Some days you really want to read ahead to see what comes next. Revelation invites that temptation. However, today we restrain ourselves and concentrate on the events of Revelation chapters 5 through 8, where we focus on the scroll and on the Lion who is the Lamb.
The Scroll No One Could Open
(Revelation 5:1–4)
People have many theories about the writing on the scroll John sees in heaven. Some believe it represents the Old Testament, or both the Old and New Testaments together. However, this view seems wrong because we already have those Scriptures. God intends His Word to be opened and read.
John tells us that no created being—on earth, under the earth, or in heaven—could open the scroll or even look into it (Rev. 5:3). This is not a matter of intelligence or authority alone; it is a matter of worthiness. The scroll is not merely unread—it is inaccessible.
Another long-standing interpretation sees the scroll as a last will and testament, sealed with seven seals in the Roman manner. People opened a will only after the death of the person who created it. Christ had died. Now, the rightful, righteous Judge could open the will. This theory carries weight because it connects the opening of the scroll directly to the death of Christ and the unfolding of God’s purposes in history. (1)
I do not stand alongside the great theologians who have wrestled with these questions for centuries. That has never been the aim of this book. My purpose is not to give you conclusive answers—only God can do that—but to encourage you to read carefully, ruminate, and pray honestly about what you read. The footnotes and bibliography are here not to impress, but to invite you into the conversation and to make it easier—for both of us—to return and look again.
John’s Tears and the Promise of the Lion
(Revelation 5:4–5)
John believed he would one day understand these things. Now, John weeps because he faces the reality that no one can open the scroll. The Greek word implies prolonged, uncontrollable sorrow.
Then comes the interruption: “Do not weep. See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah… has conquered, so that he can open the scroll” (Rev. 5:5).
John had been a young man when he first followed Jesus. Like most Jews of his time, he had grown up waiting for a conquering king—the Lion of Judah promised in Scripture (Gen. 49:9–10). When he hears the Lion is worthy, he looks up.
The Lion He Sees Is a Lamb
(Revelation 5:6)
John sees not a roaring lion, but a Lamb that had been slain. Small. Fragile. Bearing the marks of sacrifice.
Since he had stood at the foot of the cross on Calvary (John 19:26–27), John knew exactly who this was. The Lion is the Lamb. This paradox lies at the very heart of the gospel. (2)
It takes the authority and majesty of the Lion to open the scroll. But if the scroll is a will—opened only after death—then it required the sacrifice of the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29).
Power and sacrifice do not oppose each other in God’s kingdom. They unite.
“Worthy Is the Lamb”
(Revelation 5:9, 12–13)
When the Lamb takes the scroll, worship erupts. First from the elders, then from angels beyond number, and finally from every creature in heaven, on earth, under the earth, and in the sea. The Lamb is worthy because of redemption, not domination: “for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God” (Rev.5:9)
This is not forced worship. It is recognition.
And then comes one of Revelation’s most unsettling phrases: “the wrath of the Lamb” (Rev. 6:16). The One who saves is also the One before whom no one can hide.
The Sealed and the Multitude
(Revelation 7:4–14)
John hears the number 144,000—a figure surrounded by mystery. Some understand it symbolically, representing the fullness of God’s redeemed people (12 × 12 × 1,000). Others take it more literally: twelve thousand from each tribe of Israel, sealed during the tribulation to bear witness. (3)
Immediately after, John sees what he cannot number: a great multitude from every nation, standing before the throne, washed clean by the blood of the Lamb (Rev. 7:9–14). However one understands the numbers, the question that matters most is not who they are? But are you among them?
What We Must Know
Those who are not worthy to open the scroll fall on their knees and worship the One who is. Many things are beyond our full understanding. God’s ways remain higher than ours (Isa. 55:8–9). But there is one thing we must know:
There is only One who is worthy.
As John wrote earlier in his life, “these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God” (John 20:31).
Tomorrow, we will continue with Revelation chapters 9 through 12.
Footnotes (Chicago Style)
- Enduring Word Bible Commentary, “Revelation 5,” https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/revelation-5/.
- “The Lion Who Is the Lamb: Reflections on Revelation 5 in a Time of War,” Pastor Theologians, February 28, 2022, https://www.pastortheologians.com/articles/2022/2/28/the-lion-who-is-the-lamb-reflections-on-revelation-5-in-a-time-of-war.
- Got Questions Ministries, “Who are the 144,000 in Revelation?” https://www.gotquestions.org/144000.html.
Additional thematic overview:
BibleProject, Revelation video, https://bibleproject.com/explore/video/revelation/