I know our brother just prayed, but I'd like for us to pray once
more before we open the Scriptures.
Lord, we ask that You would help us as we unpack your word.
We pray that you would guide us verse by verse, truth by truth,
and that Lord, it would transform us.
This is our ultimate desire. Renew us, refresh us, rejuvenate
us. Do what only You can do in the
human heart. We ask these things in the
precious name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen and Amen after John
faithfully obeyed the Lord Jesus Christ by sending out seven
messages to seven specific ancient churches, churches that
reflect the variety of conditions that churches can
find themselves in today. The Lord transports him from the
earth and brings them up to heaven by the Spirit, and He has
a vision, and a vision that he experienced more specifically
was a glimpse into the very throne room of God.
And the one who sat upon that throne had the appearance, the
appearance of Jasper and carnelian.
And surrounding the throne was a rainbow that resembled an
emerald. Coming from that throne were
thunders, rumblings, lightning. And surrounding that throne were
24 other Thrones occupied by these elders who are mesmerized
by the one who was sitting on that seat of power and majesty.
Before that throne were 7 torches of fire that symbolize
the Spirit of God. And on the sides of the throne
you had these four living creatures and they were singing
the praises of God and they were leading these elders to echo
their refrain endlessly. And this breathtaking scene, all
of it, every detail reflected perfectly off of this glass
crystal like pavement that rested before the throne.
And it was last week that you and I understood that this
marvellous unveiling was meant to teach us that God's
authority, God's sovereignty, God's power is above all.
And not only is it above all, it is gloriously grand.
It is faithful, it is accessible, it is righteous, and
it is and it will be the center of eternal worship.
All very helpful truths to lock in our minds and chain around
our hearts, especially as we navigate through the challenges,
the many challenges of the church and a rapidly changing
world. But this vision that John
experienced did not end at the end of chapter 4.
It only continues and the reason why it continues is because the
God who sits upon this awesome throne is triune.
You see, the one that we were beholding last week together was
no other than the Father. And the reason we can say that
is because again, we identified that the Holy Spirit manifested
as these torches of fires was located before the throne.
And what we will read now as we open up chapter 5 is the Son of
God who will majestically approach the throne of the
Father in dramatic suspense. And although we might desire to
seize the complete scene of this chapter and one message, we will
only consider the 1st 5 verses before we partake of the Lord's
Supper. And so I invite you now with
great excitement and Glee to read with me Revelation chapter
5, beginning in verse one down to verse 5.
And I will tell you from now the crescendo of this brief message
will be verse 5, where we will encounter these beautiful 3
words. Weep no more, Weep no more shall
we begin. Revelation 5/1 Then I saw in the
right hand of him who is seated on the throne a scroll written
within and on the back sealed with 7 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 look into it. And I began to weep a loudly
because no one was found worthy to open the scroll to look into
it. 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't open
the scroll and its seven seals. While these four living
creatures were breathing out praise and these 24 elders were
also showering the Father with their own adoration, something
new catches John's eye. It was an item in the right hand
of God, a scroll to be specific. And there are two details about
the scroll that the Holy Spirit inspires John to pen in God's
holy book. The first one is that there was
content written within and around, it was completely
covered with information. And 2nd to that there were 7
seals that perfectly concealed the message of that scroll.
Now the interpretation of these details is not too difficult to
understand. To see that the there is things
written within and on the back implies that God has a lot to
say and that his message is complete and it's ready to be
known. And following that, the the
seals that keep this message out of view reveals that it's it's
sealed, it's something that we can't see.
It's not for any eye to behold per SE.
And as we will discover, there is only one who is authorized to
unfold the message and the content of the scroll.
And although the scroll may seem mysterious at first, that has
not left scholars and students of the Bible without the desire
to discover and to try to make some kind of speculation of what
is found in this hidden message. And there's a lot of debate, and
there's a lot of conversations about it.
I am those who believe that there doesn't even need to be
any debate because all you got to do is continue to read on in
the Bible to know exactly what's in the scroll.
What is it about? So go to chapter 6 just to get
an idea, to see the nature of the scroll beginning in verse 1.
And I won't read all these verses, but just to give you an
idea and just to convince you of what we're dealing with here.
