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In the following commentary, words in CAPS indicate the biblical text, while words in lower case indicate the commentary on that text.

Studies in Revelation

by Dr. John H. Roller

Chapter 5

Revelation 5:1

I SAW, IN THE RIGHT HAND OF HIM (God) WHO SAT ON THE THRONE, A BOOK (actually, a scroll) WRITTEN INSIDE AND OUTSIDE (as was usually done, in the first century, to record title deeds to property and wills indicating the disposition of property after the owner’s death – unlike most other scrolls, which were written on only one side and then rolled up, with the unwritten side out), SEALED SHUT (again, as was usually done, in the first century, only with such legal documents – unlike most scrolls, which were simply tied together with string) WITH SEVEN SEALS (which were put on, separately, by seven different individuals, who could then serve as witnesses to the writing and sealing up of the deed and will). What “book” was this? I believe that this “book” was the “title deed” to Planet Earth, and the “will” of its rightful Owner, God the Father.

Revelation 5:2

I SAW A MIGHTY ANGEL PROCLAIMING WITH A LOUD VOICE, “WHO IS WORTHY TO OPEN THE BOOK, AND TO BREAK ITS SEALS?” (Of course, one would have to break the seals first, in order to “open” the “book” – literally, to unroll the scroll. As each seal was broken, the scroll could be unrolled a little more, and a little more of what was written on it could be read. And who would be “worthy” to do that? Only the legitimate owner of the property, and his heir! I believe that the next verse – Revelation 5:3 – will give us the precise moment in history that the Apostle John was seeing in this vision; and it wasn’t a moment in our future, or even in John’s future – it was a moment in John’s past, a moment that John himself had experienced, in real life, but from a different vantage point.)

Revelation 5:3

NO ONE IN HEAVEN ABOVE, OR ON THE EARTH, OR UNDER THE EARTH, WAS ABLE TO OPEN THE BOOK, OR TO LOOK IN IT. (The one moment in history when Jesus Christ, the Son of God – the legitimate heir to God’s property, Planet Earth – was not in Heaven, not on Earth, and not “under the earth” in Hades was the exact moment that we know in history as the Ascension, recorded in Acts 1:9. John had been present when Jesus ascended; he saw Him leaving the earth and going up into a cloud; now, 66 years later, he has a vision of what had happened in Heaven at that same moment.)

Revelation 5:4

AND I WEPT MUCH, BECAUSE NO ONE WAS FOUND WORTHY TO OPEN THE BOOK, OR TO LOOK IN IT. (Of course, John didn’t yet understand what he was seeing; he was disappointed that it seemed that he wouldn’t be able to find out what was written on the scroll.)

Revelation 5:5

ONE OF THE ELDERS SAID TO ME, “DON’T WEEP. BEHOLD (‘Look!’;), THE LION (Jesus) WHO IS OF THE TRIBE OF JUDAH, THE ROOT (descendant) OF DAVID, HAS OVERCOME (Jesus himself said that, back in AD 30, as recorded in John 16:33, which John wrote down just a year before he wrote Revelation. And when, exactly, did Jesus actually win this victory? He won the victory over sin by His crucifixion, and He won the victory over death by His resurrection); HE WHO OPENS THE BOOK AND ITS SEVEN SEALS (because He, alone, is worthy to).”

Revelation 5:6

I SAW IN THE MIDST OF THE THRONE AND OF THE FOUR LIVING CREATURES, AND IN THE MIDST OF THE ELDERS, (Now, this is strange! The elder had told John, “Look! A lion!” – but what John saw was) A LAMB (seemingly, the exact opposite of a lion; but both of these animals are symbols of Jesus – one portrays Him as the King, the other as the sacrificial victim) STANDING (which shows that “it” was alive), AS THOUGH IT HAD BEEN SLAIN (there was evidence that “it” had been killed – so what is “it” doing alive? The only possible answer is that “it” had been resurrected), HAVING SEVEN HORNS (representing total authority, as Jesus himself had said, back in AD 30, as recorded in Matthew 28:18), AND SEVEN EYES (representing total knowledge), WHICH ARE THE SEVEN SPIRITS (as we saw back in chapter 1, the Holy Spirit) OF GOD, SENT OUT INTO ALL THE EARTH.

Revelation 5:7

THEN HE (the Lamb, Jesus) CAME, AND HE (the Lamb, Jesus) TOOK IT (the scroll) OUT OF THE RIGHT HAND OF HIM (God) WHO SAT ON THE THRONE.

Revelation 5:8

NOW WHEN HE (the Lamb, Jesus) HAD TAKEN THE BOOK (the scroll), THE FOUR LIVING CREATURES AND THE TWENTY-FOUR ELDERS (see the Study on Revelation 4) FELL DOWN (in worship) BEFORE THE LAMB (Jesus), EACH ONE HAVING A HARP, AND GOLDEN BOWLS FULL OF INCENSE, WHICH ARE THE PRAYERS OF THE SAINTS (God’s people).

Revelation 5:9

THEY (the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders) SANG A NEW SONG (one written for, and specifically relevant to, this particular vision), SAYING, “YOU (Jesus) ARE WORTHY TO TAKE THE BOOK (the scroll), AND TO OPEN ITS SEALS (and read its contents): FOR YOU (Jesus) WERE KILLED, AND (by Your death) BOUGHT US (God’s people) FOR GOD WITH YOUR BLOOD, OUT OF EVERY TRIBE, LANGUAGE, PEOPLE, AND NATION,

Revelation 5:10

AND MADE THEM (God’s people) KINGS AND PRIESTS TO OUR GOD, AND THEY (shall) REIGN (rule) ON (some translations say “over” but I think that “on” is correct) EARTH.”

Revelation 5:11

I SAW, AND I HEARD SOMETHING LIKE A VOICE OF MANY ANGELS AROUND THE THRONE, THE LIVING CREATURES, AND THE ELDERS; AND THE NUMBER OF THEM WAS TEN THOUSANDS OF TEN THOUSANDS (hundreds of millions), AND THOUSANDS OF THOUSANDS (millions);

Revelation 5:12

SAYING WITH A LOUD VOICE, “WORTHY IS THE LAMB (Jesus) WHO HAS BEEN KILLED TO RECEIVE THE POWER, WEALTH, WISDOM, STRENGTH, HONOR, GLORY, AND BLESSING (notice that there are seven things that He is said to be worthy to receive – the number 7 is a very important symbol, in this book, of perfection and completion – so the singers were really saying that Jesus is worthy to receive everything)!”

Revelation 5:13

I HEARD EVERY CREATED THING WHICH IS IN HEAVEN, ON THE EARTH, UNDER THE EARTH, ON THE SEA, AND EVERYTHING IN THEM (all living beings in the universe), SAYING, “TO HIM WHO SITS ON THE THRONE (God), AND TO THE LAMB (Jesus), BE THE BLESSING, THE HONOR, THE GLORY, AND THE DOMINION (this time, it’s four things – but 4 is also a symbol of perfection and completion, as in the expression, ‘the four corners of the earth,’ which really means, ‘the whole world’;), FOREVER AND EVER! AMEN!”

Revelation 5:14

THE FOUR LIVING CREATURES SAID, “AMEN!” THE ELDERS FELL DOWN AND WORSHIPED.

Conclusion

What we’ve seen in Revelation 5 is a description, not a prediction. It’s a description of what happened in Heaven at the time of Jesus’ ascension. It’s in the book to “set the stage” for the predictions of then-future events that will be found in Revelation 6-22.