Sermon Tone Analysis

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*The Seven Sealed Scroll*

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*Rev 5:1* -

*And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne - *Of God, Rev_4:3-4.

His form is not described there, nor is there any intimation of it here except the mention of his.” right hand.”

The book or roll seems to have been so held in his hand that John could see its shape, and see distinctly how it was written and sealed.

*A book - *βιβλίον  biblion This word is properly a diminutive of the word commonly rendered “book” (βίβλος  biblos), and would strictly mean a small book, or a book of diminutive size - a tablet, or a letter (Liddell and Scott, Lexicon).

It is used, however, to denote a book of any size - a roll, scroll, or volume; and is thus used:

*Written within and on the back side - *Greek, “within and behind.”

It was customary to write only on one side of the paper or vellum, for the sake of convenience in reading the volume as it was unrolled.

If, as sometimes was the case, the book was in the same form as books are now - of leaves bound together - then it was usual to write on beth sides of the leaf, as both sides of a page are printed now.

But in the other form it was a very uncommon thing to write on both sides of the parchment, and was never done unless there was a scarcity of writing material; or unless there was an amount of matter beyond what was anticipated; or unless something had been omitted.

It is not necessary to suppose that John saw both sides of the parchment as it was held in the hand of him that sat on the throne.

That it was written on the back side he would naturally see, and, as the book was sealed, he would infer that it was written in the usual manner on the inside.

*Sealed with seven seals - *On the ancient manner of sealing, see the notes on Mat_27:66; compare the notes on Job_38:14.

The fact that there were seven seals - an unusual number in fastening a volume - would naturally attract the attention of John, though it might not occur to him at once that there was anything significant in the number.

It is not stated in what manner the seals were attached to the volume, but it is clear that they were so attached that each seal closed one part of the volume, and that when one was broken and the portion which that was designed to fasten was unrolled, a second would be come to, which it would be necessary to break in order to read the next portion.

The outer seal would indeed bind the whole; but when that was broken it would not give access to the whole volume unless each successive seal were broken.

May it not have been intended by this arrangement to suggest the idea that the whole future is unknown to us, and that the disclosure of any one portion, though necessary if the whole would be known, does not disclose all, but leaves seal after seal still unbroken, and that they are all to be broken one after another if we would know all?

How these were arranged, John does not say.

All that is necessary to be supposed is, that the seven seals were put successively upon the margin of the volume as it was rolled up, so that each opening would extend only as far as the next seal, when the unrolling would be arrested.

Anyone, by rolling up a sheet of paper, could so fasten it with pins, or with a succession of seals, as to represent this with sufficient accuracy.

cf Jeremiah 32:10

 

*Rev 5:2* -

*And I saw a strong angel - *An angel endowed with great strength, as if such strength was necessary to enable him to give utterance to the loud voice of the inquiry

P*roclaiming with a loud voice - *That is, as a herald or crier.

He is rather introduced here as appointed to this office than as self-moved.

The design undoubtedly is to impress the mind with a sense of the importance of the disclosures about to be made, and at the same time with a sense of the impossibility of penetrating the future by any created power.

That one of the highest angels should make such a proclamation would sufficiently show its importance; that such an one, by the mere act of making such a proclamation, should practically confess his own inability, and consequently the inability of all of similar rank, to make the disclosures, would show that the revelations of the future were beyond mere created power.

*Who is worthy to open the book, ... - *That is, who is “worthy” in the sense of having a rank so exalted, and attributes so comprehensive, as to authorize and enable him to do it.

In other words, who has the requisite endowments of all kinds to enable him to do it?

It would require moral qualities of an exalted character to justify him in approaching the seat of the holy God, to take the book from his hands; it would require an ability beyond that of any created being to penetrate the future, and disclose the meaning of the symbols which were employed.

The fact that the book was held in the hand of him that was on the throne, and sealed in this manner, was in itself a sufficient proof that it was not his purpose to make the disclosure directly, and the natural inquiry arose whether there was anyone in the wide universe who, by rank, or character, or office, would be empowered to open the mysterious volume.

*Rev 5:3* -

*And no man in heaven - *No one - οὐδεὶς  oudeis.

There is no limitation in the original to man.

The idea is, that there was no one in heaven - evidently alluding to the created beings there - who could open the volume.

Is it not taught here that angels cannot penetrate the future, and disclose what is to come?

Are not their faculties limited in this respect like those of man?

*Nor in earth - *Among all classes of people - sages, divines, prophets, philosophers - who among those have ever been able to penetrate the future, and disclose what is to come?

*Neither under the earth - *These divisions compose, in common language, the universe: what is in heaven above; what is on the earth; and whatever there is under the earth - the abodes of the dead.

May there not be an allusion here to the supposed science of necromancy, and an assertion that even the dead cannot penetrate the future, and disclose what is to come?

Compare the notes on Isa_8:19.

In all these great realms no one advanced who was qualified to undertake the office of making a disclosure of what the mysterious scroll might contain.

*Was able to open the book - *Had ability - ἠδύνατε  ēdunate - to do it.

It was a task beyond their power.

Even if anyone had been found who had a rank and a moral character which might have seemed to justify the effort, there was no one who had the power of reading what was recorded respecting coming events.

*Neither to look thereon - *That is, so to open the seals as to have a view of what was written therein.

