Living in the Last Days (10)

“The Seven-Sealed Scroll”

Revelation 5:1-14 “And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals. And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof? And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon. And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon. And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof. And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne. And when he had taken the book, th…”

I. Intro

In chapter four, John is caught up into the very throne room of God, who is seated on His throne. In His Hand, is a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals. In John’s time, books as we have today didn’t exist. Instead, people wrote on scrolls, which were made from single, long strips of papyrus (paper-like material made from the papyrus plant,) or from parchment (specially treated leather.) They were kept rolled up on a stick. This chapter doesn’t reveal what is written on the scroll. However, when the seals are broken in chapter six, the judgments of God will be poured out on the earth. When the seventh seal is opened, the trumpets begin to sound. Then, at the sounding of the seventh trumpet, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets. At least in part, the scroll is the fulfillment of the angel Gabriel’s answer to Daniel’s question regarding the end of time. Dan. 12:9 “And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.” This seven-sealed scroll contains the unfolding of the end of the age. Since God is holding the scroll, He is in complete control, even when there is chaos on earth. Therefore, those who know God through Jesus Christ have nothing to fear. This passage is divided into three parts. The focus of attention now shifts to a seven-sealed scroll in the hand of God. The scroll could not be read because it was rolled up and sealed like a Roman will, with seven seals.

Anyone who has bought a house or a piece of property is familiar with a title deed. Properly executed, a deed establishes legal ownership. In fact, the modern term “Title Company” commonly refers to commercial businesses that make it their specialty to research, secure and officially record ownership titles. What is true in the modern world was equally true in the ancient world. Property laws in ancient law codes, like the Code of Hammurapi, describe accounts of sales, receipts and deeds—even to the point of authenticating the document through a notary. Even an ancient buyer had to be sure of the seller’s title!

In the Bible, we encounter such a title deed in the career of Jeremiah, when God instructed the prophet to purchase a piece of property from his cousin Hanamel ben Shallum (Jer. 32:6-16). Here, the deed of sale was signed, sealed and witnessed. It is of special interest to note that the title deed is described as being sealed, but that alongside it there also was an unsealed document. The unsealed document served as an abstract—a description of the property and terms accessible to anyone who wanted to read it. The sealed title, on the other hand, had to be preserved from any changes, which is why it was sealed in order to remain sacrosanct. Both documents were deposited by Jeremiah in a clay jar for safe keeping, much as hundreds of years later the people at Qumran deposited their precious scrolls in clay jars.

b. The scroll represents Christ’s ‘title deed’ to all that the Father promised Him because of His sacrifice on the cross. Ps. 2:8 “Ask of me, And I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, And the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.” Jesus Christ is the “heir of all things.” Hebrews 1:2 “Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;” He is our beloved “Kinsman Redeemer” who was willing to give His life to set us free from bondage and to restore our lost inheritance. A title deed or will can only be opened by the appointed heir, and this is Jesus Christ. No one in all the universe could be found worthy enough to break the seals. No wonder John wept, for he realized that God’s glorious redemption plan for mankind could never be completed until the scroll was opened. The redeemer had to be near of kin, willing to redeem, and able to redeem. Jesus Christ meets all of these qualifications. He became flesh, so He is our Kinsman. He loves us and is willing to redeem; and He paid the price, so He is able to redeem.

II. The Crisis

As God is holding the book, a strong angel asks with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?” No one was found in heaven, or on earth, or under the earth who has the divine right to open the book, or look inside it. Why is this? This scroll contains earth’s redemption. Understanding the book requires knowing what the OT teaches about the redemption of land. Lev. 25:23 “The land shall not be sold for ever: for the land is mine; for ye are strangers and sojourners with me.” In short, if an Israelite loses the land God allotted to him, a plan of redemption must be granted. Therefore, a provision is made for an Israelite who falls into poverty and forced to sell the family land. In such case, a close family relative is worthy to redeem the forfeited land. Lev. 25:25 “If thy brother be waxen poor, and hath sold away some of his possession, and if any of his kin come to redeem it, then shall he redeem that which his brother sold.” Lost land could always be redeemed by a kinsman redeemer with the specified redemption price. The provisions were usually written down and sealed in a book that could only be opened by this kinsman redeemer. This kept the transaction a private matter and would not embarrass the family for losing the land. Therefore, the seven-sealed scroll contains the terms of redemption for the entire earth. The only one worthy to open it is a kinsman redeemer who can pay the price of redemption. John begins to weep much because no one worthy to open the book can be found. This is the only record in the Bible of tears being shed in Heaven. John’s tears represent the tears of all God’s people throughout history. Failure to find a kinsman redeemer means the earth would forever remain under Satan’s control. That’s the crisis.......

III. The Conqueror

Why did one of the elders tell John not to weep? The Lion of the tribe of Judah, the heir to the throne of David has won the victory. He is worthy to open the scroll and seals. The tribe of Judah is God’s kingly tribe, chosen to rule His land. Therefore, Jesus is the Kinsman Redeemer with royal rights as the Root of David, heir to David’s throne. Jesus is the only one worthy to open the scroll. The elder explains to John that Christ is worthy because He has prevailed. The word translated ‘prevailed’ (nikao) [ni-kah-o] means “victor or conqueror.” Christ is the Conqueror of death, hell, and Satan. John looks to see the Conqueror who is worthy to open the scroll, but instead of a lion, he sees a Lamb standing, emphasizing the ressurrection. The sacrificial Lamb is alive, yet His hands, feet, and side reveal He has been slain. The Lamb has seven horns, which may be a reference to the incident when the children of Israel enter the Promised Land. They first encounter the wicked city of Jericho blocking their way. God commands seven priests, each carrying a ram’s horn to walk ahead of the Ark. On the seventh day of marching around Jericho seven times, the priests are to blow the seven trumpets and all the people are to shout. Joshua 6:3-5 “And ye shall compass the city, all ye men of war, and go round about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days. And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams’ horns: and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets. And it shall come to pass, that when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man straight before him.” At that instant, the walls came tumbling down, and they march into Jericho. Just as the walls of Jericho fell when the seven trumpets blew, so the invisible wall that has kept Jesus from His promised inheritance will come tumbling down when the seven trumpets are sounded. The Lamb also has seven eyes which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. This describes the Holy Spirit in all His fullness. So what does the Holy Spirit so when He goes forth into all the earth? John 16:8 “And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:” The Lamb some forward and takes the book out of the right hand of God, who is seated on the throne. Christ alone is worthy to redeem the world by taking and opening the seven-sealed scroll.

IV. The Chorus

When the Lamb takes the book, the four beasts, and 24 elders fall down before Him. They are holding harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of the saints. These prayers have been unanswered until now. One prayer of all true saints since the time of Christ will now begin to be answered. It is found in Matt. 6:10 “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” Then, the four beasts and 24 elders praise the Lamb: “Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof.” He alone is worthy, because the chorus sings, “for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tounge, and people, and nation. Through His sacrifice, all believers have been made kings and priests who will reign on the earth. Next, John sees and hears an even greater multitude numbering 10,000 times 10,000 and thousands and thousands. Side note: 10,000 is the highest number in ancient Greek. Thousands and thousands denotes a countless, or infinite quantity. Therefore, John sees an innumerable heavenly host singing a sevenfold chorus of praise to the Lamb. They say with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing.” In the Bible, the number seven represents completion and perfection. Therefore, these seven words suggest that all possible tribute and homage belongs to Christ. Included in this chorus of praise, is every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea. Ps. 150:6 “Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord.” Every breathing creature joins in the chorus, saying, “Blessing and honor and glory and power be unto Him that sitteth on the throne, and into the Lamb forever and ever.” Then, the four beasts say ‘Amen’ and the 24 elders fall down and worship the Lamb. All this praise is the result of the Lamb taking the scroll from the Father’s right hand. This act indicates the final part of God’s eternal plan for the redemption of all creation is about to be accomplished. One day, probably sooner than any of us realize, the seals will be broken. Then, the eternal Kinsman Redeemer will redeem the earth and all of creation. This should encourage you to hold tight to Heb. 10:23 “Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)”

V. Conclusion

The worship service climaxed with all of the universe praising the Lamb of God and the Father seated on the throne. And there was even a loud Amen from the four living creatures in Heaven. Keep in mind that all of this praise centered on the Lord Jesus Christ, the Redeemer. It is not Christ the Teacher, but Christ the Saviour, who is the theme of their worship. All of heaven’s praise came because the Lamb took the scroll from the Father’s hand. God’s great and eternal plan would now be fulfilled and creation would be set free from the bondage of sin and death. One day the Lamb will break the seals and put in motion events that will eventually lead to Him coming to earth and the establishment of His kingdom. As you share in these heavenly worship services, do you find your own heart saying, “Amen!” to what they have sung? You may believe in Christ as the Creator, but have you trusted Him as your Redeemer? If not, will you do it now? Rev. 3:20 “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.”