In this episode, we continue our study of Revelation with special focus on chapter 5, where powerful imagery unfolds. Discover the significance of the Lion of Judah and the Root of David as David Hawking draws parallels between the book of Revelation and Old Testament prophecies. This exploration reinforces our faith, highlighting the sovereignty and ultimate authority of Jesus as the Messiah, who alone can open the book of sealed judgments.
00:00:00 Introduction to Revelation and the Scroll
Folks, we’re getting very close to this moment when Jesus is going to not be seated anymore. He’s going to stand up. He’s going to walk over. He’s going to take the scroll. Give me that. The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ. Goodbye, devil. Jesus has taken over.
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Thank you.
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This is Hope for Today with David Hawking. And today in our ongoing series through the book of Revelation, we’re moving deeper into our study of chapter 5 with David’s message, Worthy is the Lamb. Now, imagine this. God sits on his throne holding a scroll, sealed shut, and no one in heaven on earth or under the earth is found worthy to open it. John begins to weep. until an elder says, stop crying. The lion of the tribe of Judah has prevailed. But when John looks, he sees a lamb. This is a moment that shifts all of heaven, and you’re about to see why. Open your Bible to Revelation 5, 1 through 7, and our study there continues in just a moment. First, though, if you’re hungry for truth and tired of spiritual fluff, get your free copy of Food for Faith by Hope for Today friend Richard A. Bennett. This is a no-nonsense guide to building a solid foundation in God’s Word. Well, and it’s yours to download right now from the homepage of davidhawking.org. That’s Food for Faith, a free book download on the homepage of davidhawking.org. Hit the homepage, scroll down a bit, and you can get it. Well, and here’s David to continue our study, Worthy is the Lamb.
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Chapter 5, I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within, and on the backside sealed with seven seals, and I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book and to loose its seals? And no man in heaven nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look on it. And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the scroll of the book, neither to look on it. And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not. Behold, the lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, hath prevailed to open the book and to loose its seven seals. And I beheld, and lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, or the living creatures, the cherubim, and in the midst of the elders… 24 of them stood a lamb as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne. And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and 20 elders fell down before the lamb, having every one of them harps and golden vials or bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of saints. And they sang a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book and to open its seals, for thou wast slain and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred and tongue and people and nation, and hast made us unto our God kings and priests, and we shall reign on the earth. And I beheld and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts of the living creatures and the elders. And the number of them was 10,000 times 10,000 and thousands of thousands saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing. and every creature that is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth, and such as are in the sea and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing and honor and glory and power be unto him that sitteth upon the throne and unto the Lamb forever and ever. And the four beasts or living creatures said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth forever and ever. And all God’s people said, Amen. We looked at the problem of the scroll. It’s stated in verse 2, by a strong angel who is worthy. And the answer is, no man, verse 3, in heaven or in earth, neither under the earth was able to open the scroll, neither to look on it. Turn to Isaiah 59. The problem here is there’s no one found in heaven and earth or under the earth. No one is able to open this scroll, neither to look at it. What a tragedy until you know who’s going to do it. Isaiah chapter 59. And look at verse 16. And he saw that there was no man… and wondered that there was no intercessor. Therefore his arm brought salvation unto him, and his righteousness sustained him. Verse 20, And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto those who turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the Lord. As for me, this is my covenant with him, saith the Lord. My spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed’s seed, saith the Lord from henceforth forth. and forever. Messianic passages. He saw there was no man. until the Redeemer comes to Zion. Same language is in Revelation chapter 5. Turn over to chapter 63 of Isaiah and look at verse 3. Here is a picture of the Messiah when he comes back at the end of the tribulation period. He will come to Basra, which is out in Jordan, where all the nations of the world will be gathered against Jerusalem to wipe it off the face of the earth. Then he will come after defeating them all and staining his robe with blood. He will come with… a victory ascent up to the Mount of Olives, and his stained robe will remind us that he has trampled out the vengeance of God and the winepress of God’s wrath, and the blood will stain his garments, and he’ll march up, and his feet will stand, says Zechariah on the Mount of Olives, as ancient monarchs did to declare their victory over Jerusalem, and he will be crowned King of Kings and Lord of Lords and set up his kingdom. Now, here in Isaiah 63, verse 3, I have trodden the winepress alone, and of the peoples there was none with me. Same language of Revelation 