The talk of war in Iraq is at the center of many conversations these days. It seems that the question is no longer if but when. As the world gears up for the inevitable realty of war, the world has to contend with another problem: the madman in North Korea who continues his quest for power. He manipulates and blackmails. When you see his face on television, you know that you see a man who does not share a common humanity with you. You just know it. The power of the two evil men, Saddam Hussein and Kim Jong Il, and the evil kingdoms they represent, have brought so much misery and tragedy to millions of people.

There are other evil men around the world, just not as well known. Just think of so many dictators that have come and gone in Africa. The one in Zimbabwe has been in power for twenty years. Only recently, has the media been paying attention to the situation in Zimbabwe because the British cricket team has refused to play there for security reasons. What about those military leaders who have turned the clock backwards in Myanmar? Didn't the Time magazine do a feature story on these generals' obsession with improving their golf scores while their country continues to plunge into economic abyss?

The end of the evil empire
When we think of evil leaders around the world and their greed to hold on to power at the expense of so many people's right to lead a decent life, we certainly want to look to our God who will one day judge the living and the dead.

The book of Revelation was written during a time when Christians were looking for an answer to the question, 'what will happen to this evil empire?' It is generally agreed that the background of the book is either shortly after the death of Nero (67-68 A.D.) or towards the end of the reign of Domitian (ca. 96 A.D.), both of whom known for cruelty to Christians.

While some churches were facing critical tests of their faith (note the martyrdom possibilities at the church of Smyrna in 2:10), others went into their own hiding and committed sins of laxity and moral compromise. It was as though saying 'what difference can I make in this world anyway?'

The book tells us that God is not silent about it all. He has been watching all along and some day he will bring all things to their proper ending. He will punish all evils in this world and see to it that they never set foot on earth. Chapter five shows the role that Jesus Christ will play at the end of all things.

The meaning of the seven seals
Chapter 5 begins with the question, 'Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?' But chapter 5 is the continuation of chapter 4, where the vision began concerning the heavenly scene. God the Father sits at the center throne and in his right hand is the scroll that needs to be opened. The scroll contains the history, the fact, and the future course of the world. Someone must open it so as to begin the judgment of God. In John's vision, he sees a lamb, a passive-looking quiet animal, and a slain one at that, who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll.

The scroll was sealed with 'seven seals' (vs. 1). 'Seven' in Revelation is a number of perfection or completion. Seven churches, seven spirits (or sevenfold Spirit), seven trumpets, and seven bowls … all represent its completeness. Therefore, 'sealed with seven seals' amounts to the scroll having been sealed in a complete way. No one thus far has had access to the information on the scroll. It needs to be revealed for the first time so that people can know what is written in it. While no one was worthy to open the scroll, behold, it was the Lamb of God who was found worthy to open the scroll by breaking the seals one by one.

The book of Revelation is cleverly designed. The entire book can be understood as opening the seven seals so that the contents can be revealed. One by one the seal is removed and by the time the seventh seal is broken, all the judgment is over. But there is one catch. The seventh seal does not bring about the end right away; rather, it leads to another round of seven trumpets. The seventh trumpet leads to yet another round of seven bowls. So, all in all, the seventh seal is extend comprising of the seven trumpets which in turn are composed of seven bowls. Everything is completely over when the seventh bowl is poured on the earth.

Our passage is just prior to the opening of the first six seals. We are invited to the heaven's court where the lamb once slain has been invited to break the seals. Let us spend some time examining what John saw.

In vs 6, he begins by saying "Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne." Here we have a glimpse at a lamb that look like it has been slain. I did not grow up in a farm, much less an animal farm. So my experience with sheep is indeed minimal. The only one time I did see a sheep being slaughtered was when I was visiting Kyrgyzstan. We bought a sheep from its owner so that we can have bish marmak, a famous dish combining sheep meat and noodles. The sheep resisted so little when it was slaughtered. I said to myself 'how peaceful or how uneventful it is!'

Perhaps the irony of all is the description in vs. 6. Here we have a lamb that had been slain. And yet he is very much alive. He commands full authority and worship. Let us look at the situation in detail.

He was encircled by four creatures and twenty-four elders. --- Four creatures were explained as looking like a lion, an ox, a man, and an eagle (4:7). It is possible that they represent all of God's creation, here in display of full submission. The twenty-four elders represent all of God's people, the first twelve coming from the twelve tribes of Israel remnants and the second twelve coming from the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ.

