And I saw, in the middle of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the middle of the elders, a Lamb standing as if it had been slaughtered, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God that have already been sent into all the earth.  Rev. 5:6.
 
    I have had the privilege of spending significant time in the Middle East during the past dozen years.  Early in that period my oldest daughter chose to be baptized in the Jordan River.  It was a special moment, whether or not it was near the place where John the Baptist actually baptized people.  A pretty spot, it had trees on both sides of the river, and the water flows quietly at that point.
 
    A few years later my youngest daughter began to show an interest in baptism.  Reminding her of her sister's baptism, I asked if she had any special plans for her own.  I wondered what she could possibly come up with that would top what her sister had done.  "I'd like to be baptized in the Red Sea, at the place where the Israelites crossed!" she announced.  I doubt she realized it at the time, but Paul associates the crossing of the Red Sea with Christian baptism in 1 Corinthians 10:1-4.  My daughter could not have chosen the location more wisely.
 
    Now, archaeologists are not exactly certain where the Israelites made their crossing.  Some even suggest that it was not the Res Sea, but the "sea of reeds," which they identify with a lake north of the Red Sea near the Suez Canal today.  Scripture states that the Israelites were "hemmed in" with a mountain to their right and the sea to their left (Ex. 14:1-4).  The beach at Ain Sukhna in Egypt fits the description perfectly.  So some friends and I took her there and baptized her during the summer of 2001.
 
    The book of Revelation encourages Christians to see the experiences of ancient Israel as a model for Christian action and experience today.  The Lamb in Revelation 5 is a slaughtered one, reminding us of the Hebrew sanctuary and its sacrifices.  The plagues of Revelation are modeled on those that fell upon ancient Egypt.  It was the blood of the Passover Lamb that protected the Israelites from the worst of those plagues.  Similarly, the blood of Jesus shelters His people during God's judgments on humanity (Rev. 7:3; 12:11).  Just as the original Israelites became a kingdom of priests at Mount Sinai, so the followers of Jesus are a kingdom of priests drawn from every nation, tribe, language, and people (Rev. 5:9, 10).
 
    The Exodus is a model for Christian experience today.  Our personal Exodus occurs when our old nature is buried in baptism and we rise to newness of life (Rom. 6:3, 4).
 
Lord, thank You for the newness of life that You have given me through the mighty action of Jesus Christ.  May my appreciation for His sacrifice constantly increase.

    And I saw, in the middle of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the middle of the elders, a Lamb standing as if it had been slaughtered.  Rev. 5:6.
 
    Think how shocking these images might have been to the first readers of this book.  Revelation 4 and 5 portray God as the all-powerful Creator.  It seems that He can do anything He wants.  But when a seemingly insurmountable problem arises (Rev. 5:1-4), the solution is a stunner!  God solves the greatest problem in the universe through a slaughtered Lamb?
 
    Why doesn't an all-powerful God deal with such problems through His infinite power?  Why doesn't He just make things happen?  Why does He take such a huge risk by sending His Son to this earth, knowing that people will reject and brutally murder Him?  Because good things happen when someone takes risks.  The path may be harder or more dangerous than other options, but the results are worth it.
 
    I think, for example, about how different my childhood was than it is for children today.  Sometimes I wonder how my friends and I survived.  We rode happily in cars with no seat belts or air bags.  Some of my happiest memories involved riding in the back of a pickup truck on a warm day.  In those days manufacturers painted baby cribs with bright-colored lead-based paint.  We often chewed on the bars of the crib, enjoying the paint.  And in those days there existed no childproof packaging on the medicine bottles or anything else that could possibly hurt children (I prefer calling it "adultproof" packaging, since my children open such things just fine, while I tend to struggle).
 
    I rode my bike all over town without a helmet on and drank city water from a garden hose instead of purified water from the grocery store.  My friends and I escaped parental supervision during summers by simply leaving home in the morning and playing all day at the park or sometimes riding all over New York City on the subways.  No one was able to reach us all day.  With spare change from my allowance I would sometimes buy doughnuts and sugar-saturated soft drinks, but I never gained weight, since I was always outside playing.  We learned to confront bullies with no adults to protect us.
 
    You may be shocked at some of the risks that my friends and I took, but my generation produced some of the greatest risk takers and problem solvers the world has ever seen.  We had freedom, failure, success, and responsibility, and we learned how to deal with it.  While some of the changes in today's world are good, character develops when we take risks.  In fact, every relationship is a risk, but there's no other way to have a rich and rewarding life.  I somehow think God knew that when He sent Jesus to redeem us back to Himself.
 
Lord, thanks for taking the big risk when You came to save us.  Give me the courage today to reach out to souls for whom You died, no matter the response.

And one of the elders said to me, "Do not weep!  The Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome to open the scroll and its seven seals."  Rev. 5:5.
 
    A former student and good friend, Leslie Pollard, shared the following poem in the July 2002 Adventist Review.  It powerfully sums up the victory of the Lamb:
 
                "The world cannot contain Him
                Universities cannot explain Him
                Circumstances cannot detain Him
                Prisons cannot restrain Him
                Because He won!
 
                Parliaments cannot unseat Him
                Armies cannot defeat Him
                Petitioners cannot deplete Him
                Lyricists cannot complete Him
                Because He won!
 
                Historians cannot erase Him
                Skinheads cannot deface Him
                Islam cannot displace Him
                Popes cannot replace Him
                Because He won!
 
                Philosophers cannot ignore Him
                Teenagers cannot bore Him
                Angels gladly adore Him
                Because He won!
 
                Time cannot diminish Him
                Death couldn't finish Him
                Because He won!"
 
Lord, You are the mighty king, the master of everything.  When I contemplate You my heart can sing!

 And I wept much because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it.  Rev. 5:4.
 
    We are often reluctant to identify with the positive characters in the Bible, assuming that people such as John were on a far higher spiritual level than we are.  Yet the Bible invites us to model our lives on the characters in it (1 Cor. 4:6, 7, 16; 11:1; 1 Thess. 1:6, 7).  Although Jesus is the primary one to emulate (2 Cor. 3:17, 18; 1 Cor. 4:17), we can gain a great deal from the positive and negative examples we find in the stories about various Bible characters.
 
    In this and other verses John becomes part of his own vision.  And it is encouraging to realize that the prophet portrays himself not as a great saint, but as one who makes mistakes and is even a bit clueless at times.  In Revelation 5:4 he weeps because he has no idea what is going on in heaven.  He sees but doesn't understand.  An elder asks him a question in Revelation 7:13, 14, and he has no idea how to answer it.  Then in Revelation 19:9, 10, and 22:8, 9, he falls down to worship an angel, only to get rebuked for it.  Now, to do this once might be understandable.  But to do it a second time a short while later really looks foolish!  Apparently prophets are not automatically smart in all areas.
 
    I can be pretty clueless at times myself.  I remember when I was in high school a college choir came by, directed by a Ph.D. in music.  Not impressed with the choir, I figured the conductor must be no good, despite her high degree.  So when I joined my friends at the water cooler after the performance, I began to expound about how Ph.Ds. are usually less competent than people with lesser degrees because they get out of touch with real life, etc.  Quickly I got on a roll about how bad this conductor was.  In the middle of my monologue I turned around, only to discover her standing behind me, taking in every word.  I have rarely felt so dumb!
 
    The good news is that readers like me can identify with John and other biblical characters in their weakness.  Elijah was easily discouraged and depressed, yet at God's command he could make it stop raining.  David murdered at least 200 innocent people in his lifetime, yet the Lord found a way to forgive him.  John the Baptist questioned whether Jesus was really the Messiah, yet Jesus called him the greatest of the prophets (Matt. 11:1-13)!  Job and Jerimiah were "saints" who wished they had never been born (Job 3:3; Jer. 20:14, 15).  "It is encouraging to our desponding hearts to know that through God's grace they could gain fresh vigor to again rise above their evil natures; and, remembering this, we are ready to renew the conflict ourselves."
 
Lord, I was feeling down, but now I am encouraged to rise up and try again!

   And I saw to the right of the One sitting on the throne a scroll, written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals.  And I saw a powerful angel proclaiming with a loud voice, "Who is worthy to open the scroll, namely, to break its seals?"  And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it.  And I wept much because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it.  Rev. 5:1-4.
 
