Day 20
“Then I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals. And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and 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 began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.” And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne. And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.””
Revelation 5:1-10 ESV
He is worthy…because He was slain.
Victory in seeming defeat. A death which shook the kingdom of darkness from its very foundations and ushered in a new covenant between the kingdom of heaven and the people of earth.
The ministry of Jesus while He walked on the earth was far more monumental than even the most profound of theologians could comprehend. We throw around terms like, “Jesus died for my sins,” or “He died so we could go to heaven” and have no clue how much weight those statements carry. We have no idea what it meant for the supernatural to step into the natural, for the Divine to take on mortal flesh, for He who knew no sin to become sin so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. We. Don’t. Get. It.
But even beyond all of that, there is still the matter of dominion. There are some strange passages in the Bible. Weird verses talking about principalities, powers and world rulers in this present darkness. Verses about territorial gods (little “g”) who wield supernatural influence, control and authority which manipulates events in the natural world. These are the fallen host, disgraced princes of heaven who have forsaken their rightful positions in order to wage an unseen war against the Most High. When Jesus came, He had business with them, too.
This all may sound like some pagan mythology or pseudo-Christian mumbo jumbo, but if that were so, how are we to interpret the offer the devil made to Jesus in the wilderness?
“Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’””
Matthew 4:8-10 ESV
https://bible.com/bible/59/mat.4.8-10.ESV
Notice, Jesus did not laugh and say, “Those aren’t yours to give!” There is nothing in the passage to indicate that this deal was outside of the devil’s ability to make. All the nations would be His and He wouldn’t have to die. But, the Creator cannot bow down before the created. The Almighty is infinitely humble but never humiliated. The devil could offer this to Jesus in vain foolishness, but Jesus knew how the story would end. There is a kind of death that the demonic horde fear, the kind that brings their judgement upon them and casts them into the abyss.
“Jesus then asked him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion,” for many demons had entered him. And they begged him not to command them to depart into the abyss.”
Luke 8:30-31 ESV
These rebellious spirits dread the future judgement waiting for them. The devil looked for every opportunity to steal the right to judge away from the Son of Man, and when he failed to sully Him, he entered Judas and had the Jewish leaders crucify Him. But, it was exactly this death that became the undoing of all of the schemes of Satan.
He is worthy…because He was slain.