The Revelation to John 5:1-12 [NLTse]
Then I saw a scroll in the right hand of the One Who was sitting on the throne. There was writing on the inside and the outside of the scroll, and it was sealed with seven seals. 2 And I saw a strong angel, who shouted with a loud voice: “Who is worthy to break the seals on this scroll and open it?” 3 But no one in Heaven or on Earth or under the Earth was able to open the scroll and read it.
4 Then I began to weep bitterly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll and read it. 5 But one of the twenty-four elders said to me, “Stop weeping! Look, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the heir to David’s throne, has won the victory. He is worthy to open the scroll and its seven seals.”
6 Then I saw a Lamb that looked as if it had been slaughtered, but it was now standing between the throne and the four living beings and among the twenty-four elders. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which represent the sevenfold Spirit of God that is sent out into every part of the Earth. 7 He stepped forward and took the scroll from the right hand of the One sitting on the throne. 8 And when He took the scroll, the four living beings and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp, and they held gold bowls filled with incense, which are the prayers of God’s people. 9 And they sang a new song with these words:
“You are worthy to take the scroll and break its seals and open it. For You were slaughtered, and Your blood has ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. 10 And You have caused them to become a Kingdom of priests for our God. And they will reign on the Earth.”
11 Then I looked again, and I heard the voices of thousands and millions of angels around the throne and of the living beings and the elders. 12 And they sang in a mighty chorus:
“Worthy is the Lamb Who was slaughtered—to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing.”
This past Thursday was Ascension Day.
The Bible tells us that, following His resurrection from the dead, the Lord Jesus appeared to His disciples over a period of 40 days giving them many convincing proofs He was alive and speaking with them about the Kingdom of God. At the end of those 40 days, Luke writes, “Then Jesus led them to Bethany, and lifting His hands to Heaven, He blessed them. While He was blessing them, He left them and was taken up to Heaven.” (24:50-51) (We read the fuller account from Acts as our Call to Worship.) And this past Thursday, Ascension Day, was the fortieth day following Easter when we celebrated Jesus’ resurrection from the dead.
Our Call to Worship this morning included some details about the Lord Jesus’ ascension into Heaven, when it said: “He was taken up into a cloud while they were watching, and they could no longer see Him. As they strained to see Him rising into Heaven, two white-robed men suddenly stood among them. ‘Men of Galilee,’ they said, ‘why are you standing here staring into Heaven? Jesus has been taken from you into Heaven, but someday He will return from Heaven in the same way you saw Him go!’” (Acts 1:9-11) We see the Lord Jesus going up into the clouds of Heaven, and the angels say He will return the same way, descending from the clouds of Heaven.
The Lord Jesus spoke about these same things when He was on trial before the Sanhedrin, the Jewish High Council. When the High Priest asked Him, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?” Jesus said, “I Am. And you will see the Son of Man seated in the place of power at God’s right hand and coming on the clouds of Heaven.” (Mark 14:62; Matthew 26:64)
The Lord Jesus’ statement is clearly pointing the High Priest and other council members to the future, speaking to them of His return. But He’s pointing them all back to the past, as well. About 500 years before Christ’s birth the prophet Daniel was given a vision of “the Ancient One” Who was seated on a throne in judgment. “His clothing was as white as snow, His hair like purest wool. He sat on a fiery throne with wheels of blazing fire, and a river of fire was pouring out, flowing from His presence. Millions of angels ministered to Him; many millions stood to attend Him…” And Daniel saw “someone like a son of man coming with the clouds of Heaven. He approached the Ancient One and was led into His presence. He was given authority, honor, and sovereignty over all the nations of the world, so that people of every race and nation and language would obey Him. His rule is eternal—it will never end. His kingdom will never be destroyed.” (7:9-10, 13-14)
Which is the reason for our reading this morning from Revelation. The Revelation to John records many visions John was given concerning times in the past, the times John was living in, and times in the future. Chapter 5 that we read this morning was a vision from John’s past, of the Lord Jesus’ arrival into God-the Ancient One’s throne room in Heaven at His ascension, just as Daniel had foreseen. The Lamb of God Who takes away the sins of the world is praised as He enters; and He is worshiped. And His first act upon arriving is to exercise His “all-authority” and break open the seven seals of the scroll recording the events concerning the end.
