The Beloved Disciple

by Beth Moore

  "Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals" (Rev. 5:1). We can't be certain what the scroll represents. One possibility is that it is like the one in Ezekiel's vision (Ezek. 2:9-10). That scroll contained words of lament and woe. Certainly the coming chapters announce woes, so the interpreta­tion is plausible for the Revelation 5:1 scroll. When Christ victoriously claims the scroll, however, the eruptions of praise cause me to wonder how the scroll can be associated with woes and laments alone. I tend to think the seals themselves involve wrath, but the words within unfold something glorious.

  Interpreters pose another possibility-that the scroll represented the will or testament of God concerning the completion of all things on earth and the transition to all things in heaven. The ancient Romans sealed wills or testaments with six seals. A slight variation of this view compares the scene to the Roman law of inheritance. Some scholars believe the scroll is the title deed to earth.

  Though I'm curious, I am comfortable not knowing the exact identity of the scroll because, whatever it is, it is in the hands of Christ. Now con­centrate on verses 2 and 3. These events may not have happened over a simple matter of seconds.

  I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, "Who is wor­thy to break the seals and open the scroll?" But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it. (Rev 5:2-3)

  The verb tense of the Greek word for "proclaiming" may suggest the mighty angel could have repeated the question several times, scattering glances to and fro for someone who was worthy. The deafening silence left by no answers heightened the anxiety of the listener.

  John tells us that he "wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside" (Rev. 5:4). His reaction cer­tainly shows the importance of the scroll. By now surely you have some picture of John in your mind and affection for him in your heart. Keep in mind that the power and presence of the Holy Spirit doesn't make us feel less. The Spirit brings life. Every one of John's senses was surely quickened. His response to the sight of the throne must have been indescribable awe. When he heard the angelic proclamation, a tidal wave of grief crashed against that reverent backdrop. The word used for "weep" usually implies accompanying demonstrations of grief.

  In our previous chapter, we stood transfixed with John as witnesses to the vision of the throne room of God. Something dramatic happened in the transition of the scene in chapter 5. Suddenly John was no longer watching revelation. He was part of the scene. Previously a bystander as the elders cast their crowns before the throne, he then was approached by one as he wept.

  Then one of the elders said to me, "Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals."

  Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. (Rev. 5:5-6)

  John must have expected to see a Lion, as the elder had described. Instead, he saw "a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain." The Lion of the tribe of Judah had triumphed the one and only way possible according to the plan probably written within that scroll: as a Lamb that had been slain. Simply put, the Lion triumphed by becoming the Lamb slain.

  Revelation chapter 4 concludes with the hymn of the elders praising God for creation. Now in chapter 5 the hymn is addressed to the Lamb and called "a new song" (vv 9-10). Why was the praise a new song? I wonder if the reason may be that praises like those described in Revelation 4 have been sung throughout eternity, but the word new is a time-related word. Words like old and new only have meaning within created time and for created beings. They have no reference in that which pertains to heaven alone.

  Obviously, something glorious happened involving earth and those bound by time that releases a "new song." The song itself tells what happened.

  You are worthy to take the scroll

  and to open its seals,

  because you were slain,

  and with your blood you purchased men for God

  from every tribe and language and people and nation.

  You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our

  God,

  and they will reign on the earth. (Rev. 5:9-10)

  Beloved, not only did the new song have to do with something that involved the earth, it proclaimed the one and only immutable hope of earth: the Lamb slain!

  Throughout Scripture, titles given to God were inspired in perfect con­text with the verses in which they appear. Not coincidentally, John referred to Christ as "the Lamb" twenty-eight times in an unfolding revelation that ultimately prophesied the culmination of all things concerning humankind and the earth. The primary image of Christ in Revelation is undoubtedly Jesus as the Lamb. This title bursts forth repeatedly like fireworks in the grand finale of Holy Writ. And for good reason. No concept in the Word of God has been more consistent.

  Revelation 13:8 majestically refers to Jesus as "the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world." You see, man's fall did not take God by surprise. Before He said, "Let there be light," He basically said, "Let there be a plan. And there was. A Lamb slain from the creation of the world."

  Genesis 1:24-25 tells of the creation of animal life. In the midst of countless creatures, hoofed and not, God created the lamb. I happen to think God is the sentimental type. It shows throughout Scripture, and we, as sentimental people, were created in His image. I don't think He created the lamb with little notice. He knew the profound significance He would cause the small, helpless creature to have. Adam wasn't created until after the animals. God saved what He considered His best for last. I think the fact that a lamb was created before a man is quite fitting. Throughout the Old Testament, man would require a heap of them.

  After sin cost Adam and Eve paradise, "the LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them" (Gen. 3:21). This is the first reference to a sacrificial death. Since God dressed them with a skin, we know an animal perished for them to be covered. We have no way of know­ing whether the animal was a lamb, but I can hardly picture it any other way.

