Revelation — Chapter 5
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1And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals.
2And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?
3And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon.
4And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon.
5And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.
6And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.
7And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne.
8And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.
9And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;
10And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.
11And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;
12Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.
13And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.
14And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever.
1And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the back, close sealed with seven seals.
2And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a great voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?
3And no one in the heaven, or on the earth, or under the earth, was able to open the book, or to look thereon.
4And I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open the book, or to look thereon:
5and one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not; behold, the Lion that is of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath overcome to open the book and the seven seals thereof.
6And I saw in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, having seven horns, and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God, sent forth into all the earth.
7And he came, and he taketh [it] out of the right hand of him that sat on the throne.
8And when he had taken the book, the four living creatures and the four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having each one a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.
9And they sing a new song, saying, Worthy art thou to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou was slain, and didst purchase unto God with thy blood [men] of every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation,
10and madest them [to be] unto our God a kingdom and priests; and they reign upon earth.
11And I saw, and I heard a voice of many angels round about the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;
12saying with a great voice, Worthy is the Lamb that hath been slain to receive the power, and riches, and wisdom, and might and honor, and glory, and blessing.
13And every created thing which is in the heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and on the sea, and all things are in them, heard I saying, Unto him that sitteth on the throne, and unto the Lamb, [be] the blessing, and the honor, and the glory, and the dominion, for ever and ever.
14And the four living creatures said, Amen. And the elders fell down and worshipped.
1Then I saw in the right hand of the one who was seated on the throne a scroll written on the front and back and sealed with seven seals.
2And I saw a powerful angel proclaiming in a loud voice: “Who is worthy to open the scroll and to break its seals?”
3But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or look into it.
4So I began weeping bitterly because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or to look into it.
5Then one of the elders said to me, “Stop weeping! Look, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, has conquered; thus he can open the scroll and its seven seals.”
6Then I saw standing in the middle of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the middle of the elders, a Lamb that appeared to have been killed. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.
7Then he came and took the scroll from the right hand of the one who was seated on the throne,
8and when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders threw themselves to the ground before the Lamb. Each of them had a harp and golden bowls full of incense (which are the prayers of the saints).
9They were singing a new song: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals because you were killed, and at the cost of your own blood you have purchased for God persons from every tribe, language, people, and nation.
10You have appointed them as a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.”
11Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels in a circle around the throne, as well as the living creatures and the elders. Their number was ten thousand times ten thousand—thousands times thousands—
12all of whom were singing in a loud voice: “Worthy is the lamb who was killed to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and praise!”
13Then I heard every creature—in heaven, on earth, under the earth, in the sea, and all that is in them—singing: “To the one seated on the throne and to the Lamb be praise, honor, glory, and ruling power forever and ever!”
14And the four living creatures were saying “Amen,” and the elders threw themselves to the ground and worshiped.
1I saw, in the right hand of him who sat on the throne, a book written inside and outside, sealed shut with seven seals.
2I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the book, and to break its seals?”
3No one in heaven above, or on the earth, or under the earth, was able to open the book, or to look in it.
4And I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open the book, or to look in it.
5One of the elders said to me, “Don’t weep. Behold, the Lion who is of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome; he who opens the book and its seven seals.”
6I saw in the middle of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the middle of the elders, a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, having seven horns, and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God, sent out into all the earth.
7Then he came, and he took it out of the right hand of him who sat on the throne.
8Now when he had taken the book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each one having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.
9They sang a new song, saying, “You are worthy to take the book, and to open its seals: for you were killed, and bought us for God with your blood, out of every tribe, language, people, and nation,
10and made us kings and priests to our God, and we will reign on the earth.”
11I 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, and thousands of thousands;
12saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who has been killed to receive the power, wealth, wisdom, strength, honor, glory, and blessing!”
13I heard every created thing which is in heaven, on the earth, under the earth, on the sea, and everything in them, saying, “To him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb be the blessing, the honor, the glory, and the dominion, forever and ever! Amen!”
14The four living creatures said, “Amen!” Then the elders fell down and worshiped.
Summary
A scroll sealed with seven seals and no one worthy to open it — until the Lion of Judah, the Lamb who was slain, takes the scroll, and all heaven erupts: "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom."
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
- No specific geographic locations are referenced in this chapter.
Commentary
- Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik covers the sealed scroll, the Lion/Lamb paradox, the new song, and the expanding circles of worship.
- Charles Spurgeon: Sermon: "Worthy Is the Lamb" on v.12 (MTP Vol. 10, No. 561) "Worthy is the Lamb THAT WAS SLAIN — not despite being slain but BECAUSE He was slain. His worthiness is in His sacrifice. He conquered by dying. He earned all authority by giving up all authority. Seven things He is worthy to receive: power, riches, wisdom, strength, honour, glory, blessing. All of them — because He was slain. The cross is not His shame — it is His crown." Sermon: "The Lion and the Lamb" on vv.5-6 (MTP Vol. 20, No. 1196) "John hears 'the Lion' but sees 'a Lamb.' This is the great paradox of Christ: He conquers as a Lion BY being a slain Lamb. His power is in His sacrifice. His victory is through His death. He doesn't overcome by force but by blood. The Lion's roar is the Lamb's bleat. The throne is won by the cross."
Videos
The Bible Project — Revelation Overview
Animated overview of the book's literary structure, themes, and theological message. Excellent visual introduction. (Approx. 8 minutes)
Reflection
- 1. "No man was found worthy" (v.3). Apart from Christ, no one can accomplish God's purposes. Are you trying to be your own savior, your own solution? Only the Lamb is worthy.
- 2. "A Lamb as it had been slain" (v.6). Christ conquers through sacrifice, not force. How does this "upside-down" power change your understanding of strength and victory?
- 3. "Redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue" (v.9). Heaven is multi-ethnic, multi-cultural, multi-lingual. Does your life and your church reflect this diversity?
- 4. "Worthy is the Lamb" (v.12). Is Christ worthy of your complete devotion — all seven attributes: your power, riches, wisdom, strength, honor, glory, and blessing? Are you giving Him all of it?
- 5. "The prayers of saints" (v.8). Your prayers are stored in golden bowls before God's throne. They are precious to Him. Does this motivate you to pray more?