NO MAN CAN OPEN THE BOOK!
“And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon. And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open the book, neither to look thereon” (Rev. 5:3-4).
Although the sound of the heavenly messenger’s voice resounds throughout all of heaven, the high and holy realm of the spirit; throughout all the earth, the dwelling place of the natural or soulical dominated man; and the underworld, bespeaking of the body realm, the gross wickedness of the flesh and the bondage of the devil, there is no one who is able to qualify as “worthy” to open and to look upon the contents of the scroll. The word translated “able” is the Greek word which means “to possess power or authority.” Nowhere in all of God’s vast universes was there found a creature who was authorized or empowered of God to open the book and bring forth the revelation of THE LAMB'S LIFE that it contains! No man can open the book! No man! No carnality. No one by human intellect or human reasoning or fleshly ability. No person moving in a religious spirit, or proclaiming a creed or doctrine, or observing outward laws, ceremonies, rituals, or man-made programs, promotions, and efforts could open the book. Not one! Well, John didn’t have the answer, but there "IS ONE" who can open the book, as we shall see.
I can understand that no man on earth was found able. Some of us who are living way below our privileges in the realm of the earthlies are not worthy, nor capable. I can also understand that no man under the earth, those living in the underworld of the sensual, fleshly, and devilish realm, was found able. But then it goes on to say, “no man in heaven.” No man even living in the heavenlies of God’s Spirit, that place of exaltation, triumph, and power, was found able, not only to open the book, but even to look thereon. In these days of transition from the church age-- to the kingdom the full expression of Christ’s redemption must be made manifest and it begins with the opening of the seven-sealed book--not single-sealed, not double-sealed, but a book with seven seals (which speaks of the fullness of the flesh realm), written within and on the backside, which means written all over — and HE ALONE CAN OPEN IT!
John didn’t have the answer, but there "IS ONE" who can open the book, as we shall see a man who would be totally committed to Him, or one that has attained to a high place in God as an apostle, or prophet, His purposes in the earth could be fulfilled. But no matter how dedicated, committed, gifted, and heavenly minded a man may be, no matter what spiritual progress or position or attainment a man may have, when it comes to the unveiling of Jesus Christ HIMSELF in the breaking of the seals OF FLESH which release the forces that will eventually bring about the full expression of God’s glory and purpose, no man was found worthy. This is a word that needs to be heard by all who seek after manifest sonship in this day! As we move into this wonderful new day--new order of the kingdom, and nothing much seems to happen, perhaps we start blaming ourselves, or our teachers, or the prophets, and we ask, “Where is this greater manifestation of the Spirit, this full expression of the power of the kingdom of God?
I am not speaking here about healing some sick and casting out some devils and seeing a few things change around us and having some miracles, which in time past we have called “revival.” These things have been taking place throughout the ages, and happen all the time, but by and large the world does not even know they are happening!
We gather in our little meetings and declare our sonship, that we have entered beyond the veil, that we have arrived in the day of the Lord, that we have come out of religious Babylon and left all the lower orders behind, that we have been set in the new order of the kingdom, that we have even now begun to put on life and immortality, and a number of other wonderful declarations, and yet no one up and down the street where we are gathered even knows that we are in town! The world goes on day after day, month after month, year after year, decade after decade wallowing in shame, bound by sin, sorrow, pain, and death, with wars and starvation and troubles of every kind affecting billions of people. That is not what the day of the Lord is to bring forth: a little moving over here and a little stirring over there, BUT A RELEASE OF THE FULLNESS OF THE POWER AND THE GLORY AND THE LIFE OF GOD OVER ALL THE EARTH. This is the unveiling of the triumphant One, who by His death, resurrection, and ascension to the right hand of the Father has prevailed! And yet we cannot escape the awful truth--- NO MAN CAN PRODUCE IT! Not even a man in heaven!
Soon after John saw and heard this scene there was a mighty weeping going on concerning who was worthy to open the book. Some speak of these tears as mere tears of disappointed curiosity. This, indeed, is the common explanation. We are told that the book had unknown revelations in it, which John was very impatient to understand; and that his much weeping was caused by the prospect of having his personal desire to obtain a knowledge of the future, ungratified. Poor John! What a silly mortal, to be troubling himself about unrevealed prophecy, and to keep up this crying in heaven because there was no one to open the book for him! The thing is absurd. It is beneath criticism. What a sad picture of inspiration, that it should strip a venerable and disciplined servant of God of all manly dignity, and make him a silly and peevish child! No, no; John knew by that Spirit in which he was, what that sealed book meant. He knew that if no one was found worthy and able to take it from the hand of God, and to break its seals, that all the promises of the prophets, and all the hopes of the saints, and all the preintimations of a redeemed world, must fail.
