Read Chapter 5: 1-6

Verse 1: "I saw that in the right hand of the One sitting on the throne there was a scroll that was written on back and front and was sealed with seven seals."

John had been focused on the 24 elders as they prostrated themselves before the throne of God and responded to the hymn of the 4 Living Creatures with antiphonal (responsive) praise themselves. Now his attention is directed to the One who sits on the throne and he sees that He holds in his right hand (the hand of authority) a scroll. The word in Greek is biblion, which can mean either a rolled scroll or a codex (the precursor to the modern bound book).

Question: What two statements does John make about the condition of the biblion? Answer: The biblion is sealed with 7 seals and it is written on back and front.

The codex (book form) was new in the 1^st century AD. As a mater of fact, it would be the Church who would popularize that form over the scroll. But since the biblion is sealed with 7 seals leads me to believe it is a scroll and not a codex; although it would be extremely unusual for a scroll to be written on both sides. The members of the 7 Churches of Asia would have been very familiar with a document sealed with 7 seals. It was the practice in the ancient world of the first century to prepare one's last will and testament in the presence of 7 witnesses who would each affix their seal to the document. The usual practice for pagans was to place the document in the hands of the priests or priestesses of pagan temples (when Julius Caesar made his testament he gave it to the Vestal Virgins to keep in their temple in Rome). When a testator died the testament was brought out and when possible, unsealed in the presence of the seven witnesses who sealed it where it was read aloud, and executed by the deposition of the contents named in the testament to the testator's heirs. The scroll with the 7 seals that God holds is the symbol of the promise of a future kingdom. It was documented long ago and it was sealed but it had not yet been carried out.

The scroll/book was also written on the back and on the front. Question: Can you think of any occasions in the Old Testament when a scroll/book or other object was written on both the back and the front? Hint: read the Scripture passage in the beginning of this lesson.

Answer: (1) Ezekiel 2:3-10 when God have His holy prophet/prosecuting attorney the Covenant Lawsuit against Israel (Judah) the Old Covenant Church 7 years before God's judgment fell on Judah and Jerusalem with the destruction of the Temple in 586BC by the Babylonian army. (2) The 10 Commandments; see Exodus 32:15-16 "Moses turned and came down the mountain with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands, tablets inscribed on both sides, inscribed on the front and on the back. The tablets were the work of God, and the writing on them was God's writing, engraved on the tablets."

The key to understanding the scroll John sees in God's right hand is contained in these two Old Testament passages. The Ezekiel passage recalling God's Covenant Lawsuit against an unrepentant Israel and the Exodus passage when God established His Covenant with Israel. But what about the importance of the two tablets of the 10 Commandments being inscribed on both sides? Could it be that they were duplicate copies? We have already mentioned that the covenant treaty format of ancient Near Eastern nations is evident in the establishment of the Sinai Covenant. When a victorious king would form a treaty/covenant with a vassal (and all those under the vassal's authority), two copies of the covenant were drawn up (as in modern contracts). Each party would place his copy of the covenant in the house of his god, as a legal document testifying to the agreements and stipulations. In the case of Israel, of course, Yahweh was both the great king and God, so both copies of the Covenant with Israel were placed in the Tabernacle...that is why it was called the Ark of the Covenant! See Ex. 25:16, 21; 40:20; Deut. 10:2; Heb. 9:4.

The purpose of Israel's copy of the Covenant was as a documentary witness (Deut. 31:26). Question: How would the written tables serve to remind Israel of the stipulations of the covenant? Answer: It was to remind Israel of her oath to Yahweh and her obligations, which if executed faithfully, would result in blessings (Deut. 28:1-14) but if violated would bring covenant curses (Deut. 28:15-69). God commanded that the covenant stipulations were to be publicly proclaimed to teach the fear of the Lord to all Israel, especially to the children (Deut. 31:13; Ps 78:5ff). Question: What purpose did God's copy of the covenant serve? Hint: read Genesis 9:13-16. Answer: Yahweh's duplicate tablet of the covenant served the same purpose as that of the rainbow in His covenant with Noah in Genesis 9:13-16. The tablet was the link to the oath God took to remember His people and to faithfully keep the blessings He had promised them for their obedience and the discipline (curses) if they were unfaithful to bring them back to repentance.