Talking to the Ephesian Christians about the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe, Paul wrote, “This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated Him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the Heavenly realms. Now He is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else—not only in this world but also in the world to come. God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made Him head over all things for the benefit of the church.” (1:19-22)
Jesus Christ ascended on the clouds of Heaven and was given “all authority in Heaven and on the Earth” (Matthew 28:18) and began His reign. All for the benefit of His church.
Referring to Psalm 110, Paul wrote, “For Christ must reign until He humbles all His enemies beneath His feet. And the last enemy to be destroyed is death.” (1 Corinthians 15:25-26) All for the benefit of the church.
But how might this all benefit us? First, all these events encourage to know that Heaven is a place, a real place: The Lord Jesus Christ, in His resurrected body that could eat fish and talk to disciples yet also pass through locked doors, He went someplace when He ascended into Heaven. Some have proposed that Heaven is simply a state of mind or a state of being that has no actual location in our space-time universe. And yet, we do not cease to believe in air or gravity because we cannot see them. And many Christian believers and unbelievers have experienced the influence and intervention of angels, (and the Bible leads us to believe they are all around us,) and yet because we human beings do not by and large have the capacity to see them does not mean they do not exist.
The Lord Jesus said, “There is more than enough room in My Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with Me where I am.” (John 14:2-3) Yes, Heaven is a real place. And as we await the new Heaven and new Earth that will replace this one so tarnished by sin and death, Heaven is where we will wait with Him and return with Him.
The fact of Jesus’ ascension into this place called Heaven, and His being given all the power that’s in Heaven and on the Earth there, also means that, because of our union with Christ, that we are able to share here and now in this authority our Lord Jesus has been given.
The apostle Paul speaks of this when He writes, “For [God] raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with Him in the Heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus.” (Ephesians 2:6) This is why you and I can use “God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments.” Why we can “destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God.” That’s how, when talking with our neighbors, coworkers, or friends, we are able to come up with those phrases or words or arguments that “capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:4-5)
Our unity with Christ and our sharing in His divine power now and our sharing more fully in the life to come is why we will one day “judge angels”. (1 Corinthians 6:3) And the Lord Jesus says about this power He’s sharing with us, “To all who are victorious, who obey Me to the very end, to them I will give authority over all the nations.
They will rule the nations with an iron rod and smash them like clay pots. They will have the same authority I received from My Father…” (Revelation 2:26-28)
We exercise this power in prayer. We exercise this power when we serve others, those around us, for Christ’s sake. We exercise this power when we’ve come to the end of our ability and yet, instead of giving up or running away, we stay the course trusting in God’s promises and abilities. We exercise this power every time we give up trying to manipulate and control events and circumstances and people around us; every time we lay down our plans and desires and accept what God has given us; every time we “take up our cross and follow Christ”.
About this authority we share, Hebrews says, “By faith [such] people overthrew kingdoms, ruled with justice, and received what God had promised them. They shut the mouths of lions, quenched the flames of fire, and escaped death by the edge of the sword. Their weakness was turned to strength. They became strong in battle and put whole armies to flight. Women received their loved ones back again from death.” Even so, Hebrews goes on, “others were tortured, refusing to turn from God in order to be set free. They placed their hope in a better life after the resurrection.” (11:33-35)
Yes, sometimes we exercise this power most mightily when we’ve reached the end of ourselves, in our weakness, because the Bible tells us that God’s power works best in our weakness. (2 Corinthians 12:9)
Of course, the Lord Jesus’ ascension to the place of all-power in Heaven also means that, even as the Holy Spirit lives in us so we can enjoy communion with Him each and every day during our lives here on the Earth, one day we will be with Him where He is face-to-face in Heaven, and in the new Heaven and the new Earth, and we will be with Him forever. And Paul charges us to “encourage each other with these words.” (1 Thessalonians 4:18)