Revelation 5:12 - Printer Friendly

ESV: saying with a loud voice, "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!"

NIV: In a loud voice they were saying: "Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!"

NASB: saying with a loud voice, 'Worthy is the Lamb that was slaughtered to receive power, wealth, wisdom, might, honor, glory, and blessing.'

CSB: They said with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb who was slaughtered to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing!

NLT: And they sang in a mighty chorus: 'Worthy is the Lamb who was slaughtered — to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing.'

KJV: Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.

NKJV: saying with a loud voice: “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain To receive power and riches and wisdom, And strength and honor and glory and blessing!”

This verse continues the song sung in heaven, praising Jesus in front of the throne of God.

The trail to Christ's kingdom passed through the cross. When Jesus was on earth, His disciples believed His earthly kingdom was imminent, but He told them repeatedly that He had come to die (Mark 10:45). The angelic host proclaimed Jesus' right to honor and power, in part, because He endured the cross. They declared He is worthy to receive royal acclaim because He "is the Lamb who was slain." He is worthy to receive the power or authority to establish and administrate His kingdom (Revelation 20:4–6).

Jesus is described as worthy to receive wealth. Governments need money to operate, but untold wealth belongs to King Jesus. He will never exhaust His royal treasury as He governs on earth. He will exercise infinite wisdom as He administers justice in His kingdom. He will also exercise His might to subdue every pocket of rebellion that surfaces in His kingdom. As earth's perfect king, Jesus will receive honor or deep respect from His loyal subjects. The glory of His holiness will blanket the earth, and His subjects will bless His holy name.

Revelation 5:11–14 concludes the heavenly scenes the apostle John viewed after being invited to enter heaven (Revelation 4:1). Tribulation judgments come next in chapters 6—16. This passage contains a crescendo of angels ascribing praise to the Lamb. Their praise draws universal agreement and an appropriate response from the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders, earlier described as attending God around His throne.

Revelation 5 tells us John saw a scroll in God's right hand. The scroll had writing in it and on its back. Also, the scroll was sealed with seven seals. A search uncovered no one who was worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. However, one of the elders told John that Jesus could open the scroll, as the only one with the legal and moral right to do so. When Jesus accepted the scroll, universal praise in heaven and on earth rose to Jesus. He alone was found worthy to open the scroll because, as God's Lamb, He had shed His blood for all mankind.

Jesus commanded John to write ''the things that you have seen, those that are and those that are to take place after this.'' The first three chapters of Revelation contained those things which ''were'' and ''are,'' at the time John wrote. Chapters 2 and 3 provided the contents of Jesus' letters to seven churches. Chapter 4 begins the largest and last section of Revelation, regarding events yet to take place when John wrote (Revelation 1:19). John introduced God seated upon His throne, with twenty-four elders and four angelic creatures nearby. Chapter 5 focuses on a scroll containing God's judgments on sin, and a search for someone to open it. Only Jesus is worthy to open it. When Jesus receives the scroll from God, He receives praise from every creature in heaven and on earth.

The word ''revelation'' means ''an unveiling or disclosure.'' This writing unveils future events such as the rapture, three series of judgments that will fall on the earth during the tribulation, the emergence of the Antichrist, the persecution of Israel and her amazing revival, as well as Jesus' second coming with His saints to the earth, the judgment of Satan and his followers, and finally, the eternal state. This content, combined with the original Greek term apokalypsis, is why we now refer to an end-of-the-world scenario as ''an apocalypse.''