THE LAMB BECOMES A LION One of the unique things about the BIBLE is that it speaks with the same mater-of-fact tone about things which man has never seen as it does about the common, everyday things of life. The Book of Revelation talks with unwavering assurance about the magnificent residence for believers in heaven. It also describes with authority the events that will scourge the earth for seven years after believers are taken to heaven. These seven years will be the most fateful in all human history. They are "the countdown", because at the termination of this period Jesus will return to earth in a cataclysmic personal appearance to establish the Kingdom of God on earth. During this seven-year period known as "the Tribulation," the human race will witness the most terrible judgments ever to fall on God's creation. Chapters 6 through 19 of Revelation describe in detail the unprecedented horrors of this time. Before any judgment lashes the earth, however, a foreboding scene must unfold in heaven. This event is described for us in Revelation. THE SCROLL OF JUDGMENT About 2,600 years ago, God revealed to the Prophet Daniel many predictions about future events, including the return of Christ to this earth to set up God's earthly Kingdom. As Daniel puzzled over these fantastic predictions, God told him to seal up all of his prophecies until the end of the age. Daniel 12:4 But you, Daniel, close up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end. Many will go here and there to increase knowledge." (NIV) Revelation 5:1-4 Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals. And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, "Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?" But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it. I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside. (NIV) During all the centuries since God spoke to Daniel, men have had comparatively little interest or knowledge concerning the events of that final period of man's history often called the "end times." Prophecy has indeed been a closed subject. John tells us in this chapter about one of the first events that will take place after the Rapture of the Church. It will be the unsealing of a scroll that reveals all the judgments will descend on the world during its coming seven years of travail. John also describes the dramatic search for someone worthy to open the scroll and set in motion its dreadful forces. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF SCROLLS Sealing a scroll was a common and important practice in Biblical times. The wills of both Emperor Vespasian and Caesar Augustus, for example, were secured with seven seals. For such a document, a scribe would procure a long roll of parchment and begin writing. After a period of writing he would stop, roll the parchment enough to cover his words, and seal the scroll at that point with wax. Then he would resume writing, stop again, roll the scroll, and add another seal. By the time he was finished, he would have sealed the scroll seven times. The scroll would be read a section at a time, after each seal was opened. Why was this process used? Evidentially it was to prevent unauthorized persons from tampering with the scroll or reading and revealing its contents. Only a "worthy" person – that is, someone with proper authority – could have legal access to the scroll's message. W. A. Criswell presents one of the best explanations of the use of a sealed scroll. He points out that when a Jewish family was required to forfeit its land and possessions through some distress, the property could not be permanently taken from them. Their losses were listed in a scroll and sealed seven times, then the conditions necessary to purchase back the land and possessions were written on the outside of the scroll. When a qualified redeemer could be found to meet the requirements of reclamation, the one to whom the property had been forfeited was obligated to return those possessions to the original owner. MAN'S FORFEITED INHERITANCE Since the major part of the Book of Revelation deals with a seven-sealed scroll and its mysterious contents, it is very important for us to understand the significance of these contents. I believe the scroll represents the forfeiture to Satan of man's original inheritance from God. You see, when God created Adam and Eve, he gave them dominion over the earth and everything in it. Man was the delegated sovereign of Planet Earth. However, when Adam obeyed Satan and simultaneously turned his back on God, he became the Benedict Arnold of eternity and the universe. He officially forfeited to Satan his authority to rule the world. At that point the arch-enemy of God legally took over dominion of this earth. Earth rightly belongs to Adam's race, but as a result of our forefather's capitulation to Satan, none of his descendants can qualify to pay the redemption price of the forfeited world. Someone MUST be found – if humanity is to escape eternal loss – who is "worthy" to make restitution for man's deficiency. As John looked at this great scroll and sensed its importance, he wept uncontrollably because no man could be found who was untainted with Adam's sin. No man or angel in the universe could claim the right to open this scroll. Could anyone be found to redeem man's lost heritage? Dr. Criswell eloquently describes John's quandary: "John's tears represent the tears of all God's people through all the centuries. They're the tears of Adam and Eve as they view the still form of their dead son, Abel, and sense the AWFUL CONSEQUENCE OF THEIR DISOBEDIENCE. They are the tears of the children of Israel in bondage as they cried to God for deliverance from their affliction and slavery. They're not the soul of God's people as they have stood beside the graves of loved ones and experience and indescribable heartaches and disappointments of life. "Such is the curse that sin has laid upon God's beautiful creation. No wonder John Wept so fervently. If no redeemer could be found to remove the curse, it meant that God's creation was forever consigned to remain in the hands of Satan." In this chapter John is going to reveal THE ONE PERSON who qualifies to pay the redemption price of man's lost inheritance. It is the God-man, Jesus Christ, who would pay the debt of forfeiting His own life. Later, we will see that a day is coming when the resurrected and glorified Christ will cast out the usurper who has been ravaging the world, punish those who refuse His salvation, and redeem our bodies, the earth, and all creation! THE LION WHO WAS A LAMB Revelation 5:5-8 Then one of the elders said to me, "Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals." Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. He came and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne. And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. (NIV) As John stood weeping, one of the Elders assured him that a personage worthy to open the scroll had been found. He was none other than the Lion of the tribe of Judah and the Root of David, the promised Deliverer of Israel and the Redeemer of all mankind. Judah was one of the twelve sons of Jacob, the patriarch from whom thetwelve "tribes" of Israel originated. In Genesis 49:10 Jacob prophesies of his son, Judah's leadership: Genesis 49:10 The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs and the obedience of the nations is his. (NIV) Judah was the tribe from which King David came. Through several prophets in the Old Testament, God promised David a Royal Kingdom that would last forever. He told David that one of his descendants would be called the "Prince of Peace," and that this Prince of Peace would reign over an eternal Kingdom of righteousness and justice: 1 Chronicles 17:11-14 When your days are over and you go to be with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, one of your own sons, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for me, and I will establish his throne forever. I will be his father, and he will be my son. I will never take my love away from him, as I took it away from your predecessor. I will set him over my house and my kingdom forever; his throne will be established forever.'" (NIV) Isaiah 9:6-7 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this. (NIV) In Revelation 5:5-6 , we are introduced to the One who is the fulfillment of these predictions: Jesus of Nazareth, from the tribe of Judah and the family of David. Curiously, he is described here by two terms that seem to be contradictory: He is called both a "Lion" and a "Lamb." But rather than being contradictory, these terms are actually perfect descriptions of Jesus in His two primary roles. When Jesus came to earth the first time He came in humility to offer Himself as the lamb of God to die for the sins of all men. But, when He comes again, He will return in the strength and supremacy of a lion. His previous lamb-like meekness and gentleness will give way to regal power. The first time, Christ came as a Savior, offering pardon and cleansing from sin and its consequences; when He comes the second time, He will wield a rod of iron as the Judge of all men. A DESCRIPTION OF THE LAMB The Lamb which John saw was no ordinary specimen. It was a composite of all the marvelous attributes of Jesus. Even the word John uses to refer to the Lamb is full of tender meaning. It is the Greek word (arnios), which means "a little, pet lamb." It is used only one other place in the New Testament--when Jesus told Peter to take care of Jesus' lambs while He was gone: John 21:15 When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?" "Yes, Lord," he said, "you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Feed my lambs." (NIV) This isn't the first time we are introduced to Jesus as a lamb. John the Baptist called Jesus "the Lamb of God who taketh away the sins of the world." He meant that Jesus was destined to take the place of the ceremonial "Passover lamb," and that by bearing men's sins, Jesus would reconcile God and man. Again, we have a beautiful picture of this symbolic meaning of the Lamb reading from W.A. Criswell: Remember, in the directions for the Passover, the people were not to go out and slay just ANY lamb. The lamb was to be carefully chosen from the first lings of the flock for its beauty and perfection, and it was to be placed in the bosom of the family for four days, that is, until the children loved it and it was looked upon as a member of the family; a pet lamb, held next to the hearts of those who lived in the household. That little ARINOS (Gr.) was identified with the family, loved, cuddled, petted, and caressed. Such is the Lamb that John sees standing next to the throne of God and in full view of all the redeemed in heaven. This was God's "pet", if you please, the darling of His heart, and yet it had to be slain to purchase redemption for all of God's creation. THE EVERLASTING WOUNDS This slain Lamb is STANDING here in the heavenly vision, indicating that it is no longer dead. However, the fact that John could tell that it HAD BEEN dead means that there must have been mortal wounds visible. That is consistent with what John tells us of Jesus later in The Revelation, for on several occasions Christ shows His wounds to those who have rejected Him. It is quite interesting to stop and think about the fact that even though Jesus has a perfect, immortal body, it still has scars in it. When God raised Jesus from the dead, He could very easily have erased the nail-prints and the spear wound in His side. Yet for some reason He left them there. We cannot be sure of all the reasons why Jesus still has His wounds, but personally, I am very glad He does. I personally want to look at those scars and touch them often, just to be reminded of what it cost Jesus, and the fact that it made it possible for me to be in heaven. John further describes this Lamb as having seven horns and seven eyes. This symbolizes a composite image of what Christ is like. The number seven in biblical usage denotes completeness and perfection. Throughout the Old Testament horns represent power, and a multiplicity of eyes implies