Apocalyptic judgments. such as the world has not seen before. The taking back of earth and the jailing of Satan, and God's plan for wickedness. We know what's coming because God has told us. with no reason to doubt.
Mm. Maybe someone else has gotten to you and poisoned your mind into thinking that somehow this stuff's not true. Don't fool around and find out. It ain't worth it. Mm.
Ooh. This is Cross-Reference Radio with our pastor and teacher, Rick Gaston. Rick is the pastor of Calvary Chapel, Mechanicsville. Pastor Rick is currently teaching through the book of Revelation. Please stay with us after today's message to hear more information about cross-reference radio, specifically, how you can get a free copy of this teaching.
But for now, let's join Pastor Rick in the book of Revelation chapter 5 as he begins a brand new message called The Worthy One. Revelation chapter 5. Verses two through five. Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals? And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth, was able to open the scroll.
or to look at it.
So I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open and read the scroll or to look at it. But one of the elders said to me, Do not weep, behold, the lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David has prevailed. to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals.
Well, the revelation is starting to heat up a little bit. In preparation for chapter six. The Worthy One, that's the title of this message. And it continues what began in what we know as the fourth chapter. That throne room experience that John was allowed to see in heaven.
And remember, again, these things are. Symbolic, they're emblematic. But they're not all of that difficult to understand. In fact, some of it is very easy to understand. God makes His points.
And as the revelation was initially given, there were no chapter divisions, so this would just flow one into the other. Christ in heaven, shown as the sacrificial lamb. That is what this fifth chapter is about. And if you do not understand the meaning of that, And all the symbolism that the Bible has dedicated to that moment. Then it is a must learn.
situation for you. It is something that everybody should know. Christ did not earn his worthiness, it is who he is. He is worthy. of our worship.
And Satan has invested as much energy into convincing people that this is not true. And so Life has become a spiritual battlefield for the believer. Two proclaim the glories of Christ.
Now Jesus is not named by name in this chapter, but he is described. According to to events belonging to his first coming. And that would include the prophecies attached to the fulfillment. that he um also brought and no one else could bring Into reality. If we look back at chapter 4 in the eighth verse, we see the four living creatures saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty.
who was and is and is to come.
Well, that's only one of many identifications of Christ. Why not who has already been and shall always be? Why this distinction of of moments in time. Was, is, and to come, because he was the one that was and was crucified. But he still is.
And he is returning. And that again is critical for us to understand that speaking about Jesus doesn't have to name him by name. Because at this point the believers will know. It refers to the incarnate Christ, who is eternal in his existence. He's self-existent, he's the Son of God.
The father Never was. uh going to the cross, nor was the Holy Spirit. But Christ died on the cross for sinners, and it is a distinction. That God is very careful to make throughout Scripture, and we or to pick it up.
So, Christ is rightfully worshipped and he is adored, and it is with enthusiasm, and that's what's happening in this chapter.
Well, the question out of that is, well, does that happen to me? Do I worship the Christ? Do I adore Him? Is there any enthusiasm attached to my relationship with Him? Or am I one of those who supposes that this life is all there is?
That the achievements in this life are what matters. That God is not going to look at my relationship with Christ, He's going to see all the good things I did.
Well, if you have that approach You have nothing to back it up. with it's just your imagination. What makes the scripture so worthy of our trust for one thing? Are its prophecies? Where would we be without them?
The nation Israel prophesied in the scripture. Anytime you think of Israel, you are thinking of something that God said would happen, that should not have happened, that has not happened anywhere else. No other religion has anything like it, even close. When it comes to the prophecies, the spiritual element of faith, their stories handed down from one person to another person, and that's pretty much it. Whereas the scripture says, we're going to tell the future.
to help you along with this. He is rightfully worshipped. He is the worthy one. And this vision that John reports to us is not the product of his imagination. There are too many spiritual proofs that no human being could produce.
And of course, this story will end with his return. And his people coming with him. It is the revelation of Jesus Christ, and these symbols last through the ages unto the end of human history. And that is the value behind these emblems. These symbols and similitudes.
So look at verse one with me. It's John. Again, reporting what he saw, and I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll written inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals.