In understanding the immense significance of this passage, it is important to remember that from the beginning of this prophecy much of the specific information in Revelation has indicated that the idea of covenant is central to its message. Jesus declared this prophecy as part of the Canon; to be read in the liturgy of the churches. Jesus has organized this book in terms of the established covenant structure; the entire book is arranged in the 5 part covenant treaty format and each of the 7 letters to the Churches are arranged in the same format. And now we come to this vision of a testament/treaty document, written on front and back in the hand of the One who sits on the Throne. The book is the Testament of the resurrected and ascended Jesus Christ: the New Covenant and we, as His heirs receive His inheritance. But the establishment of the New Covenant requires the passing away of the Old Covenant...after all, there can only be One Church. Ezekiel's scroll is judgment on Old Covenant Israel; the 10 Commandments were the establishment of the Old Covenant Church/Israel. Jesus' testament, sealed with 7 seals, is a judgment on Old Covenant Israel as well as the establishment of the New Covenant Israel, the Holy Catholic (catholic means universal) Church. (As each of the seals are opened we will see the curses of the Covenant against Israel unfold).

Verse s 2-5: "Then I saw a powerful angel who called with a loud voice, 'Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?' But there was no one, in heaven or on the earth or under the earth, who was able to open the scroll and read it. I wept bitterly because nobody could be found to open the scroll and read it, but one of the elders said to me, 'Do not weep. Look, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed, and so He will open the scroll and its seven seals.'"

John begins to cry because no one in all creation is able, or as St. John explains, worthy, to open the book/ scroll of the New Covenant that he been offered by the One sitting on the Throne. Without someone who was worthy to act on behalf of both God and man the New Covenant cannot be ratified (for more on the ratification of a covenant see Exodus 24. Moses was the one who acted on behalf of both Israel and God in the ratification of the Old Covenant Church). One of the elders steps forward to comfort John. He tells John (literal translation) "Stop crying; behold, He has conquered!" Question: What significance is it that this message of comfort comes from an elder and not from the angel (heavenly messenger)? Answer: The Church preaches the Gospel ("goodnews") to St. John! It appears that the elder is so excited about his message that he blurts out the climax before he even explains who it is who has conquered.

Question: In what two ways does the elder describe the One who has conquered? Answer: as "Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David.." Question: What Old Testament passage is being referenced with the title "Lion of Judah?" Answer: Genesis 49:9-10. The elders statement is the fulfillment of Jacob/Israel's ancient prophecy to his 4^th son Judah. It was the shepherd boy who became king, David, God's beloved (in Hebrew David's name means "beloved"), to whom God revealed both the plan of the Temple (1Chron. 28:11-19) and the plan of the everlasting covenant by which the Messiah-Priest/King would bring the blessing of Abraham to all nations (2Sam.7:18-29, 23:22-5; 1Chron. 17:16-27; Psalms 16; 110; Acts 2:25-36). David was the conquering Lion of Judah of the Old Covenant but David's greater Son came and conquered sin and death to establish everlasting dominion and open the New Covenant in His blood.

Question: The elder also describes Christ as "the Root of David." What a strange statement! If Jesus is descended from David through Mary, why wouldn't David be called the root, or beginning, of Jesus? In Isaiah 11:1 the Messiah is prophesied as "a shoot from the stem of Jesse" (David's father), and both Jeremiah and Zechariah refer to the Messiah's descent from Jesse and David by calling Him the "Branch" (Jer. 23:5; Zech.3:8). What is the significance of Jesus being "the Root of David?" Read Colossians 1:15-17 to help you with your answer. Answer: The root of David's very existence was the Son of David, Jesus Christ. God the Son is united with the Godhead from eternity. It was through Him that all creation was made: Col. 1:16-17 "In Him everything in heaven and on earth was created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominations, principalities or powers; all were created through Him and for Him. He is before all else that is. In Him everything continues in being."(New American Translation). God desired to glorify Himself in Jesus Christ and to offer salvation to all of mankind, therefore, He created Jesse and David, and all the other ancestors of Jesus' human nature in order to bring the Second Person of the Trinity, the Divine and Eternal Son, into the world. In this statement the elder is presenting Jesus Christ in the most radical way possible as the center of all history, the divine Root as well as the Branch, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last. It is as the conquering Lion and the determining Root that He has conquered so as to open the Book and it 7 seals!

Verse 6 "Then I saw, in the middle of the throne with its four living creatures and the circle of elders, a Lamb standing that seemed to have been sacrificed; it had seven horns, and it had seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits that God has sent out over the whole world,.."

Notice that repeated pattern from chapter 1 where first John "hears" and then he "sees." Question: John "heard" the angel call out in a loud and what does he "see?" Answer: the Lamb/Christ. This isn't any meek and humble lamb; this Lamb is the mighty King of Kings, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. This passage is not a reference to Jesus in His Nature but Christ as He works out our salvation. Question: What is curious about the way John describes the Lamb? Hint: think about how an animal that has been sacrificed would be situated. Answer: a sacrificed animal would be lying down, unable to stand. Question: So why is this Lamb standing?

Answer: The central work of history is the finished, sacrificial work of Christ who died once and for all time for our sins. CCC#1137 (quoting St. John Chrysostom's Liturgy on Rev. 5:5: "...Christ crucified and risen, the one high priest of the true sanctuary, the same one 'who offers and is offered, who gives and is given.'": Heb. 7:27 "..He has no need to offer sacrifices every day, as the high priests do, first for their own sins and only then for those of the people; this He did once and for all by offering himself." Although He suffered and died once and for all time, the sacrifice is ongoing. Christ continually offers Himself before the throne of God in sacrifice (as the "standing Lamb") until such a time when sin no longer exists. His sacrifice is ongoing because sin and salvation are ongoing. Also see CCC#1330, 613-14,1364-68, 2009,2100.

John presents this doctrine of the sacrifice of Christ in a uniquely Jewish way. He uses two Greek words for the English translation "the Lamb standing." He uses the Greek word hestekos which means 'standing' but he uses the Greek word arnion for lamb, an unusual choice. Arnion is the archaic form of the word lamb. This term for lamb is only used in the book of Revelation and John will use this form 30 times. The common form of the word that would be used in the first century is amnos. In fact, John uses the Greek amnos for lamb in his gospel; for example in the passage 1:29 when John the Baptist calls Jesus the Lamb of God: "Look, there is the lamb (amnos) of God that takes away the sin of the world." When John the Baptist made this statement, the crowd of Jews present would have been shocked. The mention of a lamb who takes away sins would immediately make them think of the daily Temple sacrifices of the lambs prescribed since the Sinai Covenant. This sacrifice was called the Tamid (tamiyd –pro. Tah-meed)) sacrifice and the lambs that were sacrificed were called The Lamb of the Tamid (Tamiyd). The word tamid in Hebrew means "standing as in continuous or perpetually. Now it is true that the Greek word hestekos only means 'standing' in the usual sense and not standing in the sense of perpetual or continual but it is not always possible to translate into another language a concept peculiar to a certain culture. The same problem existed in the attempt to convey the meaning of the Hebrew word "messiah" into the Greek. In Hebrew Messiah means the 'anointed one of God' or 'God's anointed,' an entirely foreign concept to the Greeks. The best the New Testament inspired writers could do was to use the Greek word 'christos' which means, "smeared." That word hardly conveys the Hebrew concept of the Messiah as a title for Jesus but generations of Christians came to understand that Christos, Christ in English, really meant Jesus, the Anointed of God! I think in using the archaic form of the word lamb and the Greek word for standing that John is once again using poor Greek to make good theology and to connect the ongoing sacrifice of Christ with the sacrifice of the Tamid (Heb. Tamiyd) which was a foreshadow and promise of Christ's redemptive work. Please read about God's requirements for this continual, 'standing', sacrifice in Exodus 29:38-42 (also in Numbers 28:3-8, and Lev. 6:2-6).

Ex. 29:38-42 "This is what you must offer on the altar: 2 yearling male lambs each day in perpetuity (Heb.=tamid or tamiyd). The first lamb you must offer at dawn, and the second at twilight (between the twilights), and with the first lamb, one-tenth of a measure of fine flour mixed with one-quarter of a hin of pounded olive oil and, for a libation, one-quarter of a hin of wine. The second lamb you will offer at twilight (between the twilights), and do it with a similar cereal offering and libation as at dawn, as a pleasing smell, and an offering burnt for Yahweh, a perpetual burnt offering for all your generations to come.." The Israelites understood that this sacrifice had to last as long as the earth existed. A key to understanding the times of the sacrifice is the proper translation of the Hebrew words bayin ha ereb. Bayin = between, ha =the, ereb = twilight. Between the twilights has to be 12 Noon. According to the Jewish historian Josephus (Antiquities 14.65) and the Jewish historian Philo of Alexandria (Special Laws I #169) as well as information in the Talmud and supporting information in Acts of Apostles (ie. 2:15; 3:1;10:3, 9, 30; etc ) the hours of prayers in the Temple corresponded to the daily Tamiyd sacrifice for the people; this is the time frame of those sacrifices. (1) At dawn (the first hour) the first male lamb, in his prime and perfection, is brought out and tied to the altar in the Temple. For approximately 3 hours he is there for all to see him in his perfection. (2)At the 9AM (the 3^rd hour) he is sacrificed. (3)At noon (the 6^th hour) the second lamb, a male in his prime and perfection is tired to the altar. (4) At 3PM (the 9^th hour) he is sacrificed. (It is important to remember that between dust and total dark the next day began so the sacrifice had to be completely burned on the altar before that time).

The Jewish day began at sunset and was divided, from sunset to sunset, in 8 equal parts:

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The Romans, however, marked the beginning of the next day 12 hours from high noon which was at 12 midnight. They divided the time into 24 hours with two major divisions at high noon and midnight. The hour from midnight to the next hour was called the first hour. Sunrise was generally at the 6^th hour, or what we call 6AM and at 12 noon the hour count began again. As a matter of fact, we keep Roman time as did the majority of the Roman world in the first century. In the Bible the times we are given are usually Hebrew time but in several places the times are Roman time. In Acts 23:23 the Roman commander orders that Paul be smuggled out of Jerusalem at the ninth hour in the evening (9PM). I also believe that in John's gospel that he is using Roman time. His gospel was written while he was living in Asia where everywhere the Christian churches used Roman time, not Hebrew time. If John is using Roman time in John 19:14, there is no discrepancy between his gospel and the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke as to the time of the crucifixion. We will discuss this topic in depth next year when we study the Gospel of St. John.

Question: How does the Tamiyd sacrifice foreshadow the redemptive work of Christ in His passion and crucifixion? Hint: Please read these passages, record the times, and compare them to the hours of the Tamiyd: (1) Matt. 27:1; Mk15:1; Lk22:66-23:1 (2) Mk.15:25 (3) Matt 27:45; Mk 15:33; Lk 23:44 (4) Matt 27:45-450; Mk 15:34-39; Lk 23:44-46.

Answer: the Tamiyd anticipated the sacrifice of Christ for the sins of the world. From the time His passion begins to the giving up of His Spirit, the times correspond to the hours of the Tamiyd sacrifices. Question: Why were there 2 lambs required for the Tamiyd sacrifice? Answer: My guess is that 2 lambs symbolized the dual nature of Christ. He was completely human and completely divine. The Tamiyd sacrifice was an imperfect sacrifice because no animal could be perfect enough to take away sin. Christ, however, was the perfect Lamb of Sacrifice who takes away the sins of the world: Hebrews 9:22 In fact, according to the Law, practically every purification takes place by means of blood; and if there is no shedding of blood, there is no remission." Heb. 10:5 "Bulls' blood and goats' blood are incapable of taking away sins, .."

Heb. 10:11 "Every priest stands at his duties every day, offering over and over again the same sacrifices which are quite incapable of taking away sins, He (Christ) on the other hand, has offered one single sacrifice for sins.." Additional note: As I mentioned the required hours of prayer also corresponded to the Tamiyd sacrifice. Prayer 3 times a day was the minimum for a member of the Old Covenant Church: 9AM (when the Temple gates were opened for the morning sacrifice), 12 noon (when the second lamb was tied to the altar) and 3PM (the hour of the second sacrifice). A very religious person, however, would observe 5 times of prayer (privately or at the Temple): dawn, 9AM, 12noon, 3PM, and the end of the day at sundown. These hours of prayer are recorded in Acts. For example it is the 3^rd hour (9AM) when Peter encountered the large crowd of people (on their way to Temple prayers) at Pentecost (Acts2:15), and Peter was praying at 12noon when God gave him the vision of the sheet and the unclean beasts (Acts 10:9), and in Acts 3:1 Peter and John "..were going up to the Temple for prayer at the ninth (3PM) hour,.." the hour of the evening sacrifice. They were going not take part in the sacrifice and prayer service but to share the gospel of the risen Christ. Question: It has long been a tradition in the Catholic Church to pray the Angelus 3 times a daily: 6AM, Noon, and 6PM. Do you observe regular hours of pray in your daily encounter with Christ?

Verse 6 continues: "..it had seven horns, and it had seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits that God has sent out over the whole world,..." Question: What two unusual qualities does the "Standing Lamb" possess and what is the significance?

Answer: #1 Christ the Lamb has 7 horns. This is symbolic imagery. Seven is, of course, the symbol of spiritual perfection but the horns are also symbolic. In Sacred Scripture the horn is a symbol for strength and power: 1Sam 2:1 (literal translation) "My heart exults in Yahweh in my God is my horn lifted up,.."1Sam 2:10 (literal translation) "Yahweh judges the ends of the earth, He endows His king with power, He raises up the horn of His Anointed." ; 2Sam 22:3; 1Chron. 25:5; Job 16:15; Ps. 18:2; 75:4,5: 89:17, 24; 92:10; 112:9; 132:17; 148:14; Jer. 48:25, Lam. 2:3, 17; Ezek. 29:21; etc. and Luke 1:69 (literal) "..and He has raised up for us a horn of salvation in the House of His servant David,.." (Most modern translations will use the word strength in place of the literal word horn). Therefore, the 7 horns symbolize the Messiah's power. But there may also be a symbolic connection to the seven ram's horns used to announce the judgment of God on the enemies of God's Covenant people, Israel, and the victory and salvation that would come to them as they prepared for their first battle to take possession of the kingdom that God had promised them. Question: Do you recall this historic event in which 7 Ram's horns (shofar) played such a prominent role in the conquest of the Promised Land? Hint: read Joshua 6:2-5. Answer: The Battle for Jericho. Now Jesus, the Lamb of God to whom all other Old Testament sacrifices pointed, provides for the New Covenant Israel the strength and victory to wage their war to claim dominion over the whole earth by establishing the Universal (catholic) kingdom of Christ the King. Read Matthew 28:18-20.

Answer: #2 In addition to the 7 horns the Lamb has 7 eyes. All seeing eyes in Scripture are symbols of knowledge. We have symbols of the fullness and perfection (the #7) of the Messiah's power (horns) and His knowledge (eyes). We are told that the 7 eyes are the 7 Spirits of God sent out into all the earth. God the Holy Spirit in His fullness of knowledge (symbolized by the eyes). But this passage may also refer to the first mention of God the Holy Spirit in Scripture. In Genesis chapter 1 verse 1&2 "In the beginning God created heaven and earth. Now the earth was a formless void, there was darkness over the deep, with a divine wind sweeping over the waters." The "divine wind" in Hebrew is the ruah = God the Holy Spirit who is sent out over all the earth during creation. As creation continues God the Holy Spirit enacted 7 acts of "seeing" = the 7 fold Spirit's eyes. Question: Read Genesis 1:1-31. As each day of creation was completed what two words are repeated 7 times? Answer: "God saw.." 1:4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25, 31. God was not only creating, He was also judging the earth ("God saw that it was good..") until the final judgment was made in the beginning of the 7^th day. In the same way, the Lamb is presented as the center of history, the conquering Lamb who opens the New Covenant and who serves both as Covenant creator and judge as He takes the Book out of the right hand of God the Father. It is the new beginning of God's Covenant people!

Have a blessed Christmas and we will continue with our study in 2 weeks.

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