SEVEN SCENES IN HEAVEN (4): THE WORTHY LAMB (REVELATION 5:5-7)

(Message by Tanny Keng)

1. Revelation  

a) John wrote Revelation while a prisoner on the Island of Patmos, approximately 85-95 A.D. Its purpose is to give encouragement and hope for all Christians to continue watching for the return and triumph of the Lord Jesus Christ. It also is to warn of the Final Judgment that nonbelievers will endure on that Last Day.

b) John wrote that Revelation is special because,“Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near” (Revelation 1:3).

c) A brief view of the Book of Revelation. It gives you some basic understanding of the book of Revelation. 

2. The Book With Seven Seals 

Revelation 5:5-7 
5 and one of the elders said to me, “Stop weeping; behold, the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome so as to open the book and its seven seals.”

6 And I saw between the throne (with the four living creatures) and the elders a Lamb standing, as if slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God, sent out into all the earth. 7 And He came and took the book out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne.

3. Worthy Is The Lamb

a) The Lion of Judah 

i) One of the elders comforts John and proclaims that the Lion of Judah the descendant of David (Revelation 22:16 Isaiah 11:1,10) has overcome the great problem, and he is worthy to open the scroll. This Lion is of course Jesus, who "has the key of David" and when he opens no one will shut (Revelation 3:7). Jesus is called the Lion to represent his kingship, for the house of David is the royal house.

b) A Lamb standing as if slain 

i) Our Lord does not appear in this scene as a lion, but as a lamb. The Lamb portrays the priesthood of Christ. He appears as a Lamb standing as if slain because he offered himself as a sacrifice for everyone sins. Without the Lamb of God there could be no gospel, and the scroll would remain shut and sealed.

ii) The Lamb is not dead. He is alive and only "standing as if slain". He takes this attitude to portray that he was indeed slain on the cross. Nevertheless he is not dead now, but alive and alive for evermore. In the songs of scenes 5 and 6, praise is given to "the Lamb that was slain" (Revelation 5:12) and his worthiness to open the scroll is attributed to the fact that he "was slain and purchased for God with [his] blood men from every tribe and tongue..." (Revelation 5:9). This is the very heart of prophecy and vision in scripture.

c) Horns and eyes... the seven spirits 

i) The seven horns and eyes are explained. They "are the seven spirits of God" which is to say they stand for the same thing that the seven lamps of fire stood for in scene 1 (Revelation 4:5). The significance of the seven spirits was dealt with fully in the lesson on John’s introduction to Revelation. Because the Lamb was slain, "the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth" are able to reveal to all the world the message of salvation in the scroll (Revelation 5:6).

d) And he came and took it 

i) The Lamb comes to the throne and takes the scroll out of the right hand of the Father. This might seem a presumptuous and arrogant act, however it really symbolizes Christ's subjection. He does not speak his own words, but takes the message from God the Father. Jesus said, "When you lift up (crucify) the Son of Man, then you will know that I am, and I do nothing on my own initiative, but I speak these things as my Father taught me" (John 8:28, John 16:13).

The End ...