5. There was no one there to help. I will tread them in mine anger and trample them in my fury, and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my remnant, for the day of vengeance is in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed redemption is come. who is worthy to redeem, to take this scroll. And I looked, and there was none to help. You see, John is getting his words right from Isaiah’s prophecy. There was no one to help. The Messiah did it all of his own. No one is worthy to open the book. No one can take over. No one can inflict the judgments. My dear friends, that’s why we call the tribulation the day of the Lord. It is not the day of a lot of people helping the Lord. It is the day of the Lord himself. And he said, I looked, there was none to help, verse 5, and I wondered that there was none to uphold. Therefore, mine own arm brought salvation unto me, and my fury, it upheld me. Wonderful passage. We’ll talk more about it later when we come to tribulation times. One of the interesting things is John the Apostle had a broken heart as he watched, and no one in heaven or earth, no one could open the book. The Bible says he wept much. There are lots of words for weeping and tears in the Bible. This is a strong one. For instance, in Luke 19.41, when Jesus looked over Jerusalem, he wept over that city. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, how often I would have gathered thee as a hindeth gather her young. This word is a word that we would say he lost control. Can’t control his emotions anymore. Tears are just pouring out. He’s just heartbroken. Our Lord was heartbroken over a city and a nation that had not come to him and rejected him. As here this dramatic scene in heaven, everybody praising the Lord around the throne of God and shouting out his praises, thou art worthy, O Lord, you’ve created all things. And here’s this scroll and everybody’s waiting and waiting and no one can open it. God sets up the scene himself with great drama and intensity to remind us all that only Jesus can solve the problems of this world. And John goes through an experience of a broken heart that maybe we ought to just kind of enter into for a moment because a lot of us have been coming up with our own solutions. And what we need is Jesus. We need the Lord. No one can do what he alone can do. No one can do what the Lord can do. And we need to trust the Lord completely. Now let’s take a look at the person who can open the book. Amen. Amen. What a scene this is. Revelation 5. Open your Bibles. Verse 5. One of the elders saith unto me, Weep not. Stop crying your heart out, John. You’re not going to believe what we’re going to show you now. That was my translation, but it’s in the word behold. Take a look, John. And what does he see? The lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, hath prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals, and I beheld it low in the midst of the throne. That’s where Jesus ought to be, always, in the middle, in the midst. in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, that’s where he belongs, stood not a lion, but a lamb, as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. And he came and took the scroll out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne. Well, if you want an outline, here it is. It’s very simple. about the person who can open a book. One, he is the Lion of Judah. Two, he’s the Lion of David. And three, he’s the Lamb of God. A little easy way of remembering it. The Lion of Judah, the Lion of David, and the Lamb of God. Take your Bibles and turn to Genesis 49. The Lion of Judah, the tribe of Judah, sets forth. Let me tell you, the lion is a symbol of three things in the Bible. It’s a symbol of destruction and devastation. And the Lord uses this symbol of himself in Hosea 5.14. It’s also a symbol of strength. You can find that in Judges 14.18. And it’s a symbol of boldness in Proverbs 28.1. The righteous are bold like a lion. And the Bible speaks about the Lord like a lion who’s laying in the bull rushes as it were, roaring, and you better watch out because there’s a day coming when he’s going to take action. Right now he seems like he’s just kind of laying low right now. And that’s a beautiful description of this whole thing. God, where are you? He’s like a lion. He’s just laying low right now, but he knows the perfect timing. And this lion will just go and attack. And God speaks of himself like that in the day of the tribulation, and he’s going to just devour. When that old lion’s ready to go, boy, watch out, clear out. Here he comes. And what do we see in heaven? Who’s worthy to take the seven? The lion of the tribe of Judah. A little different picture of Jesus Christ than perhaps you’re familiar with. The lion. Genesis 49, please, 8 to 10. It says, Judah, the fourth son of Jacob, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise. Judah means praise. Thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise. Thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies. Thy father’s children that bow down before thee. Judah is a lion’s whelp. From the prey, my son, thou art gone up. He stooped down, he crouched as a lion, and as an old lion. Here’s the question. Who shall rouse him up? The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet. Until Shiloh come. Shiloh might be a proper name, but it’s also in Hebrew just a simple statement. He whose it is. It’s talking about the scepter. The one to whom the scepter belongs will come. And unto him shall the gathering of the people be. What an interesting prophecy. The lion of the tribe of Judah will come, and he’s the one to whom the scepter belongs. The messianic line is through Judah, the fourth son of Leah through Jacob, not the first son Reuben, but Judah is the messianic line. How fascinating. King David was in the line of Judah. So was Solomon, and so was Joseph, and so was Mary, and so is Jesus. He is the lion of the tribe of Judah, and every Jew would know that he is the Messiah. That’s cleared up. Now, it also says in Revelation 5 that he is the root of David. Now, friends, here’s