This is after the Lamb, who is Christ takes the scroll from the
right hand of the Father. And we read in Revelation 61.
Now I watched when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals
and I heard one of the four living creatures say with a
loud, with a voice like Thunder, come.
And I looked and behold, a White Horse and it's rider had a bow,
and a crown was given to him and he came out conquering and to
conquer. Verse 3, When he opened the
second seal, I heard the second living creature say come.
And out came another horse, bright red.
It's rider was permitted to take peace from the earth so that
people should slay one another, and he was given a great sword.
Now we pause here and we see that this will continue.
The seals will continue to be unlocked until we finally come
to Revelation 8. And notice what we find in
Revelation 8, verse one. When the Lamb opened the 7th
seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.
Then I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven
trumpets were given to them. There's no question that these
seals, the same seals that were covering the scroll that we find
a Revelation 5, are connected to the enactment of God's judgement
being unleashed upon the evil in the world proceeding and leading
up to the establishment of the Son of God's Kingdom on the
earth. In other words, the plain
evidence of the text shows us that this scroll symbolizes
God's sealed plan for His future and final judgments upon this
world, which includes the redemption of His people.
That's what we find here, and this interpretation should not
surprise us because again, Revelation is saturated with Old
Testament references and allusions.
And if you've been reading the Hebrew Scriptures faithfully,
then you'll remember that there are instances, there are
examples, there are moments where we find some similar
imagery that prepares us for what we are seeing here.
So let me give you an example with the prophet Ezekiel.
In Ezekiel chapter 1, the prophet also experiences a
vision of the glory of God. And interestingly, he too
encounters the four living creatures.
And then when you come to chapter 2 of Ezekiel, like John,
following his vision of the glory of God, the prophet is
given a scroll. He's also presented a scroll.
And listen to the description of the scroll from Ezekiel 29 and
10. And when I looked, behold, a
hand was stretched out to me. And behold, a scroll of a book
was in it. And he spread it before me, and
it had writing on the front and on the back, and they were
written on it. Words of lamentation and
mourning and woe. So both Ezekiel and John saw
scrolls with writing on both the front and the back, which
emphasizes the vast number and the severity of the judgements
that they record. But here's the main difference
with Ezekiel's experience and John's.
The scroll that Ezekiel received was opened.
It was spread before him, whereas the the scroll on the
right hand of the Father was sealed, perfectly sealed.
Nothing of its decrees could be seen.
Now that means something. Not anybody could reveal or
execute the judgments, the plan of the culmination of human
history. It wasn't available.
It wasn't just thrown, It wasn't just given to anybody.
No, it was secured and had to be somebody who is authorized to
unfold them. And until they were broken, this
is the most important part. Until those seals were broken,
God's purposes will remain unknown and unfulfilled.
That's the awareness that this heavenly gathering in Revelation
5 sense, which is why a mighty Angel finally proclaims the
following in Revelation 5. Two, Who is worthy to open the
scroll and break its seals? Who is worthy?
And a universal search goes out. As the words of this Angel
reverberated to every corner of the cosmos, the four living
creatures remain silent, and the 24 elders sat still in their
seats. All the myriad of holy angels
looked at each other humbly, including Gabriel and the mighty
Archangel Michael. That deafening quietness only
continued as the sea of Old Testament prophets and kings and
Saints were examined. Abraham didn't Step 4.
Isaac didn't move an inch. Jacob was still David.
No, no, no, not David, Samuel, Isaiah, None of the prophets.
They were all sharing an awareness of their unworthiness.
And that silence only continues as the sea of New Testament
Saints and leaders heard the invitation of that Angel, and
not a single one of them responded to this challenge.
And after an indefinite period of searching, the quest for a
worthy candidate came to its conclusion.
No one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open
the scroll or look into it. Not one.
Now go back to Revelation 5 three and read John's words very
carefully. And no one in heaven or on earth
or under the earth was able to open the scroll or look into it
able highlight that wasn't able to open the scroll.
What does that mean? Well, remember, we read in
Revelation 6 how the breaking of each seal set into motion a
spectacular event on the earth that would bring the world that
much closer to its final cleansing and restoration.
