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Worthy is the Lamb: A Deep Look into Revelation 5

As we stroll throughout heaven, when that day comes, there'll be no hard luck stories, no times of depression, no physical problems, no emotional trials, no financial stress, nothing to cause us to be the least bit dissatisfied.

When I'm in God's word, I know that I am satisfied. I know that I'm satisfied today when I'm in God's word. And I know that my satisfaction will only improve when I arrive home in glory.

The more you and I can walk in a heavenly perspective, the more our satisfaction, peace, and contentment flows from us.

A Heavenly Perspective Changes Everything

One takeaway from our Revelation study is that when the events of this earth are viewed from purely an earthly perspective, they cause fear, they cause doubt, and they cause confusion. But when all the events of history are viewed through the eyes of heaven, everything makes sense.

Chapter 4 ends with God receiving the praise of his created ones and his redeemed ones. Heaven just reverberates with the voices of those caught up in their love for Almighty God. That'll change your Monday.

Now, when we start chapter 5, it finds us in the same throne room, the same courtroom in heaven. The praise has ceased for a moment, and heavenly business is about to go down. Heavenly business is about to be transacted, and we are going to have front row seats as this all is acted out.

We are about to find out that in heaven, Jesus is the central figure. He is the center of attention.

I believe that heaven will be a glorious, wonderful place. I believe that yes, we're going to have streets of gold and walls of jasper and gates of pearl and more glory than you and I can ever imagine and renewal with family and friends and it's just going to be a beloved time.

Oh, it'll be great to meet Abraham and Moses and Paul, David, and all the rest. But the main attraction in heaven will be Jesus himself.

And in this passage, we are going to see Jesus himself in his rightful place, glorified and exalted in heaven. This is exciting.

The Text: Revelation 5:1-10

So what I'm about to share with you sets the stage, doesn't it? It sets the stage for the judgment that will come during the tribulation. It also reveals Jesus in his exalted glory. Let's look at these verses and consider how worthy is the lamb.

Then I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on the back sealed with seven seals. And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, "Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?" And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look at it. And I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look at it. And one of the elders said to me, "Weep no more. Behold, the lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals." And between the throne and the four living creatures, and among the elders, I saw a lamb standing as though it had been slain with seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God, sent out into all the earth. And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne. And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the 24 elders fell down before the lamb, each holding a harp and a golden bowl full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying, "Worthy are you to take the scroll and open its seals. For you were slain, and by your blood you ransom people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priest to our God, and they shall reign on the earth."

Point Number One: That Mysterious Scroll

As the chapter begins, God is said to be holding a scroll. See, paper back in Old Testament times, in ancient times, was made of these long sheets. And as it was written on, it would be rolled up. And a portion would be written, and it would be rolled up and sealed. Then another portion would be written and that would be rolled up and sealed. And the scroll God holds in his hand has seven seals on it.

This is kind of a mysterious scroll. So let's take a second and let's see if we can unravel part of the mystery of that scroll together today.

The Character of the Scroll

As we read these verses, the character of the scroll becomes clear:

First, it has something to do with a person who is worthy to open it in verses 2-4.

Second, it has something to do with the earth. In Revelation chapter 6, if we go forward, you're going to see the seals of this scroll begin to be opened and the contents of the scroll are actually read. And when they are, they reveal what will happen on the earth during the tribulation period.

Third, it seems that this scroll has something to do with redemption. When Jesus takes the scroll, he is praised for his redemptive work. That's in verses 9 and 10 of our text today.

So, this is a book. This is a scroll of redemption.

Redemption is something we talk a lot about. It's an important truth. Understanding redemption is vital to understanding God's great plan for the ages. If you can't put things through the redemptive lens, the scriptures won't make sense to you and you'll wobble. You'll take things out of context.

Everything he has ever done is always related to his redemptive work from Genesis 1:1 through Revelation 22. It's his redemptive plan laid out for us.

To understand redemption, it is helpful to also then have a decent understanding of the Old Testament times. God is the God of order and has consistency throughout his word.

