Worthy is the Lamb

Sermon for Midweek of Laetare

Revelation 5:1-14

As I alluded to last week, the main content of the Book of Revelation can be outlined as seven visions that the Apostle John saw, beginning with the vision of the seven letters to the seven churches. But as we’ll see, they aren’t seven different ages of the world, progressing in order from the early Church to the end of the world. No, each vision seems to deal with the whole New Testament period, like seven grand paintings depicting the same general scene, but each one focusing on a different part or a different detail of the scene. All seven visions deal with the state of the Christian Church in this world, always surrounded (from without and within) by sin and temptation, always facing one disaster after another in this world, always persecuted by the devil and the world, always plagued by false prophets within the Church, always having still some faithful Christians and faithful preachers of the Gospel. The whole New Testament period is characterized by the apparent victory of evil. But the victory actually belongs to Christians even now, and will be fully revealed at the last day.

Chapter 4 introduced us to the picture of the heavenly throne room that we’ll keep coming back to throughout the book. You remember the main features of the throne room? There was the throne, representing God’s reign over all things. There were the 24 elders, representing all the believers of the Old and New Testaments. And there were the 4 living creatures, apparently representing the ministers of the Church, who, together with the 24 elders, are always praising God.

Chapter 5 continues in the throne room and is the beginning of the vision of the seven seals:

And I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a scroll written inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals.

Before we talk about the seals themselves, let’s say something about the numbers as they’re used in the Bible and throughout the Book of Revelation. The main numbers that are used are multiples of 3, 4, 7, 10, and 12. Last week we talked about 12 as the number representing the Church. Let’s focus for now on the number 7. The number 7 is one of the most commonly used numbers in the Bible, from the days of the Creation week to so many things having to do with the feasts, festivals, and observances that God ordained for Israel. The simplest explanation of seven is that it’s the number that represents perfection and holiness, that which comes from God. We’ve already applied that to the Holy Spirit, who is represented as seven Spirits or by the seven burning lamps before the throne. Now let’s apply it to the scroll with the seven seals.

You’ve probably seen pictures of how seals were used in ancient times. Some document was either rolled up or folded up or placed in an envelope of sorts. And instead of using glue or some adhesive to protect the secrecy and the integrity of that document, wax or some other substance that starts out soft and later hardens would be poured over the opening of the document. Then the author would have a ring or another stamp of some kind which he would press into the wax, leaving his unique impression there. Only the author or the intended recipient was supposed to break the seal and look inside.

As we see later on, this sealed scroll is the perfect and holy plan of God for His Church until the last day. Wouldn’t you like to know what’s coming? Wouldn’t you like to know what’s written on that scroll? John certainly did. It’s why God had brought him up (in spirit) into this heavenly vision in the first place. But there was a problem.

Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals?” And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll, or to look at it. So I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open and read the scroll, or to look at it.

Who is worthy to look into the hidden and perfect plan of God? No one. No one in heaven. No one on earth. Not even the holy angels are allowed to know what is coming for the Church and for the earth. As Jesus once said about knowing when the last day will be, But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.

But one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals.” And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth.

In other words, only Jesus is worthy. During His state of humiliation before His death and resurrection, Jesus only knew about the future what His Father gave Him to know. But now that the Lamb has been slain and has taken up His life again, He is worthy, as the Son of God and the Son of Man, to know all the secrets of His Father and to reveal them to whomever He chooses.

Jesus is called three things in these verses: the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, and the Lamb. The lion was the symbol of the tribe of Judah, going back to Jacob’s prophecy about Judah being a “lion’s cub,” combined with a Messianic prophecy. Jesus, descended from Judah, was the true Lion, the powerful conqueror and king. He is called the root of David, or the “root of Jesse,” King David’s father, as Isaiah called Him in chapter 11, that is, the Branch who grew up from Jesse and David’s line, after the kingship was removed from David’s family. Finally, He is called the Lamb who had been slain, identifying Jesus as the fulfillment of all the Old Testament sacrifices, which were summed up, as it were, in the Passover Lamb. He’s said to have “seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth.” Seven horns—perfect strength from God—and seven eyes—the perfect knowledge of God—represent the Holy Spirit of God whom Jesus sends out into the world. As He once said to His disciples, But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me…and He will convict the world.

Then He came and took the scroll out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne. Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.

The whole Church is pictured falling down before Jesus in worship and praise. The harps symbolize beautiful music. The incense in the golden bowls stands for the prayers of the saints, even as we sing at every Vespers, Let my prayers be set forth before You as incense.

And they sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation,

Christ is worthy to know and to reveal the future of the Church, because He bought the Church. He loved the Church and gave Himself for her, cleansing her by the washing of water by the word. Even as He once redeemed Israel from slavery in Egypt by the blood of the Passover Lamb, so He has redeemed us from slavery to sin, death, and the devil, redeemed us to God by His own blood, not only from the people of Israel, but from every nation on earth.

And have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth.

Believers in Christ have all been made kings and priests, as Peter also says in his first epistle. We all have the right to make sacrifices of thanksgiving to God, to pray to God, and to sing His praises. And we are all royal sons and daughters of the king who will reign with Christ in the new heavens and the new earth.

Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice: “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain To receive power and riches and wisdom, And strength and honor and glory and blessing!”

Finally the angels themselves come into the vision, a vast number of them, joining together with the Church of men in praising Christ. Even the holy angels, who don’t share in our flesh and blood and who didn’t need redeeming, sing them praises of Christ as they contemplate His willingness to suffer and die for sinful men. They’ve always praised God, but His plan of salvation for mankind has won Him even greater praise from the angels as they marvel at His grace, goodness, humility, and love.

The rest of creation then joins in the song: And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying: “Blessing and honor and glory and power Be to Him who sits on the throne, And to the Lamb, forever and ever!” As the Psalm says, Let all that has life and breath praise the Lord! God has always deserved the praise of His creation. But that worthiness has been magnified—infinitely!—by the redemption He accomplished for sinners by shedding His own blood for us.

Then the four living creatures said, “Amen!” And the twenty-four elders fell down and worshiped Him who lives forever and ever.

The Church adds its Amen to the praise of the angels and to the praise of all creation. As well we might! Because we are the ones who sinned against God. We are the ones who brought the curse upon the creation and upon our race. We are the ones who were lost and condemned creatures, but who had our Creator join us in our flesh and blood that He might give His flesh and blood for us so that we could join Him in that glorious celebration in heaven! This is exactly why we join together in worship even here on earth, before we join that heavenly choir. It’s also why we will gather even more often during Holy Week, to watch the Lamb as He went to be slain, so that our faith in Him may be strengthened, our love for Him increased, and our hearts inspired again to add our voices to the voices of the heavenly worshipers who sing an endless, Worthy is the Lamb! Amen.