Chapter 5 starts off with John noticing that God has something in his hand and is about to hand it off to Jesus. Again, not be one who harps on a subject, but there are a lot of people who think Jesus and God are the same being, and so they have a hard time understanding who is sitting on the throne and handing the scroll to Jesus. In this verse, as in others in Revelation and the New Testament, it shows the separation between God and his considerably less powerful son Jesus.
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. ... Then He came and took the scroll out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne. Rev 5:1 & 7 |
"Him who sat on the throne," is God almighty, and the "He" who comes and takes the scroll is Jesus. Not one, but two separate beings. Jesus comes and takes the scroll out of the hand of God, who is his father.
All things have been delivered unto me of my Father: and no one knoweth the Son, save the Father; neither doth any know the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son willeth to reveal [him.] Mat 11:27 |
Jesus is not revealed to everyone, and neither is God. But to those of us whom they are revealed, we can see that Jesus is not God, and that God sits on the throne and tells Jesus what things will come to be and how they will happen. When John first sees the scroll, he notices the seven seals on it. An angel then spoke up and made this comment.
Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, "Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals?" Rev 5:2 |
Without being told the importance of the scroll, John started to weep when no one came forward to open it. Then one of the elders told him not to worry about it because there was one who was able to.
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." Rev 5:5 |
Of course, "the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David" is talking about Jesus. John then sees Jesus walking in the “midst” of the throne. Notice that he doesn't see Jesus seated on the throne. This is because he isn't God, however he can walk among the place where God dwells. Jesus said he was going to do that when he was here when he said he was returning back to be with God.
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, Rev 5:6 |
I came forth from the Father and have come into the world. Again, I leave the world and go to the Father. John 16:28 |
And so Jesus returned to be with God. The apostle John saw seven eyes and seven horns on what he describes as the lamb of God, of which we know that he is talking about Jesus. This is where some symbolic terms are used to describe events.
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. Rev 5:6 |
The lamb as though it had been slain is reflection of what Jesus went through here on earth, where he was alive, then killed and thought to be dead, yet rising up afterwards with the wounds that caused his death showing on his body. Then upon returning to be with God takes on the seven spirits of God to finish prophecy.
This description is similar to the one earlier about the beasts around God, the difference though, is that Jesus has eyes now, and God did not have the description of having eyes himself, but rather the beasts around him did. Meaning, they report to God, and Jesus has been given an extra ability now that he has returned to God. That ability is the seven eyes and seven horns.
A horn in this book means an extension of a source. In this case, it is an extension of the seven spirits of God, thus giving Jesus the power that he said he would have when he was here on earth. The seven eyes give him the ability to see what the seven spirits are doing and how he needs to direct his power.
Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Lu 21:27 |
It's important to understand what Jesus will look like when he returns. Many preachers are teaching that Jesus will return in a spiritual body because they also teach that he's in one now in heaven. While John may have seen a spiritual version of Jesus, when he returns to earth Jesus will certainly be no spirit. He will return in the same body he left in.
And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven." Acts 1:10-11 |
Jesus eventually opens the scroll because he is the only one who has been given the power from God to stand up against Satan and prevail. Not to say that we don't have the power to do so at times, Jesus has the power to do so all the time and will do so even more when he returns. This is what makes him the only one that is worthy.
Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, Rev 5:11 |
Ten thousand times ten thousand is 100,000,000. (100 million), plus thousands and thousands. That's just the number around the throne, which I think is a very small number compared to the population of earth, which is now 7,000,000,000 ( 7 billion). A lot higher number than those who are around the throne.
All the creatures in heaven were not completely described by John, therefore we have no idea as to what power or ability they have. This chapter ends with the four beasts saying “amen” and the 24 elders bowing down to God. Amen means “the end,” and so this experience with John ends.