As we continue our study on the theme ‘Worthy is the Lamb,’ this episode focuses on the majestic vision of heaven’s worship. The centrality of Jesus as both the Lion of Judah and the Lamb that was slain reveals a powerful narrative of redemption. Discover how this eternal perspective on worship and the atonement through the Cross influences our spiritual lives and witness. This is an episode that will inspire devotion and deepen your understanding of the significance of Christ’s sacrifice.
What I’m going to do in heaven, what you’re going to do, those of you who have come to know the Lord, the one thing we do is not just sit and sour on our thrones. We instead fall off of our thrones frequently on our faces and worship him who lives forever and ever. You see, worship will then become an ever-present reality in us, our number one priority. It’ll be just like second nature. Oh, there’s the song again. Bang. Hit the floor. Fall down and worship him.
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Thank you.
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This is Hope for Today with Bible teacher David Hawking. And on today’s broadcast, heaven responds to the Lamb, the Lamb who takes the scroll. John watches as the elders drop to their faces in worship. Angels, everywhere you look, lift up their voices in a single thundering song. And the praise that erupts doesn’t just stay in heaven. It spills over to earth, the sea, and every creature under it. This isn’t just a moment of worship. It’s a declaration of who Jesus really is and why he alone is worthy. Open your Bible to Revelation 5, verses 8-14 as we continue our message, Worthy is the Lamb. Just before we open the word, Matt’s here, and we want to share a wonderful study tool with you that will help you get the most out of this study in Revelation.
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Matt? Our sermon notes outlines are excellent tools for following along as my dad teaches and saving key points, definitions, references, cross-references, and more.
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Look at the complete package of David’s sermon notes for our current radio series in Revelation. Matt, folks tell us these are so helpful as they listen to the messages here on radio. And the complete package is just $10 as a download. You can purchase and get it right away or in printed form. You know, all 48 messages in the series, Jim, are included. And again, the sermon notes, the Revelation sermon notes are just $10 by download or PDF CD.
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Call us in Canada at 1-888-75BIBLE. In the U.S., call us at 1-800-75BIBLE. And Bible by the Numbers, 24253.
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And here’s David with day four of 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 back side 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 or 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, verse 5, 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 living creatures, and in the midst of the elders 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, or scroll, 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 twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of saints. And they sang a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book of the scroll and to open its seals, for thou wast slain and hast redeemed us to God. Some of you have texts that say redeemed men. Redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred and tongue and people and nation and has made us, some of you have versions that read them, has made us unto our God kings and priests and we, and some of you have versions that say they, We shall reign on the earth. And I beheld and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the living creatures or beasts 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 living creatures or beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth forever and ever. Well, the scroll with seven seals, we looked at the place of the scroll being in the right hand of him that sat on the throne. We looked at the problem, who is worthy to open the scroll. Talked a little bit about a will, a testament. We looked at the person who can open the scroll. We mentioned he’s the Lion of Judah, and he’s in the line of David, the root of David. Very interesting, they say root because the Bible often calls him the branch of David. So he’s the root that causes the whole thing as well as the product of that messianic line, a phenomenal statement. And third, he is the Lamb of God, and that’s where we ended last time. The word Lamb used 186 times in the Bible, 29 times, believe it or not, in the book of Revelation. And it’s a Greek word for a little lamb, just a little helpless lamb. And it’s marvelous what is said here. Let’s just note a number of things. One, the centrality of that lamb. It says, in the midst, verse 6. In the midst. Jesus is right in the middle. Turn back to chapter 1, verse 13. In the midst. of the seven lampstands, one like the Son of Man. Look at chapter 2, verse 1. These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden lampstands or candlesticks. He’s in the middle. Matthew 18, 20 says where two or three are gathered together, there am I in the midst, in the middle. That, by the way, is referring not to a church gathering or a home Bible study group or even a prayer group. That is referring to two or three witnesses that give testimony to somebody’s statement about what they have done. And the authority of our Lord is behind the two or three brothers