The Worthy One
I find the book of Revelation to be highly encouraging. Although the book informs us about future events, that is not its primary goal. Its main goal is to encourage us and spur us to worship the King of kings and Lord of lords. It was written to seven churches in the Roman Empire during a time of persecution for believers. After the introduction, the first three chapters show Jesus in the midst of his churches, giving encouragement and rebuke. Chapter 4 begins a new vision that initially focuses on the throne. In Chapter 4, we see the one on the throne and the four living creatures around the throne proclaiming the holiness of the one on the throne. Verse 8 says they never cease saying, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” At this proclamation, the 24 elders seated around the throne fall down in worship.
And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying,
“Worthy are you, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they existed and were created.” (Revelation 4:9–11ESV)
The 24 elders represent the church. There are the twelve of the Old Testament, represented by the twelve tribes of Israel, and the twelve of the New Testament, represented by the twelve apostles. These 24 elders, a picture of the church, proclaim the worthiness of God to receive all glory, honor, and power because he is the creator and sustainer of all things.
The Need for Another Worthy One
However, Chapter 5 presents another worthy one. If God the Creator is worthy, why is there a need for another worthy one? Revelation 5:1–4 tells us there needs to be a worthy one to open a scroll.
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. And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it, and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. (ESV)
John is describing what he saw, but what he saw is meant to give us a message. God does not have a hand, much less a right hand, but John saw a scroll in God’s right hand. What does that tell us? The right hand is the hand of blessing and power. When Joseph brought his sons Ephraim and Manasseh before his father Jacob for blessing, he put Ephraim in front of Jacob’s left hand and Manasseh in front of Jacob’s right hand, because Manasseh was the firstborn, yet when Jacob pronounced his blessing, he crossed his hands and put his right hand of blessing on Ephraim.
Exodus 15 contains the song the Israelites sang after crossing the Red Sea. Verses 6 and 12 tell us of God’s powerful right hand.
Your right hand, O LORD, glorious in power,
your right hand, O LORD, shatters the enemy. (Exodus 15:6 ESV)
You stretched out your right hand;
the earth swallowed them. (Exodus 15:12 ESV)
So, because this scroll is in God’s right hand, whatever this scroll contains will be a display of God’s blessing and power. Notice that the scroll is written on the front and back. This is highly unusual. Scrolls typically are only written on one side, but this scroll contains so much that both sides are used. Also, this scroll has seven seals, so the content cannot be revealed. Since seven is the number of completion, whatever is in this scroll will be complete once all the seals have been broken. What is in the scroll? The scroll contains God’s ordained plan for accomplishing redemption.
Who can open the scroll and accomplish redemption? Verses 3 and 4 are concerned with who is qualified to open the scroll. The mighty angel asks who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals. There is one qualification for opening the scroll: whoever does it must be worthy. The angel does not ask who is strong enough to open the scroll, who is smart enough to open the scroll, or who is wise enough to open the scroll. The ability to open the scroll is not based on strength, intelligence, or wisdom. What matters is worth. Why can’t God, who was proclaimed worthy in Chapter 4, open the scroll? If anyone is worthy, isn’t it the Lord God? But John says in verse 3 that “no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it.” That excludes the one on the throne. In the beginning, God ordained that only a man could carry out his plan for his people. There are plenty of worthy beings in the heavenly realm but no men. There are plenty of men on the earth, but none worthy.
Initially, Adam was given dominion over the earth to carry out God’s purpose of having an earth filled with those who give him worship, but he sinned; thus, the earth is filled with those who worship anyone but God. Another man is needed to succeed where Adam failed. Notice that John understands the horror of there being no man worthy to carry out God’s plan. Verse 4 says, “I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it.” John is heartbroken over the seeming invincibility of sin and death. We need a man who will conquer sin and death and cause men to worship the one on the throne. We need a man who is worthy to carry out God’s plan of redemption.
The Revealing of the Worthy One
Praise God, though; there is one who is worthy, and he is revealed in verses 5–7.
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.” 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. And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne. (Revelation 5:5–7 ESV)
The Worthy One Is a Conqueror
The first thing we see about this worthy one is that he is a conqueror. This is what he was prophesied to be. He didn’t just appear at the last minute or without forethought. From the time Adam fell, God promised in Genesis 3:15 that the seed of the woman would bruise the head of the serpent. In Revelation 5, the seed of the woman is called the Lion of the tribe of Judah. Before Jacob dies, he blesses his sons. Genesis 49:8–10 records the first part of Jacob’s blessing for Judah.
