Last time we ended by looking at the scroll in chapter 5 but I did not finish. So, today I shall pick up where I left off. We will see how far we will get today.
Remember, John was weeping because there was no one to open the scroll. The scroll is the title deed of earth and all debts against it have been paid. This is why Jesus is worthy. All weeping ceases when Jesus takes this scroll! It is sealed with seven seals. Chapter 6 deals with the first six of these. Chapter 8 is where the seventh seal is opened.
Reasons why we Worship Jesus Christ.
Because of who He is (vv. 5–7). Three unique titles are given to the Lord to describe who He is.
- He is the Lion of the tribe of Judah. Beheld the Lion!! The reference here is to Genesis 49:8–10, where Jacob prophetically gave the sceptre to Judah and made it the tribe of the kings.
The image of “the Lion” speaks of dignity, sovereignty, courage, and victory.
He takes the scroll as the Lion, the King!
- Root of David. Jesus Christ is the only living Jew who can prove His kingship from the genealogical records. “Son of David” was a title often
used when He was ministering on earth (see Matt. 1).
But He is also the Root of David, which means He
brought David (and David’s line) into existence. As far
as His humanity is concerned, Jesus had His roots in
David (Isa. 11:1, 10), but as far as His deity is concerned, Jesus is the Root of David.
This speaks, of course, of our Lord’s eternality; He is indeed the “Ancient of Days.”
- The Lamb. When John turned to see, he saw not a lion but a lamb! Jesus Christ is called “the Lamb” at least twenty-eight times in the book of Revelation (the Greek word used means “a little pet lamb”) and the emphasis is not hard to miss.
God’s wrath is “the wrath of the Lamb” (Rev. 6:16).
Cleansing is by “the blood of the Lamb” (Rev. 7:14). The church is “the bride of the Lamb” (Rev. 19:7; 21:9).
The theme of “the Lamb” is an important one throughout Scripture, for it presents the person and
work of Jesus Christ, the Redeemer. He is the sacrificial lamb, slain for all our sins.
John the Baptist: “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! (John 1:29).
The choirs of heaven sing, “Worthy is the Lamb” (Rev. 5:12).
The description of the Lamb (Rev. 5:6), if produced literally by an artist, would be grotesque picture, but when understood symbolically, conveys spiritual truth.
Since seven is the number of perfection, we have:
- perfect power (seven horns),
- perfect wisdom (seven eyes), and
- perfect presence (seven Spirits in all the earth).
The theologians would call these qualities
omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence; and all three are attributes of God. The Lamb is God the Son, Christ Jesus!
We worship Jesus Christ because of who He is. But
there is a second reason why we worship Him.
Because of where He is (v. 6).
To begin with, Jesus is in heaven. He is not in the manger, in Jerusalem, on the cross, or in the tomb.
He is ascended and exalted in heaven.
He has defeated every enemy and is now controlling events from glory! He too suffered, but God turned His suffering into glory.
But where is Christ in heaven? He is in the midst. The Lamb is the centre of all that transpires in heaven the centre of the throne.
All creation centres in Him (the four living creatures),
as do all of God’s people (the elders). The angels around the throne encircle the Saviour and praise Him.
Because of what He Has Done (vv. 8–10).
When the Lamb came and took the scroll (see Dan. 7:13–14), the weeping ended and the praising began.
God’s people and the representatives of God’s creation joined their voices in a new song of praise.
Note that praise and prayer were united, for incense is a picture of prayer rising to the throne of God (Ps. 141:2; Luke 1:10). We shall see the “incense prayers” of the saints again (Rev. 6:9–11; 8:1–6).
When we sing songs that Jesus is worthy, do we really know what we are singing? We know what the word ‘worthy’ means. Rather, do we understand why He is worthy in heaven? Because He paid it all. It is not a holiness statement, although it is linked, it is a reminder to you and I that he died for us, paid the price in full for us, has done it all! Don’t forget that!
Because of what He has (vv. 11–14).
In this closing burst of praise, all the angels and every creature in the universe joined together to worship the Redeemer.
What a cascade of harmony John heard! In this hymn,
they stated those things that Jesus Christ deserved to receive because of His sacrificial death on the cross.
- He was born in weakness and died in weakness, but
- He is the recipient of all power.
- He became the poorest of the poor (2 Cor. 8:9), and yet He owns all the riches of heaven and earth.
- People laughed at Him and called Him a fool, yet He is the very wisdom of God (1 Cor.1:24; Col. 2:3).
- He shared in the sinless weaknesses of humanity as
- He hungered, thirsted, and became weary. Today in glory, He possesses all strength.
- On earth, He experienced humiliation and shame as sinners ridiculed and reviled Him. They laughed at His kingship and dressed Him in a mock robe, crown, and sceptre. But all of that is changed now! He has received all honour and glory!
The worship service climaxed with the entire universe praising the Lamb of God and the Father seated
on the throne!
And there was even a loud “Amen!” from the four living creatures! In heaven, we are allowed to say “Amen!”
Keep in mind that all of this praise focussed on the
Lord Jesus Christ, the Redeemer.
All of heaven’s praise came because the Lamb took the scroll from the Father’s hand. God’s great eternal plan would now be fulfilled and creation would be set free from the bondage of sin and death. One day the
Lamb will break the seals and put in motion events that will eventually lead to His coming to earth and the establishment of His kingdom.
After the church is raptured, the events depicted in Revelation 6—19 will occur: the tribulation, the rise of the “man of sin,” the great tribulation (the wrath of God) and the destruction of man-made world government, and then Christ’s return to the earth to set up His kingdom. Daniel indicates that this period of worldwide trouble will last seven years (Dan. 9:25–27). Throughout the book of Revelation, you will find measurements of time that coincide with this seven- year time span (Rev. 11:2–3; 12:6, 14; 13:5).
The Tribulation is the last seven years that are assigned to Israel in order for them to complete God's purposes for them (Daniel 9:24-27). One of these purposes is for God to bring Israel to the point of recognising that Jesus is their true Messiah, which is the condition that must be fulfilled before Jesus' second coming (Matthew 23:39, Zechariah 12:10–11, 13:8–9).
Seals and Weeks
Now, when the seals begin to be opened that is the beginning of the tribulation. To understand where this sits in Scripture we have to go back to the book of Daniel.
Daniel speaks of four kingdoms and seventy weeks.
Everything Daniel writes has been fulfilled until the 70th week.
Now, I don’t want to give you a headache, but here’s the bits you’ll need as we move forward.
Daniel’s Four kingdoms
The ‘four kingdoms’ of Daniel 2 and 7 are, to be identified with Babylon, Media, Persia and Greece. Daniel 11 describes the four kings of these kingdoms in great detail. Daniel 11:2 describes the first four powerful kings of Persia, from Cyrus to Xerxes, corresponding to the four heads of the third beast in chapter 7; and 11:3–39 is a detailed description of the Greek empire from Alexander to Antiochus Epiphanes, corresponding to the specially important fourth kingdom. Chapter 11: 40–43 are a description of the destruction of the Greek empire by Rome, corresponding to the destruction of the body of the fourth beast in Daniel 7:11, 26. All this corresponds to the four beasts Daniel sees in chapter 7.
The key part of this is that a kingdom will come back into existence in the end times, which we will see later on in the series.
Daniel’s 70 Weeks
In Daniel 9 he prophesies about 70 weeks.
In Daniel 9: 24: “Seventy ‘sevens’ are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the Most Holy Place.
“Seventy ‘sevens’: Almost all commentators agree that the seventy “sevens” should be understood as seventy “weeks” of years, in other words, a period of 490 years. These verses provide a sort of “clock” that gives an idea of when the Messiah would come and some of the events that would accompany His appearance.
The prophecy goes on to divide the 490 years into three smaller units: one of 49 years, one of 434 years, and one 7 years.
The final “week” of 7 years is further divided in half.
Verse 25 says, “Know and understand this: From the time the word goes out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven ‘sevens,’ and sixty-two ‘sevens.’ It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble.
Seven “sevens” is 49 years, and sixty-two “sevens” is another 434 years:
49 years + 434 years = 483 years. There’s still a seven year period - a “week” - missing.
The prophecy contains a statement concerning God’s six-fold purpose in bringing these events to pass. Verse 24 says this purpose is:
- “to finish transgression,”
- “to put an end to sin,”
- “to atone for wickedness,”
- “to bring in everlasting righteousness,”
- “to seal up vision and prophecy,”
- and “to anoint the most holy.”
Notice that these results concern the total eradication of sin and the establishing of righteousness. The prophecy of the 70 weeks summarises what happens before Jesus sets up His millennial kingdom in the book of Revelation. Note is the third in the list of results: “to atone for wickedness.” Jesus accomplished the atonement for sin by His death on the cross (Romans 3:25; Hebrews 2:17).
The Fulfilment of the 70 Weeks
Gabriel, the archangel who is speaking to Daniel, said the prophetic clock would start at the time that a decree was issued to rebuild Jerusalem. From the date of that decree to the time of the Messiah would be 483 years. We know from history that the command to “restore and rebuild Jerusalem” was given by King Artaxerxes of Persia c. 444 B.C. (see Nehemiah 2:1-8).
The first unit of 49 years (seven “sevens”) covers the time that it took to rebuild Jerusalem, “with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble” (Daniel 9:25). This rebuilding is recorded in the book of Nehemiah.
Converting the 360-day year used by the ancient Jews, 483 years becomes 476 years on our solar calendar. Adjusting for the switch from B.C. to A.D., 476 years after 444 B.C. places us at A.D. 33, which would coincide with Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem and crucifixion (Matthew 21:1–9).
Daniel 9:26: 26 After the sixty-two ‘sevens,’ the Anointed One will be put to death and will have nothing.
After the completion of the 483 years, “the Anointed One will be put to death”. This was fulfilled when Jesus was crucified.
Daniel 9:26 continues with a prediction that, after the Messiah is killed, “the people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary.” This was fulfilled with the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70.
The “ruler who will come” is a reference to the Antichrist, who, it seems, will have some connection with Rome, since it was the Romans who destroyed Jerusalem.
