Revelation Chapter 5
Originally posted Monday December 15, 2008
Revelation. Chapter 5 The Scroll and the Lamb
If chapter four
established the absolute power, glory and majesty of God against all other
pretenders to God's throne, chapter five establishes the worthiness of the
Lamb of God (see Jhn 1:29) to open
the scroll secured by seven seals. In John's vision he sees that God
is holding a scroll that is written on the inside and sealed on the back with
seven seals (indicating a completeness of sealing meant to preclude being
opened). The completely sealed scroll contains the events thatmust happen soon - the subject of
the remaining chapters of Revelation. A "mighty angel" (probably
Michael) shouts the question to find someone worthy to open the
scroll and break its seals. Though the call goes out through all of
heaven, on and under the earth, no one answers. John is despondent perhaps
because this is why he is there - to see the things that must happen soon
as promised. The very act of opening the scroll will set into motion the
scroll's contents - what must happen. One of the twenty four elders steps
forward to console him, pointing to the one who is worthy (vs. 5). The title "Lion of
the tribe of Judah" is a Messianic title and generally refers to any
of the kings of Judah who is of
the line of David. But here it is more specific. Being of the root of
David does mean a descendent of David and there is one such descendent who will be found worthy - the
one who has conquered. We will recall that the word "conquered"
was used in the closing of each of the letters to the seven churches to refer
to those who will be found worthy of a place before God and Christ in
heaven (3:5, 12, 21). In this
case the reference is to Jesus who, according to the Gospels and Paul is of the
lineage of David and is the Messiah. He has "conquered the world of
Satan not only with respect to sin but also through his innocent martyrdom (Heb. 4:15).
As the
elder speaks John does see a figure "standing [among the elders] as
if it had been slaughtered" (covered with blood) between the four
beasts and God's throne. It is the figure of a lamb with seven horns and seven
eyes (powerful and all seeing). There are several ways the lamb has been
interpreted including the Passover lamb whose blood protects the Hebrews from
the angel of death in Egypt. This certainly would fit the early idea expressed
in "Hebrews'" portrayal of Christ entering the heavenly Holy of
Holies as a sacrifice once and for all (Heb.
7:26-27). Perhaps a better reference would be the
image in Isaiah's poem song of the Suffering Servant (Isa. 52:13-53:9), specifically 53:7. The use of "horn" as a
metaphor for power is used in Luke
1:69 referring to Jesus as "a mighty horn of salvation...in the
house of David." The Old Testament has many references to the horn
as the Davidic king (messianic figure) who defeats the enemies
of Israel, as in Ps.132:17 "There
I will make a horn to sprout for David. I have prepared a lamp for my anointed.
His enemies I will clothe with shame. When a horn sprouts on an ox's head and
becomes like iron, then he must be feared by all his enemies" (also see Ps. 92:9, 10; Mic.4:13).From
this we can understand the seven horns on the lamb as referring to the total
and complete power of the lamb to defeat the enemies of the Church.
We should not miss the subtheme of this image of the lamb with
horns. It is the lamb "as if it had been
slaughtered" that, appearing weak, is presented as more
powerful than all the forces of earth and the one who will unleash the
events soon to be described.
The seven eyes
sent out into all the world are found in the 5th vision of Zech. 4:10b where the seven eyes
are the "eyes of the Lord which range through the whole
earth." The vision of John links the seven eyes of the lamb with the
"seven spirits of God sent into all the earth." This is a
subtle mention of the presence of the church in its totality, "sent
into all the earth." Through the whole church the evil of the world,
that the opening of the scroll will destroy, is seen in heaven.
As the lamb takes
the scroll from the right hand of God he is worshipped as worthy to open the
scroll by the four beasts, the twenty four elders, a multitude of angels
and "every creature" in heaven, on earth and in the sea.
The prelude of
chapters 4 and 5 is complete. The glory and majesty of God and the complete
worthiness of the Christ as the lamb to preside over the coming
events have been established.
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Note:
According to the
Talmud the Archangel Michael ("Who is like the Lord?") will lead the
war in heaven against Satan. He is the "Captain of the host (Army) of God."
He plays a significant role in the end times in Judaism, Christianity and Islam
and appears in a number of apocalyptic writings.
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