21 Jun 2013
Revelation 5:1-3
Revelation 5:1: “And 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.”
Once again, I think that the One who is sitting on the throne is God the Father. The reason I think this is because in a few verses the Lamb will appear and take the book, and it seems unlikely that Jesus is both in front of the throne and on the throne at the same time.
Revelation 5:2: “And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?
3 And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon.”
In a few verses we will see that Jesus was worthy to open the book. What’s interesting about this is that this is a book of judgments and woes that will come upon the Earth. Only Jesus had the authority to unleash these judgments. No one else was able to do it.
People often say that the God of the Old Testament was an angry God who spent His time judging the world and killing people, but the God of the New Testament is a peaceful and loving God. This is a very superficial analysis. People overlook the incredible mercy that God showed in the Old Testament. Before sending judgments He warned people repeatedly and urged them to change their ways. He showed tremendous love and compassion.
People also overlook the fact that the awful, horrific judgments of Revelation were unleashed by Jesus Himself. God destroyed the old world with the Flood – and Jesus will destroy the modern world with fire. Both testaments demonstrate the love of God, and both testaments demonstrate the wrath of God. God never changes.