Who is He...The mightiest of all
Who is He...Creation trembles at His callWho is He...The lowly sacrifice, who paid a victims priceHis name is Jesus(chorus)-Jesus...From the Father's own right handJesus...Son of God and son of manJesus...Who died and rose againJesus...He's the Lion and the LambWho is he? With the power none can tame.Who is he? That every foe would fear his name.
Who is he? Who was humbly led away, to suffer that dark dayHis name is Jesus(chorus)(Bridge)He's the Lamb that was slainHe's the Lion that reignsMy Savior and King both the sameWho is He...With the eyes that burn like fireWho is He...Oh the wonder He inspiresWho is He...Who bore the guilt and shameFor the ones who'd gone astrayHis name is Jesus
(chorus) --Ann Barber and Billy Batstone
Jesus is a study in contrasts. He is fully God and fully man; he is the Lion of Judah, and the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world; he is a Priest and King. Thus we see in Revelation chapter five a transition from the One Seated On The Throne to One Who Is Worthy To Open The Scroll.
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. And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, "Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?" But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it. I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or even look inside it. Then one of the elders said to me, "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." (Revelation 5:1-5)This was a very special scroll. Books were not invented until the fifth century, and most everything in Bible times was written on a scroll. The scroll was designed to roll up, so on the inside of the scroll the fibers of the papyrus run horizontally, making it easier to write on than on the outside of a scroll, where the fibers are vertical. Every time the Bible mentions an inscription on both sides, what is written pertains to God's sovereign involvement in human history, especially his coming judgment.
- The Ten Commandments "Moses turned and went down the mountain with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands. They were inscribed on both sides, front and back." (Exodus 32:15) This rather uncommon feature highlights the great importance of these stone tablets as official covenant documents.
- God's curse of the lawbreakers "He asked me, 'What do you see?' I answered, 'I see a flying scroll, thirty feet long and fifteen feet wide.' And he said to me, 'This is the curse that is going out over the whole land; for according to what it says on one side, every thief will be banished, and according to what is says on the other, everyone who swears falsely will be banished.' " (Zechariah 5:2-3) Although theft and perjury may have been the most common forms of lawbreaking at the time, they are probably intended as representative sins. The people of Judah had been guilty of infractions against the whole law.
- God's revelation of things to come "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."
Not only was the scroll inscribed on both sides, but it had seven seals. Seven is the number of completeness. Even the fact that it is sealed is significant. It means that the message on the scroll is protected, and hidden from certain people, and even that it is not meant to be read until the time is right. Consider these verse found elsewhere in the Bible concerning sealed messages:
One Bible commentator (Barclay) says that the contents of the scroll might be God's will and testament, his final settlement of the affairs of the universe. Roman law required a last will and testament to be sealed seven times, by seven different witnesses. This was done most visibly by well known Roman leaders Augustus and Vespacian, who left instructions for their successors. So it's not like a last Will and Testament that you or I might write, something that would only be read at our death. Clearly, God will never die; but the creation will come to an end, and God has expressly written out his will, his prepared statement of how the debts will be paid, how evil will be dealt with, and how the righteous will be rewarded.
So like a town crier, the mighty angel spoken of in verse 2 calls out for the One who is worthy to open the scroll and to read it. Thinking of the scroll as kind of like a final will, what kind of Person would be eligible to read it? For someone poor like me, an executor can be named to carry out the contents of the will. An executor does not necessarily need any training or qualification--it can be some friend or relative. For a rich person, it requires an attorney, but not just any attorney--it must be someone trained in probate law. For a an official or head of state, it may take a probate judge to define and interpret the contents of the will.
For the contents of the scroll, which is a final settlement of the affairs of the universe, it would take a very, very special Person to qualify as one worthy to break the seals and open it. It would have to be someone who was present at the creation; someone who was intimately familiar with the human condition; but someone who could act as an equal to God Himself. So when the mighty angel made a call for someone who was worthy to open the scroll, and no one could be found (not in heaven, or on earth, or under the earth), it was a very emotional moment for the Apostle John. He wept and wept because he knew the stakes--if God were to judge the universe without an Advocate for mankind present, then no man would be found worthy to spend eternity with God. We would all be cursed as lawbreakers, much like those to whom Zechariah was speaking in the passage quoted above.
