Okay, Revelation chapter 5 tonight. Let's begin with a quick review What have we seen thus far in the revelation that the Apostle John received on the island of Patmos? We've seen basically three things. In chapter one, we saw the Lord Jesus Christ, and particularly the Lord Jesus Christ risen from the dead and glorified, having accomplished all that he had come to accomplish in the world and ascended onto the right hand of the Father. That's the opening vision in the book of Revelation, is the risen and glorified Christ. And then secondly, moving from chapter 1 into chapters 2 and 3, we saw Jesus Christ standing in the midst of His church in the world. And in the seven letters to the seven churches, we saw that the Christ Church is struggling in the world, uh... the church faces a lot of uh... challenges in the world and it's sort of uh... in the midst of uh... uh... of a battle there's a war going on in the world and the church is in the midst of that uh... war uh... and so uh... and and in that fight the church is struggling uh... so christ is standing in the midst of his his church in these chapters and he is he's ministering onto her and he's particularly ministering to the church by his His Word in various ways. He's teaching, He's encouraging, He's rebuking, He's correcting, He's speaking to His church in order to strengthen her and shore her up. And the reason is because the church must overcome. And the way that the church overcomes in her struggles and her conflict in the world is by faith in her Lord, by believing His Word to her and trusting in Him. So that's chapters 1 and 3. In chapter 4, which we looked at last week, John is allowed to enter into heaven and to see there, in particular, God the Father, sitting upon a throne in heaven. He is a great king, king of kings and lord of lords, sovereign, reigning in majesty over all of creation. And so that was the vision with which we left chapter 4. All right, so we come then to chapter five, and chapter five then is a, the scene doesn't change, the setting doesn't change. We're still in heaven, we're still in the throne room of God. In chapter five, the focus is gonna shift from God the Father to God the Son. That's basically what happens in going from chapter four to chapter five. There are three parts to chapter five. There is first the creation in crisis, in verses 1-4. So a problem is going to be introduced, and it's a problem for all creation. In verses 5-7, we see the solution to this crisis, and it's a lamb that has been slain. That, of course, is Jesus Christ, the Son of God. And then verses 8 through 14, creation seeing the solution, seeing its savior in the land that was slain rejoices in him. So that's a brief outline of this chapter. And in this chapter, if you can get past the, if you can understand that it is and get past the symbolic nature of the revelation as John describes it, it really is a profound and beautiful chapter, chapter 5 is. So hopefully by our study tonight we will have a greater appreciation of both its profundity and also its beauty. So we begin with the first section, the creation in crisis verses 1 through 4. In verse 1, John sees what? He sees a scroll in the right hand of God the Father as he is seated upon the throne in majesty." Chapter 4 was focused upon God seated upon his throne in majesty. Now we see in his right hand there is a scroll. So one of the big interpretive questions in Chapter 5 is, what is that scroll? That's something that we have to attempt to understand if we're to understand the significance of what happens. in this chapter. So we'd ask questions like, what is written on the scroll? And who wrote it? And what does it mean? Those are the kind of things that we want to understand. So as John describes the scroll that he sees in the hand of God the Father, One of the things he tells us is that there's writing basically on both sides of the scroll. Not a whole lot of details about the scroll, but that's one of them. There's writing on the inside and out on both sides of the scroll. So what could that possibly mean? Well, it may be helpful to look back at the scene from the book of Exodus where Moses comes down from the mountain from meeting with God with the law on tablets of stone. So that's Exodus 32, 15 through 16. And there it says, and Moses turned and went down from the mountain, and the two tablets of the testimony were in his hand. The tablets were written on both sides. So just like the scroll in the hand of God, in Revelation chapter 5. On the one side and on the other side they were written. So notice there that that's emphasized. There's writing on both sides of the two tablets of God. And then it says, and now the tablets were the work of God and the writing was the writing of God engraved on the tablets. So as we look at first at the two tablets of the law of God that Moses brings down from the mountain, It seems that the significance, what he's bringing is the law of God, and the significance of the fact that the writing was on both sides, is that the law is complete. There's no more room on these tablets for any more laws. There's not anything that's going to be added to this. This is the complete revelation of the will of God. for man that we have in the tablets. So, the fact that it's written on both sides signifies completeness. In the same passage, it is emphasized that the writing is God's writing. It's God the one who's written on both