Revelation 5:5, commentary and pictures

John wept because no one in heaven or earth or under the earth was found worthy to open the sealed book in God's right hand or even to look upon it, and in answer he was told not to weep because the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, had prevailed to open the book and loose its seven seals. The Lion is Jesus Christ, the true Son and Root of David to whom the birthright blessings of Judah belong and to whom all nations shall finally bow. Joined with the slain Lamb, He unites omnipotent power as defender and deliverer with self-sacrificing love and tender sympathy as the One who takes away the sin of the world. The book He alone was worthy to open contains the history of God's providences, the prophetic history of nations and the church, and the destiny of every nation, tongue, and people with the whole counsel of God. By His prevailing He broke open divine instruction long closed by disobedience and human tradition, and has opened the book of Daniel to students of prophecy so its testimony to great and solemn events stands revealed on the threshold of fulfillment.

The Vision and Book

John wept because no one in heaven, on earth, or under the earth was found able to open the sealed book in God's right hand or even to look upon it. No human being or angelic intelligence was found worthy to open and read its words or even to look thereon. His distress and agony and suspense came because the destiny of every nation was contained in it and yet its words could not be read.

In answer to that weeping, one of the strong angels had compassion on him. That angel laid a hand on him in assurance. He told him not to weep, because the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, had prevailed to open the book and to loose its seven seals.

The book is a roll written within and without. It is the roll of the history of God's providences and providential acts, the prophetic history of nations and the church. It contains the history of all ruling powers in the nations, and the influence of every nation, tongue, and people from the beginning of earth's history to its close, including the destiny of every nation. It contains also God's utterances, His authority, His commandments, His laws, and the whole symbolic counsel of the Eternal.

Christ the Prevailing Lion

The Lion of the tribe of Judah is Jesus Christ, the true Lion from Judah as Son of David and Root of David, the Shiloh promised in Jacob's blessing. The lion as king of the forest fittingly represents His royal line, to Him belong the crowning blessings of the birthright transferred to Judah, and to Him all powers shall finally bow and all nations render homage. He has prevailed, and He is also the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

Joined with the slain Lamb, the Lion expresses the union of omnipotent power and self-sacrificing love. His power in glory as defender, victor, and deliverer of His people matches the depth of His humiliation and sacrifice as the Lamb who takes away the world's sin. As the Lamb He suffered rejection, Satan's wrath, and human cruelty, and He is tenderly sympathetic toward His people. The same Christ is terrible to those who reject His grace and is the Lamb bringing mercy and deliverance to the obedient and faithful.

The title was read as a promise that the Messiah would come with earthly splendor as a conquering ruler to exalt Israel to rule and pre-eminence over all nations and cast down oppressors. That expectation was held with Jewish pride and was shared by John the Baptist as he looked for overthrow of Roman and royal power and watched for Jesus to free the suffering. Jesus instead came humbly as the suffering Saviour foretold by Isaiah and the Lamb taking away sin. His work was to gather disciples, heal the sick, raise the dead, bring joy to the sorrowing and rest to the weary, and to save people from sin by teaching and healing, which left John perplexed about how the promised deliverance would come.

Because His life, mercy toward the despised, reproof of sin, and exposure of impurity and pride did not harmonize with their practice and ambitions, the people failed to recognize Him as foretold. They turned away spiritually blind and ashamed, unable to look truth and righteousness squarely in the face. They found His reproof harder to bear than disappointed national hopes, for they could bear the disappointment of those ambitions more readily than Christ's reproof of their sins. The Conqueror comes again in glory to reign and be glorified in His saints who love His appearing, as the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world who is soon to ride forth conquering and to conquer. His coming shakes earth and heaven and brings gladness to those who have fled persecution and oppression.

Opening the Sealed Book

There is no need to weep, for the Lion of the tribe of Judah has prevailed to open the sealed book that no one else in heaven or earth could open, and by His prevailing its truth stands revealed and its contents can be read. When He opens it, every case can be decided according to what is written there, not by name or standing but by the purposes of the heart and whether works glorified God or self.

At His coming to earth He prevailed to open the sealed roll of divine instruction that had long been closed to the Jewish nation because they would not obey the Word of the Lord. Traditions handed down from generation to generation and human interpretation of the Scriptures had buried truth, locked the heavenly treasure, and lost the spiritual import of the sacred volumes, so that darkness covered the earth and gross darkness the people and truth looking down from heaven found no divine impress. He broke that seal to reveal truth and righteousness in Himself and let the world gaze upon pure, unadulterated truth, yet people turned their eyes away because His life did not harmonize with their practice, and being spiritually blind they could not look truth and righteousness squarely in the face without becoming ashamed. Truth itself thus descended to roll back darkness and counteract error as a Teacher sent from heaven to lighten every man that comes into the world, received by eagerly seeking men and women as the sure word of prophecy shining as a light in a dark place.

He has opened the book of Daniel to students of prophecy, so that Daniel stands in his place bearing his testimony of the great and solemn events revealed to him in vision, which must be known by those standing on the very threshold of their fulfillment, and John likewise stands in his place. All that was specified in prophetic history to be fulfilled in the past has been fulfilled, and all that is yet to come will be fulfilled in its order. By unsealing Daniel He gave John the revelation of events in the last days, carrying Daniel's prophecies forward to the final scenes of earth's history. The words sealed until the time of the end were to be understood at the time of the end, when Daniel's testimony would bear upon the proclamation of the first angel's message, with the book of Daniel unsealed in Revelation.

The book in God's hand holds the registered choice of the Jewish leaders to reject Christ, and when unsealed by the Lion that vindictive decision will be exposed before them in all its vindictiveness in the day of judgment. Studied with Ezekiel 9 and Ezekiel 2:1-10, this shows the Lord's eye upon every transaction and His judgment coming upon those who do wrong, with the roll holding the wrongdoer's name unless he repents, like the curse entering the house of the thief and of him that swears falsely and consuming it with timber and stones. The long-sealed book of mystery shall be unfolded by and by, for God's dispensations now baffle understanding and His ways are deeper than can be fathomed, so vain attempts to comprehend how and why He works give place to giving the entire being to Jesus, keeping the oil of grace, believing only, and resting in simple, confiding, unreserved submission that He is too wise to err and too good to do harm. Included is a book left on earth by One from heaven who took human nature to teach the mysteries of science and the knowledge of God, set a perfect example of purity and holiness, sympathized with sorrows, bereavements and afflictions, and suffered sin's punishment, containing the history of His mission and character with revelations regarding the future of the world and the solution of mysteries the brightest earthly intellects could not search out, whose seal men would eagerly break and eagerly seek a copy of, whose precious instruction thinking men would grasp for future generations, with every other interest subordinated to it for a time.

Revelation 5 is therefore to be closely studied because it is of great importance to those who shall act a part in the work of God for these last days. Its study guards against deception about what is coming on the earth and about what constitutes sin, so that those who have transgressed the law and broken the everlasting covenant will decidedly change and not be found wanting when God pronounces judgment upon men and they receive according to their works.