WORTH THE WAIT

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar, the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. They called out in a loud voice, “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until You judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?”

Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers and sisters, were killed just as they had been.

Revelation 6:9-11

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Up to this point in Revelation, chapter 6, Jesus has broken four of the seven scrolls, each unleashing a different colored horse and rider who brought specific judgment on the earth.

Today, we continue this progression of seal breaking as Jesus draws ever nearer to being able to open the scroll He took from His Father’s right hand and reveal its contents. As we look again at our scripture verses, we find a different kind of outcome, one impacting the souls of Christ believers, yearning for their eternal life.

When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar, the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. They called out in a loud voice, “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until You judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?”

Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers and sisters, were killed just as they had been. Vv.9-11

To set our bearings for what we’re reading here, it’s important to remember that the events triggered through the breaking of the seals is happening after the Rapture, the time when Jesus summons all His disciples from the earth in advance of the Tribulation. Here’s what we read about this in Paul’s first letter to the church in Thessalonica:

Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him. According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will come down from Heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words. 4:13-18

Take a minute and think about this for a moment. For at the Rapture, every single person who accepted Jesus as Savior, dead or alive, will be taken from the earth.

Gone from this world forever and destined for eternal life in Heaven.

To put some numbers to this, consider that there are almost 2.4 billion people Christians in the world today and keep in mind these are the believers who are alive.

Can you imagine what would happen in the world if 2.4 billion people disappeared, just like that?

It would create a vacuum of monumental proportion, one like earth had never seen before.

Now, I want you to imagine the impact this might have on people who had rejected Jesus as Savior once they realize that this is what prevented them from being taken by Him. I feel it would cause a multitude of people to change their beliefs in a hurry, turning their hearts and minds toward Christ and hope to one day be rescued as well.

Into this picture, there will also be persecution, just as there has been since Jesus came to earth to be the Lamb of God who would take away the sins of the world. It’s obvious that this persecution will lead to the martyrdom of post-Rapture believers who “had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained.” These are the “souls” mentioned in our passage for today, souls who were crying out to Jesus with loud voices saying:

“How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until You judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?”

In our passage, we see the answer that was given for after they were “given a white robe”, they “were told to wait a little longer, until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers and sisters”, had been “killed just as they had been”.  

The yearning Christian souls would have to wait for their resurrection but it would be worth it. For although they may have missed the first chance at the Rapture, they wouldn’t miss the second.

In this coming event, the breaking of the fifth seal, we will once again see the Lord’s grace, mercy, forgiveness, and pardon on full display. For even though these saved souls had passed before on placing their trust in Jesus, they had made an abrupt about face, repenting and coming to the only One who could save them from Hell, and giving their lives for Him while defending the Gospel and His Word in the process.

Tomorrow, we’ll move onto seal number six.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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ONE FOURTH, GONE

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

When the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!” I looked, and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth.

Revelation 6:7-8

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

You may have heard of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. They have been portrayed in movies and art work for some time now and many people don’t know that they are associated with biblical prophecy regarding the end times, specifically in Revelation, chapter six.

Over the past three messages, we have looked at the first three of these four horsemen and you’ll recall they are distinguished by the color of their horse which in turn symbolizes the judgment they will bring on the earth. Additionally, you’ll remember that they are dispatched in a set sequence associated with Jesus breaking the first four seals on the scroll He takes from God’s right hand in Heaven’s throne room.

First, the white horse was sent off, falsely representing peace when its true intent was conquest and conquering.

Next, there was the red horse, armed with a sword to initiate war and bloodshed on earth with people bent on killing one another.

In yesterday’s message, we looked at the third horse, black in color representing starvation and death that would come from a global famine. Basic food needs would be highly inflated, causing a large segment of the world’s population to not be able to afford to eat.

And this brings us to today’s message and the fourth horse and rider. Look again at verses 7 and 8 of Revelation, chapter 6:

When the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!” I looked, and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth.

Here we learn that when Jesus breaks the fourth seal, death will come to one fourth of the world’s population. To give you an idea of what that would look like in present times, the global population is estimated to be over 8 billion people. And so if Jesus was to pop that fourth seal in proximity to where we are now, more than two billion people would perish, a loss of almost unfathomable magnitude.

This horse is pale in color, a shade that matches the ashen skin tone that comes when a person dies and we read where this pale horse and rider are followed closely by Hades, which is simply representative of the grave. Certainly, the population in that grave will be immense.

How will these 2 billion-plus deaths occur?

The scriptures tell us that the pale horse and rider will bring death in four different ways, two of which, famine and sword, we’ve already seen unleashed via the red and black horses. In addition to this, we read where a plague will come, bringing fatal disease to a segment of that fourth of the earth, and if the other three weren’t bad enough, there will be killings happen at the hands of “the wild beasts of the earth”.

Add these up and it’s going to be a dark and tragic day for one quarter of the world’s population when that fourth seal is broken by Jesus.

What comes next because we know there are three seals remaining and the four horsemen have been set loose?

We’ll look at the breaking of the fifth seal and its associated outcome in tomorrow’s message.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

A COMING DEFICIT

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

When the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!” I looked, and there before me was a black horse! Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, “Two pounds of wheat for a day’s wages, and six pounds of barley for a day’s wages, and do not damage the oil and the wine!”

Revelation 6:5-6

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

False peace with a true motive of conquest and destruction followed by bloodshed and war, nation on nation, and people upon people.

These were the first two judgments that will be unleashed upon the earth from Heaven during the end times as Jesus, the only One worthy of opening the scroll of His Father God, breaks the first two of the seven seals holding the scroll closed.

In today’s passage, we find Him tearing the third seal and initiating the third penalty on the earth in the form of yet another horseman. Look again at these words found in verses five and six of Revelation, chapter 6:

When the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!” I looked, and there before me was a black horse! Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, “Two pounds of wheat for a day’s wages, and six pounds of barley for a day’s wages, and do not damage the oil and the wine!”

Like in the first two instances, one of the living creatures summons a horse with a rider who had a specific judgment to carry out once dispatched. We have seen where the color of the horse and the items seen on the rider provided important symbolic clues as to what was to come. In the case of this third horse, we read where the horse was black and this color represented starvation and death as this judgment was about bringing a famine to the world, a famine that would bring global food shortages and associated inflation.

The scriptures tell us that John heard a voice coming from within the four living creatures that indicated an effect of the famine as people would have to use an entire day’s wages just to purchase a small amount of food.  

One proclamation set the standard of “two pounds of wheat for a day’s wages”, the specificity of the weight telling us what the scales that the rider held would be used for. It’s important to note here that two pounds of wheat, the prized grain in biblical times, would be just enough for a single person. It wouldn’t feed an entire family.

The less nutritious barley was almost as bad. For the voice declared that “six pounds” of it would be sold for the same day’s wages and this amount would barely feed a small family.

So it wouldn’t be bad enough that war was raging on the earth with its associated bloodshed for the people would be starving at the same time. And perhaps then some of the motivation that would cause “people to kill each other” (v.4) might involve fighting for food to stay alive.

Of interest, we also find the voice calling out from among the living creatures placing some restrictions on the extent of the famine judgment. For the rider on the black horse was commanded to “not damage the oil and the wine”, the more luxurious commodities of the day. The already expensive items, items most people wouldn’t be able to afford easily, would remain out of reach and the daily food staples would elevate to a level of unaffordability as well.

When Jesus breaks the third seal, the earth will become a global food desert and perhaps there could be no more terrible way to die than from starvation. My prayer is that this won’t be something you will need to be concerned about but that will only happen if you have believed in Jesus as your Savior. For He will rescue His beloved disciples from the terrible judgments before they happen in what is called the Rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). If you have rejected Him to this point in your life, please make today the day of your salvation, especially since you are learning what will happen to all those who are left behind.

Tomorrow, we’ll look at the fourth and final horseman that will be unleashed when Jesus breaks seal number four.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

SEEING RED

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

When the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!” Then another horse came out, a fiery red one. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make people kill each other. To him was given a large sword.

Revelation 6:3-4

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

In chapter six of the Book of Revelation, we find Jesus – described as the Lion of Judah, Root of David, and the slain Lamb in chapter five – begin to break the seals on the scroll He took from the right hand of His Father God and as we began to see yesterday, each seal would set off a certain event.

