Revelation Chapter 4:
The scene shifts to a vision of God’s throne room in heaven. The imagery here stays consistent with the literary constructs of Jewish apocalyptic literature of the time, taking concepts from similarly themed notions from the Old Testament prophets (see Isaiah 6, Ezekiel 1 and Daniel 7). God’s throne is surrounded by amazing creatures and “elders” that represent the nations and peoples of the world giving homage and allegiance to the Lord as the one true God and creator, who is, as v. 8 says, “Holy, Holy, Holy.”
Revelation Chapter 5:
John notes that the Lord, seated on his throne, has a scroll in his hand—a scroll closed with “seven seals.” These would be wax seals that were commonly used in the ancient world to acknowledge that the document was official, had legal significance, or was meant by the author/creator to be confidential. John’s intended audience (the people of the seven churches) would have either been believing Jews or gentile converts familiar with Jewish religion, culture and history. They would have seen the scroll as representing the same kind of scroll brought forth to be read at each sabbath in the synagogues of the region — the text of the Old Testament. But here, it is intended to represent something more specific — it is the amalgamation of the messages of the prophets (see Isaiah 8:16, Ezekiel 2-3, and Daniel 12) predicting how God’s kingdom would come forth and exist “on earth as it is in heaven.”
But in verse 4, John is weeping because nobody is worthy to open the scroll, that is, to break the seals that have closed it like an envelope to be sent through the mail. But then, John is told that the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the root of David, is worthy and able to open the seals. This evokes the imagery common in Jewish culture at the time of the prediction that a messianic king would come forth to deliver the nation of Israel by military force. I imagine that’s what John’s audience would take away from this as initially put forth.
But instead of the expected conquering king, John sees a lamb — but not just a lamb like the one that followed Little Bo Peep to school, but a lamb the Jews of his day would be familiar with — a lamb that had been sacrificed on the altar of the temple, covered in blood, seemingly dead. Despite its appearance, the lamb is alive! It is also the one who is going to open the scroll.
This image of Jesus as the slain lamb is essential to understanding not just the meaning of the book of Revelation for us, but how mind-blowing and amazing this was for the understanding of God’s message to the people John was writing to. It turns out that the Old Testament promise of a future king who would victoriously bring about God’s kingdom was NOT a military concept, but was initiated through the crucified messiah, who overcame His enemies not by conquering them, but DYING for them as the living personification of the Passover lamb, so that not just the Jews, but everyone could be redeemed. Because of Christ’s resurrection, Jesus’ death on the cross was not a defeat, but it was his “conquest” over evil, and his enthronement as the King of Kings. This vision culminates in v. 7, where the Lamb takes the scroll from the one seated on the throne, with the rest of chapter 5 being an extended worship service dedicated to God as the creator and all powerful one on the throne of heaven and to the worthy lamb of God, slain for our sins, but now alive to receive all honor and glory — “to him who sits on the throne, and to the lamb.” (Verse 13). This sets the stage for the opening of the scroll, in the hands of a lamb that represents Jesus, showing Christ’s divine authority over time and history as he brings about the culmination of his kingdom here on earth.
