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The Book of Revelation - Part 15

07 Jun 2026 · this lesson on the church site

Taught by Dr. Keith Palmer, Grace Bible Church, Granbury, Texas — from the church’s Sunday School series on Revelation. These are lightly edited transcripts of the audio, posted for personal study; the teaching and its content belong to Dr. Palmer and Grace Bible Church. Listen to the originals and find his notes on the church website. Transcribed from the audio by AI. Edited only where the audio was unclear (all edits marked with *). Errors are possible — the recording is the authority.

Where We Are (00:00)

We'll take your Bibles and turn back to Revelation. Strap in, get those tray tables up and locked, and we're going to get on our journey very quickly here, because we have a lot to cover. Both this hour and next hour I have the privilege of having pulpit duty* today, so hopefully both opportunities will be encouraging to you. I'm excited for both. If you're a high school student, you got me three times today, so I'm sorry.

We're in Revelation chapter 5. Where are we? We're in the throne room. We have moved through the introduction and the original vision John sees of Jesus. Remember, this is the revelation of Jesus Christ, given via his angel to the apostle John. So we are hearing from Jesus. This is Jesus' revelation. Sometimes he talks directly to John, sometimes we see visions of him, and other times John is just experiencing a vision, and Jesus tells him, "Remember, write down what you see."

We've seen that introduction. We've seen the historic letters to the seven churches, which give counsel from Jesus himself to these churches to address the various issues they were dealing with. Then Revelation 4:1 is where we started, with the things that take place after. If we put ourselves in the frame of church history, in the first century with these seven churches, we're now thinking about things that take place after that. We're in this first section, so far called the throne room.

There are some copies of the chart on the back page. You see this week after week and think, "It would be nice if Pastor Keith made us a copy of that." Lacey made a bunch, and we have a few there. If you don't have one yet, think of it as your handy-dandy little Rand McNally road atlas for the book of Revelation. If you have no idea what Rand McNally is because you're under 30, ask your parents. It's what we used to call GPS. These are the visions represented as the book unfolds. We've seen the seven letters to the seven churches. Now we're in the throne room, and we're about to see the scrolls unfold. These scrolls take us through the end of chapter 10 into chapter 11.

Is this not amazing? We get a glimpse into what no human being has seen. As John writes what he's seeing, we get a front-row seat into the heavenly places. You say there's symbolism and there's weird stuff and creatures, and I know, I know, I know. But we still get an opportunity to see what no human being has seen before. We get glimpses of it. Ezekiel saw some things. Isaiah saw some things. But every now and then God pulls the curtain back and says, "I want to remind you that what we see here on earth is not the only level of reality." I'm not going to Matrix you or anything. That's another movie some of you haven't seen yet. You're too young. Anyway, there's life here as we know it, but there is a heavenly realm, a spiritual realm, and that's what John is unfolding for us.

The Throne Room Vision (03:14)

We saw the picture in Revelation 4:1 through 4:5. Let's review quickly. From the throne come flashes of lightning, sounds, and peals of thunder. Surrounding the throne and the one sitting on it, who is overwhelming in appearance, are 24 thrones, and sitting on them are 24 elders. Then we saw four living creatures that echo the creatures from Ezekiel chapter 1. These creatures and elders chant, recite, and sing, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come." The elders fall down and worship the one who sits on the throne, saying in Revelation 4:11, "Worthy are you, O Lord our God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and because of your will they existed."

Now, remember these living creatures? We were comparing Ezekiel and Revelation, and I asked for submissions. Now it's time to consider your submissions. This is a contest, so there has to be some prize, but we'll do this quickly. We're trying to come up with images of these four living creatures, the wheels from Ezekiel, and the one who sits on the throne.

Images of the Four Living Creatures (04:15)

Now we turn into a democracy. We have Sherry, Weston, and Roger. Did anybody else submit something? I got emails and texts, so I tried to pull them all together. Time to vote. Roger, Mr. Wallace, a few more there, and Sherry. I think Weston took it. Is that about right? Congratulations. We'll talk about your cash and prizes. A Starbucks* card, right? He grew out of Starbucks*, so we'll do something a little nicer for him.

Thank you for doing that. John writes what he sees, and even as good as these are, I'm sure what John saw was beyond comprehension. Thank you for helping us visualize it a little.

The Scroll in the Right Hand (07:25)

Back to the throne room. In Revelation 5:1, John continues to look at the right hand of him who sat on the throne, where there is a book written inside and on the back, sealed up with seven seals. A voice asks, "Who is worthy to open the book and break its seals?" That's where we left off last time, and I asked you, "What is the book?" Let's talk about some of the possibilities, because this book becomes very significant. For the next 11 chapters, it will be the source of the content of what happens.

