Worthy is the Lamb: A Meditation on Revelation 5, for the 3rd Sunday in Easter

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.

And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice,

Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?

And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth,

was able to open the book, neither to look thereon.

And I wept much, because no man was found worthy

to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon.

 

And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not:

behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David,

hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.

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.

And he came and took the book out of the right hand

of him that sat upon the throne.

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.

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;

And hast made us unto our God kings and priests:

and we shall reign on the earth.

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;  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.

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.

And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders

 fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever.

 

The vision given to St. John during his exile on the isle of Patmos is both fascinating and mysterious, and for this reason it has confounded theologians ever since it was written.  Like the apocalyptic literature of the Old Testament, particularly the Prophets Daniel and Ezekiel, there’s a rhythm to the language and imagery which helps navigate its complexities, but there’s also a sense in which parts of the prophecy are cloaked intentionally by God.  Often with Biblical prophecy, God gives what is necessary to be known in the moment it is given and to whom it is given, with an arc across history toward its ultimate fulfilment.  For example, as Moses was about to die, he told the people of Israel that God will raise up another leader and prophet like himself; in the immediate sense, the people needed to hear this and were blessed with the leadership of Joshua; over the next 400 years or so, the people would see this prophecy partially fulfilled in King David’s righteous kingdom; and a thousand years after David, we would see the prophecy completely fulfilled in Jesus.  Likewise, we learn from Prophets like Daniel that numbers and images can have symbolic meanings, like 7 being a number of completion, or horns being an image of power and eyes of awareness and knowledge.  There are a lot of these kinds of images and numbers in the Revelation given to St. John, and anyone who tells you they have it all figured out is probably trying to fool both you and himself.  All biblical prophecy has a sense of both now and not yet, of present and future—and the now is always easier to see than the not yet.

 

However, there are some basic interpretive tools that help a reader understand what they need to understand about John’s vision, just as there is for the apocalyptic sections of the Old Testament, and all of Scripture as a whole.  Jesus gives us the fundamental premise, conveniently enough recorded by St. John in the 5^th chapter of his Gospel, where He tells the Pharisees that the Scriptures are a testimony of Him; i.e., the whole of Scripture, the written Word of God given by the Spirit of God, testifies to the One who is the Incarnate Word of God.  Jesus is the center, beginning, and end, of the Scriptures, just as He is for all biblical prophecy.  Furthermore, we know that Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life for all people, so that we can trust His Word in all things—or as St. Paul would write in his second letter to St. Timothy, all Scripture is breathed out by God, useful for teaching and correction and training up in righteousness.  We also know that all of Scripture is presented as either what God commands of His people, or what God gives to His people freely:  His Law and His Promises, or Law and Gospel.  There are certainly more linguistic and hermeneutical tools to help the reader understand original languages, literary forms, and historical context, and these are all good to study, but the fundamental navigational lights available to every reader or hearer of Scripture will ensure anyone can hear what God intends to always make clear:  the Word of God is trustworthy, it is centered in Jesus, and it gives us both command and promise.  If we approach the Revelation to St. John in faith, trusting the Word of God to be true, looking for how it testifies to Jesus, repenting before the Law which it commands and trusting the Gospel of salvation that it gives, we will find that Revelation is much clearer than we might have thought.

 

With that perspective, we can gather the key points of Revelation 5 very quickly.  First, we can see the truth that no one in heaven, or earth, or under the earth, is worthy to approach God and fulfill the culmination of history—except Jesus Christ alone.  That scroll with its seven seals is an image of history being wrapped up, of all things being perfectly fulfilled that the Word of God has spoken across millennia to the Prophets and the Apostles.  It is Jesus who has accomplished the reconciliation of man with God through His life, death, and resurrection, and He alone is worthy to judge and to save, to bring to a close the present age of sin and depravity, and usher in the age of grace and eternal life.  John’s vision throughout the Revelation bounces back and forth between the earth and heaven, but in chapter five we are given a glimpse of the heavenly throne room of the Lord God Almighty, surrounded by His people in eternal joy and adoration, singing songs of praise and thanksgiving for the salvation accomplished for them by Jesus.  While the scroll represents the final coming of Jesus in judgment of the whole world, with its consequent pouring out of calamity upon those who have embraced the path of evil, rebellion, and death, it is also the fulfillment of His salvation for His people who have embraced the path of life and love and grace.  Jesus’ return to judge the living and the dead should only be terrifying to those who prefer the devil’s lies, abuse, and destruction—for those who live in faith, hope, and love, it is the final removal of all our torments and persecutions at the hands of wicked people and demons.  Jesus comes to save, and only those who have made themselves His enemies, have anything to fear from the Lord who came to rescue us all.

 

The Law in this text clearly points out that we are not righteous, nor are we worthy.  We are called to repent of our sin, of our lack of trust, of our lack of love, of our abuse and persecution of our neighbors.  We are called to turn from the paths of evil and destruction that come so easily to our fallen nature, and trust in the One who overcame the devil upon His Cross, who alone is worthy to return at the end of time and eliminate all darkness and evil from the world.  It is the Law which reveals our unworthiness, our need to repent, and the justice of judgment we deserve for all the evil we have wrought by our thoughts, words, and deeds, things done and left undone.  Yet it is also the Law that reveals to us our need for a Savior, for the Lion of the Tribe of Judah to come to our rescue.  And thus the Gospel shines brightly in John’s Revelation, as our eyes are drawn to the One who is, was, and is to come, the Alpha and the Omega, the Lord Jesus Christ.  For it is Jesus alone who is worthy to receive glory and honor and power and blessing, and Jesus alone who gives these gifts freely to fallen men by His grace.  Only Jesus could earn our forgiveness and salvation, and only Jesus could give it to us, that all who trust in Him might not perish but have everlasting life.  The Jesus who John testified of in His Gospel is the same Jesus who appeared to him on the isle of Patmos, and is the same yesterday, today, and for all time.  He is the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.  He is the One who abandons none who put their faith in Him, continuing to call all people to faith and repentance that they might have eternal life in His name, even until the last seal is broken, the last trumpet has sounded, or the last breath has been drawn.  He is the hope of the whole world, and He is coming back at the end of the age to fulfill for every faithful soul the work of salvation He finished for them upon His cross.

 

Hear the Word of the Lord as it comes to you this day, and if you have had trepidation in reading Scriptures like the Revelation of St. John, let your fear be melted away as you rest in the love of Jesus.  While judgment is surely coming, it is coming to save you, that evil might not torment the people of God forever, nor forever plague the earth with violence and corruption.  The Lord Jesus Christ is victorious over every dark and evil plot, over all sin and death, so that your salvation is secure in Him unto ages of ages without end.  Heed His call to turn from the pathways of death and judgment, and walk in His ways of eternal life by grace through faith in Him, where His Word shall always be a lamp unto your feet, and a joyous light unto your path.  Amen.