Revelation 5: Jesus: The Lamb that was Slain

Revelation 5:1-14

Isaiah 11:1-10

Jesus the lamb that was slain

This world is spiralling out of control.

Earthquakes, Tsunamis, floods, fires………

According to some experts, the world is going to burn up, according to others, the world is going to freeze up, according to others, we are going to be flooded, according to others….who knows?

And there are wars, lots of wars, Iran, Israel, USA, Russia, Ukraine, lots of wars and lots of rumours of wars, is China going to take over Taiwan?, is America going to take over Greenland?……who knows?

And then there are corrupt governments…..can we trust any government anymore?

And what about another pandemic? COVID was bad enough, is there another super bug on the horizon…..who knows?

No wonder our kids are suffering anxiety and depression more than ever……I mean just look at our world, it is spiralling out of control. One potential disaster after another.

That is without even mentioning AI, according to some experts AI will improve our lives dramatically, according to other experts, AI will destroy us, Terminator 2 will come to fruition, “Arnie, will be back”

And so what do people do, to cope with all this chaos? They turn to drugs and alcohol, a anything where they can just escape this miserable world for a while, but then reality kicks in and things just spiral more and more out of control.

Friends, if there is no God, what a hopeless world we live in.

If there is no God, I really don’t know how you would cope.

If there is no God, how sad, how tragic.

Let us all just eat and drink for tomorrow we die.

And yet brothers and sisters….

As we come to Revelation chapter 5, we can clearly see the truth that God is alive and God is actively working in his world, God is actively working out his plan of redemption.

It is Jesus, the lamb of God, the lion of Judah, the root of David, the Son of God, it is Jesus who holds all this chaos in his hands and more importantly we can see that it is Jesus who is working out his plan of redemption through all this chaos.

If you remember from the chapter 4, Jesus, the one who sounded like a trumpet, had shown John a vision of heaven. And at the centre of that vision, was God, sitting on his throne, and all creation was bowing and worshipping Him.

Now, as we get to chapter 5, we are still in that vision, we are still at the throne of God and now we see God holding a scroll in his right hand.

Look at verses 1-4 with me:

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?” 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. 

Here is God, sitting on his throne in heaven, with a divine scroll in his right hand. We know this scroll was like no earthly scroll because it had writing on both sides. That was just impossible to write on both sides. And we know that this scroll was written under God’s authority, since it was in his right hand, the hand that is used to wield the sword.

And this scroll was rolled up, and it was sealed- no one was able to break the seal and open the scroll and so John started to cry in despair.

Why would John cry in despair?

Well, we know that in this scroll was written the judgement and redemption of the world and so John at that moment probably thought like most people on this planet think. He probably thought this world was in chaos and there is no-one who is working out a good and perfect plan.  John was trapped on a penal colony of the Roman Empire because he was spreading the good news of Jesus. Christianity, at that time in the first century under the Roman rule, was illegal. Christians were being fed to the lions.

If anyone had the right to think, the world was spiralling out of control- it was John.

John was doing good and yet he was being punished severely for it.

John had lived and worked with Jesus, he had witnessed Jesus die and rise again, and yet at that time, that John had wrote this letter of Revelation, it would have appeared that the work of Jesus was wasted. Christians were being slaughtered and churches were dying. If anything, it would have appeared that it was Rome who had the plans of the world in its hand, it was Rome who was executing judgement, it was Rome who were offering redemption, it was Rome who offered peace and security, as you bowed to Caesar.

John would have despaired.

And so when John realised for that moment that no-one could open that scroll of judgement and redemption, he cried.

By the way friends, there is a right time to cry over the sins of this world. There is a right time to cry over the consequence of our own sins. Just as Jesus cried over the death of his friend Lazarus, we too should grieve the awful consequences of sin.

In fact if we don’t cry over the sins of this world, then there is something wrong with us.

Sadly many people rejoice over the sins of this world- how sad?

And yet friends, because we know there is a God who is in control of all of this chaos, just like John, we don’t need to continue to weep and mourn, but instead we can turn our sorrow into Joy, because we know that it is Jesus who is working out his purposes through this chaos.

Look at verses 5-7 with me:

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.”

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.

One of the 24 elders that we first met in chapter 4, told John to weep more, and why?