Old Testament Background

So, let me just take a second and tell you some stuff from the Old Testament. All right.

In the Old Testament time period, three things could be redeemed:

One, a slave could be redeemed. If a master lost a servant, he could pay a redemption price and buy that servant back. That is what Jesus did when he came to die for us on the cross. We've been bought with a price. Check out 1 Corinthians 6:19-20.

Secondly, a wife could be redeemed. If a woman was left as a widow with no male children or close kinsmen of her dead husband, those close kinsmen, as close as you could get, could then redeem her, and her husband's inheritance would become his if he paid the redemption price. This is seen in the book of Ruth when Boaz paid the price to redeem Ruth and her dead husband's inheritance. See, Boaz became the kinsman redeemer. Jesus died on the cross to redeem a bride unto himself and therefore he became our kinsman redeemer.

Thirdly, land could be redeemed. If a man lost the land he had been given as an inheritance, he could buy his property back by paying a redemption price. This truth is demonstrated in Jeremiah chapter 32. Jeremiah's uncle had lost a piece of property and Jeremiah's cousin comes to him while he's in prison and asks Jeremiah to buy back the property in verse 8. Jeremiah does this and records the transaction on a scroll and seals it up in verse 10.

Redemptive Scrolls

So, let me share with you what I've learned about redemptive scrolls. Okay.

First, they would record information related to the redemption on both sides of the scroll. On the inside, they would write the reason the land was forfeited. On the outside, they would write the terms of the redemption.

Now, apparently, they kept two copies of this transaction. One was open for the public, and the other was kept in a sealed up earthen vessel in verses 10 and 11. And then they were put into the temple, verse 14 of that's Jeremiah 32 if you guys are wanting to look that up later.

See, Jeremiah serves as a function of a kinsman redeemer for the property that belonged to his uncle.

So, if you've been paying attention, quite literally, what we're seeing in Revelation 5 is the heavenly version of what men did in Old Testament times. If you will notice, the scroll God holds is written on both sides. It is written up and sealed just like a deed.

When Jesus died on the cross, he did not just die for us. He also died for a ruined creation.

The Title Deed to Earth

So what is all in the contents of that scroll? I believe the scroll that we see here is the title deed to the planet earth and everything within it.

See, when man sinned in Eden, sin entered this universe. Man fell that day and God's creation came under a tragic curse. We will never know the full extent to how sin has ruined creation. But we do know that when Adam fell, creation fell also.

So here's the problem. When God made man and placed him in the Garden of Eden, God gave man dominion over all of creation, didn't he? So when man fell, he gave away his dominion and Satan became the god of this world. Taking notes. 2 Corinthians 4:4.

When God sent Jesus to redeem mankind on the cross, the blood of Jesus redeemed fallen sinners. See, it was and is also his redemption is sufficient to break the bondage of sin over creation. The second Adam brought back everything the first Adam just gave away.

So, this scroll is in the hand of God and it is written on the inside and the outside. Now on the inside is the tragic story of sin, tragedy, death, failure, and defeat. And on the outside are the terms of the redemption.

If we could read these terms, we would find that the redeemer must be twofold. This is key. Don't miss this. The redeemer must be one who is willing to redeem and one who is worthy to redeem.

And that brings us to point number two today.

Point Number Two: A Diligent, Painstaking Search

Verses 2-4. See, here we have this mysterious scroll in the hand of God, and John saw it. And for the next few verses, the scroll is front and center in heaven. And a search is made for one who is worthy to break the seals and read the contents of the scroll.

So, take just take a second look at the requirements of this search.

The Requirements

The angel asks an all-important question. Who is worthy to open the book? Let's put that question in American English. Who is morally fit to read the text of this scroll and then to carry out all that is necessary to redeem the earth and all that is in it?

Notice the angel did not say who is willing to open the book. Ah, there's been many folks down through time who were more than willing but they were not able. More than one ruler in our stone cold recorded history of mankind has determined that he would have dominion over the earth.

Alexander the Great conquered the known world by the time he was 33 and then he sat down and cried like a baby because there was nothing else left to conquer. He did not redeem the world. He left it worse than when he found it.

