|
Revelation
By Adam Bartlett
Chapter 5
1: And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals.
2: And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?
3: And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon.
4: And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon.
The seven seals will be seen individually starting in chapter 6. This scroll was sealed with seven individual seals. A seal in Bible times was a device often made from wax and placed over the opening of an important scroll or document and an imprint was pushed into the wax. The imprints were usually from the ring of a king, governor, or maybe even the high priest. Once the seal was broken it was impossible to repair without leaving evidence that it was tampered with. Only the appointed person was allowed to open the seal and anyone else attempting to do so would face death.
The scroll was in the “right hand” and the right hand represents power throughout the Bible especially when referring to God. There are literally hundreds of references to this and I will list a few: Leviticus 8:23-26, 9:21 and 14:14-28 directed all blood applications concerning sacrifices be on the “right” side. Concerning God’s Power: Job 40:14, Psalm 17:7, 18:35, 20:6, 63:8, 91:7, 98:1, Isaiah 62:8, Matthew 26:64, Mark 14:62, 16:19, Luke 22:69, Acts 2:33, Colossians 3:1 and Hebrews 1:3. There are some that believe that there will be two thrones in heaven, one for God the Father and one for Jesus. This is not only false but there is absolutely no Biblical support for this.
On the contrary it is very clear in the Bible that there is only ONE God and that Jesus was, and is, God. The Deity of Jesus has been debated for centuries but the fact of scripture must be the end of this debate. There is only One God, One Lord, One Spirit as Ephesians 4:4-6 attests. If you would like to see all the scriptures and details of the Deity of Jesus contact me and I will be happy to give you a fifteen page article I have written on the very subject.
In Biblical times these scrolls were made on papyrus which was actually animal skins that were dried and cured and because it was a tedious process to make these writing scrolls both sides were used to take advantage of all area accessible.
The strong angel would most likely be Michael because of the situation. Gabriel is the only other named angel in the Bible but he was more associated with annunciation messages. Michael was more involved in these types of events as mentioned in Daniel 12 and Jude. This scroll was associated with the judgments that were about to be unleashed on the earth and its inhabitants, known as the “Tribulation.” The angel asking who was worthy to open the seals was to show that only God has the power to disperse judgment upon mankind.
Why would John weep? Any answer is pure speculation but I would think that maybe John was afraid that no one would be able to fulfill the end of time prophecy. Maybe because the focus was on the fact that “no man” could open it and he thought that only a “man” could open it. Maybe he wept because he was not worthy to open it. Regardless, we know that Jesus is worthy and He will fulfill all.
5: And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.
6: And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.
7: And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne.
John is told not to weep because Jesus was the one that was worthy to open the seals. He is referred to as the Lion of Judah and the Root of David which are terms verified by the Scriptures.
The Lion of Judah
Genesis 49
8: Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father's children shall bow down before thee.
9: Judah is a lion's whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up?
10: The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.
In this scripture Jacob is giving his blessings to his sons and in his blessing to Judah he also imparts a prophecy. The word “Shiloh” used in this verse refers to the Messiah who shall take the scepter from Judah, the symbol of the right to govern. David, Solomon, Rehoboam, etc… were actually kings from the line of Judah and Jesus was also descended from this lineage as Matthew 1: 1-17 shows.
The word Shiloh comes from three Hebrew roots, Sh-I-oh which carry the following meaning: Sh – “whom” I – “to” oh – “him.” So to read Genesis 49:10 with that interpretation it would say that the scepter shall not depart from Judah until Shiloh (“the one to whom it belongs”) comes.
The Root of David
Isaiah 11
1: And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:
10: And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious.
Jeremiah 23
5: Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.
6: In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.
By Jeremiah’s time the line of kings under David’s lineage were almost destroyed. The ones that did remain were among the worst sinners of the kingdom and was the result of the Babylonian captivity. God did promise that this line would produce the “Righteous” one that would come from this line and we know it is referring to Jesus as the Messiah. It was also proof of a fact well known to Christians of all times. God will perform what He promises and only through His power and providence can it be accomplished and not by the weak will of fleshly men.
Because the Messiah prevailed where man could not He was worthy of opening the seals. His worthiness was not limited to the fact that He fulfilled the royal lineage when man could not. He also obtained our redemption through His perfect sacrifice and defeated death by His resurrection. None of these things could be obtained by mortal man which is what makes this great gift of Jesus more praise worthy.
The Lamb
Exodus 12
3: Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house:
4: And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbour next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb.
5: Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats:
6: And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening.
7: And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it.
8: And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.
13: And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.
Isaiah 53
7: He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.
John 1
29: The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
36: And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God!
1 Peter 1
19: But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
It is clear that the Lamb of God is Jesus and that this symbolization stems all the way back to the first Passover. Egypt is always symbolized as sin, and sin has one purpose and that is to destroy anything of God. God’s judgment was upon sin (Egypt) and He sent the death angel to destroy the first born, in other words the “heir” of sin. To protect His people He instructed them to kill a “lamb” and place the blood of it over the doorposts of their homes. This would be a sign for the death angel to “Passover” them and their family.
Not just any lamb would be sufficient, it had to be a spotless one, a male, and it had to be separated from the goats. In the end Jesus will separate the sheep from the goats also. The blood of this “Lamb” Jesus, placed in our heart (over the doorpost of our soul) will deliver us from the eternal clutches of sin and death. When John the Baptist seen Jesus he knew that He was that Lamb that was to come and be the eternal sacrifice for all mankind.
Isaiah speaks of the “lamb” that is brought before the slaughterers to be slain and did not oppose them nor speak out against them. Jesus willingly gave His life a ransom for many, the Jews nor the Romans killed Him, but He gave His life willingly.
Jesus is again referred to by this title in this very book in 12:11 & 22:1. In Genesis 3:21 it is said that God clothed Adam and Eve but it is not said what was used to provide the skins for covering. My personal belief is that it was a “lamb” because it would only be fitting to agree with the rest of the theme of the Bible. Not to mention it would be a lamb that covered the first sin, and throughout the age of law, and then finally the perfect Lamb of God for eternal redemption.
Seven Horns and Seven Eyes
This verse tells us that it is speaking about the “seven spirits of God.” We have already covered in chapters 2 & 3 that seven represents completeness when referring to spiritual matters. There are other scriptures that give us information on these seven spirits or eyes.
Zechariah 3
9: For behold the stone that I have laid before Joshua; upon one stone shall be seven eyes: behold, I will engrave the graving thereof, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.
Zechariah 4
10: For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven; they are the eyes of the LORD, which run to and fro through the whole earth.
2 Chronicles 16
9: For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars.
Proverbs 15
3: The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.
What does it mean that God’s Spirit and Eyes are represented as being “seven?” Since seven is the number of completeness it means that you cannot escape the presence of God. David knew this concept when he penned these words:
Psalm 139
7: Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
8: If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.
9: If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;
You cannot do anything without the knowledge of God, you cannot hide from Him. He sees all and His spirit is omnipresent, He cannot be restricted to one place.
The horns represent authority, power, and ruler ship as used when speaking of the anti-christ and his rule as the little horn in Daniel 7. God is in complete control and only allows satan to have what little rule he has, and that is only to complete His plan. Satan will never have the control he desires nor thinks he will have even during the tribulation period.
Because Jesus comes and takes the book out of the right hand of Him that sat upon the throne does not indicate the belief of some that there are two thrones, one for God and one for Jesus. There is only ONE God and there will only be one throne as Revelation 22: 1-3 confirms. It is the throne of “God and of the Lamb,” not two thrones. When Jesus rose from the dead He took on a “spiritual” body and that still does not nullify that He is God. Because God is not limited in place or substance He can be represented as Jesus in a “spiritual” body as well as still remain a “Spirit” as He is on the throne. A spirit is just that, and cannot be confined to one certain space or in this case “body.”
Jesus supported this by His own statements in John 10:30 and 14:6-11, 20-21; 17:5, 8, 11, 21-26 and many more. Even though it is hard for us to completely understand how that Jesus was God in the flesh and continues to be God in a spiritual body in heaven, we must avoid creating heretical doctrines. Scripture is very clear that there is only one God and we must avoid the temptation to alter any scripture to accommodate our understanding.
8: And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.
We already established in chapter 4:4 that these twenty four elders represented what I believe is the Old Testament tribes and the apostles of the New Testament. Harps for praise and the vials of incense which were the prayers of the saints. We are considered kings and “priests” unto God. We will cover this more in a minute but I want to look at this particular function of the priests in the days of the Tabernacle and Temple that were responsible for burning the incense unto God. We have to keep in mind that all things in the Bible are for our example and many types and shadows are used to represent spiritual applications. We would do well to learn of all the spiritual applications that are meant for us to correlate into our physical lives and incorporate into our walk.
We must go back to the inception of this office to get the meaning of the incense and the altar of incense and the work of the priests.
Exodus 30
1: And thou shalt make an altar to burn incense upon: of shittim wood shalt thou make it.
6: And thou shalt put it before the vail that is by the ark of the testimony, before the mercy seat that is over the testimony, where I will meet with thee.
7: And Aaron shall burn thereon sweet incense every morning: when he dresseth the lamps, he shall burn incense upon it.
8: And when Aaron lighteth the lamps at even, he shall burn incense upon it, a perpetual incense before the LORD throughout your generations.
9: Ye shall offer no strange incense thereon, nor burnt sacrifice, nor meat offering; neither shall ye pour drink offering thereon.