sides of the tablets. And that they are engraved on the tablets. You can't erase this writing. So it's been identified whose writing it is, it's God's writing, and it's permanent. So it's a complete revelation of the will of God for man. It's permanent, it's not going to be erased, and it is indeed the writing of of God with all the authority thereof. So based on that anyways, as we go back then to the scroll in the hand of God, it's got writing on both sides. We're going to assume, I think it's a safe assumption, that the writing on the scroll is the writing of God. It's God's writing that's on the scroll. And that what has been written there is something that is complete. There's not going to be anything that's added to it. There's no need to add to it. Whatever it is, it is complete and is now in the hand of God. And also, I think it's safe to say, whatever it is, it's permanent. Heaven and earth may pass away, but the Word of God does not pass away. So we have something in the hand of God, which is His writing, His Word. It is complete and it is permanent, okay? So hang on to that for a moment. Now the second thing that John says about the scroll is that it is sealed with seven seals. So the seals here are like the seals that you used to see on letters back in the old days. People, somebody would write a letter and put it in an envelope, They would take wax, hot wax, and they would drip it on the fold of the envelope, and then they would let it dry, and they would seal it. Sometimes they would impress their stamp in it or whatever. But that's the kind of seal that we're talking about. So in the scroll and the hand of God, with writing on both sides, there's not just one seal, but there are seven different seals. So notice the number seven. We see that over and over again in the book of Revelation. symbolizes what? Completion, right? Something that is complete. And the fact that it is sealed means that it can't be opened, right? Unless you break the seals. You're going to have to break the seals in order to be able to open the scroll and to be able to read it and see what God has there. So we assume that all seven of these seals have to be broken before the scroll could be open and the writing be read of the scroll that's in the hand of God. So the scrolls being sealed then would signify to us something that is a mystery. And when I say a mystery, I mean that in the biblical sense, in that it's something that God knows, but that God has not revealed to us, something that He's kept hidden from us. Again, it's God's writing. God knows what's on the scroll. What he's written on the scroll is complete, and something which is permanent will not pass away. It just hasn't been revealed to us. He's kept that back from us, and the seven seals on the scroll signify that fact. So with that in mind then, one of the things that the Bible teaches is that God has a plan for His creation. God is not just making this up as He goes. In other words, in eternity, in the councils of eternity, before He ever created the creation, uh... he he he had uh... in his minds internally as i understand it uh... a plan for creation what creation would be in what he would accomplish through it it's beginning as the beginning from the end it's all worked out and the mind of god and and being worked out in the mind of god it is decree this will all these things will come to pass uh... But God has not revealed his plan in its fullness to us. We are learning of it slowly. Slowly it's being revealed to us, partly as time unfolds, we see the plan of God unfolding before our eyes, but also by his revelation to us. He will come to us and say to us, I'm going to do this, and then I'm going to do that. uh... he doesn't tell us everything at once as time goes on he tells us more and more uh... and more and so uh... and so the bible speaks to this couple of uh... important passages then uh... two from the book of ephesians ephesians chapter one verses nine to twelve uh... paul says there uh... god having made known to us the mystery of his will you see that he has a he has a will it's known to him But it's been a mystery in that he hasn't revealed to us. But now, Paul says, with the new covenant, with the coming of Christ, his death, resurrection, pouring out of the Spirit, it's being made known to us. He says, He's made known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Himself. Which is just to say, God's plan is His plan. It's His plan. It's His will. He's going to do what He wants to do. He didn't consult with us or anybody else. It's God's will. This is His will. He says that in the dispensation of the fullness of times, okay, so in the plan there's a certain amount of time in which things are going to happen, and when the fullness of time is taking place, when the appointed time comes to its end, we see now, it's been revealed to us, that God will gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are in earth in Him. So that's an amazing statement. This is the plan, and part of the plan that was not originally revealed to us, but now under the new covenant has finally been shown to us, that God is going to gather into one all things in Christ, all things which are in heaven and which are on earth in Him. Paul goes on to say, in him also, we have obtained an inheritance being predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of his glory. So we see a place for the church. in particular in