who are witnesses. So where two or three are gathered together, there am I in the midst. Very interesting statement. He’s in the middle of everything. Second thing is his condition. The interesting thing is, one, he’s standing, and two, he’s slain. stood a lamb, says Revelation 5, verse 6. But according to the Bible, when Jesus ascended, he sat down at the right hand of the throne of God, thus indicating that his atonement was done and finished. No priest ever sat down in the temple or the tabernacle, but he who reigns above, he who sits at the right hand of the majesty on high, he sat down. But now he stands up. And in a dramatic fashion, it’s an indication that he’s taken over. This is the day of the Lord, a day of judgment in which God will unleash his vengeance. And he’s going to do it through the Lamb of God. Can you believe it? A lamb and a lion. They almost seem like they don’t go together. And there’s a point here because he who is the Redeemer is also the revenger. And he’s going to bring his vengeance on the world. And that’s what the whole tribulation period is all about. It’s a phenomenal statement. He’s standing. A reminder that his work of intercession is no longer needed. Now begins his work of intervention as the kingdoms of this world now become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ. Not only his centrality and his condition are interesting to us, in terms of his standing, but also that he was slain, a lamb as though it had been slain. Verse 12, worthy is the lamb that was slain. Interesting. God pictures the Lord Jesus as as our crucified Savior. All through eternity, we will never escape the one fact that he died for us. It is by the cross alone that sin has been cared for. There has been no other method. The only thing that washes our sins is the blood of the lamb that was slain. No wonder we’re going to shout, worthy is the lamb forever and ever. For then we’ll know more than what we know now, that it’s only through the shed blood of our Lord Jesus Christ that our sin is dealt with. And it’s interesting, the centrality of the cross is also seen in Christian life and growth. For the Bible tells us that our old nature, our old man, has been crucified with him, that the body of sin might be rendered inoperative, that henceforth we should not be slaves to sin. The Bible tells us to count ourselves to be dead indeed unto sin because we were crucified with Christ. Paul wrote in Galatians 2.20, I have been crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I. Christ lives in me, and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith in the Son of God who loved me, point of time, and gave himself for me, again the cross. Paul wrote in Ephesians 5, walk in love. How? As Christ loved us and gave himself an offering for us. Over and over again, all Christian life and principles of living for the Lord now are rooted back into the cross. Husbands, love your wives like Christ loved the church and what? Gave himself for her that he might wash and cleanse and sanctify it. When I discover that God wants me to be holy, I find in the Christian world there are disciplines that are suggested. And while they all might be helpful to our understanding, it’s interesting that according to the Bible, holiness is rooted in the cross. The Bible tells us that we are sanctified by the one offering of the body of the Lord Jesus once for all. Aren’t you glad of that? Worthy is the lamb that was slain. 1 Peter 1 verse 18 says, You were not redeemed with corruptible things like silver and gold. You can’t buy this or earn your way into God’s favor. You’re redeemed with the precious blood of Christ as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. When John the Baptist saw Jesus coming in John 1.29, he said, Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world. What good news that was to Jewish listeners as they remembered well the Lamb was a covering. But John said, No, not cover, takes away. But the Lamb of God is totally different from all those sacrificial animals. The blood of bulls and goats, wrote Paul in Hebrews 10.4, can never take away sin. Only the blood of Jesus Christ can redeem us and set us free from sin, death, and hell. And I remind you it happened 1,900 years ago. And whether you believe it or not will determine whether or not, one, you will be in heaven, and two, you will learn to grow in Christ. and learn to find peace, freedom, release, restoration, healing, forgiveness, deliverance, for it all comes again through Christ and His shed blood. The Bible says if we walk in the light as He is in the light, 1 John 1, 7, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanseth us from all sin. And I think it’s worth at least a praise-a-loo-ya of some sort on your part. Amen? Amen. What a wonderful, wonderful joy floods our heart when we realize it is the Lamb of God alone who can set us free. Not only his centrality and condition, but his control. It says in verse 6, he has seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God. Now the last one we’ve already studied, the seven spirits of the seven angels who are prominent throughout the book. who do the master’s bidding. And here it’s connected with the Son of God, the Lamb, and his work throughout the tribulation as the Son of God will now, as a lion, begin to devour and to bring the vengeance of God on those who have turned their backs on him. But he has angels who are announcing his message, angels who are mediating But what about the seven horns? Horn’s always a symbol of authority and power. But turn back to Joshua chapter 6. It’s