Voddie Baucham - Why Does John Weep Over The Scroll In Revelation 5?

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Revelation chapter five, beginning at verse one. And as we
enter into Revelation chapter five, I said, this section of
Revelation chapter four and five, again, it is the clearest
picture that we have of heavenly worship, I believe, anywhere
in the scriptures. And because of that, it's the clearest
picture that we have of the theological implications of our

(00:23):
earthly worship anywhere in the scriptures.

Speaker 2 (00:26):
But I believe as.

Speaker 1 (00:27):
We move forward in this the crescendo begins here in
chapter five. Here's where we truly understand worship, because here
is where we get the picture of the Lion and
the lamb. Beginning at verse one. Then I saw in
the right hand of him who was seated on the

(00:49):
throne a scroll written within and on the back, sealed
with seven seals. By the way, just as an aside, here,
as we talk about the various ways that we approach
the Book of Revelation, and we talked about the sort
of literalistic approach and the difficulties of the literalistic approach
to Revelation. People who want to take everything literally unless

(01:12):
you're specifically told not to. Well, we're not specifically told
not to take this literally. But if we take it literally,
then God, the Father, actually has a right hand. That's
a problem because God is a spirit and doesn't have
a body like men. We could talk about the son

(01:34):
having a right hand, but not the Father. So as
we get here into this section in chapters four and five,
and as we move forward, I just want to reiterate
and emphasize the approach to revelation that we're taking, the
idealist approach to revelation that we're taking. Where we understand,
based on chapter one, verse one, that the book is

(01:56):
meant to be taken symbolically, not literally. There are signs here,
there are pictures here, and it's not meant to be
taken literally. It's meant to be taken symbolically. And then
we try to understand what the symbols mean. And here
is a great example where this approach works and the

(02:17):
literalistic approach does not work. I saw on the right
hand of him who was seated on the throwne, a
scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals.
And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice,
who is worthy to open the scroll and.

Speaker 2 (02:39):
Break its seals? To love?

Speaker 1 (02:41):
This almost like a courtroom scene stands up like the
sergeant at arms, a strong angel with a loud voice.
And no one in heaven or on earth or under
the earth, was able to open the scroll or to
look into it. And I began to weep loudly because

(03:04):
no one was found worthy to open the scroll or
to look into it. And one of the elders said
to me, remember the twenty four elders around the throne
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. And between the

(03:30):
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, set out into all the earth.
And he went and took the scroll from the right

(03:52):
hand of him who was seated on the throne. So
we know now that the lamb is the lion. No
one's worth to take the scroll. That's okay, because the
lamb and the root of the Lion, and the root
of David is worthy to take this scroll. Now, who's
taking this scroll the Lamb who was slain. The lion
is the Lamb. And when he had taken the scroll,

(04:20):
the four living creatures and the twenty four elders fell
down before the Lamb, each holding a harp and golden
bulls 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

(04:43):
for God, from every tribe and the language, and people
and nation. And you have made them a kingdom and
priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.

Speaker 2 (04:58):
Amen.

Speaker 1 (05:00):
What a powerful passage of scripture. The word pictures here
are almost overwhelming. But there are several things necessary for
us to understand if we are to understand the significance
of this text. The first is this. The first is
the nature of the scroll. What is the scroll? Why

(05:20):
is the scroll so important? There are a number of
interpretations of the scroll. One is that the scroll is
actually synonymous with the Lamb's Book of life. We see
the lambs Book of Life in Revelation three, five, thirteen,
eight seventeen, eight, twenty twelve and fifteen and twenty one
twenty seven.

Speaker 2 (05:41):
So we see this lams Book of Life.

