Revelation Lesson 6
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The Book of Revelation
Lesson 6, Chapter 5
By Cindy Ketron
On The Edge of Eternity
In chapter 4, John entered the throne room of heaven, and he did his best to explain exactly what he witnessed. He painted an incredible picture for us. Thus far, we have seen Christ walking amongst the candlesticks. Then we took a trip across Asia Minor to 7 churches and learned what was going well and what was not going quite so good in each of these churches. And somewhere between chapters 3 and 4, all true believers get raptured up to heaven.
1.Where was John at the end of chapter 4?
2. Read Rev. 5:1-4. Who is the one sitting on the throne and what is He holding in His right hand? What is unusual about this item?
Some of your Bibles might call this a book, but the Greek translation indicates that it is a scroll. Scrolls were made of papyrus that was rolled up. Generally, they were kept in cases called arks.
In ancient times, when important scrolls were sent, they were tied with a knot and then melted wax was dripped on top of the knot and with a signet ring, the person sending the scroll would press the impression of the ring into the wax to let the person receiving the scroll know who it was from. Legal scrolls were written on the front and the back with the instructions for opening the scroll written on the outside of the scroll.
Only the one who had a legal right to the scroll could open it. In the Roman Empire, filing a will could be very expensive. Another way to circumvent that was to have your heir and 5 witnesses come to the signing of the will. Afterwards, each individual would put a seal on the will. This may have nothing to do with how this particular scroll was constructed, but it is thought-provoking, and it is also something that the early church would have understood when they read about it.
There are a lot of 7s in this book…a LOT! We learned early in this study that the book of Revelation has a hepatic structure to it. Of course, God’s number for perfection is "7", so in that regard, it would make sense that there were a lot of 7s. In this book, we will witness God’s wrath poured out through 7 seals, 7 trumpets, and 7 bowls.
When the last seal is broken, the first trumpet sounds and when the last trumpet sounds, the first bowl is poured out.
3. Why do you think this scroll is important?
4. Why did John weep? (Actually, the Greek here means that he cried compulsively.)
Apparently, there was only 1 person who could open the scroll.
5. Where did he look to find someone worthy to open this scroll?
John had to know that whatever was in that scroll had extreme importance or he would not have wept so hard.
6. Who was this strong angel who asked if anyone was worthy enough to open the scroll?
7. We can’t know for sure, but perhaps if we go back to Dan. 9:20-23 we can figure this out. Who visited Daniel as he was fervently praying and fasting for 21 days?
This angel was detained in Persia (Iran) and Michael the archangel had to come and assist him. While Daniel was dedicating himself to prayer, there was a great spiritual battle taking place in the unseen realm. Friends, when we enter into prayer, we have no idea what is going on in the spiritual world as a result of our prayers. I'm so glad that the curtain was pulled back on the spiritual world to allow us to have a peek inside.
8. When we get over to Dan. 12:4, what does Gabriel instruct Daniel to do?
The fact that a “strong angel” is selected to make this proclamation in Rev. 5:1 is important. We will see this wording 2 more times in Revelation. The book of Daniel was closed until the time of the end. That does not mean that it was hidden in a cave somewhere until now. It means that the words contained in the book of Daniel would not be fully understood until the time of the end. We are obviously there because we now understand the contents of the book of Daniel. The book of Revelation is not a closed book. This book was written for believers to understand right out of the gate. And I think that it is entirely possible that the very angel who instructed Daniel to “conceal these words until the time of the end” is the same angel who makes this loud proclamation in chapter 5. If you look through Scripture, you will find that Gabriel made multiple proclamations. This too, is a proclamation. However, that strong angel could have been another angel. We simply cannot know with certainty.
To fully understand why only 1 person could open the scroll, we need to go back to the Old Testament and look at the Law of Redemption. This law generally refers to the legal right to reclaim property after it has been forfeited due to a debt or other obligation. In our current culture, this might look like what happens when a mortgage is foreclosed on. In Leviticus 25, God instructs His people on the redemption of the land, but also on the redemption of individuals.