Therefore, to break those seals on the scroll implies that you
have to have somebody who has the sovereign authority and
power in order to do what carry out the affairs that it was
designed to set into motion. Anybody can break a seal open.
A child can do that. That's not the point.
The point is, who is able to execute what the scroll demands,
what it's planning to perform? And not a single creature in
heaven, or the most religious or pious person on earth, or any
spirit under the earth had the audacity to even entertain the
possibility that they were able to break a single one of those
seals and perform God's final program for human history.
And what John discovered at this point, no one is able.
No one to defeat Satan, no one to judge sinners, No one to
restore our fractured universe. No one to redeem the faithful.
No one to swallow up death forever.
No one to establish God's Kingdom of peace and glory.
No one to answer and fulfill prophetic promises that have yet
to be accomplished. No one to make everything right
once and for all. No.
And John waited in this vision to see Is there anybody?
Is there anyone? No one stepped forward, and as
time went on, emotion began to well up from the depths of his
being until he could no longer contain it.
And what do we read in verse 4? And I began to weep bitterly.
Now the weeping here is the same word to describe the weeping
Jesus expressed after the triumphal entry.
And he looked upon Jerusalem. It's the same word to define
Peter's brokenness after he had verbally denied his master and
Jesus looked at him in the book of Luke.
So John's reaction to this is not some controlled
disappointment with a few tears streaming down his cheeks.
He's wailing, he shattered, he's falling apart in heaven of all
places. Why such an intense reaction?
Why weep? John 2 main answers.
The first one is the fate of the world, and the second one is the
object of his faith. The fate of the world was at
stake. If no one could open that
scroll, if there was no worthy candidate, then the world as
we've always known it, as the as the history books has always
written honestly about it, would remain in its cursed condition
forever, without hope of redemption, no chance of
restoration. So the cycles of sin and death
would continue. The sorrows of sickness and
disease would never end. The harassment and the deception
of the devil and his demons will only intensify no end.
Insight, true and lasting justice would never be executed.
All the while, wickedness would prevail and grow and claim more
victims because that new heaven and that new earth that was
promised in which righteousness would dwell forever would never
materialize. No hope.
This world will remain and it will only decay more and more.
But what about the object of John's faith?
Do you remember where this is actually all taking place?
Yeah, sure, John is in heaven by a vision, but he is suffering on
an island called Patmos. On account of the word of God,
of the testimony of Jesus. This man for most of his life
put his faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ.
And like you, his belief in Christ was more than just him
being the Savior for sinners. We believe He's the soon
returning King who complete humanity's rescue at the end of
the age. So where is he?
Where is he? Is he not the one who can open
the scroll? Where can he be found?
And tears began to flow because one reason why John is crying
here is because the object of his faith, his trust, was being
shaken. His confidence in Christ was
being tested. Everything that he believed up
to this point, the high price that he prayed with his life,
would it be vindicated? The trust of millions of people,
would it come to pass? So you see here, it's the fate
of the world, and it's the object of John's faith that's
causing him to react in this way.
And although those are the two primary reasons for John's
weeping, there's also a broader application for us.
If you just zoom out, step back and look at this from a general
perspective, I see John's tears saying something to you and I.
That they testify of this man's desire to know God's will and to
see it come to pass. That scroll had the purposes and
the plans of God. They were concealed.
They were out of view, yes. And primarily, who's going to
open it? Who's going to, who's going to
fulfil the final chapter of God's redemption, but also
what's in the scroll? And he weeps.
Do you hunger to know God's will?
Where's your heart in discovering more of what God has
made known in His Book, and to see it manifest in your life?
The promises, the testimonies, the revelation.
As I was meditating on this point even this morning, these
verses came to mind from Psalm 119, verse 19.
I am a sojourner on the earth. Hide not your commandments from
me. And in verse 20, my soul is
consumed with longing for Your rules at all times.
Don't you love that? I'm a sojourner on the earth.
So don't conceal Your commandments, Your truth, Your
insight, Your treasures from me. What is he saying there?
I'm just passing through this life.
I only have a little window of time to discover the depths of
who you are and to see things manifest in and through my life.
So hide them, not from me. Do you pray like that?
Here's another thing that I learned from this psalmist.