Before him Nebuchadnezzar saw himself as the great ruler ever, but he was not worthy to have dominion either. Julius Caesar, Napoleon, Charlemagne, Adolf Hitler, and scores of others were more than willing to have dominion over the earth. But they were not worthy.

Soon, this world will see the rise of a demonically charged madman called the Antichrist, and he will come far closer than any mortal man to ruling the world. But in the end, he will merely ruin the world. He too will prove that he is unworthy to possess the title deed to this planet and to rule over it.

Thank God there is one who is worthy to take the book and to open its seals. And we're going to discover why he is worthy in just a few minutes.

The Exhaustive Search

But focus with me on verse three. Just for a second, let's just pause in our journey through this text and look at verse three. And I want you to see how exhaustive the search was.

A search was made throughout the universe for one man who was worthy to take up this book and open it. They searched heaven above. They searched hell beneath and the whole earth in between. And they could find no one who could open it up.

What's that mean? What's that really mean? That means there was no saint in heaven. Not Abraham, not Moses, not David, not Paul. None of them. Not Peter. None of them found worthy. Gabriel and Michael, the angelic host of heaven, were not worthy to take the book. No one in hell, no demon, no doomed sinner, not even the grand loser, Satan himself was worthy to take that book.

They searched high and low, but no one was found who was even worthy to look upon the book that rested in the hand of Almighty God.

Do you see that? It's amazing, isn't it?

John's Tears

Then in verse four, we see the results of the search. They're made public. And as they're made public, something happens in heaven that probably never happened before or since. John burst into tears.

There are two words for weeping in the scriptures in the New Testament. One is used in John 11:35 where the Bible says Jesus wept. That refers to silently weeping. Jesus stood there at the tomb of Lazarus and he wept in silence.

The other word is used when Jesus wept over Jerusalem in Luke 19. The word refers to uncontrollable sobbing. The kind of crying that a small child does when its little heart is broken or the kind of weeping you see when someone loses a loved one unexpectedly. It's an open unabashed just weeping.

It's the same word used for John's weeping in this verse. John is in heaven and he is weeping out loud because no one is worthy to open the book or even look upon it.

Have you thought about this? Why is John weeping so? He's weeping because John knows what this represents. He knows that if no one can open the book, creation and sinful people are doomed for eternity. John's tears represent the tears of all humanity since man fell in Eden. John weeps for all of us.

And then we get to the glorious point number three which is a glorious savior.

Point Number Three: A Glorious Savior

We get to the glorious savior. Now in verses 5 through 7 we're going to meet the one who is worthy to take the scroll to look on the scroll and to open the scroll. We are introduced in these verses to a magnificent savior.

John is weeping, but one of the elders comes to him and gives him some encouraging news. He tells John to wipe his eyes and stop his crying because while no mere man is worthy, one has been discovered who is.

I want us to get excited together as we look at this worthy one together. I want you to notice the elder's words. Weep no more. Behold. Then he points John to Jesus.

That's the message of the church. The authentic true church of Jesus Christ has been preaching for 2,000 years. Weep no more. Behold. Regardless of the problem, Jesus is the solution. Weep no more. Look to Jesus and he will meet the need. What a savior.

The Conquering Lion

In verse five, we are told about a conquering lion. The elder tells John that the lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, has prevailed. When John hears the title, the lion of the tribe of Judah, he immediately knows what the elder is referring to. He's referring to the Messiah.

In Genesis 49, the Jews are promised that a great ruler will rise out of Judah like a lion. He will be powerful, strong, brave, majestic, and he will be a mighty conqueror. See, that was the issue. The Jews were looking for a Messiah who would throw off the yoke of their oppressors and give them liberty. They were looking for a military leader who would lead them to victory over their current enemies.

This person is also called the root of David. What does that mean? This title reflects both the humanity and the deity of the said Messiah who was to come. He would rise up the withered branch in the line of David and bring it to power once again. That is the human side of the Messiah. But he was also the power behind the throne. So the Messiah was the root out of which David sprang. So he was a king but he was also the king of kings.

