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Revelation Lecture 8

WORTHY IS THE LAMB

Revelation 5:1-14

Key Verse 5:12

1. What might the scroll represent, and why is it sealed with seven seals (1)? Why did John weep bitterly (2-4)? What is the significance of the titles “the Lion of the tribe of Judah” and “the Root of David” (5; Gen 49:9–10; Isa 11:1, 10)?
2. How is the Lamb described, and what does this description reveal about Jesus (6)? What does the Lamb’s taking the scroll reveal about his authority and role in fulfilling God’s plan for history (7)?
3. Why did the heavenly beings fall down before the Lamb (8a)? What do the harps, the golden bowls full of incense, and the new song represent (8b–9a)? Why is the Lamb worthy to open the scroll and its seals (9b-10)?
4. What does the countless multitude of angels reveal about the Lamb (11)? Why is the slain Lamb worthy to receive power, wealth, wisdom, strength, honor, glory, and praise (12)? What does the worship of every creature reveal about the lordship of God and the Lamb (13-14)?

Revelation Lecture 8 Sep. 27, 2026

WORTHY IS THE LAMB WHO WAS SLAIN

Revelation 5:1-14

Key Verse 5:6a

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.

Let’s look at the image from last Sunday’s message. John saw someone sitting on the throne, shining like jasper and ruby. An emerald-like rainbow encircled the throne, and before it was something like a sea of glass, clear as crystal. Around the throne were twenty-four elders. They fell down before God and laid their crowns before his throne. There were also four living creatures around the throne. Day and night, they never stopped praising God: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.” And the elders worshiped him too: “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power.” What a glorious scene of worship! That is the scene before us as chapter 5 begins.

Look at verse 1: “Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals.” “Then I saw.” John uses this expression again and again in Revelation. Revelation is a deeply visual book. So what does John see now? His attention moves to the right hand of the one sitting on the throne. And in that hand is a scroll. It has writing on both sides, and it is sealed with seven seals. Chapter 4 did not mention the scroll. But that does not mean it suddenly appeared in God’s hand. Think of a camera: first, it shows us the whole throne room. Then it moves in for a close-up of God’s right hand. Now we can see the scroll. Let’s look more closely at the scroll. The Greek word translated “scroll” is biblion. It can mean a book or a written document. John tells us two things about this scroll.

First, the scroll had writing on both sides. Normally, the writing on a scroll was on the inside. But this scroll had writing on the outside as well. Some ancient legal documents, including wills, had writing both inside and outside. The detailed text could be kept inside, while information about the document appeared on the outside. So John’s description may remind us of an important legal document.

Second, the scroll was sealed with seven seals. In John’s time, an important letter could be rolled, secured with a cord, and sealed with wax impressed by the sender’s signet. Think of a royal letter. Its seal showed that the message came with authority, and it was not for just anyone to open. The seals marked the document as something that had to be handled properly. So what do the seven seals tell us? Throughout Revelation, the number seven often suggests fullness or completeness. Here we see a scroll that is thoroughly sealed. Its contents are not open for anyone to inspect.

What might have been written on this scroll? John does not tell us directly. Some think it is the book of life. If so, the writing might be the names of those who belong to Christ and remain faithful to him, even to death. Others see it as something like a legal document. In this view, the scroll represents the inheritance given to the Son of God. And many understand it as God’s plan for judgment and redemption. As the Lamb opens the seals in the chapters that follow, we see that evil is judged and God’s people are redeemed. For that reason, I think the scroll is best understood as representing God’s plan to bring about judgment and redemption through Jesus Christ.

But then something happens. A mighty angel proclaims in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?” (2) Notice that the angel does not ask, “Who is strong enough to break the seals?” A person might have the strength to break a seal and still have no right to do so. Think of a property deed in a sealed envelope. You may be able to tear open the envelope, but that does not give you the right to own the property. You must be legally entitled to it. In the same way, opening the scroll requires more than the ability to break its seals. You must be worthy to open it. The angel’s question calls for someone who is worthy—someone with the right to break its seals and open it.

John looked around, but he couldn’t find anyone worthy to open the scroll. How did he respond? He wept and wept (4). Some of us might wonder, “Why did John weep so much? If no one can open the scroll, why not leave it closed?” To understand his tears, we need to think about what opening the scroll means. It means more than reading a hidden document. In chapter 6, each time the Lamb breaks a seal, a new vision unfolds, and we see God’s purposes moving forward. So imagine if the scroll remained sealed. What if evil were never judged and God’s suffering people were never delivered? Think of the churches John is writing to. They face pressure to compromise their faith. Some suffer poverty or slander because they follow Jesus. Some may even face death. John himself is on Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. What hope do they have as they endure these things? They hope that Christ will come, that God will set things right, and that his kingdom will be fully revealed. Now imagine hearing that no one can open the scroll. Would their suffering go unanswered? Would evil have the last word? Would the new heaven and new earth they long for never come? We know that John is about to hear good news, but at this moment, he does not hear it. He sees no one worthy, and he weeps. If I had stood there with him, longing for God to finish his work and seeing no one able to open the scroll, I think I would have wept too.

But nothing can stop God’s plan of redemption. God keeps his promises, and he will bring his purposes to completion. In the middle of John’s weeping, one of the elders said to him: “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.” (5) “Do not weep!” The elder gives John a reason for hope. Someone has triumphed. Someone is worthy to open the scroll. Who is “the Lion of the tribe of Judah”? Long ago, Jacob compared Judah to a lion. A lion is a picture of royal strength. The elder also calls him “the Root of David.” God had promised that a king would come from David’s royal line. Now that promised Messiah has triumphed.