The more this world is home to you, the less you're going to
hunger for God's Word. I'm a sojourner on this earth.
This is not my place. This is not permanent.
This is not where I'm going to dwell forever.
I'm not building any lasting Kingdom here.
I'm just traveling through. So give me what's eternal.
Give me what's going to last. Give me what I was really
created for. So one potential reason why you
find yourself not longing for deeper and wonderful treasures
in the Scriptures, perhaps. Perhaps you got a little bit too
comfortable here and you don't realize eternity and heaven and
the things of the Spirit. But the psalmist says I'm just
passing by. So give me what my soul
ultimately craves. Hide not your commandments from
me. Do you long for the same?
I love how the psalmist says at all times his devotion to the
truth is not sporadic, doesn't just get inspired at Maranatha
conference once a year for a couple of days.
It's a conviction that sits the foundation of his heart.
It's true, it's who he is. So it's either that that is
really something you can say Amen to, even though it's not
perfect. And I can say it's not perfect
for me either. The flesh tends to erupt and
challenge that desire. But do you find yourself more
indifferent to the scrolls that God has given us here?
Let me put it this way. Are you content to remain in
ignorance or do you even find your heart being moved because
there are moments where you can't pursue deeper
understanding and you so want to?
John's reaction to being denied to some degree.
What that scroll was holding is a wonderful example for you and
I and how we should relate to what God has given us into our
hand. There's no seal on this book.
You can have it in digital screens, you can have it in
hearing, you can have it in leather, goat skin.
You can have it in so many ways. But your heart, Lord, I want to
know more of you. I want to know all your
promises, all your warnings, all the things that you have made
plain and the things that are not so obvious.
Oh God, hide not your commandments from me.
And John's weeping now was interrupted in the main verse of
our message. Let's come back to it, to
Revelation 55. One of the elders spoke up, and
he offered some of the most incredibly comforting words in
all of the Book of Revelation. Weep no more, John.
You don't have to cry like this anymore, don't you?
Don't you know that there is One who is worthy to open the scroll
and to look into it? Did you forget?
And I want to make the case today, before we partake, that
the solution to John's sorrow is the same for ours.
Being reminded of the fact that our Savior has conquered.
He's the living conqueror. Isn't that what he says?
Behold, the line of the tribe of Judah.
The root of David has conquered, which means 2000 years ago Jesus
lived a perfect life of obedience, and he died a
vicarious death. And because he did so perfectly,
whatever he started he will finish.
Neither Satan's sin nor death will have the final word Jesus
conquered, which means he will vindicate the persecuted church,
and it means that He will glorify believing loved ones
that you and I have lost to accidents and illness.
It means that He will prove himself faithful to every
unbelieving, blasphemous generation that has ever lived.
It means that Christ will finally create a world free from
the effects, every effect of the fall, for us to live in
perfectly in His glorious presence forever.
Weep no more. However, the eldest words carry
deeper meaning. He reminds John of two titles
relating to Jesus Christ. The first one is that he is the
lion of the tribe of Judah, and the second that he is the root
of David. Now from just an aerial
perspective, that says something about the humanity of Jesus and
the divinity of Jesus, the lion of the tribe of Judah.
This truth affirms the humanity of our Messiah, that he
descended from a real tribe within the people of Israel.
He's from the tribe of Judah, truly man.
But he is also the root of David, and the root of David
implies something about his preexistence, that in the same
way a root is the source of life to a plant.
Jesus Christ existed before David, and he was the very
source of his lineage. He's the root, which is amazing.
You don't have to turn there, but this is a Direct Line in
prophecy, a reference to the prophecy found in Isaiah 1111,
verse 10, where we're told the root of Jesse, the root of
Jesse, all the nations, all the Gentiles will inquire of him.
And Paul quotes Isaiah 1110 in Romans to say this is Christ,
this is Christ and bringing in the Gentiles to him, the root of
Jesse. But in Isaiah 11 one we're told
that he's the branch of Jesse. Well, how can you be the root
and the branch? Again, even within that chapter
you have something about the pre existence of Christ.
He's the root, but he's also the branch.