where a lot of people who are critical of the Bible take this and say this is an impossibility. How can he be a root? The root means the source. He’s not the root of David. He’s called a branch, like in Jeremiah 23, 5. He’s a branch of the house of David, or like Zechariah 3, 8. He’s not a root. He’s a branch. So how can you say he’s the root of David? Well, because he existed before he was born as a baby in Bethlehem. He has never had a time where he didn’t exist. He is the eternal son of God. He is indeed the root of David and also has become the branch of David. So that David… can say, that’s my son. But as Jesus remarkably argued in a great passage in Matthew, he said, well, how does David then call him Lord? Because he said in Psalm 110.1, the Lord, meaning the Father, said unto my Lord, sit at my right hand till I make thine enemies thy footstool. Well, how does David call his son Lord? You don’t ever call your son your Lord, but David did. You see, Jesus is not only the branch that comes out of David’s line, he is in fact the root of David. He’s behind it all to start with. Fabulous. Turn to 2 Samuel 7, verse 12. When thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thine own hand. body, or thy bowels, old King James, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name. I’ll establish the throne of his kingdom forever. So forth. In Isaiah chapter 9, Isaiah 9, 6 and 7, For unto us a child is born. Now, he’s going to be out of the loins. He is the fruit of the body of the line of David. Unto us a child is born. Unto us a son is given. Notice the change. It doesn’t say a son is born. It didn’t call him a child. It said a son. You have birth in the first phrase. You have adoption in the second. The Messiah must not only be born out of the line and loins of David, he must be an adopted son. There was a curse on the line of the kings through David’s son Solomon. Coming down to Jeconiah, this man was cursed. God said that the Messiah as a man-child will never be born of that line. There was a curse on that line. And this became a great theological problem among the rabbinical scholars in Israel. How in the world can God fulfill his promise that the Messiah be out of the loins of David when there’s a curse on the line? They were thinking of the kingly line. They do know 2 Samuel 7 promises that a son in the kingly line from Solomon will rule on the throne forever. So how will this be resolved? The answer was already in the book of Isaiah. A child is born and a son is given. Jesus, born of the Virgin Mary, is not under the curse. Later, when Joseph marries Mary, by the Jewish law of adoption, he adopts Jesus, and he becomes the legal heir to the throne of Solomon and solves the greatest theological problem in Israel. Did everybody follow that? It’s wonderful. That’s why in Matthew, that presents him as a king, you have the genealogy of Joseph. In Luke, who emphasizes the humanity, the son of man, you have the genealogy of Nathan, which goes down to Mary. Joseph in Matthew, Mary in Luke. And you have beautifully blended together all the answers you need to the Messiah. Unto us a child is born, line of David, Nathan, Mary. Unto us a son is given, adopted, Solomon, Joseph, Jesus. And the government… talking about the messianic control, shall be upon his shoulder. The shoulder in Jewish thinking is the place where you bear all the burdens. Jesus is going to bear the burdens of the whole world. He will run everything. He will need no cabinet. His name shall be called Wonderful, Incomprehensible, Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, Father of the Ages, the Prince of Peace, and of the increase of His government and peace be no end upon the throne of David and upon His kingdom to order it and to establish it with justice and righteousness from henceforth even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.” Chapter 11, verse 1 and 2. There shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. How interesting that Jesus would be called the root of David, though. And the Spirit of the Lord will rest upon him. We’re talking the Messiah. He is out of the stem of Jesse, a branch, who will grow out of his roots. Now go to Revelation 22, and we’re done. In Revelation 5, the only one worthy to open the scrolls, to open the book, It’s called the Lion of the tribe of Judah. He is called the Root of David. And in chapter 22, to make sure every last one of us clearly understands who it is, verse 16 says, I, Jesus, have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David. I created David, and I also came out of David, and I’m the bright and morning star. There is no doubt about it. Jesus proclaims himself to be the root of David, the root and offspring of David. That’s like saying the beginning and the end, the first and the last, alpha and omega. He’s the whole thing. He’s the whole thing. Our Lord Jesus Christ alone is worthy. Let’s bow our heads for prayer. Father, our hearts are lifted up when we think of our Savior. We’ve had our eyes on so many other things, perhaps today and this week and month and years, and oh Lord, how we need to see him in all of his glory, all of his beauty, majesty. We’re to set our minds on things above. We are to seek the things above where Christ is seated. Worthy is the lamb that was slain. The very fact of his being seated at your right hand proclaims that it’s finished, it’s done. The sacrifice is final. Nothing more needs to be done. We’re reminded that he is indeed King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Thank you, Lord, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
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That’s David Hawking, and this is Hope for Today. And just before David returns to close out today’s study, if you think the book of Zechariah is just a mix of strange visions and hard-to-pronounce names, Well, think again. Matt and I want to share a book by David that may just change the way you think about God’s plan for Israel, the coming kingdom, the final days leading to Messiah’s return. All topics in the book of Zechariah. Matt?