knowledge and intelligence. This unusual picture of Jesus speaks of the fact that as the all-powerful, resurrected Savior of men, He exercises constant over all His children. It also implies that those who have rejected Him will one day experience the searching scrutiny of their deeds by the omnipotent Judge whom they have rejected. THE LAMB TAKES THE SCROLL Finally Christ, the Lamb, takes the seven-sealed scroll from the right hand of the One who sits on the throne. Instantly, the four Living Beings and twenty-four Elders fall down before the Lamb in worship, for they realize that the events resulting in the redemption of creation are about to begin. In their hands the Elders hold harps and golden bowls filled with incense, which represents the earnest prayers of believers of all past ages begging God to judge Satan and his followers and to liberate mankind and creation from its curse. This marvelous picture of intercession shows just a part of what believers in heaven will be doing while judgment is raging on the earth for seven years. They will be functioning as priests, interceding with God on behalf of their Tribulation brothers who are still on earth. That's very exciting to me! Right now Christ is our High Priest, representing us in person before the Father's throne. The day is soon coming when we will have the privilege of representing us in person before the Lamb in heaven. THE CHOIR THAT COULDN'T BE NUMBERED Revelation 5:9-14 And they sang a new song: "You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth." Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they sang: "Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!" Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing: "To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!" The four living creatures said, "Amen," and the elders fell down and worshiped. (NIV) Have you ever stopped to think how important singing is in our lives? We sing at weddings, funerals, political rallies, football games, graduations, and church services, not to mention the singing we do in private moments. What is it about song that soothes us when we are sad, cheers us when we are lonely, and exhilarates us when we are happy? If you notice, the songs of our day, you'll realize most of them have words that express deep feelings of the composer or singer. Love songs extol the virtues of the lover – or the beloved, and this theme has always marked one of the most popular types of songs. Another popular kind of music is the ballad. This song tells of someone's exploits or deep hopes and longings, like many of the Psalms in the Old Testament. These were originally put to music and sung. A current revival of the ballad-type is known as "country music." I like this kind of music because it runs the gamut of emotions from gloom to glee. That kind of music comes right up out of his soul and grabs you. THE BALLAD OF THE LAMB I wouldn't at all be surprised or disappointed if the NEW song which the host of heaven sing to extol the incomparable Son of God has a "country music" style! I know one thing – no one will be able to sing this new song without being overwhelmed with emotion toward the one whose praises they are singing. I can hardly read these matchless words without tears coming to my eyes: "WORTHY IS THE LAMB THAT WAS SLAIN!" Never have human words sounded so inadequate to me! Never has there been a greater understatement about anyone! As I talked about the new song with a friend, he sat down and wrote the following words. Maybe God will let a song like this be our song when we get to heaven! THE BALLAD OF THE LAMB Worthy are You to take the scroll and open the dreaded seals, For You were slain and are now alive as John, Your prophet, reveals. Your Blood has purchased a host of men You deemed of infinite worth. You made us a kingdom and priests to our God to reign on Your brand-new earth. Worthy is the matchless Lamb who was slain to receive our honor and praise, For riches and power and might are Yours, and glory and wisdom always. To You who sit on the throne, and Your Lamb, forever your blessings we'll sing. The song of your honor and glory and strength through ages to come will ring. "And the four Living Beings kept saying, `Amen!' And the Elders fell down and worshipped!" THE BEGINNING OF SORROWS In Chapters 6 through 19 of the Book of Revelation we are given an unfolding chronological picture of a future seven-year period of the greatest tribulation this earth will ever experience. This period is God's final countdown for mankind, culminating in the personal, visible return of Jesus Christ to this earth to reclaim it as His own possession. The "Tribulation," as this period is called, is well named, for there will be sorrow and suffering on this earth such as man has never known before and will never know again. These are the days Jesus spoke of when He said that if He didn't return to end the Tribulation there wouldn't be anyone left alive. Men who have studied BIBLE prophecy all their lives are startled by the fact that right before their eyes the entire setting for the events of the Tribulation are coming into focus. Long ago prophets of Israel made specific predictions about these period of God's judgment, but this century in which we now live is the first to witness the beginning of the fulfillment of so many of these prophecies. I earnestly sorrow for those of our writers that would lightly place these honored men of God, these that the Holy Spirit inspired, . . . I sorrow that they are referred to lightly in our literature as merely "forth-tellers", and not what the word says – PROPHETS. They were forth-tellers, but that, only secondarily. Their main objective seems obviously clear. It was to transmit to mankind the will, and oversight of God. Oh how clear the meaning of that verse in Scripture that tells us that"God uses the weak things of this world to confound the mighty..." 