A Study Of The Book Of Revelation
Lesson No. 8: Chapter 5
Date: July 23rd and 30th, August
6th and 13th, 2003, Wednesday Evening Adult
Bible Class
Speaker: John Phillis
Note: Much
of the information for this Study of Revelation was taken from the
book “Revelation Through First Century Glasses” by W. B. West. Other sources: “The Living Word, Study
of Revelation, Parts I & II” by Dr. Frank
Pack; “Revelation” by Jim McGuiggan; “Commentary
on Revelation” by Homer Hailey; “Commentary on
Revelation” by Burton Coffman; “The Book of Revelation
– Spiritual Sword Lectureship, October 18 – 22,
1998”; “Commentary on Revelation” by Howard
Winters; “Revelation for Christians Today” by Lonnie
Woodruff; “Unlocking Revelation” by J. Stafford
North.
Objectives in Studying this
Chapter:
1) To examine what is revealed about the
Lamb (Jesus) and what He has accomplished through His
death
2) To consider the impact this scene
would have had upon the persecuted Christians in Asia
THE SCROLL AND THE LAMB (VERSES
1-7)
A Reading of Revelation, Chapter 5, Verses
1-7
1And I saw in the right hand of Him Who sat on
the throne a scroll written inside and on the back, sealed with
seven seals. 2Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with
a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose
its seals?” 3And no one in heaven or on the earth
or under the earth was able to open the scroll, or to look at
it.
4So I wept much, because no one was found worthy
to open and read the scroll, or to look at it. 5But one
of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of
the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the
scroll and to loose its seven seals.”
6And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the
throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the
elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain, having seven
horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent out
into all the earth. 7Then He came and took the scroll
out of the right hand of Him Who sat on the throne.
Chapter 4 and Chapter 5 are closely
related. Chapter 4 sets up this picture, the
throne scene that we have already studied. It talks about
“Who sits on the throne,” obviously referring
to God. But, then, Chapter 5 gives
prominence to the Lamb, the Lamb of God—the Son of God.
He is given equal praise with God, and is given the scroll, which
He takes out of the right hand of God.
The Scroll in God’s Right Hand
(verses 1-4)
1And I saw in the right hand of Him Who sat on
the throne a scroll written inside and on the back, sealed with
seven seals. 2Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with
a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose
its seals?” 3And no one in heaven or on the earth
or under the earth was able to open the scroll, or to look at
it.
4So I wept much, because no one was found worthy
to open and read the scroll, or to look at it.
John begins, “and I
saw.” This introduces a new phase of the
vision. John sees a scroll. Some translations say
“book.” Others say “scroll.”
Obviously, it is a scroll. The scroll lay in (actually the
Greek word is “on”)…the scroll lay on the open
right hand of God.
We understand that, during the time that
Revelation was written, they wrote on parchment,
or papyrus—long sheets that were rolled onto two cylinders,
which were then rolled up together in the form of a scroll.
As one end was pulled open (or the two cylinders pulled apart), it
revealed what was on the inside.
There was something very peculiar about this
scroll as John viewed it from whatever distance he was. It
was written on both sides. This was not the usual way on
which to write a scroll. Usually, the writing was contained
on the inside of the scroll. On this particular scroll, the
writing was within and without—“inside and on the
back,” [verse 1]. This suggests
that it was full, that it was
complete. There was no room left, no
opportunity left, to add anything to the scroll, because what was
contained therein was final. Ezekiel saw such a scroll that
was written within and without, except that in the vision that
Ezekiel saw, Ezekiel 2 and verse 10, that scroll
was actually opened so its contents could be seen.
We’ll talk more about the significance of the scroll that
John saw when we get down to verse 8.
[Ezekiel 2:9-10: “Now when I
looked, there was a hand stretched out to me; and behold, a scroll
of a book was in it. 10Then He spread it before me; and
there was writing on the inside and on the outside, and written on
it were lamentations and mourning and woe.”]
We see that this scroll was sealed. There
is something about this, as well. Not that the scroll was
sealed, because we know that in this particular day and time and up
to more recent times, official documents were sealed with a
seal. The seal indicated, first of all, that this was an
authentic document, coming from the king, using his signet ring, or
the person who had the authority to send such a document, dispatch,
decree, law, or whatever. Secondly, the person who received
the document could be assured that the document had not been
violated—that it had not been opened. | | | | |
