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Psalms
99:1-9 The LORD reigns; Let the
peoples tremble! He dwells between
the cherubim; Let the earth be moved! The LORD is great in Zion, And He is
high above all the peoples. Let them praise Your great and awesome name— He is holy. The King’s strength also
loves justice; You have established equity; You have executed justice and
righteousness in Jacob. Exalt the LORD our God, And worship at His footstool—
He is holy. Moses and Aaron
were among His priests, And Samuel was among those who called upon His name;
They called upon the LORD, and He answered them. He spoke to them in the cloudy
pillar; They kept His testimonies and the ordinance He gave them. You answered
them, O LORD our God; You were to them God-Who-Forgives, Though You took
vengeance on their deeds. Exalt the LORD our God, And worship at His holy hill;
For the LORD our God is holy.
Father God we praise you for you are Holy! Holy! Holy! Hallowed
be thy name! We thank you for your love. Bless us, cleanse us, and make us more
like Jesus with each passing day. Guide our loved ones through each day and
fertilize their relationship with you so that it will grow, blossom, and bear
fruit. In Jesus name we pray, Amen!
Revelation 5:1-7 NKJV
Last
Thursday evening a question was posed at Bible Study as to what a scroll is
made out of. No one really had an answer so here is what scrolls were made out
of in ancient times.
Some
scrolls were made out of parchment;
1. The skin of sheep, goats, etc., prepared
for use as a material on which to write.
2. A manuscript or document on such material.
Some scrolls were made
out of papyrus [puh-pahy-ruh
s];
1. A tall, aquatic plant, Cyperus papyrus, of the sedge family,
native to the Nile valley: the Egyptian subspecies, C. papyrus hadidii, thought to be common in ancient times, now occurs
only in several sites.
2. A material on which
to write, prepared from thin strips
of the pith of this plant laid together, soaked pressed, and dried, used by the
ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans.
3.
An
ancient document, manuscript, or scroll written on this material.
This
Chapter introduces the scroll, or some Bible versions refer to it as a book
that was sealed with seven seals. The book is introduced by God and in this
chapter John witnesses, what appears first, is that no one is worthy to open
the book in God’s hand, but I know who is, do you?
2
And I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a scroll written inside and on
the back, sealed with seven seals.
And
I saw in the right hand of Him
who sat on the throne;
John states here that he saw the right hand of Him who sat on the throne. Can
we assume that is all John could see due to the brilliant light shining forth
from God? Yes it is possible that John still could not see God’s actual
appearance/form, because back in Chapter 4:3-4 God was described as Light,
Jasper, and Sardis. Did you notice it was God’s right hand? God’s right hand
signifies power, judgment, and righteousness. Since the beginning of time the
right hand signified power and righteousness. When Jesus ascended into Heaven
He was seated at the right hand of God. In Matthew the separation of sheep and
goats; the sheep (God’s people.) go to the right and goats (Oppose God.) to the
left. Matthew 25:33 And He will set the
sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.
Genesis 48:18 And Joseph said to his father, “Not so, my
father, for this one is the
firstborn; put your right hand on his head.” Exodus
15:6 “Your right hand, O LORD, has become glorious in power; Your right
hand, O LORD, has dashed the enemy in pieces. Exodus
15:12 You stretched out Your right hand; The earth swallowed them. Food for thought with what is going on
in our Government system, and I’m not saying all fall into these categories,
but Republicans vs. Democrats or Sheep vs. Goats? Hmmmm!
A
scroll written inside and on the back;
John refers to the scroll being written on one side which would be a normal
thing for scrolls. As a scroll would be unrolled it could be read. It would be
cumbersome to read a scroll and have to read both sides.
Sealed
with seven seals; This
scroll is sealed with seven seals not one. Each seal represent a new event in
what is about to be reveled to John. In other words, we can identify each seal
as being a new chapter in a book. Seven represents completeness in God’s
prescribed order of things.
2 Then I
saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the
scroll and to loose its seals?”
