The whole purpose of John’s visit to Heaven was to see what would happen on the Day of the Lord. This devotional reading looks at who is worthy to open the seals of the scroll to show him just that.
Nuggets
- A call was issued to open the scrolls.
- No one in Heaven was found worthy to open the scroll or even look at it.
- John was concerned that – in all of Heaven – no one was even worthy to look into it, let alone open it.
- One was found worthy to open the sealed scroll.
This was an interesting devotion to write. I started out trying to write it like I didn’t know what happens by the end of the chapter.
Not possible for me. Unfortunately, I think I slipped back and forth between viewpoints.
To make matters worse, I tried to look at the three verses individually. However, they kept blending together.
I hope this makes sense.
Let's Put It into Context
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Devotions in The Appearance of the Lamb series series
The Call
“And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, ‘Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” (Rev. 5: 2 ESV)
A call was issued to open the scrolls.
It was time to open the seals. Why didn’t God open it?
Well, God wrote it, didn’t He? He didn’t need to because He already knew the contents.
If, as some believe, it is the deed to the universe, it already belonged to God. It still does.
We know something very important about this. “And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me’” (Mt. 28: 18 ESV). Jesus is the One Who will carry out the sentencing of Satan.
God had already given Jesus authority over everything. Maybe, this is like a coronation ceremony – an official passing of the authority.
The scroll was carefully guarded in God’s right hand. Now, it was going to be carefully and lovingly passed off to Someone Who was chosen for the job.
The task was given to an angel to issue the call. Angels were created to serve God.
This is one example of how they serve Him.
It is probably safe to assume that this wasn’t a low-level or even a mid-level angel. He is probably a high-level angel.
But this is a very important task. I don’t think God would give the responsibility of this important call to just anyone.
Look at whom the angel is asking. The call went out to all of Heaven.
Heaven is a vast place. Many people have arrived there already. Many of the angels never left and followed Satan.
Surely, someone would answer the call.
The Response
“And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it” (Rev. 5: 3 ESV)
No one in Heaven was found worthy to open the scroll or even look at it.
Verse 3 says able. Verse 2 says worthy. Same thing? Maybe, maybe not.
Don’t gloss over the word worthy. We know Jesus is the only one righteous enough to open the seals. What this says but doesn’t say is that there were those who were capable of opening it.
Go back to with whom John has been interacting. “And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, ‘Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?’” (Rev. 5: 2 ESV).
A mighty angel is not a slacker. Plus, angels are a little higher than mankind in the hierarchy.
“When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor” (Ps. 8: 3-5 ESV).
Does it seem strange that those who have died and been perfected aren’t worthy? They have become as Jesus is — pure. If so, they would have been capable of opening it.
The angels and perfected humans would have been able to “physically” open the seals.
There was an extensive search to find one who was worthy to open the seals.
“And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it” (Rev. 5: 3 ESV).
Part of us may ask if this wasn’t a rhetorical question. It probably was.
But that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be asked. Those in Heaven knew the answer.
We needed to learn it.
We also needed to see that Satan was considered and rejected from being worthy. At one point, he may have been considered worthy, but he blew it. “How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low” (Isa. 14: 12 ESV).
There is only One Who is worthy to open the seals.
John’s Response
“and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it” (Rev. 5: 4 ESV)
John was concerned that – in all of Heaven – no one was even worthy to look into it, let alone open it.
We can’t fault John for his reaction. Heaven elicits an extreme response. John wept uncontrollably – and he hadn’t seen what was inside yet.
Look how Daniel responded to what he learned in his vision. “And I, Daniel, was overcome and lay sick for some days. Then I rose and went about the king’s business, but I was appalled by the vision and did not understand it” (Dan. 8: 27 ESV).
Both John and Daniel knew the importance of this scroll to the future of the church. Young described the response John had. He wrote, “The darkness that rested on the Church’s future history filled his heart with sorrow and deep foreboding fear.”
Resource
Weeping isn’t always a bad thing. When weeping is the product of sorrow, it can allow our hearts to be corrected.
It seems that John is bogged down on the element that no one is worthy. That seems a little strange.
John saw Jesus ascend to Heaven. He knew He was there, even if he hadn’t seen Him yet.
John knew Jesus was worthy.
Yet, John loses it when no one is deemed worthy. He doesn’t question where Jesus is.
Ooo, baby. Don’t we do that? We get so caught up in our grief that we don’t always make sure that we have a valid reason to grieve.
We cry and cry over some sin God has already forgiven. We fear God will give up on us because we can’t seem to lick this sinning.
God is a loving, merciful God. He isn’t necessarily concerned about the do’s and don’t’s. He is more concerned with our attitude.
Jesus, the Savior of the World
“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.’” (Rev. 5: 5 ESV)
One was found worthy to open the sealed scroll.
All was not lost. Jesus is worthy to open the scrolls because He is totally obedient to God.
Jesus is worthy to open the scrolls because He is totally obedient to God.