He had seven horns and seven eyes, and which are the seven spirits (or the sevenfold Spirit). --- Seven horns must mean 'full of strength,' while 'seven eyes' refers to God's omniscient capability. He knows what is going on. (Wouldn't the UN weapons inspectors wish they had?) And finally, the seven spirits means the sevenfold Spirit of God.

Can you possibly imagine this language of contrast, between the lamb who was slain and the lamb who is so powerful now?

The Lamb takes the scroll
The Lamb comes to the throne and takes the scroll. It is now up to him to begin the judgment of the world. He can now break the seven seals and open one by one. We think of Jesus Christ and Savior and Lord. But I wonder how many of us seriously think of Jesus as the coming Judge of the world.

The Lamb was ready to deliberate. But notice in vs. 8 how the four creatures and twenty-four elders not only prostrate and worship the Lamb but they also carried the 'golden bowls full of incense which are the prayers of the saints.' This shows that our prayers are not wasted. God remembers the prayers of His people and takes them into account on the day of judgment in bringing complete justice into the world. I would imagine that in that bowls are the dying prayers of thousands of martyrs throughout church history, beginning with the prayer of Stephen (Acts 7-8).

They began with a new song. How fitting it is to sing a new song at this point, much like how we sing a new song marking a new era or a new development. It was the perfect time to sing a new song because the scroll was going to be opened for the FIRST time ever in human history.

Let me make a note on singing here. There is nothing wrong about singing old hymns. But there is something wrong about insisting on singing old hymns. As discoverers of God's mercy and grace each day, we ought to be able to sing new songs and enjoy His season of refreshing and new work in our lives. The best worship, then, is always a good combination of the old hymns (which bring us back to what he has done in our lives) and also the new hymns (which anticipate what he will do in and through us). Young people like to sing new songs because they do not have a whole lot of 'old' events to go back to. Old folks like to sing old songs because they do not think that they have a whole lot of new events to look forward to. Now you know why a balance is necessary.

Behold the Lamb: why he is worthy
Why is the Lamb being worshipped here? Let us listen to the content of the new song.

You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth. (vv. 9-10)

This is the first of the three songs to be sung shortly. But theologically, this is the most important of all. It tells us why the lamb, of all other possible candidates, is worthy to take the scroll

So the Lamb was found worthy, absolutely worthy to begin the process of judging the world by breaking the seals one by one. BUT there is more.

His work resulted in a dramatic change in people: Jesus made them 'to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God.' Here is what Jesus does for us: he turns a rebel into a sincere worshipper of God. When people truly understand who Jesus is, they turn from a God-hater to a follower of God. The expression 'to be a kingdom and priests' reflects the language of Exodus 19:5-6, where God gave Israelites a new identity of being the people of God. By obedience to the Commands of God, the Israelites were called to become priests of God. However, they rebelled against God and miserably failed to live up to their calling.

Jesus, however, made the difference in our lives. He did make us successfully to serve the living God by his atoning sacrifice. That is what the apostle Paul when he said, 'what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son …' (Rom 8:3).

The overall result of all this is that we 'will reign on the earth' with Christ. For the believers, they will no longer be under the reign of the evil one. Instead, we will reign over the evil forces and natures of this world. Maybe not now in a full sense, but in a partial sense, yes we can and do rebuke the work of the devil NOW. But in the future when Satan is thrown to abyss forever, we know that we will have complete victory over the dark empire.

The world around us
Even as we speak this morning, the world is in a turmoil. It is divided over whether Iraq should be attacked now or not. What should be the Christian's position on this, knowing that God has the ultimate victory over evil? We know that Saddam Hussein, Kim Jong Il and scores other evil men continue to threaten people's lives today. No one questions that they are evil. But we are not sure how to engage with these men. Which choice will minimize human suffering in the long run? It is not easy. That is why even Christians are divided over the prospect of war.

The study of Revelation 5 teaches us the mindset we are to take:

• Christ's willingness to engage the evil - withdrawing from the world is not an option for the followers
• Christ's suffering leading to victory - everyone thought he was a wimp, unable to save himself, let alone the world. But 2,000 years later, who is laughing now?
• Christ's commitment to truth and justice - we know that Christ will judge the world in the end. All evil will be exposed and punished. We need not to fear now.

Times like this call us to pray. We are to seek God's will and pray that human suffering will be minimized while evil forces be removed. Let us pray for those leaders whose decision in the next few days and weeks will impact the world. Let us pray that God of mercy will give them wisdom to know what is best for the world, especially for those who are not in a situation to decide for themselves. But at the same time let us encourage one another with the hope that in the end God will put down all evil forces forever.

May the Lord bless you all.