HEAVEN IS FOR REAL Revelation 5:1-14 Lesson for August 8-9, 2015 Scott Susong

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1 HEAVEN IS FOR REAL Revelation 5:1-14 Lesson for August 8-9, 2015 Scott Susong INTRODUCTION Two life-long friends were fanatical baseball fans. They grew up playing little league, pony league and high school baseball together. They got jobs and raised their families in the same city. As they got older they made a pact. Whoever died first would make every effort to come back and tell the other one if there was baseball in heaven. Sure enough one of the men died. A few days later he appeared to the other man who was still alive. The man asked his friend, Well, I can t stand it - is there baseball in heaven? The first man said, I have some good news and some bad news. The good news is that there is baseball in heaven. The other man replied, That is great! What could possibly be the bad news? His friend said, The bad news is that you are scheduled to pitch tomorrow. It s a cute story but there is an underlying problem. Many people, in their ignorance of heaven, desire to take their favorite things from earth to heaven with them. They cannot imagine a perfect place like heaven without such things as: chocolate, golf, baseball, fishing or their favorite pet. In fact, it has been expressed by some people that if heaven does not include their favorite things, they don t want to go there! Of course, this is a very shallow, self-centered and unbiblical view of heaven. So, what is heaven like? Is heaven for real? In Revelation chapters 4 & 5 we are given a glimpse of heaven. Two things: (1) Baseball, golf and chocolate are not mentioned and (2) This description does away with the need for an individual to supposedly die, go to heaven, return to tell us about it, write a book and make a movie of his experiences. The Apostle John saw it and he tells us about it! The primary feature is that heaven is all about the praise and worship of the Lord. BIBLICAL/HISTORICAL CONTEXT In Chapter 4 the scene shifted from earth and the letters to the 7 churches to heaven. Heaven is a stunning and dazzling place, more beautiful than we can possibly imagine. In Chapter 4 we saw that in heaven, the Lord God Almighty is on His throne. He is the Creator and Sustainer of the universe. Heaven is all about Him. All creatures in heaven are worshipping and praising the Lord! Chapter 5 continues this glimpse into heaven which began in chapter 4. I. THE SCROLL, verses 1-4 v. 1 - The NASB uses the term book but in the ancient world a book was in the form of a scroll which was rolled up. It was in the right hand of the One who sat on the throne, God the Father. There were 7 seals affixed to the scroll. The seals had to be broken one at a time in succession in order to fully unroll the scroll. We are also told that the scroll was written on

2 both sides. All of these details tell us that the contents of the document are very important and require the power of God in order to reveal all that is contained in it. v. 2 - A strong angel asked in a loud voice if anyone was worthy to break the seals and open the book. The fact that a strong, powerful angel makes this announcement in a loud voice carries the idea of great drama, concern and urgency. v. 3 No one in heaven, on earth or under the earth was worthy to open the book or to look into it. That is, no one had the power or the authority to open the book. This fact stresses man s inability, hopelessness and helplessness. Leon Morris states, The secrets of the world belong to God and no man can pry into them. [Tyndale New Testament Commentary, The Revelation of St. John, page 95] v. 4 John tells us that he began to weep greatly because no one was worthy to open the scroll. Two things are most likely happening here: (1) John found it depressing that no man was found worthy for the task and (2) He had been promised in 4:1 that he would be shown things which would happen in the future. Man has always had a yearning to know the future and John now had that chance. Will that promise fail to come true? II. WORTHY IS THE LAMB, verses 5-7 John is instructed by one of the elders to stop weeping because there is One who has overcome and is worthy to open the scroll and its seven seals. The description in verse 5 clearly refers to Jesus Christ. Let s break it down the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah. John Walvoord states, The allusion to the Lion is a reference to Genesis 49:9-10, where it is predicted that the future ruler of the earth shall come from the tribe of Judah, the lion tribe. [The Revelation of Jesus Christ, page 114]. the root of David this stems from the reference in Isaiah 11:1, 10. Humanly speaking, Jesus was a descendant of David (Matthew 1:6; Luke 3:31). v. 6 And I saw between the throne (with the four living creatures) and the elders This could be translated, in the middle of the throne and of the four living creatures and in the middle of the elders [NASB footnote page 1339]. This tells us that John is being as specific as possible to describe what he sees. Lamb this was the description by John the Baptist of Jesus in John 1:29 [read to the class]. Lamb refers to His first coming when He came as the suffering Servant who died for our sins. Merrill C. Tenney states that the title Lamb stresses particularly His redemptive aspects since it is modified by the phrase as though it had been slain. [Interpreting Revelation. Page 174] Lion (v. 5) refers to His Second Coming when He will come in majesty and power as the Judge.