At this very dramatic point in the story, one of the elders tells John not to worry. The elder says that there is an advocate for mankind; it is the Lion of Judah, the Root of David, the One who has triumphed.
Lion of Judah
In Genesis chapter 49, Jacob (who was called Israel) blessed his twelve sons. When he got to Judah in verse 9, he said, "You are a lion's cub, O Judah; you return from the prey, my son. Like a lion he crouches down, like a lioness--who dares to rouse him?" The Lion is a symbol of sovereignty, strength and courage. Judah is often pictured as a lion in later times. Judah's greatest descendant, Jesus Christ, is himself called "the Lion of the tribe of Judah."
Hebrews 7:14-6 says, "For it is clear that our Lord descended from Judah, and in regard to that tribe Moses said nothing about priests. And what we have said is even more clear if another priest like Melchizedek appears, one who has become a priest not on the basis of a regulation as to his ancestry, but on the basis of an indestructible life." Moses had decreed that the tribe of Levi would be priests. But Jesus is our Priest, in that he stands as a mediator between God and man. According to Psalm 110:4, the priest in the order of Melchizedek is "a priest forever". This is what Jesus became as a result of the act of God's power that raised him from the dead as the eternal victor over death.
Root of David
Isaiah 11:1, 10 says, "A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit....In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his place of rest will be glorious." Jesse, you will remember, was the father of King David, the greatest king in the history of Israel. If you look at the family tree of Jesus, you can see a direct connection from Jesse and David to Jesus.
Romans 15:12 says, "And again, Isaiah says, 'The Root of Jesse will spring up, one who will arise to rule over the nations; the Gentiles will hope in him.' " Paul was quoting this passage in Isaiah 11, but was interpreting it to include Gentiles, who may have been excluded in Isaiah's original writings. Paul proved to be a prophet, because in Revelation 22:16, Jesus said, "I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star."
Triumphant One
Jesus defeated Satan in a debate (see the temptations of Jesus). He escaped the plans of men to imprison him and quiet his message. He willingly gave up his life, on his own terms, as a sacrifice for man. Then he defeated death by rising himself from the dead (every other man who was raised from the dead in the Bible was raised by God; Jesus raised himself from the dead). And now, in Revelation 5, he takes his place as one who is proclaimed worthy to open the scroll, and reveal the will of God for the universe and all that is in it.
Next time we will see that when Jesus comes to take possession of the scroll, he appears in the form of a Lamb. So he is the Lion and the Lamb--symbolized by power, yet a willing sacrifice.
Isaiah 8:16-17 "Bind up the testimony and seal up the law among my disciples. I will wait for the Lord who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob. I will put my trust in him."
Daniel 8:26 "The vision of the evenings and mornings that has been given you is true, but seal up the vision, for it concerns the distant future."
Daniel 12:8-9 "I heard, but I did not understand. So I asked, 'My Lord, what will the outcome of all this be?' He replied, 'Go your way, Daniel, because the words are closed up and sealed until the time of the end.' "
Matthew 13:10-11, 13 "The disciples came to him and asked, 'Why do you speak to the people in parables?' He replied, 'The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them....This is why I speak to them in parables: "Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand".' "And it is this last verse, when Jesus was trying to explain the exclusivity of the Gospel message to his disciples, that might best explain the seven seals on the document in Revelation 5. Like it says in Isaiah 29:11, "For you this whole vision is nothing but words sealed in a scroll. And if you give the scroll to someone who can read, and say to him, 'Read this, please,' he will answer, 'I can't; it is sealed.' "
One Bible commentator (Barclay) says that the contents of the scroll might be God's will and testament, his final settlement of the affairs of the universe. Roman law required a last will and testament to be sealed seven times, by seven different witnesses. This was done most visibly by well known Roman leaders Augustus and Vespacian, who left instructions for their successors. So it's not like a last Will and Testament that you or I might write, something that would only be read at our death. Clearly, God will never die; but the creation will come to an end, and God has expressly written out his will, his prepared statement of how the debts will be paid, how evil will be dealt with, and how the righteous will be rewarded.
