Overview
While Revelation 4 is a timeless description of God’s throne room, Revelation 5 describes a specific event when all angels gather to see the Son receive the sealed book. He does not open the book immediately but breaks the seals one by one in Revelation 6, each causing dramatic events on Earth. Therefore, to date these seal events, we must date Revelation 5.
This article shows that Revelation 5 describes what happened in heaven when Jesus arrived after His ascension almost 2000 years ago. This is argued in three ways:
Firstly, Revelation 5 fits with what the New Testament elsewhere says happened in heaven when Jesus arrived after His ascension. In both, after Jesus died and ascended to heaven, He was exalted at His Father’s right hand, and the Holy Spirit was poured out on earth.
Secondly, Revelation 3:21 says that those who overcome will sit on Jesus’ throne, just as Jesus overcame and sat down on His Father’s throne. This provides an outline of chapters 4 to 7:
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- Revelation 6 shows how they struggle to overcome,
- In chapter 7, they sit down on Jesus’ throne, and
- Consequently, in Revelation 5, Jesus sat down on His Father’s throne.
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Thirdly, Jesus’ sermon, the Synoptic Apocalypse (Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21), describes the general realities of the Church Age. Since those general realities resemble the first four seals, and since those seals follow after Revelation 5, Revelation 5 must fit right at the beginning of the Church Age.
This article also explains why specific alternative interpretations are not accepted:
– In Dispensationalism, Revelation 4:1 is the end-time rapture, and Revelation 5 is an event after the rapture. However, as shown, Revelation 5 describes what happens in heaven when Jesus arrives after His ascension.
– Daniel 7 seems to be a judgment scene shortly before Christ’s return, and some understand Revelation 5 as also describing that same end-time judgment. However, Revelation 5 is different from Daniel 7. No books are opened, and no typical judgment language is used in Revelation 5.
In conclusion, Revelation 5 describes Christ’s enthronement at the Father’s right hand after His ascension, almost exactly 2000 years ago.
(A) Fits the New Testament
In the New Testament
A common theme in the New Testament is that, after Jesus died, He was resurrected, caught up to God, and exalted at His Father’s right hand (e.g., Eph 1:20-22). [Show More]
Furthermore, after Jesus was exalted at His Father’s right hand, the Holy Spirit was poured out (John 7:39; Acts 2:32-33). [Show More]
The Holy Spirit was poured out on Pentecost, fifty days after Jesus was crucified and ten days after His ascension. So, within 50 days after Jesus died, He was resurrected, caught up to God, and exalted at His Father’s right hand, followed by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
In Revelation 5
We see this same sequence in Revelation 5:
Death
Jesus enters the throne room as a slain Lamb who is “worthy” because He has purchased men for God with His blood (Rev 5:6, 9-10, 12). This emphasis on His death implies that Jesus entered the throne room immediately after He ascended to heaven. [Show More]
Enthroned
The Bible often states that Jesus was exalted AT the right hand of God (e.g., Eph 1:20-22). We read the same in Revelation:
According to the NASB, the book was in the right hand of God (5:1), and Jesus took it out of His hand (5:7). But, according to the interlinear translations, the book was on God’s right hand (or side) (5:1), and Jesus took it from God’s right side (5:7). This means that to take the book, Jesus had to go to the right side of God. It is proposed that when He took the book, He also sat down at His Father’s right hand.
This is confirmed a few verses later when “every created thing” praises both Jesus and His Father (Rev 5:13), implying that they are both on the throne.
This is further confirmed when Jesus is described as “in the CENTER of the throne” (Rev 7:17).
Holy Spirit Poured Out
Before Jesus appeared, “the seven Spirits of God” were “before the throne” (Rev 4:5), but after He appeared as a slain lamb, God’s Spirit is said to be “sent out into all the earth” (Rev 5:6), apparently a reference to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. So, the Holy Spirit was poured out somewhere between 4:5 and 5:6. Since Jesus also appeared in God’s throne room between these two verses, this confirms the link between His enthronement and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
Conclusion
Elsewhere in the New Testament, Jesus was slain, raised to life, ascended to heaven, and glorified at the Father’s right hand while the Holy Spirit was poured out.
Similarly, in Revelation 5, Jesus appears as a slain Lamb, receives the book from God’s right hand, and is glorified with the Father, while the seven Spirits of God are sent out into all the earth.
The similarity implies that Revelation 5 describes what happens when Jesus arrives in heaven after His ascension.
(B) 3:21 explains Revelation 5.