3 The 7 horns speak of power, the power of a King. The 7-fold Spirit of God represents the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was sent by Jesus Christ into the world (John 16:7). v. 7 Because He is worthy, Jesus Christ takes the scroll from Him who sat on the throne, God the Father. Walvoord states, Once again in the book of Revelation the focus is upon Christ, the central character of the book and the One whose glory is supremely revealed in the unfolding pages of its prophecies. [Walvoord, page 116] III. THE HEAVENLY WORSHIP SERVICE, verses 8-14 v. 8 When the scroll was taken, the four living creatures and the 24 elders fell down before Christ in worship. This outburst of worship is in anticipation of Jesus Christ opening the 7- sealed scroll. Each one has a harp which is an instrument of heavenly worship. The bowls of incense represent the prayers of the saints. By the way, the term saints refers to any and all true believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. It is not a special elite class of believers. APPLICATION: In the midst of this awesome scene of worship in heaven, we see that our prayers are important to the Lord. We must never forget this our prayers are as sweet incense before the throne of God and are brought into the very presence of God. He wants us to pray and He hears every prayer! Verses 9-10 The heavenly worship is in the form of a song which details the accomplishments of the Lord Jesus Christ this is why He is worthy. The term for purchase means to redeem. He paid the purchase price to redeem us from the slave market of sin and He transformed us into a kingdom of priests. See 1 Peter 2:5 & 9 [read to the class]. The fact that Jesus died and purchased with His blood men from every tribe and tongue would lend itself to the interpretation that the 24 elders are, in fact, men and not angelic beings. Notice, too, that redemption is worldwide men from every tribe and tongue will be saved. This reminds us of the Great Commission of our Lord in which He commanded us to make disciples of all the nations (Matthew 28:19). Verses This describes concentric circles of worship & praise with the Lamb in the center surrounded by the living creatures, then the 24 elders and then the angelic host in one mighty symphony of praise. When he says the number of the angels was myriads of myriads, it is a way of saying a vast number, innumerable. What did they say? What was the content of their praise? They used 7 expressions in their praise of the Lamb. Although it is not a direct quotation, a similar list is found in 2 Chronicles 29:10-13 in David s prayer to dedicate the Temple. Six of the seven qualities mentioned in this passage are found elsewhere in the NT describing Jesus Christ Power and Wisdom 1 Corinthians 1:24.

4 Riches 2 Corinthians 8:9; Ephesians 3:8. Strength Ephesians 6:10; 2 Thess. 1:9. Honor Hebrews 2:9; Philippians 2:11. Glory John 1:14; Hebrews 2:9. Blessing is not specifically mentioned of Jesus Christ but the corresponding verb is used in Mark 11:9-10. [This paragraph is based on Leon Morris commentary, page 101] APPLICATION: By listing the attributes of the Lamb, we can see that the worship of the Lamb in heaven is intelligent worship they are well acquainted with His attributes, why He should be worshipped and why He is worthy. When we worship the Lord our minds should be engaged rather than mindlessly repeating praise the Lord over & over again! The more knowledgeable we are of our Lord His power, His acts, His attributes the more meaningful our praise & worship. Verses Now the whole creation joins in the song of worship & praise. Leon Morris states, In the last resort there is no creature, wherever found, which does not recognize the superior worth of the Lamb. (page 101) The four living creatures add their amen. They started the chorus of praise in 4:8 and close it here. The 24 elders fell down and worshipped. This entire description describes the only appropriate response to being in the presence of the Lord: to worship Him! Lest there be any doubt heaven is about the worship and praise of the Lord. There are actually 14 doxologies in the book of Revelation! TRANSITION: Walvoord states, With this tremendous awesome introduction, the ground is laid for the unfolding revelation beginning in chapter 6, when the scene shifts once again from heaven to the earth. (page 120) CONCLUSION/LIFE APPLICATIONS So, in light of John s description of heaven, how should we then live? 1. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior from sin. Don t put it off be sure of your salvation because only those who have trusted Christ will be in heaven entering into the praise & worship described in Revelation 4 & Hold the things of earth with a loose grip because you can t take them with you. To long for certain earthly things to be present in heaven is foolish. Maintain a heavenly agenda which focuses on eternal things and values. Don t be too pre-occupied with the things of earth. Like the old hymn says, Turn your eyes upon Jesus; look full in His wonderful face; and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.

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