So when Jesus came to the world claiming to be the Messiah, he did not fulfill the expectations of the Jewish people. Instead of delivering the Jews from their bondage in a great military victory and establishing the kingdom of heaven on earth, Jesus went around healing, preaching, and performing miracles. And as a result, the Jews rejected him as their Messiah and they crucified the lion of the tribe of Judah in the root of David.

And when I studied this this week, I kept thinking about how many of us American Christians don't understand the Messiah as he's been presented to us as our substitute. And instead, we want to make him into our buddy. We want to make him into something that makes our life a little bit easier here. And we miss the glory of the Lord.

When John hears of Jesus in heaven, he is described as a mighty lion and as the king and as the king of kings. And John is told that this lion has prevailed. And so Jesus is described as a conquering lion.

The Crucified Lamb

And yet in verse six, what do we see? We see a little crucified lamb.

When John turns around to see this mighty conquering lion, he sees a lamb standing as though it's been slain. The word lamb there literally means a little lamb, a little pet lamb. When John looked, he expected to see a great and powerful lion. What he saw instead was a little pet lamb.

Of course, you understand that this scene is wrapped up in Jewish symbolism. Yes. Okay. The image of this little lamb. We were reminded of the Passover lamb in Exodus 12.

The people of Israel were instructed to, if you haven't never heard this, get this. It's key. They were instructed to find a lamb without spot or blemish. They were to take care of that lamb and take it into their home and nourish it and care for it for a number of prescribed days. During that time, what do you think happened? That little lamb would become like a pet lamb to that family.

Then on the prescribed day, they were to take that lamb, kill it, apply its blood over the doorpost of their home, roast its little body, and eat it. When the people did this, they were promised that they would be spared when the Lord came to judge the Egyptians.

Don't you know? Can't you think it through that this would have broke the heart of the little family to kill the pet lamb? Yet in that little dead lamb, the Israelites were given a powerful picture, just a power picture of what the Lord was going to do someday through the redeemer he was going to send into the world.

Just as that family would kill their pet lamb, God would judge his beloved son on Calvary's cross. How must have just broke the father's heart to send his son into a world filled with people who would hate him, reject him, crucify him. How must have broke the heart of the father to judge the son in the place of lost fallen pathetic sinners like you and me.

But it was on the cross that heaven won the greatest victory of all time and eternity.

The Victory

We are told that the little lion lamb has conquered. Some translations say prevailed. This means to carry off the victory. That's the literal translation to carry off the victory.

Just because Jesus is the lamb does not mean that he is weak. Jesus carried off the victory at every possible turn:

• He carried off the victory at the mount of temptation in Matthew 4. Satan thought Jesus would give in. Guess again, loser.
• He carried off the victory in the Garden of Gethsemane in Matthew 26. Satan thought Jesus would just quit. Guess again, loser.
• He carried off the victory at the cross. Satan thought Jesus was a fool. Guess again, loser.
• Carried off the victory when he rose from the dead. Satan thought Jesus was finished. Guess again, loser.

Satan thought he had defeated Jesus when Jesus died on the cross. Hell must have celebrated as the broken, bleeding body of Jesus is taken down from the cross and placed in a borrowed tomb. In three days, the demons and the devils, they probably had a good time. I believe when studying the scriptures that they might have thought they had victory over the Lord Jesus Christ at that moment.

The cross is God's greatest accomplishment. What Satan thought was his greatest victory was in fact his greatest defeat. In the cross, God displayed more power and glory than he did in creation. When Jesus cried, "It is finished." It's far greater achievement than let there be. Think it through.

Heaven's Symbol

Jesus is called lamb. 28 times in the book of Revelation. Satan, the lamb's enemy, is described as a great red dragon in Revelation 12. Satan's power is described as massive. He leads a massive great human army in a great demonic army, all intended on defeating God. And heaven's response to this vast display of infernal power is to send a little lamb.

