Revelation 5 -- The blueprint of the kingdom

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5 And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the back, close sealed with seven seals.

There is a lot of speculation about what this book is, but I think that is pointless. We learn enough from the record here in Revelation to make some very key conclusions about what this is. Three of these key points are right here in this one verse. It is written within and on the back. That is not typical, but it clearly states there is no room for any additions. Second it is sealed, so whatever was in this book was not revealed until these seals are opened and the next few chapters of Revelation talk about what is revealed then. Third there are seven seals, that would make this document a will, or an inheritance, or a trust fund. Psalm 2:8 Ask of me, and I will give thee the nations for thine inheritance, This verse in psalms makes it clear that God intends to give the risen Christ the nations for an inheritance. Although this verse is not directly referenced by John it is either referring to this or to something quite similar. We give graduation presents to our kids, this appears to be something given to the Lord after His resurrection and ascension.

2 And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a great voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof? 3 And no one in the heaven, or on the earth, or under the earth, was able to open the book, or to look thereon.

When we look at these seals they represent several really big mysteries. Questions that people have been trying to answer for thousands of years and have not been able to. One seal refers to war. What is the purpose of war? After 9/11 there were theories about why God would allow this attack. Some claimed it was God’s judgement on the US for allowing abortion. Others argued that it wouldn’t make sense to attack the twin towers and the Pentagon if your issue was abortion. Another seal refers to the plague. Some have provided verses from the Bible that say there cannot be a calamity in the city unless God did it. Others argue that we fully know what causes epidemics and they are not supernatural. Some say that the plague is from the fall of man. Others say that everything we do has consequences, this plague is a consequence of the environmental damage and habitat destruction. Interestingly, this verse asks “who is worthy”? The answers to these questions are here, in this book, but God will only give it to the one who is worthy. I find that fascinating, we usually think that to answer questions like this requires wisdom. This reminds me of the account in Genesis, once man took the tree of knowledge of good and evil, the tree that would make one wise like God, that God kicked them out of the garden and barred them from the tree of life. God was concerned that someone who had been corrupted by the one tree would then partake of that other tree.

4 And I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open the book, or to look thereon:

Jesus is the last Adam. 1Cor 15:45 So also it is written, The first man Adam became a living soul. The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. Prior to Jesus man knew how to become a living soul. We made music, art, drama, and filled libraries with books. Architecture, history, science, engineering, religion all these things make up our culture, it is what makes our soul “living”. But no one knew how to give life. That is one of the secrets that was sealed up until Jesus resurrection.

5 and one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not; behold, the Lion that is of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath overcome to open the book and the seven seals thereof.

This is another clue to this book. The Lion of the tribe of Judah refers to Jesus, and the Root of David also refers to Jesus. According to the context He hath “overcome” refers to Jesus overcoming sin and the grave. This tells us that Jesus overcame sin and the grave so that He could open the book and the seven seals thereof. He was worthy to open the book, not because He was the Son of God but because of His victory over sin and death. The Lion is the root. Judah was a lion cub, Jesus was the Lion of their tribe. Since David grew out of this tribe Jesus was also the root of David. This verse directly refers us to Jacob’s blessing of Judah. He said that “his hand would be on the neck of his enemies”. We need a different perspective on the cross of Christ, prior to that the enemy had us bound in fear of dying, after the cross the tables have been turned and now it is Satan that has been judged and is awaiting that sentence to be carried out. He also said “from the prey my son thou art gone up”. This chapter portrays Jesus going up from His resurrection, having defeated death, and ascending to the throne in heaven. As a result “the sceptre shall not depart from Judah”. Jesus will be Lord of all, for eternity. These promises and blessings are the root of David. Overcoming to open these seals is a fulfillment of this prophecy. This book is all about binding and judging Satan as well as ruling over the Earth.

6 And I saw in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, having seven horns, and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God, sent forth into all the earth.

Horns signify power and the eyes are the window of the soul revealing the light within. Jesus is the power of God and the wisdom of God. He is both a conquering lion and a lamb that was sacrificed for the world. Finally, He has sent forth his seven spirits of God into all the earth. There have been many sages, philosophers, and prophets. But none has “seven spirits of God sent forth into all the earth” like Jesus does. Go to any continent on Earth and you will hear the word of Jesus, the breath of Jesus, the spirit of God.

7 And he came, and he taketh it out of the right hand of him that sat on the throne. 8 And when he had taken the book, the four living creatures and the four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having each one a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9 And they sing a new song, saying,

Worthy art thou to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and didst purchase unto God with thy blood men of every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation, 10 and madest them to be unto our God a kingdom and priests; and they reign upon the earth.

This is a very big point “worthy art thou”. People wonder why they don’t get the revelation, they don’t get the Lord’s speaking. It isn’t about being wiser or smarter than others or even studying harder. It is amazing how the wisdom of the world discounts and dismisses being “worthy”. As a result the wisdom of the world is foolishness with God. To elevate being worthy to such a prominent place indicates the fear of God. No one can answer these questions and get this revelation unless God chooses to give it to Him. Therefore it is all about fearing God, “hallowed be thy name”. The elders say that Jesus was worthy because He was slain. The cross of Christ was the ultimate evidence that He was faithful, even unto death and that the death of the cross.

 

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11 And I saw, and I heard a voice of many angels round about the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; 12 saying with a great voice,

Worthy is the Lamb that hath been slain to receive the power, and riches, and wisdom, and might, and honor, and glory, and blessing.

So when Jesus received the book with seven seals the angels said He was worthy to receive seven things: power, riches, wisdom, might, honor, glory and blessing.

13 And every created thing which is in the heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and on the sea, and all things that are in them, heard I saying,

Unto him that sitteth on the throne, and unto the Lamb, be the blessing, and the honor, and the glory, and the dominion, for ever and ever.

14 And the four living creatures said, Amen. And the elders fell down and worshipped.

Giving Jesus the book was equated to giving Him blessing, honor, glory and dominion. Not only does the book have seven seals but the blessings of the covenant God made with man have seven categories of blessing.

I believe that if we look at these seven seals in the next few chapters we will be able to understand many mysteries. We can understand the mystery of God, the great mystery of Christ and the church, and also answer the questions that have plagued us throughout human history “why?” Why war? Why famine? Why plague? Why martyrs?

Believers will know the Lord as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. They know that His sacrifice on the cross redeemed them, it paid the price for their sins, and the Lord’s blood washes them and makes them white as snow. But, it is Jesus' victory over sin and death that made Him worthy to open the book. The world thinks that His death was weakness and it was foolishness. If that is true then it was the weakness of God and the foolishness of God, and the weakness of God is stronger than men, the foolishness of God is wiser than men. The reason we have spent 6,000 years of human history and still have corrupt governments abusing their power is because all those who thought they were wise could not think out of the box.

For example, let’s consider the Black Lives Matter movement. Generally you see young men and women on the front lines of these protests. Some hold up trash can lids to protect from tear gas, others have started using leaf blowers to blow the tear gas back at the police. This is weak and foolish. The Lord has already given you a much more powerful and wiser way.

Luke 18:1 And he spake a parable unto them to the end that they ought always to pray, and not to faint; 2 saying, There was in a city a judge, who feared not God, and regarded not man: 3 and there was a widow in that city; and she came oft unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. 4 And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man; 5 yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest she wear me out by her continual coming. 6 And the Lord said, Hear what the unrighteous judge saith. 7 And shall not God avenge his elect, that cry to him day and night, and yet he is longsuffering over them? 8 I say unto you, that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?

