Worship of the Worthy Lamb Our Redeemer - Revelation 5:1-14

Introduction: We need to keep in mind the original recipients and intent of the author. Most of these churches were in the midst of suffering persecution and the desperately needed to see and visualize what was going to be the end of all of this.

I. No One Can Open the Scroll - 5:1-4

Revelation 5:1–4 (NKJV)

The Lamb Takes the Scroll

5 And I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a scroll written inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals. 2 Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals?” 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.

A. The Scroll - 1

1. The Scroll Itself

The idea of a heavenly book containing the future course of history is reflected in such passages as Ps 139:16, “All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” In Jewish apocalyptic we read of “heavenly tablets” that contain “all the deeds of men … that will be upon the earth to the remotest generations” ( 1 Enoch 81:1–2; cf. also 47:3; 106:19; 107:1). - Mounce, Robert H.. The Book of Revelation (Kindle Locations 3132-3135). Eerdmans Publishing Co - A. Kindle Edition.

Psalm 139:16 (NKJV)

16 Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.

And in Your book they all were written,

The days fashioned for me,

When as yet there were none of them.

2. The Seals

According to Roman law certain documents were required to be sealed by seven witnesses,

Although the idea of seven seals as used here is undoubtedly governed by the symbolic use of the number seven in Revelation and signifies the absolute inviolability of the scroll. In Dan 8:26 the prophet is told, “seal up the vision, for it concerns the distant future” (cf. Isa 29:11). When the time has fully come, the seals will be removed and history will move swiftly to its consummation.

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Daniel 8:26–27 (NKJV)

26 “And the vision of the evenings and mornings

Which was told is true;

Therefore seal up the vision,

For it refers to many days in the future.”

27 And I, Daniel, fainted and was sick for days; afterward I arose and went about the king’s business. I was astonished by the vision, but no one understood it.

Isaiah 29:11 (NKJV)

11 The whole vision has become to you like the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one who is literate, saying, “Read this, please.”

And he says, “I cannot, for it is sealed.”

B. The Need - 2-3

We will meet this angelic herald again in 10:1, where he stands astride the sea and shouts out as a lion roaring, and in

18:21, where he casts a boulder the size of a large millstone into the sea—symbolic of the overthrow of Roman might.

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Exodus 20:4 (NKJV) 4 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth;

Philippians 2:9–10 (NKJV )9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth,

C. The Lament - 4

John expresses his grief over the situation. Noone carries the credentials to set things right!

This may very well be how the churches were feeling— that no one was really in control

II. The Conquering Lamb - 5:5-7

Revelation 5:5–7 (NKJV)

5 But one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals.”

A. The Only Answer - 5

1. The Lion of the tribe of Judah

Genesis 49:9–10 (NKJV)

9 Judah is a lion’s whelp;

From the prey, my son, you have gone up.

He bows down, he lies down as a lion;

And as a lion, who shall rouse him?

10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah,

Nor a lawgiver from between his feet,

Until Shiloh comes;

And to Him shall be the obedience of the people.

2. The Root of David

Isaiah 11:1 (NKJV)

The Reign of Jesse’s Offspring

11 There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse,

And a Branch shall grow out of his roots.

Romans 15:12 (NKJV)

12 And again, Isaiah says:

“There shall be a root of Jesse;

And He who shall rise to reign over the Gentiles,

In Him the Gentiles shall hope.”

B. A Description of Christ’s Role - 6-7

6 And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth. 7 Then He came and took the scroll out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne.

The Setting

The Title: The Lamb (the qualification to be the Lion)

In one brilliant stroke John portrays the central theme of NT revelation—victory through sacrifice. “The Lion is the Lamb: the ultimate power of God (“Lion”) is manifest on the Cross (“Lamb”).”

title used 28 times

Isaiah 53:7 (NKJV)

7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted,

Yet He opened not His mouth;

He was led as a lamb to the slaughter,

And as a sheep before its shearers is silent,

So He opened not His mouth.

3. The Description

1. Seven horns - Perfect Power

2. Seven eyes - Perfect Wisdom

3. Seven Spirits - seven lamps (cf. 4:5) - the presence of God

Revelation 4:5 (NKJV) 5 And from the throne proceeded lightnings, thunderings, and voices. Seven lamps of fire were burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.

“seven horns and seven eyes”—symbols of perfect power and wisdom. The Lamb of Revelation is the “Lord of lords, and King of kings,” who wages a victorious warfare against the beast and his confederates (17:12–14) and before whose wrath the inhabitants of earth call upon the rocks and mountains to fall on them (6:15–17).