He's a descendant. He's coming from this family,
this lineage. And if that wasn't glorious
enough, here's the the heart of what this elder is saying to
John. What's the essence of his
message when he says the line of the tribe of Judah, the root of
David has conquered so that he can open the scroll and it's 7
seals. It's plain whatever God promised
from the beginning, he will fulfill.
He will fulfill. Because again, you see that
these are titles of the Messiah that was predicted in the Hebrew
Scriptures. And the root of David comes from
Isaiah 11, but there's one that's even earlier than that.
The lion of the tribe of Judah comes from the book of Genesis.
And that's what we're going to turn to in our final passage
together. Go to Genesis 49, and this is
when Jacob gives a prophetic benediction to each of his sons,
the immediate tribes of Israel. And when he comes to Judah, I
want you to see what he says because this is what the elder
is doing. He's reaching back to this
prophecy and he's saying John, Jesus is a fulfillment of what
was prophesied in Genesis 49. Look at verse 8 with me.
Judah, your brother shall praise you.
Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies.
Your father's son shall bow down before you.
Judah is a lion's cub. You have gone up from the prey,
my son. 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 staff from between his feet until
tribute comes to him. And to him shall be the
obedience of the peoples. What a shock this must have been
to the brothers who are hearing their fathers say this about
Judah. Why is this a surprise?
Why is this startling? Because the family of Israel was
very few in number. They're still in Egypt when this
was given. They haven't even entered into
the promised land. And yet we read here that Judah
and his descendants will have preeminence among his brothers
in that they will be in a position of rulership over his
brothers. So you're talking about a king
and a Kingdom, and here you are still renting a neighborhood in
the land of Egypt. It's fascinating, and we know
that this is speaking about a king and a Kingdom because of
the imagery of a scepter. You've probably seen one, a
staff with ornaments that symbolizes sovereignty and power
and majesty. So in practical terms, what is
this prophecy conveying? It's saying that eventually
kings were going to arise from the line of Judah.
And what you find as you continue in the Old Testament is
that the seed form of this prophecy began to sprout with
King David, and it blossomed more and more with the
succeeding kings following him. As we've been studying in first
and second kings, David's line through Judah would govern the
Kingdom of Judah. But this is a detail in the
prophecy that many people miss. Look back at verse 10 of Genesis
49. What does he say?
The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler staff
from between his feet, until tribute comes to him, and to him
shall be the obedience of the peoples.
Now some of you may be looking at me because you're saying why
does your Bible say that? My Bible says something
different. Virtually every other word for
word translation will render the same verse in the following way
until Shiloh comes. Anybody have that word in their
Bibles? I guess most people here read
the ESP then until Shiloh comes, and to him shall be the
obedience of the people. You'll find that in the new King
James. You'll find that in the King
James. You'll find that in the NASB.
So then why does the ESV say until tribute comes to him?
It's because the etymology, the root word for Shiloh, is quite
complex. It's quite complex in the Hebrew
and and one of the variant definitions of this word is he.
To him it belongs, or that which belongs to him.
And that's that's why the scholars behind this translation
chose this following phrase to put into this prophecy.
But no matter what version you have, one thing is unmistakably
clear. This prophecy points to a
specific individual. It anticipates somebody from the
royal line of Judah, a person, not just a position, not just
the government, but one particular individual.
There is one king who will exercise universal reign, and he
will bring unprecedented authority to the nations.
And this king is something and someone Israel and indeed the
whole world should be expecting. Look at again.
Until tribute comes to him and to him shall be the obedience of
the peoples. Genesis.
Then you go to Revelation and this elder and this heavenly
vision looks to Johnny says the lion of the tribe of Judah is
here. What God said in Genesis is now
being realized in Revelation. You know what's so amazing to
me? That title for Christ, the lion
of the tribe of Judah is exclusively found in the Book of
Revelation. I'm thinking why not use it
more? It's powerful, the lion of the
tribe of Judah. Why did the Holy Spirit keep it
until the last book of divine revelation?
Because it is a title appropriate for the second
coming of Christ, that's why. And that's partly the reason why
the Pharisees and the Jews could not accept that Jesus Christ of
Nazareth was the Messiah. Where is the lion like Savior
and king? Come on, we gave you three years
and we're still oppressed. Tear them apart.
