Today’s reading is Revelation 5.
Last week, in Revelation 4, we saw John called up to the peak of the heavenly mountain, if you will, in order to gain a heavenly vantage point and be given a heavenly perspective. He witnessed an incredible scene of worship. As the worship occurred, in Revelation 5:1, he noticed the one on the throne held a scroll in His right hand, but the scroll was sealed. Neither John nor anyone else in heaven or on earth was worthy to open the scroll. John wept.
Why would John weep over a sealed scroll?
As long as the scroll remained sealed, its contents remained a mystery. God had brought John up to heaven to gain the heavenly perspective, but the scroll of heavenly perspective was sealed. What good was it to John or anyone else, if John couldn’t read it? In fact, in Isaiah 29:11-12 we read of just such a situation.
And the vision of all this has become to you like the words of a book that is sealed. When men give it to one who can read, saying, “Read this,” he says, “I cannot, for it is sealed.” And when they give the book to one who cannot read, saying, “Read this,” he says, “I cannot read” (ESV).
What a lament. God had a message for His people, but they couldn’t read and even if they could read, the message wouldn’t open to them. What a disappointment it would be for God to have a heavenly revelation, but no one was able to open it and reveal it. He had traveled all that way for nothing. So John wept. Wouldn’t you?
Further, John no doubt wept because he had experience with the kinds of messages on God’s scrolls. We find two fantastic pictures in Jeremiah. Repeatedly, Jeremiah was told to write what had been revealed to him in a book or scroll. Two occurrences in particular explain why John, going through tribulation would weep on not being able to hear, read, or see God’s message.
In Jeremiah 30:2-3, we find:
Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: Write in a book all the words that I have spoken to you. For behold, days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will restore the fortunes of my people, Israel and Judah, says the LORD, and I will bring them back to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall take possession of it (ESV).
And then in Jeremiah 50-51, God gave Jeremiah an incredible prophecy regarding judgment on Babylon. Then we find in Jeremiah 51:60:
Jeremiah wrote in a book all the disaster that should come upon Babylon, all these words that are written concerning Babylon (ESV).
John knew the kinds of messages God wrote on these scrolls, messages of hope and restoration for His people and messages of judgment on the enemies of God’s people. John knew he had been called in heaven to learn about hope for Christ’s church and the judgment on the new Babylon. But it seemed his journey into heaven was going to fall short. He was as one that couldn’t read the scroll. It was sealed.
But! Praise the Lord! One was found worthy to open the scroll. One who had been slain and ransomed for God a people to bless and give a kingdom. Of course, Jesus the Christ. Because of His sacrifice, He was worthy to break the seals and unroll the scroll to be read. However, the breaking of the seals was not simply the means by which John could be given the message and pass it on to us. Because Jesus was worthy to break the seals, the events portrayed in that scroll could take place.
Praise God, because Jesus was and is worthy, we get to read this entire message. Think about that, Jesus died and was resurrected to break these seals and give us this message. Sounds like an important message. Let’s keep reading.
Tomorrow’s reading is Revelation 5.
PODCAST!!!
PATHS:
Discuss Today’s Meditation with Your Family
How does Revelation 5 prompt or improve your praise of God?
Read the Bible 