The Final Week of the 70 Weeks
Of the 70 “sevens,” 69 have been fulfilled in history. This leaves one more “seven” yet to be fulfilled.
We are now living in a huge gap between the 69th week and the 70th week. The prophetic clock has been paused, as it were.
We call this prophetic telescoping. When you look at a mountain range for a distance it can look as though the peaks are close to each other. When you look at an aerial view, you discover that the peaks can be separated by great disunites. A bit like the fan I have showed you a few times, where time is compressed until we open it out.
The final “seven” of Daniel is what we usually call the tribulation period.
Daniel’s prophecy reveals some of the actions of the Antichrist, the “ruler who will come.”
Daniel 9:27: He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.’ In the middle of the ‘seven’ he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And at the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him.”
Jesus warned of this event in Matthew 24:15. After the Antichrist breaks the covenant with Israel, a time of “great tribulation” begins (Matthew 24:21, NKJV).
Daniel also predicts that the Antichrist will face judgment. He only rules “until the end that is decreed is poured out on him” (Daniel 9:27).
God will only allow evil to go so far, and the judgment the Antichrist will face has already been planned out.
Now, why is all this important for the study of Revelation? Because when Jesus cracks the first seal, that is the beginning of this last “week” - a seven year tribulation.
Six seals in Revelation 6
The seven years can be divided up into two halves - just like Daniel’s prophecy.
There are four seals, or stages, that occur in the first half, and three seals that occur in the second.
Halfway through the tribulation is the abomination of desolation event (Daniel 9:27).
Each of the seven seals has events associated with it.; the final seventh seal has seven trumpets, each of which is its own event (Revelation 8).
The Seals:
Verse 2: The first seal will introduce the Antichrist. The Antichrist will be an individual who incarnates all the evil power of Satan.
There have many precursors of the Antichrist, men that have distinguished themselves by their opposition to the Gospel and persecution of believers — Nero, Mohammed, Hitler, etc.
The Antichrist will have a dictatorial spirit, arrogance, a cult surrounding his person, and control over the political, economic, and religious life of his subjects. The Antichrist will use an unprecedented power of seduction to bring humanity under his control. The power of the Antichrist will be of supernatural evil origin. He will base his powers on the countries of the fourth kingdom of Daniel. [Some scholars believe this to be a resurgence of either the Greek or Ramon emipre; there is debate as to which. I tend to think Roman as it was the last great empire of the times of the prophecy}
He will extend his power by conquest, eventually attaining universal dominion. At the onset of the seven years, the Antichrist will show himself falsely benevolent to the Jews; he will then proceed to attack them halfway into the tribulation.
The Antichrist will face his end at the battle of Armageddon when Christ appears and destroys him (Revelation 16:16)
But notice this: he rides white horse. Probably not literally on a horse but this speaks of authority, but it is an imitation of Jesus - a rider of a white horse. I think this shows he will be someone who speaks of love; some believe he will set up his won religion. Also, he carries a bow with no arrow. I think this shows that he will have huge military deterrents but will promise not to use them (if the world complies.)
Verse 3: The second seal will introduce war.
Verse 5: The third seal will introduce famine and hunger due to worldwide economic destruction.
Verse 7: The fourth seal will introduce death. As a result of war and hunger, about one fourth of the world will die.
After the fourth seal, about 3.5 years into the Antichrist’s rule, the Abomination of Desolation will occur. At this point, the antichrist will break his treaty with Israel. The antichrist will begin to pursue and persecute Jews.
God instructed Ezekiel to prophesy about the battle that would take place between Israel and its enemies (Ezekiel 8-11; 38-39, he prophesies about the abominations and a battle). This battle will take place when Israel is on her own land.
Right before the battle, Israel will be assuming peace, making the attack a surprise for them.
The Antichrist will create diplomatic peace via peace treaty during the time of the tribulation between Israel and its enemies. Assured of global peace, Israel will relax her security. In the middle of the Tribulation, the Antichrist will unleash his antisemitism through an attack on Israel from the North. The instigators of this battle, according to Ezekiel 38-39, will be the nations of Gog, Magog, Meshech, Tubal, Togarmah, Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya. A lust for power and desire for resources will motivate this battle.
Many will bow before the antichrist as their awaited god.
Verse 9: The fifth seal will introduce the martyrdom of the remnant. These are the Jews and gentiles who have come to faith during the Tribulation.
Verse 12: The sixth seal is that of natural disaster.This will consist of earthquakes, a solar eclipse, a lunar eclipse, meteor showers, and other natural occurrences. We are seeing the ;about pains of this leading to a convergence of natural disasters.
Wrapping this up:
I want you to take away three things in all of this:
- Jesus is the centre of all heaven and is worshipped
- Jesus is the One who is in control and opening the seals.
- Where is the Church during this? In heaven, we have been raptured!
Blog Bonus:
For more on Daniel’s kingdoms, see this useful article. You’ll need a coffee and a biscuit; have your Bible handy:
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/themelios/article/the-four-kingdoms-of-daniel-2-and-7/
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