    The scene in Revelation 5 builds on the one in the previous chapter.  Revelation 4 describes the general realities of the heavenly throne room.  The throne is in the center of the room, and everything happens in relation to the throne.  The main thing going on, of course, is worship.  Again and again in these two chapters the four living creatures break into song, and more and more worshippers chime in.
 
    But a major difference exists between chapters 4 and 5.  Whereas chapter 4 describes the general realities of the heavenly throne room, chapter 5 depicts a specific point in time.  A crisis erupts in the throne room of the universe.  All the praise suddenly stops, and everyone looks toward the center of the room with anticipation and silence, asking by implication, "What's going on?"
 
    What is the problem?  They see a scroll that no one can open.  While this might seem at first to be a trivial problem, the silence in heaven and John's weeping suggests a life-and-death crisis.  Someone must be found to unroll the scroll.  What heightens the drama even further is the fact that the scroll is in the possession of God Himself, the one sitting on the throne.  Why is it necessary to look for someone to open the scroll?  Can't the Lord do that Himself?
 
    The point of this scene seems to be that the universe has a huge problem, one so large that God Himself is reluctant to handle it on His own.  It has to do with the right to rule.  God is certainly powerful enough to seize control if He wanted to.  But might does not make right.  So ultimately only a "worthy" person can solve the difficulty.
 
    The word "worthy" actually picks up from Revelation 4:11: "You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being' " (NIV).  To be "worthy" is to be qualified or suitable for a task or an office.  Here the task is to open the scroll.  Being God is not enough to qualify.  The issue represented by the scroll requires a special kind of qualification.  Nothing less than the death of the Lamb allows Him to unroll the scroll.
 
Lord, thank You for reminding me of how much my sin costs both You and the stability of the universe.  Thank You, Jesus, for the painful road that qualified You for the greatest task in history.

  And I saw to the right of the One sitting on the throne a scroll, written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals.  And I saw a powerful angel proclaiming with a loud voice, "Who is worthy to open the scroll, namely, to break its seals?"  And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it.  And I wept much because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it.  And one of the elders said to me, "Do not weep! the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David,has overcome to open the scroll and its seven seals."  Rev. 5:1-5.
 
    Many translations of the Bible suggest that the scroll is in the right hand of the One sitting on the throne.  But recent research suggests that the phrase "in the right hand" probably means "at the right side" instead.  This makes a lot of sense in the light of how the ancient world used thrones.  People in those days generally felt that the right side of the king was the highest possible place of honor.  Psalms 80:17 and 110:1 describe the king of Israel as sitting at God's right side, and he and God are corulers of the nation.
 
    Many ancient thrones were large enough for three to four people to sit on.  It has been suggested that the ancient reader may have understood the scroll to be lying on the throne of God's right side.  If that is so, to take up the book is to sit on the throne at God's right side.  In other words, when Jesus picks up the book with His hands, He also sits down at the right side of the Father, assuming His role as the new king in the line of David (Rev. 5:5).
 
    In Old Testament times the Israelites had an extended period in which they had no king except God.  The country had no clear central control.  While putting a king on the throne could cause them to look away from God, in practice things were rather chaotic without an earthly ruler to give direction (Judges 17:6; 21:25).  So God permitted them to institute a monarchy, first in the person of Saul (from the tribe of Benjamin) and then with David (from the tribe of Judah).  David's reign was so blessed in comparison with Saul's that his reign, and the reign of his son Solomon, became models of ideal rulership for Israel.
 
    So this concept of Davidic kingship lies behind the story of Revelation 5.  The Lamb is "the Lion of Judah" and the "Root of David."  Elsewhere in the New Testament Jesus sits down at the right hand of His Father on the throne in heaven (Matt. 26:24; Heb. 8:1, etc.).  So when Jesus comes and picks up the scroll, He is taking His seat on the throne in the heavenly sanctuary.
 
Lord, this is wonderful news.  The One in charge of earth and heaven is the Lamb that was slain.  He knows what my life is like and has felt what I feel.  I can trust Him to rule wisely, fairly, and compassionately.

  You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, because You created all things, and on account of Your will they came into existence and were created.  Rev. 4:11.
 
    In December of every year we receive a free calendar in the mail.  The calendar contains pictures of local scenery and is nicely laid out.  But its primary purpose is not to let us know what day it is.  The calendar comes from the Cook Nuclear Plant, located about 10 miles to the west of our home.  The free calendar seeks to make sure that every resident of the area knows the signals and the evacuation routes in case of a nuclear accident.
 
    The plant nestles between sand dunes and the shore of Lake Michigan.  Deep within its core is enough nuclear power to incinerate most of the county in which I live.  To make matters worse, the prevailing wind blows directly from the location of the plant to the neighborhood where I live.  I find it sobering, therefore, that the nearest evacuation bridge (to escape toward the east) is a mile closer to the plant than my house is.  Potentially, that could be a most deadly mile.
 
    The reason we have to live under such a shadow is our society's massive need for electricity.  Life as we know it would not exist without it.  Imagine having to preserve and cook food, bake and toast bread, or wash clothes without electricity.  Without it the clocks, the water heater, the furnace, the lights, and the air-conditioner in my house would not function.  Just about everything in today's world that enhances human comfort requires electricity.  Anyone with electricity is infinitely richer than someone without it.
 
    To put it another way, many of us have become totally dependent on the electricity monster.  And perhaps such dependency isn't such a bad thing.  God has designed a universe in which every part must rely on other parts.  The trees absorb our exalted breath and give us oxygen in return.  Certain birds enjoy the food crawling on the backs of rhinos, giving the lumbering creatures relief from bugs and a comforting back scratch!  The atomic and subatomic particles of the universe exist in intricate relationships with each other.  Humans depend on plants and animals for their food, and we are all dependent on our Creator.
 
    Jesus was the greatest human being who ever lived.  Yet even Jesus depended on His Father for guidance and direction (John 5:19; 8:28).  In His humanity He would rise each morning before sunrise, go off by Himself, and pray to the One who had sent Him (Mark 1:35).  Although He came down from heaven, He did not rely on Himself.  So remember that you are not a generator--you are a receiver and retransmitter.  God is the great power source of the universe.  Plug in and turn on the lights!
 
Lord, I am reminded of my dependence on You.  Use me todayaccording to Your will.

 "You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, because You created all things, and on account of Your will they came into existence and were created."  Rev. 4:11.
 
    The three great philosophical questions of life are: Why are we here?  Where did we come from?  Where are we going?  We observe all three questions in play in Revelation 4 and 5, and nowhere more so than in this text.
 
    Why are we here?  To participate in continual, grateful, worshipful response to the God who made us.
 
    Where did we come from?  We all began in the mind and heart of God, who put shape on His thoughts when He created us.
 
    Where are we going?  To live with Him forever in a universe filled with love and peace.
 
    What a wonderful framework to live by!  How much better is Revelation's view of the world than one in which people answer the three great philosophical questions with a shrug!
 
    Without the insights of God's revelations, we would be tempted to believe that we all ultimately descended from single-cell creatures in primordial mud.  "Like father, like son" is a frightening concept when combined with that kind of past.  Evolutionary science responds to the "Where did we come from? and "Why are we here? questions with something like "Whatever."  I'd rather know I originated with a thought in the mind of a loving God who wants me to live with a sense of purpose and meaning.
 
    Without the insights of God's revelations, the future looks dark indeed.  Science warns us that--given enough time--a collision between earth and a comet or asteroid is extremely likely.  As recently as 1908 a meteorite only 50 meters across laid waste hundreds of square miles in Siberia.  Had the meteorite been the size of the asteroid that recently passed closer to earth than the moon, it would have devastated much of the Eurasian land mass.  Other perils also threaten us--such things as viral mutations and weapons of mass destruction.  And even if we survive those threats, the sun will one day explode into a nova that will melt the planet and everything in it back to the core elements.
 
    Many take the Christian worldview for granted.  They aren't conscious of the degree to which it provides stability and meaning to life.  Without that worldview, eating and drinking, waking and sleeping, tend to become empty routines, devoid of purpose.
 
Lord, help me not to take you for granted.  Open my eyes to the ultimate purpose of my existence.  May I make a difference in someone's life today.

The twenty-four elders fall down before the One sitting on the throne and worship the One who lives for ever and ever, and throw their crowns before the throne, saying, "You are worthy, our Lord and God."  Rev. 4:10, 11.
 
    When you open a Bible for the first time, you will find poetry and songs, prophecy and proverbs, but mainly narrative--a story of sorts.  It tells the history of a people, but it is more than this.  Scripture is the history of a nation in relationship with God.  And it is not so much the history of a nation as it is the history of the acts of God.
 
    We often think of worship as a time when some preacher reminds us of what we're supposed to do.  But biblical worship is not about what we should do--it is about what God has done.  "He has caused his wonders to be remembered" (Ps. 111:4, NIV).  When Israel recounted what the Lord has done for them, it enhanced their relationship with Him.  But more than this, the acts of God were powerful deeds, events that changed history in a mighty way.  Rehearsing them rekindled the power of the original acts.  God would again break into history and change things for the better.  When the Israelites recounted His deeds for them in the past, God became real to them in the present.
 
    The lay leader of a large church felt his spiritual experience going dry.  For whatever reason, he couldn't connect with the preaching in his church.  His walk with God was slipping away, and he was about ready to give up.  But he decided to give it one more chance.  On Sunday morning he went down to the little Baptist church in town.
 
    Bad luck.  The preacher was away that week, and the deacon was up there reading something or other.  As he mumbled along, the congregation seemed half asleep.  Here I've decided that this is to be the last chance I'm going to give this church, and this has to happen, the lay leader thought.  But a funny thing took place on the way to a nap.  Every five or 10 minutes the deacon, who seemed totally clueless, lifted his eyes from the reading and said, "Well, I don't know about that, but I know one thing: God is able," and then he mumbled on for another five or 10 minutes.  Then he said again, "Well, I don't know about that point, but I do know this: God is able!"
 
    About 20 minutes into that sermon the lay leader began to sense God's presence warming his heart.  Later he reported, "I just suddenly realized God really is able.  God is able to take me where I am.  It doesn't matter who is preaching."  And it doesn't matter how dead the congregation is or how out-of-date the worship service might be.  If you rehearse the mighty acts of God, He is able to resurrect the dead!
 
Lord, turn my eyes away from the many distractions of life to the mighty things You have done for me.  May Your character and Your actions become the substance and focus of my life.

   And whenever the living creatures express glory and honor and thankfulness to the One sitting on the throne, who lives for ever and ever...Rev. 4:9.
 
    Bob and DeAnna Gulke, my wife's brother and sister, both kindly passed on a cute story a while ago that was food for some thought.  In the story someone was getting the proverbial tour of heaven from St. Peter.  During the tour they walked side by side inside a large workroom filled with angels.
 
    St. Peter stopped in the first part of the room and said, "This is the receiving section.  Here we receive and handle all prayer requests."
 
    The heavenly tourists looked around and saw countless angels sorting out petitions from people all over the world.  The tour then moved on to the second section of the workroom.
 
    "This is the packaging and delivery section," St. Peter explained.  "Here the graces and blessings the people asked for are processed and delivered to those who asked for them."
 
    Again it was an extremely busy place.  Many angels were working hard, since so many blessings had been requested and were being packaged for delivery to earth.
 
    Finally at the farthest corner of the room, the two of them stopped at a very small area.  To the surprise of the heavenly tourists, it had only one angel, seated and idly doing nothing.
 
    "This is the acknowledgments section," St. Peter announced.
 
    "How is it hat there's no work here?" the tourist asked.
 
    "So sad," St. Peter sighed.  "After people receive the blessings they ask for, very few send acknowledgments."
 
    "How does one acknowledge God's blessing?"
 
    "Simple," St. Peter answered.  "Just say, 'Thank You, Lord.' "
 
    But what if you can't think of any blessings from God?  What if life for you has seemed an unending series of disasters and trials?  Should heaven's acknowledgment section be unemployed on your account?
 
    I'd suggest consulting a dictionary.  Blessings we may never have acknowledged to God fill every page.  Apes, apples, apricots--the Lord has given so many things to each of us.  When was the last time you thanked Him for one of them?  God is the author of life and every good thing.  Let the acknowledgments begin!
 
Lord, I am ashamed of the many times You have reached out to me in blessing and I have taken You for granted.  I thank You for this day and all that You have done for me.