The law highlights the idea that the land of Israel ultimately belongs to God, and the Israelites were stewards of that land. Redeeming a person was a way of keeping the land of Israel in-tact and not allowing it to fall into the hands of foreign countries. When a person was going to be redeemed, there were conditions that had to be met and those conditions were written on a scroll. Let’s take a look at how all of that worked and when you understand this, it will open your eyes to a whole new way of looking at Rev. 5.
In the Old Testament, God prescribed ways for the Jewish people to take care of the poor. People who planted crops were to leave the corners of their fields so that the poor could come and harvest them. The poor still had to work to get their food. The food was free, but they had to work to get it. This was a pretty ingenious welfare system! Nobody was hungry.
Therefore, if you and your family were poor, you could always glean food from the fields of others in order to save yourself and your family from starvation. If your family found itself in a financial crisis and had to sell land to pay debts, the buyer could only ever have the land for 50 years because at the year of Jubilee which was every 50 years, all land reverted back to its original owner. God designed this so that the land of Israel would always be owned by the Jewish people. One of the reasons (there were a few) that God did not want the Jewish people to marry foreigners was that He didn’t want foreigners to own any of that holy land.
But just in case you sold your land to pay off your debts and you still could not pay them all off, then you could sell yourself into slavery and would be considered an indentured servant for a period of 7 years. During that time, you would have room and board and would get paid. If someone came along and was kind enough to pay off your debt prior to the end of the 7 years, then you could get out of the slavery you sold yourself into. If you had relatives, you could go to them (had to be the closest relation first and had to be blood kin) and ask if they could redeem you or buy you out of the slavery you were in as well as redeem the land you had sold. If a relative had the money to redeem you but refused to do so, then you could spit in that person’s face! Wow, what a system! But, let’s say the closest relative simply did not have the money to redeem you, then you’d go to the next closest relative and the next and so forth.
Keep in mind that the scrolls for redemption always had the conditions for the redemption of the scroll written on the outside.
9. With this thought in mind, how would the strong angel mentioned in Rev. 5:2 know that no one was worthy to open the scroll?
In the Old Testament, if a person was going to be redeemed from their slavery and have their possessions such as land redeemed, the person doing the redeeming would take the scroll to the elders of the city and have the conditions of redemption written on the outside of the scroll, read aloud.
10. Read Jer. 32:9-15. Describe what was on the sealed scroll.
11. Who purchased this land?
12. Why did he purchase land when Israel was in captivity?
It is interesting that Jeremiah paid for this land with silver and in Scripture, silver is a picture of redemption. God wanted His people to know that there was hope after their exile. He fully intended on them coming back into the land to inhabit it again and plant vineyards and build houses.
Guess what?! God still wants His children to have hope! We, too, are exiled in a land that is not our own because this world is not our home.
13. Read Lev. 25:23-46. These verses explain the law of redemption. Who did the land belong to?
14. What were the people to do for their countrymen who were poor?
15. What does God say about His redemption of the “sons of Israel”?
A Jewish person in the first century who was reading the book of Revelation would have understood that the scroll mentioned in Rev. 5 was a redemption scroll. I believe as do numerous other Bible teachers, that this is the redemption scroll of the earth. Another way to state this is that it is the title deed to the earth.
16. Who has the title to the earth currently?
17. Read Luke 4:5-8. What does Satan tell Jesus?
18. Does Jesus dispute that Satan has the authority to give Him all the kingdoms of the world? How does He answer Satan?
Jesus does not tell Satan that he’s just blowing smoke and that His Father owns everything. He knew that for a period of time, the earth would be Satan’s. If we piece all of this together, here’s what we have: The scroll in Rev. 5 is likely the redemption scroll or title deed to the earth and it is currently in the possession of Satan. Redemption is a big deal! When Adam and Eve got kicked out of the Garden of Eden, it wasn’t just humanity that was affected, it was the entire earth with all of the plants and trees and streams and oceans and animals! Right now, the earth is literally groaning, as Rom. 8:22 tells us. It is groaning with the sins that have been committed upon it. When God placed the laws of redemption in Lev. 25, He already knew that a much bigger redemption was coming!