Well, this is God the Father. Looking back at chapter 1, the revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants.
Well, that's happening. Things which must shortly take place. And he sent and signified it by his angel to his servant John. And that is such a vital part of the revelation story, signified. to pick up and know what these things mean.
Now, there is a preview to this scroll in the Old Testament. Actually, there are two of them. And the first one comes through the prophet Ezekiel. who himself had quite a bit to say. about the end of human history.
Now on Ezekiel's scroll it bore these words, Lamentation, mourning, and woe. Written inside and out, the language is very careful because it's meaningful. You know, there are things that we say, we use words, we don't really sometimes think about what we're saying.
Well, God is not that way. When he says something, he puts the full weight of meaning on the words that he uses. And for Ezekiel He was chosen to give Israel notice that an approaching judgment Was coming, and he specifies these things because of their impudence. And so what we're beginning to learn from such scriptures is the character of God, that He's going to deal with wickedness. He's not going to tolerate it forever.
And there, as here, the message of judgment upon God's enemies. becomes clear.
Now, Zechariah, another prophet, who saw quite a bit into the future, also, especially concerning. Israel and the Jewish people He got to see a flying scroll that told of the end of wickedness. Zechariah 5, verse 3. And he said to me, This is the curse. that goes out over the face of the whole earth.
Every thief shall be expelled according to this side of the scroll, and every perjurer. shall be expelled according to that side, What he's getting, just a little snapshot. of the intolerance of God that is coming. to deal with wickedness straight on. God says he's keeping track and he's going to wipe it out.
These scrolls in Scripture, these scrolls of God include eviction notices. along with their punishments. And so considering the scroll that Ezekiel saw and then is Zechariah. And now this one. We've got three witnesses and we better pay attention because the trustworthiness of the prophecies.
is so solid You'd be foolish to dismiss it. The scroll John sees is the final notice. It is God ruling. And it begins In this chapter, the one that's going to open the seal is Announced, and then in the next chapter and the subsequent chapters, we are going to see the seals opened and the results pour out. And it contains this scroll: the unleashing of apocalyptic judgments.
such as the world has not seen before. The taking back of earth and the jailing of Satan and God's plan for wickedness. We know what's coming because God has told us. with no reason to doubt. Maybe someone else has gotten to you and poisoned your mind into thinking that somehow this stuff's not true.
Don't fool around and find out. It ain't worth it. You have a chance to open your heart up to the God who died on the cross so that your sins could be washed away. Your scroll holds the facts concerning the consummation of human history of this age. The events are still future that John is getting to see, written inside and out.
That's what it is, well, written on the inside and on the back. And this impressed John as this is being shown to him.
So that when he comes out of the vision and he begins to write these things down and organize it for us, this remains. You would think it's just an insignificant detail. The scroll's writing on both sides takes us back to God giving the law, His law, to His people, Exodus 32. And Moses turned and went down from the mountain. And the two tablets of the testimony were in his hand.
The tablets were written on both sides. On the one side and on the other, they were written. You see the emphasis God puts on these things. They are not minor details, they are essential facts. And we Christians spend much of our life trying to familiarize ourselves with these facts and then do something for God.
with what we've learned. The idea here behind written inside and on the back. Is that the information is complete? There's no more space. There's no need for more space.
Nothing is to be added. It is thorough. All the outcomes of creation are going to be settled. and there will be no surprises to God. And that's the point.
Here's the script. This is what's going to happen. Nobody's going to stop it. As it is written, so it shall be done. And the seven seals are reaffirming that the scroll is The perfected plan of God, the seals that lock this document up.
Sealed with seven seals, seven being the number of completion in Scripture. These restrain the finality. The finality. The finale. I was on a roll there and I messed it up.
These restrain. The finality. God is real. and Earth will feel it. And it hasn't happened yet.
Because the seals have not been peeled, but they're going to be. And so, verse 2: Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, who is worthy to open the scroll? and to loose its seals.
Well, evidently not anybody can do this. They're unbreakable to created beings. There is no created being that can handle this. I cannot. Unleash the coming fury, only God, only God.