You know, when a nation chooses a symbol, it usually chooses an animal that suggests power and authority. The lion is the symbol of Great Britain, right? The bear, the symbol of Russia. The eagle, the soaring bald eagle is the symbol of the great United States of America.

But when heaven looked for a symbol, it chose a slain lamb, a symbol of submission and gentleness.

Jesus conquered Satan's kingdom not by might but by compassion, love, and submission. So, a little pet lamb won the victory. And because of that, he is worthy to take the book.

Now, before we leave this thought, I want to take a moment and just examine this lamb just a little bit more.

A Closer Look at the Lamb

First of all, this lamb is in heaven. This lamb is in heaven. He's not in a dirty manger. He's not on a dusty road in Galilee. He's not on a ship in a storm. He's not sitting there thirsty on the rim of a well or hanging in shame and agony on a cross. He's not lying in a cold sealed tomb. He is in heaven glorified and exalted.

Next, this lamb has been there all along. The lamb had been right in the middle of the action all along. John had not seen him until now, but he had been there the whole time. Let me just remind you that Jesus is always in the midst when we gather. We might not recognize him, but he's always there.

Next, the lamb still bore the marks of having been slain. When we see Jesus in heaven, we will see the marks of his suffering in his body. For all eternity, Jesus will bear the wounds of the cross as a constant reminder of what he did for us. That there will be no room in pride, you know, for pride in heaven. There will be no pride in us in heaven. Why? Because no one will be able to brag about how they got there. When we see him, we will see his love on permanent display. What a cause for continued worship and praise while we draw breath.

Next, the lamb was standing. When Jesus ascended back to heaven, we are told that he sat down at the right hand of God in Hebrews chapter 1. He sat down because his work of redeeming sinners was complete. He stands in these verses because his work of delivering the earth is about to go down.

And lastly, this lamb has seven eyes. He is all wise and all knowing. The lamb is omniscient. Nothing escapes his gaze.

The Lamb Takes the Book

So, let's bring it home today in verse 7. As the lamb takes the book out of the hand of God, he takes the scroll. And when he does, heaven breaks out into an anthem of praise. Heaven knows that Jesus is about to do the work of the lion and deliver the earth and all of creation from the bondage of Satan and the blight of sin. He is about to complete his redemptive work.

The lamb is worthy to take the book and open the seals. And if this scroll is really the title deed to planet earth, what right does Jesus have to open it? I believe there are three reasons he has this right:

• The world is his by right of creation. He made it.
• The world is his by right of Calvary. He redeemed it.
• And the world is his by right of conquest. He will retake it.

And that's a whole sermon in and of itself right there if we want to.

One day in heaven, the lamb will take the seven seal scroll out of the hand of the father. And when he does, it'll signal the beginning of the end for sin and for Satan. And on that day, Jesus will receive the glory he has been denied by the world all this time. He will be shown to be worthy of worship and to rule and reign over all of creation. He has earned that right because he squared up and squared off against all of hell and he carried off the victory.

How does that not get you fired up to roll? Jesus is a winner and those who know him as their savior are winners too. And when Jesus stands and takes that scroll and opens it up, we'll be standing there watching and we will rejoice when he takes the world by force.

Who is Jesus to You?

So, who is Jesus to you? You want to know something? He's going to be who you let him be.

He will be the lion who will come and judge you someday if that's who you want him to be. Or he will be a lamb who will conquer your sins and save your soul.

I'm glad I know the lamb. And because I do, I will never have to face the lion. What about you?

Where does God have you on this October morning in 2025? Well, I'll tell you what. When you look at the lamb who is worthy and you really see him as he really is, the games we play, how we try to make Jesus into our little buddy, fade away and we actually feel sorry in our hearts for people who don't see the glory of the substitution that Jesus took my sins and now I want to live for him just out of good old-fashioned gratitude.

And I stumble and I fall and I bump my head all the time. And so every day I get up and get back into his word and say, "Lord, I need your help again today."

And you know what he says to for those of us who know him, for those of us who are his children, you know what he says?

My grace is sufficient for you. Stand firm. Hold fast till the day I call you home.