Because there was someone who could open the scroll, there was some-one who had a plan for all the chaos, all the judgement, there is a plan for the redemption of God’s creation through all this chaos and that person, the only person who could open the scroll was Jesus.

The elder described Jesus as Lion of the tribe of Judah and the root of David.

Way back in Genesis 49:9-10, it was predicted that God’s king would come from the tribe of Judah. In Isaiah 11 it was predicted that the root of David, in fact the root of Jesse who was king David’s father, would execute justice and bring in peace.

And so by the elder referring to Jesus as the Lion of Judah and the root of David, he was letting John know, and also us know, that this person, who takes the scroll from the right hand of God, is the same person who was foretold in scriptures, he was the promised Messianic king, who would bring judgement and peace to the world.

And this person, we know, is Jesus.

And yet interestingly, when John turned to look at the Lion of Judah, he didn’t see a Lion, but he saw a lamb that had been slain.

A lamb that had been slain, but was still standing, like one who had died and come back to life.

A lamb that had 7 horns, which represents perfect and complete power. Since horns were a symbol of strength.

 A lamb that had seven eyes, which represents a lamb that could see all things, he could see into the hearts of men and women and therefore execute perfect judgement.

A lamb that had seven spirits of God, or the seven fold spirit of God, God’s Holy Spirit, which represents a lamb which is everywhere and can see all things.

This lamb who was slain, - Jesus had the power and authority to take the scroll of judgment and redemption, and why?

Because it was at the cross that Jesus executed the plan of judgement and redemption of all creation.

Look at verses 9 and 10 with me:

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.”

Only Jesus was worthy to take the scroll and open it because by the shedding of his at the cross, he accomplished two things.

1.        He was able to take the wrath and judgement of God onto his own shoulders. He died for our sins, he paid for all those sins we have repented of.

2.        He was able to ransom a people for himself. By his blood he purchased us in to his kingdom. By his blood, he has ransomed people from all tribes, languages, people groups and nations, and he has made us a kingdom and priests.

Friends, Jesus is the one who is in charge of this world, he is the one who is working out his plans through the chaos, he alone can open the seals, he alone determines the times and dates- we can trust that he is God.

When the Roman soldiers killed Jesus and put his body in Jospeh’s tomb, the Roman Empire put a seal on the tomb. The Romans had thought they had solved the Jesus problem. They thought they were the ones in charge of history, as they sealed his tomb. They were the ones who brought judgment, and they were the ones who thought they could bring peace, at the feet of Caesar.

And yet praise God, we know, that they weren’t in control of true justice and peace, only Jesus is, and he proved that when 3 days after being killed, the seal on that tomb was broken. A seal which no-one dared to break, Jesus broke by his angels as he rose from the tomb.

The Romans were not in charge of the destiny of Jesus, NO, Jesus was in charge of their destiny, and how did Jesus show his power, his might, his rule?

He died on a cross.

Jesus showed his power and might through suffering and death.

Friends, we are called to show the power and might of Jesus, in the same way, through suffering and weakness. Paul often called Timothy to join him in his suffering. 1 Corinthians 1:18-2:5, tells us that it is through the weakness of the cross, the foolishness of the cross that the power of God is displayed.

And so brothers and sisters, rejoice when people call you fools for Jesus, rejoice for when people accuse you of being obsessed with myths, rejoice for people accusing you of needing an emotional crutch of God, rejoice when people don’t invite you for a booze up, because they see you as a “goodie two shoes”, rejoice, when people call you bigots for standing on God’s word, rejoice, because we know in suffering and weakness, the power of God is displayed.

It was the lamb who was slain who was able to hold the authority of judgement and redemption.

You know, isn’t it amazing to think that the early church grew exponentially under the Roman Empire. The more the Empire tried to eradicate Christianity- the more it grew. 

And how did it grow?

Did the Christians pick up their swords?

No, they laid down their lives.

The early church was grounded in the blood of the Christian martyrs.

God’s power grows through our weakness and suffering for Him.

God’s power grows when we forgive our enemies and pray for those who persecute us.

What is foolish in the world’s eyes is wisdom and power in the eyes of God.

It is the lamb that was slain who holds creation in his hands.

Let us pray.