10: And Aaron shall make an atonement upon the horns of it once in a year with the blood of the sin offering of atonements: once in the year shall he make atonement upon it throughout your generations: it is most holy unto the LORD.
The incense represented the prayers of God’s people, their petitions to Him. It was the priest’s responsibility to make sure that this altar was always burning just as the menorah was to always be lit. It was “most holy unto the LORD” to receive the smoke of this incense representing the pleas of His people. It was placed by the Ark of the Covenant and the mercy seat along with the promise that “He would meet thee there.” Our prayers are important to our Father who cares for us and will meet us there in the midst of our altar of prayers to Him.
Even more interesting is the substance of the incense; it is interesting to find the original language meanings because they can sometimes bring new light on individual words and can broaden the spiritual meaning.
Exodus 30
34: And the LORD said unto Moses, Take unto thee sweet spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum; these sweet spices with pure frankincense: of each shall there be a like weight:
35: And thou shalt make it a perfume, a confection after the art of the apothecary, tempered together, pure and holy:
36: And thou shalt beat some of it very small, and put of it before the testimony in the tabernacle of the congregation, where I will meet with thee: it shall be unto you most holy.
Stacte – comes from the root word nataph (5197) which means to distil gradually and also means to speak by inspiration.
To distil means to purge out the impurities as we should do with our lives so that once we get all the impurities out God can speak to us and through us by inspiration. God will speak to us and through us but only once we prepare ourselves a “living sacrifice” as is our reasonable service. The distilling factor is our maturing process in Christ and when we “hear” from God we speak with inspiration. We are to remember that it is done in temperance meaning that we will not always speak with inspiration. Many speak as for God continually and that in my opinion causes room for question. I have heard many say “God told me this” or “God told me that” as if they carry on a constant conversation with Him. Not that it is impossible but my point of concern is, “are they continually “distilled” to be able to hear always with inspiration?”
Onycha – comes from the root word shachal (7826) which means to roar like a lion.
Do we actually “roar” in prayer? I know that there are times that we cry out to God in desperate need of an answer. There are times in my life when I feel like He is so far away that He is not hearing me. I personally have shouted before. There are many references in scripture of those that “wailed” before the Lord.
Galbanum – comes from the root word cheleb (2459) which means to come from the richest or choicest part.
Do we give God the best part of our time or day in prayer? Do we pray in earnest and sincerity or out of duty and compulsion? God chastised the priest in Malachi chapter one greatly for this very thing. They were offering tainted sacrifices to Him and it was not acceptable. Do we clear our minds and focus on Him in prayer or do we drift and remain in constant distraction while praying? Is our quiet time really that?
Frankincense – comes from the root word laban (3836) which means whiteness.
Whiteness represents purity and lack of sin. Just as in Matthew 5:21-26 and 6:1-18 we are instructed to make sure our hearts are clean of strife and any resentment before we can expect Him to hear us. We are instructed to make things right with our brothers or sisters before coming to Him with our petitions.
The substance of our prayers according to this recipe from God should consist of these ingredients. Notice that they are to be “tempered together” and none is to dominate by itself but work together to create a receptive atmosphere.
This office was established in Exodus with Aaron and his sons and then carried on throughout the Bible. In 1 Samuel 2 it was Eli’s sons that were being negligent in their duties in this office and caused God to strike them down and put an end to Eli’s lineage. It was a very important office to God and was to be honored and carried out correctly. In 2 Chronicles 29 Hezekiah brought back the dignity of this office to the people of Israel and reminded them that it was due to the lack of respect for God’s ordinances that they were slaves and recipients of their recent past.
In Luke 1:5-9 we are told that the father of John the Baptist was a priest after this line and was responsible for the burning of the incense. Zacharias was performing the duties of his course when the angel spoke to him of the birth of John. Zacharias was from the line of Abia which was the grandson of Solomon according to 1 Chronicles 3:10. Was it coincidence that David knew the correlation?
Psalm 141
1: LORD, I cry unto thee: make haste unto me; give ear unto my voice, when I cry unto thee.
2: Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.
9: And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;
10: And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.
We will be singing new songs to our Lord on that day also. There are several “New” things listed in the book of Revelation:
1 – The new name 2:17
2 – The new song 5:9 & 14:3
3 – The new heavens and earth 21:1
4 – The new Jerusalem 3:12 & 21:2
5 – The promise of all things new 21:5
Jesus came to the earth the first time to Redeem mankind back to the Father through His sacrifice. The second time He will return as the judge of creation against those that rejected Him and His gift to mankind. He takes the scroll and opens these seals which will release the judgment upon mankind for turning their backs on Him and uniting with the enemy of our souls. This is what makes Jesus “Worthy” to take the book and open the seals thereof.