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Zechariah is an exciting prophetic roadmap that points clearly to the coming of our Lord and the restoration of Israel. In Zechariah 1.3, the Lord states, Turn ye unto me, saith the Lord of hosts, and I will turn unto you. Matt, that message applies today as well, doesn’t it?
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We need repentance. Yes, we do. Jeremiah is crucial to understanding that and God’s plan in these last days. Absolutely. Look at Zechariah 12.10. They shall look upon me whom they have pierced. You know, I’m reminded that God has not forgotten and will not forget his covenant people and that a day is coming when the nation of Israel will recognize their Messiah. What a day that will be. Yeah, exactly.
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Understand Zechariah and you’ll have tremendous insight into the future.
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but met also the days we’re living in right now. It speaks of nations gathering against Jerusalem, Zechariah 14.2, the Lord returning and standing on a Mount of Olives, Zechariah 14.4.
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And of the day when the Lord shall be king over all the earth from Zechariah 14.9. Clear, literal prophecies given by God about what is yet to come.
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Visions of the Future was written by David Hawking to help believers understand the connection between biblical prophecy and the events we see unfolding in our world so that we might be prepared and watchful and strengthened in our faith.
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And the book of Zechariah gives us the clarity and confidence to stand firm, watch, and be ready. Amen, amen.
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We’re featuring David’s book, Visions of the Future, for $15. And when you purchase, would you prayerfully consider adding a donation to help us continue the work of Hope for Today or send a contribution by itself, either a one-time gift or a regular monthly gift? And as always, please faithfully pray for Hope for Today. To get your copy of Visions of the Future, go to DavidHawking.org. That’s DavidHawking.org. Or give us a call, 875-BIBLE in the U.S. or 888-75-BIBLE in Canada. And Bible by the numbers 24253. And if you’d like to make a donation to Hope for Today, you can do that by phone or on the website. Or write to us at Hope for Today, Box 3927. Tustin, California, 92781. That’s in the U.S. Or hope for today, Box 15011, RPO, Seven Oaks, Abbotsford, B.C., V2S, 8P1 in Canada. And when you get in touch, share a testimony or a prayer request. We’d love to hear from you. Also, I want to quickly remind you that the sermon notes for our current series in Revelation, those are available for just $10. Covers the complete 48 message series notes for each and every message. These are so helpful. And also we have the complete series on MP3. All 48 messages available, and that’s just $30. Why do so many people request these? Well, because the notes help you follow along and retain what you’re learning and even use the material to teach other folks. And the MP3 series, well, with that, you can listen anywhere, anytime in the future, in your car, at work, or maybe during your quiet time. Friend, if growing deeper in God’s Word matters to you, well, these study tools may just be the thing you need. Make the purchase when you reach out. And here’s David.
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Thanks, friends, for listening to our study of Revelation. We’re in chapter 5. In chapter 4, it was the throne of God the Father. In chapter 5, it’s the one that’s on the right hand of the Father, our Messiah, who alone is worthy to open the book with seven seals. And there’s going to be seven trumpet judgments and seven bowls of wrath. Well, I hope you’ll enjoy our study. We have a lot of concentration on the worship of our blessed Lord Yeshua, the Messiah of Israel. He is the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. And you know, one of the wonderful things about chapter 5 is the emphasis on the worship of our Lord. And we’re looking forward to a wonderful continuation of this, probably for at least three more broadcasts. And God bless you.
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Thank you, David. And on our next broadcast, David moves forward in Revelation 5. More of his message, Worthy is the Lamb. The moment the Lamb takes the scroll, heaven erupts. Elders fall flat and angels fill the sky. There’s a massive song that breaks out declaring the Lamb is worthy of power, riches, wisdom, strength, honor, glory, and blessing. Wow. This is a worship scene that shakes eternity. Don’t miss it. next time on Hope for Today.