Only the Son of God. This mighty angelic being. As mighty as he is, and John points it out. Then I saw a strong angel. But yet he's not strong enough to deal with sin.
He's not perfect enough to die for sinners. The seals must be opened to begin the end of. human authority on earth. And Lucifer's access to heaven, because that's going to be part of the judgment. Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals?
Not who is willing. You're plenty of people willing to do good, they're just not worthy. Who is worthy? And the remainder of this chapter answers that question. And by doing so, it eliminates everyone but the Son of God.
Now, going back to Ezekiel that I referenced earlier in the second chapter of his prophecies. God himself opened the scroll of judgment. on his people. But here he's looking to his son. Again, back to the first chapter of Revelation 5.
Jesus Christ in. Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood.
Now he is the worthy one. worthy enough to die. worthy enough to judge? Worthy enough to be God eternal and subject himself to a human death? And so as in chapter 4 and the 11th verse and the 12th verse in this chapter, worthiness is the key to getting hold of that scroll that is in the hand of God the Father sitting on the throne.
Written on both sides, sealed seven times, announced by a mighty angel, and opened by. The lamb. Verse 3: And no one in heaven or on earth or under earth was able to open the scroll or to look at it. All creation lacks the power, that's the point. That's what I meant when I said earlier that there are symbols in here, but the points are made.
If you don't understand, well, who's in heaven, who's on earth, but you know this, they can't open it. And that's the main thing. disembodied spirits or otherwise. Whether they are created Seraphim, angels, cherubim, or anything else in heaven outside of God. They're unworthy.
In verse 9, we'll bring this out again.
Now the Greek word here is for Abel. Who is Abel? Is dunamas, where we get our English word dynamite. Because that's the idea, the force of the word. Who has got the dynamite to blast open these seals?
And when he also adds to this, or to look at it, how emphatic is that? This is so far above you Don't even look at it. is far beyond creation's reach. John says in verse 4, so I wept much. Because no one was found worthy to open and read the scroll or to look at it.
He repeats that to look at it part, because that stuck with him too. But the Greek word here for web. It's not It's standard Greek word, but it is to sob, to wail aloud. And so he's not just, you know, sort of sniveling, he's pouring it out because John, in the vision, understands. This world's evil cannot be dealt with until the seals are broken.
He gets it. It is imparted to him in the vision. And it impacts him. These are the only tears found in heaven. And they don't go unnoticed, do they?
In fact, not only do they go noticed, but they go recorded. If God can see John's tears, He sees mine. Significantly In this vision, These tears come from one who's not yet tasted death. At the time that John gets this vision, he's alive. He's not coming back from the dead telling us something.
That would be our cue not to listen to him or not to listen to people who come back from the dead unless They are pure as Christ. He wept because He had not yet sighted Jesus in the midst of all of this. At this point, that's all he sees, is there's a scroll, nobody is fit for it. Only one could approach God on this matter. Verse 5, But one of the elders said to me, Do not weep.
Behold, the lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll, to loose its seven seals. Not until John's heart breaks. over the lost state of creation. Does he get to see the Lamb of God? You see, the language is arranged in such a way, the truths are there, you just have to look for them.
or allow them to be shown to you. A revelation on top of a revelation. but not new information, developed information. This John, as he wept, is not touched by an angel in the vision, but this is an elder. Presbyteros in the Greek.
represent a representative of True believers. And we covered this in chapter 4, and they show up here again because it's the same scene, only divided by our division of chapters. Nothing wrong with that, but it's important to remember: this is one fluid moment. This part of his vision in heaven does not belong to chapter 4 and 5. It is chapter 4 and 5 without the chapter divisions.
In Revelation 4, these presbyteros, these elders, who will later be rejoicing in their salvation, which identifies them as human beings who are sinners and not Angels in chapter 4, the last we saw, they were casting down their golden crowns to the feet of the Lord as his servants who have authority. under his authority. And that's important too. Because the fact that they have crowns demonstrates they have some authority that's been delegated to them, and yet they have no authority apart from him. They are men of authority because they are men under his authority.
