Day 19
“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
Who is worthy?
The book of revelation is possibly one of the most challenging and most debated books in the whole of scripture. It also happens to be one of my favorite. My understanding of the book has shifted and grown over the years as my perspective grew from what I had been told that it meant, to the point where I began to read it in broken parts and trying to make sense of the interpretations I had been given, to a more sober minded and wholistic approach, reading it as one letter with a coherent message and intended to be heard, read and understood.
To me, Revelation, is another glimpse into the unimaginable complexity and yet, utter simplicity that is the nature of our God. He is so far beyond our understanding that we can’t begin to produce an accurate description that would not fall laughably short of our subject. On the other hand, He chooses to reveal all that we need to know about Him in order to not only come to salvation but to call this ultimate Being, this Alpha and Omega, “friend.”
But, when we look at the current state of His creation, it is evident that something is just not right.
We see rampant and unrepentant sin celebrated and propagated in every corner of society. We see the wicked appearing to prosper and the righteous left in want. We see truth being silenced and ridiculed while lies and deception not only being spread but readily accepted like dogs waiting for scraps and shards to fall from the table. We are told that disagreeing words are violence while babies being butchered both in the womb in the western world and outside of the womb in the Middle East, is hailed as reproductive rights and warranted casualties of battle. The earth is stained in blood and it’s as if you can feel the rocks preparing to break out in their own cries for justice. The heart cry of so many believers around the world is beginning to ring out in unison, “Maratha! Come, Lord Jesus!”
But, the only One who can right what is wronged, the only One who can make the crooked line straight and bring justice to the world is the same One who judges us. We each view the world through the individual lenses of our own experiences and all of the wrong out there. We sit in the judgement seat and see the fault all around us, AND THERE IS SO MUCH OF IT, but we cannot be the ones to make it right. Who is worthy? Our spirits cry out for a judgement that our flesh will not be able to stand under. Even the unbelieving world is crying out for justice, but not realizing or flat out ignoring their own acts of complicity and outright rebellion. Who is worthy?
There is One. One who is worthy to open the scroll. One who makes it possible for us to come underneath His covering so as not to be subject to the wrath that we have earned. John, the revelator, saw this One; the Lion or Judah. The Lamb, standing as though it had been slain. Just as it was told to John, when your heart is made low by the troubles and trials of this world, when you weep for the sin-blinded world that your children will have to grow up in: “Weep no more.”
He is coming.