You’ll recall that as Jesus broke the first seal, one of the living creatures summoned forth an entity, a “white horse” with a rider equipped with a bow and bent on conquest and conquering. In yesterday’s message, I discussed that while there have been varied interpretations about the meaning of the white horse and rider, the one that seems to prevail and make the most sense is that it represented the antichrist who would seemingly come in peace (the symbology of the horse’s white color) but really held the intent to defeat the people on earth and draw them from the salvation found only in Christ Jesus (Vv.1-2).

Today, we look at the second seal being broken and another horseman coming forth. Look again at these verses:

When the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!” Then another horse came out, a fiery red one. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make people kill each other. To him was given a large sword.

Note here that the second horse was a fiery red color and this signified the mission of its rider, to bring bloodshed and war as it was sent from Heaven to earth. This was the second stage of God’s dispatched judgment and wrath.

We read where the rider of the red horse, carrying a large sword which symbolized the divine judgment he carried, was “given power to take peace from the earth” and would do so by making “people kill each other”. This horse and rider would get the world seeing red, anger raging one against the other, person against person, nation against nation as major conflict will break out in the end times.

We often hear people talking about the possibility of a third world war but if it does happen, the scope of the battle will most probably pale in comparison to the deadly worldwide clashes that will come when the red horse and rider are released for when that happens, war will not only be waged outside of nations but internally as well. This means that entire nations might actually be destroyed from the inside out or through a combination of internal and external attacks.

However it plays out, it won’t be pretty when it happens and fiery, red blood flows rivaling the color of the horse. And if you think this will conclude the judgment God is bringing, you would be wrong. There are still five more scrolls that need broken and tomorrow, we’ll see what happens when number three is severed.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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A FALSE PEACE UNLEASHED

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

I watched as the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals. Then I heard one of the four living creatures say in a voice like thunder, “Come!” I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest.

Revelation 6:1-2

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

In chapter 5 of Revelation, we find Jesus coming forward as the only One who was worthy to break the seals and open the scroll that God held in His right hand while sitting on His throne. The entrance of Jesus, who took the scroll in advance of breaking the seals and revealing the scroll’s content, triggered an incredible sequence of praise and worship that filled the throne room along with a multitude of angels.

As we turn the page to chapter six, we find Jesus beginning to break the seals, beginning with the first and as we will see, each of the seal breakings triggers an event meant to bring judgment from Heaven to earth. Let’s look at the first two verses of this chapter here:

I watched as the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals. Then I heard one of the four living creatures say in a voice like thunder, “Come!” I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest.

Note here how Jesus and “one of the four living creatures” are working in tandem and this will be a common partnership across the first four seals. As we see, Jesus breaks the seal and the living creature commands the instrument of judgment to come forth.

Another common denominator we’ll see across these first four seals is that each of them unleashes a rider on a horse. In fact, these four figures have often been depicted in paintings or movies as the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

We’ll start with the first horseman today and the qualities that have left people in conflict over its exact meaning.

First of all, the horse’s color is important. White is a color associated with purity but in this case, it is symbolizing peace.

Could this horseman be Jesus, crowned and riding off as a conqueror with a bow so to have conquest on the earth?

Some people have believed and asserted as much but the more likely identity of this first horseman is as the antichrist, one who is riding off to bring a false sense of peace and security to the world while concealing the true motivation for coming, the defeat and conquest of the earth’s people. Not only does this match up with the matter of judgment coming to earth but it’s also in line with the prior warnings of Jesus in this book and elsewhere regarding the coming of an antichrist who would possess a power to draw people to doctrine and belief in principles that were the polar opposite of Jesus’. And it makes sense if you think about it for the antichrist will be against Jesus and work to bring others there as well.

The judgment of the world is coming through a great tribulation which will be initiated by Jesus breaking the seven seals on the scroll. Tomorrow, we’ll look at the second seal and the next horseman that will be released.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

PRAISING JESUS - THE WORTHY, SLAIN LAMB

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing at the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. He went and took the scroll from the right hand of Him who sat on the throne.

And when He had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God’s people. And they sang a new song, saying:

“You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because You were slain, and with Your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.”

Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they were saying:

“Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!”

Then I heard every creature in Heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying:

“To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, forever and ever!”

The four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshiped.