The Pattern of the Scroll (08:28)

Let me tell you what the pattern is. This scroll, or book, could have been a codex, as we think of a book today, but more likely it's a scroll with successive seals, or rings, on it, if you will. You open the scroll, come to another seal, break that seal, and open the scroll even more. With each seal broken, more of the scroll unfolds, so you can read more and more of what's there.

Suffice it to say, for 11 chapters, the contents of this scroll, and follow me on this, are going to reveal or even dictate the events that happen. Have you been reading Revelation? What happens in the next 11 chapters? Judgment. It is destruction, it is judgment, it is mind-blowing, it is sad, as God's judgment and discipline unfold. We don't really know what it is yet, but utter chaos erupts on the earth. So what is this book that, when opened, leads to these acts of judgment?

Possible Identities of the Book (09:28)

I read all the commentaries so you don't have to. You can throw that into ChatGPT, and you'll probably know better than me. Here are the options:

  1. The book of life. The book of life is mentioned several times in Revelation, so when we think of a book or scroll, the book of life ought to come to mind. At the very end of the book, we see the book of life, the judgment, and the new heavens and new earth. Where we're going culminates in the book of life. The challenge with this option is that when these seals start being broken, it's not life we see. It's death. If it were called the book of death, that might fit better. Given what actually happens, I don't think this is the best option, even though the book of life shows up a lot.

  2. The Old Testament. The idea is that only Christ can unlock the true meaning of the Old Testament. That's interesting, but nothing in the context leads us to that conclusion. When the Hebrew Scriptures are referenced in the New Testament, they're usually called "the law and the prophets," or "the law and the prophets and the Psalms," as Jesus references them in the Gospels. Nothing in the context says this is the Old Testament. Plus, while there are visions from Ezekiel and Daniel built underneath what we see in these next 11 chapters, not all the contents are the Old Testament.*

The Sealed Book in Daniel (11:37)

Number three is interesting. There is a sealed book in Daniel. Do you remember this? Hold your place in Revelation and go back to the book of Daniel. We've talked about Daniel, particularly Daniel chapter 7, because Daniel 7 provides a vision that is very similar to the vision we're seeing here and to the vision we saw back in Revelation chapter 1. It does seem that whatever Daniel saw in his time has similar language and similar imagery. We may even be seeing the same scene or a very similar scene.

In Daniel 7 we see the Ancient of Days, a title for God himself, and the description in Daniel 7:9 and following is very similar. Then in Daniel 7:13 we see one like the Son of Man come and present himself before the Ancient of Days. "And to him was given dominion, glory, and a kingdom that all the peoples, nations, and men of every language might serve him." What's interesting is that this is very similar to our vision here, except there's no mention of a book or a scroll until chapter 12.

Flip to the very end of the book, to Daniel chapter 12. Remember the context: Daniel is seeing visions of the end times. Look up for a second and keep this in your mind. What are the visions Daniel is seeing? Primarily visions of future destruction and future judgment. So when we think about what this scroll is going to do in Revelation, there does seem to be some congruity, some connection, between Daniel's visions leading up to the end of his book and what John sees in Revelation 5 and following.

Here's what's interesting. Daniel sees all these things, and then he gets to the very end of the book. Michael, the archangel, the great prince who stands guard over the people, is in chapter 12, verse 1. Pick it up in verse 3: "Those who have insight will shine brightly like the brightness of the expanse of the heavens, and those who lead the many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever." Then verse 4: "But for you, Daniel, conceal these words and seal up the book until the time of the end. Many will go back and forth, and knowledge will increase." We see it again at the very end, in verse 9. The messenger tells him, "Go your way, Daniel, for these words are concealed and sealed up until the end time."

So we have a scroll, a book, that is sealed up only to be revealed in the last time. Remember that, because what John sees in Revelation 5 is connected to, or refers back to, Daniel. It is also a key to when the events of Revelation 6 through 11 take place. That's a big question. All these judgments, seals, trumpets, riders, horsemen, locusts: when does this happen? Did it happen in the past? Does it happen throughout Church history? Does it happen in the future?

One argument from the text itself, that the events of John's scroll happen in the future, comes right back to Daniel, because Daniel is told these things will be sealed up until the end of time. That may be a hint that these events are yet future. We can't pound the pulpit on that. We're just trying to piece this together. But it is intriguing, and there are very few places in Scripture that talk about a scroll sealed up like the book of Daniel does. That reference is one I think we can't ignore.

John MacArthur's Title Deed View (15:53)

John MacArthur's view is that the scroll in Revelation 5 is the title deed of the earth. How does he get that? Go back to the book of Revelation and notice the description: this scroll or book is written inside and on the back and is sealed with seven seals. When we look into ancient Near Eastern literature and the archives that have uncovered documents from ancient civilizations, one of the documents they have found many copies of is the title deed, or contract. One that seems to match John's description of a scroll with seven seals is a title deed, if you will.

MacArthur views this as a contract or title deed. If that's the right understanding, what happens when the Lamb, Christ, takes the title deed from God the Father? In MacArthur's understanding, Jesus is receiving sovereignty and dominion over the earth, and he will ultimately judge and rule it as the book of Revelation unfolds. That makes a lot of sense, doesn't it? It's possible that what we're looking at is a reference to Daniel's scroll, but with the idea of a title deed as MacArthur describes it. We see a similar title deed described in Jeremiah 32. We won't look at that now, but if you want to see where that description comes from, Jeremiah 32 talks about such a deed.

I told you last time what we're going to do. We have some good options here, so keep those options in mind. My approach to this book, rather than saying "I think it's this," is to keep reading and put those Lego pieces together bag upon bag, chapter after chapter, as we work toward the end.

Reading the Judgments (18:04)

Let me remind you of our picture. If we zoom in on the eleven chapters that start with these visions of the seven seals, we have the four horsemen with the first four seals. Then seven trumpets are sounded. We have a series of woes. We have a reference to the 144,000, which I'm really excited to get to. At the very end, the seven bowl judgments happen.

What we see unfolding is mostly judgment, with some reminders of redemption. It would be wrong to say everything that's going to happen is shock-and-awe destruction. It's mostly destruction and judgment, but in the midst of that, God gives reminders of redemption, and we see some peoples redeemed during this season of destruction. So we have to ask: what's going on, when is this happening, and who are these people who are redeemed? You need to come back in the weeks to come, because we're going to get to all this. For now we're looking at it with a bird's-eye view: the scroll unfolds a series of judgments as we move toward redemption. Our general reference right now is that the book unfolds violence, destruction, and death upon the earth that lead to Christ's final victory and redemption. If you're reading the book, you know that's exactly where we're going.

Who Is Worthy? (20:21)

Back to the text. John says, "I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, 'Who is worthy to take the book and break its seals?'" Here is this book that represents the coming judgment, the making right of every wrong in the universe. It represents Christ coming, judging, finally redeeming, solving, fixing, and recreating. This is the moment* Paul talks about in Romans 8, where the whole creation groans waiting for this time in history. And the strong angel asks: who's worthy? Who is worthy to take this book, break its seals, bring final justice, bring ultimate redemption, and put creation back in the place where it once was, without sin and without suffering?

What does worthy mean in this context? Who is qualified? Who has the credentials? We think about value, worth, credentials, qualifications, who has the capability to do this, the strength, the wisdom, all those things. Remember that, because this book is helping us think about who comes to mind when we ask what this is all about. Who has the greatest value? The greatest capability? The greatest qualifications? Who has all wisdom and all knowledge, and who could come and do this? The book of Revelation is the revelation of Jesus Christ, and in a dozen different ways we will see this book upholding our great Savior. Right now the question is who is qualified to bring justice, stop the groaning, end the chaos, bring a conclusion to suffering, finally eradicate sin, and bring the new heaven and new earth we were all made for.

No One Was Found Worthy (22:29)

John looks, and there is no creature. Look at the description in Revelation 5:3: no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth (thinking of the Abyss, the underworld, which we'll talk about later in Revelation) was able to open the book or look into it. John looked as if God allowed him to see every creature from heaven to earth in the known universe, and none qualified.

Have you ever had something you really, really wanted to happen, and plans changed, and it was not going to happen? I think of people who have lost a baby. I think of people who hoped a loved one would survive a disease, and they don't. I think of people whose relationship looked like it would work out and ended in a breakup and turmoil. It could be your team is in the Super Bowl and they lose. You know that ache, that disappointment, that letdown. But this isn't a football game, or even a human life, though that is wonderful and valuable and important. This is the culmination of God's plan, the restoration of the universe, the completion of redemption. John looks, and his hope empties, and he weeps. Why? Because the suffering, sin, injustice, violence, anger, turmoil, and chaos of a broken world seem unable to be fixed. The text says he was weeping greatly because no one was found worthy to open the book or look into it. His hope is dashed.

The Lion and the Lamb (24:42)

While he is sobbing, one of the elders says, "Stop weeping. The Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome so as to open the book." John wipes the tears away, looks again, and sees something he didn't see at first: a lamb that had been slaughtered, slain previously, but standing, alive. This standing, living, yet previously slain Lamb comes up to the one on the throne, takes the scroll, and as he does, what happens? This is amazing.