19. Read Gen. 1:28. To whom was the earth originally given to?
At the fall of mankind, the earth was lost, every human being, every animal, every plant, the skies above us, the earth beneath us, everything. We cannot imagine Eden in all of its beauty and perfection. But, with that first sin, the world and all of humanity sold itself into slavery at the hands of Satan and the only way to undo what was done is to redeem what had been lost. John Milton, the 17th century English writer, wrote a very long and interesting poem called Paradise Lost. It is his view of what happened in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve sinned and got kicked out of the Garden. Milton wrote this book at a time during the English Revolution when he was in great despair. The opening lines of the 10,000-line poem begins:
Of man’s first disobedience and the fruit
Of that forbidden tree whose mortal taste
Brought death into our world…
Just yesterday, July 28, 2025, I heard Sen. John Kennedy speaking about a police shooting in New York. He made the statement that when he got to heaven, the first thing he would ask God is, "why is there so much evil in the world". Indeed, that is a question that has been posed for millenniums. This is the question that John Milton was trying to understand as he grappled with the fall of mankind. The original fall from grace not only changed Adam and Eve’s relationship with their Creator, but it also changed ours. What was lost at creation is going to be regained and here in the throne room of heaven, we see this playing out.
20. What does 2 Cor. 4:4 say the god of this world does to people's minds?
21. Why does he do this?
There’s some good news that I want to share with you. Satan’s power is restricted, limited, and temporary. Satan knows this because he knows the Bible better than we do. He was there when all of it was written.
22. Read Rev. 5:5-10. Who spoke to John in these verses?
23. Who was the scroll taken from?
24. What is predicted in Gen. 49:8-11?
I always found it interesting that the 4th son of Jacob was the one out of the 12 sons who was lifted up and not the 1st born. It is even more interesting that God chose Judah to be the line through which our Savior came. We looked at that a little bit in last week's lesson. If you recall, Judah went outside the camp and married a foreign woman against the will of his parents, and through a twist of fate, he ended up impregnating his daughter in law and she had twins. This daughter in law of Judah’s whose name was Tamar is only 1 of 4 women who are mentioned in Matthew’s gospel in the lineage of Jesus.
25. What is predicted in Isaiah 11:1?
So, not only do we discover that the one who took the scroll from the one on the throne has the right to this scroll, He also has the authority to open all 7 seals.
26. In vs. 5-6, we are introduced to Jesus in another way. How is that?
27. Think about any slain animal. What would you see?
Up until this point, we know that John is in the throne room of heaven. We know that there is One sitting upon the throne. John doesn’t describe His face and that may be because of the brightness of the emerald rainbow and the sardius and jasper stones. Then, out of the midst of all of this majesty steps Jesus! The elder instructs John to hush up! Have you ever told your children to hush up?!!! I sure have. The angel hushed John’s crying because the One who took the scroll had something very important to say. As Jesus stepped forward, He was confirming that the instructions on the outside of the scroll had been met. I can imagine that John breathed a huge sigh of relief.
Whoever took that scroll had to meet 3 requirements:
He had to be related (a male kinsman), and he couldn’t be in slavery himself.
He had to be willing to redeem whatever or whoever the scroll spoke about.
He had to be able to afford the cost of the redemption.
28. Is Jesus related to us? How do you know?
29. Was Jesus willing to do what needed to be done in order to buy our redemption? How do you know?
30. Could He afford the price? How do you know?
The rules outlined in Leviticus were that the ultimate Redeemer had to be perfect and sinless. If you trace back to the beginning of time and start evaluating every candidate for this role, there is only 1 person who could ever meet those requirements. Nobody prior to Jesus could do anything about the redemption of mankind. All human beings from Adam and Eve on have been slaves to sin. Only Jesus is our perfect Redeemer.
31. There was some evidence of the crucifixion that He bore. What was it?
I want you to think about the gravity of this situation. ALL OF CREATION, Past, Present, and Future DEPENDS ON THIS ONE ACT OF REDEMPTION!!!! If Jesus, the rightful owner of the scroll had not taken this scroll and opened it, then the redemption of the earth would not happen. All would be lost. This is the greatest individual act in all of history! So yes, this is a huge deal! Our Kinsman Redeemer takes this scroll! Hallelujah! All is not lost! The paradise that was lost will be regained! All is redeemed! My precious friend, Bertie, gave me a gift card for my birthday and I purchased the picture below. The chair that I sit in (We are all like Archie Bunker here! We all have our own chair, and we don’t want anyone else to sit in it.) is positioned so that I can see this picture. As I have been writing this lesson, I couldn’t help but think about this beautiful picture. I’m sure you can understand why this picture reminds me of Rev. 5.
32. Other than being slain, there are some additional characteristics of this Lamb. What were they?
The word Lamb is used 28 times in the book of Revelation and Lion is only used once. Daniel 7:13-14 allows the reader to see a very similar scene.
33. What is consistent with these 2 verses and Rev. 5:5-7?
Horns in Scripture generally symbolize strength, power, and authority, both here on earth and in heaven. Animals who have horns use those horns for defensive reasons, but they also use them for offensive reasons when they attack another animal. These 7 horns mentioned in v. 6 are representative of Jesus’s power to conquer evil.
34. What do you learn from Psalm 18:2 about horns?
In the Old Testament, the altar that was outside of the Holy Place had 4 horns, one at each corner. This was the place where animals were sacrificed. Their blood was applied to the 4 horns of the altar. In this regard, the horns symbolized the transfer and cleansing of sin.
The horns of the altar could also be used for someone who was seeking asylum. When an individual grasped the horns, they were recognized as appealing for mercy and protection from judgement.
35. What happened in 1 Kings 1:50-53 and 1 Kings 2:28-35?
The outcome for one of these guys was good, while the outcome for the other was fatal. Horns could also be seen as a representation of prophetic judgement.
36. How did God demonstrate His judgement of Israel in Amos 3:14?
God’s presence, His mercy, His salvation and His judgement could all be seen in Scripture through the metaphor of horns. So, when we read in Rev. 5:6 that this Lamb in heaven had 7 horns, it evokes all of these things we’ve just looked at.
In Rev. 1, 3, and 4 we looked at the “7 Spirits of God” and how that was most likely a reference to the Holy Spirit. The 7 eyes on this Lamb in v. 5 are the 7 spirits of God. The Holy Spirit has a multifaceted nature, and this is likely what is alluded to here in v. 5.
37. What were the 4 living creatures and the 24 elders holding in Rev. 5:8?
I love that worship in heaven is accompanied by music! If ever you’ve wondered if God hears your prayers, He not only hears them, but He keeps them! They are a treasure to Him. If there is any area of my Christian life that I’m deficient in, it is my prayer life. This is something that we all need to be mindful of and work on because this is how we commune with God.
I am so fortunate to still have my parents still alive and living just around the corner from me. Every day I talk to them, sometimes multiple times a day. My dad always asks the same question, “Ya comin over?”. For them, time with me and my brother is their most cherished gift. They literally live to see us and talk to us. God is no different. He treasures the moments we choose to spend with Him. When we spend time with Him and cry out to Him, our prayers are like a sweet fragrance. That’s why our prayers are described as incense.
38. Read 2 Cor. 2:15. How are believers described here?
In Gen. 8:20, after the flood, Noah built an altar to God and offered a burnt sacrifice to Him.
