Worship the Lamb Who is Worthy
The Lamb of God is Worthy
Our modern English Bibles usually have headings supplied by the translators. It is important to remember that these headings are not inspired. They often break up material that is supposed to be read together. In Revelation, my Bible has a heading break after this amazing declaration:
Worthy are You, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things, and by Your will they existed and were created. (Revelation 4:11)
God is worshiped because He is the thrice holy eternal Creator. Immediately after this, the Apostle John’s attention was called to something else.
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 look into it. (Revelation 5:1-3)
John’s attention was drawn away from praising God to something else. To look at the scroll in His right hand.
The Scroll Sealed with Seven Seals
The declaration of the mighty angel points us to this detail. I want to draw our attention to the scroll sealed with seven seals. What exactly is this scroll? It’s filled with judgment.
Now I watched when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures say with a voice like thunder, “Come!” And I looked, and behold, a white horse! And its rider had a bow, and a crown was given to him, and he came out conquering, and to conquer. (Revelation 6:1-2)
This is only one of the seven riders that are released for judgment when the seals of the scroll are opened. The question found in Revelation 5:2 is significant. “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” It could be rephrased as, “Who is worthy to judge the earth and its inhabitants?”
John’s response is perplexing from a human perspective. He weeps. We may understand weeping over the judgments themselves. But this is not why John weeps.
And I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. (Revelation 5:4)
John weeps loudly because no one is found worthy to judge the world. Think of that. Most people would rejoice at this! No judgment, awesome! Many seek to worship a God that never brings any judgement. Even so, John does not rejoice. He weeps. John laments that no one is found worthy to open the seal and pour out the judgement of God upon a wicked and unrighteous world.
We must keep this in its context. We must look to the One whom John is beholding. The One whom he wrote of in Revelation 4. God who is the thrice holy eternal Creator.
The creator of any object lays claim on that object. The creator defines what the object was made for. The creator tells the object how it is to function.
God is the eternal Creator. He created man. Yet, man exchanges the truth about God for a lie and worships and serves the creature rather than the Creator (Romans 1:25, paraphrase). The creation does not submit to God in its rebellion. Rather it attempts to make God submit to it.
Do you think that the creator of an earthly object would allow this? The works of his hands telling him, the creator, why and for what purpose it was created for? No, no, no.
God even more so will not allow this to happen. Not forever. The reason it endures as long as it has is only because God is patient and long-suffering.
The LORD is a jealous and avenging God; the LORD is avenging and wrathful; the Lord takes vengeance on His adversaries and keeps wrath for His enemies. (Nahum 1:2)
In the light of who God is it is not perplexing that John weeps loudly. God is so great and glorious. Worthy of all worship. Yet, man exchanges the glory of God for the created thing and worships it. What a heinous atrocity.
Immediately following this, John is instructed to weep no more.
Worthy is the Lion of Judah
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.” (Revelation 5:5)
Behold Him. Christ Jesus the Lord. The Lion of the tribe of Judah. The Root of David. The Lamb of God. The One who has conquered. Don’t miss this: “so that He can open the scroll and its seven seals.” Jesus conquered so that He could judge the earth in equity.
This is not some new idea. Luke writes of this in the book of Acts.
The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now He commands all people everywhere to repent, because He has fixed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom He has appointed; and of this He has given assurance to all by raising Him from the dead. (Acts 17:30-31, bold added)
The world will be judged in righteousness. In perfection. It was created by God to worship Him. Yet, in every way it rebelled and continues to rebel. Exchanging the glory of the Creator God for the creation.
Jesus the Christ, the Lamb that was slain, walks up to the throne of the Father. Takes the scroll out of His right hand. At this moment, all of heaven now worships the Son. Worship shifts from the Father to the Son.
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 with 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 twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls 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 to open its seals, for You were slain, and by Your blood You ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and You have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.” (Revelation 5:6-10)
Jesus, Divine Son of God
Some mistakenly think that Jesus is somehow lesser than God the Father. They would do well to read this portion of Revelation again. If the Son were less divine than the Father, how could we possibly explain this shift? All of heaven stops praising God the Father and begins praising God the Son. This is truly breathtaking.
The worship of heaven is directed to Jesus the Christ. This is happening because He alone is worthy to take the scroll sealed with seven seals. To judge the world in righteousness. Let me assure you on the authority of Scripture that this judgment is absolutely terrifying.
Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, calling to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?” (Revelation 6:15-16)
However, there is hope for humanity. Jesus the Christ is worthy to judge because He was slain. For while we were still sinners, enemies of God, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8, paraphrase).
The Spotless Lamb was slain. With His blood He purchased a people for God from every tribe, language, people, and nation. A people who once were enemies of God are now reconciled to God through the Son. We who are redeemed now live as a kingdom of priests to our God. All because of His amazing grace.
Therefore, with every tongue in heaven, let the saints in a loud voice say,
Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing! To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever! Amen! (Revelation 5:12-14)
(If you would like to hear more about this article, you can listen to the podcast episode: Worship To Both the Father and the Son)