revelation: unveiling reality “the ultimate plot twist...

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Revelation: Unveiling Reality “The Ultimate Plot Twist” Revelation 5 Kevin Haah

May 15, 2016

Turn on Timer!

[Slide 1] We are in a middle of a series entitled, “Revelation: Unveiling

Reality.” The Greek word that is translated as revelation is the word Apocalypse which

means unveiling. Revelation was written to show people who were persecuted and

people who are going through hard times that reality is more than what we see with their

eyes—that things are not as they seem. Seeing this unveiled reality helps us to be faithful

during hard times.

Today, we are going to look at what is arguably the most important chapter in the

whole book. It’s the key to understanding everything. [Slide 2] Today’s sermon is

entitled, “The Ultimate Plot Twist.”

Let me review the context of the letter.

It’s now about AD 96. John, the beloved disciple of Jesus is really old, probably

in his 80s. He is exiled in an island called Patmos because of his loyalty to Jesus.

Patmos was a prisoner’s island. Life was hard for the followers of Jesus. [Slide 3] In AD

67, Emperor Nero was feeding Christians to lions. Apostles Paul and Peter were

crucified during that period. In AD 92, things got worse. [Slide 4] The Emperor at that

time was Domitian. He demanded that all of his subjects through the empire worship him

as “Lord and God” and killed those who refused. We know that in AD 92, Domitian had

some 40,000 Christians killed. Timothy was beaten to death during that time. But, John

was somehow spared and exiled to Patmos.

It has not gotten much better. [Slide 5] The Twentieth Century has been the most

violent century in the history of humanity. There is still persecution, violence, hatred,

war, genocide, racism, persecution, exploitation, famine, and disasters everywhere.

There is injustice everywhere. There is brokenness everywhere. There is death, illness,

and broken relationships everywhere. There is pain everywhere. And we cry out to God?

Is injustice, pain, oppression, and suffering going to continue on forever? When will you

bring justice and make things right? When and how will the Kingdom of God fully

come?

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In Chapter 1, God responds by giving us this beautiful vision of the resurrected

and glorified Jesus, and in chapters 2-3, Jesus sends specific messages of encouragement

and rebuke to the churches.

Then in chapter 4, John is led to another vision. Remember, TC preached last

Sunday about John’s vision of the throne in heaven. It is a majestic vision of the Holy,

Almighty, and Eternal God on the throne of heaven surrounded by the four creatures of

nature, representing the natural order, and the 24 elders, representing the church in its

completion, all of them worshipping him: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,

who was, and is, and is to come.” And the 24 elders fell down before the throne, and lay

their crown before the throne, and worshipped: “You are worthy, Our Lord and God.”

That’s chapter 4. Chapter 5 is the continuation of that same vision. They really go

together.

I.[Slide 6] Let’s go to Revelation 5: 1 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. 2 And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?”

John saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll with writing on both

sides and sealed with seven seals. It is written on both sides, which is unusual. It is

obviously a scroll of unparalleled importance. Now, what does this scroll contain? It

contains God’s plan for bringing the Kingdom of God to its fulfillment. It is God’s plan

for bringing heaven down to earth. It contains the meaning of history, world history, my

history and your history. It is God’s plan for making things right. It is God’s plan to

bring an end to persecution, idolatry, death, famine, violence, hatred, injustice,

oppression, war, racism, and bring God’s rule, justice, love, grace, shalom, reconciliation

down from heaven to earth.

And John hears an angel proclaiming in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the

scroll and break it seals?” Let’s go on:

[Slide 7] 3 But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it. 4 I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside.

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No one was worthy enough to put an end to the world of violence and hatred. No one.

No one was worthy enough to save this world. No one. Not any of the emperors. Not

Obama or Clinton or Trump or anyone. Not any of the religious leaders. No one. To

John, this made him weep and weep. When we put our hopes in the world, the political

systems of the world, capitalism, communism or socialism, private and social moralities

of the world, tolerance, American dream, education, even our families, even if our moral

values are legislated, we will end up weeping because they have and will disappoint us.