The Lamb Takes the Scroll (26:54)

He takes the scroll. In verse 7, when he had taken the book, verse 8 says the four living creatures and the 24 elders fell down before the Lamb, each one holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. As the slain Lamb stands and takes the scroll, they sang, it says here, a new song: "Worthy are you to take the book and to break its seals, for you were slain and you purchased for God with your own blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. And you have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God, and they will reign upon the earth."

[…]*

No One Else Qualified (28:01)

That's right. So they sing this new song: "worthy are you to take the book and to break its seals, for you were slain and purchased for God with your blood, men from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation." That shows us that whatever's in this book, though it's judgment for 11 chapters, it culminates in what? Redemption. It culminates in redemption.

The Cherubim and the Lamb (29:03)

I found it interesting that God is on the throne holding the deed, and you have the seraphim*, who are holy beings, in the presence of God. They still cover their eyes and cover their feet.

So Roger* is saying it's interesting that the seraphim* are there covering themselves in the presence of God, but the Lamb walks right in, right up to the throne, and takes the scroll. The Lamb takes it, meaning what? He's worthy of it. Now, why is he worthy?

Why the Lamb Is Qualified (30:07)

Look back at verse 5: "Stop weeping, behold the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome so as to open the book and its seven seals." So if we come back to John 16:33, in this world you will have trouble. Jesus says, "But take courage; I have overcome the world." Only he is qualified, and he overcomes through:

And yes, we saw it last time. This Lamb that was slain and is yet alive is clearly qualified to go up to the Father and take this scroll.

The Lion of Judah Traced to Genesis 49 (31:11)

It's interesting that the elder says, "Behold the Lion from the tribe of Judah." That points right back to Genesis 49. Do you see how Revelation is doing this? It's taking us all the way back to the first book of the Bible, saying, see, this conversation didn't start in the book of Revelation. It started in Genesis.

When Jacob is pronouncing prophecies over his children, he talks about Judah, that the scepter shall not depart from Judah, the staff of the king, the kingly line coming through Judah. And do you remember what he calls Judah in that passage? A lion. We see it again in Romans 15. We see it again in Isaiah, where there are references to the Messiah coming from the line of David.

The Davidic Promise and the Coming Reign (32:15)

That's important, because where this is going to culminate, we'll talk about more in future weeks: the Davidic covenant, that there would be someone to sit on David's throne. Those were promises and covenants made with the people of Israel back in the Old Testament.

The reason this elder says "the Lion from the tribe of Judah," pointing us back to that original prophecy of the Messiah coming, the Root of David, is that the elder wants us to recognize this is a man who is qualified, not just in the moment, but the whole Bible has prepared us to see his fitness and his qualification for what's about to happen. He has overcome. This will get repeated in Revelation 17: he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and that's why he's qualified.

So they sing this song: "Worthy are you to take the book... you have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God, and they will reign upon the earth." Remember we talked about that back in chapters 2 and 3, where this culminates after judgment in the reigning of the redeemed people of God with Christ himself. That's why it's talked about here. That's where we're going, and we will see that reign upon the earth in future chapters.

The Chorus of All Creation (33:19)

John says, "I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders, and the number of them was myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, 'Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!' And every created thing which is in heaven and on earth and under the earth, even in the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying, 'To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever.'"

In case you missed it, we left nothing out. Everything. This is the chorus of all creation. This echoes Romans 8: the whole creation is groaning for this event. Here it is. Here's the scroll. Here's the guy that's going to break the seals and bring it about, and the four living creatures kept saying, "Amen."

Worship of the Lamb (34:20)

The elders fell down and worshiped, not just the one who sits on the throne, but who else? The Lamb. In humility, Philippians 2 talks about Christ, and in the midst of that, you see that there is also God highly exalting him above every name. It's the same language here. So we see Philippians going from Christ's incarnation to his consummation, using the same language here.

So you see, this is not the first time this has been talked about. The whole Bible has prepared us for this.

A Current Events Illustration (35:29)

I opened up my news app to read. Headlines included:

That was just my news app as of last night. And we say, who will end the suffering, the sin, the chaos? Who will bring justice? Who will bring redemption?

Watch, you got that audio ready to go there?

* = the audio was unclear here and the words were reconstructed from context. Scripture read aloud is in red.

Taught by Dr. Keith Palmer, Grace Bible Church, Granbury, Texas — from the church’s Sunday School series on Revelation. These are lightly edited transcripts of the audio, posted for personal study; the teaching and its content belong to Dr. Palmer and Grace Bible Church. Listen to the originals and find his notes on the church website. Transcribed from the audio by AI. Edited only where the audio was unclear (all edits marked with *). Errors are possible — the recording is the authority.

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