the midst of this great plan in which Christ is and God is uniting all things to himself in the Son. We have been set apart to be his church and having trusted in him will be to the praise of His glory." So we could flesh some of that out, but I think you get the sense. Then a little later in Ephesians 3, verses 9-11, Paul kind of goes on with the same theme. He speaks of God making all see what is the fellowship of the mystery. There's that word mystery again. Think of the scroll that is sealed. to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God, who created all things through Jesus Christ. So remember, at the very beginning, when the plan began to be unfolded in time, one of the first things that God did was to create all things through His Son, Jesus Christ. Now he goes on and says, "...to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the Church to principalities and powers in the heavenly places according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord." So he creates the world through Jesus Christ, and his eternal purpose for the world is accomplished in Jesus Christ. This is now being revealed unto first the church, that the church might reveal it then unto the rest of creation. When he speaks there are principalities and powers, this is an amazing thing, that not even the angels know the plan. uh... or the the the fulfillment of plan the fullness of time things are hidden from from all creatures and uh... even from angels and so uh... so what god is a last revealing he's revealing to the church he's revealing through the church and as it's revealed to and through the church than the angels learn about it through what they see in the uh... in the church below okay so um... So keep that in mind. But the biggest thing here is to get the idea of Christ at the beginning, Christ at the end. God creates the world through Christ, and Christ fulfills creation's purpose in the same Christ. Then another apostle, Peter, 1 Peter 1-10-12, listen to what he says. He says, Of this salvation, And so this, of course, is a way of talking about the plan, because the plan is to save the creation that has fallen into a state of sin and misery and death. Of this salvation, the prophets, that is the Old Testament prophets, have inquired and searched carefully who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, searching what or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when he testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow." So, during the Old Testament, the Spirit of God was at work in and through the prophets to begin to suggest the things that were to come, the fulfillment of the plan, but even the prophets themselves didn't fully understand the significance of what they were saying. He goes on and says, "...to them it was revealed that not to themselves, but to us, they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things which angels desire to look into." Okay, so what the prophets spoke of, but didn't entirely understand, now is being fulfilled before our eyes. Under the new covenant, the apostles of Jesus Christ are going and proclaiming these things to the whole world. Things that, for many, many ages, the angels desired to look into, but could not, because it was hidden from them as it was hidden from us all. Okay, so three passages that sort of develop this same theme. plan of God, much of it a mystery for time, but at last revealed in and through the Church and ultimately unto all creation. So, Simon Kistemacher draws this conclusion, I'm using his commentary. He says, the scroll, this is in your handout, the scroll reveals God's complete plan and purpose for the entire world through the ages from beginning to end. So what's written on the scroll? The plan for all creation from beginning to end. The complete plan. He says, for us, the scroll with its seals is evidence of what God planned for the salvation of His people. So at the center of the plan, everything else revolves around this, is God's salvation of His people through Jesus Christ. This plan is a foreordained mystery, according to Paul, and is revealed in the fullness of time. Peter also speaks of this mystery of salvation through Christ, and adds that angels long to look into it. God's plan of salvation is the coming of his kingdom to contest Satan's rule and to proclaim God as the Lord God Almighty who was and who is and who is to come to establish his kingdom. Kistamakos says, I therefore conclude that the contents of the scroll pertain to God's secret purpose of establishing his kingdom on earth until the fullness of his glory is revealed. We've answered the question then, what is written on the scroll? Any questions about that? Do you understand the answer? It's a big answer, it's a profound answer, but it's an understandable answer. Okay, going on to verse 2 then. John in here is a strong angel proclaimed with a loud voice, who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals? So now that's the next big interpretive question, which is what would it mean then to open the scroll and to loose its seals? And who is worthy to do that? Take it to mean that to open the scroll and to loose its seals would be first to reveal unto everyone the plan that has been hidden for so long. But more importantly than that, to fulfill it. to open it up so that it would come to pass, so that the plan would be accomplished and broadened to its great end. Here it is, the plan