The Seven Sealed Book (Part1)

Revelation 5:1

And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne

a book written within and on the backside,

sealed with seven seals."

        Try to visualize the picture which John is using to explain what he saw.  It is taken from the vision of Ezekiel: And when I looked, behold, an hand was sent unto me; and, lo, a roll of a book was therein; And he spread it before me; and it was written within and without: and there was written therein lamentations, and mourning, and woe (Ezek. 2:9-10).  
        We must note that it was a roll and not a book which was in the hand of God.  In the ancient world, down to the second century A.D., the form of literary work was the roll, not the book. The roll was made of papyrus, manufactured in single sheets about ten inches by eight. The roll commonly had a wooden roller at each end. The Revelation itself would occupy a roll 15 feet long.  It was that kind a roll that was in the hand of God.
        When a roll was finished, it was fastened with threads and the threads were sealed at the knots. The one ordinary document sealed with seven seals was a will. The roll may be what we might describe as God's will, his final settlement of the affairs of the universe.  It is more likely that the seven seals stand simply for profound concealment. The contents of the roll are so secret that it is sealed with seven seals. The tomb of Jesus was sealed to keep it safe (Matt. 27:66). The apocryphal Gospel of Peter says that it was sealed with seven seals. It was so sealed to make quite certain that no unauthorized person could possibly open it.  However this gospel of Peter was proposed as an addition to the New testament, but rejected by major canons.
         As John looked at God with the roll in his hand, there came a challenge from a strong angel.  A strong angel appears again in Rev. 10:1 and Rev. 18:21.  In this case the angel had to be strong so that the challenge of his voice might reach throughout the universe.  His summons was that anyone worthy of the task should come forward and open the book.  There is no doubt that the book is the record of that which is to happen in the last times.
     In response to the challenge of the angel no one came forward; none was good enough to open the roll.  And at this John in his vision fell weeping.  It seemed to him that there was no one in the whole universe to whom God could reveal his mysteries.  And, indeed, this was a terrible thing; because  here was a world so far from God that there was none able to receive his message.
        Amen!!

Reading: (Rev. 5:1-4)
Ref: (HGSB; BSB)

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry