The Lion of the Tribe of Juda (Revelation 5)

2013-04-07

Revelation 5:1-4: Who is Worthy?

And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals. And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof? And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon. And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon.

Previously, in Revelation 4, we saw the magnificent scene of the beasts and the elders worshipping the creator God on his throne. In this chapter, we continue in this amazing scene.

In verse 1, the one who sat on the throne has a book in his right hand. Throughout the Bible, the right hand is a sign of prominence and authority. In the famous 110th Psalm, we read of God speaking to his Son, “The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.” Consider also Jacob blessing his grandsons:

And when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, it displeased him: and he held up his father’s hand, to remove it from Ephraim’s head unto Manasseh’s head. And Joseph said unto his father, Not so, my father: for this is the firstborn; put thy right hand upon his head. And his father refused, and said, I know it, my son, I know it: he also shall become a people, and he also shall be great: but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations. (Genesis 48:17-19)

You see how Jacob put his right hand on the head of Ephraim because he was going to have greater honor than his older brother Manasseh.

This book is somehow related to the judgment of God upon the world. We will see that the seals represent all of the events leading up to God’s wrath. Once the book’s seals are all loosed, we will see the seven trumpets announcing God’s judgment upon the world.

In verse 2, we see a “strong angel” calling for someone who is worthy to open this book. All angels are powerful creatures created to serve God; however, this particular angel was labeled as “strong.” He may have been more powerful than other angels, but the significance here is that even his great might did not permit him to open the seals of this book. We can understand John’s distress in verse 4. Nobody who has ever lived was worthy at all to open this book or even look at its contents.

Revelation 5:5-7: The Lion of the Tribe of Juda

And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof. And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne.

Though John had showed despair at the lack of one worthy to open this book, the elder told John that there was one yet worthy, “the Lion of the tribe of Juda.” We know this to be Jesus Christ. First, this title is to be of significance, and we should examine its original context to learn more:

Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father’s children shall bow down before thee. Judah is a lion’s whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up? The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be. Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass’s colt unto the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes: His eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with milk. (Genesis 49:8-12)

When Jacob was blessing his sons, this prophecy about his fourth son, Judah, was very significant. Though the first born is usually an heir, this clearly states that Judah will be a ruler. His brothers shall praise him, and bow down before him. As a lion, he has great strength. The line of kings (“the sceptre shall not depart from Judah”) will come from this son, but will cease with this “Shiloh.”

Furthermore, unto “him,” referring to Shiloh, will there be a gathering of people. This should remind us of Matthew 23:37: “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!” Also, in Matthew 24:31, we read, “And he [the son of man] shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” This Shiloh will gather his people together, and we will see this fulfilled in Revelation 7.

When speaking of “binding his foal unto the vine,” we immediately should think of Matthew 21:2: “Saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me.” This is fulfillment of the famous prophecy in Zechariah 9:9. His entry into Jerusalem was a humble one, and not one of a mighty, conquering king.

His garments being washed in the blood of grapes is an allusion to his death. It was only after his death and resurrection when Jesus said, “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth” (Matthew 24:18). Because of what he went through, we read in Isaiah 53:12, “Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.” His eyes were red with this “wine” because his eyes were always focused on the moment he would be crucified for the sins of the world.

Finally, his teeth being white refers to the type of life he had lived. White teeth are desirable in our culture, but white and clean teeth were symbolic of famine in ancient times. In Amos 4:6, we glean this meaning from the parallelism used: “And I also have given you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, and want of bread in all your places:” Jesus tells us in Luke 9:58, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.” He lived in poverty, helping and living for others, all the days he walked the earth.

This Lion is also called the root of David. This is significant because Jesus is the foundation of a kingly dynasty. Consider the following:

While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, Saying, What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The Son of David. He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool? If David then call him Lord, how is he his son? (Matthew 22:41-45)

Though David was the one with which God made a covenant that his family would rule over Israel (2 Samuel 7), Jesus ultimately is Lord of all, and being God, he is the progenitor of all.

Likewise, this is reminiscent of Isaiah 11:10, where Jesse is the father of David:

And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious. And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth. (Isaiah 11:10-12)

As one who took our place on the cross, Jesus is very much an ensign to his people. Furthermore, we very well know that his “rest” is “glorious.” Hebrews 4 discusses entering into his rest, ceasing from our works and believing in Christ.

Jesus also will gather his saints together, just as it is written in this passage. We will discuss this at length in Revelation 7 and in the Olivet Discourse.

Interestingly enough, this Lion “prevailed” in order to open the book. But when we get a glimpse of this “Lion,” we see that he is a “Lamb.” We all know that a lion is ferocious and fearless; we will surely see that side of him when he pours out his wrath. But to us, he is a lamb--a gentle and simple creature. This is not only a lamb, but it was “as it had been slain.” Jesus’ sacrifice was how he “prevailed,” redeeming people “out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation,” as we shall see in verse 9. Though he was slain, he is alive forever more, and we see him take center stage when he takes this book. This living sacrifice still speaks today, and will for eternity.

The Lamb also has seven horns. Horns thoughout the Bible are symbols of strength. Psalm 18:2 reads, “The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.” In a list of synonyms for strength, we see the word “horn.” Our salvation’s strength is in the Lord. Psalm 89:17 reads, “For thou art the glory of their strength: and in thy favour our horn shall be exalted.” The parallelism here shows that horn is synonymous with “strength.”

