1Then I saw a scroll in the right hand of the one who was sitting on the throne. There was writing on the inside and the outside of the scroll, and it was sealed with seven seals. 2And I saw a strong angel, who shouted with a loud voice: “Who is worthy to break the seals on this scroll and open it?” 3But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll and read it. 4Then I began to weep bitterly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll and read it. 5But one of the twenty-four elders said to me, “Stop weeping! Look, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the heir to David’s throne, has won the victory. He is worthy to open the scroll and its seven seals.” 6Then I saw a Lamb that looked as if it had been slaughtered, but it was now standing between the throne and the four living beings and among the twenty-four elders. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which represent the sevenfold Spirit of God that is sent out into every part of the earth. 7He stepped forward and took the scroll from the right hand of the one sitting on the throne. 8And when he took the scroll, the four living beings and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp, and they held gold bowls filled with incense, which are the prayers of God’s people. 9And they sang a new song with these words: “You are worthy to take the scroll and break its seals and open it. For you were slaughtered, and your blood has ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. 10And you have caused them to become a Kingdom of priests for our God. And they will reign on the earth.” 11Then I looked again, and I heard the voices of thousands and millions of angels around the throne and of the living beings and the elders. 12And they sang in a mighty chorus: “Worthy is the Lamb who was slaughtered—to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honour and glory and blessing.” 13And then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea. They sang: “Blessing and honour and glory and power belong to the one sitting on the throne and to the Lamb forever and ever.” 14And the four living beings said, “Amen!” And the twenty-four elders fell down and worshiped the Lamb.
Revelation 5:1-14
This next block (chapter) is a perfect one for you to test your powers of observation. It is packed full of little subtleties and nuances that we need to pick up on in order to understand the details and the overall picture. So I thought I would put this Gem out there to challenge you to have a go at testing your powers of observation. If you do nothing else before I begin gemming the text, then at least read through Revelation 5:1-14 a number of times and ask any questions which come to mind. Is there anything that you don’t understand in what John has written for us. That’s right, for us, not just for the saints in the 1st Century AD. This is all just as relevant for those of us living on planet earth in 2024, as it was for the believers in his own time. There are some curious elements in the text above which require our understanding before we can put the big picture together.
I have served up John’s chapter 5 of Revelation in the user friendliest way I know. I have run the text together without paragraph breaks, to match the way it was originally, when it left John’s pen. But I have left the verse markers in for you so you can find your way, despite the fact that John wasn’t the one who numbered the verses. Take the time to ask your questions or better yet find out for yourself what the small details mean and how they contribute to the chapter as a whole. Also take the time to set this chapter in the context of all that we have read before Chapter 5. I hope you can see Chapters 4 and 5 go together. Chapter 5 is simply a continuation of all John wrote before this point. I will post the next Gem when I sense you are ready for it. Read this text through a number of times, preferably in a number of different translations. When you do that you will become aware of the depth of what John has written and the questions we need to ask will come naturally. They will float to the surface.
You may wonder why the reference to ‘having a mummy’s look’. I think it is obvious but allow me to spell it out. My mum used to say often when I couldn’t find something, “Ian, go and have a mummy’s look.” My wife, Tania, doesn’t call it “a mummy’s look”, but she will often say either, “Go and look again in the cupboard / the box / the shelf and you will find it at the back, on the right or in some way pin point the object’s location. Or she will just go herself and come back holding the object in question in her hand saying, “Is this what you were looking for?” Or simply say nothing and hand it to me. Blokes, I challenge you to come up with your questions before the women do. If not, it will be the women who come up with the better, more focused questions to help us understand this text at depth.
I think I have all my ducks in a row in preparation for this next chapter but invariably there are things that I haven’t noticed in the text that someone will ask and we will all be the better for it. Time for you to contribute your part to ensure we understand this passage in the way John, Jesus and the Spirit intended. Lastly, take in the scene in picture form rather than just the words written on the page. I am convinced Revelation was written to be perceived visually. It’s a diorama meant to be experienced.
Life is never a matter of having all the answers; it is more a matter of asking the right questions.
Ian
The quality of your life is set by the questions you ask yourself. The more honest and brave the questions, the further you’ll go.
Rick Warren
The depth of your relationship with God is measured by the depth of your understanding of the Word of God.
A R Bernard
Many readers of the Bible want to understand the big picture more clearly, but in order to do that we need to pay more attention to the small things.
Ian
Rev 5:2 clearly signals that there are different classes of angels. Is there anything that might tell us how many types there are?
Rev 5:11 angels, thousands and millions of them. Who are they?
The lamb has to be Jesus because only he is worthy to open the scroll. But after that it seems to fall apart. It’s a strange lamb.He has 7eyes,7horns ,and 7spirits. How can you call it a lamb. It’s a creature. It’s all very weird. The rest of the chapter sounds like a huge celebration. I’ve never been able to understand it past that simple point.
Kev
I hope that after my Gems on Revelation 5 it will become clear to you (and others) or a whole lot clearer than it is now. Are there any specific questions that you have on any verses? I have noted your confusion on the 7’s related to the eyes, horns and spirits. Think of them as conveying meaning metaphorically rather than describing some ‘out-of-this-world-creature’. i.e. adding to the significance of the Lamb.
P.S. I am looking forward to gemming this fifth chapter. I see all sorts in it that requires comment. Make sure you connect chapters 4 and 5.