Understanding Revelation (5:7-8) Devotion

"And He went and took the scroll from the right hand of Him who was seated on the throne. And when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints."

(Revelation 5:7-8)

There are a number of important things here. For one thing, the Lamb possesses the same glory and authority as does the one sitting on the throne. When heaven worships the Lamb, they are worshiping God, the second person of the Holy Trinity. The Lamb’s majesty and glory are clearly equal to that of the one seated on the throne. No mere creature could ever possess such glory. It is nothing less than the glory of God. Furthermore, the elders who represent the redeemed and the living creatures who represent creation fall before the Lamb and worship him. This also points us to the fact that Christ’s glory and worthiness is equal to that of the father’s, for the hosts of heaven would never bow before any creature or any created thing.

Later on, in the Book of Revelation, we will read that the prayers of the saints rise to heaven. In Revelation 6:9-11 and 8:4 the saints pray for vindication of martyred believers. They cry out for judgment upon the ungodly. The fact that these prayers ascend to God’s throne and to the Lamb reminds us that the opening of the scroll is somehow connected their vindication. The judgments yet to come and contained in the scroll will, in part, bring about the vindication of the saints.

With the elders holding harps in their hands and singing, the scene in heaven is suddenly reminiscent of the Levitical priests who were commissioned to lead the people in the praise and worship of YHWH.

(Dr. Kim Riddlebarger)

Understanding Revelation (v. 5:6b) Devotion

"..I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth."

(Revelation 5:6b)

In biblical imagery the horn sometimes symbolizes honor. A psalmist warns those who claim honor vainly, "I said to the boastful, 'Do not boast,' and to the wicked, 'Do not lift up the horn;...do not speak with insolent pride'" (Ps. 75:4-5), but another promises the poor that "his horn will be exalted in honor" (Ps. 112:9). More often, however, the horn is a picture of strength: "The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer...my shield and my horn of my salvation, my stronghold" (Ps. 18:2). Consequently in the symbolism of the Bible's apocalyptic literature, horns represent powerful kings or nations (Dan. 7:24; Zech. 1:18-21). The Lamb's seven horns show His supreme worthiness to receive the praises that greet His appearance (Rev. 5:9,12,13), but they primarily portray His supreme power.  They are the visual equivalent of the title Almighty, ascribed to the Lord God (Rev. 1:8; 4:8).

The Lamb's seven eyes show His omniscience as well as the mode of His presence with His embattled churches, for these eyes, like the seven lamps before God's throne, symbolize "the seven Spirits of God, sent out into all the earth" (Rev. 5:6). 

The Lamb has all power and knowledge, extending to earth's farthest corner. In omniscience He can say to each church, "I know." In omnipotence He can make a sevenfold guarantee of reward to the overcomer. Such is the majesty of the church's champion, who now approaches the enthroned One and receives the vital scroll from his right hand-Rev. 5:7. 

(Dennis Johnson)

 

Revelation 5:6a Devotion

"And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain,.."

(Revelation 5:6a)

John sees a Lamb slain standing between the throne. Slain is an allusion both to the Passover lamb and also to Isaiah's prophecy of the lamb led to slaughter (Isa. 53:7), both pictures pointing to Christ's sacrifice which accomplishes redemption and victory for God's people.  

The phrase standing as slain is two Greek perfect participles, which express an ongoing reality or state. The Lamb continues to exist as slain to indicate the ongoing victorious effect of His redemptive death. Christ's death- as well as the ongoing sufferings of the church- have been and are continually being turned into victory. The reason John sees the Lion conquering as a slain Lamb is to emphasize the centrality of the Cross. 

Through this vision, believers are reminded that their victory also will only come about as they follow the way Cross. That is why saints are described as those who "follow the Lamb wherever He goes" (Rev. 14:4) and have "washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb" (Rev. 7:14). As an innocent victim, He became a representative penal substitute for the sins of His people. While He was suffering the defeat of death, He was also overcoming by creating a kingdom of redeemed subjects over whom He would reign and over whom the devil would no longer have power. 