What a great lesson that is for us. But as for these crowns, Paul the Apostle said, Finally, there's laid up for me the crown of righteousness which I will receive, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give to me on that day. and not to me only. but to all those who have loved his appearing. I'm going to get a righteous crown.
All believers will have at least that much. And we will be eager to cast it back and say, Lord, we're not worthy. And He'll throw it back again. Say, Yeah, but I'm giving it to you. I've got work for you.
There's a co-regency awaiting the millennial kingdom. He says, Behold a lamb of the tribe of Judah.
Well, this eliminates everyone born except Jesus. He's the only one that could fit this billet. It's an allusion to Genesis 49, verses 9 and 10, where it is there predicted that a ruler will come out of the tribe of Judah, and he'll be like any other ruler that the world has ever known. We would not know these symbols without these Old Testament teachings. Yeah.
They're critical to all that we're. Learning as we go through the revelation of Jesus Christ. This almost is not what happened, but it seems like in some parts it happened that Jesus said, I'm going to bake in two. The Old Testament and the New Testament up to Revelation symbols glore. that when they get to the revelation, All they gotta do is look back and get the answer and understand what I mean when I talk about a lamb.
and a lion. And the sacrifices and the things that go into the imagery of his final revelation to man imprint. Only once in Revelation is Jesus referred to as the lion.
Well, that's all it needs.
However, 29 times in Revelation, he is referred to as the Lamb. And it is a unique Greek word. That John, only John, uses for the lamb. It means lamb. Commentators believe because it's not all that clear.
We know it's a lamb, so it's a young sheep. And we believe it has to do with his innocence, his preciousness. It's a superlative placed on top.
Well, this matches the Christ in heaven with the Christ of the Gospels. It matches when he says that here in verse five, behold the lion of the tribe of Judah. The root of David, that he has prevailed, when he talks about this, it is connecting this figure that John is looking at in the vision with the figure that John walked with in Galilee and Jerusalem and in the Promised Land and out. And so this is a big identifying moment in his revelation. And then he further develops it.
The root of David has prevailed. It says here in verse 5, to open the scroll to loose its seven seals. Here's an interesting thing. Maybe you're not that familiar with all this stuff I'm talking about, but you get enough of it. You get the convictions.
You get enough to have your attention held. And how long? Jesus warned that Satan will come and snatch the seeds of the word if you're not careful. And then your end will not be good. Hold on to the things you do understand.
Develop those things, and you will receive more things from the Lord. The root of David here is linking Old Testament prophecy to the New Testament Christ yet again, in case you missed. The first reference of the lion of Judah and the connection in Genesis?
Well, he gives us another one. And this one has a military flair to it. Isaiah 11 is where John is pointing to in the Old Testament. And when you go to that chapter, you read about this character, this lamb. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth and with the breath of his lips.
He shall slay the wicked.
Well, that's how we introduce. The judgments from Ezekiel and Zechariah. And that these seals are going to pour out judgment on the earth.
Well, Isaiah was yet another one that thousands of years before the events took place. Laid it out. Nobody else has got this. That should mean something to human beings. That there's only one book that calls it, and there's enough of it already fulfilled that if you got no more fulfillment, you have enough to make a decision as to whether or not you're going to receive the Christ or you're going to line up against Him.
And there's no middle ground. Jesus said, You're either with me or you're against me. Make your choice. He's decent enough to give. An adult?
a chance to be an adult. and make the choice for themselves.
Okay. This has been Cross-Reference Radio with Pastor Rick Gaston. This program is a radio outreach of Calvary Chapel, Mechanicsville, in Mechanicsville, Virginia. Pastor Rick has been teaching through the book of Revelation, but if you're interested in learning about a different book of the Bible, we have hundreds of past episodes available to listen to on demand. Just visit us online at crossreferenceradio.com and you'll find an archive of Pastor Rick's past teachings.
While you're there, you can also find links to follow our program on your favorite podcast app, as well as links to get connected with us on Facebook and YouTube. There's also an interviews tab where you can learn more about Pastor Rick's heart for ministry.
Well, we hope you'll join us next time here on Cross Reference Radio. Yeah.