That it was not beyond their power merely to see the book is apparent from the fact that John himself saw it in the hand of him that sat on the throne; and it is evident also Rev_5:5 that in that sense the elders saw it.

But no one could prevail to inspect the contents, or so have access to the interior of the volume as to be able to see what was written there.

It could be seen, indeed Rev_5:1, that it was written on both sides of the parchment, but what the writing was no one could know.

*Rev 5:4* -

*And I wept much, because no man was found worthy ... - *Greek, as in Rev_5:3, no one.

It would seem as if there was a pause to see if there were any response to the proclamation of the angel.

There being none, John gave way to his deep emotions in a flood of tears.

The tears of the apostle here may be regarded as an illustration of two things which are occurring constantly in the minds of people:

(1) The strong desire to penetrate the future; to lift the mysterious veil which shrouds what is to come; to find some way to pierce the dark wall which seems to stand up before us, and which shuts from our view what is to be hereafter.

There have been no more earnest efforts made by people than those which have been made to read the scaled volume which contains the record of what is yet to come.

By dreams, and omens, and auguries, and astrology, and the flight of birds, and necromancy, people have sought anxiously to ascertain what is to be hereafter.

Compare, for an expression of that intense desire, Foster’s Life and Correspondence, vol.

i. p. 111, and vol.

ii.

pp.

237, 238.

(2) The weeping of the apostle may be regarded as an instance of the deep grief which people often experience when all efforts to penetrate the future fail, and they feel that after all they are left completely in the dark.

Often is the soul overpowered with grief, and often are the eyes filled with sadness at the reflection that there is an absolute limit to the human powers; that all that man can arrive at by his own efforts is uncertain conjecture, and that there is no way possible by which he can make nature speak out and disclose what is to come.

Nowhere does man find himself more fettered and limited in his powers than here; nowhere does he feel that there is such an intense disproportion between his desires and his attainments.

In nothing do we feel that we are more absolutely in need of divine help than in our attempts to unveil the future; and were it not for revelation man might weep in despair.

*Rev 5:5* -

*And one of the elders saith unto me - *See the notes on Rev_4:4.

No particular reason is assigned why this message was delivered by one of the elders rather than by an angel.

If the elders were, however (see the notes on Rev_4:4), the representatives of the church, there was a propriety that they should address John in his trouble.

Though they were in heaven, they were deeply interested in all that pertained to the welfare of the church, and they had been permitted to understand what as yet was unknown to him, that the power of opening the mysterious volume which contained the revelation of the future was entrusted particularly to the Messiah.

Having this knowledge, they were prepared to comfort him with the hope that what was so mysterious would be made known.

*Weep not - *That is, there is no occasion for tears.

The object which you so much desire can be obtained.

There is one who can break those seals, and who can unroll that volume and read what is recorded there.

*Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah - *This undoubtedly refers to the Lord Jesus; and the points needful to be explained are, why he is called a Lion, and why be is spoken of as the Lion of the tribe of Judah:

(a) As to the first: This appellation is not elsewhere given to the Messiah, but it is not difficult to see its propriety as used in this place.

The lion is the king of beasts, the monarch of the forest, and thus becomes an emblem of one of kingly authority and of power (see the notes on Rev_4:7), and as such the appellation is used in this place.

It is because Christ has power to open the seals - as if he ruled over the universe, and all events were under his control, as the lion rules in the forest - that the name is here given to him.

(b) As to the other point: He is called the “Lion of the tribe of Judah,” doubtless, with reference to the prophecy in Gen_49:9 - “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”; and from the fact that the Messiah was of the tribe of Judah.

Compare Gen_49:10.

This use of the term would connect him in the apprehension of John with the prophecy, and would suggest to him the idea of his being a ruler, or having dominion.

As such, therefore, it would be appropriate that the power of breaking these seals should be committed to him.

*The Root of David - *Not the Root of David in the sense that David sprung from him as a tree does from a root, but in the sense that he himself was a “root-shoot” or sprout from David, and had sprung from him as a shoot or sprout springs up from a decayed and fallen tree.

See the notes on Isa_11:1.

This expression would connect him directly with David, the great and glorious monarch of Israel, and as having a right to occupy his throne.

As one thus ruling over the people of God, there was a propriety that to him should be entrusted the task of opening these seals.

*Hath prevailed - *That is, he has acquired this power as the result of a conflict or struggle.

The word used here - ἐνίκησεν  enikēsen - refers to such a conflict or struggle, properly meaning to come off victor, to overcome, to conquer, to subdue; and the idea here is, that his power to do this, or the reason why he does this, is the result of a conflict in which he was a victor*.

(Heb 2:5-10)*  

 

*Rev 5:6* -

*And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne - *We are not to suppose that he was in the center of the throne itself, but he was a conspicuous object when the throne and the elders and the living beings were seen.

He was so placed as to seem to be in the midst of the group made up of the throne, the living beings, and the elders.

*And of the four beasts - *See the notes at Rev_4:6.

*Stood a Lamb - *An appellation often given to the Messiah, for two reasons:

(1)   because the lamb was an emblem of innocence and,

(2)   because a lamb was offered commonly in sacrifice.

Compare the notes on Joh_1:29.

*As it had been slain - *That is, in some way having the appearance of having been slain; having some marks or indications about it that it had been slain.

What those were the writer does not specify.