Deliver us once and for all. Own this place.
Jacob said that a lion would come, a king would come.
Here You are, just travelling with some of these unlearned
man. Yeah, you're doing miracles here
and there, but come on, let's see it come to pass.
And even up to the final moments of his life, they were tempting
him to prove himself. You know, some people think that
the Pharisees had good intentions and they were just
confused because they were just going with what the Scriptures
had to say. And it seemed like Jesus was a
little bit too ambiguous. No, the Pharisees were
intentionally ignorant because the same Hebrew Bible that says
there is one coming like a lion also portrays him as a lamb.
He is a lion, but he first must come as a lamb, and he must lay
down his life as a sacrifice. And that is why, interestingly,
in the same vision of Revelation 5, the Elder tells John the lion
of the tribe of Judah is here. And when he looks for him, you
find in the following verses that he finds instead of what?
A lamb. I'm getting ahead of myself
here, so I'm going to reel back here.
What do we take from this John? There needs to be no need to
weep. For what reason?
1 Main reason. God is faithful to His promises.
Everything that He has said you can trust completely.
I love this. I love connecting the Bible
because you have something God said from Genesis and now in
Revelation, he's saying here it is.
Here's the realization of it. And yes, we're dealing with not
weeping in terms of God fulfilling his promises in the
end of the age. But let's, let's apply it today.
Let's apply it now. Listen, you and I would have
fewer tears and greater relief if we just really believed God,
if we really just took Him at His word, if we had an ache and
a long longing to know all that He has to say, all that He has
revealed, we would strengthen our souls.
We would have more smiles and less frowns.
I'm reminded when Jesus hid himself on the road to Emmaus,
when those two disciples were dejected, walking back after an
eventful weekend in Jerusalem, and when the stranger supposedly
asks them, what are you guys talking about?
The scripture tells us in Luke 24 that they were sad and they
began to explain the events relating to Jesus Christ of
Nazareth who was crucified, and they had hoped that he would be
the deliverer for Israel. What is Jesus Christ prescribed
to these heavy hearted disciples?
Let me read to you one verse. Luke 2425 And he said to them, O
foolish ones, and slow of heart, to believe all that the prophets
have spoken. The remedy to your pain and the
clouds that hide the blessing and the happiness that your soul
can experience is your darkness pertaining to the Word of God.
It's your blindness, it's your unwillingness to take in not
just some, but all that the prophets have spoken.
I suggest to you today that you can know greater joy if you have
a greater investment in the truth and not just familiarizing
yourself with it, but asking God for the faith to clutch onto and
to believe it with all that is within you.
I love how this elder in Revelation turns to John and
reminds him of scriptural truths to stop his tears.
Is there any difference for us? Let's emphasize over and over
with these two disciples. Here's how I'm going to provide
a balm for your souls. Consider all that the prophets
have spoken. So here's what we're leaving
with today. Here's how we're going to
prepare to remember what Christ has done.
This is what Revelation 51 to 5 has left us with #1 in terms of
application. May we be like this man who
longed to know the will of God, who longed to see it
accomplished. But may we also prescribe this
to our own souls, that the revelation of Christ being a
living conqueror and the things that were said about him He
fulfilled, and the things that he said about anything, we must
trust wholeheartedly if we are going to be able to sail the
seas of a church that is frequently battered in a world
that is growing and evil. Only then will we know more
song, less tears, more joy, less sorrow.
May we come and remember what He has done for us, together with
hearts filled with faith. Lord, we ask as we praise you,
that you would be blessed by what you see in here.
And we choose to remember today that you were the fulfillment of
ancient predictions that your Son, Jesus Christ is the true
Savior of the world. And Lord, if there are tears for
any reason today, may we sense the truth soothing our hearts so
that our eyes can come to life again as we behold the One who
is worthy to open the scroll and to look into it.
We thank You that with all the updates of the horrors that are
being committed in our city around the world, the tragedies,
the disasters, the floods, the earthquakes, the wars, our world
will change. One day you will redeem
everything and you will be worshipped for it forever.
But we choose to worship you now as we reflect on how you have
redeemed us and how one day you will rescue us forever and ever.
We pray these things with great faith in Jesus name, Amen.