Revelation 5 - Some notes

Today I want to share some observations from Revelation 5 (this week our suggested reading as a church is Revelation chapters 5 through 8). These notes may make more sense if you have your Bible out in front of you. 

Notice in 5:1 that there is One who is seated on the throne. The throne was just described in chapter 4, along with a throng of worshippers who give praise and honor to the One on the throne. In 4:10-11 we're told who is on the throne: 

the 24 elders fall down before him who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say: 'You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things and by your will they were created and have their being'.

The One seated on the throne rules (holds authority, dominion, power) and is to be worshipped. 

Notice in 5:1-4 that there is a situation and a problem described. The situation is this scroll with seven seals is held by the one who is on the throne (5:1). A mighty angel comes with an inquiry "who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?" (5:2). There is a totality described in who cannot open the scroll. The language used in 5:3 is language used throughout the Old Testament describing the entirety of the creation. "No one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it".

This causes John to weep (5:4). What caused this weeping? Why is this scroll such a big deal? Why does John want to see the scroll opened? This requires some interpretive frameworks to be used that I'm not going to get into in this post. I'll simply refer back to earlier discussions we've had on this website with the four major approaches to interpreting Revelation. Depending on your approach to Revelation, you may have different answers to the questions that arise from 5:4. 

John's weeping is to be set aside (5:5). There is a solution for the situation and problem at hand. There is one who is able to open the scroll and its seven seals. Based on 5:3 we have to conclude that the scroll opener is not going to be one found to be "in heaven" or "on earth" or "under the earth". The makeup, nature, and character of this one must be different somehow from the rest of the known universe. 

This one is given names by the elder speaking in 5:5. The one is called "the Lion of the tribe of Judah" and "the Root of David". This Lion and Root is then described in 5:6. "I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne". This Lamb isn't in the position of death, it had been put to death, and yet now it stood. Perhaps this means it had wounds? Perhaps it had a look of death about it? Yet it was not laying down, the text here in Greek makes clear this is a past thing that has happened, not an actively ongoing dying. 

As the Lamb is described were told about seven horns, and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. Without getting into too many details (or citing too many ancient studies research papers), one of the ways to communicate knowledge in the ancient and classical times was to ascribe many eyes to someone or something. We sometimes have this phrase used (albeit mostly in cloak & dagger medieval type fantasy shows) "the enemy has eyes everywhere". This phrase that we even have today gives us a feel for how often times writers expressed either a deity or a ruler having immense or expansive knowledge. As John writes what he sees, he notes the eyes of this Lamb and he connects it with the spirits of God sent out into all the earth. By seeing, this Lamb has a knowledge that is comprehensive. In biblical theological terms we would say this is possibly referring to the omniscience of God (the all knowingness of God). 

5:7 The Lamb takes the scroll. He's able to do what no one else was able to do. Upon taking the scroll the creatures and elders who were previously worshipping the One sitting on the throne (4:10-11) now take up a new song of worship regarding the Lamb (5:9-14):

9 And they sang a new song, saying: 

         “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation. 10 You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.” 

11 Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. 12 In a loud voice they were saying: 

         “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!” 

13 Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying: 

         “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!” 

14 The four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshiped. 

There is an emphasis on the Lamb being killed in the past (5:9b), with a work of redemption accomplished for huge group of people from a whole host of backgrounds (5:9c). This group of people have been made into a kingdom and priests in the service of the God of the creatures and elders (hence the pronoun in 5:10 "our God"). This group will reign on the earth (5:10). 

In 5:11 the scene then zooms out further to see a whole host of the heavenly company joining in to give praise and honor to this Lamb. 

The phrase in 5:3 about different locations (heaven, earth, and under the earth) comes up thematically in verse 13 with all who couldn't open the scroll now giving praise and honor and glory to the One who sits on the throne and to the Lamb. 

The chapter closes with the elders again falling down and worshipping. At the end of chapter 4 we saw the four living creatures and 24 elders worshipping the One who sat on the throne. By the end of chapter 5 that worship has now been expanded to include the worship of this Lamb. This Lamb is both different and distinct from the One on the throne...and yet somehow isn't different or distinct. 5:6 is again key here, the Lamb is clearly in the center of the throne, and yet is not the One on the throne described in chapter 4. The One on the throne and the Lamb have this in common, they both are worshipped, praised, and given honor and glory. 

The Lamb will take center stage for much of the next few chapters as the scroll is opened, and seals are broken. It is no shock in the story that the Lamb is going to come up repeatedly throughout the next few chapters. How else could the story progress? No one could open the scroll, see inside it, or break its seals. Without the Lamb there would only be a sad end to the story in 5:4 with the weeping of John. Yet, because of the Lamb, because of who he is, and what he's done, we know what is beyond chapter 5 as the Lamb takes the scrolls and begins to open the seals (6:1, 6:3, 6:5, 6:7, 6:9, 6:12, 8:1). 

There is much more that could be said, but for now with these few notes on Revelation 5 I hope to stir your mind towards Godly things.