So like a town crier, the mighty angel spoken of in verse 2 calls out for the One who is worthy to open the scroll and to read it. Thinking of the scroll as kind of like a final will, what kind of Person would be eligible to read it? For someone poor like me, an executor can be named to carry out the contents of the will. An executor does not necessarily need any training or qualification--it can be some friend or relative. For a rich person, it requires an attorney, but not just any attorney--it must be someone trained in probate law. For a an official or head of state, it may take a probate judge to define and interpret the contents of the will.
For the contents of the scroll, which is a final settlement of the affairs of the universe, it would take a very, very special Person to qualify as one worthy to break the seals and open it. It would have to be someone who was present at the creation; someone who was intimately familiar with the human condition; but someone who could act as an equal to God Himself. So when the mighty angel made a call for someone who was worthy to open the scroll, and no one could be found (not in heaven, or on earth, or under the earth), it was a very emotional moment for the Apostle John. He wept and wept because he knew the stakes--if God were to judge the universe without an Advocate for mankind present, then no man would be found worthy to spend eternity with God. We would all be cursed as lawbreakers, much like those to whom Zechariah was speaking in the passage quoted above.
At this very dramatic point in the story, one of the elders tells John not to worry. The elder says that there is an advocate for mankind; it is the Lion of Judah, the Root of David, the One who has triumphed.
Lion of Judah
In Genesis chapter 49, Jacob (who was called Israel) blessed his twelve sons. When he got to Judah in verse 9, he said, "You are a lion's cub, O Judah; you return from the prey, my son. Like a lion he crouches down, like a lioness--who dares to rouse him?" The Lion is a symbol of sovereignty, strength and courage. Judah is often pictured as a lion in later times. Judah's greatest descendant, Jesus Christ, is himself called "the Lion of the tribe of Judah."
Hebrews 7:14-6 says, "For it is clear that our Lord descended from Judah, and in regard to that tribe Moses said nothing about priests. And what we have said is even more clear if another priest like Melchizedek appears, one who has become a priest not on the basis of a regulation as to his ancestry, but on the basis of an indestructible life." Moses had decreed that the tribe of Levi would be priests. But Jesus is our Priest, in that he stands as a mediator between God and man. According to Psalm 110:4, the priest in the order of Melchizedek is "a priest forever". This is what Jesus became as a result of the act of God's power that raised him from the dead as the eternal victor over death.
Root of David
Isaiah 11:1, 10 says, "A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit....In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his place of rest will be glorious." Jesse, you will remember, was the father of King David, the greatest king in the history of Israel. If you look at the family tree of Jesus, you can see a direct connection from Jesse and David to Jesus.
Romans 15:12 says, "And again, Isaiah says, 'The Root of Jesse will spring up, one who will arise to rule over the nations; the Gentiles will hope in him.' " Paul was quoting this passage in Isaiah 11, but was interpreting it to include Gentiles, who may have been excluded in Isaiah's original writings. Paul proved to be a prophet, because in Revelation 22:16, Jesus said, "I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star."
Triumphant One
Jesus defeated Satan in a debate (see the temptations of Jesus). He escaped the plans of men to imprison him and quiet his message. He willingly gave up his life, on his own terms, as a sacrifice for man. Then he defeated death by rising himself from the dead (every other man who was raised from the dead in the Bible was raised by God; Jesus raised himself from the dead). And now, in Revelation 5, he takes his place as one who is proclaimed worthy to open the scroll, and reveal the will of God for the universe and all that is in it.
Next time we will see that when Jesus comes to take possession of the scroll, he appears in the form of a Lamb. So he is the Lion and the Lamb--symbolized by power, yet a willing sacrifice.
Your only Sonas sung by Twyla Paris
No sin to hide
But You have sent Him,
From Your side
To walk upon this guilty sod
And to become the Lamb of God
Your gift of Love
They crucified
They laughed and scorned him as he died
The humble King
They named a fraud
And sacrificed the Lamb of God
Chorus:
Oh Lamb of God, Sweet lamb of God
I love the Holy Lamb of God
Oh wash me in His precious Blood
My Jesus Christ the Lamb of God
I was so lost I should have died
But You have brought me to Your side
To be led by Your staff and rod
And to be called a lamb of God
Chorus
Oh wash me in His precious Blood
My Jesus Chris the Lamb of God
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