Revelation 5:6-14

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

As Jesus emerged on the ministry scene, He went to a fervent believer born to announce His arrival, a man known as John the Baptist. Here’s what He proclaimed the moment He set eyes on the Messiah he had longed to see:

“Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” John 1:29

Ironically, this declaration is found in the Gospel of John, no relation to John the Baptist except for the fact that they both loved and were devoted to Jesus. Fast forward and we find this same Gospel writer John sharing his experience in the throne room of God after being invited in by Jesus Himself.

Once inside, John does the best he can to describe what he witnessed and the majesty therein. You’ll remember how there wasn’t just magnificent beauty there but also an incredible atmosphere of worship and both are found in chapter 4 of the Book of Revelation.

As we turned the page to chapter 5, we find the throne room worship briefly interrupted by a quandary as a holy scroll that had writing on both sides and was sealed with seven seals was in the right hand of God as He sat on His throne. The issue at hand was that there was no one who could break the seals and open the scroll, no one in Heaven, no one on earth. The scriptures tell us that this caused great sorrow for John who broke down and wept.

Then, in the midst of his mournful feelings, one of the twenty-four elders came to him and let him know that there was One and only One who had the power and authority to break the seals and open the scroll. That One was Jesus who the elder called “the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David”. The lion comparison speaks to the power and dominion that Jesus holds over all creation but as we see in today’s passage from the remaining verses in this chapter, Jesus is labeled with a completely opposite identity from the mighty lion. Look again at those verses here:

Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing at the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. He went and took the scroll from the right hand of Him who sat on the throne.

And when He had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God’s people. And they sang a new song, saying:

“You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because You were slain, and with Your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.”

Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they were saying:

“Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!”

Then I heard every creature in Heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying:

“To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, forever and ever!”

The four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshiped. Vv.6-14

A lamb couldn’t be more different than the lion. Where the lion has no rivals in the animal kingdom, reigning with supremacy, the lamb is meek and mild and vulnerable. No one would feel threatened by a lamb if they came up on one but a lion...that’s a different story, right?

It’s important to note that when John looked at Jesus, he saw a Lamb who looked as if it had been slain, a Lamb that had been sacrificed so to take away the sins of the world. This Lamb was “standing at the center of the throne room and was encircled by the four living creatures who we were introduced to in chapter 4. We read where Jesus, the slain Lamb, had seven horns which represented His perfect power. He also had seven eyes which were the seven spirits of God that were upon Jesus. As a review, the seven spirits upon Jesus were as follows:

1. The Spirit of the Lord.

2. The Spirit of wisdom.

3. The Spirit of understanding.

4. The Spirit of counsel.

5. The Spirit of might.

6. The Spirit of knowledge.

7. The fear of the Lord which Jesus would delight in.

With the description complete, the Word tells us that Jesus went to His Father God and took the scroll from His right hand, an action that reactivated the worship scene in the throne room with a series of praises unto the Lamb Jesus.   

First, “the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down” before Jesus, each with “a harp” and a golden bowl of incense, collectively representing “the prayers of God’s people”. This assembly started to sing “a new song” that went like this:

“You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because You were slain, and with Your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.”

Oh how I wish I could have been a part of this heavenly choir but I know that my time is coming when I too will be able to live within an eternity of worship and praise unto Jesus the Lamb and the God who sent Him to be the Savior of the world, to be “slain” and to purchase “for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation” through His shed blood. This selfless, saving sacrifice permitted His Father to make all Christ believers “a kingdom”, “priests to serve” Him as they “reign on the earth”. As Jesus’ disciples, we are a part of this kingdom of God here on earth as we work for Him until that day He calls us to abide with Him forever. Let’s rejoice and be glad in that truth.

Now, this would have been enough in its own right bit as we see, the worship was just getting started. For we read where John “looked and heard the voice of many angels”, a multitude that is beyond our comprehension. For we read where John numbered them as “thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand”. It had to be an unbelievable scene as “they encircled the throne”, joining “the living creatures and the elders”, joining together to proclaim “in a loud voice”:

“Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!”

Here we find all praise and honor and glory going to Jesus, the slain, worthy Lamb and Savior of the world.

