Day 227

Double sealed scrolls were used in the ancient world to protect the most important documents. It was like an ancient firewall for the information contained in the scroll. So I want to paint a brief picture of how this was done to give you a  better insight into the scrolls of Revelation.

Imagine a long roll of paper about 24 inches high and 50 feet long. If you are going to roll up the scroll so that the last thing they read is the last thing revealed, then you have to write that last thing first. So you write it. Then you roll that portion up and place some hot wax right on the intersection of the new rolled portion and the unrolled portion, and then roll just a bit more to spread out the wax a little bit. Now that portion is sealed. So you write the second to last thing you want them to read, roll, and seal it. You continue until you write the first thing you want them to read. You write it, roll it and place a seal in the usual way on the outside edge against the roll. So as you break each wax seal and unroll you get a little bit more of the message of the scroll in a certain sequence determined by the one who wrote the scroll and placed the seals.  

Think about your online bill paying. You set up bills to be paid on certain dates. As the dates approach they move up the list, until the date of payment, then the funds are released. As time moves forward, more payments are dispersed in the order you determine. So in the ancient world, as the scroll is unrolled, a seal is broken and more of the scroll’s contents are revealed.

But in John’s case, there is no one worthy to open the scroll’s seals. The qualification for opening the contents of this scroll is worthiness. Jesus is the only one worthy of this honor. Notice all the names for Jesus here in this chapter. Lion of the tribe of Judah and Root of David both point to his royal lineage in Israel. But even more important than being of royal blood, he is the One who was destined to sit on David’s throne and rule again. This fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies.

He is also called the Lamb, the spotless One who would die a sacrificial death on behalf of His people. And when He appears, He takes the scroll and everyone begins to worship Him. And in these songs His identity and qualifications for taking the Scroll are pronounced.

The human representatives and the four creatures speak about Jesus’ redemptive work. He paid for the salvation of people across the globe, and across time. No barriers stop His redemption from accomplishing its work.

Then the innumerable angels speak about the result of Jesus death. He returned to His place in heaven, a place of power, and authority. They don’t receive benefit from Jesus’ redemptive work so they give to Him what they give to God. He gets what He had before His incarnation. He will return to that place that only He can occupy as the second person in the Trinity.

And finally the every living creature give worship to Him. It will be an awesome thing to hear when all creatures get a voice that renders praise to God. Maybe they are doing it already, but we just don’t have a translation program that works. They certainly declare the glories of God now in their declaration of design and purpose. They show God’s creativity and power. But in that day, their praise will be clear and distinctive. There will be no doubt about what their message is declaring.

As we live our lives now, do we declare a clear message about Jesus’ redemptive work, His worthiness to receive all praise, and His eternal purposes for our lives? Perhaps we need to take a cue from these heavenly voices. Jesus is worthy! Let’s declare it so.