THE LION, THE LAMB, AND THE SCROLL
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· 27 viewsNobody has a problem seeing Christ as the meek, gentle lamb of God. However, we do have a great deal of trouble seeing Him as the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. Let's look into Rev 5 to see how important it is that Christ is a righteous judge who will both condemn the wicked and vindicate His elect.
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If you have ever gone through the process of getting to know someone, then you have had, what I believe is a universal conversation. It is that universal conversation that lets you into, or gives you incite, as to the way that individual was raised. That conversation ALWAYS goes, not just sometimes, ALWAYS goes exactly like this:
“I remember the time when I was a little boy/girl when my mother/father had told me that we were NEVER to go to X, or that we were NEVER to touch Y. And being kids, we felt that warning was EXACTLY what we needed to do! So we went to X, knowing that we weren’t suppose to, or we touched Y, knowing that we weren’t supposed to, and as we did it, we thought we were getting away with it when all of a sudden…(Pause for dramatic effect)…we looked up, and there was the ominous figure of mom/dad. And we knew at that moment that we’d had it. And usually the story ends with, ‘And we didn’t sit down for three whole days!’”
I don’t care who you are, if you are an adult, you’ve had that EXACT conversation. You’ve probably told that precise story, and you’ve told that story WITH A SMILE ON YOUR FACE!
Here’s the irony in a story like that. We tell a story about a moment in our lives when our parents, basically, terrorized us! (They) Spanked us, wounded us, hurt us, but when we tell that story, we tell it with a smile on our face, and without the slightest hint of blame toward the parent.
WHY? Because we know they were ABSOLUTELY CORRECT in bringing the justice they brought to us in that instance. And that the justice that they bough was not just correct, but that it was also warranted. And beyond being correct and being warranted, it was necessary. It was correct, it was warranted, it was necessary, AND it was completely consistent with their love for us. NOT AT ALL inconsistent with their role as a father/mother, because we understand this balance between love and justice.
It’s unfortunate however, that, often times, we do not see this, or appreciate it, in our heavenly Father.
And because we do not see or appreciate it, I believe we do not have a full formed understand or appreciation for God’s worthiness to be worshiped. But here in Revelation 5, we get a picture of that worthiness to be worshiped with the Lion, who is the Lamb, who IS worthy. Worthy is the Lion and, “Worthy is the Lamb” !
Worthy is the Lion who brings JUSTICE and VENGEANCE!
Worthy is the Lion who brings JUSTICE and VENGEANCE!
Worthy is the Lamb who brings REDEMPTION for God’s ELECT.
Worthy is the Lamb who brings REDEMPTION for God’s ELECT.
We MUST have a full-orbed picture of who God is, of who Christ is if our worship is to be a deep and as meaningful as it is meant to be. - Voddie Bauchum
That is the picture we get here in this first half of Revelation 5; this picture of the Lion and the Lamb who is worthy. He is worthy BECAUSE He is the Lion, BECAUSE He is the Lamb. And there is NO hint or inconsistency between the two.
Revelation 5:1-5
1 Then I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals. 2 And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” (It’s almost like a courtroom scene here) 3 And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it, 4 and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. 5 And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.”
Revelation 5:6-10
6 And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders 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. 7 And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne.
(So we know now that the Lamb IS the Lion!)
8 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. 9 And they sang a new song, saying,
“Worthy are you to take the scroll
and to open its seals,
for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God
from every tribe and language and people and nation,
10 and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God,
and they shall reign on the earth.”
AMEN! What a POWERFUL passage of scripture! The word pictures here are almost overwhelming. There are several things necessary here for us to understand, if we are to understand the significance of this text.
The NATURE of the SCROLL.
What is the scroll? Why is it SO important? Possible interpretations:
It is synonomous with the Lamb’s Book of Life (Rev. 3:5, 13:8, 17:8, 20:12-15, 21:27). Some are arguing that the scroll that only the Lamb can open is the Lamb’s Book of Life.
The problem with that is that the LBoL is a DIFFERENT book. We know this because of Rev 20:12 “And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done.” So the reference there is to a different scroll with the seals that we read about here.
Some say it’s reference to the future great tribulation. It represents this period that is yet to come, this literal 7 year period known as “The Great Tribulation.”
The problem with that: The fact that in Rev 1:19 we read, “Write therefore the things that you have seen, those that are and those that are to take place after this.” PAST, PRESENT, & FUTURE. What we find in theses scrolls are not JUST about future events. What we find has to do with events that are ALREADY taking place in the time of writing.
So what DO we have here?
The fullness of God’s plan of judgment and redemption. Why do I say this? Well, because we see this idea of the sealed scroll in the prophetic literature that informs John’s writing. We can see a lot of the writing of Daniel, Ezekiel, and parts of Isaiah here, but Daniel is reference more in Revelation than any other book. In Daniel 7 and then in Daniel 12 we have references that illuminate this for us:
Listen to Daniel 7:9–10 (ESV): 9“As I looked, thrones were placed, and the Ancient of Days took his seat; his clothing was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was fiery flames; its wheels were burning fire. 10 A stream of fire issued and came out from before him; a thousand thousands served him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him; the court sat in judgment, and the books were opened.
Ezekiel 2 shows another example of this. There we see a court of judgment and the scrolls being opened. Look at Ezekiel 2:8-10, 8“But you, son of man, hear what I say to you. Be not rebellious like that rebellious house; open your mouth and eat what I give you.” 9 And when I looked, behold, a hand was stretched out to me, and behold, a scroll of a book was in it. 10 And he spread it before me. And it had writing on the front and on the back, (This was unusual. Most scrolls did NOT have writing on the front and back. Here in Revelation, we have a scroll with writing on the front and the back.) and there were written on it words of lamentation and mourning and woe.
So in Daniel we see what? (This book that is unsealed in a courtroom where judgment is about to be announced. In Ezekiel 2 we see a scroll written on both sides. What’s in the scroll? (Lamentation and woe.)
In Isa. 29 we find a similar idea. Here is Isa. 29:11-12, And the vision of all this has become to you like the words of a book that is sealed. When men give it to one who can read, saying, “Read this,” he says, “I cannot, for it is sealed.” And when they give the book to one who cannot read, saying, “Read this,” he says, “I cannot read.”
Does anyone want to guess what the context of Isaiah 29 is? It’s God bringing judgment upon His enemies.
So John, reaching back to this prophetic literature of the OT, this apocalyptic literature from the OT, has the picture of a scroll that is sealed, written on front and back, and is a scroll of judgment. We also know this contextually, because when we move into Revelation 6 what do we find? (WE FIND JUDGMENT and WOES!)
So this is a scroll of judgment, BUT there is another issue here.
This scroll that is sealed with 7 seals, hearkens to it’s particular day where documents were often brought into Roman courtrooms that were sealed with multiple seals. Mainly, last will and testaments. Why are they sealed? (So one can ensure they have not been tampered with. That only the executor can break the seal…to open the last will and testament, and read the wishes of the diseased.)
So here we have JUDGMENT, REDEMPTION, & INHERITANCE.
THIS is why, when it can’t be opened, John weeps! He weeps out loud and uncontrollably, because here is this sealed document that John KNOWS has the picture of God’s redemption of His elect, and the judgement of the wicked. And he looks at this document, waiting for God to unleash His judgment on the wicked and to consummate His redemption to His elect (For the last will and testament to be read), and the angle exclaims, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” and the answer is NO ONE IN HEAVEN AND ON EARTH, AND UNDER THE EARTH! So ya you can see why John weeps!!
Listen to what William Hendrickson writes. This is why John is weeping:
“This means for John that history will not be governed in the history of the church, and that there will be no protection for God’s children in the hour of bitter trial, no judgment upon a persecuting world. No ultimate triumph for believers. No new heaven, no new earth, and no future inheritance.” (Hendrickson - More Than Conquerors: An Interpretation of the Book of Revelation)
That is why John weeps. Things are not brought to their full conclusion in the way God intends.
If the scroll is not opened, then there is no end to this persecution that God’s people are experiencing.
If the scroll is not opened, then there’s not going to be justice for God’s elect.
If the scroll is not opened, there is no inheritance for the people of God.
He weeps because the scroll MUST be opened, and there MUST be justice, and there MUST be redemption.
THEN Rev. 5:5 And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.”
This is extremely important. Note that he uses these two references to Christ.
He refers to Him as the Lion of the tribe of Judah.
We know this reference comes from Gen. 49 and that:
Jesus is the Lion of the tribe of Judah because of His lineage.
Gen. 49:8, “Judah, your brothers shall praise you; your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s sons shall bow down before you. Judah is a lion’s cub; from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He stooped down; he crouched as a lion and as a lioness; who dares rouse him? The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him; and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples. Binding his foal to the vine and his donkey’s colt to the choice vine, he has washed his garments in wine and his vesture in the blood of grapes. His eyes are darker than wine, and his teeth whiter than milk.”
There is a picture of divine judgment.
So what does the angel say? “There is one who can open the scroll of the judgment of God, because He is the one foretold in the line of Judah. He IS the Lion of the tribe of Judah! Jesus Christ IS able to judge the world because He IS the Lion of the tribe of Judah. He IS the justice of God!
We see that picture of Him in Rev. 19 of the Rider on a White Horse to speaks judgment, and it looks a lot like the picture here in Genesis 49. Jesus Christ is the judge. Say it with me: JESUS CHRIST IS THE JUDGE.
Listen brothers and sisters. Today many do not like to speak about Jesus as judge. If you do not like to speak of Jesus in those terms then you are missing one of the most important aspect of who He is. Because:
What does redemption mean if there is no justice?
What are you saved from if there is no wrath of God?
What are you rescued from if there is actually a day to come where He actually does exact vengeance upon the wicked?
What have you been transferred from, if not from darkness and judgment to light and redemption!?
You cannot appreciate the redemption you have in Christ unless you understand the justice and judgment of God that WILL, that MUST come against the wicked.
Furthermore, you will never turn to Christ, unless you understand this, because you do not have anything to flee from, if there is not justice or judgment of the wicked. You don’t believe you need a savior if you don't believe there is justice against the wicked.
Many of us for this picture of Jesus, so meek and mild, who just want’s to be our friend, and he is pining over you because he doesn't have enough friends. Especially friends like you! And your greatest sin is depriving Jesus of you! THAT is NOT the Gospel. The Gospel says you are/I am/we are a wretched sinner, who’s sinned against a Holy and righteous God. And the day is coming when you will face that God, and His justice will be poured out. FLEE from your sin and RUN to the ONLY ONE WHO CAN SAVE YOU! CHRIST HIMSELF is the judge, the only one who can save you. The Lion of the tribe of Judah.
GO TO 23:11 Jesus is, the Root of David.
Revelation 5:11-14
11 Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice,
“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might
and honor and glory and blessing!”
13 And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying,
“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!”
14 And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped.