There's a worship song that asks a simple question: "Is He worthy?" And the choir answers, "He is." How can they be so sure?
They know Revelation 4 and 5. These two chapters pull back the curtain on heaven's throne room and show us exactly why Jesus is worthy of everything we have.
This post walks through "Worthy Is the Lamb," a message from our series The King Is Coming. By the end, if someone asks you, "Is He worthy?", the answer should come easily: He is.
If you only have a minute:
- He is King over all things. The throne in Revelation 4 tells the whole story of the Bible in one picture.
- He is holy. Heaven never stops saying it, three times over.
- He created everything. Nothing exists or lasts without Him.
- He is the victorious Lamb. Only Jesus, slain and risen, is worthy to open the scroll.
Where Revelation 4 and 5 Fit in the Story
Revelation 1:19 gives us the outline of the whole book. John is told to "write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later."
- What you have seen: Chapter 1, John's vision of Jesus. (Read The Jesus John Saw: 8 Images of Christ in Revelation 1.)
- What is now: Chapters 2-3, the seven letters to the churches.
- What will take place later: Chapters 4-22.
In Revelation 4 and 5, the view moves from earth to heaven. God is about to establish His authority from His throne through His Son, Jesus, for the final events of history. Those events include the return of Christ, the resurrection of the dead, the final judgment, the defeat of evil, and God's eternal kingdom, with a new heaven and a new earth.
"After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, 'Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.'" (Revelation 4:1)
1. He Is Worthy Because He Is King Over All Things
"And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby. A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne." (Revelation 4:3)
This one verse is the whole story of the Bible in a single picture. The stones John names, jasper and ruby (also translated carnelian), are not random.
In Exodus 28:15-21, God tells Israel to make a breastpiece for the high priest with twelve stones, one for each tribe of Israel. The first stone is carnelian. The last is jasper. Every stone the priest wore sits between those two colors, and he carried them over his heart to keep the people close as he served. So it is with the One on the throne. And the rainbow around the throne points back to God's covenant.
The rest of the throne room tells the same story:
- 24 elders (v. 4): the tribes of Israel and the twelve apostles.
- Lightning and thunder (v. 5): a reminder of the day God gave the law.
- Seven lamps (v. 5): the Holy Spirit, with seven as the number of wholeness.
- A sea of glass, clear as crystal (v. 6): a calm contrast to the chaotic waters before creation and the stormy sea that tossed Jonah and the disciples. Everything here is under control.
And the response is worship. The elders wear crowns God gave them, yet they lay those crowns at His feet (Revelation 4:10). They know everything they have was first given to them by Him.
What this means for you
When your heart is torn by what you see on earth, look up. Catch a glimpse of the throne in heaven and the glory of the One who sits on it, and worship.
2. He Is Worthy Because He Is Holy
Around the throne John sees four living creatures, covered with eyes in front and in back (Revelation 4:6-8). They are very similar to the creatures the prophet Ezekiel saw in Ezekiel 1 and 10. All those eyes point to a God who sees everything and knows everything.
Each creature shows something about the perfect nature of God:
- Lion: God is perfect in His authority.
- Ox: God is perfect in His activity, the servant of all.
- Man: God is perfect in His majesty.
- Eagle: God is perfect in His deity, soaring above all.
"Day and night they never stop saying: 'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,' who was, and is, and is to come." (Revelation 4:8)
Hebrew has no exclamation points, all caps, or bold type. It shows emphasis by repeating a word. Saying something twice made it important. Saying it three times gave it the highest regard possible. Heaven's highest praise is that God is holy.
3. He Is Worthy Because He Created Everything
"You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being." (Revelation 4:11)
The Roman emperors Nero and Domitian persecuted Christians and required people to address them with words like "our Lord and God." John, writing down what he sees in heaven, turns that phrase on its head. God alone is worthy.
Why? He created everything by His will, and He sustains it all by His will. If you woke up this morning, it's because God willed it. Without Him, none of us would exist, and none of us would last.
And there's more good news. He didn't only create the world. He redeemed it. That's where chapter 5 takes us.
4. He Is Worthy Because He Is the Victorious Lamb
In Revelation 5, God holds a scroll sealed with seven seals. A mighty angel calls out, "Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?" No one in heaven or on earth can do it, and John weeps (Revelation 5:1-4).
The question is really this: who is worthy to rule the world righteously? History is full of people who were willing, like Napoleon, Genghis Khan, Hitler, and Stalin. But none of them were worthy. Then this happens:
"Then one of the elders said to me, 'Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.' Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing at the center of the throne." (Revelation 5:5-6)
John is told to look for a Lion, and he sees a Lamb that looks like it was slaughtered. It doesn't look victorious at all. It's a bit like hanging a picture in your house of the moment you failed. But anyone paying attention to Scripture saw this coming:
- Abraham told Isaac, "God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering" (Genesis 22:8).
- At the first Passover, "Your lamb shall be without blemish" (Exodus 12:5, ESV).
- The suffering servant "was led like a lamb to the slaughter" (Isaiah 53:7).
- John the Baptist said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29).
The Lamb was slain, yet He is alive in heaven. He is standing, not lying in defeat, which speaks to His resurrection. His seven horns show perfect strength, and His seven eyes, the seven spirits of God, represent the Holy Spirit who sees and knows all. He alone is worthy to take the scroll. Not Moses, Noah, Deborah, David, Peter, Paul, or Mary. Only Jesus.
Three Choirs Sing "Worthy Is the Lamb"
Revelation 4 and 5 end with three songs from three choirs (Revelation 5:9-14), each one bigger than the last:
- God's people: They sing that Jesus is worthy because of the cross and the empty tomb. With His blood He bought people "from every tribe and language and people and nation" (Revelation 5:9). No one is left out except by refusing to believe.
- The angels: Thousands upon thousands give a sevenfold praise, the number of perfection: power, wealth, wisdom, strength, honor, glory, and praise.
- All creation: Every creature in heaven, on earth, under the earth, and in the sea joins in.
"Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!" (Revelation 5:12)
Jesus has used His authority for good, for our good. Our worship never stops because His love never stops.
One more truth from Revelation 4 and 5 to hold on to: God has placed in our hands the decision to accept Christ as Savior. But whether He is Lord is not ours to decide. He already is.
What this means for you
If Jesus is worthy, it shows up in how we live. This week, spend extended time worshiping through Revelation 4 and 5. Give generously as an act of worship. And tell one person why Jesus alone is worthy of your total allegiance.
The story keeps going. In the next chapters, the Lamb begins to open the seals, and later the seven trumpets sound. Read on in The Seven Trumpets of Revelation.
If you've never taken your first step with Jesus, start here. If you'd like someone to pray with you, reach out through Prayer and Care. And if you're in the Kissimmee area, we'd love to have you join us for the rest of the series. Plan your visit.
Frequently Asked Questions About Revelation 4 and 5
What happens in Revelation 4 and 5?
In Revelation 4 and 5, John is invited into heaven's throne room. In chapter 4 he sees God on His throne surrounded by worship. In chapter 5, no one is found worthy to open a scroll sealed with seven seals until Jesus, the Lamb who was slain, takes it, and all of heaven and creation worship Him.
What do the jasper and ruby stones mean in Revelation 4:3?
They match the first and last stones on the high priest's breastpiece in Exodus 28, which carried the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. All of God's people sit between those two colors, close to His heart.
Who are the four living creatures in Revelation 4?
They are heavenly beings around the throne, similar to those in Ezekiel 1 and 10. Like a lion, an ox, a man, and an eagle, they display God's perfect authority, activity, majesty, and deity, and they never stop calling Him holy.
Who are the 24 elders in Revelation 4?
In this message, the 24 elders represent the twelve tribes of Israel and the twelve apostles. They lay their crowns before God's throne in worship (Revelation 4:10).
Why is Jesus called the Lamb in Revelation 5?
Scripture pictures Jesus as the sacrifice God provides, from Abraham and Isaac to the Passover lamb to Isaiah 53. In Revelation 5 He appears as a Lamb that was slain yet is standing alive, which makes Him the only one worthy to open the scroll.