in God's hand. Who's going to put it into action? Who's going to bring it to pass so that the glorious end uh... actually happens and creation is the beneficiary of uh... of all the gardens to do it uh... that's the question uh... who is and the question is not who will do this uh... but the question is who's worthy to do this who is who is worthy uh... to fulfill god's plan for all creation. The question is who among us is worthy to accomplish God's great plan for creation? And more than that, who among us is worthy to be the worth of God's plan? If you understand what I mean there. Who is worth doing all this for? That's kind of the question. Are you worth doing all this for? Am I worth doing all this for? Who among us can stand forward and say, I'm worth it. That God should fulfill all the things that are written here on this scroll. That's the question. And in verse 3, no one is found in all of creation who is able to open the scroll and to look at it. No one, no creature, is worthy to accomplish God's plan for His creation or to be its worth. So in verse 4, seeing that no creature is found worthy to open the scroll and look at it, the Apostle John does what? He weeps. It says he weeps much. So we see John sobbing here. with great tears. And so I think here, as John is brought from earth into heaven to see this scene, and this question is posed to him, who is worthy to open the scrolls? And the answer is, there's no one. Looking around, there's nobody. That John represents the misery of God's creation whose glorious end will never be accomplished, because sin has ruined it. If the scroll's never opened, then this is it. The glorious end never comes to pass, the plan is never fulfilled, we just all perish in our sins. That's what John is crying about. If nobody can come forward who is worthy to fulfill what's written on the scroll, who himself is worth the doing of it, then we're all lost. That's what happens. And that is the crisis of Creation 1-4. Any questions about that? All right, verse five through seven then, the solution of the slain lamb. Verse five, one of the elders, and by the way, remind us, what do the elders represent? The church, okay, 24 elders, we suspect representing 12 elders. Tribes of Israel, Old Testament, and 12 Apostles, New Testament. One of the elders comes to John and tells him not to weep. So, if what we said thus far is correct, then we might take the elder here to represent the church, who is sharing the good news with creation that it's glorious and will be realized. The elder comes and he tells John What? That the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll unto Lucid seven seals. There is one who is worthy. There is one who has prevailed, is not only worthy, but has prevailed to do it. Lion of the tribe of Judah is a title for the Messiah. Israel's Messiah, and it comes from Genesis 49 verses 9 through 10, which is kind of a fascinating prophecy. Genesis chapter 49 is at the end of Jacob's life. He has 12 sons, and he blesses his 12 sons. And so, according to custom, the primary blessing would go to the eldest son. who would be Reuben. But Reuben in his life at one time betrayed his father. And so the blessing passes over Reuben. There's two other sons, Simeon and Levi, they're the second and the third borns, and so we would expect them the blessing to fall first to the one and if not him to the other. But they too, in an episode in their lives, betrayed their father as well. And so that brings us to the fourth born son, and that's Judah. And so here the blessing falls upon Judah. And this is what Jacob says to him, Judah, you are he whom your brothers shall praise. Your hands shall be on the neck of your enemies. Your father's children shall bow down before you. Judah is a lion's whelp, for the prey, my son, you have gone up. He bows down, he lies down as a lion, and as a lion who shall rouse him. The scepter," signifying rule, the scepter, shall not depart from Judah nor a lawgiver from between his feet until Shiloh comes. Shiloh is the Messiah, and to him shall be the obedience of the people. Binding his donkey to the vine and his donkey's colt to the choice vine, he washed his garments in wine and his clothes in the blood of grapes. His eyes are darker than wine and his teeth whiter than milk. So, a lot of fascinating stuff in there, we don't have time to get into it. But anyways, that's a prophecy very early in the Bible that says that the one to rule over the tribes of Israel, the Messiah, will come from the line of Judah, surprisingly, which is the fourth-born son. to him shall be the obedience of the people, and him his brothers will praise." So that's the line of the tribe of Judah. The Root of David is the second title and it also is a title for the Messiah. Since David was the king of Israel and it's with David that God made the covenant, that his sons would reign upon the throne, and that the Messiah would ultimately come from his line. So, Isaiah 11.1, "...there shall come forth a rod from the stem of Jesse," that's David's father, "...and a branch shall grow out of his roots. The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge, and of the fear of the Lord." That second line, by the way, some people think is where John gets the designation of the Holy Spirit as the seven spirits of God. Because you have there seven spirits mentioned in that verse, all referring to the Holy Spirit. So this was a messianic