnation or to bring wrath into this world, but before or when he comes again—his wrath will be experienced. This is his wrath on sin, his hatred for it, his abolishing and wiping it out. If we take the imagery of Revelation even a little bit literally, it’s not an experience to be desired in one’s life. Without the Lamb, in heaven or in your life, in your heart, in your faith, people have reasons to weep.

What that all hopefully leads to is that people must recognize their need for a Savior. Here’s our second point: The Lamb brings both a triumph to celebrate and a past death to honor. As weighty as all this is—as life and death as talking about heaven and eternity is, believers should not miss that heaven has celebration. We get to go from the sad weeping in verse 4 to multiple falling downs before the Lamb to harps to new songs that every last creature, including what seem like millions of angels, join in on.

Just like last time, this is a wonderful picture for all who get to enjoy it, for all who have put their hope in the Lamb of God, in Jesus Christ, our sacrifice, and have been saved. He hasn’t been defeated by death, he’s returned to heaven alive. There is a future because he’s come back here. Please don’t go home today thinking that heaven or Pastor Dan’s version of heaven, at least, is this dark, scary place. The darkness, the judgement, is on sin, but believers can look forward to the light. We, too, get to hear the elder’s words, “‘Do not weep!’” We get to join the singing, the exalting of our God! We do that in our lives here and now, and this will continue for ever and ever!

But let’s not miss or forget the reason the Lamb was not there at the start of the vision. Jesus was sent to earth, sent away from heaven, to be put to death. He was sent by God for that reason, and the hosts of heaven knew his purpose. John’s been waiting for some time—we don’t know how long—for someone to open the scroll. The elders, the angels, the living creatures, though, they all knew what had to take place and they knew what Jesus was accomplishing.

The reason why we can call heaven home, brothers and sisters, why we can call eternal life with God our sure hope is because we’ve been purchased with the blood of Jesus. We have been made anew to be his servants. No amount of good works, no quantity of repentances, no greatness of men or fierceness of warriors or animals solves what the Savior alone can do. We get to live because he died and lived. We get to be the ones washed as white as snow because he bears the blood stain of being pierced. Just as Jesus after his resurrection still had the holes in his hands, his feet, and his sides that he showed and offered for the touch to his disciples, his death was necessary.

 Why do we have to talk, why do I have to preach, why should we share about the blood of Jesus, about his sacrifice for us? Richard Phillips writes later in his commentary, “If the death of Christ to ransom us from sin is the center of heaven’s worship, it must also be at the center of the church’s witness on earth…According to the Bible, the single most important reason why Christ came to earth was to die as a ransom for his people’s sins…If we bear witness to the excellence of Jesus in many ways, yet neglect to proclaim the redemption of his cross, we fail to testify to the gospel, and our worship deviates from that in heaven.”

Our claim to eternal life in heaven is not just that Jesus was born in Bethlehem as was prophesied in the Old Testament. Our sins being forgiven is not just in the nice and loving character of Jesus or the gentleness of the image of a lamb. Our reconciliation to God, our sanctification by the Spirit, those aren’t given and being worked out because God felt like it, because he has the time to do something. No, everything that God gives to us that is undeserved is because Jesus bore in his flesh our punishment. He was born for this purpose. He loved us to death and to life. We have a relationship with our Savior because of his death.

And now we wait. We wait with hope and joy in our best days. We wait sometimes with agonizing pains of loss and death when a loved one dies, and we feel like we have to say they’re in a better place—it’s true but the bitterness we live with is difficult. We wait with frustration, saying, maybe now! Maybe it’s bad enough! Maybe God has been grieved enough; maybe he’s pouring out all sorts of calamities as judgment. And yet tomorrow comes and he hasn’t arrived yet. Brothers and sisters, know that what is to come is so much greater, that the pains of this life, the struggles we face—we’re not alone in them and they will not last forever. There is a deep where our deepest pain will be replaced by the greatest joy, our greatest longing with the most magnificent fulfillment. One day the slain Lamb will come again, and we will go home. Amen.