Friends, this is a foretaste of what’s to come one day when we too will get a firsthand experience in the presence of God and Jesus, His Son, but the good news is that we don’t have to wait until we get there to participate in the matter of adoration and exaltation unto the slain Lamb who died to take away our sins. For we can echo the words that were spoken next by “every creature in Heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea”:

“To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, forever and ever!”

Let us do this today and every day we are blessed with until we join Jesus in Heaven ourselves.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

THE ONLY ONE

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

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 look inside. 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 ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

There has been no other person ever like Jesus, who existed before creation began, would come down from Heaven to earth and although perfectly sinless would live alongside sinners who needed saved, who would fully die and then fully live again before ascending back into the heavens to sit in authority over Heaven and earth at His Father’s right hand, destined to come back to earth to rescue His disciples and bring judgment on those who rejected Him.

Jesus was one of a kind and as chapter five of the Book of Revelation opens, we find this reaffirmed as John continues to share his incredible experience in the throne room of God. Look again at verses one through five:

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 look inside. 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.”

After sharing his initial survey of the throne room and its incredible majesty, John fixes his gaze on God and sees Him holding a divine scroll in His right hand. From his vantage point, he could see some details of the scroll, writing that it had “writing on both sides” and was “sealed with seven seals”.

Now, you’ll remember that the number seven has been a dominant, symbolic number through this book up to this chapter, carrying with it a meaning of completeness and perfection.

There were seven churches that Jesus wrote to (Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea), each represented by one of the seven lamp stands (1:11, 20).

Seven spirits of God were represented by seven blazing lamps in front of God’s throne. You’ll recall that these seven Spirits were actually seven qualities found in the Holy Spirit which were:

1. The Spirit of the Lord.

2. The Spirit of wisdom.

3. The Spirit of understanding.

4. The Spirit of counsel.

5. The Spirit of might.

6. The Spirit of knowledge.

7. The fear of the Lord which Jesus would delight in.

In chapter 1, Jesus held seven stars in His right hand and these stars represented the “angels (or messengers) of the seven churches” (v.20). At the start of each of His seven letters, Jesus leads with the words “To the angel of the church of” and then the church’s location.

We’ll see this number continue to pop up through our continued study like in today’s passage where we read of the seven seals on the scroll. More on the significance of each seal and what it would result in once it was broken but for now, there was a dilemma arising within the throne room of God for we find “a mighty angel” pose a very important question “in a loud voice”:

“Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?”

If you’ve ever heard the expression “crickets” after a question was asked, that’s what I am feeling here. No one responded because there wasn’t anyone present “in Heaven or on earth” or even “under the earth” who was able to “open the scroll or even look inside it”. We read where this brought great distress to John who “wept and wept” before an intervention happened.

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.”

There was One who could do what no one else could do, One who had the power and authority to take the scroll from God’s right hand, break the seals, open it, and reveal its contents.

That One was none other than Jesus, “the Lion of the tribe of Judah” and “the Root of David” who had triumphed. And as we’re going to see, He will indeed break each seal and then open the scroll but before we get there, I wanted to close with more on this matter of Jesus being the One when it comes to bringing salvation to a sinner. Let’s use the throne room scene as a template for a circumstance that happens on earth each and every day.

For consider a sinner who learns they are destined for an eternity of torment, suffering, and damnation in the dark recesses of Hell. Fearful for what their future holds, they try to find someone on earth who could possibly alter their outcome and deliver them from the misery and agony to come. They break down weeping when they learn that there is no one who can come to their aid and give them what they need.

In the midst of their anguish and sorrow, bowed low to the ground and doubled over in emotional pain, they feel the hand of someone on their back. The person says to them:

“Don’t cry. There is a way to be saved. Just believe in Jesus, the Savior of the world. He is the only One who can help you escape the penalty of Hell and lead you into Heaven.

Imagine the joy and relief that person would feel, a joy and relief that surely was like what John felt after receiving the news from the elder.

Friends, Jesus Christ is the only One who can do all things, both now and for all eternity.

He is the only One through which anyone can be saved.

He is the only One who can bring someone to God the Father.

He was the only One able to open the scroll of God and its seven seals, advancing the plan of salvation forward to its eternal conclusion.

And He, Jesus, is the only One who will one day come and judge all creation.

Today and every day, let us rejoice and be glad for Jesus, God’s indescribable gift to all mankind (2 Corinthians 9:15).

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.