39. How did God receive that offering in Gen. 8:21?
God didn’t always receive every offering made to Him because some offerings were not true offerings.
40. Why do you think that Noah’s offering was a true sacrifice?
Noah knew he was a sinner. Otherwise, he would never have built an altar and offered a sacrifice.
41. When you go to God in prayer, what do you know about yourself?
42. In the space below, record the words of Heb. 13:15.
43. What do you think a sacrifice of praise is?
I always thought this was a strange way of describing praise, till I truly understood what was meant here. Have you ever been in a season of suffering where you were almost mentally, emotionally, and spiritually paralyzed? I sure have. Those early days of Gabe’s cancer often found me in a near catatonic state, just going through the motions of living. My mind and my body sometimes felt as if they were completely out of control. I remember my body jerking so badly one night in bed that I couldn’t even keep the covers on my body. Trauma and suffering do that to us. Therefore, whenever we suffer and take our focus off of ourselves and put it on God, we are offering a sacrifice of praise. It literally is death to our own pain.
44. What does Phil. 1:29 say has been granted to us?
Suffering for Christ’s sake is a high form of worship. Suffering is an occupational hazard of being human, whether it is for the sake of Christ or just suffering in general. But when we, through the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit within us, are able to praise God in the darkest hours of our lives, we are offering a sacrifice that God can actually smell, and the smell of our sacrifice is lovely.
In the Old Testament, the priests had to continually burn aromatic incense on the golden altar just inside the Holy of Holies. The incense was made from 5 exotic spices. It wasn’t necessarily the incense that God loved so much, but what they represented. They represented the prayers of the people for guilt and repentance. That was the pleasing aroma to God. And now, in Rev. 5, we learn that every single one of these prayers have been kept as the scent of His children.
As a chaplain, I’ve been by the bedside of many saints when they’ve crossed over from life to death. Every now and then, one of them will say, “I smell something sweet. Is someone baking cookies or something?”. Initially, I thought that was strange, but older folks have told me that is the sweet smell of the Savior drawing near to the one who crosses over. The fragrance of His sacrifice has to be something unlike any other.
Sweet friends, do your prayers have a fragrance? Are they filled with your pain, your reliance on God, and ultimately, your focus and praise of the only One who is worthy to be praised? He holds your prayers as a continual reminder of you.
45. What kind of song was sung in Rev. 5:9-10?
Let me just tell you, if you’re a believer, you’d better get accustomed to worship, because there’s gonna be a lot of it in heaven!
46. What does Rev. 5:10 tell us about our redemption?
In the Old Testament, an individual could not be in the priestly line of Levi and also in the royal line of Judah. That could not happen. But here, in Rev. 5:10, we discover that we, the redeemed, are going to be part of the kingdom as well as priests. In other words, we will be royal as well as priestly. This is the result of our redemption! Being a priest means that we have direct access to God. Being a royal means that we’re in the family of the King.
47. According to 1 Pet. 2:9, what is our responsibility as royal priests?
We are the Church! The Church did not happen by accident. This was God’s plan of redemption from the beginning of time.
Angels are everywhere in the book of Revelation. In 5:11-14, we find them surrounding the throne of God.
48. Why are the angels praising God?
Angels have had a front row seat at creation and throughout history. They know about the sin of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. They know about the fall of Satan. They know the struggles of mankind. They know about the death of Christ on the cross. They don’t take redemption for granted. And in the throne room of God, they are praising Him for the redemption of mankind because they truly know what this means.
49. Do you ever take your redemption for granted?
50. Read Col. 1:13-14. What kind of transfer is on our redemption scroll?
Is it any wonder that a new song was sung in heaven? People who were dead in sin have been set free! The earth has been redeemed! It is a new day and it calls for a new song! All praise to our Redeemer for He alone is worthy!
© Cindy D. Ketron. All Rights Reserved
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