  Genesis 4:4 records the first sacrificial offering. 'Abel brought fat por­tions from some of the firstborn of his flock." Cain brought an offering of fruit, but the Lord looked with favor on Abel's offering.

  Not coincidentally, from the moment in Scripture that life appears outside the garden, we see sacrificial offerings. God wasn't partial to Abel. He was partial to Abel's offering. When not distinguished otherwise, a flock almost always refers to sheep in Scripture. From the Old Testament to the New, the Lord looks with favor upon those symbolically covered by the blood of the Lamb. Verse 7 hints that Cain knew the right thing to do and had the same chance to bring a sacrificial offering. The basic tenet of all biblical rebellion is refusing the blood of the lamb.

  Genesis 22 contains the account of Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son Isaac in obedience to God. Far from coincidence, the first time in Scripture the word lamb is used is in Genesis 22. Fittingly, the words sac­rifice and worship are introduced in the same chapter, and the word love appears for only the second time.

  Just before Abraham actually killed his son as an offering to God, the angel of the Lord intervened. God provided a substitute sacrifice in the form of a ram caught in the thicket. I was thrilled when I read the follow­ing definition of the word for "ram" is ayil: "a male sheep generally more aggressive and protective of the flock." Jesus our Lamb is indeed aggres­sively protective of the flock-even to the spilling of His blood. Galatians calls this drama the gospel preached in advance to Abraham (Gal. 3:8; Rom. 9:7). Glory!

  The ram was secured for Abraham's use by horns caught in the thicket. Horns remained very significant throughout the Old Testament and were positioned on the corners of the altar of sacrifi
ce so that a lamb could be secured to them with ties. Revelation 5:6 says the Lamb had "seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth."

  We don't have to fear that Christ is going to look like some frightening monstrosity. John's language is figurative. In the prophesies of both Daniel and Revelation, horns represent authority and power. The Lamb's power and authority to redeem on earth came through His willingness to be slain.

  We cannot find a more perfect Old Testament picture of the blood of the sacrificial lamb than the one recorded in Exodus 12. The final plague against Egypt came in the form of the death of the firstborn. Every Hebrew family found protection through the Passover lamb's blood on the doorpost.

  The concept of substitutionary atonement that unfolded immediately outside the garden echoed like a sermon from Isaac's Mt. Moriah, dripped from the doorposts of captive Israel, and remained constant throughout the Old Testament. Innumerable animals were sacrificed throughout the centuries at the altars of the tabernacle and the temple. So many were sac­rificed at the dedication of Solomon's temple that they couldn't be counted.

  God's wonders on behalf of Israel were astounding; as long as they fol­lowed Him, He fought for them. Then they repeatedly fell into idolatry. After sending the prophets with warnings, Old Testament Scripture comes to an abrupt halt-but not without a promise: "See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the LORD comes" (Mal. 4:5).

  As in many other prophecies, God spoke symbolically. According to Matthew 11:12-14 John the Baptist fulfilled this prophecy. Look at the first words from John the Baptist's mouth when he saw Jesus: "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29).

  Luke 22 records the last supper Christ shared with His disciples. Because a Jewish day begins just after sundown and lasts until the next, Christ was actually crucified on the very same "day" they ate their final meal together. According to Luke 22:14 that day was when Jesus' hour had come.

  Oh, do you realize we've only seen a glimpse, yet look at the consis­tency! A lamb, the lamb, the Lamb! So we wouldn't miss the woolen thread, Revelation, the book of the Bible that brings all things to comple­tion, shouts this title like triumphant bursts from a ram's horn. Not once. Not twice. But twenty-eight times! The Lamb slain from the foundation of the world for the salvation of the world.

  Man can shake his arrogant fist all he wants, but he will never shake God. The plan is firm. No plan B exists. All things are going just as He knew they would. We look around us and hang our heads over the mis­erable estate of this lost, depraved world. And all the while God sits upon His throne saying, As long as man has breath, I have a Lamb. "Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they sang:

  `Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,

  to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength

  and honor and glory and praise!"' (Rev. 5:11-12)

  Part 10

  BLESSED

  BENEDICTION

  Though we've reached our final chapters, don't wind down too quickly. Many sights await us on the final miles of our journey together. Some will thrill us. Others may horrify us. All of them were meant to change us ... and prepare us for the future. No book of the Bible will make us more thankful to belong to Jesus Christ than the Book of Revelation. Never lose sight of the fact that "there is now no condem­nation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (Rom. 8:1). Though we have walked side by side with many lost, our futures will literally be worlds apart. May God increase our desire to pray for unbelievers and to more willingly share­-not our fears-but our faith. In the meantime, we can trust the wisdom and eternal plan of the One "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty."

  Chapter 46

  A SONG NO ONE ELSE

  CAN SING

  No one could learn the song except the 144, 000 who had

  been redeemed from the earth. (Revelation 14:3)

  We’ve come to such an exciting part of our study that it hardly seems to be narrowing down. In only a few chapters, though, we will embrace and say farewell, at least for a season. You have been the perfect traveling com­panion, and I am grateful for the privilege to walk these last few miles with you. For now our thoughts will center on Revelation 14.