text, that the Messiah would come from the line of David, and he would have this complete anointing of the Holy Spirit. Alright, so anyways, the good news then, that the elder tells to John, as he tells him not to weep, is that the promised Messiah, that's what both of these titles signify, who alone is worthy, has come and has prevailed to fulfill God's plan for his creation. So Simon Kistemacher says this, the Lamb occupies the center of all God's decrees, For He is worthy and able to break the seal and open the scroll. Nothing comes to pass apart from the Lamb, for both creation and redemption begin and end with Him." Okay? So that's the significance, kind of like that summary, that's an ultimate summary of the significance of the fact that it is the Lamb who is worthy and who prevails to open the scrolls and its seals. He is the Alpha and the Omega. He is the beginning and the end. the whole story is about him he alone is is worthy uh... to uh... of the story uh... and he alone is worthy to to bring it to its fulfillment in the creation that's the idea uh... so as uh... as the uh... masai as the elder says you know that the messiah has prevailed to open the scroll uh... and to read to break the seals, John looks up, and there in the midst of the throne, in the midst of the living creatures, in the midst of the elders, John sees a lamb as though it had been slain, and you appreciate the irony. It's a lion has prevailed, and he looks up, and what does he see? He sees a lamb. Lion and lamb are opposites, right? Lion represents strength, power, courage. Lamb represents weakness, meekness, so forth and so on. And so this is no small part of the great mystery that has been revealed. The thing that God didn't show us, we never possibly could have guessed, but then the Messiah would come and save it, it would not be by killing everybody, but it would be by laying his own life down for our salvation. It's by means of the sacrifice of himself for us on the cross that Jesus shows himself to be worthy of being the center of God's decrees, and it's by means of his death on the cross that he fulfills not just our salvation, but creation's purpose and brings it to its glorious end. So, you remember here, as John sees the Lamb who is slain, this is the Messiah, the Lion of the tribe of Judah who has prevailed to break the seals and to open the scroll. You remember that in John's Gospel, that when John the Baptist was at the Jordan baptizing Jesus came and he recognized who he was, what did he say? He said, this is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. This is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. So the same image, the emphasis here is we see Jesus, the Son of God, the Messiah coming forward to to fulfill God's great purpose in creation. The emphasis is upon His sacrifice for us. He's laying down His life on the cross for our salvation. As he sees the lamb here, John notes that the lamb has seven horns. So notice the number seven. Again, and what do horns signify in the book of Revelation? Any idea? And pretty much they're out of the Bible. What's that? Power, yeah. And power and authority, which are kind of terms that go together. So, what would seven horns represent then? Complete power. Complete authority. King of kings. Lord of lords. John 17, 1 and 2, Jesus prays before he goes to the cross, Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son also may glorify you, as you have given him authority over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as you have given him. All authority given unto the Son, that he might save his people. In Matthew 28, 18, after his resurrection, Jesus says to his disciples, all authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. That's what the seven horns represent. The Lamb also has seven eyes, and John says here that the seven eyes are the seven spirits of God sent unto all the earth. So the seven eyes represent the Holy Spirit. But particularly the Holy Spirit being sent unto the earth. So I think maybe as you bring these two ideas together you get usually eyes signify knowledge So you have perfect knowledge of all things perfect wisdom and thus perfect truth and the spirit is sent as the as the bearer of this truth and unto the world in the name of Jesus Christ, something like that. So you remember Christ's words in John 16 to the disciples, I will send the Holy Spirit to you, and when He has come, He will convict the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgment. When He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth. and then acts one at eight but you should receive power when the holy spirit has come upon you and you should be witnesses to me in jerusalem and in all judea and samaria and to the ends of the earth so the uh... so here you get sort of the dual idea uh... i think this is consistent throughout scripture how does jesus christ uh... bring about the uh... the consummation of the ages how does he uh... accomplish what he was sent into the world to accomplish First, by his sacrifice of himself on the cross and rising again from the dead. And then second, in his pouring out his spirit upon the earth to empower his church to take the gospel unto the ends of the world. These are the two aspects of of Christ's ministry and mission by which He opens, breaks the seven seals, and fulfills all that is written therein. And so finally in verse 7, the Lamb steps forward and