He offers “free” salvation to all, but will not force anyone to accept Him nor this gift. As a result many will reject the offer and choose instead to follow deception and believe the lie. It is interesting how Paul summed this up so accurately:
2 Thessalonians 2
10: And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
11: And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
12: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
Notice that they perished because they refused the “love” of the truth. They chose the pleasures of this world and believed the lie of the enemy and as a result they will perish. This should be a stern reality check for all those that have been in church all their life also. Just because you are in a church and have believed at some point early in your life and remained in church does not mean you have a “love” for the truth. There are many and I mean “Many” in the churches today that will be left behind and believe the lie of the enemy because they are not grounded in the Truth and do not have a love for it.
This “delusion” that is coming with the rule of the anti-christ will be strong and only those that are in “Love” with Christ and His Word will be able to withstand and see through the lie. Why else would Jesus make the statement Himself that “He will cut that time short or else even the elect would be deceived.”
We are considered “kings and priests” unto God if we are born again. There was a reason God wanted us to be in these positions and it goes all the way back to the Exodus from Egypt.
Exodus 19
4: Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself.
5: Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:
6: And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.
We see where God reminds His people how He had delivered them from the bondage of sin and that if they would “obey Him and keep His covenant,” that they would be His special people above all others. The priests had a special service in that they served the sacred ordinances of God and also served as a spiritual conduit for the people. That was to be our role as ambassadors of Christ, to enter into a special relationship with Him and through His presence in us relay that to a lost world.
Unfortunately the Jews that were brought out of Egypt agreed to be His special people and then we know that not long after this agreement they made a “golden calf” and worshiped it while waiting on Moses to return. Moses had been up in the mountain for 40 days and nights talking with the Lord and receiving the 613 laws that would govern this people. The people got restless and not having their spiritual leader turned to a golden calf to lead them.
How often does this happen in our churches and individual lives today? Churches are full of individuals that have at one point in their lives accepted God’s requirements and then in time have turned to their own gods. For various reasons many have become “foolish” virgins as Matthew 25 describes. The enemy wants to enslave us and keep us from enjoying the blessings of God and will do all he can to keep us from becoming the kingdom of priests we are called to be.
These Jews are a perfect picture of new Christians and the care needed to keep them secure in the Lord. These Jews had been slaves for over 430 years and now God had miraculously delivered them through great miracles. The reason for the great miracles was to physically show them His power and ability to protect them. At a time when Aaron should have stepped in and assumed responsibility for them he crumbled under the pressure and allowed them to have their way. He was to be the first High Priest unto God and yet he was not able to stand against the opposition.
It is sad to say but Aaron describes many ministers today that are not leading their people in the ways they need to go. They are succumbing to the pressures of the world and allowing all kinds of gimmicks in the church instead of unadulterated truth. There has been so much compromising and justifying in the churches today that they may as well put up a golden calf on the platform and just be honest about it.
It is our responsibility to “Study to show ourselves approved unto God,” and it is too easy for Christians today to justify their actions and reasons for not being where they should be. None of those justifications will be valid when the time comes and they can never replace the amount of souls you could have won had you been the priest you are commanded to be.
11: And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;
12: Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.
13: 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, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.
14: And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever.
There will be an innumerable amount of angels as verse 11 describes and they will all be proclaiming with a sound unknown and indescribable to man the wondrous praises to the Lamb. It will be a sound that will never end and will reverberate throughout heaven and the intensity will never diminish. There are other scriptures that describe it but it is still in words that can only appeal to our human limitations. The best way I know of it being put is in the following scripture:
1 Corinthians 2
9: But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
10: But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.
When we look at the many references in this book of Revelation we see angels, and the elders and beasts fall at the feet of the Lamb and simply worship, because that is all they can do. When we finally get to this place we will react the same way because we will be consumed with the “holiness” and awesomeness of our God. In this presence we will not be able to think or do anything else and our spirit will finally be where it was designed to be.
There will be a point in time where “Every” thing that breathes and lives will bow their knee to the Lord and honor and worship Him. He is the creator of all things and will be acknowledged as such by all. Even the enemy and all his hordes of evil will bow their knees and acknowledge Jesus as Lord. The greatest vision will be of the evil trinity all bowing at the same time to the one True Lord of All. At this time satan, the antichrist, and the false prophet will be on their knees wallowing in shame as they proclaim that Jesus is Lord.
As Christians that should have the love of God in our hearts we never want to see our loved ones or friends, or anyone for that matter having to kneel under these conditions. We should be making every effort to reach them know so that they will know this truth and freely bow and worship our Lord now.
People there is little time left before we see this day and we urgently need to be about the Father’s business while it is still day for the night cometh where no man can work… believe me the sun is setting!
Back to Revelation Studies
Bible Headquarters
|