Wednesday, June 02, 2021

Revelation 5:6-10

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6 Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing at the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. 7 He went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne. 8 And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God’s people. 9 And they sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation. 10 You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.” ~ Revelation 5:6-10

A careful study of the Old Testament renders the understanding that Christ had to deal with sin and death before He could take on the adversary, Satan. According to Hebrews 2, Satan held the power of death, which kept all of humanity in bondage. This bondage had to be broken first before the Lord Jesus could render Satan powerless. Through His death and resurrection, the Lord Jesus conquered sin and death. At Calvary's cross, the Lord Jesus overcame that which separated us from a personal relationship with out Creator. 

As we come back to Revelation 5, the Lion who is from the tribe of Judah and the Root of David has overcome as the Lamb. John uses the Greek word nikao translated triumphed to describe the work of the Lord Jesus on the cross. This Greek word nikao is the word from which we get our word Nike.

In v.6 we read, "Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing at the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth."

The term “lamb” is used six times throughout Scripture in reference to the Lord Jesus, until we get to the book of the Revelation. In the book of Revelation, alone, it is used twenty-eight times. Lamb is a key title for the Son of God in this book.

Notice that the lamb is standing. He is alive, yet He is standing as if slain. And, He is bearing wounds which are the marks of His death on our behalf. He will have these marks for all of eternity. In these, the Lion and the Lamb, John sees the uniting of two themes that run throughout the Bible. Lions conquer while lambs submit! Lions roar while lambs die! Here is introduced to us the One who conquers by submitting. 

When this scroll begins to unroll God is calling the nation of Israel back to the ultimate fulfillment of the promises that He long promised. The history of earth is now in view, and the key to that history is the nation Israel. The time has now come for the restoration of Israel, and this is what the book of the Revelation is all about.

Notice that the Lamb has seven horns. Horns in Scripture speak of power, and seven is the number of fullness. So the Lamb has fullness of power on the basis of his death.

In v.7 we read, "He went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne." 

This monumental act is the thing that has been building since Revelation 4:1, since John was granted this vision. This is the great culminating act of human history. The goal of redemption is about to be reached. Paradise is about to be regained. The Lamb comes and takes the scroll out of the hand of God.

In v.8 we read, "And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God’s people."

Each elder had a harp, and bowls of incense, fragrances, which, are the prayers of the saints. The slain Lamb is the center of all of the worship for He is God. The harp symbolizes the music of inanimate creation. Not only will all creatures of the universe praise God and join in worship before Him for His redemptive love, but creation itself will praise Him. Heaven worships Him not for His teaching or His perfect life of compassion, or even His miracles. Heaven worships Him for the shedding of His blood for sinners of every age. 

In v.9-10 we read, "And they sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation. 10 You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth."

There were two majestic doxologies in Revelation 4, and now there are three more added here in Revelation 5 to make a total of five great doxologies of praise to God and to the Lamb. The crescendo of praise continues and it rolls on, accumulating momentum, until the song of adoration is in the mouth of every living creature in the universe.

Spontaneous worship erupts because of the end of sin and that the end of Satan is imminent. What happened on the cross in terms of his sentence will now be executed. It is at this point that the four living ones who are the cherubim and the twenty-four elders who are the representatives of the redeemed church fall down before the Lamb.

The extent of the redemption then is given in v.9, “from every tribe and language and people and nation.” The Lord Jesus Christ shed His blood for the whole world. He provided redemption back to God for the willing from every tribe, languagepeople and nation.

And then v.10 adds the result of such a redemption: "You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth."

Believers in the Lord Jesus Christ will be a kingdom of kings and priests forever. We will reign with the Lord Jesus into the new heaven and the new earth and into eternity. We will enjoy complete access to God’s presence forever because of the determined obedience of only One, the Lord Jesus Christ. No longer will we be incomplete because it is His presence which renders to us the fullness of joy.