takes the scroll out of the hand of God the Father. Nobody takes the scroll out of the hand of God the Father, except unto whom the Father grants that high privilege. So this reminds us of a couple of important, famous passages from the Old Testament. Daniel 7, 13-14, Daniel sees the Ancient of Days, God the Father, the white hair and the white robe sitting upon the throne in heaven, just like the same scene here in Revelation 5. In verse 13 it says, And behold, somebody else comes in, just like we get in chapter 5, one like the Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought Him near before Him, And then say, Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom that all peoples, nations, languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion which shall not pass away, and His kingdom the one which shall not be destroyed. And I would say that's exactly what's happening in Revelation chapter 5. The Son, crucified and risen, now ascends to the right hand of the Father and receives from Him dominion, glory, kingdom, peoples, nations, languages, all dominion, a kingdom that will not be destroyed. All authority is given unto Him. The Holy Spirit is given unto Him that He might truly bring about the glorious consummation of the creation according to the eternal counsels of the Godhead. But also note here, Psalm 2, 7 through 8, I will declare the decree, this is the Messiah speaking, the Lord has said to me, you are my son. Today I have begotten you, ask of me and I will give you the nations for your inheritance on the ends of the earth for your possession. Again, I take that to be the same thing. He puts the scroll in the hand of the Son. That's what He's basically doing. Questions, comments on that? Alright, so we'll wrap it up then with verses 8-14, which is the rejoicing of creation in the Lamb. So at that moment, verse 8, the living creatures, who represent, I think, the angels and the elders, who represent the church, particularly the church in heaven, fall down before the Lamb to worship Him. Each one of them has a harp, which represents, probably, praise. And each one has a golden bowl full of incense, which is the prayers of the saints. So this is how the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lamb that was slain, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, was prevailed to break the seals and open the scroll. This is how He is worshipped by His creation, by their praises and by their prayers. In verses 9 and 10, the living creatures and the elders begin to sing, and it says that they are singing a new song, and those of you familiar with the Psalms recognize that reference. There are many, many Psalms, many of the calls to worship which we use in our services speak of singing a new song. A new song is based upon some new thing that God has done, or some new revelation. And so as the lamb comes forth to receive the scroll from the hand of the Father, they have a new reason to rejoice. Not that it's new to God, but it's new to us. And they praise the lamb they sing you are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals creation gets this And that is glorious in their eyes They sing because you were slain and have redeemed us to God by your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people And nation so notice again. It's particularly by his his death by his ways laying his life down upon the cross and that He has redeemed us to God, and that redemption reaches unto God's elect among all the peoples of the world. And lastly, they sing, and have made us kings and priests to our God, and we shall reign on the earth. And so this is the great inheritance of the saints, which Christ has purchased for them by His death on the cross. We've spoken of that already, I believe. So then John, so it begins with the living creatures and with the elders. Then another chorus joins in, and this is the chorus of a multitude of angels around the throne of God. And it says the number of them is 10,000 times 10,000 and thousands of thousands. Don't bother to do the math. This is a symbol of a great multitude, an innumerable host of of angels there around the throne. And they're all rejoicing, because remember, they didn't know this. They weren't privy to the plan. And so this has now just been revealed to them, it's been revealed to everybody. First it's revealed to the church, and then through the church onto all the creation, including the angels. So they begin to sing, and what they say with a loud voice is, worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing. Did you count those terms? It's seven, right? So it's a seven-fold praise. Well, what does that mean? All praise. Complete praise unto the Lamb, right? And the angels appreciate that the glory of this moment is that the Son of God is the one who is worthy and by his death has accomplished this great end. Again, this really is an aside, but this is an interesting part of the puzzle in terms of our understanding of angels and the role that they play in gods. purpose that that on the one hand they don't know everything so they're sort of learning stuff as as we are learning it and so so I assume when the consummation comes they'll be just every bit as excited about it as we are but and then and then secondly they they genuinely are excited about this the the redemption of of men through the death and resurrection of the Son is wonderful to them. The Bible says that every