Sunday School Notes: Revelation 5:1-6

¹ And I saw in the right [hand] of the one sitting upon the throne a scroll having been written on inside and on the back, having been sealed with seven seals. ² And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals?” ³ And no-one was able in heaven, nor on the earth, nor under the earth, to open the scroll nor even to look into it. ⁴ And I began weeping greatly, for no-one worthy was found to open the scroll, not even to look upon it. ⁵ And one of the elders says to me, “Do not cry. Behold, he has conquered–the Lion from the tribe of Judah, the root of David–to open the scroll and its seven seals. ⁶ And I saw in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures and in the midst of the elders, a Lamb standing as having been slaughtered, having seven horns and seven eyes which are the seven spirits of God having been sent out into all the earth.

Chapter four introduced us to the heavenly throne room and its occupants: the one on the throne, the four creatures, and the twenty-four elders. The one on the throne is clearly the Lord (similar to the Ancient of Days in Daniel 7), the four creatures represent the created order, and the twenty-four elders are the people of God from both sides of the cross, Old and New Testament (twelve tribes of Israel and twelve Apostles). The creatures and the elders extol the one on the throne, declaring His glory, His power, His authority, and the elders bow to him, casting their crowns in a show of humility and submission.

John now notices that the one sitting on the throne is holding a scroll in his right hand. The word translated “scroll” is the Greek biblion, which could refer to either a scroll or a codex, the earliest form of the book. The fact I chose to translate the word “scroll” indicates which I think it is, but we surveyed some of the arguments for each:

Arguments for “codex”:

• The earliest New Testament fragments we have are written on both sides, probably from codices (the plural of “codex”) since scrolls were generally only written on one side. These fragments date from around the beginning of the second century (the 100s), indicating that the codex was in use at that time. If Revelation is from the mid-90s, that would fit with a time when the codex was in use within the church.
• Archaeological evidence suggests the codex was popular among Christians, especially toward the end of the first century. Some scholars believe Christians may have invented the codex as a cheap way of keeping their Scriptures. Since you usually only write on one side of a scroll, it would take more scrolls to copy the Scriptures than it would the codex, where you can write on both sides of the papyrus. Also, the codex form allows you to bind, say, all Paul’s epistles together in one volume for easy transportation, as opposed to carrying a bunch of scrolls around.
• We know codices were used in Christian worship, and this scene seems to be mirroring a worship service.
• John speaks of “opening” the biblion, not “unrolling” it.

Arguments for “scroll”:

• If Revelation was written in the mid-late 60s, Christians were more likely to be using scrolls than codices. Indeed, even with the later dating, scrolls were more popular within the society as a whole, and hence more readily available.
• There was a form of scroll, the opisthograph, that was written on both sides and in wide use at the time.
• Ezekiel 2:9-10, a passage possibly being alluded to here, mentions a hand outstretched containing a kephalis bibliou, a “scroll of a book.” This was “unrolled” and was written on the outside and within. The contents of the scroll are “lamentations, mourning, and woes”–which, as we shall see, characterize much of what is in the Revelation scroll.

The scholarly consensus leans toward the scroll, maybe an opisthograph, with a summary of the contents on the outside, perhaps on each of the seals. As each seal is broken, the fullness of that summary is revealed. Those summaries may be nothing more than the Old Testament prophecies and promises which are about to be realized. It’s also possible that the seal is not just for keeping the contents hidden. By breaking the seal, the one breaking it executing the contents. Scholar G. K. Beale notes the similarity between the scroll of Revelation 5, and the ancient Roman will:

1. The contents of the will were sometimes summarized on the back of the scroll.
2. The will was witness and sealed by seven witnesses.
3. Only upon the death of the testator could the seals be broken and the contents acted upon.
4. Only the executor of the will was trusted to execute the contents.

Even though this is a vision of heavenly things, these parallels can’t be ignored because they are being related to John in terms he would understand.

More important that the scroll/codex debate, though, is the nature of the scroll’s contents. As we will see, when each seal is broken, something happens–usually some form of judgment. We will also see the redemption of God’s people fully manifest, and both these themes are important to Revelation. It is important to bear in mind, therefore, that the judgment upon sinful men and the redemption of God’s people are things that have been sealed, waiting for one who is worthy to come and break the seals (note the books in Daniel 7:10 and 12:4–especially the fact that in 12:4, the “book” is sealed until the end times).

One might wonder how the mechanics of a scroll with seven seals that are opened progressively might work. Indeed, this has been used as an argument for the codex (a book with seven sealed sections is easier to envision). However, we need to remember that this is a vision. What the scroll and the seals symbolize is far more important than any practical considerations.

John then tells us that a “mighty angel” (note the “mighty angels” in Daniel 4:23) cries out, “Who is worthy to break the seals?” The angel doesn’t ask, “Who is able…?” but “Who is worthy…?” This is important. Ability is not the issue. As with the Roman will, the one who breaks the seals is the one who will execute the contents of the scroll. Since the scroll contains divine judgments, he will execute those judgments, therefore he shouldn’t be someone who is also condemned by those same judgments. And since the scroll also contains the fulfillment of God’s plan of redemption for His people, this person would have to be worthy to execute that plan of redemption. Who on heaven, in earth, and under the earth is able to do this?