interesting to me when you compare Scripture with Scripture, what you find. And this is one that is a little hard to connect. But in Joshua 6, we have a reference to seven horns. In verse 2, dealing with the conquest of Jericho. The Lord said unto Joshua, Joshua 6 verse 2, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho and its king and the mighty men of valor, and ye shall compass the city, all ye men of war, and go round about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days. And seven priests… shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams’ horns. And the seventh day you shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets. And it shall come to pass that when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout, and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man straight before him. So before the ark… are the seven priests blowing the seven horns. So when it says of the Lamb of God, he has seven horns, it represented the completeness of God’s plan of victory over Jericho. Seven horns blowing by seven priests before the ark of the God. announcing that God is going to give us a victory in Jericho. And here we have a picture in heaven, and connecting the two, we have the Lamb of God, who died for our sins, with seven horns, announcing his great victory, not just over Jericho, but over the entire earth. And seven eyes, which are the seven spirits or seven angels, will be sent out with those judgments. And it’s really a spectacular scene, to say the least. Now let’s begin at verse 8 and look at the new song of the redeemed. Back at Revelation chapter 5. In verse 8 it says, And when he had taken the scroll, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. I want you to notice four things in this section, verses 8 to 14. Four things. One, the immediate reaction of the 4 and 20 elders. It says they fell down before the Lamb. Go back to chapter 4, verse 10, and let’s notice that this is the reaction always of the 4 and 20 elders, whom we’ve already established is the completed church of Jesus Christ in heaven during the tribulation. And this seems to be what they’re always doing. Chapter 4, verse 10, the four and 20 elders fell down before him that sits on the throne. Chapter 5, verse 14 as well says the four and 20 elders fell down and worshiped him. In chapter 7, verse 11, it says the four living creatures and the elders, they fell before the throne on their faces and worshiped God. Chapter 11, verse 16 says, the four and twenty elders who sat before God on their thrones fell upon their faces and worshipped God. And in chapter 19, verse 4, the four and twenty elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne saying, Amen, Hallelujah, or Praise the Lord. Now if that represents the completed church in heaven, then that’s referring to me and what I’m going to do in heaven. What you’re going to do, those of you who have come to know the Lord, the one thing we do is not just sit and sour on our thrones. We instead fall off of our thrones frequently on our faces and worship him who lives forever and ever. Whenever the praise goes forth, and apparently it goes on all the time, we just keep falling down before the Lord. You see, worship will then become an ever-present reality in us, whereas now somebody has to preach on it or get a music group up or talk to us a little bit about it or get us stimulated somehow to do it. But worship will then be our number one priority. It’ll be just like second nature. Oh, there’s a song again. Hit the floor. Fall down and worship him. You see, the word worship does mean to bow down. That’s what it means. How important it is that when we sing and praise him, whether we lift our hands to praise him or our voices or whatever, that in our hearts we are literally bowing down before him. Worthy is the lamb that was slain.
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Amen. That’s Bible teacher and author David Hawking, and this is Hope for Today. David will be back in just a moment to close out our time in the Word, so do stay with us. First though, you know, if you’ve only glossed over Zechariah, well, you’ve missed the point. God remembers, and he will fulfill every word. This book is a prophetic wake-up call about Israel, the nations, and the coming king. And David’s book, Visions of the Future, lays it out. Matt’s here. We’re going to tell you what’s inside and how you can get your copy.
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You may not know what you’re missing in the book of Jeremiah until you open up our book, Visions of the Future. It’s a study guide through Jeremiah.
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Inside, your dad, David Hawking, applies his in-depth Bible study regimen. Your dad is always thorough to reveal the powerful historical significance of Jeremiah and to detail and explain its prophecies for the past, present, and future.
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Yeah, and Visions of the Future is our featured resource for August. It’s a dynamic study of Jeremiah chapters 1 through 14. And Matt, let’s take a quick look inside. Jim, part one is titled The Eight Night Visions and reveals marvelous prophecies showing the role and ministry of the Messiah in his first coming and the future second advent that will mark the beginning of the messianic age. and millennial reign of Christ. And your dad refers to Jeremiah as the gospel of the Old Testament. Amen. Well, part two? Covering Zechariah 7 and 8 has four essential messages to God’s people on rebuke, repentance, restoration, and rejoicing.
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And then in part three, your dad investigates the prophecies given to Jeremiah, revealing two burdens for the future, the rejection of the anointed king, and the return and reign of the king.
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And also in this section, we see teaching on the appearance of our Lord, judgment of Israel’s enemies, mourning for the one they pierced, cleansing from sin, the second coming, and more.
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Well, discover some outstanding treasures, outstanding treasures in Jeremiah with David’s book, Visions of the Future, our featured resource for August. And Matt, how much is it? Just $15. You can purchase it at davidhocking.org or when you call. And consider adding a donation to your order to help us continue this ministry or become a regular monthly supporter and join with us in ministry. And please faithfully pray for hope for today. Yes, please do. To get your copy of Visions of the Future, go to DavidHawking.org or call us at 800-75-BIBLE. That’s 800-75-24253 in the U.S. or 888-75-BIBLE in Canada, 888-75-24253. And if you want to invest in something, something that truly matters for eternity, Not comfort, not convenience, but souls. Well, then stand with hope for today. This ministry is not here to entertain or dilute the truth. We open the Bible and proclaim what God says and make sure people know what’s coming before it’s too late. Every message, every resource, every broadcast is grounded in the Word of God and sent out to a world that is falling for lies. You see it, and I do too. When you support this work, you’re putting forth truth in front of people who are desperate for answers, many who do not even know what they’re looking for. If that’s the kind of impact you want to have, then prayerfully consider supporting Hope for Today. You can send a donation by mail at At Hope for Today, Box 3927, Tustin, California, 92781. That’s in the U.S. Or Hope for Today, Box 15011, RPO7Oaks.com. Abbotsford, BC, V2S 8P1 in Canada. And of course, you can contribute online at davidhawking.org or by phone at 1-800-75-BIBLE in the US or 888-75-BIBLE in Canada. Every gift pushes this message further, reaches deeper, and points more people to the only hope that really matters. That’s Jesus Christ. If that hits home, well, then let us do this together. Here’s David.
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Well, thanks for listening. I hope our broadcast today from Chapter 5 has blessed your heart and helped you to focus on the worship of our blessed Lord. We also know that the four and twenty elders who we believe represent the church in heaven after the rapture, they’re going to sing a new song. Thou art worthy to take the scroll and open the seals. You were slain, and you’ve redeemed us to God by thy blood. Wow. Is it us or them? Depends on what Bible you’re reading. But the old King James and the Geneva Bible all read us. And in verse 10, he made us unto God kings and priests, and we shall reign on the earth. It’s not them. It’s we, the four and twenty elders. That’s who we’re talking about, the church of Jesus Christ in heaven after the rapture. And boy, what a day that’s going to be. Imagine seeing the Lord face to face. The Bible says we shall see His face. Boy, what a day it’s going to be. Go to Matthew 17 and look at the transfiguration, and you’ll see somewhat of what He’s going to look like. Well, I hope you’re enjoying our study, and we’re right back into chapter 5. And I hope that you’re able to continue listening every single day. God bless you.
SPEAKER 02 :
Well, thank you, David. And friend, if you missed any part of today’s program or maybe a recent broadcast, you can listen to our most recent programs at DavidHawking.org. Just click on the radio tab. That’s DavidHawking.org. Next time on the program, David continues in Revelation 5. The lamb takes the scroll, heaven responds, elders fall, angels shout, and a song declares him worthy of all. Amen. Wow. If you want to go deeper into the truth about who Jesus is, don’t miss it. And invite a friend to listen along with you as we bring you the Bible, the whole Bible, and nothing but the Bible right here on Hope for Today.
As we continue our study on the theme ‘Worthy is the Lamb,’ this episode focuses on the majestic vision of heaven’s worship. The centrality of Jesus as both the Lion of Judah and the Lamb that was slain reveals a powerful narrative of redemption. Discover how this eternal perspective on worship and the atonement through the Cross influences our spiritual lives and witness. This is an episode that will inspire devotion and deepen your understanding of the significance of Christ’s sacrifice.