First of all, the front lines of these protests should be women, but not young women, old women, women who were widows or who had lost a child. They can sit in wheelchairs and you can have the young men pushing the wheelchairs. Each woman should be holding a large picture of the person who died. One of the issues I have with the George Floyd protests is that it is not just about George Floyd, it would be much more powerful if there were 26 or even 50 pictures of different people who had been treated unjustly. Now if these widows are on the front line, sitting in wheelchairs the police cannot fire tear gas, if they do they lose. They can’t come after them with batons, if they do they lose. They can’t round them up and put them into squad cars, they can’t wrestle them to the ground and handcuff them, there is nothing the police can do. They can’t even stand opposite them in riot gear, they will look like idiots. Behind these women (with the young men pushing the wheelchairs you should have the middle aged women holding up banners. All of the younger ones, the teenagers and singles should have their cameras and phones out videotaping everything. The business men will be pressuring these government officials to settle the issue so that the protests end and business can get back to normal. But the police will be absolutely powerless to do anything. The only solution will be to listen to their complaint and avenge them of their enemy. That is the wisdom of the cross and the power of the cross. That is the lamb of God being a lion and overcoming the enemy. We need this vision of the Lord to participate in His ministry, and it is His ministry that leads us about in victory. Each seal of this book that is opened is a major victory for humanity. We will get into them in the next chapter of Revelation.

Instead the Black Lives Matter movement has been run by young people, they appear angry when they talk to the media. It may be that they talked for thirty minutes and were very reasonable and logical, but for thirty seconds they appeared angry. That is what the media will run with. The reason the judge is “powerful” is because he controls what the people see, he controls how the protests are portrayed. People may have marched peacefully for six hours, but then at night a few people looted. The media will play the clips about the looting and vandalism. Perhaps they were protesting peacefully at night but then the police moved in, shot some tear gas, people began to run in different directions, and then the police moved in with batons and handcuffs. The media will show clips that make this look like a riot and the police were trying to maintain order. These protestors claim that they can’t control the looters. So if you can’t control them doesn’t that mean we need the police? On the other hand if the protest is led by widows in wheelchairs with pictures of people who have died, and mothers walking behind with their children and their banners, no one can possibly associate that protest with looters and rioters. You create an image that they are powerless to twist and distort. You give the media a powerful image, just as powerful as the ones during the sixties with dogs attacking protesters or a little girl being escorted into a school by marshals surrounded by hateful protesters.

 

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So then, what do we learn about this book that Jesus was given when He ascended to the throne?

1. He received it when He ascended. So until that time the seven seals were sealed.
2. The seven seals indicate that it is a legal document bequeathing something to Him from God. Psalm 2 would indicate that at least one of the things given to Him was the nations.
3. The book is comprehensive, there is no room for additions, just like John says at the end of the Book of Revelation which is also the conclusion to the New Testament.
4. It is also illegal to take anything out of this document since it is a legal document.
5. Many, many people have tried to open this book but none were worthy. The first and most important criteria to opening this book is that God would determine that you are worthy.
6. John also felt powerless to open this book and weeped for the implications that had for humanity. This book answers questions that are essential for the survival of man. This is not simply inferred from John weeping but even more from the seals that are subsequently opened. We will look at those in the next chapter.
7. In order to open the book Jesus had to overcome. He is the Lion of the tribe of Judah and the root of David’s wisdom and power. Jesus had to defeat sin and death in order to open this book.
8. All of mankind is referred to as the first Adam. According to the Bible the first Adam became a living soul. All of our civilization is an expression of this living soul. Song, dance, religion, history, science, and all the books in the library are an expression of man who became a living soul. The last Adam, Jesus, became a life giving Spirit. This is the key difference between Jesus and all those who came before Him. This could be the key criteria that makes Him worthy and all those prior sages not worthy to open this book.
9. The Lion is the lamb that was sacrificed on the cross to redeem us and save us from our sins. His power and wisdom is of God (seven indicating God + Creature). The wisdom of the world is foolishness with God. The world considers the cross of Christ to be the weakness of God and the foolishness of God. So then, the weakness of God is stronger than man, and the foolishness of God is wiser than man.
10. The Lord has sent His rhema word throughout all the Earth, this is how He has carried out His ministry and built up His church.
11. Jesus “takes the book” from God, similar to His word “the violent take the kingdom by force”. The crucifixion of Jesus was extremely violent. Sin, Satan, the world, and the flesh were all crucified.
12. He has redeemed men from every nation and built them up to be a kingdom of priests to our God. And these people reign with Him on the earth. This is also what makes Him worthy to open this book.

We will continue to learn more about this book from the seven seals, but based on these 12 points it appears that this book is the blueprint of the kingdom of the heavens on earth.