Reality versus Fantasy, Part 4: The Lord of History

You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.

Revelation 5:9-10

The Meaning of History

The late professor George Ladd of Fuller Seminary stated, “Apart from the person and redeeming work of Jesus Christ, history is an enigma” (Ladd, George E., Revelation [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1972], 82). This Christian view of history was articulated by St. Augustine in his City of God and prevailed until the Enlightenment. But not now. The words of Rudolf Bultmann exemplify today’s understanding: “We cannot claim to know the end and goal of history. Therefore, the question of meaning in history has become meaningless” (Bultmann, Rudolf, History and Eschatology [Edinburgh: University Press, 1957] 120; quoted by Ladd, p. 82). This is nothing new. The preacher in Ecclesiastes tells us everything is meaningless unless we view all things in relationship to God (Eccles. 1:2; 12:1).

Jesus Christ alone is the Lord of history and gives history its meaning. In Revelation 4 we saw the reality of the one who is seated on the throne, God the Father. Now Revelation 5 introduces us to the Lion who has triumphed over all his enemies-the Lion of Judah, who alone is worthy in all the universe to execute the eternal plan of God. This plan is contained in the seven-sealed scroll which was on the right hand of the one seated on the throne. The plan has to do with the history of the world, the redemption of God’s people, the judgment of the devil and his followers, the creation of a new heaven and new earth, and the eschatological manifestation of God’s kingdom.

This is the plan Paul wrote about in Ephesians 1:9-11: “And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to this good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment-to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ. In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will.” And in 2 Timothy 1:8b-10 he said: “But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, who has saved us and called us to a holy life-not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.”

The Worthy One

This Lion is also the Lamb who looks as if he had been slain. Jesus Christ alone is the Savior and Sovereign of the world. In Genesis 49:9-10 we read that he is the King of Judah-this Lion who rules and roars; this Lion who wages war and triumphs over all his enemies.

In Revelation 5:5 John writes, “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.'” Over whom did he triumph? Over all the enemies of God! When Jesus died on the cross, he defeated all his enemies-the devil, sin, death, and the world. His death on the cross was no defeat; it was his triumph! This triumphant one is the Lion of Judah and the Root of David. He alone is worthy to execute all God’s plan for the world and his elect.

This worthy One comes to the Father and takes the scroll from his hand to fulfill all God’s purposes for this universe. By this act, he is indicating that his will is the same as his Father’s. In the midpoint of time, Jesus Christ became incarnate to fulfill the will of God as prophesied by Isaiah: “The will of the Lord will prosper in his hand” (Isa. 53:10). Jesus taught us to pray, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” He prayed at Gethsemane, “Not my will but thine be done.”

By his incarnation, Christ has triumphed over all his enemies: “Having cancelled the written code with its regulations that was against us and that stood opposed to us; [the Lord Jesus Christ] took it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross” (Col. 2:14-15). We see this triumphant Christ also in Hebrews 2:14-15: “Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death-that is, the devil-and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.” First John 3:8 also speaks of this purpose of Christ’s incarnation: “He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning since the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.”

Thank God, Jesus is both Lion and Lamb! To John, he looked like a Lamb as if he had been slain, but he is standing and alive forevermore. In Revelation 1 Jesus said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One. I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever. And I hold the keys of death and Hades” (vv. 17-18). The gospel declares that Christ died for our sins, he was buried, and he was raised from the dead according to the Scriptures on the third day. The Lion of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed; therefore, he alone is worthy to execute God’s decree and plan and will contained in the scroll. As Jesus told us in John 16:33, “Take heart! I have overcome the world.”

The elder exhorted John not to weep, assuring him there was one who was worthy to open the scroll and the seven seals. This worthy One is the Lion of Judah, who triumphed over all God’s enemies, but he is also the Lamb. This Lamb has seven horns and seven eyes, meaning he is omnipotent and omniscient God, possessing irresistible might and wisdom. He has triumphed, and he will triumph.

Revelation 6:15-17 also speaks of this Lion and Lamb combination: “Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and every free man hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. They called to the mountains and the rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?'” And look at Revelation 17:14: “They will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will overcome them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings-and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers.” All those who fight against him will lose. To triumph, we must surrender to him.

