Revelation 5. John is basking in the splendor and majesty of the throne room of God when the scene shifts dramatically. A scroll sits in the hand of God, and an angel asks loudly, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” (5:2). The shock is that “no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it.” (5:3) At that point John begins to weep loudly, lamenting that there is no one worthy of unveiling the mysterious scroll in the hand of God!

Dramatic pause. Wait! John hears an elder announcing that the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of King David has conquered (overcome!) and he can open the scroll! (5:5) This is the Old Testament language for a messianic king who would bring God’s kingdom to the earth through a military conquest. Hallelujah, the King has arrived!

Yet John is surprised because he was expecting a military lion-king and what he actually saw was a Lamb looking as though it had been slain (5:6). (Notice that Lamb is capitalized, this is the revelation of a new name for Jesus Christ!) There is a bloody lamb who died as a sacrifice and is now alive again, standing ready to open the scroll. He is the only one who is worthy.

The elders and the four living creatures fall down in worship of the Lamb (5:8), as they did for God in Revelation 4. Jesus Christ, the Lamb Who Was Slain, is worshipped as God and as the Redeemer. The throne room of heaven sings a new song which explains the significance of the Lamb:

Thousands and thousands sing, “You were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God,  and they shall reign on the earth.” (5:9-10)

This symbol of Jesus as the slain lamb is crucially important for understanding the book. John is saying that the Old Testament promise of God’s future Kingdom was inaugurated through the crucified Messiah. His death on the cross was his enthronement and his “conquering” of evil.

Jesus died for his enemies as the true Passover lamb so that others could be redeemed. It is revealed that in his death and resurrection, Jesus Christ launched a new kingdom – drawn from all the peoples of earth, who are now priests and shall reign on earth. This is the same language used in 1 Peter 2:9 to describe the role of believers in the New Testament church.

The slain Lamb then begins to open the scroll, a symbol of his divine authority to guide history to its conclusion. Soon we shall see what the mysterious plan of God is for the redemption of humankind.