Then
I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice; This phrase presents this angel of being
of high rank. “Strong” in the Greek
is “ischuros,” and means “forcible, mighty, powerful, valiant.”
This Angel very well could be Gabriel, because “Gabriel” means “strength of
God”; so the word “strong” could be
applying to him. Gabriel has appeared throughout the Bible as an informant more
than any other angel and this is what this angel is doing, making a
proclamation. Gabriel spoke to Daniel, Zacharias, and Mary. There are other
accounts in Daniel and we know an angel spoke to Joseph, but the name of the messenger
is not identified. Daniel 8:16; 9:21–23;
Luke 1:13–19, 26.
Who
is worthy to open the scroll and to lose its seals?; “Who is worthy”, is referring to moral
fitness, pure and spotless, righteous among all created beings, someone that
has conquered sin and is without sin. The angel is asking, is there any one of
this nature that is worthy to remove the seals on this scroll, if so then step
forward?
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The Mighty Angel Saying
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Art used; by Pat Marvenko Smith, copyright 1992.
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3 And no
one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll,
or to look at it.
The question was asked by
the angel, who is worthy, and then there must have been a long period of great
silence for John to say, “no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth
was able to open the scroll, or to look at it was worthy”. This is referring to
no one in the universe, because all that was mentioned included the universe.
Now remember this is covering a time span of creation to Kingdom Age. This
tells us how sinful and corrupt we are as human beings based on God’s point of
view. But wait, each and every one of us view ourselves as good, don’t we? I’m
better than John Doe, Jack, or Jane, so this must be wrong, I’m a good person. This
is what’s wrong with us as human beings because of the fall of Adam, every
human being is born with the sin nature. Because of the sin nature we judge
ourselves according to other human being acts and language, and not according
to God’s righteousness. This is why we need Jesus as our redeemer because He
defeated Satan at the Cross and bore our sins. Jesus took our sins and threw
them in Satan’s face. We need to place our faith in the finished works of the
Cross and stay focus on the Cross of Christ. There is no other way to Heaven
but through Jesus. John
14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the
Father, but by me.
How do I make Jesus my
Saviour? How do I have a Spiritual Birth and become a Born Again Saint in God’s
eyes? I’m glad you asked these questions. Pray these words, focus and understand
what these words mean, say them with your heart and not your lips, believe with
all your heart that Jesus loves you and died for you on the Cross, read the
Bible daily, fellowship with God fearing people, and believe with your heart
that Jesus will come and live in your heart. Remember it isn’t the word you say
with your lips, but the words you say with your heart that counts.
Lord Jesus I know I am a
sinner. I confess my sins to you; I am
sorry for my sins; I repent of all my sins, and I am asking for your
forgiveness. I believe that only you can
forgive sin. I commit my life to you and
ask you to come into my heart, direct, and take charge of my life. I believe that you died to set me free from
my sins and you rose from the dead to give me eternal life, and right now you
are seated at the Right Hand of God Almighty.
I believe you, Jesus, are the Son of God; the only way, the only truth,
the only life, and my Savior.” I believe
this and with your help, and only with your help, I can live a new life. In Jesus name I pray Amen.
4 So I
wept much, because no one was found worthy to open and read the scroll, or to
look at it.
John started to cry
because no one was stepping forward. He hung his head and wept, he may have
even bent over based on verse 6. What was going on inside of John’s heart? Was
he weeping because no one was worthy or because he wasn’t going to see what was
to come at the end of time? We as human beings seek what the future holds, so
maybe John was crying for two reasons. Is it possible John’s humanistic
character rose up and he was afraid he wasn’t going to get to see the future?
As human beings we are never content with what God provides us with, are we? We
always want more!
5 But one
of the elders said to me, "Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of
Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its
seven seals."
At last an elder speaks up
and John’s dilemma is solved. It is Jesus that is worthy. It is what Jesus did
for us that makes it possible for all to be saved if they put their trust and
faith in Him. He and only Him is worthy, there is no other. It is not Ala,
Buddha, or a co-redeemer that other religions proclaim, it is Jesus Christ. It
is the sacrifice, the shed blood of Jesus.