They will make us weep. That’s why John wept and wept. The church was and is

weeping. The world was and is weeping. The creation was and is weeping. Paul said it

like this in Romans 8:22:

[Slide 8] “22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies.”

The creation is groaning in pain. We are groaning inwardly. When are you oh Lord

going to bring the Kingdom to its fulfillment and make things right? This is the groan of

the prophets. This is the groan of the lamentations all over the Old Testaments. This is

the groan of our soul. Lord, when? Lord, how? Let’s go on:

[Slide 9] 5 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.”

This is a monumental unveiling. John heard one of the elders say, don’t weep. There’s

hope. See! LOOK! The Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed.”

He can open the scroll! These are Messianic images from the Old Testament that the

church was familiar with. The Messiah will come from the house of Judah, the

descendent of David. The Lion has triumphed. That’s what John heard. He is expecting

to see a Lion, the symbol of dominance. The top predator. The Lion will come and take

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power by dominance and destruction. This is a power-over image. He is expecting to see

the roaring of the Lion of Judah. That’s how God is going to make things right. He is

going to kick some butt. That’s how many Christians think of victory in Jesus Christ will

happen. The Messiah will come and kick some butt.

Then, the ultimate plot twist happens. Something completely unexpected

happens. John heard them say, look at the Lion! But, when he turned, he saw something

completely different. This plot twist is at the heart of Revelation. If you don’t get this,

you will not understand how to understand the book. This is the vision that changes

everything, not only how to understand the book, but changes everything about how we

see reality.

Let’s go on:

[Slide 10] 6 Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing at the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits z of God sent out into all the earth. 7 He went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne.

He saw a slain lamb. What? He heard that the Lion has triumphed. Lion is able to open

the scroll. Then he turned and saw a lamb, a slain lamb. One New Testament scholar

said: “This is perhaps the most mind-wrenching ‘rebirth of images’ in literature. The slot

in the system reserved for the lion has been filled by the Lamb of God.”

The word used for lamb is not an adult lamb or a youthful lamb. It is a little baby

lamb looking as if it has been slain. It is the ultimate symbol of weakness at least

according to this world. And this lamb is standing at the center of the throne. What?

Wasn’t God Almighty sitting on the throne? Yes. That’s what chapter 4 told us. Now, it

is saying that the lamb is standing at the center of the throne. That means that at the heart

of God, at the center of God, is a slain lamb. It is unveiling God by showing us Jesus

who was slain. But, this is no ordinary little lamb. He has seven horns, which is the Old

Testament is an image for power. Seven means he is complete in power, meaning he is

omnipotent—all powerful. He has seven eyes, which means his sight is complete, that he

sees everything, that he is omniscient—all knowing. And he through his power and

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wisdom has unleashed seven spirit, meaning the fullness of the Holy Spirit. And this

little lamb took the scroll from God. We will come back to the meaning of the lamb.

For now, let’s go on:

[Slide 11] 8 And when he had taken it, the four living creatures (TC explained last week that they represent God’s creation) and the twenty-four elders (TC also explained that the represent the Church) fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God’s people. (they fell down and worshipped the lamb through harp—which means in music, and with gold bowls full of incense which means prayer. They worshipped the lamb in singing and prayers! Singing and prayers. That’s how they worship and that’s how we worship God!) 9 And they sang a new song, saying: [Slide 12] “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation. 10 You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.”

They sang a new song. It’s not an old song of God’s Lion, it is the new song of the glory

of the lamb who was slain. So many Christians still sing the old song of God’s lion.

God’s power-over. And end up legitimizing violence and hatred in the name of God. We

Christians sing a new song of God’s lamb who was slain.

Let’s pause here and go deeper into the meaning of the little lamb. What does this

mean? [Slide 13] Why is the little lamb being worshipped?