time a sinner repents, the angels in heaven rejoice. The Bible says that the angels, Hebrews 1.14, are ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who inherit salvation. They're pulling for us. They're serving us. They're helping us. So anyways, that's kind of helpful thoughts about the angels, that we not think of them as gods. They're not gods. They don't know everything. They're creatures. But these angels, anyways, are very much on our side. and will be there very much rejoicing in the same things that we'll be rejoicing in when all these things come to pass. And then verse 13, and this is important, then every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea is heard singing the praises of God. Okay, so this represents all creation. This is, What's written on the scroll is God's plan for creation, including its glorious end and how it will be accomplished. One steps forward worthy to break the seals and open the scroll. All creation has a reason to rejoice in this great revelation. And so there's this amazing passage in Paul's letter to the Romans, chapter 8, verses 19 and 21, where Paul ties in The fall and redemption of man with the fall and redemption of creation. When man fell, creation fell. And when man is redeemed, creation will be redeemed. So creation itself, the sky and the clouds and the sun and the moon and the rocks and the trees and the fishes, they all have a vested interest. in what Jesus Christ is doing for us at the cross, because we've all been subjected to the curse, and that curse will be lifted when the consummation of the ages comes to pass. So he says there, "...for the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God." that is, God's redeemed people. Because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. So that's why creation is rejoicing. And we see lots of passages in the Old Testament. I think the passage I'm preaching on this week is one where you get the revealing of the sons of God. You see the redeemed people of God entering into the promised land and The hills are rejoicing for them, the trees are rejoicing with them, and all creation is ecstatic about the glorious redemption that Christ has wrought. He's uniting all things in heaven and earth together in one, in Christ, the same Christ that created all things. You see what I mean about what a profound passage this is? This is just taking everything and tying it all together in one with Jesus Christ as the sinner. This is the revelation of the mystery, which is a mystery no more. And so then finally, the four living creatures say, Amen, the twenty-four elders fall down and worship Him who lives forever. Alright, so any questions about particular details before I walk through the main points? Alright, so these are the main points in chapter 5, I think. 1. God has a great plan for His creation. That's what the scroll represents in His hand. And as we go through these, and this first one is an important one, remember who's being shown these things and why they're being shown this. This is what God is showing to, this is what Christ is showing to His church. His church who is in the midst of this combat and is struggling in the world and is charged with overcoming. Okay, so all the things that are revealed to us here, things would be important to the church in the midst of her struggle that she might overcome. And the first is God has a great plan for his creation. As we get into this, chaos, apparent chaos is going to ensue. But before it does, before we even go there and face that and consider what that's gonna look like, This much is established. God has a great plan in His hands, a scroll with the writing of God on it, front and back. That's the first thing. Secondly, the fulfillment of God's great plan for creation must come from beyond creation itself. That's the scene where Who among us is worthy to open the seals and to break the seals and open the scroll? And the answer is nobody. And what we see there is, if it's left up to us, individually or collectively, it'll never happen. It'll never happen. You and I are not going to save this thing. And if you look at the slate of our presidential candidates, And one of them on there is worthy to break the seals and to open the scroll. It's important to make that distinction. I hope that much is clear. But even before we even look at the candidates, even before they brought them out, whoever they were, right, they're not worthy. Not worthy of this. And so this is our ultimate hope and must and should be our ultimate hope. It's not going to come from us. It's going to come in Him. Thirdly, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, as the promised Messiah, is alone worthy to fulfill God's plan for His creation. All the glory of this is His alone. For He alone is worthy, but thankfully He is worthy. If God had been unwilling to send His Son unto us, then surely we would have been lost. He alone is worthy to accomplish the plan, and he alone is worth its being accomplished. I hope you understand what I mean by that distinction. Fourthly, Jesus Christ has prevailed. He's not the Lamb who will be slain. He's the Lamb who is slain, who has been slain, and who has prevailed to break the seals and open the scroll. He has prevailed to accomplish God's plan for creation through His sacrifice of Himself upon the cross. Now again, as we go into chapter 6 and beyond, then all of a sudden there's going to be this