The Seer waits in the oppressive silence until he can bear it no longer. Then he breaks down into bitter weeping. The word translated “wept” does not refer to quiet tears streaming down the face, but to audible wailing and uncontrollable sobbing. John is terribly upset because there is no response to the heavenly messenger’s thunderous appeal for someone to open the book, loosing the contents hidden within. His soul is shaken to its foundations as he recognizes that the outcome of all things on behalf of all creation hangs upon the contents of this sealed book! John’s tears, therefore, express his sensitivity in things spiritual, for he realizes that there must come a time when God must mightily intervene in the affairs of men and the whole world or the kingdom of God will never be realized on earth. His longing for that great Day is joined with his longing for the release of the fullness of the power and the glory of God over all the earth. Hence the awful sense of frustration expressed in weeping when no creature responded to the messenger’s call.
The mystery is just this. HERE IT IS..... John represents you and me! Have we not wept, groaned, and travailed in pain within ourselves for Christ in us to be unsealed, fully revealed? Oh, yes! But the weeping, groaning, and travailing of itself cannot bring forth the Christ. “Weep not!” one of the elders commanded. The elder here referred to is undoubtedly one of the twenty-four who have been identified as representative of the priesthood of God. Notice, the elders do not weep! Only John wept. The elders do not weep for they are in the secret of God, and as the redemptive agents of God the priests of the kingdom understand the process taking place. What was dark to John is light to them! It means that when the reality of priesthood breaks in our spirit, and we are given a priestly heart, and a priestly understanding, our tears are dried. Once the revelation comes, and we know God is in control, and we are certain of the Father’s purpose and our calling in it, and the final outcome is sure, then we truly rest in His love, and weeping ceases.
John says that there was no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth who was able to open the book. What this means in the understanding of the Spirit is just this: Who is able to reveal, to show forth the Christ? Who is able! And he says, “No man” --- matters not what heaven he dwells in, nor what HIGH realm he works from -- no man is able to open up, expose, disclose, release, unveil, reveal, or exhibit the fullness of Christ! Then there came the voice, “Stop weeping! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has won and overcome and conquered! He can open the scroll and break its seven seals! And there between the throne and the four living creatures I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God who have been sent far and wide into all the earth. He then went and took the scroll from the right hand of Him who sat on the throne” (Rev. 5:5-7, Amplified).
Oh, to be anointed to understand these words of deepest mystery and highest glory! It was the strength of the Lion of the tribe of Judah that prevailed. But it was the humility, meekness, and unselfish sacrifice of the Lamb that accomplished the work! We can roar like a lion, but we will never open the book by that roar. The book cannot be opened, the Christ within can never be revealed, except by the spirit of the Lamb! Nor can weeping open the book. We can weep all day long and it isn’t going to make the book open. In Pentecostal and Evangelical circles they tell you, “Repent! Weep your way through at the altar, come between the porch and the altar and cry out mightily to God.”
There is a time for weeping, but you can cry till you turn blue and you will die crying. In the revelation of Jesus Christ God has come to wipe away tears! “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away” (Rev. 21:4).
WHAT WILL OPEN THE BOOK? Can you open the book? Will lamenting and weeping about the situation open the book? Do you know what John realized? No man can open this book. Weeping won’t open the book. Roaring like a lion won’t open the book. Positive thinking won’t open the book. Confessing won’t open the book. Being heavenly minded won’t open the book. No man in heaven was able to open the book. Are you a heaven dweller? You still can’t open the book! If John could have opened the book he would have. He was standing “in the spirit” on the Lord’s day and “in heaven” when he saw the book! If you could open the book you would. If I could open the book I would. If I could call forth the revelation of Christ, if I could generate and produce the manifestation of the sons of God I would. Oh, yes! But John felt as I have felt many times. “And I wept…” But that will never open the book! BUT THERE "IS"..... THE ONE WORTHY TO OPEN THE BOOK
The messenger said, “Stop crying! Weep not! Stop feeling sorry for yourself! Stop bemoaning the world! Stop feeling hopeless! There is somebody that can open the book!” Ah, beloved, dry your tears and hush your cries — The mighty Lamb of God is standing up within each of God’s elect in this hour, and He is able to open the book!
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