Speaker 1 (05:42):
So some are some are arguing that the scroll here
that only the lion slash Lamb can open is the
Lamb's Book of Life. The problem with that, of course,
is that the Lamb's Book of Life is a different book.
We know this from Revelation chapter twenty and verse twelve,
where we read and I saw the dead great and

(06:05):
small standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then
another book was opened, which is the Book of Life,
and the dead were judged by what was written in
the books, according to what they had done. So the
reference there is to a different book, another book, not
the same book, not the same scroll with the seals

(06:27):
that we read about here. Some, again, who take a
futurist approach to this letter to this book, say that
basically the scroll represents the future Great Tribulation. It represents
this period that has yet to come referred to as
the Great Tribulation, this literal seven year period known as

(06:52):
the Great Tribulation. Well, here's the problem with that. We've
already alluded to it earlier. The fact that in Revelation
chapter one and verse nine, team we read right. Therefore,
the things that you have seen, those that are, and
those that are to take place after this past, present,
and future. What we find in these scrolls are not

(07:16):
just about future events. But what we find in these
scrolls have to do with events that are already taking place,
even at the time of writing. So what do we have?
Two things? One the fullness of God's plan of judgment

(07:37):
and redemption. That's what we have in the scrolls, the
fullness of God's plan of judgment and redemption. Why do
I say this, Well, because we see this idea of
the sealed Scroll or the sealed Book in the prophetic
literature that informs John's writing. We've said before that for

(07:57):
the most part, there's Daniel, and there's Ezekiel and a
lot of Isaiah here. But Daniel is the book referenced
more than any other book. And in Daniel chapter seven
and again in Daniel chapter twelve, we have references that
illuminate this for us. Listen to Daniel chapter seven, verses
nine to ten. As I looked, thrones were placed, and

(08:21):
the Ancient of days took his seat. His clothing was
white as snow, and the hair of his head like
pure wool. His throne was fiery flames. Its wheels were
burning fire. A stream of fires issued and came out
from before him. Again, this fire is a reference to judgment.
One thousand thousand served him, and ten thousand times ten

(08:41):
thousand stood before him. The court sat in judgment, and
the books were opened. In Ezekiel chapter two we have
another example of this. There we see a court of
judgment and the scrolls being opened, or the books being opened.

Speaker 2 (09:01):
Look in Ezekiel chapter two, verses eight through ten.

Speaker 1 (09:05):
But you, son of man, hear what I say to you,
be not rebellious like that rebellious house. Open your mouth
and eat what I give you. And when I look,
behold a hand was stretching out to me, And.

Speaker 2 (09:18):
Behold a scroll of a book was in it.

Speaker 1 (09:22):
And he spread it before me, and it had writing
on the front and on the back. Unusual, most scrolls
didn't have writing on the front and on the back.
Here in a revelation we have a scroll with writing
on the front and on the back. In Ezekiel two
a scroll with writing on the front and on the back,
and there were written on it words of lamentation and
mourning and whoe. So in Daniel we see what this

(09:47):
book that is unsealed in a courtroom where judgment is
about to be announced. In Ezekiel chapter two, we see
a scroll written on both sides. What's send the scroll
lamentation and woe.

Speaker 2 (10:02):
And Isaiah chapter twenty nine.

Speaker 1 (10:05):
We find a similar idea Verses eleven and twelve. And
the vision of all this has become to you like
the words of a book that is sealed. When men
give it to one who can read, saying read this,
he says I cannot, for it is sealed.

Speaker 2 (10:23):
And when they give the book to one.

Speaker 1 (10:24):
Who cannot read, saying read this, he says I cannot read.

Speaker 2 (10:28):
Well.

Speaker 1 (10:28):
The context of Isaiah chapter twenty nine is God bringing
judgment upon his enemies. So John, reaching back to this
prophetic literature from the Old Testament, this apocalyptic literature from
the Old Testament, has the picture of a scroll that
is sealed, that is written on both sides, and it
is a scroll of judgment. We also know this because contextually,

(10:52):
when we move into chapter six, what do we find
We find judgment and woe. So this is a scroll
of judgment. But there is another issue as well. This
scroll that is sealed with seven seals hearkens to its
particular day in which in Roman court rooms documents were

(11:13):
often brought in and sealed with multiple seals, mainly last
Wills and Testaments. And they're sealed so that you make
sure they haven't been tampered with, so that only the
one who is the executor can break the seal and

(11:38):
open the Last Will and Testament and read the wishes
of the deceased. So here we have judgment, redemption, and inheritance.
That's why when it can't be opened, John weeps.

Speaker 2 (11:59):
He weeps out.

Speaker 1 (12:00):
He weeps uncontrollably because here's this sealed document. He knows
that this sealed document has the picture of God's redemption
of his elect and God's judgment on the wicked. And
he looks at this document waiting for God to unleash
his judgment on the wicked and to consummate his redemption

(12:21):
of his elect and for the Last Will and Testament
to be read. And the angel says, who is there
who can open this? And the answer is no one
in heaven and on earth and under the earth. John weeps.
Listen to what Hendrickson writes, here's why John's weeping. This

(12:42):
means for John that history will not be governed in
the interest of the church, and that there will be
no protection for God's children in the hour of bitter trial,
no judgment upon a persecuting world, no ultimate triumph for believers,
no heaven, no hearth, no new heaven, no new Earth,

(13:04):
and no future inheritance. That's what it means if there's
no one worthy to open the scroll, and that's why
John weeps. He weeps because if the scroll is not opened,
things are not brought to their full conclusion in the

(13:25):
way that God intends. If the scroll is not opened,
there is no end to this persecution that God's people
are experiencing. If the scroll is not opened, then there's
not going to be justice for God's elect. If the
scroll is not open, there is no inheritance for the
people of God. He weeps because the scroll must be opened,

(13:50):
and there must be justice, and there must be redemption.
Then verse five, 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 scrolls and its seven seals. Now this is

(14:15):
extremely important. Note that he uses these two references to Christ.
He refers to him as the line of the tribe
of Judah and the root of David. Now, when he
refers to him as the lion of the tribe of Judah,
we know that this is a reference to Genesis chapter
forty nine, and we understand that Jesus is the lion
of the tribe of Judah because of his lineage. Genesis

(14:37):
forty nine, beginning at verse eight, we read, Judah, your
brother shall praise you, which is a play on words,
because the name Judah means praise. Your brother shall praise you.
Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies.
Your father's son shall bow before you. Judah is a

(14:59):
lion's cub from the prey, my son, you have gone up.

Speaker 2 (15:03):
He stooped down.

Speaker 1 (15:04):
He crouched as a lion, and as a lioness who
dares rouse him. The scepter shall not depart from Judah,
nor the ruler's staff from between his feet until tribute
comes to him, and to him shall be the obedience
of the peoples, binding his foal to the vine and
his donkey's colt to the choice vine. He has washed

(15:25):
his garments in wine, and his vestures and the blood
of grapes. His eyes are darker than wine, and his
teeth whiter than milk. There is a picture of divine judgment.
So what does the Angel say? There is one who
can open the scroll of the judgment of God because
he is the one foretold in the line of Judah.

(15:45):
He is the lion of the tribe of Judah. Jesus
Christ is able to judge the world because he is
the lion of the tribe of Judah. He is the
justice of God Godd. We see that picture of him
in Revelation chapter nineteen that we've looked at time and
time again, and it looks a lot like this picture

(16:09):
that we find in Genesis chapter forty nine. Jesus Christ
is the judge. We don't like to speak about him
in those terms. Listen, beloved, if you don't like speaking
about Jesus in those terms, then you are missing one
of the most important aspects of who he is. Because

(16:31):
what pray tell does redemption mean? If there is no justice,
what are you saved from? If there is no wrath
of God? What are you rescued from? If there is
not a day that is going to come? When he
actually does exact vengeance upon the wicked. What have you

(16:52):
been transferred from If not from darkness and judgment to
light and redemption. You cannot appreciate the redemption that you
have in Christ unless you understand the justice and judgment
of God that will that must come against the wicked.
And you will never turn to Christ unless you understand this,

(17:14):
because you don't have anything to flee from. If there
is no justice or judgment of the wicked, you don't
believe you need a savior, if you don't believe that
there is justice against the wicked. And so we have
this picture of lowly Jesus, meek and mild, who just
wants to be your friend, and he's pining over you
because he doesn't have enough friends, especially friends like you,

(17:36):
And your greatest sin is depriving Jesus of you.

Speaker 2 (17:43):
That's not the gospel.

Speaker 1 (17:48):
Gospel says you are a wretched sinner and you've sinned
against the Holy and righteous God, and the day is
coming when you will face that God, his justice.

Speaker 2 (18:01):
Will be poured out.

Speaker 1 (18:03):
Flee from your sin and run to the only one
who can save you, who is Christ himself.

Speaker 2 (18:10):
The Judge is the only one who can save you.
The lion of the tribe of Judah.

Speaker 1 (18:16):
Bow before him now, or bow before him then, But
you will bow