Please look at verse 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.” John saw a Lamb. Who comes to mind when you hear that? Yes, Jesus. We remember the words of John the Baptist when he saw Jesus: “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29) The image of a lamb also takes us back to the Passover. In Egypt, a lamb was sacrificed, and its blood was placed on the doorframes of the Israelites’ homes. When judgment came, those inside were spared. The lamb died, and they lived.

Now John sees a Lamb in heaven. The Lamb looked “as if it had been slain.” Imagine the marks of a fatal wound, perhaps even blood on its neck. The Lamb had been killed. Yet there he is, standing at the center of the throne. He was slain, but he is alive! This does not mean the Lamb only appeared to die. Jesus truly died on the cross for our sins. But on the third day, God raised him from the dead. John sees the risen Jesus, still bearing the marks of his sacrifice. Through his death and resurrection, Jesus broke the power of sin and death and opened the way of salvation for us. As the Son of God who has triumphed, he has the right and authority to break the scroll’s seven seals and open it. Praise the Lamb who was slain but is now alive, standing at the center of the throne!

John then tells us more about the Lamb: “The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.” In the Bible, a horn can represent strength. A lamb may seem weak, and its horns may not look threatening. But this Lamb has seven horns. The number seven points to fullness: his power is complete. The one who gave himself in sacrifice has the power to overcome every enemy. And he has seven eyes. This is symbolic language. The Lamb sees what happens throughout the earth. John connects the eyes with “the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth”—a picture of the fullness of God’s Spirit at work everywhere. Nothing is hidden from the risen Christ, and his power is not limited to one place.

Look at verse 7: “He went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne.” At last, someone worthy has come forward. The Lamb goes to the throne and takes the scroll from God’s right hand. Then the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fall down before him (8). In chapter 4, we saw them worshiping the one seated on the throne. Now they fall down before the Lamb.

John gives us a closer look at the elders. Each one has a harp and holds a golden bowl full of incense. They have instruments to praise the Lamb. I must admit, I envy people who play an instrument beautifully. When someone plays the piano, violin, cello, guitar, drum, or another instrument in worship, I sometimes wish I could do that too. Perhaps when I get to heaven, I’ll be able to play the piano like Mozart! Then John tells us what was in the golden bowls. The incense, he says, is “the prayers of God’s people.” The prayers we offer here on earth are present before God in heaven. They do not simply disappear. Even when our prayers seem small or weak, God has not forgotten them. Some of you may feel, “I pray, but I never seem to receive an answer.” I understand that feeling. Sometimes God’s answer is different from what we hoped for, and sometimes we must wait. But God hears every one of our prayers and answers them in his time.

The four living creatures and the twenty-four elders began to sing. Verse 9 calls it “a new song.” In the Psalms, a new song often celebrates something wonderful God has done. A new song is a song of praise for his victory and redemption. “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. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.” (9-10) The song tells us why the Lamb is worthy.

First, the Lamb purchased people for God. How did he do it? “You were slain, and with your blood you purchased persons for God.” In the Roman world, many lived as slaves. If someone paid to free a slave, that person’s life changed. Sin has held us in bondage, and the wages of sin are death. Jesus shed his own blood for us. Jesus purchased us “for God.” Now we belong to God, and we are free to serve Jesus. His saving work reaches people from every tribe and language.

Second, the Lamb has made them to be a kingdom and priests. Verse 10 says, “You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.” When he brought Israel out of Egypt, he told them, “You will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exodus 19:6). Now the Lamb has brought people from every nation into that calling. What does it mean for us to be priests? It means we can come before God through Christ and serve him. We can pray for others, speak his word, declare his goodness, and help people come to know him. Peter says to believers, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” (1 Peter 2:9) So let us remember who we are. The Lamb has purchased us with his blood. We belong to God. We are his people, called to serve him and to share his light with others.

Now John sees and hears countless angels surrounding the throne. Together they praise the Lamb. Let’s read verse 12: “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!” The angels give the Lamb seven words of praise—power, wealth, wisdom, strength, honor, glory, and praise. The Lamb who was slain is worthy of it all. Then every creature in heaven, on earth, under the earth, and in the sea joins in. Imagine the whole creation singing together to the one on the throne and to the Lamb! The four living creatures answer, “Amen,” and the elders fall down and worship.

What can we take home from today’s passage?

First, Jesus is worthy to bring God’s plan to completion. No one in heaven or on earth could open the scroll. But Jesus could. He is the promised King, the Lamb who was slain and who now stands alive at the center of the throne. He gave his life for us, rose again, and triumphed. This matters to us when the world around us seems powerful or frightening. In John’s day, Rome claimed people’s highest loyalty. But Revelation shows us who truly reigns: Jesus is Lord. No earthly ruler has the final word. The Lamb does. So when we face pressure to compromise, we can remain faithful to him.

Second, remember we are a kingdom and priests. Jesus purchased us for God with his blood and made us a kingdom and priests. We are God’s people. We can come before him in prayer, pray for others, and make him known. So this week, let us live as people who belong to God. Let us offer him our everyday lives—our work, our relationships, our words, and our choices—as worship. Let us share the good news of Jesus with those around us. And when we feel weak, let us remember the vision John saw: the Lamb who was slain is standing at the center of the throne. He is alive, he is worthy, and he reigns.