As we proceed on our tour of the Throne Room of Heaven, we must keep in mind the timeline. Jesus Christ has just risen from the grave and there is much rejoicing in Heaven. Revelation chapter 5 reveals...what must take place after this.
John explained the next thing that he saw...I saw in the right hand of Him who sits on the throne a scroll written inside and on the back sealed with seven seals...Rev. 5:1. What does this symbolism mean?
The right hand of God symbolizes power and authority. What is written on the scroll has been authorized by Him. #7 symbolizes - perfect and complete. Writing on both sides of this scroll symbolizes that the message is a double-edged sword of judgment against His religious leaders, whom He left in charge of the spiritual development of His people - they failed miserably.
Written on this scroll we will find God's prophecy regarding the vengeance that will be exacted against Israel for rejecting Jesus Christ as their Messiah. Have scrolls been used in visions in the past to convey a message to His people through His prophets? Yes.
The Prophet Ezekiel received a vision of a scroll with writing on the inside and the outside. Now when I looked, there was a hand stretched out to me; and behold, a scroll of a book was in it...then He spread it before me; and there was writing on the inside and on the outside, and written on it were lamentations and mourning and woe...Ez. 2:9-10.
The Prophet Zechariah saw a flying scroll with a message on two sides...this is the curse that goes out over the face of the whole earth...every thief shall be expelled, according to this side of the scroll; and every perjurer shall be expelled, according to that side of it...Zec. 5:2-3.
What was the message these prophets conveyed to the religious leaders of their day? There will be lamentations, mourning, and woe because they are charged as perjurers and thieves. Instead of tending to the spiritual development of God's people, these religious leaders robbed them from the truth about God's love and forgiveness, and by doing so they perjured themselves. They had made a covenant with God to lead His people faithfully - instead they willfully lied under oath, and lead His people into paganism and immorality - requiring His judgment.
The scroll that John saw has the same message that previous scrolls revealed - but this scroll includes one additional charge - indictment - against the religious leaders of Israel. What is the additional indictment?
The religious scholars of Jesus' day rejected Jesus Christ as the promised Messiah. While Jesus walked the earth, He warned them that they would experience vengeance - retribution - for denying that He was their Messiah.
This prophecy of Jesus - vengeance - could not be fulfilled until He rose from the grave and returned to Heaven. John became privy to the next assignment that was given to Jesus Christ, after His victory over sin. Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, "Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals?...Rev. 5:2.
John took a quick surveillance of his surroundings, as if he could spot the one for whom they were looking, who could open the seals. And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll, or to look at it...so I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open and read the scroll, or to look at it...Rev. 5:3-4.
Then John saw the glorified Christ take the scroll from God's hand...You are worthy to take the scroll, and to open its seals; for You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood. Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation...and have made us kings and priests to our God...and we shall reign on the earth...Rev. 5:9-10. Mission accomplished! This was the beginning of men reigning with God on the earth.
This timeline reveals Jesus returning to Heaven - the seals on the scroll reveal His next assignment. The seals reveal the judgment - vengeance - that comes upon Israel for rejecting Jesus as their Messiah. I described this in depth in Part 69-76 of Riddles, Enigmas & Esoteric Imagery - of Revelation - Four Horsemen Symbolism Series.
Our tour of the Throne Room of Heaven has come to an end. What's next? Stay tuned...
God's sheep question the doctrines of men...sheeple follow without question~~~
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