Day 243, Revelation 5
Have you ever received an important letter, imprinted with the words “To be opened by the addressee only”? If you are the addressee, you immediately feel a mixture of anticipation and anxiety (depending on who sent the letter)! If your name is not on the envelope, there is that emotional compulsion to immediately find the true recipient so you can discover the contents. This kind of stipulation is not applied to unimportant correspondence!
A similar circumstance unfolds in the first few verses of Chapter Five. God is holding a scroll, presumably of His plans for the universe, humanity, and eternity. We know from the preceding 65 books that His plan is for mankind to rule the earth, and for Israel to be His chosen people. Both those plans seem to have gone awry. How do we find out what our heavenly ruler’s plan is? It is sealed with seven seals (there’s our pattern again – seven always denotes perfection, it is God’s number). The incredibly powerful angel asks, “Who is worthy to open the seals?” And no person is found. John is heartbroken, and we would do well to feel the emotion of worship to God being accompanied by His plans being held back. What a dis-spiriting contrast!
But one of the elders steps forward with good news: the lion has conquered and can open the seals! The lion immediately speaks to us of the Messiah, the perfect one. John surely hears the news with joy and relief. But then a surprise: when John looks, he sees a sacrificial lamb! What he hears, and what he sees contrast dramatically. Remember, this unveiling of Jesus is poetically designed to inspire and re-energize the imagination toward worship and relationship. Simply parsing the words on the page logically will lead to confusion or error.
So, the Lamb and the Lion are now one. He has seven horns and seven eyes which are the seven spirits of God sent out to the ends of the earth. In other words, there is no lack of authority or insight here – God sees everything in all the earth and has authority in every setting.
This little lamb (seemingly innocuous and already sacrificed) comes forward, and you can imagine John leaning in to see what will happen now. It’s like the end of the overture at a stage show, and the curtain is about to rise. And now another surprise: the elders and the living creatures fall face down in worship and offer bowls of incense which are the prayers of those who love God. We, the supposed audience, are part of the cast of this show! And the songs continue: “because You were slaughtered for us, You are worthy to take the scroll and open its seals. You blood was the price paid to redeem us. You purchased us to bring us to God out of every tribe, language, people group, and nation. You have chosen us to serve our God and formed us into a kingdom of priests who reign on the earth.” This Lion/Lamb Messiah, the perfect human, has recruited humanity to mediate as King/Priests (just like Melchizedek who we studied a few weeks ago in Hebrews). Then the worship increases yet again: thousands of angels join in the song: the Lamb is worthy because He was slaughtered! What a contrast to the world’s system, where might is right and believers are often sidelined, even persecuted. And ultimately, every creature worships in unison: “Praise, honor, glory, and dominion be to God-enthroned and Christ the Lamb forever and ever!” The whole of creation rightly offers praise and worship to God enthroned and the Lion/Lamb Messiah/Man. Here is a glimpse of the full reconciliation Jesus has achieved through obedience and sacrificial love!
We are ready to start opening the seals of God’s plans. But first, let’s bask in the worship of all things and add our voice to the chorus: Praise, honor, glory, and dominion be to God-enthroned and Christ the Lamb forever and ever!
Have a great day!
Mark.