6 And I
looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living
creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been
slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God
sent out into all the earth.
In
the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb;
This lamb that John is describing here is Jesus. It is symbolic of Jesus, who
He is and what He did and does for us. John the Baptist referred to Jesus as a
lamb. John 1:29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him,
and said, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! A lamb was an emblem of innocence and was
offered commonly as a sin offering sacrifice and that is exactly what Jesus
represents, innocence and a sacrifice for our sins.
Just as a lamb is slain
and the life blood of the lamb is drained in place of the blood of the sinner
making the offering, Jesus blood was drained (life) instead of our blood. The
blood of the sacrificial lamb covered the sins of the one making the offering.
Their sins were washed away for the moment, but always reappeared because the
animal sacrifice was only temporary. Jesus is the ultimate sacrifice for our
sins and when we have a Spiritual Birth, by placing our faith in Jesus and what
He did on the Cross in our place, his blood covers us forever, provided we stay
focus and keep our faith in the finished works of the Cross. Life is in the
blood and the shed blood of Jesus gives us life if we believe. Leviticus
17:11
For the life of the flesh is in
the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your
souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.
As though it had been
slain; The great work
which Jesus our Redeemer performed on the Cross, that being, making an
atonement for sin, is represented here in this phrase and John recognized Jesus
at once. This is why Jesus is the only one worthy to take and open the scroll.
No other man, woman, or child comes close to being equal or above Jesus Christ.
Having seven horns; Signifies authority and power, for the
horn is a symbol of power and dominion. Compare Deuteronomy_33:17; 1 Kings_22:11; Jeremiah_48:25; Zecariah_1:18;
Daniel_7:24. The propriety of this symbol is laid in the fact
that the strength of an animal is in the horn, and that it is by this that he
obtains a victory over other animals. The number seven here seems to be
designed, as in other places, to denote completeness and complete dominion.
And seven eyes; Symbols of intelligence. The number
seven here also denotes completeness, and the idea is, that he is able to
survey all things. The whole representation is symbolical, and we may
understand the meaning of the symbol but not able to form an exact conception
of the figure as it appeared to him.
Which are the seven
Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth; The seven Spirits of God; or the diverse
operations of the one Divine Spirit, meaning a spirit that is all over the
place and surveys and sees all things. The operations of the Spirit are to be
regarded as connected with the work of our Redeemer. All the operations of the
Spirit are connected with, and are a part of, the work of redemption. The
expression “sent forth into all the earth,” refers to the fact that the Spirit is
involved in all things. The Spirit of God is often represented as sent or
poured out, and the meaning here is, that his operations are as if he was sent
out to survey all things and to operate everywhere.
7 Then He
came and took the scroll out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne.
He, meaning Jesus Christ.
Praise God Almighty for sending His Son Jesus to earth out of love for us so
that we as human being can have a chance to accept Jesus as our Saviour if we
so desire. Praise Jesus for accepting Gods will and being the ultimate
sacrifice out of love for us. He is the only one worthy to take the scroll.
PRAISE THE NAME OF JESUS!
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Opening The Sealed Scroll
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Art used; by Pat Marvenko Smith, copyright 1992.
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Romans 1:16 For I am
not ashamed of the gospel of Christ,
for it is
the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes…...
Romans
3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Romans
6:23 For the wages of sin is
death, but the gift of God is
eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
John
3:3
Jesus answered and said to him, Most assuredly, I say
to you,
unless
one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."
Bill
Wiesbrock
Last
Week’s Trivia: Who
was Aholiab?
Answer: Aholiab was a member of the tribe of
Dan. He was a skilled designer and builder appointed by Moses to work with
Bezaleel in constructing the tabernacle, Exodus
31:6; 35:34; 36:1, 2; 38:23.
This
week’s Trivia: Who
was Ahumai?
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