war. And there's going to be this enemy, this menacing enemy at work in the world trying to destroy the church. And naturally there's this fear of who's going to win. And the answer of the book of Revelation in chapter 5 is the definitive victor has already been won. There's no question, even from the outset. who's going to win, because the question is not even really who's going to win. Jesus Christ has already won, so it's just a matter of the fullness of time and the consummation of what he has already accomplished. But that is to be the perspective of the church, not will we win, will Jesus do the thing, uh... that we hope he will do in those sorts of things but uh... but we face the world in the battle that is before us with the understanding that we have already won uh... he has already accomplished the decisive victory over sin and death and the devil uh... fifthly jesus christ is the lamb who was slain has been given all authority and power in creation to fulfill its purpose by the holy spirit which he now sends unto it Jesus Christ is the Lamb who was slain, has been given all authority and power in creation to fulfill its purpose by the Holy Spirit, which he now sends unto us. So that's how we should think of Christ, as not only crucified and risen, but in possession now of all authority. It's just a matter of executing the rest of the plan according to the appointed time. Between now and the consummation, the great agent of redemptive action is the Holy Spirit. It's the Holy Spirit through which Christ now works to gather the fullness of the Gentiles, to bring in again Israel that has fallen away before he comes again to receive his kingdom. And then lastly, God the Father and Jesus Christ the Son are worthy to receive the joyous worship of all creation now and forever. more. So this worship that we're seeing in chapter 5 is present. It's present, but it's also forever. So for the Church of Jesus Christ on earth, no matter what our condition is, no matter As small we are, no matter how small we feel, no matter what's going on in our lives, we have a reason when we come together to worship the Lord our God to rejoice. And rejoicing ought to always be really a dominant character of our worship together. That's part of the expression of our faith, that these things that we read about in the Bible are indeed true. And the other point here is that it's not just the Father on the throne who's worthy to be worshipped, but it's also the Lamb. If you know anything about the God of the Bible, he doesn't share his glory with anybody. He's very insistent, I'm God, I'm the only God, nothing else is a God, it's a sin to worship anything else other than me. So when we have this scene here, where all this worship is being given unto the Lamb in the presence of God the Father, and this is seen as a good thing, as it ought to be, that's a pretty clear demonstration of the deity of the Son, that Jesus Christ the Son is indeed is indeed God, the Son. Otherwise, this scene would be thoroughly blasphemous. Alright, I think that's everything. Any questions? Is that last part the reason why people aren't sure whether to include that part? What part? If Jesus is being worshipped, then He must be God? No, I don't think that was the main reason. I think probably it had more to do with its being strange and then its origin being somewhat uncertain. It had John's name on it, but there were plenty of things that were not written by the apostles that had their name on them, so they couldn't take that as decisive. It was more a matter of, you know, what does this book mean and do we recognize it as being the same doctrine as the other books of the Bible and thus truly the voice of our God that's speaking to us. And it was the judgment of the church that that this was indeed the word of God. But I don't think by the, the reason I say that, by the councils that determined the canon, the question of the deity of Christ, I don't think was one that they would have been opposed to. I don't think the Arians were in charge at that point. Okay. Any other questions? Let's do it again. You can read it as many times as you want. Alright, very good. Let's pray. Lord our God we know Bow our heads together and do come before your throne and thank you Lord for showing us this scene from that great place. We acknowledge that the things that you've shown to us here have been a great mystery for a long time and it's wonderful. that they should be now revealed to us with such a clear light in the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. We know, Lord, that the things that you've shown to us here are not something to note in passing, but that this is something that we will need to reflect upon and remember all our days in this world, if we have any hope of overcoming the challenges that we face, then surely we must remember this scene. Surely we must believe the things that are revealed to us here. And so, Lord, we pray, as you have painted a very vivid picture for us here, helped for us to keep that picture vivid in our hearts, and to believe from day to day that truly there is one who is worthy to fulfill God's great purpose for creation, and it's none other than our Lord Jesus Christ, who has died on the cross for our salvation. Let us be encouraged to place all our trust in Him, and in our days, both now and forevermore, to join with angels in singing His praises. We pray this in His name. Amen.