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The throne-room scene is not a graphic description of heaven but a symbolic representation of the decrees of God concerning the final stages of human history. The seven horns of the Lamb symbolize his irresistible might. 22 His seven eyes speak of that completeness of vision which leads to perfect knowledge. 23 The eyes are further identified as “the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.” 24 In 4:5 the seven spirits of God were seven lamps blazing before the throne, but here, as the eyes of the Lamb, they have a mission to carry out on earth. The Lamb is standing in the center of the angelic beings who surround the throne. This interpretation of “in the center of the throne” is supported by the use of the same phrase in 4:6, which places the four living creatures there as well. Some take the expression to represent a Hebrew idiom and accordingly place the Lamb between the living creatures and the elders. The use of the Greek perfects (“having taken his stand” and “having been slain”) emphasizes the lasting benefits of his sacrificial death and resurrection.

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well. This is not to be taken as the coronation of the risen Christ (as in Heb 2:8–9), but as symbolizing an event yet to take place at the end of time.

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III. The Worship of the Lamb - 5:8-14

Revelation 5:8–14 (NKJV)

Worthy is the Lamb

8 Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9 And they sang a new song, saying:

“You are worthy to take the scroll,

And to open its seals;

For You were slain,

And have redeemed us to God by Your blood

Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation,

10 And have made us kings and priests to our God;

And we shall reign on the earth.”

11 Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice:

“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain

To receive power and riches and wisdom,

And strength and honor and glory and blessing!”

13 And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying:

“Blessing and honor and glory and power

Be to Him who sits on the throne,

And to the Lamb, forever and ever!”

14 Then the four living creatures said, “Amen!” And the twenty-four elders fell down and worshiped Him who lives forever and ever.

A. The Posture of Worship - vs. 8

8 Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.

The harp (or lyre) was the traditional instrument used in the singing of the Psalms. “Praise the LORD with the harp; make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre” (Ps 33:2).

Despised on earth, the prayers of the saints are now brought before God in golden bowls. 26 The golden bowls are full of incense symbolizing the prayers of the saints. 27

The use of incense was a normal feature in Hebrew ritual (Deut 33:10). As used here it 28 is symbolic of the prayers of the saints (cf. Ps 141:2, “May my prayer be set before you like incense”).

Because of the prominent role played by incense in pagan worship, it is unlikely that the image is taken from that source. The idea of angels acting as intermediaries and presenting the prayers of saints to God is common in later Jewish thought. In Tob 12:15 an angel says, “I am Raphael, one of the seven holy angels, who present the prayers of the saints, and who go in and out before the glory of the Holy One.” In 3 Baruch 11 it is Michael the Archangel who descends to the fifth heaven to receive the prayers of people. It was the increasing emphasis in Jewish thought on the transcendence of God that made such intermediaries appropriate. In Revelation the twenty-four elders perform this function. Mounce, Robert H.. The Book of Revelation (Kindle Locations 3222-3233). Eerdmans Publishing Co - A. Kindle Edition.

B. The Message of Worship: The Basis for Christ’s worthiness - 9-10

1. The Basis - 9

For you were slain

b. And have redeemed us to God by your blood

c. Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation

9 In chapter 4 the twenty-four elders praised the worthiness of God for his work in creation (v. 11). In chapter 5 they direct their praise to the Lamb for his work of redemption. 29 In both cases “You are worthy” is the vere dignus with which the emperor’s arrival was celebrated.

The idea of a new song grows out of the use of the expression in the Psalms; for example, 98:1, “Sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things” (cf. 33:3; 40:3; 96:1; etc.).

Every new act of mercy calls forth a new song of gratitude and praise. In the midst of a prophetic passage (Isa 42:5–17) that extols the glorious victory of the One who “created the heavens and stretched them out” (v. 5; cf. Rev 4:11), we find the admonition, “Sing to the LORD a new song, his praise from the end of the earth” (v. 10).

The song to the Lamb is a new song because the covenant established through his death is a new covenant. It is not simply new in point of time, but more important, it is new and distinctive in quality.

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The worthiness of the Lamb does not at this point stem from his essential being, but from his great act of redemption. He is worthy precisely because he was slain. 31 His sacrificial death was the means whereby he purchased people for God. This interpretation is one with that of the other writers of the NT. During his earthly ministry Jesus taught that the Son of man had come to give his life a ransom for many (Mark 10:45). In 1 Cor 6:20 Paul reminds the believers that they were “bought at a price.”