Because he redeemed us with his blood.

The vision shows all nature and the Church worshipping the Lamb by singing this

new song that the little lamb is worthy to open the scroll because (this is what they said):

“you were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe

and language and people and nation.”

The picture of the slain lamb is all over the Bible.

The Israelites were saved from the judgment against Egyptians when they slain a

lamb and put the blood of the lamb on the post of their houses. Jews celebrate this in

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Passover. That’s why 1 Corinthians 5:17 tells us, “Christ, our Passover lamb, has been

sacrificed.”

In the Day of Atonement, the High Holy Days for Jews, the chief priest sacrificed

a lamb and poured its blood on the atonement seat in the Holy of Holies. The lamb was

sacrificed for the sins of the people of Israel and the blood of the lamb cleansed them

from their sins. That’s why 1 Peter 1:19 says, “[you were redeemed] with the precious

blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.”

[Slide 14] Isaiah 53:5-7 talks of the Lamb, and prophesized this: 6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.

That’s why in Acts 8, when the Ethiopian eunuch was reading this passage and asked

Phillip whom Isaiah was talking about, Phillip explained to him the good news about

Jesus. The lamb goes to the cross because of us. The lamb goes to the cross for us. The

lamb goes to the cross instead of us.

Then in John 1:29, John the Baptist cried out and said this when he saw Jesus:

“Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”

That’s why Jesus died on the cross. He was the lamb that was slain for our sins.

That’s why 1 Corinthians 5:21 says, “21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so

that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

The center of the throne of God is God revealed as Jesus, as a lamb who was

slain. And the only person who can open the scroll is the one who was slain for our sins.

He redeemed us with his blood. That good news, that gospel, is at the heart of God’s

plan.

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[Slide 15] What is the implication that this slain lamb, who died for us, is the only

one who can open the scroll?

[Slide 16] 1. This means that God brings the kingdom of heaven to earth

through sacrificial love.

This is how Bruce Metzger, probably the most influential New Testament scholar,

puts it: “Instead of a ferocious lion that hurts others, the Messiah is a sacrificial Lamb

that takes into himself the hurts of others.”

It is through suffering and sacrificial love that God’s kingdom comes. It is not

through coercion, violence, legislation, government, deception, rules, laws, worldly

success, that the Kingdom of God comes in its fullness. It is through the self-sacrificial

love of God. It is through love.

We will see as we trek through Revelation that this is the filter, the key, the

interpretive lens through which we have to interpret the entire book. In fact, this is the

interpretive lens with which we view the entire bible, the entire history, everything. This

is the key to everything. That’s why the Lamb continues to take center stage through out

the book. He is mentioned 28 times in the book. It is the most dominate image.

It’s like the movie Sixth Sense. Do you remember? “I see dead people.” It’s a

story about this kid who sees dead people, and he is counseled by this one main character

throughout the movie staring Bruce Willus. When you find out at the end that the main

character was all along dead, it informs everything about the story. It’s the plot twist that

explains the entire movie. In the same way, this is the plot twist that changes the way we

look at everything.

Now, this sacrificial love on the cross is no push over. As demonstrated by the

seven horns and the seven eyes on the lamb, it is the power and wisdom of God. That’s

why Paul said in 1 Corinthians 1:23 that Christ crucified is the power of God and the

wisdom of God. This means that the Bible teaches us that sacrificial love is more

powerful and wise than anything else. The power of the cross not only forgives us of our

sins and gives us the righteousness of Jesus, but it is also the way that the Kingdom

comes. Jesus taught us to pray that His will be done and His Kingdom come on earth as

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it is in heaven. The way that the scroll is going to open is through self-sacrificial love

and the way the Kingdom is going to come in its fullness is through self-sacrificial love.