Daniel called Him the Son of Man. John knew Him as the Lamb. “The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!’” (Jn. 1: 29 ESV).
What we should focus on here, for a second before we dive deeper, is that all the titles are from the Old Testament. Heaven hasn’t abandoned Abraham’s seed because a Church was established.
One of the Elders Said to Me
Here, John is point blank told Who is worthy. No, the angel doesn’t say, “Jesus of Nazareth.” But the titles are familiar.
Think about it. Here John is bawling his eyes out. One of the elders comes up to him and says, “Don’t sweat it.”
The elder said it in a matter-of-fact manner. He and the other elders weren’t stressing over it.
I love the reason Macleod gave. He said it was because “The secret of the Lord was in their hearts.”
Resource
It is sticking with me that the elder comforted John. No, it wasn’t Jesus Who came running to throw His arms around the disciple that He loved.
Instead, another inhabitant of Heaven comforted one of God’s children.
We are to care for each other. When one of us is hurting and despondent, we are to give comfort and aid.
But we have to remember, this comfort and aid is done in the name of Jesus, not just something we are doing because we are a good person and care for our fellow man.
Lion of the Tribe of Judah
The Lion of Judah title came from Jacob’s blessing of his sons when he was about to die. Here is what he told his son 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. Binding his foal to the vine and his donkey’s colt to the choice vine, he has washed his garments in wine and his vesture in the blood of grapes. His eyes are darker than wine, and his teeth whiter than milk” (Gen. 49: 8-12 ESV).
We’ve talked before that Judah became the firstborn when Reuben staged a coup and Simeon and Levi turned into murderers. That mean Judah was next in line.
Judah was also called a lion’s cub. He took on characteristics of the lion.
“The scepter shall not depart from Judah …” (Gen. 49: 10 ESV) refers to the Messiah’s rule. We know the prophecy of the donkey’s colt was fulfilled. “And they brought it to Jesus, and throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. And as he rode along, they spread their cloaks on the road” (Lk. 19: 35-36 ESV).
When we think of the lion, we think of a courageous animal. We think of him as an apex predator.
God needed Someone with Jesus’ strength to accomplish the Plan of Salvation. It was no walk in the park, His crucifixion. He needed Someone like Him.
Adamson gave us a good idea of what that meant. He wrote,
“It was to secure pardon to a condemned race, and yet maintain inviolate the honour of the law which had sentenced them to condemnation. And, in addition to all this, it was to combat single-handed the powers and principalities of hell.”
Resource
God needed Someone strong to go counterculture. And that is what He called Jesus – and us – to do. We are to be opposite of the worldview.
Let’s look at Numbers 2: 3. “Those to camp on the east side toward the sunrise shall be of the standard of the camp of Judah by their companies, the chief of the people of Judah being Nahshon the son of Amminadab” (Num. 2: 3 ESV).
Judah was given the prominent position in front of the tabernacle.
Root of David
Root of David is similar to what Isaiah said. “There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit” (Isa. 11: 1 ESV).
We always hear that Jesus was from the line of David. Jesse was David’s father.
Was this a subtle refocus on God rather than Jesus?
Culbertson talked about Jesus being both the root and the offspring of David. He stands in the gap between the two, much in the same way as He stands in the gap between us and God.
Resource
Jesus has an interesting position He is both God and man. He is the best of both worlds.
Has Conquered
Notice that verse 5 says that Jesus has conquered — past tense.
Because Jesus conquered sin, only He was totally obedient to God and could open the seals. How did Jesus conquer sin?
- “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 6: 23 ESV).
- “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away” (Rev. 21: 4 ESV).
- “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Gal. 2: 20 ESV).
- “And which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel” (II Tim. 1: 10 ESV).
- “And the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades” (Rev. 1: 18 ESV).
- “Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil” (Heb. 2: 14 ESV).
- “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (Jn. 3: 16 ESV).
- “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed” (I Pet. 2: 24 ESV).
- “He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken” (Isa 25: 8 ESV).
- “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned” (Rom. 5: 12 ESV).
- “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (II Cor. 5: 12 ESV).
Jesus was worthy to open the seals because He was obedient to God in giving Himself as a sacrifice for our sin.
Making the Connections
Macleod told us why Jesus was identified with three titles. He wrote, “It is the ‘Lamb,’ the redemptive heart of Providence; the ‘Lion,’ the avenging arm of Providence; the ‘root of David,’ the kingly power in Providence, who prevails to open the book. He is the Lord mighty to save or destroy.”
Resource
That is a great description of Who Jesus is. We think of the meek Lamb. But Jesus is also the powerful Lion.
He is caring, meek, and loving. He will judge all on the Day of the Lord. He is the King of kings.
How Do We Apply This?
- Believe in Jesus as being the worthy Savior and Redeemer.
Father God. We know Jesus alone is worthy. We are not. We have disobeyed You and fallen far from Your Will. Only through the sacrifice that Jesus made can we come into Your presence. Thank You for our salvation. Amen.
What do you think?
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