The four living creatures and twenty-four elders fell down before this Lamb and worshiped him, singing a new song celebrating the new order of redemption. So in verse 9 we read, “You are worthy.” The Greek word axious (worthy) is applied only to the Father and to the Son in the book of Revelation. We find it again in verse 12: “Worthy is the Lamb.” He is worthy of worship. That is what true worship is: to recognize the worth of the one and only God in three Persons and sing his praises, listen to his word, pray to him, and declare his glory. This sinless Son of God perfectly obeyed the Father and is the only worthy one in the universe. He alone is the Lord of history. If we reject him, we will sink into the despair of meaninglessness, saying, “Let us eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we shall die.”

Verse 9 continues: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals.” Jesus Christ alone is able to execute God’s eternal plan for the universe. No one else can-not Michael, not Gabriel, not the four living creatures or the twenty-four elders, not even the myriads of holy angels. Then we are given the reason he is worthy: “because you were slain.” As the Lamb of God, this One was slaughtered for sacrifice on the cross. He was our Passover Lamb, slain for our salvation. Christ died for our sins; thus, we were spared from death. He died a substitutionary, atoning death because “the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord” (Rom. 6:23). He died our eternal death so that we could be justly justified.

Purchasing Men for God

We are then told, “You purchased men” (v. 9). Our Kinsman/Redeemer, Jesus Christ, redeemed us and set us free forever from our slavery to sin and Satan by paying a ransom. Mark 10:45 tells us, “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Sin no longer has dominion over us; the devil can do no harm against us. We have been set free!

What was our ransom price? The apostle Peter tells us: “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver and gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect” (1 Pet. 1:18-19). Paul said the same thing to the elders of the church of Ephesus: “Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood” (Acts 20:28).

What was the purpose of this purchase? In Revelation 5:9-10 we read, “You purchased men for God” and “You have made them to be a kingdom and priests for God” (italics added). God did not redeem us so that we can be autonomous and unaccountable. No, we have been purchased for God, meaning we belong to God, and we are to serve God because we are his inheritance and portion. First Peter 2:9 calls us a peculiar people, a people of God’s own possession. The purpose of redemption is to serve our new master, God, forever and with great delight.

Paul understood this and wrote in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20: “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.” In the same chapter he said the body is “for the Lord, and the Lord [is] for the body” (v. 13). If we serve God, he will take care of us. And in 1 Corinthians 7:23 Paul exhorts: “You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men.”

Then we are told these men were purchased “from every tribe and language and people and nation” (Rev. 5:9). Notice, he did not purchase every human being without exception, but he purchased people without distinction. The church is an international body, without national, political, cultural, or racial distinction. He purchased those given to him by the Father to redeem.

Jesus spoke of this donation of the Father in John 6: “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. . . And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. . . No one can come to the Father unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day” (vv. 37, 39, 44). Jesus did not come to save everyone, but the Son will surely save all those whom the Father gave him. We find the same idea in John 17:2: “For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him” (cf. John 17:6, 9, 24).

God Makes Us a Kingdom of Priests

“You have made them to be a kingdom of priests to serve our God. . . .” (Rev. 5:10). We were the despised nothings, but when God set his love upon us, his Son elevated us. He took us out of our dunghills and ash heaps, brought us into the heavenly places, and seated us with him.

God made us “a kingdom of priests to serve our God.” This is the fulfillment of Exodus 19:5-6, a passage first applied to the Jewish nation, but now applied to all of God’s people: “Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” The Lord Jesus Christ rules a kingdom, and we are that kingdom. Romans 10:9 says, “If you confess with your mouth ‘Jesus is Lord’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you shall be saved.” By God’s mercy we confessed Christ as Lord of our lives, and now we embrace his beneficent rule.

John the Baptist declared, “The kingdom of God is near” (Matt. 3:2), and we are in that kingdom. We do not kick against God’s rule. Remember his prayer: “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” If only we understood the nature of Christ’s rule, we would embrace it. (PGM) Jesus declared, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10). “The kingdom of God is . . . righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 14:17). We are made God’s kingdom by our Redeemer, Jesus Christ, and as we live under Christ’s rule, all our needs are met.

If we are not ruled by Christ, we have not been redeemed, God did not make us his kingdom, and we do not belong to him. How do we know that we have been made his kingdom? If we love God and his rule, and joyfully submit to his word.

Additionally, we are told, “You have made them . . . priests” (v. 10). The royal high priest Christ has made us priests for God. That means that in Jesus Christ we have direct and immediate access to God to worship him and offer him sacrifices. Hebrews 4:16 tells us, “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Both men and women can come into the Holy of Holies in the name of Christ, and God will be delighted to see us and commune with us. This is the priesthood of all believers. We can now draw near to God in Jesus Christ to offer sacrifices because we have been made priests: “Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water” (Heb. 10:19-22).

The apostle Peter writes, “You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Pet. 2:5). When we come together to pray, sing, worship, give, and listen to the word, we are worshiping the worthy One. Peter adds, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light” (v. 9). We are functioning as God’s priests whenever we proclaim the gospel.

The writer to the Hebrews describes the sacrifices we can offer: “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise-the fruit of lips that confess his name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased” (Heb. 13:15-16). Here we see the sacrifices of praise and helping one another. Paul speaks about the sacrifice of money and other material possessions: “I have received full payment and even more; I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God” (Phil. 4:13). Paul also writes about the sacrifice of ourselves in service to God: “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God-this is your spiritual act of worship” (Rom. 12:1).

We Shall Rule with Christ

The Lord Jesus Christ not only makes us priests, but he also makes us kings. In Revelation 5:10 we read, “and they will reign on the earth.” Having embraced the rule and ministry of our King and High Priest, now we shall reign on earth with him. Jesus said, “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5). The earth belongs to us, and it will be ours in due time. It will be a new heaven and a new earth, wherein dwells righteousness (2 Pet. 3:13).

Even now we rule, and we will also rule when Christ comes again. Jesus says, “To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne” (Rev. 3:21). John writes, “I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. . . . Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years” (Rev. 20:4, 6). There is only one throne: the Father and Son are seated there, and we are seated with them. Authority is the most important issue in the whole world, and there is only one authority-that of our God.

The Lord Jesus Christ is King of kings and Lord of lords, and we are kings ruling under him.

What God Has Done for Us

If all these things are true, how can we be discouraged, anxious, or afraid? If only we understand what the Lord Jesus Christ has done for us, all fears would flee! By his death, he purchased us and made us a kingdom of priests. The Lion of Judah, the triumphant Lord of history has conquered all enemies, and we share his victory.

Remembering what God has done for us keeps us humble. Remember the rock from which we were hewn. Paul writes, “Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things-and the things that are not-to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. And it is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God-that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption” (1 Cor. 1:26-30).

Remember what God has done for us! He made us his sons and daughters by adoption. He destroyed the devil. He destroyed death, which we well deserved, and brought immortality. We were not wise, influential, or of noble birth. We were foolish, weak, lowly, despised zeroes of the world. We were dead dogs. We were enemies of God. But God clothed us with the dignity of his righteousness and gave us a rich inheritance. He told us not to be anxious.

Away, then, with all misery, gloom, and fear! Rise up, O men and women, sons and daughters of God! You are kings and priests of God! Shake off all anxiety, misery, and rebellion. Know who you are and what God has made you. And let us join the four living creatures, the twenty-four elders, millions and millions of holy angels, and all creation to sing and worship the One seated on the throne. Let us worship the Lamb, the worthy One, our Savior and Lord, saying, “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, the Eternal One, Creator of all, Redeemer of all, Lord of all. You alone are worthy to receive thanksgiving, power, riches, wisdom, strength, honor, glory, praise, and all dominion.”

What about You?

Let me, then, ask some questions:
1. Did Jesus Christ die for you? He did not die for everyone. Did he die for you?
2. Did Jesus Christ purchase you? Did he pay the ransom to set you free from sin, death, the devil, and the world?
3. Did Jesus Christ make you his kingdom, priest, and king to serve and belong to him?
4. Is your life meaningful, or is it full of frustration?
5. Do you worship the triune God and sing his praises, offering him spiritual sacrifices?

You may ask, “How can I know that I am a child of God?” My answer is this: “Have you repented of your sins? Have you trusted in Jesus Christ alone for your salvation-in Jesus Christ, who was slain? If you have, then you belong to God and you are in Christ.”

What if you have not repented and trusted in Christ in the way we are talking about? Then I say to you, “Now is the accepted time, now is the day of grace and salvation. Repent and believe in this only Savior of the world, the Lord of all history.” If you refuse him today, you shall face him and his wrath on the last day. You may cry out to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?” (Rev. 6:16-17)

Those who say this are the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, as well as the poor. But we see them losing in Revelation 19. They rejected this worthy One and his offer of mercy. He is the Lamb, as though he had been slain, but he is also the Lion, who roars. Listen, then: “And I saw an angel standing in the sun, who cried out in a loud voice to all the birds flying in midair, ‘Come, gather together for the great supper of God, so that you may eat the flesh of kings, generals, and mighty men, of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, small and great” (vv. 17-18). This day is coming. May God help us all to trust in Christ today and be saved.