Chapter 5

Chapter 5 continues chapter 4, the scene in Heaven focuses to events taking place on the throne of God.  In chapter 4, we received an overview of events around the throne.  John caught up to heaven,  reported to the reader what he saw. 

John introduces the reader to the throne of God, the four living creatures (Cherubim), the 24 elders, and the sea of glass before the throne.  In Chapter 5, John directs reader’s attention back to the throne.

On the throne, God sits with a scroll, having seven seals, no one in heaven or on earth is able to open the book. 

John weeps, for lack of a person who can open the scroll, a lamb then appears which is able to open the scroll.  All of heaven falls before the throne of God and the Lamb in the midst of the throne.

The opening of this scroll, introduced in chapter 5, puts events into motion leading to the return of Jesus Christ in Chapter 19 of Revelation.  Chapter 6 begins with the Lamb opening the seals on the scroll.  The opening of the scroll begins the period known as Daniel’s 70^th week, the seven-year tribulation period, a period of unparalleled horror and destruction on the earth.

The beginning of the tribulation period begins with the confirmation of an agreement between Israel and the world, allowing the Temple to be rebuilt and animal sacrifice to resume.

Currently, the Dome of the Rock, the third holiest site to Islam occupies land where the Jewish Temple is to be rebuilt.  The building of the Temple can only follow the destruction of this building holy to Islam. The destruction of the Dome will unleash the Islamic world against Israel, putting events in motion leading to the start of the tribulation period in chapter 6.   

Between the rapture, Chapter 4 and the beginning of the tribulation period, chapter 6, is period of pause. During this pre-tribulation, post-rapture period, people will find Christ throughout the earth. The world will also find itself in political upheaval as the order of nations realigns.  While these events are taking place on earth, in heaven the events of Revelation chapter 4 and 5 will be taking place.  How long this period is not clear, it could be weeks, months or even years.   This period will conclude with establishment of the Jewish Temple and a worldwide peace agreement enforced by military might, for seven-years. This seven-agreement is  Daniel’s 70^th week.

16 He saw that there was no man, And wondered that there was no intercessor; Therefore His own arm brought salvation for Him; And His own righteousness, it sustained Him.

Isaiah 59:16

No angel or man was able to answer the call of the strong angel.  Humanity was without hope of redemption.

I wept   John as spectator saw the state of humanity, and begins to cry because he also sees there is no hope for humanity.  No man or angel in all creation, from the beginning to the end, could respond to the angel’s loud cry.  John sees the hopeless condition of humanity.

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 The Seven Sealed Book

RE 5:1  And I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a scroll written inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals.

RE 5:2  Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, "Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals?"

RE 5:3  And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll, or to look at it.

RE 5:4  So I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open and read the scroll, or to look at it.

Revelation 5:1-4

Right hand:  John again focuses on events taking place on the Throne.  God, seated on the His throne has a scroll in His right hand.  The right hand is the position of honor.  Christ when he ascended to heaven was seated at the right hand of the Father. (Acts 5:31, 7:55, Hebrews 1:13, 8:1, 10;12,12:2)  Stephan before he died, while he was stoned, saw Jesus Christ standing at the right-hand of God’s throne.

Scroll. The Greek word for scroll is biblivon Biblion and is translated book. Books as we know them today did not exist during this period.  The scroll was made of Papyrus, Parchment or Vellum[1], individual sheets were stitched or glued together to make a scroll. The scroll was then rolled. 

What was the scroll in the hand of God?  The identity of this scroll has been the subject of debate.  The context of the scroll reveals its identity as the title deed to the earth.

Sealed scrolls were used for property records in ancient Israel, one copy would remain open and the other copy sealed and stored to verify the true owner of the property.  (Jeremiah 32:9-14)  The scroll in the right hand of God is the sealed property deed.  In Jeremiah 32, Babylon is about to conquer Judah and Jeremiah has a cousin Hanamel who has property he wants to sell, which he feels will be worthless after the Babylonian invasion. God instructs Jeremiah to buy the property, as cousin, Jeremiah has the right of redemption.  Jeremiah buys the property and the deed is sealed before the court.

This sealed scroll is property deed which requires the right person to claim ownership of the said property.

Seven seals The use of the seal has an ancient history and was a way one party would guarantee the item sent whether document or goods was received in the order sent and not tampered with.  John Walvoord, quoting Stauffer writes,

 Roman law required a will to be sealed seven times as illustrated in the wills left by Augustus and Vespasian for their successors[2]

Strong angel  The term strong angel is used 2 more times in Revelation (10:1,18:21), and comes from the Greek word ijscurov Ischuros and means might or powerful.  This angel makes the proclamation to all of creation.  He is asking someone to step forward who can take the challenge.  We see an example of this in the book of Isaiah, when the armies of Assyria surrounded Jerusalem, Rabshakeh was by the king of Assyria (Ish.37), he challenged the Jerusalem to mount a defense against his king. This angel asks someone to step forward who can open the scroll.

The angel literally cries out in a mevga Megas, meaning great fwnhv Phone , meaning sound. This is where we the term Megaphone comes from meaning “great sound”.

Who is worthy  The angel asks who is worthy. The Greek word, a[xio Axios means weighing, having weight, having the weight of another thing of like value, worth as much.  The picture here is of a scale, the angel is asking who is able to counter the balance in the scale.  

Open the scroll  Only the person worthy could open the sealed scroll.  Here the picture of kinsman redeemer comes to mind.  The position of kinsman, was a relative who had the resources to “Redeem” or purchase what his relative lost.  The angel is making the offer to the universe, is someone able to take possession of the sealed scroll?

No one… heaven…earth   John is in heaven as spectator and reporter watching the scene take place.  The conclusion to the angel’s proclamation was no one in Heaven or on earth was worthy to take possession and open the seals. 

No angel in heaven was worthy to open the document because angels were not “Kinsman” to humanity. 

Second, God had already surveyed all of humanity from Adam until the end of time with one conclusion; none of humanity was worthy or able.

2 God looks down from heaven upon the children of men, To see if there are any who understand, who seek God.  3 Every one of them has turned aside; They have together become corrupt; There is none who does good, No, not one.

Psalm 53;2-3

God saw humanities situation was without hope and there was no one who could intercede on the behalf of man, therefore God Himself would rescue man. Isaiah writes about the bankrupt state of humanity in Isaiah 59. 

God Himself comes to man’s rescue, being called the Arm of the Lord (Psalm 98:1,Isaiah 40:10, 51:9,52:10,53:1, 59:16)

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