Do you want the Kingdom of God to come in your life? Do you want heaven to

invade your life? Love. Forgive. Treat others better than you are treated. One

presidential candidate recently said that he like the Bible verse that says, eye for eye, not

knowing that that’s what Jesus spoke against. Jesus said, you have heard it said, eye for

eye, tooth for tooth—the way of the Lion. But, I say to you: do not resist an evil person.

If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone

wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. If anyone forces you to

go one mile, go with them two miles. 42 Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn

away from the one who wants to borrow from you. Love your enemies and pray for those

who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven.

Do you want God’s kingdom to come and make things right? Bring an end to

injustice? The way of the Kingdom is not the way of eye for eye. It is to turn the other

cheek. It is to love our enemies. It is demonstrate respect and unsurpassable love even to

those who persecute us. That’s was the way of Martin Luther King’s non-violent civil

rights movement. We are called to take the hoses against us in the name of our Lord

while at the same time standing up against injustice.

That’s the way the Kingdom comes. You might be persecuted. You might be

beat up. But, this is the way the Kingdom comes. This world says that this is

foolishness. This world says this is weakness. But, God says that this is the power of

God and the wisdom of God. And this is the way that the power and wisdom of God is

manifested because the power and wisdom of love is greater than the power of violence,

hatred, and vengeance. The power and the wisdom of the lamb is greater than the power

of the lion.

2. [Slide 17] This also means that the goal is our life is not avoidance of

suffering.

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In fact, we can’t avoid suffering anyway. We are all going to get sick and die.

We are all going to face emotional and physical trauma. Someone we love will die.

Someone will hate us. Someone will hurt us. Or maybe we will hurt ourselves. We are

all going to suffer one way or another. This is really difficult to say, but here is the hard

truth: God is not calling us to avoid suffering. He is calling us to give ourselves to God

and other even if it means suffering in our lives. The only way we can love anyone is to

enter into the pain of others. Love means to sacrifice ourselves for others. How are we

going to love if our life goal is to avoid suffering?

But, here is what the unveiling of the reality tells us. Even if we lose, we win.

Even if we die, we win. The slain lamb resurrected and sits on the center of the throne in

heaven. And this is what the vision tells us.

Let’s continue the passage.

[Slide 18] 10 You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.”

He says that we have been made into a kingdom, priest to serve our God, and we will

reign on the earth. That’s pretty awesome. God has called to be a kingdom with all

tribes, languages, people and nations. What an amazing Kingdom. God is calling

everyone together in reconciliation. We get to be a part of the kingdom that loves people

who are different than ourselves. You see, sacrificial love is the only way this is going to

happen. We are going to be priests to serve our God. Priests are people who have access

to God. We have access to the presence of God, the glory of God, the love of God. And

it says, we will reign on the earth. It is not the powerful people who reign in the

Kingdom of God on earth. It is not the beautiful people who reign in the Kingdom of

God on earth. It is not the wealthy or the famous or the successful that will reign in the

Kingdom of God on earth. It is those who follow the ways of the lamb. That’s the

unveiled reality.

How do we respond to this ultimate plot twist, the unveiling of reality?

Let’s go on:

[Slide 19] 11 Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering

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thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. 12 In a loud voice they were saying:

“Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!”

Before, it was just the four living creatures and the 24 elders worshipping. Now, voice of

many angels, thousands upon thousands, ten thousand times ten thousand. Infinite

number of angels are now worshipping the lamb who was slain.

[Slide 20] 13 Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying:

“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!” 14 The four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshiped.

Now, we have even the all living creatures in heaven, sea, under the earth, everywhere

worshipping the Lamb. Even your dog and cats are worshipping the lamb. And the four

living creatures are saying Amen and elders fall down and worship together with

everything. Notice the crescendo in the singing: first with the four living creatures and

the 24 elders, then with numerous angels, and now with all creatures in everywhere.

When you see the beauty of the lamb, you can’t help but to fall down and worship

him in music and prayer.

Let’s pray. Invite Prayer team.

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