The Need for Judgment: Daily Thoughts from Revelation (Revelation 5:1-5)

Have you seen any paintings of the Last Judgment? I’m looking at a site where you can buy wall paintings for…your home? Most of the artists’ representations show naked people in distress (is nakedness a symbol for our exposure before the all seeing eyes of God?) and dark demonic beings torturing them. The scenes are horrific. How should we draw it?

Judgment has been a stumbling block for people in our culture to accept the gospel. But the gospel makes no sense without it. No, life doesn’t make sense without it. And this is why Revelation does not apologize for it, but sets it in its proper place.

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.”  (Revelation 5:1-5 ESV)

The rolled up scroll in the hand of God the Father is so full and replete with judgment that it is written on both sides of the paper, then rolled up and sealed with seven waxed seals to make sure it is secured.  But though an angel asks if anyone can open it, no one can.

John weeps because if there is no judgment to come then life is meaningless.  If it doesn’t matter whether I lie, or kill, or abuse, or cheat, or hate, if none of the evil that has been perpetrated on earth will ever get punished, then there is no justice and the idea of righteousness is meaningless.  If that is the case we should all be weeping, especially for those who have died for the faith and who will not be recompensed.

But look, there is someone who can open the scroll!  Stop weeping, because the Lion of Judah, Jesus the Messiah, has conquered death and injustice.  He has been the subject of violence and hatred, he was killed unjustly for his obedience to God and resurrected to forgive all who would come to him.  But if one will not come to him that one must face judgment.  Jesus is worthy to be the one who opens that scroll and reads out the judgment. Who else but him?

We might ask whether the Father and the Holy Spirit are not worthy to open the scroll. And certainly we would have to say that God, the fount of all righteousness, is worthy to proclaim and mete out judgment. And in the person of Jesus He is. But it is as the one who has taken on human nature and entered into our reality and lived in our unjust world and experienced unjust treatment, that God the Son has earned the right to be the dispenser of judgment.

And so…He is coming!  Before he comes there is offered redemption for anyone who wants it.  But when he comes it will be too late for redemption.  You’ll either meet him as Lord and Savior because you already believed or you’ll meet him as merciless Judge.  There will be no in-between. Are we sad if it doesn’t happen? Are we excited that Jesus is taking up the mantle?