Gospel Prism

Then I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals. 2 And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” 3 And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it, 4 and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. 5 And 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 scroll and its seven seals.”

6 And between the 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 sent out into all the earth. 7 And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne. 8 And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9 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 for God
from every tribe and language and people and nation,
10 and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God,
and they shall reign on the earth.”

11 Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” 13 And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!” 14 And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped.
(Revelation 5)

Introduction

I wanted to close this series on our values with Revelation 5 because I cannot think of a greater impetus to want to do all things for the sake of the Gospel to God’s glory for our joy than to understand what awaits us following life on earth. But I need to let you know, now more than ever, biblical views on heaven are under attack. Some modern Christian authors and theologians are teaching that while there is an afterlife, the life today is what we must focus on in order to understand life at all.

One author/pastor writes:

I believe the Book of Revelation is an example of Jewish Apocalyptic which, although it may be concerned with the end of the age, is not really talking about the end of the world at all. In this, I follow NT Wright’s general line of thought, so if I’m off the ranch, so is he. I see Biblical prophecy in terms of warnings and promises, which are different from prognostications. If I had to put a name on my eschatology, I suppose I would call it “Participatory” - meaning that God invites us to participate in God’s ongoing work in the world, leading to the ultimate victory of all that is good and the ultimate defeat of evil. Beyond that, there are a lot of eschatological details I was much surer about twenty years ago when I read the Bible less and popular end-times books more!

A theologian had this to say about heaven:

I’ve often said, heaven is important but it’s not the end of the world. What the New Testament is on about is what I call “life after life after death.” That is, resurrection life after whatever state we go into after death. The New Testament teaches a two-stage post-mortem eschatology. And it goes on and on about resurrection and says very little about the intermediate state, which we can call heaven if we like. It’s very interesting that so much Western Christianity has focused on the intermediate state so much that it’s forgotten that there is an ultimate resurrection. It thinks that heaven is all there is.

Is this true for Christians? Do we really think heaven is all there is because we’re merely wishful thinkers? Is heaven itself less than what the Bible says it is and should we be hopeful for something more than Is heaven really “all there is,” sort of the default place where people go after death? I don’t think it’s just errant pastors and theologians who think this way. All of us tend to live as though heaven were somewhat of a fantasy. But shouldn’t something that the Bible says is so vast, so grand, so inexhaustible, so glorious, so indescribable effect the life we live on earth? What is it about heaven that is worth living for and perhaps even dying for? Revelation 5 teaches that heaven is much more than we realize: 1) Heaven’s Inhabitants are unworthy; 2) There is one who is worthy, 3) Which leads to God’s eternal glory and therefore, our eternal joy.

Heaven’s Inhabitants Are Unworthy

First, Revelation 5 begins with the unworthiness of its inhabitants. Verses 1-4 read: “Then I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals. 2 And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” 3 And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it, 4 and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it.” The scroll represents the book that contained all of God’s judgments and His salvation plan. In other words, all of humanity would be completely lost, Sin is so great that no one is able to open the scroll of judgment and salvation because everyone is to be judged on the basis of this scroll. I don’t think we realize just how desperate this moment was. If you have ever been in a serious conflict with a loved one, sibling, spouse, parent where reconciliation seems hopeless, you might slightly appreciate such despair. Well, this was a moment of despair, both for John and for all of humanity. Everyone would be completely liable, and rightfully so, for their own sins against God. Full judgment would come and nothing could stop it from taking place. In fact, John is so overtaken by this despair that he begins to weep. And sometimes, that is our only response.

If you have ever felt the true weight of your own sin, the pain you have caused others, or yourself, or especially God, you will weep. And it is often through sincerely weeping eyes, by mourning over one’s own sin, will one begin to clearly see Christ and believe Him. And so in this way, suddenly there is a dramatic turn of events. John records: “And 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 scroll and its seven seals.”

There Is One Who Is Worthy

Second, there is only one who is worthy and that is Jesus. Charles Spurgeon said, “When there is utter failure everywhere else, then in Him is our help found.” (Charles Spurgeon, “The Lamb in Glory,” p. 1) Jesus breaks onto the scene in the same way He did when He came to the world, just at the right time (Gal 4:4-7). And I have a feeling that some of your stories are quite similar to this scene in Revelation. When you were at your worst, or in despair, that’s when you came to see the wondrous grace of God through Christ. And I want to exhort you even today that the Lord still continues to be with you in your life, especially when things to do seem hopeless.

But if you have never faced such need or have never felt such unworthiness, then why would Christ ever had to have died for sin? Don’t you think that if the Father could have come up with any other way to deal with the consequences of sin and rebellion, He would have? When that strong angel asked, “Who is worthy?” don’t you think that if the Father could have sent someone else, He would have? Or do you think anyone else was able enough to take up the challenge? Perhaps you might have thought you were able enough? How often do you deem yourself worthy before God?

If you have ever believed your strength, your intelligence, your educational background, your good looks, your winsome personality, your strong marriage, your family history, your moralism, your good citizenship, your good reputation, your money could give you the best life you wanted, then my friends, you would have jumped at the angel’s challenge and said, “I am worthy.” The fact is, far too many of us deem ourselves worthy all of the time. Or we might deem ourselves worthy by the amount we worry about everything I just listed. Worry flows from the unbelief that Christ is not worthy to give us everything we need for our deepest joy and satisfaction. Instead, worry assumes that we must position ourselves to be worthy so that we might save ourselves.

But thanks be to God that when despair was really beginning to sink in, a Lion was in view. Why the lion? Well, the Messiah has been described in the OT (Gen 49:9) as Lion because a lion is terrible, powerful, and fearless. The Lion is the King of all beasts. In biblical times, lions roamed the land freely and people were deathly afraid of lions. I read recently where a Krueger Park ranger was found. Actually, shall I say a few bones and some shoes were found, as the man was eaten by a lion. Without any weaponry, a man has no chance against a lion’s powerful claws and jaws. When John sees Jesus, He is as powerful, as terrible, as fearful as the mightiest of lions and He is worthy to open the scrolls. Jesus’ power ceases John’s weeping.

But verse 6 reveals an incredible transformation that occurs to this lion: “And between the 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 sent out into all the earth.” The great transformation is this: a Lion would become a Lamb so that we as sinners might become saints. Jesus has fought the battles as a mighty lion and won, but He did so by becoming a sacrifice for sinners. The greatest person who has ever walked the face of this earth became lower than any person who has walked the face of this earth so that you and I who believe in Christ might be completely freed from sin, guilt, condemnation, slavery. Jesus’ transformation from Lion to Lamb makes those unworthy to be in heaven suddenly worthy! We should all be so remarkably be surprised by joy (to use C. S. Lewis’s phrase) that we are made worthy enough to be with Jesus eternally. John Newton put it well: “When I get to heaven, I shall see three wonders there. The first wonder will be to see many there whom I did not expect to see; the second wonder will be to miss many people who I did not expect to see; the third and greatest of all will be to find myself there.” (Quoted in Randy Alcorn, Heaven, 456) When there was no hope at all, when no one could stop God’s hand of judgment against sinners, the Lion stepped in to be a Lamb so that you and I could be with Him forever!

Shouldn’t this lead to our response of humility before a gracious Savior? It should lead to a continual reflection on our unworthiness, not to despair, but perhaps sometimes to a point of weeping. I am not saying that we should be condemning ourselves. In Christ, there is no condemnation (Romans 8:1). But like John, if we have never come to that point of humility where we sense our desperate need for Christ, we simply will not understand how great salvation is and how great a Savior we have. So C. J. Mahaney gives some very practical advice, “Begin your day by acknowledging your dependence upon God and your need for God.” (C. J. Mahaney, Humility: True Greatness, 69) He also adds that we should begin our days expressing our gratefulness to God. (C. J. Mahaney, Humility: True Greatness, 70-71) Gratefulness protects us from complaining and grumbling. Gratefulness keeps us from being so overwhelmed by the present that we are continuously angry, worried, frustrated over the minutiae of life. And gratefulness to God keeps us focused on the Lion who became a Lamb for our sake.

God’s Glory for Our Joy (vv. 11-14)

Finally, we will seek to glorify God which will give us an eternal joy that far weighs any earthly one. There are a few ways this is evident. First, Christ is the center of worship. Not only is Jesus the Worthy Lion and Lamb, where all surround the throne to worship Him, He is also the center of all of heaven where the Gospel will be celebrated eternally. The slain Lamb is seated on the throne in verses 6-8. Elders and creatures and prayers of the saints have fallen to the ground before Him. There will not be a soul, not a creature, not an angel who will be looking at himself. Instead, each will be fixated on Jesus and absolutely enthralled with delight.

So if Jesus is at the center of eternity this means that we must prepare to have Jesus at the center of our hearts today, which is a foretaste of what heaven will be like. J. C. Ryle notes:

What a sweet and glorious home heaven will be to those who have loved the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity! Here we live by faith in Him, and find peace, though we see Him not. There we shall see Him face to face, and find He is altogether lovely…But alas, how little fit for heaven are many who talk of ‘going to heaven’ when they die, while they manifestly have no saving faith, and no real acquaintance with Christ. You give Christ no honour here. You have no communion with him. You do not love Him. Alas! What could you do in heaven? It would be no place for you. Its joys would be no joys for you. Its happiness would be a happiness which you could not enter. Its enjoyments would be a weariness and a burden to your heart. Or repent and change before it be too late! ( J. C. Ryle, Holiness, 384)

If you have ever experienced a wonderful worship of God, you know just how deeply satisfying and joyous this time is. I can honestly say that such times, though rare and often short, have rivaled the best experiences of my life, including marriage and the birth of my children. But the problem with such experiences is that they are too rare and too short in this world. But they are foretastes of heaven. Well, if a person has never had such an experience, then of course, heaven would seem to be a boring place. Anyone who thinks of Revelation 5 as nothing special or exciting or something to look forward to, simply has not tasted heaven here on earth. J. C. Ryle is right to say to such a person, heaven would be a weariness. Which is why Rev 16:9 describes people who are being punished for their sins and yet they refuse to repent or give glory to God. To such people, since they’ve never tasted the joy of heaven in trusting Christ here on earth, they would rather take their chances with the deceptive seduction of hell, than the promises of heaven. And such a gamble will have eternally horrific consequences.

Second, the worshippers are full of vibrancy. There is no death and no dullness in heaven. People are not half-hearted. Souls are not falling asleep. Their minds are not distracted by the different tasks that are before them. They aren’t wrestling with mixed motives, mixed emotions. They aren’t coming to worship Christ weary. They aren’t swayed by one another. Instead, they are so struck, so overawed by what they see, that they can’t help but worship Jesus. It is out of the purest delight that they love to honor Him.

Third, they come to give thanks and praise for the Gospel. Notice the song in verses 9-10. Jesus is worthy to take the book and open it. He stands between God’s judgment and our sin as symbolized by that book. And as Hebrews 10-12 continuously remind us, He will forever be the great High priest, the ultimate mediator that bears our sin and renews our relationship with the Father. Every day of eternity then will be a day where we will hear singular praise of this great grace of God through Jesus. He is worthy because He was slain! Spurgeon proclaims:

Jesus is never more glorious than in His death! His propitiation is the culmination of His glory, after all, as it was the very utmost depth of His shame, Beloved, we rejoice in our Mediator because He died! (Charles Spurgeon, “The Heavenly Singers and Their Song,” 4)

My friends, heaven is a place to sing the song of the Gospel. The song by Steve and Vicki Cook, “The Glories of Calvary,” proclaim:

Sinners find eternal joy
In the triumph of Your wounds
By our Savior’s crimson flow
Holy wrath has been removed
And Your saints below
Join with your saints above
Rejoicing in the Risen Lamb

And this is exactly true. What we sing about here will be sung about forever, rejoicing in the slain and Risen Lamb. And so heaven is a place for sinners. If you don’t think you’re all too bad, that you’re morally okay, that your works are good enough, you won’t like heaven much. Heaven will be too imperfect for you because heaven is a place filled with sinners. It’s filled with morally corrupt people. Some have actually committed murders. Some have actually committed adultery. Some used to worship all sorts of idols. There are liars and thieves. There are former slave traders. There are former persecutors of Christians. If you think you’re okay and sin doesn’t grieve you, then heaven won’t be a place for you because of the sordid company there, because heaven is a place filled with saved sinners.

But if you are like Mary, who washed Jesus’ feet with her tears and hair, and are struck by how terrible your sins are, but how wondrous and great your Savior is, then heaven is for you. You will love heaven. Your songs of joy here on earth will be joined with the songs above. And what will you these songs proclaim? They will proclaim the Gospel.

Listen to the song that is being sung in verses 9-10: “Worthy are you to take the scroll
and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God
from every tribe and language and people and nation, 10 and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.” And then v. 12, sung by the myriads of myriads: “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” It is the song of the SLAIN LAMB, the Gospel. We have been ransomed by blood, Jesus’ blood. He was slain for us and we won’t stop singing of this song. And together, we will ring out with this song. The full joy of salvation will be unleashed by countless people who will forever sing such songs. Notice the object of this song. YOU are worthy. YOU were slain. By YOUR blood. YOU ransomed. YOU have made them a kingdom and priests. Jesus has done all of the work.

Therefore, if you do not find any joy singing of this glorious work here on earth, then you really won’t appreciate the joy of singing about this work eternally. We sing of this glorious Gospel and the promise of Scripture is that we will be kings and priests. We will glory in Him with no need of an interpreter or a scholar or a theologian or a king or a priest. We will worship Him perfectly, joyously, and without any aids.

So think of your greatest and truest pleasures here on earth. Think of your sweetest time with family. Think of your best times with friends. Think of the beautiful sights you have seen, or the most anticipation you have felt for a nice vacation or the most proudest moments of your life. These are nice, sweet, but mere shadows. As Jonathan Edwards put it:

God is the highest good of the reasonable creature, and the enjoyment of him is the only happiness with which our souls can be satisfied. To go to heaven fully to enjoy God, is infinitely better than the most pleasant accommodations here. Fathers and mothers, husbands, wives, children, or the company of earthly friends, are but shadows, but God is the sun. There are but streams, but God is the fountain. These are but drops, but God is the ocean. (Quoted in Randy Alcorn, Heaven, 185)

Conclusion

Why should we all things for the sake of the Gospel? Why should we love God’s Word and live and plan our lives in accordance with it? Why should we be soaked in prayer, praying to the Father as His adopted children in the Gospel? Why should we value a transformed life that conforms us to look more like Christ? Why should we hold the local church so dearly, more precious than any other gathering and fellowship on this earth? Why should we be concerned for the lost in our communities and in our world? Why should we care about the poor and defenseless in sub-Saharan Africa, or the sexually exploited children of Southeast Asia? Why should we value reaching unreached peoples with the Gospel? Why should we care at all? Why should we love fellow members of this church who have rubbed us the wrong way, who have hurt us, who have neglected us, who have misunderstood us?

Why? Because God’s greatest joy, His Son, gave His life as a substitute for our sins, bore our wrath, so that we might experience the greatest joy possible eternally. And Revelation 5 is a glimpse as to what this joy will include. It will include God Himself and the glory of His Gospel through His Son. This is the essence of heaven. Anyone who has truly experienced God, understands just how true these statements are. And perhaps the most wondrous aspect of heaven is that your greatest possible joy and satisfaction will never run out, and it will never end. There are no goodbyes. Since God is inexhaustible, so will be our pleasures and joy in Him.

What difference does knowing you will be with the slain Lamb make in your life? Are you so overwrought with worry, with cynicism, with depression, with anger and bitterness clinging to past hurts and pains? Such a heart is living as though this life is the end. Such a person trusts God’s Word so little not just regarding the freedom that one will feel from their hurt, anger, sorrow, pain now, but freedom for eternity.

Randy Alcorn gives some helpful reflection questions that remind us about our eternal destiny (Randy Alcorn, Heaven, 469-470):

1. Do I daily reflect my own mortality?
2. Do I daily realize there are only two destinations—Heaven or Hell—and that I and every person I know will go to one or the other?
3. Do I daily remind myself that this world is not my home and that everything in it will burn, leaving behind only what’s eternal?
4. Do I daily recognize that my choices and actions have a direct influence on the world to come?
5. Do I daily realize that my life is being examined by God, the Audience of One, and that the only appraisal of my life that will ultimately matter is his?

And let me add one to Randy Alcorn:

6. Do I preach the Gospel of the Slain Lamb to myself daily, knowing that joy will flow from such preaching not just every day I live here on earth but eternally as well?

Or as George Bernnard described so beautifully in the hymn, “Old Rugged Cross”:

So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross,
Till my trophies at last I lay down;
I will cling to the old rugged cross,
And exchange it some day for a crown.

In this way, doing, living, being all things for the sake of the Gospel is absolutely to God’s glory and subsequently, our joy will increase eternally and inexhaustibly.