(G.K. Beale)

Understanding Revelation Devotion (Rev. 5:5)

“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."”

(Revelation 5:5)

The suspense and John's sorrow are broken by the voice of one of the elders, answering the angel's question: "the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome so as to open the book and its seven scrolls". When Israel bestowed a final blessing on his sons, he compared Judah with a lion and foresaw a perpetual royal dynasty from Judah's line (Gen. 49:8-12). God's selection of David as king in place of the Benjamite Saul set the fulfillment of Israel's prophesy in motion. Though the exile would make it seem that David's dynasty had been cut off, like a tree sawn down, leaving only root and stump, Isaiah foresaw a fresh shoot from the stump of David's father Jesse, a fruitful branch springing from a root that seemed lifeless and hopeless (Isa. 11:1,10). 

These promises were finally to reach fulfillment in "Jesus the Anointed (King), Son of David, Son of Abraham" (Matt. 1:1). In view of David's well-known prowess as the warrior-champion of God's people (1 Sam. 16), the elder's announcement that this Lion-King has overcome comes as no surprise. Surely Judah's fierce lion is a victor worthy to open the scroll!

(Dennis Johnson)

Revelation 5:2-4 Devotion

“And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, "Who is worthy to open the book and to break its seals?" And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the book or to look into it. Then I began to weep greatly because no one was found worthy to open the book or to look into it;”

(Revelation 5:2-4)

No-one in the entire universe- heaven, earth, under the earth- was able to open the scroll or even look to look inside. As a result John weeps audibly. You will understand the meaning of these tears if you constantly bear in mind that in this beautiful vision the opening of the scroll by breaking the seals indicates the execution of God's plan. When the scroll is opened and the seals are broken, then the universe is governed in the interest of the Church. Then, God's glorious, redemptive purpose is being realized; His plan is being carried out and the contents of the scroll come to pass in the history of the universe. But if the scroll is not opened it means that there will be no protection for God's children in the hours of bitter trial; no judgments upon a persecuting world; no ultimate triumph for believers; no new heaven and earth; no future inheritance. 

(William Hendriksen)

Revelation 5:1~pt.2 Devotion

“I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a book written inside and on the back, sealed up with seven seals.”

(Revelation 5:1)~pt.2

If the book contains the details of history—past, present, and future—so that all that God has planned in terms of redemption and complete salvation for His people, and judgment and eternal damnation for His enemies, then the wise, powerful, and faithful unfolding of it means everything to believers. History makes sense only in light of an overarching divine plan for the ages. Our own day, with terrorism, war, political upheavals, disease, suffering, and nuclear threats can only make sense if there is One of infinite wisdom and power directing all to the grand crescendo that redounds to His glory. Otherwise, anyone of sanity would have to say that we are living in chaos! And that life has no meaning or purpose. It abounds in every nation, among all peoples, and mankind has no sufficient answer to stem the chaos wrought by our own depravity. The reason no one on earth could be found to open the book points to our sinfulness. All humanity is united in this common lot—we are fallen people, who, if left to ourselves, will continue to plunge more and more into the abyss of rebellion against God. 

(Phil A. Newton)

Revelation 5:1(pt.1) Devotion

“I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a book written inside and on the back, sealed up with seven seals.”

(Revelation 5:1)~pt.1

On the right hand of the Father lies a scroll. It represents God's eternal plan, His decree which is all-comprehensive. It symbolizes God's purpose with respect to the entire universe throughout history, and concerning all creatures in all ages and to all eternity. It is full of writing on both sides.

This scroll is pictured as being entirely sealed with seven seals. These seals were probably arranged in a row on the outside of the scroll. Thus viewed, they sealed the scroll's enclosure. The meaning is this: the closed scroll indicates the plan of God unrevealed and unexecuted. If that scroll remains sealed God's purposes are not realized; His plan is not carried out. To open that scroll by breaking the seals means not merely to reveal but to carry out God's plan. 

(William Hendriksen)