Judah, your brothers shall praise you;
your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies;
your father’s sons shall bow down before you.
Judah is a lion’s cub;
from the prey, my son, you have gone up.
He stooped down; he crouched as a lion
and as a lioness; who dares rouse him?
The scepter shall not depart from Judah,
nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,
until tribute comes to him;
and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples. (ESV)
This worthy one is the fulfillment of Jacob’s blessing. He holds the ruling scepter, and all will obey him. However, he is also the Root of David. In 2 Samuel 7, God covenanted with David that he would build him a house and his son’s throne would be established forever. God says through Nathan the prophet in 2 Samuel 7:16, “And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.” This worthy one is not only the one who sits forever on David’s throne but is the Root of David. You would think that David would be the root and whoever is the ultimate fulfillment would be the tree, but not so. I’ve been vague up to this point, but we know the worthy one is Jesus. In Matthew 22:41–45, Jesus proclaims to the Pharisees that he is the Root of David. He precedes David and is his Lord. Jesus closes the mouths of the Pharisees by appealing to Psalm 110:1.
The LORD says to my Lord:
“Sit at my right hand,
until I make your enemies your footstool.” (ESV)
This worthy one is the one who rules in fulfillment of all that God has prophesied. Notice that in his fulfillment, he conquered and thus was able to open the scroll. His fulfilling God’s prophecies and conquering God’s enemies made him qualified, or worthy, to open the scroll.
The Worthy One Is a Sacrifice
But how did this mighty, kingly lion conquer? As a lamb. The worthy one is a sacrifice. John hears that the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, but when he looks, he sees “a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain.” It’s like he hears the news on the radio and pictures in his mind this mighty warrior king, but when he turns on the TV, he sees a bloody lamb. This lamb has been killed, yet it lives. The worthy one accomplished redemption as a lamb. This was also a fulfillment of prophecy and the redemption pictured in the sacrifices of the Old Testament. We read in Isaiah 53:7,
He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
yet he opened not his mouth;
like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,
so he opened not his mouth. (ESV)
Also, 1 Peter 1:18–20 says,
. . . you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you. (ESV)
So, Christ, who was foreknown before the foundation of the world, entered this world and died like a spotless lamb on our behalf. Thus, John saw “a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain” because this Lamb rose from the dead, yet still has the marks of crucifixion in his body.
The Worthy One Sends the Spirit
There are further descriptions of the Lamb, though. We also see that he sends the Holy Spirit. The Lamb has seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent throughout the earth. Horns represent strength, and since there are seven, this picture shows that the Lamb is all-powerful. The seven eyes show that the Lamb is all-seeing and all-knowing. Notice, though, that his power and knowledge are realized through the seven spirits of God, which is a picture of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is sent out into all the earth to apply the redemption accomplished by the Lamb. Jesus said in John 15:26, “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me.” Then, in John 16:8, Jesus said the Spirit will “convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment.” It is only by the Spirit of God applying the Word of God that anyone is convicted of sin and is born again.
The Worthy One Begins to Rule
Finally, we see that the worthy one begins to rule. Verse 7 says, “And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne.” Note the language. John does not say, “And he timidly went to the throne and hesitantly asked to have the scroll.” No, the Lamb strolled right up to the throne and took the scroll from God’s right hand. Because he conquered, he was just as worthy as the one on the throne, so he took the scroll. The vision is not picturing the Son as the second person of the Trinity but as the God-man, Jesus Christ. In his death, burial, and resurrection, he accomplished salvation. He earned the right to complete God’s redemptive plan of applying salvation to all the elect through the Word and the Spirit.
The Worship of the Worthy One
This is why the remainder of Chapter 5 is worship of the worthy one.
And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 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,
and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God,
and they shall reign on the earth.”
Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice,
“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might
and honor and glory and blessing!”
And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying,
“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!”
And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped. (Revelation 5:8–14 ESV)
Our hearts should be overflowing in praise and worship to the one who has ransomed us, to the one who is worthy to complete God’s redemptive plan. The worship we offer here is but a minuscule fraction of the worship that is due to him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb. Those of us in Christ will worship the Worthy One for all eternity, and it will be joyous.
Photo by Javier Cruz: https://www.pexels.com/photo/low-angle-photo-of-church-interior-2917871/