1 Corinthians 1:27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; (KJB) For those of us who know what the prophets have taught, picking up our morning newspaper is practically a traumatic experience. Headline after headline screams out a confirmation of these remarkable predictions. Even as I write, January 18, 1991, I have a television playing here in the study. "Fire" is truly falling from the sky.....! This is happening in Israel at this very moment. There have been THREE air-raid warnings there today. The "whole world" is able to instantaneously see what I see here in my study – all at the same time. According to one commentator (1991), not more than about three hundred miles from Jerusalem reports the dark night sky lit up like Disney World--more than 100 times over--during their finest firework's display. Another said, "This is Hell!" No, this is not Hell....yet! A LOOK AT THE TRIBULATION A question that many have asked is, "Why is there going to be a time of Tribulation and judgment on earth, and how can we know it will last only seven years?" In Chapter 5, we have seen several reasons for the outpouring of God's judgment upon the earth. One is for Christ to finally annul the authority of Satan who usurped control of the earth from Adam. The second reason is to judge all who oppose God, in preparation for the final redemption of mankind and the whole universe. One of the most important reasons for an allotment of seven years for God's final dealing with mankind has to do with an incredible prophecy of Daniel made in the sixth century B.C. Daniel 9:24-27 "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. "Know and understand this: From the issuing of the decree 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. After the sixty-two `sevens,' the Anointed One will be cut off and will have nothing. The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed. 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 on a wing he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him." (NIV) In this amazing prediction, Daniel set forth a divinely ordained time period of " seventy weeks (70)" of years (490 years) in which God would primarily reach out to the unbelieving world through His chosen people, the Jews. The time period was like a great, divine "time-clock" with 490 years of time marked off on it. A specific event was to mark the BEGINNING of this 490 years of Jewish evangelistic outreach. When the Persian King, Artaxerxes Longimanus, gave the Jews permission to leave their Babylonian captivity and restore and rebuild the city of Jerusalem, God's finger pushed down on the stop watch and the 490-year allotted countdown began clicking off. That was April, 445 B.C. Daniel predicted that after sixty-nine weeks of years (483 years) had clicked off on this allotment of time, the Messiah of Israel would be revealed to the Jews and then killed, and the city of Jerusalem and their Temple would be destroyed. We know the exact time of the fulfillment of this prophecy, because 483 years had transpired on thevery day that Jesus presented Himself to the nation of Israel as their Messiah and was rejected by them and put to death. Within forty years of this event, Titus and the Roman legions destroyed the city of Jerusalem and tore down their beautiful Temple. ISRAEL IS MISSING "ONE WEEK" With these events, God's finger once again pushed in on the divine time-clock and the allotted time of Israel's special outreach to the unbelieving world was stopped, SEVEN YEARS SHORT of the promised 490 years. When the nation of Israel rejected the One who called Himself "the Way, the Truth, and the life," God took the spotlight OFF of Israel and set the nation aside as the special messengers of His truth for the men coming to know Him. The spotlight of God turned to a group who would be made up of both Jews and Gentiles, a group who would accept His Messiah as Savior and proclaim that message to the world. This group is known to us as "The Church." Because we know that God would never go back on His Word, we are positive that He intends to give the Jews the seven years left on their allotted time to finish the purposes for which God called them as a chosen race, namely that of being His witnesses to the whole world. The Jews, along with today's "Christian Atheists", will gear up to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ in ways never before heard of. We will see how God lays His hand on 144,000 Jews who will more than make up for Israel's failure to preach the message of Messiah. In the seven years left to them they will evangelize the whole world. No one has really done that yet! But, before God can shift His emphasis back to Israel, the Church must be taken out of the world since His hand is now on it. In Chapter 4 we saw how that happened at the Rapture. THE THREE-FOLD JUDGMENTS OF GOD In this chapter of the Revelation, John begins to unfold the sobering judgments of God that will begin the seven-year countdown until Jesus returns to the earth. The Book of Revelation presents these Tribulation judgments in THREE distinct series. They are presented in chronological order in Chapters 6 through 19 of the Revelation and each contain an unleashing of seven specific horrors, each getting progressively worse. The first of these judgments is depicted here in Chapter 6 as the breaking and unrolling of the seven-sealed scroll of God. Out of it come the unforgettable Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse with their reign of terror. The second series of God's out-poured wrath is signaled by the successive sounding of seven trumpets. The earth is devastated by these judgments. The third series of punishments is unleashed by the pouring out of seven bowls full of the wrath of God. These are the most severe of all. Until this point, John has been overwhelmed and awed by the revelations of Jesus as the Creator and Savior of mankind. But, as the seven seals are opened and the wrath of God is poured out, the vision of Jesus changes from Savior to Judge, from Lamb to Lion. The sight of these calamities about to be experienced by man must have brought grief and terror to John. I am sure the hand that penned the following words was trembling! TOP> CONTINUE>