The Lamb Worthy to Open the Scroll: Part 1 of 7 (series: Lessons on Revelation)

by John Lowe
(Woodruff, S.C.)

Commentary on the Book of Revelation
By: Tom Lowe Date: 8-6-15

Lesson: III.A.2: The Lamb Worthy to Open the Scroll (Revelation 5:1-14)


Revelation 5:1-14 (KJV)
1 And 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.
2 And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?
3 And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon.
4 And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon.
5 And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.
6 And 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.
7 And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne.
8 And 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.
9 And 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;
10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.
11 And 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;
12 Saying 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.
13 And 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.
14 And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever.


Introduction
Chapter five is actually a continuation of chapter four. It begins with a conjunction (“and”), thus linking the two chapters. Remember, man (not the Holy Spirit) divided the Bible into chapters and verses.

What we will study in chapter five takes place in Heaven, where John was caught up in the spirit to meet the Lord and where he saw Christ sitting on the throne, a throne encircled by the rainbow.

So far, John had only seen a throne, with a person sitting upon it Who was very glorious in appearance and dressed in very glorious apparel. The scene around the throne included twenty-four solemn persons, and four living creatures, in the shape of a lion, a calf, a man, and an eagle, each of them with six wings, and full of eyes; and he heard the four living creatures constantly giving glory to God, and the twenty-four elders harmonizing with them, and at the same time joining with them in giving high praise to God. Now the vision continues in Chapter 5, and the apostle will describe it for us.

We are about to see unfold before our very eyes a detailed description of the earth’s future. What is contained in the book (scroll) will come before us now as the seals are broken in succession and its message disclosed. The unveiling of God’s purposes for the world, as divinely written on the scroll, will not take place until after the Church has been taken up to be with her Lord.

Before we begin this study, I want to apologize for being wordier than usual, but I consider Revelation chapter 5 to be one of the most precious in my Bible; and it cannot be overemphasized. It contains the key to the right understanding of the rest of Revelation, so, if we do not understand it, we may not understand the rest of the book. I cannot read it and remain silent. I find myself saying “Amen and amen.” We should be on our faces. He is worthy!


Commentary
1 And 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.

A vision has placed the apostle John in the throne room of God—“And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne” (Revelation 4:2)—but we are only told enough here to make us want to know more about this “THRONE,” and who it was that sat upon it. It is an awe-inspiring scene, which God will allow him to view and describe for us; “AND I SAW IN THE RIGHT HAND OF HIM THAT SAT ON THE THRONE.” Other versions render the first part of the verse as: “AND WHO HAD ‘IN’ HIS RIGHT HAND,” or ‘AT,’ or ‘UPON’ HIS RIGHT HAND,” as the Syriac and Arabic versions render it; though according to Revelation 5:7, the book (scroll) appears to have been in his right hand, which agrees with our version, and how others have rendered it.

“A BOOK WRITTEN WITHIN AND ON THE BACKSIDE, SEALED WITH SEVEN SEALS” sounds very much like Ezekiel's roll—“And when I looked, behold, an hand was sent to me; and, see, a ROLL of a book was therein” (Ezekiel 2:9)—which was written, “WITHIN AND ON THE BACKSIDE”, and it was indeed in the form of a roll. All writings in those times were on sheets of parchment, which, when finished, were rolled up in the form of a cylinder. This book seems to have consisted of seven rolls, to which was affixed “SEVEN SEALS”; and because there was not room enough “WITHIN”, some things were written upon the “BACKSIDE” of the outermost roll; though that was a thing contrary to the customary way of writing, and such writings were called "Opistographi" by the ancients; and the word is sometimes used by them when describing very wordy writings.

There are a variety of opinions concerning the things written in this book, but I have listed only the thirteen most credible:
Some say it contains the Scriptures of the Old Testament, which were written in rolls—“Then said I, Lo, I come (in the VOLUME of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God” (Hebrews 10:7)—which came out of the “RIGHT HAND” of God, Who gave it to Christ, and He has given it to men. The word rendered here as “VOLUME” means “a little head;”—although the common meaning today is “a series of printed sheets bound typically in book form—and then a knob, and here it refers no doubt to the head or knob of the rod on which the Hebrew manuscripts were rolled. Books were usually written so they can be rolled up, and when they were read they were unrolled at one end of the manuscript, and rolled up at the other as fast as they were read. The rods on which they were rolled had small heads, either for the purpose of holding them, or for decoration.

Being “WRITTEN WITHIN AND ON THE BACKSIDE”, may denote the fullness of them; that they contain a variety of material on many subjects, and are useful and profitable, for different purposes.

Others think that on them are written the literal and mystical, or spiritual meaning of some parts of the Old Testament.

Still, others think they include a clearer explanation of the books of the Old Testament, by those of the New Testament.

Yet another view has been offered: the book that John saw in the “HAND OF HIM THAT SAT UPON THE THRONE” is the title deed to the earth. The earth and the atmosphere around it have been in the hands of an invader. The cruel tyrant is Satan. He wrestled it from Adam, whom God had given dominion over it (Genesis 1:26-28), so that today the earth is in Satan’s power. When the devil offered to give the earth to Christ if He would bow down and worshipped him, our Lord did not repudiate his claim (Matthew 4:8-9). Three times our Lord called Satan “the prince of this world” (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11). Paul calls Satan “the god of this world” (2 Corinthians 4:4), and “the prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2). John wrote, “The whole world lieth in wickedness” (1 John 5:19). The scroll that John saw is the title deed to this earth, once committed to a man to rule for God but now in the hands of Satan.

The best explanation, in my opinion, is that the subject of the sealed scroll is REDEMPTION. He who opens the scroll is the “Lamb,” still bearing the scars of crucifixion. His death was the “one sacrifice for sins for ever” (Hebrews 10:12), the wounds of which still bear witness to the substitutionary feature of that death (Zechariah 13:1, 6). The scroll, while containing a message of divine revelation pertaining to prophesy, speaks of redemption. True, redemption has its roots in the past, but its final fulfillment lies in the future. Redemption is not confined solely to our Lord’s first coming to earth; it is very definitely linked with His Second Coming. When Jesus spoke to His disciples concerning those things which are to precede His Second Coming, He said, “And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh” (Luke 21:28).