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Mark 10:45 (NKJV) 45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

1 Corinthians 6:20 (NKJV) 20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.

2. The Result - 10

a. Made us Kings

b. Priests

10 What was promised to the Israelites at Sinai (“You will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation,” Exod 19:6) is fulfilled in the establishment of the church through the death of Christ. Corporately believers are a kingdom, and individually they are priests to God (cf. comm. on 1:6). This motif occurs three times in Revelation (1:6; 5:10; 20:6) and suggests to some that it may have been derived from a primitive hymn. 35 Both of the terms are active in meaning: as a kingdom “they will reign,” and as priests they “serve.” By his death Jesus established his church “a Kingdom of Priests in the service of our God” ( TCNT ).

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C. The Climax 11-13

11 Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice:

“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain

To receive power and riches and wisdom,

And strength and honor and glory and blessing!”

13 And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying:

“Blessing and honor and glory and power

Be to Him who sits on the throne,

And to the Lamb, forever and ever!”

1. The Vastness of the Worship

Daniel 7:10 (NKJV)

10 A fiery stream issued

And came forth from before Him.

A thousand thousands ministered to Him;

Ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him.

The court was seated,

And the books were opened.

2. The Song of Worship

1 Chronicles 29:10–19 (NKJV)

David’s Praise to God

10 Therefore David blessed the Lord before all the assembly; and David said:

“Blessed are You, Lord God of Israel, our Father, forever and ever.

11 Yours, O Lord, is the greatness,

The power and the glory,

The victory and the majesty;

For all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours;

Yours is the kingdom, O Lord,

And You are exalted as head over all.

12 Both riches and honor come from You,

And You reign over all.

In Your hand is power and might;

In Your hand it is to make great

And to give strength to all.

13 “Now therefore, our God,

We thank You

And praise Your glorious name.

14 But who am I, and who are my people,

That we should be able to offer so willingly as this?

For all things come from You,

And of Your own we have given You.

15 For we are aliens and pilgrims before You,

As were all our fathers;

Our days on earth are as a shadow,

And without hope.

16 “O Lord our God, all this abundance that we have prepared to build You a house for Your holy name is from Your hand, and is all Your own. 17 I know also, my God, that You test the heart and have pleasure in uprightness. As for me, in the uprightness of my heart I have willingly offered all these things; and now with joy I have seen Your people, who are present here to offer willingly to You. 18 O Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, our fathers, keep this forever in the intent of the thoughts of the heart of Your people, and fix their heart toward You. 19 And give my son Solomon a loyal heart to keep Your commandments and Your testimonies and Your statutes, to do all these things, and to build the temple for which I have made provision.”

Elsewhere in the NT each of the qualities mentioned is ascribed to Christ: power and wisdom, 1 Cor 1:24; wealth, 2 Cor 8:9; Eph 3:8; strength, Luke 11:22; honor, Phil 2:11; glory, John 1:14; praise, Rom 15:29.

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3. The universality of Christ’s great redemptive work calls for a universal response.

The created order is specified as that which is in heaven, on earth, under the earth, and on the sea. 44 The added phrase “and all that is in them” stresses that no living creature failed to join in the great and final hymn of praise (cf. Phil 2:9–11).

4. Doxology

Philippians 2:9–11 (NKJV)

9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

The doxology is fourfold, repeating three elements of the previous seven (v. 12), but exchanging “might” ( kratos ; NRSV : the NIV translates “power”) for “power” ( dynamis ). 45

It may be that the fourfold ascription corresponds to the fourfold division of creation. The praise of the entire created order is addressed to the One who sits on the throne and to the Lamb. Throughout the Apocalypse the two are regularly joined. In 22:1 the water of life flows “from the throne of God and of the Lamb” (cf. 6:16; 17:10).

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D. The Conclusion - 14

14 Then the four living creatures said, “Amen!” And the twenty-four elders fell down and worshiped Him who lives forever and ever.

The four living creatures were the first to offer their praise in the throne-room vision of chapters 4 and 5; it is appropriate that they should also be the ones to bring the vision to its close. If the verb “said” is an iterative imperfect, then the four living creatures cry “Amen” after each of the seven attributes of v. 12 and the four of v. 13. As the cherubim say “Amen,” the elders fall down in worship. 46 Chapter 5 has revealed a central truth that governs the entire book of Revelation. By his sacrificial death the Lamb has taken control of the course of history and guaranteed its future. He alone was worthy to break the seals and open the scroll of destiny.

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