You can almost hear the crickets chirp after the angel asks. There is no-one there who is worthy. The phrase “in heaven, on earth, and under the earth” is supposed to communicate the idea that there is no-one anywhere in all the created order who is worthy to execute the contents of the scroll. All have sinned and fall short of God’s glory, and with man the whole of creation fell. The fact no-one is worthy is a profound statement about the state of mankind. No-one is worthy to bring about the redemption of God’s people. No-one is worthy to execute judgment against the rebellious, the wicked, the godless. And if no-one is worthy to do this, then God’s plan of redemption for His people will not come about. And furthermore, the wicked will prevail. All the promises offered to the churches in chapters 2 and 3 will fail. No wonder John wept!

But all is not lost. In verse 5, one of the elders tells John to stop crying, because there is someone who has conquered so that he can open the scroll and the seven seals (the infinitive verb in the Greek, “to open,” is an infinitive of purpose, like in the old nursery rhyme, “She swallowed the spider to catch the fly…”). Why didn’t this elder step forward earlier, before John got so upset? Again, this is a vision, and hopefully we have seen the significance of the fact that no-one in heaven or on earth is worthy to break the seals, and the devastating consequences of those seals remaining closed.

This one the elder speaks of has “conquered” or “overcome”–the same verb used in the letters where “the one who overcomes” is promised an eternal reward. In the letters, the verb is present tense; here the verb is aorist, or past simple action. The church is in the process of overcoming; the Lamb has overcome. When did this happen? At the cross, as is indicated by the Lamb’s appearance. Before we get to that, there are two titles used of the Lamb that are significant Messianic titles. The first, “the Lion from the tribe of Judah” points back to Genesis 49:8-12, where Jacob is on his deathbed and is pronouncing blessings on each of his twelve sons. The promise to Judah contains important Messianic themes (the scepter will always be with him, the people will be obedient to him, and so on). But Jacob also describes Judah as a lion’s cub who crouches like a lion, and who dares to rouse him? This is the picture of strength, security, fearlessness, and authority. Then we have “the Root of David,” which is another Messianic title going back to Isaiah, particularly Isaiah 11:1-10, which speaks of the Root of Jesse, and Isaiah 53:2 which describes Suffering Servant as a root out of dry ground. We see here the two sides of the Messiah: the sovereign king and the blameless sacrifice. Only a Messiah who encapsulates both is worthy to open the seals.

Then this one who is worthy appears “in the midst of the throne and the living creatures, and in the midst of the elders.” Again, this is a vision so we shouldn’t get too hung up on the specifics of where exactly the Lamb is standing. John might simply mean to say the Lamb has entered the throne room; he certainly means for us to understand that the Lamb has now taken center stage. He is the focus of attention.

Why is Jesus here presented as a lamb–even a lamb “having been slaughtered [or slain]”? Aside from the fact that the lamb was a much-used sacrificial animal in Temple worship, the most significant sacrificial lamb in Jewish history was probably the Passover Lamb. It was the blood of the lamb smeared on the door posts that kept the angel of death away from the Israelites in Egypt. Similarly, it is the blood of Jesus, the Lamb of God, that redeems his people from eternal death. John the Baptist referred to Jesus as “the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world” (John 1:29 and 36).

The verbs used of the Lamb are important. First, he is standing. The Greek is a perfect participle, indicating that he has been standing and continues to stand. The second verb is another perfect participle (this time a passive verb), “having been slaughtered.” The point is that the Lamb’s standing as one slain is not a future event. It’s something that has happened: the Lamb has been slain, and he lives and stands before them, though still bearing the marks of his sacrifice. The Lamb’s worthiness to open the seals is not based upon some future act he needs to accomplished, but upon an act he has already done. It’s not that the Lamb is overcoming, or will overcome, but he has overcome, and the effects of that continue on. He is alive, and he is ready to open the scroll.

Given the Messianic introduction the elder gives to the Lamb, John might have expected this “conqueror” to appear as a mighty hero, like Superman bursting through the doors to save the day. What a contrast that is to the figure that appears before John: a slain lamb. But the point is that it is the fact this Lamb is slain that makes him the conquering savior. But while a sacrificed lamb appears to symbolize weakness and defeat, we are reminded of this Lamb’s true nature by the fact he has “seven horns” and “seven eyes” that are “the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the world.” The horn is a popular Old Testament symbol for power (see, for example, Deuteronomy 33:17; Psalm 89:17; Daniel 7:7). In Revelation, John uses the number “7” to signify completeness, or fullness. So while this lamb is slain and apparently weak, he is in fact all-powerful. The seven eyes speak of the Lamb’s omniscience and sovereignty–he sees all there is to see, and therefore knows all there is to know. There are echoes of Zechariah 3 and 4 in this passage.

We’ll pick up at verse 7 next time.