Revelation 3:21 is the climax of the seven letters but also provides an outline of the entire vision of the sealed book (4:1 to 8:1). It reads:
(a) To him who overcomes,
(b) I will give the right to sit with me on my throne,
(c) just as I overcame
(d) and sat down with my Father on his throne (NIV).
(a) To him who overcomes
This is in the present tense, meaning God’s people are NOW overcoming. This is what Revelation 6 – the breaking of the seals – is all about.
(b) I will give to sit with me on my throne
This is in the future tense. God’s people will rule with Jesus (sit on His throne) when He returns (Rev 20:4). In the seals, this is described in Revelation 7, where the overcomers are presented as an innumerable multitude who are able to stand before God when Jesus returns (Rev 7:9; cf. 6:17; 7:15, 17). Revelation 7 provides a preview of the new heavens and new earth (Rev 21:1).
(c) Just as I overcame
This is in the past tense because it describes Jesus’ life and death on earth. Jesus “has overcome so as to open the book” (Rev 5:5). Since 5:5 announces an end to John’s weeping, the time of weeping (5:1-4) is the time before He overcame. In other words, He overcame between verses 4 and 5. This is followed by John seeing “a Lamb … as if slain” (Rev 5:6), meaning that Jesus overcame through His death. [Show More]
(d) And sat down with my Father on his throne.
This is also stated in the past tense because Jesus had already sat down on His Father’s throne by the time John received this prophecy. Jesus overcame between verses 4 and 5, implying that the rest of Revelation 5 describes His sitting down on His Father’s throne after His ascension. [Show More]
(C) The Synoptic Apocalypse
In this sermon (Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21), Jesus divided history into three great eras which fit the seven seals:
Jesus first described the general realities of the entire Christian age. These fit the first four seals (Rev 6:1-8). [Show More]
Second, Jesus described a great persecution toward the end of that era. The fifth seal (Rev 6:9-11), read together with the sealing (Rev 7:1-3), describes a great end-time persecution. [Show More]
Third, Jesus spoke about His return, which is also described by the sixth seal (Rev 6:12-14). [Show More]
In conclusion, since these general realities resemble the first four seals, and since those seals follow after Revelation 5, Revelation 5 must be placed right at the beginning of the Church Age.
Conclusions
In Revelation 5, Jesus overcame (5:5), appeared as a slain lamb (5:6), and accepted the sealed book at His Father’s right hand (5:7). At the same time, the Holy Spirit was sent out into all the world (5:6). Then, the entire universe glorified the Father and the Son (5:13). These events fit exactly with His exaltation at His Father’s right hand after His ascension, as described elsewhere in the New Testament. Therefore, He received the book at His ascension.
When He received it, the book was still fully sealed. In Revelation 6, He breaks the seals one by one. Each time that He breaks a seal, something happens on Earth. The sixth seal begins with the signs of Christ’s return (Rev 6:12-14; Matt 24:29) and ends with Judgment Day (Rev 6:15-17). Therefore, the first five seals symbolize events over the Church Age. 3:21 identifies those events as the experience of God’s people.
Alternative Interpretations
The Rapture
In Dispensationalism, Revelation 4:1 is the rapture. However, since Revelation 5 describes what happens in heaven when Jesus arrives after His ascension, and since 4:1 precedes Revelation 5, 4:1 cannot be the rapture. [Show More]
The Judgment of Daniel 7
The strongest parallel to Revelation 5 is probably in Daniel 7:9-14. In both, God is on the throne, books are mentioned, and the Son of man appears after God is already introduced and is given authority. [Show More]
Daniel 7 seems to be a judgment scene shortly before Christ’s return, and many understand Revelation 5 as also describing that same end-time judgment. However, Revelation 5 is different. No books are opened in it, and we find no typical judgment language, such as judge or avenge. [Show More]
The Day of Atonement
In the Old Testament, on the annual “Day of Atonement” (Lev 23:26-27), “atonement” was made for “the holy place, because of the impurities of the sons of Israel and because of their transgressions in regard to all their sins” (Lev 16:16). During the year, to obtain forgiveness, sinners symbolically brought their sins to “the holy place” (the temple). Symbolically, their sins accumulated in the temple. On the Day of Atonement, the sins were symbolically removed from the temple and put on a goat (the scapegoat Lev 16:8), and the goat was led away into the wilderness (Lev 16:21). [Show More]
For some, Revelation 5 describes the real Day of Atonement. However, Revelation 5 does not mention the ark of the covenant, judgment language, the Most Holy Place, or a male goat. [Show More]