  You can certainly tell from the tone of this chapter that the pulse of the book just escalated. If you listen closely, you can almost hear the hiss of the sickle cutting through air thick with looming judgment. The long-­prophesied Day of the Lord, when He will settle all accounts, draws nearer and nearer. The mere thought leaves me with a strange mingling of antic­ipation and dread. I desperately desire the coming of His kingdom, yet I yearn for all to confess Christ before judgment comes. Our next chapter will be difficult because we are going to discuss God's wrath. These Scriptures provide a prelude to prepare us for that lesson and also remind us of the perfect plan and provision of our faithful God.

  The vision of the 144,000 victors with the Lamb purposely follows the harrowing prophesies concerning the two beasts described in Revelation 13. One of the first principles I learned in Bible study concerning the kingdom of darkness is that anything God does, Satan attempts to counterfeit. We shouldn't be surprised.

  I'm convinced the words of Isaiah can apply only to Satan, the morn­ing star "fallen from heaven" (14:12). In Isaiah 14:14 Satan states his blas­phemous goal: "I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; / I will make myself like the Most High." All through Revelation 13 the kingdom of darkness seeks to imitate the works of God but with a twisted, evil intent.

  We can hardly comprehend why God's plan for the ages makes room for the full expression of such evil, but let's try to understand that Revelation records future events that bring both light and darkness earth­ward. Never lose sight of the fact that the light of God is incomparably brighter than the depth of Satan's darkness.

  God and Satan are not equal-though-opposite powers. God allows Satan to exist and act only in ways that ultimately satisfy certain critical ele­ments of God's kingdom agenda for earth. Before Satan meets his inevitable doom, God will allow him to drop many of his ancient mas­querades and reveal himself in some respects. Revelation centers on the ultimate unveiling of Jesus Christ, but the Bible's benediction also appro­priately intimates that all things will be revealed-whether good or evil, pure or defiled, heaven or hell.

  In the wake of the inconceivable massacre of Revelation 13, God refreshed the searing soul of the beloved disciple with the vision of a rem­nant marked for survival and the sounds of rushing waters, thunder, and harps. Capture the emotions of Revelation 14:1-5 and sip its healing tonic after the bitterness of the preceding chapter.

  Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father's name written on their foreheads. And I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of rushing waters and like a loud peal of thunder. The sound I heard was like that of harpists playing their harps. And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. No one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. These are those who did not defile themselves with women, for they kept themselves pure. They follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They were purchased from among men and offered as firstfruits to God and the Lamb. No lie was found in their mouths; they are blameless.

  Scholars disagree about whether these are the same 144,000 men­tioned in Revelation 7:1-8. I believe the third and fourth verses suggest that they are. The 144,000 mentioned in chapter 7 were sealed with the seal of the living God. The 144,000 of Revelation 14 bear a mark-the name of the Lamb and the Father! On their foreheads! I don't think we should automatically assume that these names were visible to earthly eyes. Remember, John was seeing a vision far exceeding the natural realm. I believe John more likel
y saw the marks on the 144,000 as they were visi­ble to the hosts of heaven and the demons of hell. Why do I make this point? Because I believe we share some similarities with these 144,000. They won't be the only ones who were "sealed." Ephesians 1:13 says, "Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit."

  The concepts in the Word of God are very consistent from the Old Testament to the New. Under the order of the original priesthood during the time of the tabernacle, God instructed the priests to wear a turban described in Exodus 28:36-38. That headgear bore a plate inscribed "HOLY TO THE LORD" (v. 36).

  Notice the parallel of the inscriptions on the "foreheads." According to 1 Peter 2:9, we are a royal priesthood. Ephesians 1:13 tells us we also bear a seal. If we are the New Testament priesthood and we also have a seal, could it possibly be on our foreheads as well? We can only imagine. I believe one thing is certain: we are marked, and in all probability this seal is visible in the supernatural realm.

  Beloved, you may struggle with doubts over whether you are saved, but I don't believe a single angel or demon in the unseen world has any doubt. We who are saved bear the seal of our Father. As 2 Timothy 2:19 says, "Nevertheless, God's solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: `The Lord knows those who are his."' Hallelujah!

  Scholars are very divided as to whether 144,000 is a literal or repre­sentative number and whether the Mount Zion in this vision is on earth or in heaven. Where the latter is concerned, the Bible clearly refers to both. The tragedy for any student of this chapter would be arguing over the sym­bolism and missing the song.

  What song? Take another look at verse 3. The song no one could learn ... except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. Please don't miss that John heard the song, but he could not learn the song. Notice it was a "new song."

  I am not a singer, but I dearly love to sing praise songs to my God. We have a wonderful praise team at our church. I enjoy learning a new song every week or two, but I must admit that I get frustrated on occasion when most of what we sing is unfamiliar. I often think how silly I am because every song I love was once unknown to me.