The Lamb also has seven eyes as well. This shows that he sees everything upon the earth. These are seven spirits going throughout the earth. We do not know much about these seven spirits, but let us discuss what we do know:

They are before God’s throne. (Revelation 1:4)
The Lord Jesus Christ has these seven spirits. (Revelation 3:1)
The seven lamps of fire are the seven spirits. (Revelation 4:5)
The eyes of the Lamb are the seven spirits. (Revelation 5:6)
These seven spirits are sent forth into all the earth. (Revelation 5:6)

I have yet to find any reference to these seven spirits anywhere else in the Scriptures. From these references, we can know that they do God’s bidding, and go out into all the earth. Since they are associated with the eyes of the Lamb, they know and communicate all the affairs of the earth to heaven. Since God is omniscient in himself, they do not “fill God in” on all of what is going on. However, they provide a sevenfold witness as to what is going on earth, so that we are without excuse. Nothing is hidden before God.

I have read in books in times past that these seven spirits are really the seven-fold Holy Spirit. I do not think we can safely say this is true, since this language is not used anywhere else in the Bible. We can only look at what the Bible tells us and not come to conclusions that are not warranted.

Before moving forward, we want to look at the significance of the number seven. We discussed in the section pertaining to the church in Sardis that seven is a number of completion and perfection. We will not revisit that discussion here, but suffice it to say that the Lamb’s horns and eyes both numbering seven is significant. Simply stated, his strength and his omniscience are perfect and complete; he does not lack these qualities at all, but perfects them.

In verse seven, we see the Lamb take the book from God on his throne. No one else dares to go near his throne, take the book, or touch the mighty Creator. But Jesus Christ, our worthy Lamb, was able to do so. We see that when he does so, the reaction in heaven was a glorious commotion.

Revelation 5:8-14: The Heavens and the Earth Sing Praises

And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints. And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth. And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever.

At the taking of the book, the four beasts and the 24 elders all fall before the Lamb in praise. This is different than what we saw previously. Though the elders had fallen in worship before the throne in Revelation 4, we see also that these winged creatures also fall down this time. Though we see them as flying creatures in the previous passages of Revelation 4 and in the Old Testament, they are down on the ground in worship. Let us examine the scene.

The 28 all have harps. Consider other passages in the Bible about the usage of the harp:

1 Chronicles 25:3: “Of Jeduthun: the sons of Jeduthun; Gedaliah, and Zeri, and Jeshaiah, Hashabiah, and Mattithiah, six, under the hands of their father Jeduthun, who prophesied with a harp, to give thanks and to praise the LORD.” Jeduthun prophesied, or preached, with a harp. We know from other parts of the Bible that music teaches (Colossians 3:16). The harp can therefore teach and admonish people.

Isaiah 24:8: “The mirth of tabrets ceaseth, the noise of them that rejoice endeth, the joy of the harp ceaseth.” The sound of the harp can be used in rejoicing.

Psalm 33:2: “Praise the LORD with harp: sing unto him with the psaltery and an instrument of ten strings.” The harp is an instrument to praise God.

With these harps, we will see a blend of some of these purposes as they praise God. We will rejoice and praise God with them as we read about this glorious scene in heaven.

They also contain vials of odours, in which we are explicitly told they represent the prayers of saints. We will see the prayers of saints represented in some similar fashion in future portions, such as 6:9 and 8:5. However, we praise him because he overcame death, paying for our sins once and for all. We will revisit this in future sections and expand upon this theme.

After they fall before the Lord prostrate, they begin singing a new song (5:9). We may first ask ourselves, what is a new song? The Bible defines this for us in Psalm 40:3: “And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.” Praising God is the new song. This is confirmed again in Psalm 144:9, Psalm 149:1, and Isaiah 42:10. This is very significant to us. The old, unregenerate man cannot sing the new song; only the new creation in Jesus Christ can praise God. He redeems us for a purpose. The creation that was created for his pleasure (as we saw in the last chapter) could not praise him after the fall of humankind. Again, only the redeemed sing this new song, for only the new creature can sing it. Let us look at the words to this particular song they sing.

Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth. (Revelation 5:9-10)

This confirms what we see about the new song. The redeemed are singing praises to God because they were redeemed by the Lamb. The saved are no longer what they were; they are now new creatures, born again, and fulfilling their God-given purpose of pleasing him. And they praise the Lamb for that.

We should note that people are redeemed from every nation and language. We remember Jesus’ famous words in the Olivet discourse: “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come” (Matthew 24:14). The gospel will be reached everywhere, and the Word of God will be successful in redeeming people from every people group. Many often think that Christianity is only a western religion; the Bible tells us something very different.

We discussed the concept of people being kings and priests in Revelation 1, so I will not repeat the commentary here.

If the scene was not grand enough, we suddenly see an enormous number of angels appear to praise the Lamb. In verse 11, we see that there are “ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands” of angels. Taking these numbers at face value, this literally means 100 million, plus additional millions. That said, we know there are more than 101 million, but less than 200 million. This is significant for a good, subtle reason. This means that the angels could be counted with an actual number. Hold that thought, because later on we are going to see a huge host that “no man could number” in 7:9. We will return to this thought at that time, but remember that these angels could be numbered.

These angels praise the Lamb, emphasizing the worthiness of the Lamb. To the beasts and elders, the Lamb was worthy to take the book because he redeemed people with his atoning death. Here, the angels are saying that the Lamb is worthy to receive “power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.”

Again, we see yet another group praising God and the Lamb: every creature in heaven, on the earth, under the earth, and in the sea. This is a very comprehensive group! Now it is obvious that most people here on earth do not praise God at all. But there will be a day when we see “that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:10-11). Some will do it voluntarily, while others will be forced to do so. When the imperfect finite faces the perfect infinite, they will all admit and ascribe the glory due to God.

After this tremendous doxology at the Lamb’s taking of the book, we see the elders fall down yet again, and worship God. This is their special purpose, and they never tire of it.